Well, not entirely. I have already charted the 12 strand braid (it’s much easier to figure out the pattern on a chart than to knit it, frog it, knit it, frog it, …) and I will work on kitting up a sample to make sure it works. Then I’m going to try and incorporate 2 Saxon (6 strand) braids into the design as well. I’m hoping to have that done in a day or so as I have some sweaters that are calling my name rather LOUDLY now! I can’t help it though, these cables just entwine themselves into you and you want to figure them out. Look for the Malcolm Matrix coming out soon! What is it? You’ll see on Thursday! Anyway, back to the topic of today’s post – the boxers. So I think I remember admitting to you that I was rather bored with the plain stocking stitch pattern of the boxers knit with sock yarn. Well, I did start them on my Vario, and a good thing I did too. The instructions I have for them aren’t the greatest (not the worst I’ve seen though) and I misread the part where you knit in the wedge (dart) on the rear panel. You see, there are two wedges done one after the other. I don’t know why the instructions separated them, but they did. So I did the first one, then started knitting the rest of the side. I did this with both my hand knitted one and the one I was doing on the machine. When I finished the shaping for the right fly, I realized that there was no other mention of wedge two. 😯 So I went back and looked at the diagram again. And again. And again. Then I saw it – wedge two continued right after wedge one!
Now had I been knitting this by hand and had gotten to this point before realizing my mistake (yes, I should make sure I fully understand a pattern before starting), I would have frogged it and re-used the yarn for a pair of socks.Luckily, since i had the machine, it meant I only lost about 30 minutes of work, not 10 – 12 hours. So I frogged it back to the back panel, picked up the stitches again (all 100 of them), and completed the right side with the fly shaping, with BOTH wedges in place. I then proceeded to do the left side and am now working on the waistband. The instructions call for doing a double width band, sewing elastic into it, and then folding it over. I have this really cool elastic that can be knitted along with the yarn and then steamed afterward. It then acts like Lycra, creating a very stretchy yarn. I might try that, or I might wait and try it on the second pair (if I make a second one). There’s also the Patons Stretch socks yarn I might try as well. Whichever method I eventually decide on, I think I should be able to finish this today. That is if I actually do it and stop blogging about it – :lol:.
I’ll try and finish the knitting today but I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to get the elastic for the waistband. Hey Chris, have you finished yours yet?
Hugzzz 8)