This Yarn Is Driving Me Crazy!

On 6 May 2006 21:06:17 -0700, "hesira" spewed forth :

I'll adopt it!! Love that stuff :D

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sXit! You beat me to it, Wooly! LOL, Noreen who meant to go to bed an hour ago.....

Oh, please, give me some advice, encouragement, or at least a simple pattern! I've been trying to work with this admittedly lovely but tempermental yarn for about a week and all I've got is several false starts I had to cut and discard. I want to make a wrap. Any suggestions, other than wrapping it up and giving it a new home (smile).

It's really not the yarn's fault. I'm also trying my hand at knitting lace for the first time. Just biting off more than I can chew I guess.

Hesira,

Who needs to take smaller bites

Hersira,

What is it about the yarn that is driving you crazy?

Padishar

Padishar,

It's fine and fuzzy and frog resistant. And like I said, I probably am not ready for the pattern I chose to use with this particular yarn. However, after a night's sleep, I'm thinking of getting back in there and trying again. I haven't even tried using a life line yet. Doink on me!

Hesira

On 6 May 2006 21:34:46 -0700, "hesira" spewed forth :

Reply to the list as I do not publish an email address to USENET. This practice has cut my spam by more than 95%. Of course, I did have to abandon a perfectly good email account...

But steeks don't make you blink. You're an odd duck, Wooly.

--Threnody

On Sun, 07 May 2006 13:48:17 GMT, "Threnody" spewed forth :

Well, you have point. But after Russian Prime I learned to measure thrice before cutting. I have yet to meet a fuzzy yarn I must *cut* while frogging. I hate knitting with brushed mohair, but I respect it and it seems to respect me :D

Hahahaha! Somehow I don't see that latter actually happening, do you?!

Reply to the list as I do not publish an email address to USENET. This practice has cut my spam by more than 95%. Of course, I did have to abandon a perfectly good email account...

Ohhh, the frog resistant part would be a problem for me as well. I always want the undo option in knitting.

Padishar

That's the pattern I'm using, but I doubled it to make it wider. I made it in worsted first, to make sure everything worked out. As for cutting it, sorry, but after frogging it several times (the driving me crazy part) the yarn had had enough, and it was either cutting or leaving the mis-knit stuff hanging and starting anew from there.

Hesira

On 7 May 2006 08:30:49 -0700, "hesira" spewed forth :

There are plenty of patterns out there that'll work with Douceur et Soie, some more worthy of its use than others. And sometimes the best use of a rich yarn such as DeS is to make it up very simply.

If Branching Out is giving you problems have a look through some lace knitting books at the library and find a pattern that doesn't use half-drops. For example there's a very simple checkerboard lace triangular shawl near the front of _A Gathering of Lace_ that would look quite nice made up in Douceur et Soie. Or the "Basic Black Shawl" in the back of _Folk Shawls_ - another checkerboard pattern, square instead of triangular.

Vine lace, Old Shale, Horseshoe, Crown of Glory and Catspaw are all old Shetland patterns that are easy to memorize, easy to knit, easy to block, and stunning to look at. In the first three you can vary the number of stitches in the repeat to suit, so making the finished width of the FO more variable. Five or seven repeats ought to produce a more-than-ample scarf. Knit from the center out using provisional cast-on and the ends will match, too.

Lace knitting can be finicky but needn't be difficult. Work from charts, use plenty of stitch markers, and apply the Galloping Horse rule as necessary.

Reply to the list as I do not publish an email address to USENET. This practice has cut my spam by more than 95%. Of course, I did have to abandon a perfectly good email account...

Thanks for the suggestions, Wooly. The Branching Out Scarf is really pretty, but I was thinking that the yarn itself is so beautiful, that a simple pattern would show it off. I'm going to look up the stitches you recommended. (And, I will use the Galloping Horse rule if need be!)

Hesira

LOL What is wrong with it?

Higs, Katherine

Oh, Katherine, it's not the yarn, it's me. Actually, it *was* me. I'm pretty much over it for now. I kept having problems with the fine fuzzy stuff. I just needed to yell out to folks who would understand. I kept having to frog it, and more I frogged, the harder it was to frog. Anyway, it's back on the needles again, and this time, I don't dare knit it if the kids are within a hundred feet of me, if I'm tired, or distracted in any way. I've got a pen and paper beside my chair, and I'm keeping careful notes, so if the phone rings, etc, I'll know just where I left off.

Wish me luck!

Hesira

LOL Oh, I can identify with that! Hope you conquer it instead of latting it conquer you!

Higs, Kather> Oh, Katherine, it's not the yarn, it's me. Actually, it *was* me.