Day 4

I used this project as an excuse to buy a copy of the Brandenburg Concerto’s by Bach today. So pretty – melodic and sweet and not overwhelming. Partly because it is not a full orchestra playing the music, I think. The recording I have is conducted by Benjamin Britten for those who are curious.

We’re using an Austermann yarn today – their sock yarn is called, appropriately enough, ‘Step’ and I am using a colourway called Berry (#165 in their catalogue). The yarn is dyed mostly in a series of broad stripes in pink, purple and a very pale khaki, with occasional splashes of white.

This fourth small square is going to complete a larger square. With the right side of your work facing you, square 1 is at the bottom, and starting on the  far left, pick up 15 stitches along the side of the lefthand square (the one you made yesterday), pick up one stitch from the very tip of the first square you made, then 15 stitches more on the edge of the righthand square. You will have 31 stitches on your needle.

All 31 stitches picked up across the 3 completed squares.

Detail of the central stitch picked up.

Following the pattern from day one (again) complete your square. If you’ve picked everything up correctly, it should look something like this with the  decreases in line with the central point of the square and with those of the first square you knitted.

When you’ve finished your square, it’s time to start sewing in the ends. We’ll be starting with the 2 tail ends in the centre (the bind off end of square 1 and the cast on end of square 2) and the cast on end of  square 1. You can leave sewing the tails in until the very end but I am not a  masochist 😉 I have no desire to sew in 600+ tail ends, one after the other. Also, I find that doing them as I go makes the whole project more pleasant, but I don’t sew any ends until I have worked all of the pieces adjoining the tails position.

Turn your work over – you should have 8 tails. In the picture below I’ve tucked the ends I won’t be using behind the work, leaving on the ones I will sew in. I weave the yarn tails into the seam rather than into the knitted fabric but if you prefer another technique, the  work is yours so please yourself 🙂

Tomorrow I am going to add a larger square to better show the pattern in my yarn.

In other news, we are awaiting the arrival of a new motor for the electric spinning wheel I  constructed last August. The original  motor is not strong enough, nor is it designed for use longer than a few minutes. I have spent half a day spinning yarn with a traditional wheel in the past so I needed a better motor. Electric machines don’t actually have a wheel but if I say ‘spinner’ too many people think I mean some sort of exercise…. and no. Just, no. I’ll stick with yoga.