Argus Knitalong: Week 6.2

[laughingrat]

Peeps, first of all, my apologies. All-work weekends kinda cook my brain. Only excuse I have for letting the update post go so long.

I know some of us are still working! I've *just* gotten into the sort of boring bit at the end of Chart C--the part that makes the edging. Anyone else finish this week? Anyone nearing the end? What would you do differently, if at all?

Comments

[laughingrat]

That's really cool, that you're not feeling wholly demotivated by this. I'm glad you're feeling like you can keep going! I think a lot of people's first lace projects are rough, and when I finally get my teeth into a really meaty cable project, I know I'm going to have all sorts of issues. :)

I was thinking the other day about another one that might be fun for you to knit (yes, I ponder the KAL fairly often, for all that I am not super timely on posting :)), and I was wondering if you'd seen the Icarus shawl. It does look like the primary motif, lace columns, is fairly similar to Argus, though. It might get dull for you. But with something like that, it might be good practice on how to read knitting, since everything basically lines up in straight lines. Interesting about your stitch formation--were you knitting through the back or something?

[uninvitedcat]

I've just looked up the Icarus shawl, and boy that looks pretty! I did quite like the look of the Tongues of Fire shawl too. Decisions, decisions!

I was expecting to have a few issues with this project because I've never knitted anything as big as a shawl before, never followed a charted pattern before, never done lacework before etc. But as long as I'm still learning, it's OK to go wrong. (I've not even *looked* at cables yet...)

I'm not sure if I can explain the stitch formation thing, but I'll have a go.

If you look at my left-hand needle at the start of a row, it'd look like this:
//////////////

What I was doing was pushing the right hand needle through the bit of the stitch closest to my body, so from left to right:
/////////// ->/

So I was having to work against the natural direction of the stitch. Watching a more experienced knitter at Eastercon, I saw that she was working with the direction of the stitch, by pushing the RH needle from right to left through the part of the stitch furthest away from her body:
/////////// /<-

Does that make any sense? Does that have actual proper names?!

[laughingrat]

Interesting! From the verbal description, it sounds like you were doing it right, but if they were slanting so much, it sounds like there was something unusual going on. I don't want to say "wrong" because lots of people knit in a way other than English or Continental style--Annie Modesitt, I think, has a twisted-knitting style which is sort of a hybrid.

[uninvitedcat]

I'm not sure that description is any good. If I ever get sorted out with picture hosting, I'll take some pics and draw arrows all over it!

As for what I was doing - well, it still looks like proper knitting (I've done a few scarves that way) so it's not analogue-wrong. But I can already tell it's much easier to work *with* the angle of the stitch. It may even help me speed up!