A Purling update!

A while back I posted about my knitting style.  It made knitting fun again, the only thing missing was purl.

Until a few weeks ago, I continued to do my purls in my usual made up fashion, which was fine for long stretches of purling, but ribbing and seed stitch were horrible.

I am pleased to report I learned Eastern European purl stitch!

I'm not totally sure why it took me a while to learn it, possibly fear of learning something when I had only just managed to get my head round Eastern European increases and decreases.

For the curious amongst you, this is Eastern European knitting style, doing rib stitch.  Please note the way the right needle enters the stitch through the 'back loop' (which is really the front loop, just mounted differently), and the direction the yarn is wrapped around the needle.

I no longer mind doing ribbing.  For long stretches of purling I use  my old technique as it is quicker, but for short runs of purling I can honestly say this has changed my life!

The Change

No, I am not talking about The Change, unless everyone is thinking about the knitting change, in which case you are spot on!

A while back I mentioned something about my knitting.  It started with YO's being really small, and it turned out I was twisting them.  This got me thinking about how I knit, as my 'natural' way of putting the yarn over the needle, and then my 'natural' way of knitting that stitch messed it up, so who was to say I wasn't doing anything else wrong?

So, I watched videos, read forum posts.  I spent a couple of evenings reading and watching.  On the third day, I put what I learned into practice.  You see,my style of knitting didn't fit quite with the continental knitting style - I did my purls differently.  I practised and practised, and slowly but surely I was able to knit a full row of knitting knitting and purling using my fingers only.

Then I noticed it.  It took me a few rows to properly see it, but something was really really wrong.  All my stitches were being twisted.  So I watched and re-watched, and then I watched a slow-motion video and saw that she was wrapping the yarn over the needles in a different direction to me.

You see, as I have discovered, when you see pictures and watch videos of knitting, it is very important to pay attention to that small seemingly insignificant detail.

I happened to come across this post on ravelry purely by accident.  The problem I was having was most videos assume your knitting is mounted with the right-leg of the stitch in front.  It's a fair assumption to make, as most people when they learn to knit will learn this way.  Instead, when I learned to knit, I went with what was comfortable, and this ultimately resulted in my knitting being a little bit weird.

Bottom is the old, top is the new.

The leg at the front on my knitting is the left-leg, which meant every time I knit into it as shown on videos, I was twisting it.  When I was purling, my way of wrapping the yarn over the needle seemed to compensate for this a bit, and gave me stitches that looked like knit stitches until you looked closely.

When it's stretched, it is very obvious!

I have looked at, and felt hundreds of knitted items over the years.  Not once was it glaringly obvious to me that my stitches were twisted!  My knitting always looked a bit different, but I put that down to knitting styles as most people I know knit English style.

I have since learned that I knit Eastern European style.  I have had to make changes to how I interpret patterns, as K2tog and SSK would obviously not work as written (well, they would decrease, but the direction would be off), but compared to learning how to hold yarn years after holding it a certain way that was nothing!  The solution was insanely simple - just knit or purl through the back loop!

The best part is my knitting speed has increased.  I love how my 'new' stitches look.  I love the fact my hands don't hurt any more from gripping the needles while trying to knit into the front stitch which is leaning the wrong way!

WIP Wednesday

Just a quick catch up from me today!  I've not had much knitting time over the last few days, between being ill, organising birthday presents and sorting through the general accumulation of childrens toys by the end of the night I am too tired to concentrate.

I have one new WIP this week, Twisted Ankles by Leethal.

I am knitting these in Garnstudio Drops Alaska held double.  I have yet to cast on the second one, but will do so tonight.  I love the satisfaction that comes from cables.  This is the first project I have done where cables intersect and change direction at different rates, and it definitely keeps me on my toes!

Next up is Shapeshifter, which I started a couple of weeks ago.  I am about halfway through it right now (going by pattern), but may add a few extra inches to make a bigger hood.

The yarn is Araucania Nature Wool Multy, sadly I don't remember the colourway but it is gorgeous!  Really lovely warm Autumn/Winter tones.  This is also the project I figured out how to knit properly!  Turns out I knit in Eastern European style, but was trying to apply continental knitting to it.  Now I have it figured out, though it does mean having to adjust techniques for increases and decreases.  I am finding it much faster now I know what to do!

Finally, is Lizard Ridge.  The block I started many moons ago is still in progress (I can hear the cackling from certain people.... shoosht!), but I am aiming to have this one done by Christmas!

It is the same problem I had before - mind numbing boredom.  I need to get this done so have plans to only work on this in December.  Plans change, so don't hold me to that!

I promised a peek at my latest yarn purchases, so here they are

Not so much a purchase, as was foisted upon me.

That's it yarn wise for a few months now.  I feel completely overwhelmed, but do have plans for a large part of it and I am still working through old stash, so I think by the time Unravel comes around next February, I'll be in a good position to buy some more ;)  

To see some infinitely more interesting WIPs, head over to Tamis.

Knitting Woes

The first thing I always say to people who get upset at not having any sort of 'real' way of knitting is as long  as you're happy with it, what's the problem?

I get it now.  I just learned that ever since I started knitting, I have been twisting my knit stitches.  You would not believe how annoyed I am.  Now that I've done it 'right' I hate everything I have ever knit in stockinette.

Stupid self-learning.