Thursday, April 22, 2010

Azkaban Reopened

What do you mean, I haven't written lately? Neither has Shakespeare. Um. Yeah. So there.
First order of business: I've finished Sheherezade. Now it is off my plate, the agenda, and the sidebar! Looking at it, I think it could have had another border, but... feh! It's done. And I like it.
Second in line: the Peeps Bedsocks are finished! Knitting on it was like eating popcorn: a few stitches and--before you know it--the bowl is empty! Aren't they cute? Slightly goofy, I know, but sweet in their special way. As always, there was some yarn left over so I decided to make mirror booties with what's left. I've read about, heard about, and thought about a new technique: knitting two socks at a time on one circular needle. So I gave it a shot. I like it. This way, the socks have a chance to be nearly identical.
Lastly, Playtime at Azkaban has returned. I wasn't completely satisfied with 'em. They kept falling down--not really desirable in a pair of socks. I determined that the cuff was done in a twisted rib and that's not very stretchy, albeit pretty. That needed to be re-knit. But--and it's a big BUT--you can't just unknit ribbing from the top if it was knit top-down. It requires... surgery. That's right. Cutting. Warning: The following pictures may be too explicit for some knitters. To prep, I used Jasmin's advice: slip a smaller guage needle into all the stitches in a row.Then take a deep breath and (I know it's scary) CUT a stitch. Just one. From that stitch, pull out the following stitches all around that row. The needles in place should keep your beautiful work from unravelling. Now that you've got your work stable, you can work on your project peacefully. (And I am!)