The Vortex

This is the first time I’ve done modular knitting on doublepoints on quite this scale. Meet Vortex, by Lijuan Jing (and me). It’s knitted in JoJoLand Rhythm Superwash. Such a pretty little thing. And I do mean little. Quite an effort for 27 inches by 44 inches.

I’ve let it soak in Eucalan and dried it flat, as the JoJoLand Superwash Rhythm instructs, and it’s relaxed a bit since these photos were taken. The grooves are still nice and deep, but it’s just not such a concentrated weight of yarn anymore. Without this step, putting it on your lap felt a bit like when the dental hygienist lays that heavy gray x-ray apron on you. I’m adjusting to the odd size. More like a baby blanket, actually.

I don’t usually pass along a lot of knitting tips, but for anyone knitting Vortex here’s a few:

  • I needed 17 skeins, not the 16 the pattern called for.
  • Mark the first triangle so you’ll always know where “A1” is. Otherwise, you’re toast.
  • The instructions say to pick up stitches in a clockwise direction. I don’t get the “clockwise” thing, but what is meant is to pick up and knit the stitches in a backwards direction. Beats me how you do that. Instead of pick up and knit, I picked up and purled, putting the needle point in from the back side of the work while looking at the wrong side.
  • The directions for the order of the triangles are at the very end of the pattern. That’s a bit subtle and kind of easy to miss.  They are a bit idiosyncratic in that the written instructions tell you the order in which to knit the triangles, and it’s not always in numerical order.
  • But here’s the most important tip.  The  pattern (dated 11/30/2009) has errors. The instructions for the “T” isosceles triangles are wrong at rounds 4, 8, 11, 14, 18, 22, 26 and 30. Unfortunately after I tried a fix on my own (which sort of worked, but not as well as what the designer planned), I reached the designer at the email address on the pattern and received corrections. These are how the  instructions for the rounds listed above on the  four “T” triangles were supposed to read.  I was told it’s OK to tell my “friends” who may be knitting it. So, friends, this is the fix for the errors. I have to say that I haven’t tried it (because I am really sick of knitting little triangles) but it looks correct. And I clipped this stuff right out the designer’s email to be sure I wouldn’t be the one to introduce any new errors.

Rnd 4: k26, s1kp, k26, s1kp, s1kp, k46. (101 sts)

Rnd 8: p22, p2tog, p22, p2tog, p2tog, p39. (86 sts)

Rnd 11: k19, s1kp, k19, s1kp, s1kp, k34. (75 sts)

Rnd 14: p16, p2tog, p16, p2tog, p2tog, p29. (64 sts)

Rnd 18: k12, s1kp, k12, s1kp, s1kp, k22. (49 sts)

Rnd 22: p8, p2tog, p8, p2tog, p2tog, p15. (34 sts)

Rnd 26:k4, s1kp, k4, s1kp, s1kp, k8. (19 sts)

Rnd 30: p2tog, p2tog, p2tog, p1. (4 sts)

The error in the pattern is disconcerting, but the designer was very responsive to my inquiry. So that is a plus in my book.

This next photo is Vortex, edged with applied I-cord and after its Eucalan bath.  I dried it flat, but without blocking,  It relaxed some but I don’t think it was with much sacrifice to its signature deep grooves.