The Gansey Diaries (ep 3)
And we're off! The cast on has been completed and I managed not only to get 316 stitches onto my needles, I also did the first round without including a twist! This is actually more than a small miracle. I have cast on ridiculous numbers of stitches, found a twist, or perhaps the edge didn't come out quite how I want it, and started again, more times that I care to note. But as many of the ganseys I make are commissioned, it needs to be more than just 'that'll do!'. I've got into the habit of that now. Mr Wrinkled Thistle's gansey could have had some imperfections (to make it even more unique than it already will be!), but isn't it just typical that it all went like clockwork!
This week we’ve been visiting my parents, who thankfully have excellent internet, so I can continue to work on The Wrinkled Thistle while we’re away. I have also been given my own personal box of Yorkshire Tea, so I’m surviving just fine.
What accompanies you while you craft? I will be accompanied by tea (of course), and podcasts, radio and YouTube are really going to earn their keep. I love Uncanny and You’re Dead To Me, for starters. I've also been saving up Ludwig to watch while I knit. And I don't think anything can beat the shear delight, joy and wonder that the wildlife camera folk manage to capture for any David Attenborough series. And I think Hamza Yassin has a new one too. I am ready to dive in!
Despite the large number of stitches, I find the the rhythm of the rib section, especially when working in the round, helps calm my mind. It's just enough that I need to pay attention and don't get bored. The little jig of the different stitch count at the side seams also keeps me on my toes.
The stocking stitch section also means that I can put it down and pick it up without having to worry about where I am in a pattern, and it’s almost meditative. It’s also still small enough to be a portable project, but that is going to change over the next few weeks!
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So settle in, it’s going to be a while!
That's where all the romance of knitting meets the reality of repetition, isn't it? Twenty-one centimetres of stocking stitch, with 5ply yarn on 2.25mm needles — may as well be twenty miles! I try to keep this sort of repetitive knitting for when I am tired. When I just want to switch off and relax.
Sometimes, I just love my job. Self-employment has many drawbacks, but its flexibility, depending on what you do, can be worth it all. There has been a lot of family stuff going on this year, both sides, and it means we need to be away from home more than we’d like. I can’t imagine trying to cope with all this, while juggling rigid holidays from employment. I can pack up my laptop, yarn, needles and accessories, and work from almost anywhere.
I'm almost at the length I want, which means I'm now moving from the welt onto the stocking stitch section.
The gansey is progressing with the welt, the rib band at the bottom. I’m not sure how easy to see it is in the picture, but in amongst that 2x2 ribbing there is a P1, K2, P1 which forms the side seam. It’ll be much easier to see once the stocking stitch section grows.
The Wrinkled Thistle
Heritage Ganseys | Modern Knitting
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