Don't Be Fooled

This may seem like a simple, unassuming black ribbed cuff. There's a lot more here than meets the eye.














There's Symbolism: It's the Bridge Between 2006 and 2007.

It's a New Frontier: The First Stranded Colorwork Project, Eunny Jang's Endpaper Mitts (See Diane, I listen. It's circular).

It's a New Technique: Italian Tubular Cast-On.

It's the First Time Using DPN's Smaller Than US 11's: These are US 0's. Just like the big kids.

Now that's a lot of freight for one fancy cast-on and fourteen rows of K1, P1 ribbing to carry. To balance all that, I have another list: New and Not So Creative Mistakes - So Far.















World's wonkiest cast-on. And I practiced. A lot. It looked so tidy all lined up on the one needle, before I actually did anything. And I can hardly blame the yarn this time. It's RYC Cashsoft 4-ply. Given how much more practice is called for, it's a good thing Italian Tubular Cast-On is intriguing once you figure out the logic behind it. A fine Italian hand and all that.

1 dropped stitch recovered. I lost count of how many were almost dropped but saved with the help of creatively shrieking "Don't you dare." There might have been a little, discreet swearing.

Numerous stitches split by and recovered with these toothpick thingies some people apparently consider legitimate needles. (Saved by "Don't even think about it" and some sotto voce cussing.) It's happened enough to establish a love-hate relationship. I am so impressed I managed to knit with these, and so looking forward to moving up to the size 3's for the rest of this project.

(Belated) realisation that I should never knit with black yarn and small needles. Black really does suck up light and I think I may have created a local black hole here. This may confuse the physicists, but I won't be able to help. I have my own problems. It's almost impossible to count rows you can't see. Never mind what happens when you take a photograph.

Now I have to up the ante. It's time to add the "stranded" and "color" part of stranded colorwork. Given that I am not only an English knitter, I'm an idiosyncratic English knitter (I throw from my middle finger), it promises to be an interesting New Year.

Hope yours is, too.