Jobo Designs

the battle for the title of Iron Knitter is RAGING on... round 3 began after an unexpected delay on Sunday morning.  The "Supreme Commander" had been injured in a car accident, but is recovering, and her lovely husband managed to keep us all in line and forwarded us the pattern as soon as the emergency cooled off.  Helen - Glad you're ok, and on the mend!

The Round 3 challenge is Colorwork... also known as knitting a design using alternating stitches of 2 or more different colors and following a chart.  Usually this kind of design features intricate patterns, geometric designs, and sometimes detailed pictures or graphics

There are many different techniques to handle the two different yarns.  Some knitters simply knit stitches with one yarn, and then drop it, pick up the other color, and continue on going back and forth that way.  Other knitters use a fancy yarn-holding thimble that allows you to keep both yarns wrapped on the same finger and alternate your stitches by angling the thimble finger forward and back.  Myself, I prefer to do my colorwork holding one color in each hand.  For one color you basically work your knit stitches as always before - with yarn held in the right hand.  The other color gets held in the left hand in a similar manner as when knitting continental style, and stitches are "picked" through in the same manner.  This took me quite a while to master, but I find it does a really good job, and I can just fly along at it. 

If you are interested in learning this "two-handed" technique, check out the Philosopher's Wool Company - they have a little video excerpt available streaming on the site, and they sell really neat fair-isle patterns and kits.  You should see this woman knit fair-isle.  Must be seen to be believed!  (linky here!)

Shop Around the Corner Socks, by Helen Waittes, feature some standard style fair-isle diamonds and diagonals-and-boxes and also some little 'buildings' laid out like a city block.  Generally, I am not attracted to patterns (either knitting or quilting) that feature country-style motifs like little houses, but I still think this project will have value for me... pushing me to really focus on my tension and even stitches for colorwork technique.  I also plan to challenge myself and work an "afterthought" heel (see tutorial coming tomorrow!)

I currently have one sock completed, and have used the following modifications: 

- toe up!

- contrasting color heels and toes

- plain foot

- required chart section with a few added plain rows to help balance the chart

- 2x2 rib cuff in main color instead of Contrasting color

I didn't want to give away too much until I get the pair completed... I'll keep you posted!