Ding ding ding ding! Round 1 of the match between Fig and Plum and Fair Isle Knitting is complete. The combatants appear... wait, this is unprecedented... the fighters appear to have removed their gloves, shaken hand, and exited the ring arm in arm!
Above we have, completed, the first motif of the Norwegian Stockings. All things considered, I'm pleased with it.
So I've learned magic loop and fooled around with two-handed fair isle, and ended up using neither. Magic loop actually worked quite well after some practice. But I had started these on DPNs that are a slightly different size from my Addis, and am probably equally comfortable on DPNs, so the Norwegians will forge ahead on their DPNs. Plus, I couldn't work on these in the subway without screwing up the pattern, so they won't often be transported. Two-handed fair isle, on the other hand, I've discarded as not in my near future. My head hangs in shame at my inability or unwillingness to become comfortable with English knitting. One-handed just proved so much easier and faster. We're golden as long as I remember to pull the grey strand under the white and the white strand over the grey. Here's another view:
Oh, and I forgot to tell you that a couple of weeks ago I joined the Norwegian Knits Along!
In other, more remarkable news, The Birmingham News in Alabama has come out against the death penalty. While I don't agree with 100% of its reasoning, I think the paper's shift is laudable and almost miraculous. And I was floored to see they took a stand that's very unpopular these days: that the death penalty is wrong because it is morally wrong to kill people (of course, I wonder how this gels with the paper's stance on war, but I'll forgive them that for now). It's clear from reading the editorial that Professor Bryan Stevenson's work at the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery played no small role in this.
The trip to Georgia was good. The only thing I can really say about it is that we accomplished a lot on the trip, and that it really affected me and reinvigorated my commitment to this year's clinical work.
Posted by jess at November 19, 2005 11:57 AMVery nice! I need to figure out what I'm going to do with my fair isle knitting. My right hand is not cooperating with me right now.
Posted by: Angela at November 19, 2005 12:34 PMOoh! Mighty fine. And I'm glad to hear that your trip went well - it's always nice when self-examination happens with good results.
Posted by: eunny at November 19, 2005 12:59 PMGood news about the death penalty stand. That stand taken anywhere is a good step in what seems a very painful struggle.
Also, I love the knitting. It is more than I have done but I have been wanting to do some more complex color work.
Posted by: smsmdiv@hotmail.com at November 19, 2005 2:42 PMThat is looking fabulous! So tell us more about your style of knitting - are you holding both yarn strands over one finger (index?), or each strand over a different finger (index and middle?)?
Posted by: grumperina at November 19, 2005 2:58 PMLooks great Jess! I admire your patience in trying out so many techniques and needles!
Posted by: lisa at November 19, 2005 3:37 PMThis is really looking very good indeed. Both strands on one hand is juste fine, there's no LAW that you have to do it on both hands. At least I hope so, otherwise I'll be going to prison some time soon :). Can't wait to see more progress on the sock!
Posted by: Julia at November 20, 2005 4:23 AMYour sock looks great. I agree w/ Grumperina - tell us more about this one handed technique.
Posted by: Stephanie at November 21, 2005 6:50 PMHey! I love the stockings (loved them when I first saw them on eunny's blog!) and am wondering where the pattern is from. Let me know if you can! Thanks.
Posted by: Erin at November 22, 2005 9:41 AM