Speaking of prizes, we have a small addendum to make. Remember that beautiful skein of Madelinetosh Pashmina Worsted from JustRunKnit? You know... this one?
You can't have it anymore.
BAH! Got ya!
It turns out that Megan (isn't her name good?! - I sure think so!) is giving us not one, not two, but FOUR of these skeins so the winner of this prize can turn around and make themselves another vest. Or some other fabulous yardage-rich project. THANK. YOU. MEGAN!!!! I really wish I was eligible for these prizes.
Moving right along...
Assuming you didn't have time to cast on this week, let's do that. And I know you all know how to cast on so there's not much to share with you except a quick little trick that I was taught years after I started knitting. And I still do a face palm every time I remember this. Why, oh why, didn't I think of this genius little trick YEARS ago?
Because of my lady curves I'm making a size 41-1/2", that's no small feat when it comes to casting on 208 stitches. So rather than try to count on 208 stitches, I cast on 20, place a marker, then cast another 20, and so on.
If you all are laughing that it took me so long to learn this well... keep on laughing. Because seriously... it's so simple, right? Yep. Now if I have more than 50 sts to cast on I do this. Makes my life way easier. I only ever have to count back 20 sts if I lose count when my husband starts talking at me mid count. Not that he ever does that. And not that your partner would ever do that you. No. Noperoonies. Never. They can always tell we're deep in thought counting out those minuscule little stitches when making socks.
*eye roll* I need a blinker that I can turn on and off. You know, something like "Counting now, don't talk to me" or "Yep, you can talk, it's just garter stitch".
Again. Moving on.
Once you've cast on your stitches, it's on to to the ribbing. The 1 x 1 ribbing. *le sigh* 1 x 1 ribbing. How I loathe thee. No kidding. I love making socks. I loathe the first 1 1/2" or last 1 1/2" of ribbing because of it. It just feels like it takes forever. These lovely 2 inches took me far more hours than I feel is necessary. But I love it anyway.
Oooh... lets look closer at that stitch marker, shall we? She's my favorite!
Hello, sexy!
And just so you know, she's not doing anything more than a) making me happy every time I knit past her and b) marking the right side of the work. When knitting rib it's hard to tell which is the right side and which is the wrong side so I do this just to make sure. Once I establish the front I can take it off. But I won't. 'Cuz as I said: she's my favorite.
My co-host on this KAL, the fabulous ghostfaceknitter (and her ridiculously adorable cats) are hosting a recap of our progress this week over on her blog. Please go check it out, see whose work made the cut (maybe it's yours?!) and be sure to leave comments to cheer on your fellow knitters.
So that's really all to share this week. If there are any questions about the gauge swatch or the KAL in general feel free to leave them here or in our discussion board.
Also, please keep in touch in our Heliopath Kal Ravelry discussion board, on Instagram using #heliopathkal and tagging me, @socalmeaghan, and my good buddy @ghostfaceknitter.
Keep in mind, to be eligible for a prize, you need to finish your Vest (and post images... not blocked is ok, but ends woven in) by 11:59 PST on Saturday, April 12th. Use the tags above on Instagram or post to the discussion board.
Enjoy that ribbing!!! And next week, for those who are just getting started, we'll begin the pattern section. You've still got plenty of time to get caught up before the "real work" begins! Happy knitting!
I'm just waiting on my yarn. I hope the yarn I ordered works out. And I hope this isn't outside my skill set. We shall see,
ReplyDeleteI'm confident you can handle this. We'll go through all the steps each week so you can achieve it. And ask all the questions you want. We want you to be successful!
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