A long, long time ago (possibly when I was ..ahem... much, much slimmer and could get away with knitting the smaller sizes), I used to love knitting cables. The twining, windingness really appealed to me, eventhough I had to buy a new cable needle with each project. (My cable needles are in that alternate world where the socks that get lost in the wash all go to.)
Cable knitting can be a labour of love, cause it can just take FOREVER + 1 day. However, I saw the Heirloom Aran by Lisa Lloyd in Interweave Spring 2004 and thought, it's just a little baby thing, how long could it take.
Never mind that it's on 2.5 mm needles.... No, I didn't have the right yarn either, but I did have some yummy laceweight cashmere, merino, silk in stash so I thought, yeah, I can ply them up to the right thickness so I did.
The Heirloom Aran is so gorgeous that I thought to not even take any shortcuts. I started with a tubular cast-on. Who would had thought that there were so many ways to do a tubular cast-on?
I used this one by Mary Ellen Meisters, cause that's what I've always used before, but a quick google also showed that Amelia Raitte, Siow Chin and Fluffbuff had excellent tutorials. What did one do in the days before the internet and google?
The cable combination is really sweet.
But unfortunately, I think my tension is too tight. The stitch definition is fine, the texture really pops but I think that it's a bit too dense for a small baby. So after 4.5 inches done in the round, I ripped it. That's right, all this was ripped. (sniff)
I really should had ripped it 2 days ago but I kept telling myself that it would be ok. I really ought to listen to that little voice inside my head more often.
Posted by atu at August 13, 2006 06:49 PM | TrackBackI liked Tubular Cast On 101, but I'm not 20. Make the print bigger or give us a way to enlarge it. It's hard to read
Posted by: Celeste at September 4, 2006 06:39 PMGosh, you were so brave to rip, I am all to often guilty of continuing in the vague hope of a miracle, which of course never does seem to happen. The cables looked beautiful. I am in love with cables at the moment too but can only manage them as little bits of trim.
I have the same problem with moss stitch, it is one of my favourite stitches to look at but least favourite to do because it takes me ages.
Posted by: Rebecca at August 17, 2006 07:46 PMOh, I'm so sorry to see it go! At least you know what a beautiful object you'll turn out. I have little ones, and I always knit up a size, just in case :0) I hate the thought of making something, and having them only wear it for a short time!
Posted by: Charity at August 14, 2006 03:48 PMOh, I would have wept as I ripped! It is a lovely sweater -- if you start again, make it big so the kid can wear it for a looooong time!
Posted by: Mary de B at August 14, 2006 02:59 PMI also feel your pain. I can bear to rip out my cable Trinity yet either. I will only rip it out if I run out of yarn...
Posted by: Peggy at August 14, 2006 04:29 AMAll that stunning cabling gone! - the only part I hate about knitting is having to rip it out and start again !! & as a newbie knitter Ive done a lot of that *lol*
Posted by: ABE/HAPPY at August 14, 2006 03:21 AMI feel your pain - I knit a cabled cardi for our newborn this summer (before his birth!), and now that he's here I realize it will be too small for him when the cooler weather sets in.
Thank goodness for preggo relatives with December due dates!
Posted by: Sara at August 14, 2006 12:49 AMI feel your pain - I knit a cabled cardi for our newborn this summer (before his birth!), and now that he's here I realize it will be too small for him when the cooler weather sets in.
Thank goodness for preggo relatives with December due dates!
Posted by: Sara at August 14, 2006 12:49 AMAll that beautiful work... what a shame! I sure hope you don't give up on it now. Long to see it finished and I think I'm not alone about that!
Posted by: Annelie at August 13, 2006 08:28 PMThat's sad! I've attempted a simple baby hat with tubular cast on 3x today and that was bad enough! I use Lucy Neatby's method. The aran looks lovely btw, maybe you can just go down to a thinner single yarn?
Posted by: dawn at August 13, 2006 08:15 PMI weep for you, that is some beautiful work that you had to rip there. Are you going back to it and trying again? It will be fantastic when finished.
Posted by: Louise at August 13, 2006 07:15 PM