Monday, March 21, 2011

Start of the Sampler Latvian Mitten

OK, so here it is...

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my first attempt at a Latvian Mitten.

What I love, love, love, is the braided rows. I think they look fantastic, and bring a sense of wonder to the mitten. 

I also enjoyed the fact that once I got started I made quick progress.

What I am not so proud of is the fringe. It just isn't flowing with the rest of the mitten.

So, I am going to rip this out and start again, for the last time:)

In my Latvian Mittens book by Lizbeth Upitis, I would like to quote from Chapter Three,  Section 4, Correct Your Mistakes. 

If you discover an error in your knitting, rip it out and knit again. Rudolfs Blaumanis (1863-1908), a Latvian classical author, wrote a play entitled, "The Prodigal Son" The erring son regrets his worthless life and laments:

Why cannot one do with a spoiled life the same as a spoiled mitten -- rip it out and start again from the beginning.

Lizbeth goes on to say, "SO..RIP! It is a soul purifying experience."

Lent seems to be a good a time as any to purify my soul! So here I go...
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4 comments:

  1. MomMarch 21, 2011 at 6:34 PM

    Your mittens are going to be SO beautiful! I admire your patience!

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  2. JoMarch 22, 2011 at 9:38 AM

    Awe! Thanks Mom:)

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  3. PaulMarch 28, 2011 at 9:20 AM

    Okay, I would like to weigh in. I would classify myself as a beginner and if I rip things out I cannot get all of the stitches back on to the knitting needle. So while good advice, I need advice with getting all of the stitches back on without dropping any.

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  4. JoMarch 28, 2011 at 1:05 PM

    Hey Paul, I hear you! One of my biggest knitting fears is not being able to catch all the stitches I ripped out. This ripping it out advice is coming from a seasoned expert, Lizbeth Upitis. She must be really good at it. I think she is also a perfectionist!

    Before I rip out anything I decide if the mistake will add some character to my piece, or if the mistake makes it look bad. Then I carefully "undo" each stitch one at a time. I carefully proceed with catching the loop from the back of the knit stitch with my left needle. I pull the stitch from the right needle to the left needle then pull the "bad" stitch out when it is safe and I know I won't loose the original stitch.

    Thanks for the comment and Keep Knitting!

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