Autumn Cape 2016 A long Term Project Part 3

Autumn Cape 2016  A long Term Project Part 3

First of all I would like to add something I omitted from the last blog. As you have read in previous blogs I am quite picky from where I get my wool. I choose to buy from independent retailers when I can.

I would like to point out that my wool shop has recently moved into new and bigger premises a short distance away from where they were originally located. Their new address is 9 Trinity Walk Nottingham NG1 2AN

http://www.knitnottingham.co.uk/

Will they win again. Nominate now! *

http://www.letsknit.co.uk/britishknittingawards/

Phew - now I know I will be allowed in the shop I will carry on where I left off. I had discovered that the way I had been writing my chart for the test piece would not work on the real Cape due to the fact of too many colour changes. Therefore I had to come up with a new idea.

After dolefully looking at my heap of wool I had an inspiration. Instead of putting Ball 1, Ball 2  with the corresponding colours etc why not write the Chart in colour! Now I had the idea I had to try it out.  

Written Cast On Colour Chart 1

Written Cast On Colour Chart 2

Yay it seemed to be working - apart from the fact that my felt tip pens kept deciding to die on me. Since the yellow didn't really show up I went over it in pen to make it easier to see. I apologise for the poor quality of the photographs. I am not much of a photographer but I hope you get the general idea.

At this point I think I better make clear an important point. As I said in my last blog I am uncertain how to transfer the Pattern Design into stocking stitch. So taking this factor into consideration there is a difference between the Pictorial Chart and the Written Chart.

Picture Design

The Design which I drew has been numbered down the side in blocks of 10. 1 square is equal to 1 stitch. Bearing in mind I am making this up as I go along this is what I have in my minds eye. However since I am not sure how to transfer this onto the opposite side I decided to keep it simple and hope.

Every line across the Design is equal to 1 Row in Plain or Knit Stitch. Then on the Purl Row I just repeat the stitches but in the reverse order.

Written Chart Rows 1 to 19

As you can see above I have labelled the Knit Rows from 1 to 19. So Row 1 on the Written Chart is the same as Line 1 on the Picture Design. Row 3 is Line 2 and Row 5 is Line 3. Therefore each Line on the Design equals 1 Row of Knit and 1 Row of Purl.

Why haven't I just put Row 1, 2, 3 etc and included the Purl Rows? Well the answer is easy. It was about 2 o'clock in the morning and I had a headache. I was planning on doing another Written Chart with the even rows on separately after I had done a few rows. 

Unfortunately with felt tips not working and coloured pencils breaking, not to mention rubbing my nose up against the Design to try and make out what colour it was because it was too faint to see I felt that I had enough to cope with.

Also the knitting might be okay but with the amount of balls and loose ends I had all around me the yarn was more like Macramé. Think I am joking? Oh what a tangled web we weave!

Tangled Web Front

Tangled Web Back

The pictures above only show the yarn attached to the knitted piece. What you cannot see is somehow I had managed to weave myself into the Cape as well. I balls on my lap, in front and behind me. I had also sat on yarn and managed to wind some balls around me with the effect of when I stood up it looked like my dressing gown came equipped with giant multicoloured pom-poms!

Having taken some time to extricate myself from the mess I came to the conclusion that there needed to be drastic action taken before I carried on knitting or there would be the possibility that I might never be seen again. Or on the other hand I could possibly be the first woollen wrapped mummy ever to be discovered.

Mulling the problem overnight I decided that I would take the unusual step (for me at any rate) to start sewing in the loose ends from the Cast on then work upwards. The theory being there would be fewer tangles if there were fewer dangling yarns in the first place.

I began sewing, trimming long pieces of yarn (which I kept for sewing up later) and untangling. Talk about a long job. It took me the entire afternoon or putting it another way the DVD of THE MUMMY and its' sequel THE MUMMY RETURNS to get it finished.

Untangled

This was the result. All the ends sewn in and the long ends wrapped into small balls and threaded on to a couple of Bamboo Chopsticks. It was a battle but I had learnt some valuable pointers.

1 If making lots of small colour changes but they are too far apart to stretch across easily - divide one ball of yarn of each colour into smaller ones. You might lose a little bit of yarn but the hours saved untangling are well worth it. In addition to this  slightly longer threads can be used for sewing later.

2 When making a Colour Chart make sure the colours are clearly divided. That way you won't waste time poring over the darn thing (darn thing? unintended pun) trying to work out which colour you are on next.

I am going to work these points into my next go at the Pattern. Once again I am going to take it slowly. I have added another five lines of colour to the Design which equals another 10 rows of knitting.

Colour Design 15 Rows

Hopefully you can see that the colours are far bolder and therefore more distinct. It should make it much easier, not to mention quicker to transfer to the Written Chart. Which since it is now about 1.55 am I intend to leave to a more conducive hour.

* Yes they did!