I have been knitting off and on lately. I have been doing knitted swatches for a sweater called "Beadwork" designed by Jade Starmore. I didn't have any problems doing the swatches for the knitted diamond textured pattern...but then it came to the heart looking textured pattern. And the problem started.

I have been knitting off and on for over 30 years. I had a girlfriend who was my bridesmaid at my wedding teach me to knit when I was expecting my first child Shawn. That first project was a pink knitted sweater. Shawn happens to be a male...but I was so sure I was having a girl that I knitted it in pink. I then embroidered it with flowers down the front of the sweater on both sides. Needless to say...he never wore it...but Chrystal did until it was stolen. Now I don't have it my first knitted project. I do have a picture of me being very pregnant knitting it though somewhere. LOL....lost....

I have knitted sweaters...Fair Isles, cables...and just plain ones...I have also knitted afghans hats...with no problems until this sweater...I am going to make if it drives to "Wilward" which use to be a mental hospital here not too far away from where I live.

Normally when I do the knitted stitch I knit into the back of the stitch. But this sweater pattern wants you to purposely knit into the back of the stitch causing the stitch to twist. Well...how can I purposely do that when it is the way I knit the knitted stitch anyways. Let me add here that when I knit in the round...I place my needle into the front of the stitch because of the way the stitch is presented to me before it is knitted.

Well...this really fustrated me. I couldn't figure it out...so I finally had to go and do some looking on the internet for answers and some friends from knitting lists have helped me. I have found that I have been knitting all these years in what is called the "Combine Method" of knitting. So I have found that I need to change the way I wrap my needle when doing the purl stitch. This way when I do the next row the knitted stitch is presented the same way it does when I knit in the round. So I would now go into the front of the knitted stitch normally and then go into the back when the chart calls for it...hence my fustration is now over.

I have done my knitted swatch that calls for knitting in the back of the stitch and it has actually come out right.

Here is a pictures of my two knitted swatches and now I will start the actual back of my sweater which is a cardigan by the way.

I am making my sweater in Shetland Wool from Harrisville Designs in New Hampshire. The color is called Periwinkle and it is a tweedy looking yarn. I think the color is very pretty. My friend Erin, gave me this yarn for my birthday. I was one very happy and lucky person to receive this yarn.

I should mention my friend Erin is also making this sweater pattern and she is using the same brand of yarn but her color is called Purple Haze. I think if I even knit another sweater calling for this weight of yarn...I might go with that color. You can see Erin's begining of "Beadwork" on her blog just by clicking the link to it on the left here.

I have also been working on what I am calling right off the bat a UFO. It is a shawl and I am using the swirl pattern from Mary Konior. I am making it in some DMC thread that I have never heard of before. The thread was given to me last year by my friend Ginny Wethers. The color is ecru. I am not crazy about that color so I have been thinking of trying an experiment and tie dye the shawl if I ever get it all tatted.

Anyhow...the thread is size 30 and it tats up nice and crisp. I really like this thread. I have now eight balls of this thread. I am on my second ball in my shawl. Here are pictures of the label from my thread and what my pattern for the shawl looks like so far. It now covers my scanning bed.

Until I write here again...have fun at whatever you maybe working on.