Support thread from Arts & Crafts for the blankets

[tribpot]

We've been talking quite a lot on the main thread about getting the stitches right for a particular square with a lovely heart design in it. You need to be registered on Ravelry to see it here or with the designer's website (also free) to see it here.

The race is on to see whether any of us can complete it without going completely insane at the difficulty of some of the patterns, so we are having a (supportive) 'heart-off' this weekend to try and get it done without flooding the main thread with messages about it.

On the cast list so far are: GleamingHeels, MinnieBar and me, but all are welcome - beware though, you have to supply your own valium.

I've just recharted it to get it down to a size that will knit out to (about) 6", so have chopped out 4 rows of border from the bottom, 2 stitches of border from the sides and 2 stitches of the plain bit between the outer and inner border. So I'm starting with 29 stitches. I'd prob prefer to have 3 rows of border and 3 side stitches of border too, but as the square is going to be put into a larger blanket (unless rejected by our Blanket Mistresses Pistey and Knotty) I thought a slightly scrappy border would probably be okay.

I do have circular needles but I've never actually used them . Plus, would I be right in thinking that there isn't the same range of sizes as you'd get with straight needles (or at least not in my local shop!)? Because usually I just go down .25 or .5 a size but I'm not sure how easy it is to adjust in the same way with circular ones?

Finger crossed chap - going into row 11 for the second time.... glutton for punishment

Sorry, forgot to add: Brilliant tutorial Trib! Dedication to the cause?

Gleaming - you can do it, keep your nerve!

Minnie - pretty much the same needles are available but they may not have so many in stock because fewer people use them. I have this brilliant set with a bunch of different tips of different sizes, plus cables of different lengths, and then you just attach the right size needles to the right length cable - et voila.

I have to say, although Gleaming doesn't like the inner border, I like the stitches turning this way or that depending on whether you do a ssk or a k2tog. I wish the Dreaded Bottom Border (rows 11-12) was a bit more similar though - smaller holes over 2 rows rather than giant ones caused by the double yarn over?

...and out the other side of row twelve [wipes brow]

tribpot I am more converted to the vertical inner border now I've finished one, but I agree entirely about the mismatch with the giant holes

Well, I thought getting through that many rows of seed stitch would finish me off, but DD woke up after I'd done two. However, it was enough for me to see that my intended facecloth would have been about 5" square! (3.25mm needles.) So I'm afraid I've scrapped that idea.

I have about a billion other projects on the go, so I might have to bookmark the heart square to come back to. I do want to make myself a blanket, and really like this square, but who knows when I'll actually get to it? Especially when you consider that I find another two or three projects I want to do every week!

Bah, wanted to join in but maybe it's not to be just now.

Gleaming, I know we have attracted at least part of chipdonkey to our thread by virtue of the double yarn overs but I do think the Dreaded Bottom Border would be nicer done in a way more similar to the side ones, although I think you might need a stabilising purl row between the row 11 and row 12 stuff. So something like yo ssk to create a hole and then a left leaning stitch, k1, k2g yo to create a right leaning stitch ... hmm, I think I'll finish this one and see how it looks, and then maybe have a look for ideas out there to create a more undulating effect in the Dreaded Bottom Border.

I won't be attempting this, but thought I'd pop in and cheer you on your way!!!

Ah well Donkey, we'll miss you - I'm in the middle of making myself a blanket using this pattern it's lovely and so much easier than real entrelac, but sewing up all those zig-zaggy edges is going to be a nightmare!

tribot sounds good - I'm knitting the offending holes in the Debbie Bliss now and they look much bigger than with the cheapo wool/acrylic mix I was using - however the vertical bit looks much better in the Debbie Bliss.... I would be v interested in a better looking alternative for the big holes

Thanks Pistey - I think you've got enough on your plate for the moment

I'm loving how this thread started as 'How the hell to knit the heart square' and has ended up as 'How it could be better'

Minnie fun isn't it, how's yours going, or are you having a break? Do you agree about the giant holes? If trib sorts it then the double yo's would be gone forever!

anyone else started thinking of the double yo's as yoyo's? am hating misusing apotrophes here, but it looks totally wrong without them

I'm just jumping in the shower and then I'm off to a sleepover friend's 40th, but I might strategically stop at John Lewis on the way to look at the lovely things, and also to sit and pause in the cafe and do a couple of rows?
(I'm on row 17 now btw. Side holes looking a bit random to say the least.)

Minnie, the side bits looked weird to me when I was knitting them - they looked a lot better when I'd finished and you could see the overall effect. Am jealous of your JL visit, have a fab time at the 40th, I'll keep an eye out for you coming back on Monday, when you have recovered

Right, so the pressure's on to come up with a better Dreaded Bottom Border eliminating the Yawning Chasms Caused By Double Yarn Over. Game on.

Game On Trib! Excellent Capitalisation

[girds loins] ... rows 43 and 44 for the second time...

Don't get lost in the Yawning Chasms, Gleaming!

This sort of shows what the side bits are meant to look like (actually not strictly true, it just shows what they do look like on mine but I get where the designer was going!

Note size difference between nice side holes and Chasms.

I'll try not to Trib, though I am still not absolutely sure that I won't run out of yarn in the final seed stitch phase [slightly anxious]

phew... done it... camera run out of charge, so will post pictures when it has re-charged, I'll also show how the side bits look on mine - not sure they're right, but I have been careful to be completely consistent with the ssk malarkey this time, so they're better than the first try as well as being better with the excellent yarn we're using

Well done Gleaming!

A bit of experimenting without cheating (i.e. without just looking it up online or in one of my books) makes me think actually a better pattern would be exactly the same as the side bits, so in the first row (k2tog, yo) repeated, and then a purl row and then in the next row (yo, ssk) repeated. I understand what they wanted now, which really was a right slanted decrease followed by left slanted one to make a nice symmetrical pattern, hence why you get one yo after another, but it doesn't work.

The simpler version will mean one side border won't wiggle perfectly and I also need to tackle the fact I've turned a 3 stitch pattern into a 2 stitch one. Hey ho, onwards!

Thanks Trib

I do like the wiggle in the side bits now - where it's left decrease then right decrease - took me a while to 'get' it but I do now - I have no idea how to translate that into a horizontal equivalent - maybe your books will help, hope so

Still wavering about starting this one.

Off to read this thread. If you are all gibbering I'll opt for another plain is good, plain is essential square.

Barbara plain is good and essential though I have knitted two heart squares today and am not gibbering too much