A week ago, I decided to knit a lace shawl as a gift. It needs to be finished in five weeks. Plenty of time, right? So I ordered this pattern (I love it!). I am in love with quite a few of Kirsten Kapur's patterns. I did a half-assed swatch, and cast on for the shawl. I still love this shawl and I love knitting it. It's a challenge, for sure. That fine fine (weight) yarn, the lace pattern, all of those stitches. I feel like a knitting challenge is just what I need right now. Lately I've been knitting "safe" items like cowls and scarves and things like that. Things that I really don't have a pattern for. And they're kind of...boring.
The yarn. I took this picture indoors, with the flash on my phone, so it's not the best. This yarn is mainly blue, but also has green, purple and some red in it.
Yes. I know that lace looks like a blob until it's blocked. And, again, I have a picture taken indoors. This shawl & the yarn are much prettier in real life.
What I realized is that I need to have a pattern that's written out. The Irene Adler pattern comes with written instructions as well as charted instructions. I love that. I am symbol-challenged. I just don't do well with symbols. I prefer words. Take elevators. If the buttons only show symbols for "door open" and "door close", I have no idea which I need to press. Or the email on my phone. I can never remember which symbol means to "archive" the email and which means to "file" it. I understand a trashcan for "delete", but on my phone email, there is no trashcan. Knitting charts? I can never remember what the symbols stand for, so I have to look them up on the key. Every. Time. That takes me so much longer than if I just have the pattern written out. I totally understand k2, p2, ssk, yo, psso, etc.
There seem to be different schools of thought on the whole written out vs. chart topic. What are your thoughts? Which do you prefer? Am I the only one who cannot understand/remember symbols?
Your yarn is beautiful and so will the shawl be.
ReplyDeleteIf I had my way, my lace charts would be written and charted. I would use chart mostly, but, like you, sometimes the symbols throw me off. like the left and right leaning decreases, sometimes it's just easier to refer to the written instructions.