The Jaywalkers and I are in a fight. Yes, again. I’m beginning to feel that this relationship may not be worth all the trouble.
You can see a giant snafu in the center decrease row. Apparently I have not yet learned that sometimes it’s better to tink than to press on. You can also see (right under it) where I started the heel and somehow managed to shift one row over (but only on one set of increases.) There are a few other problems, but I’ll leave those out. Because I would forgive all the flaws if the sock didn’t manage to still be entirely too large!
For those of you playing at home, I’ve now restarted this sock at least 4 times. I’m making the smallest size, but it ain’t gonna fit. It’s huge around the ribbing and the heels, and none of the rest of it fits especially well either. I think my Jaywalkers may be taking a trip to the permanant frog pond. I am pleased with the Lorna’s laces yarn, which has stood up to repeated frogging with absolutely no signs of wear… so as soon as I get over my grief I’ll use it in a non-cursed pattern.
I was so depressed over my Jaywalkers that I went out and bought this
And started this
That’s the twin rib pattern, in Claudia Handpaints “Eat your Veggies” over 54 stitches on size 1s. That’s right – 54. And it fits. No wonder the Jaywalkers don’t – they pull in, but not 22 stitches worth!
Anyway, the Claudia yarn is lovely to knit with, and I’m not having any pooling (yet). I love the book. I think it needs a more exciting cover – from the outside it does not look like a book I want to buy, but on the inside it’s the best sock book I’ve seen! It’s also amazing how much faster socks go when you have a third fewer stitches on your needles. These socks are going to fly off the needles!
Yesterday was Sunday, and I had three masses. That also means I had lots of time to sit around and knit, so I decided to swatch for the Provincial Waistcoat. Go get your copy of that magazine, and tell me if you can figure out what the heck I’m supposed to swatch! It says “body pattern” but it doesn’t mean the cable pattern… and as far as I can tell the body pattern is not easily swatchable. I’m using Lamb’s Pride Bulky, which claims on the ball band to get 3st per inch on 10.5 needles. The called for yarn gets 3.5 per inch. However, online I saw Lamb’s Pride being listed as 3.5, so I decided to just to a plain stockinette swatch. Sure enough – 3.5 per inch on 10.5 needles. I felt a little better knowing that I was getting the gauge of the called for yarn, so I decided to give the pattern a try.
This pattern is one of those that has lots of redundant directions if you’re making the smallest size. Lots of p0s and [rep 0 times from *]. No kidding – it’s incredibly hard to read. At this point I would rather it were a chart, and I hate knitting from charts. So I sat down and tried to write out the directions for only the smallest size, which was no small task. I did the first row and ended up with two extra stitches, so I think I probably wrote something down incorrectly (there is no errata for this pattern yet). I pressed on to try out the second row (wanted to try all those cross 2s,) and then ripped so I could reread the directions and try again. I was having lots of trouble with the C3Ls (I think that’s the right abbreviation.) I know how to do cables, but these were not looking right. It could be the bulky yarn though – I’ve never made anything except scarves with bulky, so I’m not sure how it behaves with cables.
I’m not sure how well the pattern is going to go overall. I read all the directions and I think it’s sometimes a little vague. For instance, in the second row it starts saying “knit x# of stitches in rib,” only nowhere does it specify a rib. I finally figured out that it wants you to just mimic the first row, but I honestly think it should have said that. Ugh. Gonna have to think about whether this one will be worth it. Bulky yarn hurts my wrists anyway.
Depressing though that is, my new socks make me happy, so it’s still a good day!
Green apples - Stitchywitch Creates 
Glad your new socks are fitting. I’ve heard so many good things about that book, that I’ll probably end up getting it when I decide to take the plunge into sock knitting.
Good luck on the waistcoat–patterns from magazines tend to be a little mysterious for brevity’s sake.
I frogged my Jaywalkers, too — the second pair. The first pair was okay, but the second pair was a lighter-weight yarn and just did not fit. Your yarn will look great in a simple rib pattern. Good luck on that waistcoat pattern – it sounds like it will be hard on the head as well as the hands.
I just completely the Prov. Waistcoat.
What a freekin’ pain in the butt that pattern was.
I agree. Needs a chart. It was like a logic puzzle. No idea where I’m going until I’m already there.
So I knit the thing using three balls of Wool-Ease and not the chunky kind. I used size 7 circ needle. I twisted the single stitch ribs to tighten them up and give the fabric more structure. They also match the “cross 2” look. I did not do the pattern change to k1/p1 ribbing at the waist — looked crummy to me from the back.
Good luck!
i’m doing the provincial waistcoat now (tried unsuccessfull to swatch last night…casted on tonight) worked on it for what seamed like hours and hours and only got through a few rows. its a cute pattern, but is it worth the grief? also – i dont get the “cross 2” for the 4th row…b/c when you “cross 2” your getting rid of a stich…right? so then when you do it again (w/o increasing somewhere) arent they going to start showing up diaganally, not to mention the fact that your decreasing a lot? i know i’ve got to be missing something here!
I found your website looking for examples of people knitting with Claudia’s fingering yarn. i just got two skeins of her “Oops” colorway. I like the look of your socks in the veggies colorway. Nice.
I, too, am having issues with the “Provincial Waistcoat”. If anyone can decipher the “Cross 2” section, I would be ever so grateful for a tip. I’ve shown this pattern to half a dozen knitters and taken it into two yarn shops and still, we can’t figure out what it all means.
Vague isn’t even the word for this pattern. “Work in pattern to end” Would have been nice for her to let us know that those first two rows were the pattern. Also, “work stitches as they apper to end”? I hate directions like that. Tell me what you want me to do, not to make it up and hope for the best.
I’ve given up on the pattern and sold the yarn I bought for it. It’s too bad – the finished vest is really cute, but it’s just not worth the headache. Boo to Interweave for publishing such a poorly written pattern!
I finished the Provincial Waistcoat and have to say it was a nightmare. I made the I made the vest in size 40 1/2″ bust.
I found that the stitch pattern compensation for the larger sizes drastically different than the picture. I also found the sizing to be questionable. Beginning on page 84 with “All sizes” the sizing runs amuck.
Dec. row 4: work in pattern to end – 117(127,141,189,207)
That kind of crazy sizing continues.
On page 85 the arm hole decreases are completely ill-logical
BO: 5(5,5,11,9)
repeat Ah decrease every RS row 4(4,4,11,14) times.
The back shoulder shaping is crazy “Place remaining 21(33, 45,37,37) sts on holder
I could go on and on.
Good luck to anyone who tackles this one!!!
I’m glad I found your comments about the provincial waist coat. Was going mad with all the p(0) and (rib x stitches)x2, (rib more stitches) madness of the second row. I’ll give it another go, and feel less stupid about struggling with it.