Tuesday's Eclectic Thoughts- Merging My Baking with My Knitting Adventures

    

 Every Tuesday I want to talk about knitting, but also introduce one of my other blogs. They are more of a personal account of my varied interests- from cooking to baking and history.

      

 I assisted Cooking Classes for 8 years before Chefs Catalog's Retail store closed in Colorado Springs and I have a wealth of experience and a large stack of recipes. So from personal recipes to Chefs recipes I haven't tried yet (only watched and tasted- oh the tasting!) I'll create some fantastic desserts, breads and culinary treats and just some plain good food. 

Also I've challenged myself in other areas of my life that I've let lay dormant since college days- History and Art. I had a small studio once when the kids were very small to oil paint, but I need to get going again in that area. So over time I'll bring out another blog and share a recipe or a positive thought posted on my Today's Positive News blog or a personal thought on my Walking In Random Thoughts blog. Bear with me- this is one of those times where I'll see where this is going on Tuesdays- we'll see. I also want a space to introduce new knitting projects or a new stitch I learned.

     Today I want to dive into a new stitch I discovered this weekend. I wanted an fairly easy, mindless stitch that I could do a leftover ball of yarn into a scarf. I found the Chinese Wave stitch and I've fallen in love! Beautiful, easy and functional- it's thick and soft and will do up nicely for scarves with no curling at the edges. So I'm developing my first- officially my own- design called The Waves Scarf. First I'll use this leftover yarn then I want to get a feel for it in a nice wool I haven't picked out yet.

The Chinese Waves stitch-

A fairly easy stitch which is a variation of the Garter stitch- Knits and slipping stitches- that's about it. When you slip a stitch it's up to you whether you do it purl-wise or knit-wise, as long as the yarn is held to the back (for the loops of the waves). Slipping knitwise creates a twist in the stitch and creates a tighter, denser fabric. I opted for the purlwise slip finding it easy and fun (remember to keep the yarn in back!).

                

                                                          Chinese Waves Stitch

Cast any odd number on stitches on, for this scarf I did 21 on a #15 needle:

Row 1- Knit all Stitches

Row 2- Knit 1, * slip 1, knit 1; repeat from* to end

Row 3- Knit all stitches

Row 4- Knit 2, *slip 1, knit 1; repeat from* to last stitch, knit 1

Repeat all rows for stitch.

           

Having lost count a number of times and tried to unravel to where I was I have a few clues to knowing where you are if you lose count. It's easier to lose your place because it's not a familiar stockinette or easily recognizable pattern at first. Note the waves appear on the side you are doing just knitting, picking up the slips from the other side. Also note every other row you slip on is jogged to the right or left. In other words the scallops of the waves are staggered. If I get up- walk away or pause long enough I loose track of which slip row I'm on. So I have gotten into the habit of knitting a few stitches after I guess and turning the piece over to see if the waves are hitting exactly where the previous waves hit or are they shifted to one side. You'll see what I mean. Remember you want them staggered. Also end every row with a knit.

So I don't loose count of my rows anymore I just ordered an Ablet Knitting Abacus so I can keep track more easily. It works like an abacus keeping track of your stitches on your wrist and it doesn't shift. I have it on the left side this week as my featured knitting tool. I got the idea from GGMadeIt's blog this week and I'm so excited I'm getting one!

I opted for this scarf to leave the edges as they are- a bit rough because I felt it reflected the nature of the pattern with a garter stitch look on one side. It would be an option to slip the first stitch of each row to make that a smooth edge. Up to you. The edge is pretty straight and no curl. And a lovely thick springy texture-

 And my shared blog today is  SweetToBe where I have some  lovely treats beat up for you. Today I'm blogging on my simple Vanilla Pound Cake (which I make using a cake mix and the Cake Mix Doctor recipe I modified a bit). The previous blog is an amazing Cinnamon Roll recipe I finally perfected. Enjoy.