Decreasing in Pattern is Hard

The secret item that I am making has a pattern which includes yf (yarn forwards, this adds a stitch) and sl1 k2tog psso (slip1, knit two together, pass slipped stitch over the new stitch and off the needle; this decreases two stitches). Each of the decreasing stitches has corresponding yf stitches to ensure that you finish with the same number of stitches as you started with on each row. However, I’m now at a point where I need to cast off at the beginning of a row, or decrease at each end. So, as I am still pretty new at knitting, I decided that I wanted the pattern in detail. The pattern just says “continue in pattern and decrease at each end of every row” which tells me the info, but I need more! So, I’ve been working out (with the help of excel, and thinking far too hard!) exactly what the pattern should be. I’ll hang on to it (clearly I’ll need it if I want to knit this item again), and I will post it when I have completed the item and it’s no longer secret.

So, I didn’t get any knitting done last night as a result of that, and due to going to the gym. Well, I got a couple of rows done before I realised that I’d calculated part of the pattern wrong and had to re-do it. I did get chance to have a bit of a sit on my new sofa bed (new meaning new to me, not new new) which is pretty comfy for knitting on I reckon. I do need to make some covers for the purple cushions though, they’re irritating me. I’m not a fan of purple, you see.

I have just ordered myself some books (I know, I can’t really afford it, but if I’m staying home more to help cover the cost of the car, I need something to read/do!) they are in the 3-for-2 at Smiths. I got the two new books by Debbie Stoller (Stitch n Bitch Nation and The Happy Hooker) and a surprise gift for someone. I’ve been thinking about ordering SnBN for some time, I had a flick through in borders a while ago and almost bought it then. So, it’s not uber cheap at Smiths now (it was less than £8 at one point) but as it’s 3-for-2 I got the books for under £10 each. Woo!
So, I’m aiming to learn how to crochet before I go to America, because you can’t take knitting needles on the plane, not even if you have plastic ones, or mini wooden ones for socks (which are basically glorified toothpicks!) but you can take a plastic crochet hook. That does lead me to another dilemma – my crochet hooks are presently all metal ones, though they are all smallish sizes too. I intend to pick up some sensible ones once I have had a look at the book and know what I'm looking at!

I am going to give the crochet thing a whirl anyway, even if I don’t take to it quite the way I have to knitting (I really do enjoy knitting, there are few evenings when I don’t knit at least a couple of rows on something) it will be handy to be able to add crochet borders to stuff, for example!