I have to frog E’s sweater and start over because a) I don’t think I need to cast on as many extra stitches in the armhole–the armhole is ginormous, and b) not only are my purl stitches are WAY bigger than my knit stitches, but they also slant to one side.
I didn’t realize how bad this was until I started the sleeve.
Unlike the body of the sweater, the sleeve is knit in the round (knitting only, no purling). Pictures do not do justice to the beautiful and orderly way the stitches of the sleeve line up. I cannot illustrate their perfect tension, their glorious evenness, in digital still-life. Neither can I accurately portray the hideous misshapenness of the purls in the body of the sweater or how they moan and lean and, yes, even drool. My purl stitches are idiotic. The progress on the sleeve is beautiful. The rest is ass. No, it’s worse than ass. It’s ball-sack. It’s hairy, stinky ball-sack and I have to frog it.
I checked knittinghelp.com to try and figure out what I’m doing wrong. Guess what–I have been purling through the back loop. This has caused every purl stitch I’ve ever done–every single one since the day I started knitting–to lean, to drool, and to essentially look like ball-sack in every single project I have ever made that required purl stitches.
I want to scream.
But, at least I now know. Also, I believe purling the right way will allow me to go faster.
I think I’ll scream anyway.
Knitting Interrupted 
Ohhh Jen! I’m sooo sorry! That is horrible! Make sure you pull those purls tight to lessen the “rowing out” and make the tension even. I have heard of people who actually purl with a smaller size needle to help this…too much bother for me. I’ve stumbled onto “combination knitting” via Knitty Gritty and a lovely designer named Annie Modesitt – her blog is at Knitting Heretic (I always love that :D )..I’ll go find the address in a second. Anyway, you still purl through the front leg, not the back of the loop, but you pick the yarn almost as if you were knitting continental. It’s pretty cool. Of course this causing the stitch to sit differently on the needle, so then you KNIT though the back leg. Sigh. I’m having fun with it though. It’s all about figuring out which way the stitch wants to lie, and either going that way, or twisting it I guess. I have a whole lot of questions about combo knitting now. It seems interesting….
Take care Jen!
Sorry you have to frog your sweater…again! :p
Ouch! What a bummer. When something like this happens it is almost like you want to light a candle and mourn the thing properly!
Oh, and can we call you PI for short? Or do we have to call you Purling Idiot all the time? (I still like Knitting Geek!)
I about fell over laughing. Too funny. But I’m not a knitter, so I suppose I can’t truly apprieciate your pain. But don’t you think its funny, nonetheless? Your writing seems to indicate you feel some sort of amusement. BTW, your descriptive prose is FANTASTIC! “Drooling ballsacks”– wonderful!
No, no, no! They’re not “wrong”, they’re done the other way. Twisted stitches are beautiful and useful. I just used them on purpose, in the ribbed band of a hat. I WANTED them twisted. If, however, you do not, then pay close attention to how you put the needle into the stitch – in front or back of the loop or the needle.
Best wishes from the eastern shoreline area.