Lessons from Lana

So I've started Lana...and restarted Lana...and restarted Lana. Here (so far) are my mistakes...and how to prevent them. Note: knitters more experienced and/or organized than me may find the following ideas stupid. To which I say: bite me. (Well, I really say that hints never hurt, and since this project is rated for the "average knitter" there may be people working on it that would benefit from my brilliance. Or at least my trial and error in this particular instance.)

Problem (1) You're working with 2 balls of identical yarn...and if you mix them up, the project is ruined. Now, I know that's a little woe-is-me-ish...but at the end, you drop some stitches to create the fringe, and if you've crossed balls of yarn at any point, your skirt will unravel in the wrong direction.

Solution (1) Make the balls of yarn non-identical. I kept the yarn that you use throughout the skirt in ball form and wound the ball that forms the fringe around a big crochet hook (it was nearby...) You could also use a cardboard tube from a roll of toilet paper or paper towels, or...uh...put it in a plastic bag. Just make sure that you know which is which.

Problem (2) The sometimes-single-yarn, sometimes-double-yarn thing is a little (read incredibly) confusing.

Solution (2) Count stitches obsessively... and know that sometimes there are 5 double-yarn stitches and sometimes there are 6 double-yarn stitches. (There are six in the picture below -- it's easier to see when you've got the WIP in your hands.) The number of stitches on the needles should never change...but because of the single-yarn, double-yarn thing, the number of loops will.

Problem (3) You only think that you know how to knit short rows. (I know that I thought that I knew what I was doing...)

Solution (3) If you are not absolutely certain that you know how to knit short rows, check. Here is the site that I used. The pictures are for the first set of instructions (beginning a short row from the knit side) & you actually need to follow the second set of instructions (beginning a short row from the purl side). If the site isn't clear enough, politely (that's for you, Kabilu...haha I rhymed) ask your LYS employee or friend-who-knits to show you how. It seems to be vital to the finished outcome. I also stick a safety pin through each wrap so that I remember to work the wrap and the stitch together when I come to them.

Other than that, so far, so good.

I'll keep y'all updated with future mistakes when I make them.