Intentions of Delusion

It seems silly now, but I had a long list of "things to do" while enjoying the Holiday.  The intended list included knitting on my Rattlesnake socks, starting the second sleeve for EPS, finishing the first section of the Aspen Grove shawl (even though I was only half way through the chart), and a few household tasks, like laundry.  Oh, and there were a couple of errands that needed to be run, too. 

As the day unfolded I could see my list was rather ambitious...the usual state of my life is lived in delusions of grandeur, and it looked very likely that little of what was on the list would be accomplished.  After Smith left the house at 7:00am, I tossed a few clothes in the washer (ah, the sense of accomplishment) and sat (still in my pjs) to knit a little lace.  Maybe, just maybe, a few things on the list could be accomplished as it was early in the day.

Aspen Grove's first section of lace is the most difficult as there is patterning on both front and back rows. The hardest thing for me was to suspend what I know (or think I know) about lace.  The yarn overs are not on every row and, sometimes you have a yarn over from a previous row that isn't knit in the way you think it should be. At other times the stitches fit together unexpectedly but, all in all, if you watch carefully, read the lace, you'll see it will line up the way it should.  It will be easy to "read" and easy to see the stitches are in the correct spot.

Years ago, before I ever started knitting lace, I took a class on lace.  The class was daunting and confusing, but the one thing that stuck with me, and still holds me in good stead, is the message(s) the teacher stressed over and over.

Read the lace. Stitch markers will only obscure the pattern.  The row below will tell you if you're executing the stitches in the right place. The patterns will line up and that's is how you'll know you're correct.

click

This is still true for Aspen Grove, even though it is more complicated than most lace.  It may seem crazy to some, but I do knit lace dangerously...no stitch markers, no life line....I just plunge ahead.  But, I do make sure to watch where I'm going, to read the lace and to make sure the stitches line up, section by section, row by row.   You can see in the picture that the "leaves" line up, one on top of the other, and the ribs that separate the four sections are distinctly visible.  As I knit, I make sure the decreases for each leaf sit on top of each other and the rib stitches are all in line.  That way I know this section is correct before I continue on to the next. The hardest part is leaving out the yarn overs as they only occur (as increases) on every fourth row.

Keeping track of where you are in the lace pattern can be challenging.  Here are a few of my favorite tricks.  First, blow up the charts so you can clearly see the symbols.  I also mark every other row with a highlighter.  This helps the individual rows show up well and they are easier to see.  Sticky notes are perfect for keeping track of the exact row you're knitting, but put it above the row so you can see where you've been and how the lace fits together. (This is part of "reading" the lace.)  The charts are kept in a project sleeve that opens on one side, so it's very easy to move the sticky note from row to row.

As the day wore on (there was a break for lunch, some errands, plus a few loads of laundry) I had to admit I was being obsessive about the shawl.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to have the first section finished (despite being on row 64 of 82 at 3:00pm)?  The next two sections would be easy, fun and quick knitting. Something to look forward to and, I must admit, that's what drove me to work on the shawl (to skip dinner) and finish row 82 at about 10:00pm.  Bed felt good and so did the sense of accomplishment.  The rest of the week will be spent on the what I didn't get to on the list and that's good enough.    

Comments

[Teyani]

no life line? no stitch markers.??? yee gaads.
I think I need a cuppa tea now.
it's gorgeous.

[Serenknitity]

Your day of 'rest' sounds a lot like mine - big lists, grand plans to clean the house, nothin' doin' but lots of lovely guilty knitting.

[Kim]

I'm like you....no life lines or markers, only some serious cursing when I have to tink back...LOL.

It's looking beautiful! I still remember Mim walking around working on it as she was chatting with us...now that is amazing!

[Kathy]

Those are great lace tips. And it's coming along beautifully.

[Carole]

I use stitch markers but I've never used a lifeline. Of course, I still haven't started this yet!

[CindyCindy]

You have an ability to see the pattern without crutches and I'm impressed. I understand your thinking, but I cannot see the "big picture" of the lace while I'm knitting. I need my stitch markers, but I wonder if your ability is a "gift" or a "learned" thing.

