Bubble Stitch

Ten years later, post-rehab and with better phone photo technology, I am back!

I have always admired the bubble stitch.  Such texture and a fun way to play and highlight color!  It's also a relatively easy pattern to remember and follow, assuming you read the instructions correctly the first time..

My first attempt at knitting a bubble stitch scarf was 50% successful...  I nailed the first three lines of the pattern.

However, I but failed to notice that the 2nd portion of the pattern, specifically Row 12, the row where the bubbles are formed (the row where the magic happens), has a slightly different pattern. 

To the left is a kid's scarf, 24 stitches, inadvertently creating my own semi-bubble pattern.  A patter I call "Muted Bubbles."

My next iteration will be an adult scarf, 36 inches, following the correct/standard pattern.

 

 

 

Bubble Pattern: Cast on [multiple of 4 and 3 stitches]

Row 1, 3, 5: Purl all
Row 2,4: Knit all
Row 6: K3, *K4B, K3*

Row 7, 9, 11: Purl all
Row 8, 10: Knit All
Row 12: K1, *K4B, K3* until last two stitches then K4B, K1

Lacing It Up

Although I have not had my surgery yet, which means no rehab progress to report, I have been making splendid progress on my knitting!

My shawl is coming along nicely and about halfway completed:

The photo does not capture the color (Red Heart with Love's Holly Berry) well, but you can see the hole-y lace pattern.  And actually, you can see a particularly large hole near the bottom right-ish section of the piece where I inadvertently dropped a stitch or two...

Whatever, it adds character.  Says the woman who has started and re-started this project numerous times.

Between the color and thicker yarn, my shawl will look quite different than the picture from the original pattern.

Mine will not drape as nicely, but again, whatever.  My shawl will be a darker, more bad-ass version.

Otherwise, the edge needs to be blocked, or straightened/flattened, which is part of the finishing that will be done at the end.

Even badasses need finishing.

Lace It Up

Having successfully (enough) conquered the ribbed stitch, I am moving on to lace style patterns.  My project will be a shawl that I will leave at work as I tend to get chilly both in the winters and air-conditioned summers.

With project in mind, I need to determine two things - the pattern and the color.

Finding a pattern is easy enough - a Google search for "knitting lace patterns free easy" will yield many results.  Choosing a pattern that I liked though, proved to be a bit more challenging.

I decided on the following pattern with red as the color of choice.  With pattern in hand, I YouTubed videos of each stitch and watched the videos a few times until I figured out the stitch.

NaturallyCaron's Mandarin Wrap.

The pattern says to use a size US 7 (4.5mm) needle, but I used a larger 10.5 US (6.5mm) because, well, those are the size needle that I happened to have... 

I used two skeins of yarn 370 yds/338 m of yarn with about a quarter of a skein sacrificed for the greater good (see photos below).

**************************************************
Lace Shawl Wrap Pattern
CO 105 sts.
Row 1 (WS): K4, p to last 4 sts, k4.
Row 2 (RS): K4, ssk, *k4, yo, k1, yo, k4, sl 1 purlwise, k2tog, psso, rep from * to last 15 sts, k4, yo, k1, yo, k4, k2 tog, k4.
Rep Rows 1 and 2 for patt until piece measures 80” from CO edge, ending with Row 2.
BO all sts working Row 1 of pattern.  

**************************************************

The above pattern looks deceptively simple, but to a beginner, the reality is more like the following mess...

See my translations in red, similar to my in-progress shawl:

CO (cast on) 105 sts (stitches).
Row 1 (WS)(Wrong side of piece): K4, p to last 4 sts, k4.

Knit 4, purl to last 4 stitches, knit 4 - this is very straightforward.

Row 2 (RS)(Right side, or the pretty side): K4, ssk, *k4, yo, k1, yo, k4, sl 1 purlwise, k2 tog, psso, rep from * to last 15 sts, k4, yo, k1, yo, k4, k2 tog, k4.
k = knit 4 stitches
ssk = slip slip knit, which means slip one stitch as if to knit, without knitting - this is just moving one stitch from the left needle to the right needle, slip/move another stitch, and then knit the two slipped stitch together.  YouTube this.

* means to repeat stitches within the * symbol

yarn over - take the yarn and loop it 360 degress around the right needle create an extra stitch; this is a stitch that gives patterns their lacy hole-liness
sl 1 purlwise - similar to the above slip concept from ssk, pretend to purl a stitch but you are just moving a stitch from the left need to the right
k2 tog = knit two together means to take two stitches and knit it as if it was one
psso = pass slipped stitch over means to take the slipped stitch (sl 1 purlwise), and pass it over to the k2 tog stitch you just knitted; this creates a diagonal 3D-like design to the shawl

Fifth time is the charm...?  I had started a few times, and had to take apart my
earlier works due to mistakes.  This piece is a bit uneven as you can tell by the 
inadvertent V-like pattern resulting from miscounted stitches.

