I seem to have a “thing” lately for twisted stitches. I love twisted rib for sock cuffs (when I’m not doing picot hems, because even though I could do without the sewing part, they are completely adorable) — I love hos it looks, how it stretches, and what a pretty, dense texture it creates in the fabric.
Apparently, I love it so much that whenever I knit with my Super Extra Special Hard To Find Yarns (read: yarns which can only be obtained through trades or rather vigorous stalking — good thing I have a somewhat obsessive personality!), I’m drawn to patterns requiring a lot of twisted stitches. Such as Marlene, above, which I cast on just two nights ago in Wollmeise 100% Superwash, colorway “La Digitessa.” I’d loved the pattern since my Winter issue of Knit.1 first arrived in the mail, but had been thinking of doing it in a squishy yarn with a light sheen — maybe a bamboo/merino blend.
Then I looked at the somewhat embarrassing stockpile of Wollmeise I’ve amassed over the last two months (I’ve been a VERY dedicated stalker lately, as well as being pretty lucky in recent updates) and decided that while I am sort of a collector by nature and there’s nothing wrong with having a yarn “collection,” yarn is a tool. It wants to be something other than a twisted hank, even if it’s a Very Pretty twisted hank. (At least, that’s what it would want if it had things like nerves and feelings and could actually want things). And, truth be told, I was afraid of knitting this yarn because, well, once I knit it, it will be knit and then it cannot be knit into something else… and what if I love the colorway and I want to knit everything in it and I can’t ever get any more?
Yes, I know this is faulty logic. When have I EVER, no matter how much I’ve loved a yarn, decided I had to have more of That Yarn in That Color so that I could do another project with it? Never. (P.S. Wedding-related things don’t count. I plan ahead to knit multiple things with one yarn in that case and purchase yarn yardages accordingly. Therefore my Never remains accurate). Nonetheless, just to hedge my bets, I decided to make sure that the first Wollmeise I cast on was one that was relatively easy to replace. Because I need to save my favorites for my favorite patterns. I’m not sure, yet, if this will be a favorite pattern.
So far, I like both the yarn and the pattern (what’s not to like about Claudia’s colors, after all), and the twisted stitches do produce a stunning texture that is both bold enough to be interesting both to knit and to look at… and mild enough to not get lost in a vibrant, somewhat variegated colorway. I hope they continue to proceed along as well as they’ve begun.
Well, that, and that I don’t get to the end of knitting the socks and find myself deciding that yes, they’re lovely, but they need to remain on display in my handknit sock drawer because I simply don’t have shoes worthy of something as pretty as my Wollmeise. Heaven forfend.
Pretty Little Purls 