Thoughts on the Camptown Races Cowl

I should put exclamation marks in the title.  Camptown Races (Sort-of) Cowl!! Finally!!

I don't remember when I started this, summer of 2021 is the closest I can get, as I well remember knitting during Zoom meetings and usually having to rip out large portions afterwards since I'd get distracted and lose my place.  It's only partly the Camptown Races pattern because of course I didn't need to work any stripes, the yarn doing it all for me, sometimes handsomely, sometimes crazily.  The yarn is "Gluttony Sock" superwash merino/nylon blend from Forbidden Fiber Co. in the "When Presents Explode" colorway.  It pooled and flashed in some strange and not particularly pleasant ways -- why do these yarns always start off so well, then go off the rails?! -- but luckily for me, with this style, I can wrap it up and tuck the weird bits under.  I have had a number of compliments when I've worn it, actually, so that's all right.

I was going merrily along with "Virtue Outshines the Stars" when I realized with a thud that I had mistaken the large dot for the small dot on the old hand-drawn chart, and that the "picot" line down the left-hand side should be gold and the outlines of the large flowers should be red.  Since I had done only one thread's worth of the picot, that was a simple matter to pick out, but I was this far with the flower outlines, and not only was that some hours' stitching, but having filled in the first flower, picking it out might cause a number of problems nearby.  It doesn't look wrong -- unless you know it's supposed to be red, of course! -- in fact it doesn't look bad at all.

And I had made up my mind to leave it, when I found myself the other day picking it out.  As it turned out, it was a bit of a bother, but not trouble, really, as I had feared. 

The next hurdle is that I wasn't sure at this fabric count -- 32 threads per inch, on the fence now and then as to using one strand of floss or two -- if the queen stitches in the border would look better with one thread or two.  I decided on one, and indeed they look quite tidy, although upon reflection they look very delicate next to the 2-strands cross stitches, like using your Denby stoneware teapot with your Spode china cups -- both lovely in their own ways, but rather imbalanced together!  Looking ahead at something else on the chart, I realized that another set of queen-stitch flowers (for this is a Darlene O'Steen chart, the Queen of Queen Stitch!) uses a blended color, definitely two strands, and so one can assume that she meant there to be two strands in the border as well.  Queen stitch is not fun to pick out, but ... oh well.

Comments

[Constance]

I love multicolored yarn although I don't have the skill to knit anything more than a rectangle. My library's annual fundraiser is a yarn sale and I always end up buying something even if it sits for years unused.

I also did cross-stitch until I started blogging, I suppose! I never really made it to linen rather than Aida cloth, however.