Friday, October 26, 2012

Defying science?

I think I have lied to many students over the years. I always told them that once they had knit a round in circular knitting without twisting at the join, that they needn't worry about a twist. Elizabeth Zimmerman taught that if you do have a twist, you can eliminate it by adding a counter-twist after the first round. The twists in the single thread that joins the beginning and end of the round in this case are invisible later on.

Well, I have been knitting a project this week that seems to defy this. It is a simple enough pattern and one that I have made before. It is called Abstract Leaves and is a lacy cowl. I am making another one for a sample, or I should say I was making another. I am no longer making one.

I started it on a size 4 Knitpicks circular and ended up with a twist.
*sigh* I ripped it out and started it on double points and switched to the circular after the first couple of rounds. After 4 rounds, it had a twist. bigger sigh R-i-i-p...

I started it again on double points and this time switched to the circulars after 4 or 5 rounds. Note, there was no twist when it was on dpns. I am half way through the first repeat which is 12 rounds. So I have done 4 rounds in the beginning and then about 6. And there is a twist. Grrrrrrrr... note I am not sighing any more. I am just plain mad!

I haven't ripped it out. I have put it in time-out. I will work on something else and I may re-do it on dpns. I knit the first one on dpns and it behaved. I don't see why this one can't.

I don't quite understand how this could have happened. Yes. the circulars can twist up but one should be able to untwist the whole thing. How can a 360 degree twist get added after the tube has been created?

Off to knit something back and forth!

1 comment:

Colleen said...

There really is no way it can twist after the first round. Really. It can't....between the first and second rounds it can, though...

I just came up with a way to prevent it, though...

http://www.colleenstitchesintime.blogspot.com/2012/10/join-being-careful-not-to-twist.html

It's a nuisance, but if I have more than 100 sts, it's *really* helpful!