for a little while now, i've been admiring fair isle yokes and norwegian mittens... but fair isle colorwork scared me. i'm a tense sort of person, and my knitting reflects that. my fair isle would pucker! how do you know how loosely to carry the strand?
then i read MJ's Norwegian knit-along invitation. hmm... and i saw Eunny's gorgeous Norwegian stockings--i could see myself wearing such a pair of stockings. and i perused Jess' exploration of technical variations.
i started thinking about how i would knit fair isle--definitely both strands in my left hand. but i use my left middle finger to operate the needles--both strands on the index fingers then. hmm... i had to try it. mini circulars and leftover yarn for a little random swatch. it works! not as scary as i thought; very satisfying.
the strands along the back construct a cushion-y fabric. the back:
karenina is finished--ends woven, washed, dried. i'll show you when a photo-friendly day arrives. there is a baby blanket on my needles--plain garter stitch for now. yes, lots of procrastination around here.
The KAL is timely, no? I associate colored knits with winter, for some reason.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful floats, by the way. And Jess (Fig and Plum) knits with both yarns in her left hand, too.
- MJ