Rep (Repeat) Rows 1 and 2 for pattern until piece measures 80” from CO (cast on) edge, ending with Row 2.
BO (bind off) all sts working Row 1 of pattern (which is K4, p to last 4 sts, k4).

See - easy, right?  After practicing a good 100 rows or so and starting over about six times, it really is quite easy...!

Training Wheels Tip
A good find is this vintage style lace pattern from www.thecastingoncouch.com which has an accompanying YouTube video.

It really helps to see the coded pattern and have a video of someone following the pattern and demoing each stitch.

Ultimately, I did not think the scarf would scale well to a shawl so I found another pattern.

Regardless, spending some time studying the pattern and video gave me a good idea of the stitches that are typically used to create lace patterns.

Timing is Everything

Since scar tissue will not form and my full ACL tear cannot tear any fuller, my surgery is not time sensitive and can be scheduled around personal convenience.

I actually do not even need to repair my ACL. I work with a woman who tore her ACL while skiing and never had surgery to repair it.  With her torn ACL, she remains relatively active and plays softball, or the "other contact sport" as I refer to it now.

However, since I want to continue to play volleyball which requires pivoting and jumping, I need my ACL repaired.  Besides, I'm too much of a wimp and not a suck-it-up person as my co-worker apparently is.

The main determinant for scheduling my surgery is work-related.  The procedure itself is out-patient and will take only a few hours with me returning home the same day.  The recovery afterward is a bit more strenuous where I will probably be on crutches for two weeks.

According to my orthopedist, people can return to office jobs three days after the surgery.  Clearly, he does not realize that I am very much a wimp and not a suck-it-up type of person...

I am also considering purchasing a condo since interest rates are still below 4%, but I am willing to hold off on purchasing a place so that I can have my surgery unless an amazing place comes on the market.

In the meantime though, full steam ahead on knitting to rehab as I still need something to occupy my time now that I can no longer play volleyball.

Knitting Past and Ribbed Breakthrough

Choosing to focus on knitting during my ACL rehab is not completely random.  I have been knitting since I was about nine or so.

Mom taught me the basic knit stitch and I remember the first item I knitted.  It was a complete mess with uneven stitches, randomly slimming one row and widening another row - worse than a yo-yo dieter.  Regardless, I remember being proud of the piece.

Stockinette stitch.

Eventually, I learned the purl stitch and was able to knit the stockinette stitch, which is knitting one row, purling the next, and repeat.

For years, I wanted to learn more stitches, knit things besides scarfs and make sense of the secret knitting pattern codes.

I bought books, thought about taking knitting classes (it's the thought that counts, right?), joined knitting groups (ok, it was one MeetUp group that I went to once), and asked friends for knitting tips.

I was just never able to get over the hump of anything more complex than the stockinette stitch.

Then this summer, pre-Jackass-running-into-me-and-tearing-my-ACL, I finally got over the hump and learned a new stitch - the ribbed stitch.

The Ribbed Stitch
For the most part, every knitted items is composed of the knit and purl stitches. 

My first ribbed stitch!  Still a scarf, but it's a different pattern.

There are fancier versions of the stitches but this is a craft where you create stitches just by looping the yarn over the needle - so simple!

I think the simplicity that can produce such a variety of patterns makes knitting so endearing.

The ribbed stitch is created by alternating knit and purl stitches within one row, and then following that pattern for the remaining rows.

So knit three stitches, purl three stitches, knit three stitches, purl three stitches, and so on.

Or, you can have thinner ribbing and knit and purl in sets of two, which is what I did for my first ribbed stitch item: a black scarf that I started in December and just finished in June.  Right in time for the 80-degree summer weather!

Challenge 1 
Despite how easy it sounds, I struggled with this stitch until I watched a YouTube video of someone doing a ribbed stitch, and realized that yarn placement is key for the ribbed stitch.

After watching the YouTube video at least three times, I realized that when I was transitioning between stitches, I needed to move the yarn to accommodate the stitch type.

For purl stitches, the yarn needs to start on the front of the piece of the knitted item on the right needle (assuming you are right-handed).  For the knit stitch, the yarn needs to be moved to the back of the piece before starting to knit the next stitch.

The incorrect yarn placement results in a hot mess of unrecognizable stitches that are really 1.5 stitches since you are looping the yarn over the needle one and a half times.

I had to restart my project a few times before my YouTube epiphany.

Challenge 2 
Another challenge I had was with the ends of the piece.  For some reason, I would accidentally drop a stitch and the after working the next row and realizing that I was short a stitch, would have to "make up" a stitch, and just loop the yarn around my right needle.

Upon closer look, the ends are sloppy, but barely noticeable when wearing the scarf.

I could never figure out what I was doing wrong to have such loose and lost stitches at the ends, but think it has to do with yarn placement.

Letter to the Jackass

To move past my Anger phase, I wanted the person who ran into me to know what he did to me.

Not me...

To feel bad, to feel AWFUL about what he did to me.

