Topic: stranded knitting
January is all about numbers and bookwork for me because of the business, and I get cranky. I would much rather be creating something new. So, I managed to squeeze in a new array for yarn display in the shop (my daughter and I moved about 3000 skeins of yarn yesterday). But, that's as far as it can go until I get all the forms/numbers/check statements/inventory logged and accounted for.
In this month of Nothing New On The Needles, I am pretty content, to my surprise, knitting away on the body part of the Nordic Sweater for the Cape Ann Knitting Retreat in March. I HAD wanted this to be done by Jan 1 so I could get to the writing of the pattern before the last minute, but if I try not to worry about THAT, then I am having a good time.
I have been knitting with two colors in two hands for many years, but this is the first BIG project knitting with a new way of holding the yarn in my right hand. Since I learned Continental knitting with my left hand (and had become quite speedy!) I had neglected retraining my right hand to be more efficient than the taught-to-me-by-my-mom-pick-up-wrap-put-down method.
And, now when I wrap the yarn identically around my right hand to match the left, I have included a wrap around the pinkie finger to control tension. This keeps the yarn in place on my right hand between stitches, and makes the whole process very efficient.
With the miles of body licing I am knitting right now, I am getting a LOT of practice. And I am getting noticeably faster.
It's all good.