[Miriam]

It's turning out so lovely! I'm glad to see the Vermont Maples colorway knit up. I really think it's prettier than the other colorway :)

Can't wait to see it progressing, so I vote that you work on it a LOT!

How was SnB last night? I thought of your grrls and missed you.

[Margaret]

Yes, lists can be both blessing and curse. Working on the shawl though, to the exclusion of other list items, that's called prioritizing!

Thanks for the lace tutorial. I love stickies for lace charts too, and find the more lace I knit, the less I use stitch markers and lifelines. So, that may answer Cindy's question at least for this knitter. Knitting lace helped me learn to read my knitting a lot more carefully and understand better how the stitches work with each other. Now, dogged determination helps too, but for me, reading the lace has definitely been a learned skill.

[ruth]

Just lovely! Yup, reading the pattern and the lace is most important. Things generally do line up.

[Chris]

"Keeping track of where you are in the lace pattern can be challenging"

And you would perhaps describe Armageddon as a bit of disruption? Oh, you make me giggle.

When I first ventured into a simple lace, the author of whatever I was using as a pattern suggested making a lace book: writing each row/round on a 3 x 5 note card, putting them all in order and attaching with a notebook ring. Then you turn the page each time you finish the row/round. Works wonderfully. For a small pattern repeat. But imagine how many note cards you'd need for some of these patterns!

Your Aspen Grove is looking terrific!

[Alison]

I don't use lifelines, but I do use a minimum of stitch markers. It's just part of my visual cues of reading the lace, basically at major changes in the pattern. For Frost Flowers and Leaves, I have only 4, one for each corner.

I have to also be able to see where the lace is going (just me and my obsessive streak), so the sticky note thing doesn't always work for me. I use one of the magnetic boards for my charts, but I have one of those clear colored plastic things that is supposed to stick onto your paper with static. The static doesn't work so well, but if I stick it with one of the magnets, I can still see the rows below the one I'm working on; it's in a different color and I can still see what's coming up. It works really well for me.

Reading lace is really a must for lace knitters. I do read lace very well by now and have been able several times to drop down with dpns and fix mistakes (they do occasionally get missed until a couple of rows later; you know, the ones that no one else would ever see in a million years) quite easily.

[Chris]

Ah, we need days like that! It's gorgeous - I can see how its siren song lured you on and on and on.

[Helen]

I'm with you on the stitch markers -- mostly.
I put them between sections (e.g. on a faorese shawl, I'll have markers to set off the center panel, and markers to set of the "edging", but not markers between repeats). They usually tell me "switch to the other chart now".
My bestest knitting buddy uses an insane number of markers. She puts markers between every repeat. It would drive me to drink. And I'm pretty sure that would be bad for the lace.

[deb]

Wonderful lace advice - from someone who knows!

[kathleen]

Lace is what broke my fear of whipping it off the needle. Now I can take anything off and put it back on. And if it is lovely yarn, I usually just feel like it is another opportunity to knit with great yarn. Sigh.

[Theresa]

Sometimes I have to remind myself that knitting is, after all, a hobby. But I think I would have done the same thing :)

[Lauren]

Those are great lace reading tips. I'll have to use the highlighting one next time I do some lace - thanks for sharing :)

[Carol]

Delusion of grandeur is a way of life for me! ;-) I admire your shawl knitting with no markers or life lines. But after seeing many of your shawls, the proof is in the lace! You don't need no stinkin' life lines!

[Norma]

You, delusions of grandeur?? Pshaw! You got nothin' on ME. I don't even work full 8-hour days most of the time. I should be cranking out the knitting like nobody's business. But somehow there's never enough time....like right NOW. Eek, gotta shower and get out of here for my class!

[Wool Winder]

I don't think I've ever skipped a meal to knit, though ignoring housework is a common occurrence. Looks great!

[Heather Joins The Round]

Thanks for the tips!

[Cheryl S.]

