KNITTING UP DULWICH ROAD

The idea I set out with was to change the path of the travelling stitch (pink line above, see Planning). In practice, as the published pattern moves the snake only one stitch to the left, it proved impossible to stagger (at least for me). I’m also rubbish at the bobbles because they are made using crochet which I have never learned (or wished to – apologies to crochet lovers). A double half crochet bobble, apparently. Hook in hand, I gave it a go (thank you YouTube), and perhaps the set on the left in the main picture is better than the set on the right, but not by much.

I should be pleased with a new skill but I just find them annoying to do. Don’t particularly enjoy making bobbles with knitting stitches either.

So why choose this pattern, you ask? Well … I guess I forgot how much they annoy me.

Resources

• Rowan Soft Yak DK, shade Coast (248) – from stash, just for the test
• 3.25mm knitting needles
• 2.5mm crochet hook

What I did

• Cast on 36 stitches using 3.25mm needles
• Followed pattern until the Row 24
• From Row 25, I extended the vertical lace pattern into the area to the left of the left-hand snake.

I decided on the final point because the reverse stocking stitch is a block that loses the see-through quality of the grille. Extending the lace created a more effective fishing net. But those darned bobbles wouldn’t sit comfortably in the net and their diamond pattern was lost. You can’t see this because I ripped back a few rows and my bobbles are so badly done that I broke the yarn. Gah!

For Test 2

• Same yarn and needles because at the current measure 3 pattern repeats shoulld get me pretty nicely to 7cm across the width. I think I have enough of the ball left. (Hope I can use Soft Yak for the final square, as it’s lovely to work with, but I could do with a white and there isn’t one. The Coast used here is actually a darker grey then it looks in the main image.)
• Three pattern repeats, maintaining the pattern as given in the book on the right and introducing my fish net without the dreaded bobbles for the other two. This will lose the relationship with the curlicues in the grille, but will do a better job at replicating its see-through quality.
• Choose between the two versions for the final square.