Ready, Set, Go...Knit Hemlock!

WEBS podcast, “Ready, Set, Knit”, has finally started the Hemlock Ring Knit along. I wish they had started this sooner as I just couldn’t wait. Pixie, the knit along teacher,has some great suggestions in starting the ring and has some excellent tips available on their website. One of the best advice she gives is to diligently count each row to ensure you have the right amount of stitches. I wish I had done this. It would have saved me a lot of time unknitting several rows. Fortunately, as it was during the beginning, I didn’t have many stitches to unknit. It gets harder and more frustrating when you discover a mistake on row 61, which is what I did.

I had to lay it out to see if I could find my mistake. This was utterly impossible, as you can well imagine. So….I unknitted about eight rows until the count came out right. I mentioned before that I didn’t like “feather and fan” stitch because I always seem to miss or add a “ yarn over”. When you are increasing, in a progressively bigger round, this makes a BIG DIFFERNCE. One stitch off can mess up the symmetry of the increases.

So now I’m on Row 63 and plugging on. Pixie’s homework was to only go to Row 26 or so. I’m still not a fan of feather and fan and wish this section had more of a variety to it. You can only knit so much feather and fan without it becoming boring.

Luckily, I’m trading off knitting this hemlock ring with Nicky Epstein’s Medallion Capelet, which I love knitting. The pattern is mesmerizing and so EASY! It reminds me of a spiral they use to hypnotise you. I’m on my second medallion. I hope I will have enough yarn from the Caron’s One Pounder. I’m not sure I will be able to match the dyelot if I have to buy more. I’m actually trying to make it larger than the pattern. Nicky explains this is done by making a bigger medallion the diameter measuring across your back from shoulder to shoulder. How can this be easier?

I’m thinking about how to make a closure for this capelet. Nicky Epstein’s book Knitting Embellishments has instructions for make a frog closure. I purchased a Bond “Embellish Knit” Automatic Spool knitter. I’m curious to see how this turns out. Stay tuned…….