I spent the whole day on Saturday debating the rip back. Thinking and debating and knitting. Entire days could pass this way. It was something simple of course. Big thinking doesn't lend itself to complex designs.
I realized that I did not really have any room for some of the yarn purchased in the search for my friends perfect greens. There might be room at the bottom of the pile in the scarf yarn box, but the thought of dismantling the whole closet just to put 2 measly but large balls of yarn away did not appeal. And what if, at the end of the trip, they did not fit anyway? That left me with no choice but to knit these balls up right away for the down the road, need a gift in a hurry box. I choose one and thought to start a Honey Cowl. Its such a lovely pattern and I thought this long change colourway would look really great in it.
It seemed like a good idea till it was time to start the slip stitch pattern. I knit a few inches down the row (not up the cowl) and just wanted to hurl the whole thing in the corner. I'm doing about as much slip stitching as I can handle on the placemat tester. Honey cowl would clearly put me over the edge.
So, what to do with a yarn that shouts cowl from the rooftops? I looked at a few patterns, but I kept going back to a hat and cowl that were not related to Honey Cowl at all. I love that kind of texture, that in and out. I first came across it when looking into ganseys, and it just stayed with me.
I had enough yarn for a nice long cowl, and this type of rib pattern would be completely reversible. I'm in.
I think I cast on 160 or so stitches and knit 4 rows first to make an ever so pleasing little rolled edge and then set down to purl 5 rows. I like purling. Really I do, but I don't care for big needles. I found my hands getting tired fairly quickly. I wondered if I could just knit from the inside so that the reverse stockinette shows on the outside. Of course you can, but you do have to change the direction of your work or knit backwards. I reversed my work.
In order to keep things a little tighter, I decided to wrap on the turns and because the wraps lay horizontal and would look like garter stitch from either side. No picking them up.
You can see the smallest bit of a wobble where I make the turns. I think they will be mitigated by a little judicious adjusting of the strand and that they will more or less disappear on blocking.
I am rather enjoying this 5 row and flip it kind of knitting, without thinking but enough to keep you entertained and engaged. Back and forth knitting but its making a round!
Anyway that was Saturday's work. Since then I have been pretty steady on the star lace. Hope to have it ready for pictures tomorrow.
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