ZigBagZ - my attempt at stranded knitting

I entertained myself for several hours on Ravelry just looking at what people had made with Noro Yarns. That's where I found the ZigBagZ pattern (Ravelry Link). I've only attempted one other stranded pattern with limited success. The hat was wearable but knit so loosely and was such a pain to knit with all the untangling of yarn. It's taken me a year to try it again.

This time around I forced myself to learn to knit continental so I could knit two handed. Took me most of the weekend but I got enough confidence to start the Zbag.


This is the checkerboard bottom of the bag.

And a look at the inside of the bottom


Then the zigzag pattern on the side


It seems like I'm ripping back half of my knitting to correct pattern mistakes. You'd think I could count to two - Knit 2 with color A, Knit 2 with color B. Seems easy enough but every row I seem to throw in a Knit 4 with one color or another. I get so mad at myself.

Other than my problem counting to two I'm really enjoying this knitting.



I'm using Noro Kureyon color 213A for the contrast and it's fun to watch as the colors change. The Main fuchsia color is Cascade 220 color 9470 and the dark blue/purple is 220 (and I can't tell you the color as I can't find the ballband)

Yarn Harlot had a link to Shelly Kang that completed a large afghan with sockyarn. Seemed worth noting since it's all mitered squares and this is the project that inspired me to try out mitered squares from sockyarn. She's finished and it way bigger than anything I'll ever make!

April 5th The Photographer and I visited Balboa Park's International Houses for the Tartan Days celebration. Lots of music and kilts!


Wish I'd brought my camera as there were lots of hand-knit, knee-high socks around.

Stuck in Squares-ville

Not until I pulled out my camera and started taking pictures of my current knitting projects did I realize that everything I'm working on is square.

First, I pulled out Mitered Thing after Laurie sent me more sock yarn leftovers. Thanks again, Laurie, I always appreciate the kindness of knitting friends.


Since the time I first blogged about my "affair with mitered squares" I've received many questions about my method. I'll briefly describe how I make my garter stitch mitered squares. Hope it doesn't confuse more than it explains.

Cast-on an uneven number of stitches.
Do not slip first stitch on a row.
Knit half the number of stitches minus 3 (example: cast on 13 stitches, half minus 3 would be 5)
Here's the decrease you work on the right side only. Slip 1, K2tog, pull slipped stitch over K2tog
Knit wrong side row with no decrease.
Repeat these two rows until you have one stitch left.
Now pick up half the number of your cast on stitches down the side of the square and either cast on the other half plus one of the stitches or pick up along the edge of the square that is one down and over from the last completed square. Picking up one stitch for each garter ridge and one in the very center usually gives me the right count. (hope you understand that picking-up stitches part - I'm sure there's a better way to word it.)

Second, the Shop received a shipment of Trendsetter Yarns Tonalita, a long color change yarn that is great for Entrelac. I'm knitting a sample for an Entrelac class I'll be teaching.


This is color 2345; blues, purple, pink, turquoise, teal and jade.

(photo is true to color on my monitor.)

Third: I was exploring on Ravelry and was searching everything made with Noro yarn when I found Quant on Knitty, an entrelac headband.




By chance, I had a single skein of Silk Garden, sorry I can't find the ballband to tell you the color.
I'm going to have to hunt further because I really do like these rosy colors.


Any other square projects I missed? Can you tell I have a strong quilting background to be so enamored of everything square?

Taking pictures isn't as easy around here as you might think. My helper Sam one second after I took the first picture of Mitered Thing.


He's cute but a little too curious!