which_chick | Socktoberfest #8

There are two topics for today. Both of them relate to not getting lost in the colorwork, which is going to be something of a problem for the HoHI project. The first is finding a sensible division of the stitches (to split them up on the available needles) and the second is keeping track of your place in the damn chart.

Finding a sensible division of stitches for the needles involves that math thing that I'm not very good at. (That'd be the higher mathematics known in the civilized, not-counting-on-fingers world as addition.) It's easier to see where you are at on the chart when the visual elements of the pattern come out even on the needles and I figure that more than half the battle of color knitting is being able to tell where you are in the damn chart.

For the HoHI project, the pattern assorts thusly: 35 sts front motif, 6 sts divider, 23 sts. side motif, 6 sts divider, 35 sts back motif, 6 sts divider, 23 sts side motif, 6 sts divider. There are three needles -- one big circular and two straight bamboo needles. I figure that the big circular gets 35 + 6 + 23 =64 sts. The first bamboo will get 6+35=41 sts. The second bamboo will get 35 sts. That'll work out okay at least until I get pretty heavily into the decreases whereupon the number of stitches on the second bamboo is going to be a pitiful rookerful and no lie. (How are you making out with a game plan for the decreases, btw? I'm not. I'm not there yet. I've got lots of time to figure out the decreases. Don't push me. You have no damn idea what you're going to do, isn't that the truth? Not yet, no. I'll come up with something when it's time. Everybody knows you're just going to wing it. All this talk of planning is just a pathetic attempt at misdirection.)

Keeping track of where you are in the damn chart is imperative. Here (more or less) is the chart. There are a couple of minor errors on it that happened when I cut-n-pasted it. The one I will be working off of is error-free, I assure you. What errors? I don't see any errors. Oh, bloody hell. The upper left border of the lowest diamond in the big motif panels is fucked up. Also, the middle X on the right-most column has two extra dots on the upper legs of it. Happy now? Yes.

Anyway, as you can probably see, the chart is kind of eye-bleedy. I've got it pinned to a clipboard and I'll be using post-it notes to keep track of where I am in the damn thing. More crafty people than I am have a metal clipboard thing with magnets to hold their charts and keep their chart places but I am not that crafty. My aunt SJ has one of the metal things and I have put in an order for it but I don't know if she's gotten it back from her daughter Betsy yet or not. I'm going forward with what I've got because I am ready to start the colorwork and a lack of proper, crafty equipment is not going to stop me.