getting my ssk in a twist

I've finally got to grips with the pattern in Lorelei.

I decided to do a swatch of the pattern so that I could how it shapes up on 2 needles rather than 4. It still didn't look right, even though I was following the pattern carefully: some of the diagonal stitches were working and some were not. Baffled , I fished around in the LK mags till I found a drawing of ssk and realised that I had been ssk-ing purlwise rather than knitwise.

What a dingbat.

So that I could see the correction on my swatch I did a couple of rows of stocking stitch before I started the pattern again and 12 rows later I had the raised diamond pattern appearing.

Who'd a thunk it?

Doing the stitch the right way would create the right pattern. Doh!!

I did 2 sets of 12 row pattern repeats to check and then filled with new found confidence proceeded with Lorelei, and it seems to be fine as modelled on J2's foot.

I can follow the pattern while I'm listening to "The Spanish Game" but it's hard to keep track if I'm watching TV, even if I use post-its on the pattern to track of the rows. So I've concentrated on the spy story and thoroughly enjoyed it, reliving Madrid and understanding more about Spanish politics and the violent struggle of ETA for independence.

Spurred on to success

The Black Cats won at Spurs for the first time in 30+ years, Richardson opening the scoring and Cissé getting the second. Fantastic!

D &J were pleased with the Toon's first home win of the season against Bolton, not an exciting match, but played competently and a beauty of a goal from Michael Owen.

Arsenal were beaten by Fulham ( no, really) and Stoke and Hull continue to do well.

I've re knit the toecap on Lorelei ( I'm getting quite used to wrapped stitches now! hah!) and decided to try to swatch the pattern section to get used to combining yarn forwards with ssk. It's slow work for me!! The pattern is not quite developing yet, I'm getting some of it, but not all , so I will have to try to concentrate a bit more this afternoon.

I'm now listening to The Spanish Game by Charles Cumming which is a spy thriller not a treatise on La Liga!! Set in Madrid before the Madrid bombings of 2003 it has a tone of paranoia and fear,and will no doubt help me concentrate on yfwds and ssk!!