Friday, February 09, 2007

...this Kitchener Stitch....

Ok...so it's a clever way to close the stitches at the end of a pair of socks.....but could I do it? Not on your nelly!! Now, I consider myself a bit of a good knitter, after all, I've been doing it since I can't remember when but never before have I come across this flipping 'kitchener stitch'. Anyway, I made my first pair of socks, you remember those pink fluffy ones? Well please don't ask me to show you how I finished off the toe part will you? I did try to do that magic stitch, honest I did, but could I do it? Never...it drove me nuts, unpicking, reknitting...trying again...then, well I just sort of bodged the binding off. I then started my next pair of socks using that beautiful Lorna's Laces yarn....all went well until the last bit, you know the bit where it says put the two needles together and then I started out ok but then I lost the plot and it all went wrong so I simply cast them off and stitched the ends together, they look neat and ok but they weren't 'the' stitch and I hate being beaten you know. One thing my Mum said about me is that I stick at something til I get it right...all well and good but I do get a headache whilst I am doing the sticking at it bit!! So, then I was making those stripey socks I showed you yesterday and something happened...i realised I was trying to do the kitchener stitch left handed, because I am left handed!! But as the dreaded bit was approaching I really read, I mean really read the instructions and it dawned on me that I needed to be right handed to do the kitchener stitch and hey presto! I did it!! OK so it wasn't so neat as I'd have liked but it was a start and a vast improvement on my other attempts. I knitted the other sock ever so quickly so I could practice my Kitchener stitch again and this time it was even better....so...I made a baby pair of socks today just so I could do the last bit again and again....I can do it!! I will now set myself a challenge and work out how to do it with the sewing needle in my left hand, I just need to decide on a sock pattern now.....phew, glad I got that stitch sorted and there I was all set to go toe-up for a change...now that figure of eight cast on with a circular needle.....I won't be beaten you know!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

..... and no cross words!

PURLPOWER said...

Being left-handed brings its trials eh?! My partner is left-handed and you should see him trying to sign cards with my fountain pen. It's incredible the positions he has to get his hands into. I wonder if there is another way of doing Kitchener stitch for lefties....

talj said...

well not knowing the first thing about knitting I would say I am sure it will look excellent however you finish it!! lol :o)

Marianne said...

I had a chuckle at bazza's 'and no cross words!'
I had to help out my xSIL yesterday with the same thing...at www.knitty.com click on 'features' then click on 'techniques with Theresa' Knitty also has free patterns, and yes, there's socks in there....mostly CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
It may seem a bit fiddly now but when you've done it several times you can just 'do it' nearly without thinking what you're doing....

Looking forward to seeing these finished socks! I repeat...you are one fast knitter!

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