Obverse or Reverse, That Is the Question

Use your favorite search engine or actual printed material and you will discover more than one way to knit anything.  Take the Broken Rib for example.  There is this version here and also this one over there. 

I chose this way.  'Twill be a scarf of just twenty seven stitches across.  An accent really.  This bamboo/soy won't keep anyone warm in a Wisconsin winter.

By alternating the right and wrong sides of the Broken rib across the width and also along the length, a lovely bit of textural knitting happens.  I'm thinking it would be quite manly if done in a manly color way such as grey or brown.

What I like is that the result is totally reversible.  That matters in a scarf that will twist and wrap and bunch and generally not behave well.

See here.  That blue arrow (click to enlarge photo) points to a spot where the scarf is folded to show that both sides look fine and are similar. 

Which side is the obverse?  Which is the reverse?
Don't fret over the quandary because they are both perfect!

Shuttle Along

Gee it is hard to believe it has been six whole days away from the desk. Mostly, non-knitting life has taken a front burner these days and the knitting is suffering.

A quick day flight away on business, a quick day drive away on business, conference calls and dinner events have taken a huge chunk of time. But this very day there was time to refocus on the knitting and the gloating over accomplishments.

Today was the inaugural wearing of the scarf - to go along with other inaugural events.

As promised by the designer, Ms. Japel herself, it truly looks wonderful no matter which side of the pattern one declares to be the "right" side. No wrong side. Gotta respect that.

I brought the scarf to share with the Guild today. Now you must understand that the Guild members are quite accomplished knitters. We have teachers, experts and international brilliance. So, for a pattern to impress this bunch it must be remarkable indeed.

We contemplated the visual effect of both sides - both close up and from afar. Final result? Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.

So wander on over to the Glampyre Etsy shop (link is above) and check out the current offerings. Last I looked, the bamboo is all gone, but cotton remains. This was the best $25 I have spent in quite a while. Custom hand dyed bamboo, three (3) scarf patterns and two stitch markers. A true value indeed.

On the Launch Pad

Ready to take off. The Wild Blue Space Shuttle, courtesy of Stefanie Japel's hand dyed bamboo, is on the launch pad.

You need to just accept, as fact, that I do not own blocking wires. If I owned such items, making lace on a regular basis would be required so that the cost per use got down to a sensible 2 cents. Or some ridiculously low amount. So the few times I have needed to actually be straight and even in a long length I rely on my handy dandy towel.

You read correctly. My towel. Please understand that this is a special towel. It is old and not soft. It is old school loopy cotton - not at all the soft plush stuff of today. And, this towel has stripes. Good stripes that are actually straight and level (no, I didn't bring out an actual level and check the bubble, but level and true enough for the casual observer)

The stripes are wonderful for getting a straight edge on any long length of knitting. Just follow the little line. Even a child can do it. A towel is not threatening like wires and boards printed with squares. Nope, not at all threatening. A towel is familiar - it is comfortable - it is and every day item. And if it is not an every day item, well I don't want to hear about it.

Other than the straight stripes, the afore mentioned not soft loopy cotton grabs the fiber that is laid upon it and holds it in place. Well, mostly in place. But it works sort of like the loop side of hook and loop tape.

Some pinning is still required. But I am convinced, in my own little world, that fewer pins are required and thus the whole blocking process seems to take but a few minutes.

At any rate, the Space Shuttle is almost ready to take off on great adventures with yours truly. Oh, where shall we head off to first? Such possibilities. Such adventures. The universe is our oyster - - - or something like that.