I'm in love with another machine. This Griswold knits just as smoothly as my favourite Harrison. I finished knitting the pair of Reggia socks on Saturday, but late in the evening rather than afternoon. I am amazed how much quicker it feels changing the ribber needles in and out on the 72/36 - it's only 12 slots less after all. Now I know why the US CSMers can boast about how quickly they can make socks when they are using a 54 slot machine and no ribber. Sunday I found the charger for my camera, but then the camera itself was hiding. As I couldn't take photos anyway, there was no rush to graft the toes. The second Reggia sock was still hanging on the machine, I was on a knitting roll, so Richard acted as a swift and I wound a skein of lovely hand-dyed Blackfaced Leicester/nylon sock wool from Fyberspates. I knitted a pair of socks very speedily - the second one I timed at 35 minutes and that included cooking supper at the same time. Well OK, only putting chicken joints in the oven and turning the gas on under the potatoes. I had realised half way through the first sock's foot that I'd still got the heel spring on, so I knitted a few extra rows and did the second one the same.
At this point I snipped out the waste yarn below sock two, only to find an unfinished selvedge. That's what happens when you're very smart and cook supper at the same time as knitting socks! On contemplating I realised I'd missed the important 'ribber out of action, ribber back in action' step. Ooops. I then separated second Reggia sock from the first Fyberspated one, only to find that part of the top of the latter was also not finished properly. That one I don't know what I did wrong.
Rewound Fyberspates #1 and re-knitted it. You can be sure that just before the heel, when there was enough leg hanging down to get the buckle onto it, I snipped off the waste yarn to check the selvedge. I may make mistakes, but I try to learn by them. This time I made sure I took the heel spring off after the heel and knitted the foot without it, so I could omit the extra rows and be sure to have enough yarn. I was surprised at the end how little difference there was between the amount of yarn used for 55 rows without the spring and 60 rows with. It was the same on both socks and was less than a metre.
At this point I snipped out the waste yarn below sock two, only to find an unfinished selvedge. That's what happens when you're very smart and cook supper at the same time as knitting socks! On contemplating I realised I'd missed the important 'ribber out of action, ribber back in action' step. Ooops. I then separated second Reggia sock from the first Fyberspated one, only to find that part of the top of the latter was also not finished properly. That one I don't know what I did wrong.
Rewound Fyberspates #1 and re-knitted it. You can be sure that just before the heel, when there was enough leg hanging down to get the buckle onto it, I snipped off the waste yarn to check the selvedge. I may make mistakes, but I try to learn by them. This time I made sure I took the heel spring off after the heel and knitted the foot without it, so I could omit the extra rows and be sure to have enough yarn. I was surprised at the end how little difference there was between the amount of yarn used for 55 rows without the spring and 60 rows with. It was the same on both socks and was less than a metre.
Rewound #2 and re-knitted, both absolutely fine. When things like this happen I have to admit that I am glad to have an electric wool winder, even though I told Richard I was happy with the hand turned one when he was thinking of buying one for me. He is very happy when he is proved right. Can I count that as two pairs for Sunday, or only one? The Fyberspates yarn feels very soft compared to unwashed Reggia; I'll let you know a comparison afterwards.
Monday I found the camera, where it belongs, and where I looked on Sunday. Ditto the crate of sock wool I couldn't find on Saturday. How do things that large 'go invisible'. To release the second Fyberspates sock from the machine I started a pair of maroon/pink/cream Opal. This ball has the label is missing, which seemed a good reason to use it up - and I like pink. From another the same (told you I like pink) I see it is Rainforest Flamingo. But when I was up to the heel and took off the other sock, I found that yet again the selvedge wasn't locked properly.
Monday I found the camera, where it belongs, and where I looked on Sunday. Ditto the crate of sock wool I couldn't find on Saturday. How do things that large 'go invisible'. To release the second Fyberspates sock from the machine I started a pair of maroon/pink/cream Opal. This ball has the label is missing, which seemed a good reason to use it up - and I like pink. From another the same (told you I like pink) I see it is Rainforest Flamingo. But when I was up to the heel and took off the other sock, I found that yet again the selvedge wasn't locked properly.
This has got to be solved. I made sure I had overlapped the start of the new yarn (ie a row and a quarter of rib) before I switched out the ribber, counted the rows on just cylinder needles and checked that everything knitted cleanly on the first row with the ribber back in action. I think that I will do the next one very slowly, with Richard eagle-eyes watching from above. Problem is I did two right, one that went wrong (I'm not counting the one I forgot to switch in-and-out at all!), then two that went right and another that's wrong. Just take deeps breaths and think beautiful thoughts.
This evening I have grafted three toes, the Reggia pair and one of the Fyberspates socks. I only seem to be able to get the picture at the top of the page; it shows the finished pair. I'm sure there ought to be a way to put the photo where I want it, but I don't know how, just yet.
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