Week 19....of the Super Stitches Knitting Project

Yes, I'm still going to be doing the Super Stitches project every Sunday. Even during NaNoWriMo. Although I am running a bit low on Fisherman's Wool, and I'm on an Absolute Yarn Diet until Christmas, so when I run out that's the end of Super Stitches until next year.
This week I had 3 exciting swatches:
1) Corded Rib
2) Rickrack Rib
3) Twisted Rib

Read on to find out why there are two mini-ones.

All three of these employed the stitch I like to call "twisty." It's actually abbreviated in the book as "Cr2F," but I think "twisty" is easier to remember. I've also seen it abbreviated in a Patons mitten pattern as "Tw2R," but again "twisty" is a lot better IMHO. Anyways the famed "twisty" stitch goes like this:
"Knit second stitch on left hand needle through front loop, then knit first stitch and slip both of left hand needle."

And I thought- having used it in both socks and mittens- that I had it down pat. Turns out, this project is teaching more than I thought! It turns out I was doing twisty wrong all along! 
Of course, by the time I found that out I had already done 2 swatches incorrectly. Seeing as it's NaNoWriMo I'm not going to correct them. I just did 2 mini-swatches with the correct technique.

Swatch 1: Corded Rib
My first impression when I cast off this swatch was "Not Worth It." As you can see in my first swatch (the big one.) the pattern is not noticeable and is actually fairly unattractive.

Swatch 1- incorrect

But then in the mini-swatch you can see that, when twisty is done correctly, the "cable" effect is much more effective.

mini-swatch, correct.

The fabric is nice and stretchy, though it is not reversible. I think it would make a good pattern for a hat, especially for those (like me) who can't stand to do an entire hat of ribbing. When you need a little bit of thinking I guess this would be an ideal stitch pattern.
Looking back at the big swatch... I don't know how I didn't notice how wrong that was.
I mean, look at the picture from the book.

It didn't look right at all, and I managed to blame it on the yarn. hah!

Swatch 2: Rickrack Rib
This is the swatch I was most excited about. As a matter of fact, back when I first began this project I privately marked as the beginning of the exciting stuff. Like, up until this point it was all stuff I was familiar with or fully capable of doing but from here on out it was new and exciting. Right?

Swatch 2- Rickrack Rib

Well, unbeknownst to me, "twisty" also has a brother. Or sister. Or surprisingly frustrating step-half-cousin. And that stitch is called "Cr2PB," and is done by Purling the second stitch on the LHN through the back loop and then purling the first stitch and slipping them both off. It was a real PITA and I actually had to look up a video of how to perform this properly.
The video is here for those interested. It was the only video I could find and I was very thankful to find it- especially since it showed me my front twisties were wrong, too! That really explained why my swatches weren't turning out exactly like the pictures.
I loved this swatch. I loved it because it was fun to do, because it is a unique look, and because I learned so much from it! I can't wait to see what I can use it for!
The fabric itself is not incredibly stretchy and, for reasons as yet unbeknownst to me, the area between the rickrack-y part and the knit stitch is very loose. I'm not really sure how to tighten that area up.
I'm going to put some tips now for people wanting to attempt this pattern:
1) do your front twisties loosely- it helps when you get to your back twisties
2) when you do front twisties you must bring your needle from the back to knit through the front loop (see video)
3) when doing back twisties just trust it. I was so scared i was doing it wrong that i kept trying over and over without actually bringing the stitch to completion.
4) i found it best to work 2 rows in stockinette first, because twisties on the cast on edge are an extra pain.


Swatch 3:  Twisted Rib
Having utilized this pattern in a pair of socks, this swatch went by rather quickly. It's just like a 2x2 cable pattern, only instead of using a cable needle or dropping a stitch off you just utilize your twisty stitch. Then you get the look of a cable for much less effort.
I like less effort.

Swatch 3- correct

The way I was doing twisty before was actually even less effort, but as you can see from the pictures, it doesn't look as good.

Swatch 3- incorrect

Maybe some day I'll post a video of how I thought you're supposed to do twisty!

So those are my three swatches for this week.
Stay tuned for next Sunday where I'll post:
1) Mock Cable Rib
2) Crossed Rib
3) Open Twisted Rib
I think "open twisted rib" is the same rib made popular in Kristi Geraci's froot loop socks, only adapted for working in the round. That's one thing I don't like about this book; I do a lot of knitting in the round and it never tells you how to adapt the patterns.

Oh well. Happy knitting!
I'm working on something really exciting, too, and hopefully I'll have it done for Finished Object Friday.