more swatch games

Here we have a pomatomus cuff swatch:



I was stuck at this point. I am knitting on a circ ML style and after knitting one full chart there are instructions for shifting stitches dpn style. So I emailed Cookie. I said: "I have just knit the first repeat of the leg chart and the instructions say to shift the stitches around, 1 to 3, and so on.

Well, I am wont to say my needles don't have numbers, and I'm knitting magic loop style but I have a marker at the place that would be the start of needle 1 per the pattern.

What I need to know is, should I start to knit the chart start again, starting from the second stitch on what would be needle 1?"

Cookie answered quickly, at some point overnight and said "What you should do is shift the beginning of the round so that the first stitch in the round (wherever that is on your needles) to the end of the previous round. So the chart begins on the second stitch."

So now I understand the pattern. And I'm trying to psych myself up to knit 2 whole socks in what is essentially a k1tbl p1 rib with curves provided by some k2tog tbl's and yo's.

You may be able to see some larger holes in the close-to-the-cuff area. That is where I purled into a stitch formed by a yo in the prior row, as per the pattern. I don't like the larger holes much so I eliminated them by purling through the back loop. But p1 tbl is painfully and tediously slow with size 1 (2.5mm) needles and fingering weight yarn, so on the last few rows, I substituted k1 tbl for p1 tbl and I think it is ok. It is certainly faster to execute and eliminates the large hole adequately. It does require just a smidge more thinking on the next row as the stitch formed by k1 tbl, which should have been a p1, has to be purled on the following, and subsequent rows.

For the record, this is Cookie A's pomatomus sock, from knitty winter 2005 [click for pattern link], adjusted down to 66 stitches around (from 72). I'm knitting on knitpicks 32" circs size 1us (2.5mm) with some of my new nature's palette yarn. I think it's the dark indigo colorway, though it's not that dark, more like a medium blue, and almost, not quite solid.

Another problem I have with this pattern, well, it's not a problem with the pattern but with me and my knitting. I think I don't know how to pick up a dropped stitch in the twisted stitch (k tbl) format. And sometimes stitches get away from me. I intend to get a lesson in this tomorrow evening.
At knit night.

p.s. This is another swatch for pattern testing purposes. It is not-a-new-WIP.