The problem with pausing

Oh dear, I have fallen from the straight and narrow path yet again.

I guess it's almost 4 weeks since I hurt my wrist, and I have slowly got back into some knitting. But that little pause has left me somewhat adrift.

I thought I wouldn't do socks, though I have 2 pairs on the go and really should get them done. But, too tiny, too stressy on the old wrist -- I should do bigger yarn and needles.

So, I made a hat for Out of the Cold. More of the doubled lite Lopi, nice and warm.

So, la de da, look at the rest of that yarn, just sitting there, such pretty colours, la de da, let's make a mitered square, and then ....

Well, my plans are vague, and my supply of blues is limited (yeah, and that nice rust in there, too) but I can make enough squares to make a bag and felt it.

Only thing is, I don't like this miter pattern! I am used to making miters in garter stitch, with a centred double decrease on right-side rows. Mark the centre stitch, knit almost up to it, decrease, carry on. But, stocking stitch needs a different rate of decrease, and if you want a square, you have to decrease 6 stitches in 4 rows, not 4, like in garter stitch. Ann and Kay, who are clever indeed and must be acknowledged as the queens of the miter, have a pattern in their book, so I got it off the shelf and off I went.

Ack! Knit to somewhere near the middle, do three decreases that are sometimes 2 ssks and 1 k2tog, and sometimes 1 ssk and 2 k2togs. The line wibbles down the middle of the square, and I had to keep looking at the book and counting my stitches! Oh, lordy! Well, two miters was quite enough of that!

Luckily, I remembered that long long ago, in fact Winter 94-5, Vogue Knitting published an article about miters. This gives a much nicer way to decrease -- mark the centre, knit almost up to it, decrease, carry on! Do it on every knit row and every other purl row. Six stitches decreased in 4 rows, easy as pie.

The only thing that might put one off is the fact that one has to, ohmygawd, purl 2 together, and even purl 2 together through the back loops! This is not really that challenging, you know. Anyone can do it, truly! At least for me, it's easier than counting!

And see, it makes a nice straight line down the middle.

If you want a definite line like this, k2tog, then ssk (and p2togtbl, then p2tog on the wrong side); you can make a less noticeable decrease by doing the ssk first.

Well, now, just lemme finish up this project, whatever it finally turns into, and then I'll get back to those socks, really!