Last Saturday was a ‘Guild Saturday’. I love Guild Saturdays although at the moment there’s still a certain amount of trepidation and lots of adrenalin as L and I are getting accustomed to being the ones running the meeting. Fortunately, we seem to have got off to a good start. This year’s programme includes offering a technique session or short talk at every meeting. Thankfully, there are many skilled and knowledgeable members who’re willing to share their expertise with others.
The first technique of the year was “cabling without a cable needle”. Yes, I know, many people can do this already. I’ve always got scared at the pull-the-needle-out-of-your-knitting bit and left well alone. I clearly wasn’t the only one as several Guild members had put their names down for this at the information-gathering session in December. The Inner City branch* is a wonderful group of knitters and crocheters and we had three members who kindly volunteered to show small groups the wonderful trick of cabling without having to use an additional needle. So we sat around the tables, shifting stitches, holding our breath and pulling out needles and, really, once you see someone do it in real life and have a go yourself, it isn’t that hard at all!
J, who was teaching the group I was in, did point out that she found 6-stitch cables too wide and that really slippery or splitty yarns make the technique harder too.
I know exactly where this trick will come into its own – socks! Particularly, if like me, you knit socks on DPNs, not having to manipulate another little needle is a godsend.
Please excuse me while I browse cabled socks on Ravelry…
*The Inner City branch of the Knitters’ Guild NSW meets on the second Saturday each month. You can find out more about the Guild here.
However, once I got started, I began to wonder about the tension. Is 1funkyknitwit a tight or loose knitter? Would the 379 metres of yarn be enough if I were using larger needles? I decided to play safe and start the first lace section a little earlier – when I had 9 stitches fewer than instructed, since the pattern repeat is 9 stitches wide. I then continued to knit each section so that I finished with nine stitches fewer than stated in the pattern. I knitted the final lace section and still had yarn over. A not-insubstantial amount for someone who likes to use every last inch. I knitted the first 6 rows of the lace section again. Still plenty of yarn. I knitted the middle 6 rows. Yarn left? Yes. I knitted the last five rows and realised I didn’t have enough for the picot cast-off so I just did a stretchy cast off. I cut it more than a little fine – that tail dangling down is all that was left!
It’s Debbie Bliss Fine Donegal. Several of us bought it for the same scarf. The hardest part was deciding on a colour; they were all fabulous. One knitter even cast hers on while we were there.
