4/21/13 - I started working with Section III - Slip-Stitch Patterns today. Square 17 (Woven Tweed) was pretty simple to knit. There are many other things that can be done with slip-stitches, in addition to using them as simple vertical pattern lines as Mosaic Patterns do.

Square 17
Woven Tweed
Front Side

Square 17
Woven Tweed
Back Side

Woven stitches are those that are slipped while the yarn is carried across them on the right side of the work - that is, with yarn in front (wyif) on a right-side row, or with yarn in back (wyib) on a wrong side row. Of course, when knitting on a right-side row after slipping a stitch wyif, it is necessary to pass the yarn between the needle points to the back again so it will be in position for knitting.

Notice the attractive wrong side of this simple tweed pattern, which shows little horizontal chains of the two colors.

4/22/13 - I just finished the next square in Section III.

Square 18
Hexagon Pattern

This square shows how slip-stitches can draw horizontal rows out of line, upward and downward, when the same slip-stitches are carried over more than 2-rows. The Color D (dark brown) bands in this pattern are forced by the slip-stitches to zigzag up and down slightly, giving a somewhat hexagonal shape to the motifs.

4/23/13 - Another square completed.

Square 19
Instant Plaid

This pattern demonstrates the use of elongated stitches, formed by the extra wraps on Row 4, to extend upward over the following 6 rows.

4/24/13 - I finished this square today. Really pretty and not difficult to do.

Square 20
Scale Quilting

This beautiful pattern illustrates the fact that when stitches are slipped wyib on wrong-side rows, the carried strands naturally appear on the right side of the work. Of course, when you are purling after slipping stitches wyib, the yarn must be brought forward between the needle points to return to the purl position for the next stitch.

Interesting, too, to me is that the contrast color appears to have been added to the top of the finished square, rather than knitted at the same time.

Okay, that finishes this entry for me. I have already started the next square, but will start another posting with it. Seems that I have been knitting these squares forever and that I should be close to finishing them and ready to combine them for the finished afghan. But this last square only completes 20 blocks and there are a total of 63 blocks. So....still lots to knit.

I am enjoying this and learning many new techniques and styles, so it is a fun and worthwhile project.

Oh yes, many more ladies are starting to attend my weekly gathering of The Needlers. Plus there has been comments made to express desires to learn to knit or crochet this upcoming winter when all the "snowbirds" return. Hooray, I may be teaching more than expected. I have also had several ladies stop by my place or stop me while going somewhere to ask me to assist them with projects they are doing, or maybe ask questions about something they don't know or aren't sure about. It seems that I am "fitting in" rather nicely. I love it. What's really great is that we are all learning from each other and having fun while we enjoy each other's company.

Catch you later!!!