Fri 6 Jun 2014
A weekday post! If that’s not a sure sign of summer, I don’t know what is.
Of course, the reason that I’m posting in the middle of the week is that I have been (to borrow a phrase from the Twinset podcast) bitten by my knittin’.
I cast on for the crocus sweater on Monday, and worked an inch or so on the train on Tuesday morning. Tuesday night knitting got me well into the colorwork, which I then decided to tweak and ripped back about 2 inches to start over on Wednesday. I got back on track quickly, and things were going along just swimmingly until last night at around 11, when I looked down and saw this:
That, ladies and gentlemen, is a twist in my cast on. A twist that I did not notice for 4 inches and 3 days of knitting, including laying out the fabric to check that it was the right size against another sweater. I checked for a twist twice at the cast on, once at the 1 inch mark, and even had Branden check at the cast on to be extra sure (I often have him double check me when I’m casting on this many stitches. A second pair of eyes is worth it to avoid ripping back.)
And yet somehow, we missed it. Either that, or it magicked itself into being when I wasn’t looking. Knitting can be tricksy like that. There’s no getting around the fact that the twist is there now and it’s plain as day, even if two people could swear that it wasn’t there two days ago. It’s a mystery.
Just moments before I discovered the twist, I happened to be thinking of one more tweak I should have made to the colorwork decreases, but decided that it wasn’t worth pulling back again. I am taking the twist as a sign that that change really was meant to be. I am also taking it as a reason not to break the yarn on long colorwork repeats until after finishing the yoke next time.
So sorry to see that twist! Oh! I hate it when that happens…especially, like you say, when you had checked and double checked to prevent it!
This probably happens to all of us–me included. But after one time I decided to Beat the Twist!! Now after casting on for circular knitting, before I join, I knit at least 2 rows, sometimes 3. Then when I do join to knit in the round (so far) it’s been perfect. I also leave a longer tail to sew up the opening. I’m really anxious to see this sweater!!
If you tried to make it twist you know it wouldn’t have worked, right? 🙂
Oh, no! At least, like you said, it gives you the excuse to rip back and redo the colorwork decreases. I’m sure that in no time at all you’ll be smitten with your knittin’!
Definitely Magick.