I can read the lace most of the time, but some patterns I just can't read at all. Sometimes I use markers and/or lifelines, and sometimes I don't - depends on the pattern and the yarn. I usually like at least a few markers (not necessarily every repeat), but it helps to count stitches in sections so I usually find extra or missing yarnovers on the next row, before I'd see the problem visually. And unfortunately, I have yarnover issues a lot.

[Stacey]

Beautiful! I understand that drive (obsession?) to "get that row done". I'm not too fond of shawls that get worked on both sides. I like the break from thinking. Maybe it was the pattern?

[minnie]

i'm the same way, when i obsess over a pattern. i've been making 5hbs sweaters, and the construction is so fascinating i just have to get through the next section, and then the next, and the next, lol. and no, it does NOT take 5 hours, lol

[Lucia]

You've put in a nutshell why what I said about lace's being easier than garter stitch is true: if you listen to it, lace will tell you loud and clear if you've messed up, and if it was only a row or two ago it's usually easy to fix.

[Hillary]

That's awesome. I'm not sure that I could give up the security of lifelines and stitch markers but it does make sense the way you say it.

[Dianne]

I'm still sort of a 'lace virgin'..just 'made out with it'..but have found I can only do it without an audience..giving my full attention, going very slow to avoid mistakes and not having to redo..but once again, Margene speaks the truth of lace..and what another beauty you've got going there..can't wait to see it modeled.!

[jackie]

I guess that when you have knit a gazillion miles of lace, you get to know how to read the patterns. I am still going to keep my lifeline and stitch markers and leave knitting with out a safety net to the lace experts like your self!

[Beth S.]

Half the joy of knitting is in being swept up like that, I think. :-)

I'm with you on the lifelines and stitch markers (mostly--I'll still use one to mark the center stitch since I am likely to blow right past it without noticing.)

[Nicole]

I love the Vermont Maples colorway--I think you and I have the same taste when it comes to color.

I've never used a lifeline with lace, although I haven't knit any lace that's been too complicated yet, so I won't say I'll never use one. But, I definitely agree with you that the best thing is to be able to "read" the lace. That's how I usually catch my mistakes, and usually on the next pattern row when something doesn't line us as I think it should.

[Kristin (delic8genius)]

HOW do you get to the point that you can read the line below? Practice? Is there another secret?

I am working on my very first lace shawl. I am counting stitches in every row (aack) AND using a lifeline, but I am using only one stitch marker, for the center. I DID catch a mistake by sight, and I fixed it so that the "clumps" and "holes" were in the right place and the number of stitches were correct, but I know I didn't fix it exactly correctly.

[Danielle]

This looks like a really interesting pattern to knit!!

[Opal]

I'm another knitter who disdains the use of lifelines. I use to try as the philosophy of the lifeline is sound and practical, but I always ended up making a mistake right after I put the lifeline in. Feh.

Aspen Grove sounds like such a fun knit! I love challenging. I crave challenging. I never buy kits, but suddenly I'm intensely tempted.

[sandy]

I am in awe of your lace knitting. It is a mystery to me. It challenges me more than I want to be challenged during my wonderful hobby.
(doesn't it seem like calling knitting a "hobby" is such an understatement?)
xo

[Tan]

That's a really great color.

[Jennifer]

I don't use stitch markers with lace either. It's much easier to read the lace as one knits it. Lifelines, however, I do use those! ;-)

[scoutj]

I'm in awe of your brain and determination!

[Ali]

The yarn is so beautiful - it suits the pattern wonderfully. What yarn is it?

I can't wait to see you wearing this!

[claudia]

I'm a stitch marker fan, but no lifelines here.

[Julie]

The stitches line up just right - and the color is really beautiful - Sunrise?

[Donna B]

my life is one big Delusion of Grandeur. Actually, it looks like your accomplishments of the day were rather wonderful!

[Anne]

Terrific tips on lace! I am crusing along on another of Mim's patterns (Seraphim) and cannot seem to put that one down!

[michaele]

I always put too much on my list and never get to it all. You've got a great attitude!

[Bookish Wendy]

I have a love hate relationship with lists. Some days they are my friends but more often than not they make me crazy.