Stranded

Yesterday I alluded to my adventures with stranded knitting. Today Tante J explains it all.

Like any other knitting project, stranded knitting begins with yarn.

The yarn I chose was ShiBui Sock. Oh so soft, and gorgeous, saturated color. The only thing I don't really like about it is the pooling, even within the solids. Still, I loved the color combo I had chosen and hoped the Cheerleader would too. And so I cast on. But not any Cast On. I cast on with Italian Tubular Cast On.

I had attempted and failed a Tubular Cast On once before, but not the Italian method. And anyway, I am a much more seasoned knitter now. So using this tutorial, I fearlessly began.

I'm happy to say I am quite pleased with the results! Once the Cast On was complete, and the ends joined into the round, I carried on with requisite 1 x 1 ribbing. Until it was time to join Color 2.

Now the stranding could begin! All of that practicing Continental style finally pays off.

Look Ma, 2 hands!

Since I am really an Thrower, not a Picker, I decided to hold the main color in my right hand, the contrast in my left. That way I was primarily using the technique I preferred. Wrong! l I noticed that my Purple Diamonds were looking pinched. So I traded hands. If you look closely (click on pic to see larger version,) you can see exactly where I changed.

It bothered me a bit, that I could see a difference, but what bothered me even more was the inside of the mitt.
Look again at the public side of the mitt. The line marks the row where I changed hands.

Clearly this was unacceptable so I did the only thing I could. I ripped back to the ribbing and started again. I got all the way through the 3 repeats of the first chart and decided it would be a good time for the Cheerleader to try them on. You might remember I brought them to the Sheva Brochas for just that purpose. Surprisingly, her dainty digits weren't as dainty as I'd been led to believe. Blue Fingers (formerly known as NNR) insisted that her hands were bigger than the Cheerleaders. If she could wear them, there would be no problem. Not. The Cheerleader deemed the mitts too tiny and so, yes, I ripped back to the ribbing and started on more time, going up a needle size.

And here we are. I'm about 7 rows into the second chart, which means I'm about halfway through the first mitt. They appear to fit, the knitting seems even and all is moving along.

I love the fabric this creates, it appears to have an almost velvet like texture. The colors remind of rich tapestry. I'm hoping to finish Mitt 1 and even cast on for the 2nd by the end of the weekend.