Yoda zen master not am I.

Yes, it was an accident, but the team we played was overly aggressive and obnoxious - one of those teams who suck the fun out of things.

Instead of taking the yelling and screaming approach, which would only distract from the message, I went for the guilt approach.

Below is the email that I sent to the person who runs the league.

******************************

Anna,

During the first game of our season against xxx, one of their players collided into me as I was running towards/past first base.  I was knocked over immediately and sat out the rest of the game icing my knee.  Since then, my knee hasn’t been right so I had an MRI last week and found out that my ACL was torn during that collision.

What this means is that I will need surgery if I ever want to do anything active and play sports again.  Once I get surgery, I will need to be in physical therapy for six months before I’ll be able to just run in a straight line.  It’ll probably be a year before I can play sports again.  Needless to say, this is very frustrating since my injury was due to a reckless and careless play.

I’m not even sure what happened, but please pass this note along to the softball team whose player caused my injury and just ask that people be more careful since careless, reckless and overly aggressive actions (and come on, this is a work softball league…!) can seriously harm people and really impact their lives. 

I’m not looking forward to surgery or six months of not being able to do anything active, not to mention the cost of the surgery and physical therapy that will be needed – it’s an awful burden, and people need to be careful and aware of their actions.

Thanks.

The Beginning

I hurt me knee a few weeks back when the first baseman from the other team ran into me as I was running through first base.  The impact was pretty brutal since I was mid-stride, stretching out my left leg to tag the base.

The next thing I knew, I was on the ground.

My knee swelled and I sat out the rest of the game.  I spent the next few days resting, elevating and icing my knee and the swelling went down so that I could hobble along my merry way.

Despite the swelling going down and continued rest though, I couldn't fully straighten my knee.  My knee was getting better though, and I casually asked a few doctor friends about my knee and there were no alarms.

So, I decided to play volleyball. I play year-round and it's not only my exercise, but also my escape from life and work. 

I've met friends through volleyball and it's two to three hours where I'm just having fun (for the most part) and not thinking about whether I left the coffee maker on, the annoying co-worker who is being more annoying than usual, when I need to get my oil changed, etc.

I took it easy that night, but my knee still ended up collapsing under me and I just knew something was wrong.

After a trip to the emergency room (which is not helpful unless you think you've broken a bone since they will take x-rays) and a visit to the orthopedist (which is helpful since he was able to discern that I might have a tear and scheduled me for an MRI) last Thursday, I find out that the jackass who ran into me ended up tearing my ACL.

My non-specialist-woman-off-the-street advice after being barraged with ACL and Achilles injury stories as a result of my experience, is to see a specialist and get an MRI if your joints are feeling off after 2-3 weeks.  Swelling will cause discomfort, but you should have full mobility if there is no tear.

A co-worker hurt his Achilles and had seen his primary care physician, even asking for an MRI, but the PC did not think it was necessary.  By the time he discovered it was his Achilles, it was too late for an operation as scar tissue had already formed.

The ACL is different, but protect your joints - it's incredible how much we rely on them, even for the smallest thing.

Now, I will get off my soapbox and move on...

Stages of Grief

Me after a tournament with two healthy knees.

Upon learning about my torn ACL and realizing that I would need surgery and not be able to play volleyball for about a year, I went through the Kuber-Ross model Five Stages of Grief.

I was in Denial and shock at first, and pushed off researching the injury.  I didn't even think to make my go-to denial joke (that it's not just a river in Egypt) when telling people that I was in denial.

That's how bad it was.

Then, I became really really Angry at the JACKASS who ran into me.  The Jackass who was reckless, careless and overly aggressive - come on now, it's a work league softball game!

I really wanted to make the Jackass feel bad for what he did and how he impacted my life by his sheer Jackass-ness.  (Clearly, I still regress to this stage every now and then.)

I skipped over the Bargaining stage of trying to extend the inevitable.  I'm a realist and task master, so started to think about planning, execution and what it would mean logistically when I get the surgery.  I would need to have a good supply of frozen foods, make a Target toilet paper run before the surgery, and so on.

I definitely spent a good amount of time visiting the next stage, Depression.  All this past weekend I sat on my couch and felt sorry for myself.  I thought of how I'll never get to get to know the cute guy from my vball league just as we were starting to acknowledge each other and chat between games.

I live in Boston so acknowledgement is a big step.

I watched hours upon hours of the London Olympics and just stared at the athlete's flaunting their fully functional knees in front of me and wishing that I could just run and jump.  I stayed on the couch a lot these past few days - I didn't want to risk doing anything and worsening my knee, my Depression reasoned.

Eventually, I made it to this final stage of Acceptance and realized that I needed to find something to keep me occupied during the upcoming months.

I need to find something to replace volleyball, especially during the winter months when it gets dark before I leave work and the cold causes people to hibernate.  And thus, the idea of knitting through my rehab and the origins of this blog came to fruition...