My RS starts at the top with two saddles. First step CO provisionally. There are quite a few ways to do a provi CO. I used to do some sorta Itsy bitsy spider weaving in and out with needle between two different yarns bit. There are actually several varients on this manuever~ I like Barbara Walkers in Knitting from the Top. Then there is CO with different yarn and change to new yarn either before or after knitting a few rows to inches. And then there is the crochet a chain with a handful more chain sts and pick up purl bumps method. I recently learned a varient on this crochet CO and tried to take pictures.

The method is to make a loop with a different yarn, I use a smooth cotton, and place onto crochet hook. Snug it up. Now place your working needle between crochet hook and working thread. The needle is above the working thread. Take the hook over the needle, catch your working thread, pull it down to make a chain. You have just wrapped the working thread around the needle in the process of creating a chain. Your working thread will now be over the needle and between needle and hook. Run the working thread around needle tip to back of needle. Don’t loop it over the needle! Ok pictures which hopefully will clarify:

OK we see the original loop on hook, needle over and between working thread/hook, grabbing working thread, pulling working thread down over needle into loop to create chain, moving thread back behind needle between needle/crochet hook, working thread back in positio, several stitches being worked and finally When you have CO one less stitch than called for in pattern~ slide the loop on crochet hook onto needle. Leave a few inches tails on both ends of chain and switch to your main yarn.

For the title of todays post we turn to snafu #2~ being a dumb eff. I worked my provi CO, taking a slew of pictures {4X what you see here so I could edit out the suck ass ones tyvm} like a good blogger, and started my first saddle. First thought “hmmm why isn’t she having us work a plain knit row first? This sure is gonna be hard to pick up sts in order with them being knits and purls and increases and all….” Second thought ” hmmmmmm why didn’t she mirror image these cables? I cannot possibly be the only person who likes mirror imaged cables…..” Finished the first saddle CO for second and whats the first sentance ‘knit one row’ Arghhhhhhh. I went ahead and knit the first row since it had been a mental flag moment during first saddle and muttered yep much nicer. OK we needed to knit 3 saddles. And since we were gonna knit a third anyway why not just mirror image those little cables? Here are saddles one and two:

On the right you might be able to see how the yellow thread is kinda weaving in and out of bottom edge which would make it harder to pick up those stitches evenly once unzipped. And now a closeup of second saddle with mirror imaged 1/1 cables or crossed stitched. A real wasted effort considering how dark the yarn is and how its near impossible to see the cables anyway. Still it pleases me to know I did it.

Kidlet has checkup today so look for sockity progress tomorrow. Great yarny day and knitterly evening y’all