Stranded colorwork: not so bad, actually.



I know I said a few days ago that I was "no fan of" stranded colorwork, but actually, on a small project like this, it's not so bad.

(This is the beginning of the first side of the knitted TARDIS that I am making my brother for Christmas).

Actually, on a small project like this it's kind of fun. I always prefer charted patterns or patterns where you go row-by-row (and know how many rows you must do ahead of time) because there's the small but real satisfaction of seeing the thing grow, of checking off each row as you go.

(I also like to make lists at work of the things I need to do in a given day for the same reason).

Also, most of my unsatisfactory experience with colorwork was in socks, which have to be stretchy to fit, and stranded colorwork, by its very nature, is not stretchy. For something like the TARDIS above, the relative rigidity of the fabric is a bonus - this is going to be made up into a pillow and all the strands on the back will help keep it more of a square (and less of a cylinder) once it's sewn up and stuffed.

One change I am making - I'm doing the entire thing in colorwork, rather than duplicate-stitching the white bits (the top window and the words "Police Box") as recommended. Two reasons for that:

1. I like a challenge, and keeping straight the lettering on the purl side will be a challenge

and, more importantly:

2. In terms of relative hatred of process, stranded colorwork < intarsia < duplicate stitching. So if I can avoid a process I really dislike by doing one that isn't actually so bad, that's a bonus. (Also my duplicate stitch looks really really bad, probably because I don't have much practice or patience with it.)

One observation I will make, in case anyone is planning on doing a knit TARDIS: if I were going to do a second one (which would only happen if I knew another avid Dr. Who fan that I needed an unusual gift for), I'd do it in the round - make all four panels at once, with a purl stitch at each corner so the thing stays square. That would eliminate the purl rows and would also eliminate the need for sewing up. I admit a certain annoyance that that thought didn't hit me until last night as I was starting the white bits, meaning it's too late to go back and redo. (Well, it isn't, actually, but I hate wasting already-done work, so I'm going to proceed as the pattern directs.)

I will say this gives me more confidence to do the running horse hat after I've got this done. I think I've solved some of my problems with wonky gauge on colorworked things.