This is a test. Only a test.
I have finally started doing something with the Lotus Blossom Shawl. I knitted the gauge swatch on Tuesday. The yarn is KnitPicks' Palette, color Red. US size 8 needle. I wouldn't have chosen this bright red if not for my mom's love for such colorful clothing. Bright red is very lucky for Chinese people. And I think that she wears it well too.
The size maybe a tiny bit smaller. But I really like how it looks unblocked. (Yes, I still have to block it to make a final decision.) My mom is a smaller woman. I think this might just work out great. The gauge swatch uses the "stem" pattern of Lotus. Looks OK I think. Gives me a little more confidence to tackle the whole thing. :-) I do think that the cast-on looks a little tight. The instruction calls for a "very loose" cast-on. I used a size 10.5 and this is what I get. How do you determine these things?
11 comments:
I use needles two to three sizes bigger when I cast on. Which is what you've done, so...maybe four sizes bigger? Or maybe try a different cast on? I use cable cast on for everything unless the pattern specifies a different kind.
The colour looks great...you seem to have been bitten by the lace bug also ;-) And thanks for the tip to use larger needles to cast on, I wouldn't have thought of that.
Moving up needle sizes for casting on to acheive a looser edge works sometimes... depends which cast-on method you're using, of course. You're better off learning to control your cast-on so you can get it looser or snugger as you wish.
Boy, that's really...um...red.
I love the color of the yarn, it really shows the pattern well. The size thing? I have no clue, so Im paying attention to see what the experienced knitters say.
I love the red! No idea about lace though... I just like to watch ;)
When I do a loose cast on for things like socks, I use two needles together. I've never had a problem with it being too tight or too loose. Maybe this would work for you. Also, I've found that a backward loop as opposed to a long tail does better for looseness.
Jason,
Very very pretty. And yes, she will love the color and feel very lucky indeed while she wears it. As far as I can tell, if you are using a standard long tail cast-on, you can go up in size a little further on the needles but that really doesn't always work if you have a death grip on your yarn and needles. I cast on a few stitches and then stretch it. if not loose enough, I cast-on looser still. My friend Louise holds two larger needles together and casts-on to get it looser and my sister just says to heck with it and uses a turkish cast-on which is a looser cast-on.
Looking forward to seeing you work on it!
Good Luck and Good Knitting!
Thank you all for the suggestions! You are going to feel like throwing things at me. I read further in the pattern instructions. The cast-on for the real thing only consists of 3 stitches. :: running really really fast ::
:: pant pant :: But it's good to know what you all do for a loose cast- on, right? I know I will need that info. :-)
Hey YOUGUYS!!!!
I LOVE Sachi's two needle lose cast on.
That's a great idea.
YOUGUYS! That's so great!
Sheesh Dave, you almost gave me a heart attack! Woke me right up! LOL
Well, good mornin' to you! (Don't need any caffeine now, do you?)
Post a Comment