Trystero Is Kicking My Bottom!

A while ago, I tried to start Trystero by Cookie A. I love the pattern, but back then it seemed too hard. I don't know what I was doing wrong, but I just couldn't even start the cabled portion properly. I got the ribbing done, then got stuck. I put them down and left them, meaning to get back to them.

And I didn't. Until Socktoberfest came along! I've never participated in Socktoberfest before, but this year it suddenly struck me that this would be the perfect motivation to restart these socks. I'm determined to finally finish them!

SO. I started knitting them, on size 2.25mm needles, same as I always use. This time, I didn't get stuck at all. The pattern just suddenly seemed to make sense. It's fairly straightforward - I don't know why I got stuck at all the first time. It's just a case of knitting the rib then moving round a few stitches and following the chart. I'm magic-looping this time, maybe that makes a difference, or maybe my brain is just switched on this time round! :) So I was getting really into knitting them, and got down to the heel flap. Then I decided to try them on.

Can you guess what's coming? :)

Yup, too tight.

Dammit!

I had to rip all of this:



Right back to the beginning. I've restarted on 2.75mm needles. I had to restart immediately, or I know I'd just put the pattern aside till next socktoberfest! I've done a couple of repeats now, and they seem a lot more stretchy, but I haven't tried them on yet. I'm hoping so much that I don't have to start them on 3mm needles! That just seems ridiculous to me somehow.

The pattern is really quite ingenious. It's straightforward but looks much more complicated because you move the stitches around to begin knitting the round in a different place. The technique's really quite amazing, simple yet so effective! (Maybe that's why I got stuck first time around, I just couldn't wrap my head round it.)

I'm very glad I decided to do these for socktoberfest, I don't think I'd have the heart to keep restarting otherwise! They're like the socks that don't want to be knit! I think they'll look really good when they're finished, if they ever get finished, that is!

Putting Magic Loop to Good Use

I'm knitting BPT just now, pretty much exclusively. I finished my magic loop socks:




I used an Opal self striping yarn that I got from Twist Fibre Craft Studio. I had to fiddle a bit with the yarn, cutting bits of yellow out so that the heel and toe could be all orange, but it worked out pretty good :) The magic loop technique itself sped up for me after a while, but it's still slow trying to move the stitches around the needle. And they would always catch on the join in the needle. No stitches broke, but I was worried a couple of times.

And it's useful that I learned the technique, because I'm using it in my BPT just now, for the sleeves. I got to the sleeve bit sometime late at night, and couldn't be bothered searching the house for DPNs, so I just put the stitches on the needle I was using, and magic looped it!



I'm most of the way down one sleeve now, just the other to go, and the hood.



I like this pattern, but it's so much stocking stitch! I keep having to get up and wander about the house for ten minutes, because it's driving me nuts! There's a cable every eight rows, but still! I do have other projects I want to cast on, but I'm going to visit my parents on Tuesday, so I kind of feel like there's not much point in starting something new. And I want to finish the sweater too. It's funny, I start off all driven, wanting to finish, then I'm driven demented by the stocking stitch, and have to do something else. I did print out the pattern for Laminaria , that's next on the shawl list. Maybe I'll start it soon. Just after this sleeve :)

i Iz Can Do Magic Loop!

I learned something new!!!!



I wanted to try out magic loop cos there's a few sock patterns I thought might work better with it. I figured maybe there would be less laddering cos it's on a circular needle, and maybe it would be easier to manage cables with just that one needle as opposed to four dpns. Also, it's on my 101in1001 list! :)

There's definitely less laddering, at least in stocking stitch. I'm pulling the stitches pretty tight at the edges, so it's a little hard to get the stitches moved across sometimes, but less laddering is good. However, the cables could only be done if they didn't cross over the halfway point of the stitches. So I'll have to examine the patterns I've got to see if they do that or not. I'd tried the drunken bees patterns previously but there was horrendous laddering cos the cables crossed all over the place. That's one of the ones I'll need to check. And most of Cookie A's ones too. I love her patterns! I've been drooling over the Twist Collective page all day, and not only her patterns, but most of the other ones too!

Anyway, I'm going off on a tangent there. (But go check out Twist Collective anyway!!!) I promise, I'm not affiliated, I just think it's fab.

The technique itself is much easier than I imagined. I watched this youtube video, followed what it said, and voila, I was off magic looping before I knew it. I had to watch the first few rows carefully though, because I was twisting the knitting round, and I even ended up knitting the sock inside out somehow! But after about half an inch it sorted itself out, and it's been pretty easy from there. I'm not at the heel turn yet though, that should be interesting!

I think overall I still prefer DPNs. They're faster for a start, you don't have to slide stitches along a long needles then figure out where the yarn is to pick it up correctly (it ends up inside the needles loop if you're not careful). Also, when I'm sliding the stitches across the circular needle, they catch on the join between the needly bit and the plastic wirey bit, which must be stressful on the yarn. I keep waiting for the stitch to just pop in half when I'm sliding them across. Magic loop is very portable though, it's all there on one needle and it's not going to come off without a struggle. I guess both techniques have their advantages for different patterns and situations. I think DPNs will continue to be my default unless I need portability, or less laddering, or cabling across certain stitches.

I've still got a sock and a half to go though, so we'll see what I think when I've finished!