Its really easy to be seduced by a yarn isn't it? This was the yarn that got me. A blue blingy concoction by Jo Sharp called Lumina.
The blue colour is so me. The bling is so not. But it matched perfectly with a Brilla blue yarn from Wondoflex. Another seduced-by-yarn purchase. You can tell which ones these are – the single balls or skeins in your stash!
Not really sure what to make from them, I cast on and started knitting. I found myself knitting in stocking stitch, using 4.5mm needles, because that seemed to show of the bling to its best advantage. I never use stocking stitch, except for jumpers, because of the way it curls on the sides. I know you can block it, but really, who can be bothered? Not me.
I only got so far before my dislike of stocking stitch got the better of me. So far was about 20 cms of neatly knitted stitches, with bits of bling scattered here and there. And then, like an idiot I unravelled it! Now I look at these photos I wonder why. I could kick myself. Why do I invest time and energy knitting something and then unravel it?
Because I'm a perfectionist? Do I just like the process of knitting, its a journey not a destination? Am I just crazy?
(Rhetorical questions, you don't have to answer these!)
That's gorgeous stuff. Bling's not normally my thing either, but it works so well in that piece!
Posted by: Laughingrat | Tuesday, 13 April 2010 at 12:54 AM
I just bought a cheap 40 year old knitting machine off eBay, perfect for churning out stocking stitch! Though, like most knitting machines it only does thinner yarns (max 5 ply), so it probably wouldn't cope with those two yarns together.
It is a great shade of blue.
Posted by: MildlyCrafty | Sunday, 11 April 2010 at 11:25 AM
Easy way to prevent curling at the edges of stocking stitch - start every row with one purl stitch.
This gives a neat finish with a handy 'channel' for sewing along, if needed. Also works well on loosely-knitted garter stitch, where the edges can otherwise look a bit bumpy.
(Thanks to my great-aunt Kit for this tip -- it's served me well over the years. Now, if only I could match her perfect tension!)
Posted by: flipsockgrrl | Sunday, 11 April 2010 at 11:03 AM