Here knitty, knitty!

Kyoto update

I'm just motoring along with Kyoto now. Kind of like I was before I discovered I'd knitted a mobius strip. Yeah! Here's what I've gotten done so far- this is the back, BTW:



Isn't that the most beautiful upholstery you have ever seen (snicker, snicker)? I don't know if you can make out the giant threadbare spot right in the main sitting zone. I have two of the *most* comfortable chairs in the universe covered in this not-so-appealing-to-me fabric. Normally they hide under a white matelesse bedspread and a pink and white chenille bespread that I got on ebay for less than $10. I've staged many a blog-post photoshoot on the seat of my chairs with those bedspreads as the backdrop, so you've seen them before. Today both of the bedspreads-as-slipcovers are in the laundry because I got them rather dirty (ok, filthy) by sitting in them right after tilling the yard. Not that you asked or anything.

I love circulars because they are so easy to pack and travel with and use in cramped spaces, like the train I take to work. And they make it easier for me to see what the project looks like or to sort of fit it to me since they are flexible. I use them on darn near everything even if I don't need them. But the thing is I always have a leverage problem working the first few rows of knitting because everything is so tight and doesn't have much wiggle room till a few rows in. It's particularly difficult on circulars, but with straight needles I can just jam one end under my arm and manhandle it (or girlhandle it, as the case may be) into submission. And using the bigger needles for the CO row means I don't have to stretch everything so much when I start knitting, and I don't end up with a ruffly, scallopy edge. Plus there's a tad more room to work when I need to pick up and knit a binding or seam the CO edge to something.

So here's what I've sort of figured out that gives me a much better result for really long stretches of knitting (anything over 8 wide"). I CO on a straight needle one size larger than I need, then work the CO row onto straight needles of the correct size and work another 3 or 4 rows on those same straight needles. Once the fabric is about 3/4" long I'll trasfer everything over to circulars.

Ok, I gotta run. I just found out a new LYS opened up in Los Gatos this weekend and I want to check it out. Can you believe it? Two new yarn shops in a week, and dang it all if they aren't both in the immediate vicinity of places where I used to live. Of course, my accountant (aka me) will appreciate the fact that I don't live walking distance from a place that I can spend a lot of money on stuff that I don't have a real need for and I'm quickly running out of space to store. The place in Los Gatos is just down the street from the place I moved from in January. It's called The Yarndogs (326 Village Lane, Los Gatos PH: 408-399-1909). Right behind Pedro's, if you know where that is.

And in addition to wanting to check that out, I want to work on Kyoto a little more, and get my tiller out into the front border and put a half dozen rozes in the ground. And the fact that it is noon and I am still in my pajama's is a scary thing (in my defense I was sitting on the patio enjoying the nice weather most of the morning). I guess I need to get to it!

Later gators!

posted by KackieC @ 11:41 AM