just another raveller

The Hitofude has a set combination of lace pattern repeats after the waistband that create a widening "skirt."  Ravellers report increasing the length using various combinations of these repeats. At this point I have completed 8: 5 chevrons of pattern A and 3 of pattern B. This is already 2 more than the pattern calls for. I'm aiming at a length of 18 inches from the underarm. I think that if I just follow the pattern as it's written from now on, I'll end up with 14 altogether. That should do it. In any case, it's easy enough to add an extra repeat at the bottom if I feel I need it. Thank you, Mary Lou for the encouragement. You know, now that I can see the end, I must say this pattern would be a good one for a rising intermediate lace knitter. It's not hard at all, the instructions are well written, and there is no sewing involved. I highly recommend it.

Here's the Hitofude in its current state. It makes sense now. I've tried it on and I like the feel and the fit. It will close across the front. 

I've gotten past the waist, and if I don't do any mods, I'll have 12 increasingly wide 8 row repeats to go. I'd like to make it longer, so I'll be adding some repeats. Knitting 1 vertical repeat per day while working full time is optimistic. I give myself 3 weeks to finish, if only I don't get distracted. So far so good! The Firecups are blooming in the garden and the gooseberries are turning pink.

Here's how it looks now. I think that I finally understand the construction. Part of this gets bound off and becomes the back of the neck and part is knit out and increased and becomes the skirt. Neat. I'm now in the ribbing phase of the pattern.

I tried watching the Belorussian Bing Bang and gave up after the first few minutes. Not funny. I bravely pulled the needle out of my knitting, dropping almost 250 stitches per row (plus markers) and pulled back about 14 rows to the correct stopping place. Then I picked up 10 live stitches for every horizontal repeat. There were supposed to be 12 in each, but 2 in each repeat were yo's so I didn't even try to get them, just concentrated on catching up the live stitches any way I could. Many were turned around, so I tinked back that one row, picking up yo's in the right places and straightening the stitches. All was well in the end. Gulp. Since then, things have gotten much more interesting, what with picking up provisional stitches, binding off the underarm seams. Now it looks like a lacey shrug on a circular needle.

Of course, I was only supposed to knit 15 repeats and I've almost finished 17. Sigh.  It measures 15 inches around where it's supposed to go around the top of the arm. My arm is 11 inches around. I cannot read or follow instructions it seems.  To fog or not to frog. . . That is the question.  Ravelers in the know suggest adding extra repeats at this point. To make the chest measurement bigger and the overall length longer. Or something.  On the other hand I knit through a knot a few rows back. Might be a good time to tink back. Just 6 rows.  Or perhaps I'll watch The Theorists (Teoretiki), the Belorussian version of Big Bang Theory, on YouTube. It has English subtitles. Google it.