Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm spending a quiet day with my kids in school and my husband away on a trip.  As a sign of my love and devotion to him, I let him take my digital camera with him.  What was I thinking?  If I had not done that, I could show my finished front and back of Halcyon Aran - it will have to wait.

So today, I will just ramble a bit about a subject which I have much experience with, brought up by Katy, ripping back Arans.  Here are a couple tricks which I have found useful:

• If you decide to rip back, vs. tinking, go back until the end of the row of your mistake, and maybe another row.  To pick up, you want wrong side is facing, and working yarn to your left.  This way you will be picking up knit or purl stitches, rather than dealing with the cabled row.  Resist the temptation to say to yourself "there goes yesterday's knitting, and the day before that, and the day before that...."
• Lay the work flat.  It is best to minimize twisted stitches if you start from the left, but this only works with a circular - otherwise you have to start from the right.  Use a smaller needle, preferably a slippery addi, just to get the stitches back on the needle - they will go on easier and you will have less splitting.  Don't be an idiot by starting up again with the smaller needle.
• I just get them on and worry about any twisted stitches as I knit the next row.

If you need to unknit a sizable section, get out some double points.  Unknit (I just did this back 16 rows!), put the live stitches on a double point and re-knit with a double point.  I find the double points give me a lot more flexibility in which direction I want to work - smaller ones work well for the same reason as above.

I bet a lot of people have other great tips on this subject.  Correcting mistakes can be fun.  I usually start thinking really bad thoughts like "it's ruined!" and "there is NO WAY I can fix THIS!", and low and behold, in notta-lotta time I find myself right back to business.  Well, better get preparing some pink delicious treat for dessert tonight!  Great day, all!

 

Comments

[Tracy]

Correcting mistakes can be fun, just like pulling teeth!
I must admit though, when all goes correctly I get this sort of smug feeling, so know where you're coming from. I hope hubby makes up for being away for Valentines Day, our little chat earlier springs to mind teehee!

[Siow Chin]

After discovering knitblogs and reading other knitters' experience, I now come to accept ripping much better. Sometimes it can even be good!

[Kim]

Boy, I don't know about correcting mistakes and FUN in the same sentence...I've not had the nerve to pick up the lace scarf again and try to correct my major error. I ripped out, and haven't been able to put the stitches back on correctly. Argh!

Maybe hubby will come back from his trip with a special valentine's camera for you so you don't have to share!

[Jean]

The great thing about dbl points too is that you just slide the sts to the end and you can knit all the way up from the right side of the garment. I like it but I'm sick like that. lol. I like kitchener too. ;-)

[tacha]

Thanks for the terrific tips. I was holding my breath when knitting cabling in the hope nothing goes wrong. Now I almost hope it does so I can try out these tips!

[sequinK]

Thanks for the tips! Your Halcyon is looking fabulous, by the way. I just got back from Stitches West, and my mission, if I choose to accept it(!), is to design and knit an aran, neck down construction, for my guy. I spent way too much time at the Black Water Abbey booth harrassing Marilyn, and pawing through all her samples. I am planning to use her yarn for the sweater -- I just love the colorways -- so I'm really glad to hear that you're having a good experience with it.

[Kathleen]

I also like to block off the chart for the stitches I am working on. I have decided to tink back on my aran. It's only a row and a half. Thanks for sharing the tips.

[Stacie]

Great tips! Another good tip is to put in a life line so that you can rip out to certain points then pick the stitches back up :)