Lifelines

Well so glad I put one in before starting the heel. I’ve put one in before but never had to use it. Things were going well, got to the boomerang row on fish lips kiss heel ( first time for this heel) but one area looked not quite right so thought I could frog back halfway but I got all twisted around so I cut my losses and went back to lifeline and then I thought I lost a stitch somewhere but finally reassessed and with help of some markers, I don’t think that will happen again. I’m not a fan of redoing but also cannot stand something that doesn’t look right. So, yes I now believe in them for what they are … a lifeline!!

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I find the one disadvantage of short-row heels is that if I drop a short-row turning stitch or make a mistake I have to pull the whole thing out.

Luckily they are pretty quick to do again.

I will put a lifeline in next time too!

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I think lifelines are like umbrellas - if you take one it won’t rain….

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Didn’t realize that. I actually had to frog back a second time before I got it right. Third time was the charm but directions got a little sketchy in my mind when transitioning back to leg (seemed to be slightly different instructions for toe up or cuff down). So I put in another lifeline so if things go awry l won’t have to do the heel again. Maybe I’m finally getting a little smart.

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When working a complicated pattern, especially a lace pattern, I usually use two lifelines. Depending on how spread out the pattern repeats are, frogging all the way back to a lifeline many rows back means repeating way too many rows. So I’ll put in one, knit to a convenient place in the pattern, then put in the second. Knit to the next convenient place, pull out the first lifeline and reinsert it at the next juncture. That way, if I do have to frog, it’s just a matter of a few rows, instead of half the project. The reason I keep the first lifeline in place is because it sometimes occurs that you don’t realize anything is amiss till after the second lifeline is in place, at which point it becomes painfully obvious that the mistake occurred before the second one was put in.

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Totally agree with all of that Lihn, that’s pretty much what I do, too; I’m rather happy to see that I’m not the only one, sometimes I thought I was being a bit over-cautious/risk aversive!!

You are definitely not alone, Lalla. I learned this trick from another knitter, who most likely learned it from someone else.
Some patterns you can frog almost to the beginning and still not have too big a headache. But large projects — I’ve got other plans for my life than just reknitting stuff. I don’t think it’s possible to be over cautious when it comes to protecting your time and energy. As much as I enjoy my handwork, there are books to read, and housework to get done (in that order, please), and grandkids to pamper, and other projects that I want to do. Lifelines help immensely. It’s an amazing feeling to reach the end of a project and realize I didn’t need the lifeline. It’s devastating to reach an impasse and realize I forgot the lifeline. I much prefer the former feeling.

Guess what - irony rules… yesterday I contrived to pull about a dozen stitches off my needle (don’t ask…), in Stephen West’s “All The Angles”, which is a lacy shawl - I couldn’t easily rescue it, and everything went the way of such messes. And I hadn’t put in a lifeline. Over confident, because this is the fourth incarnation of this shawl that I’ve made. I had to rip out a scary eight or so rows of over 100 stitches each row. Dumb! Lifeline now in, of course, but picking it up, with all the yarnovers, was no fun, though I ripped back to a non-yarnover row. I’ve taken to using a very narrow ribbon for a lifeline, the narrowest you can get; it still fits into the tiny hole on the needle for the purpose, and means that the stitches, if you do have to pick them up again, are much easier to see - they lie flat and don’t disappear into the others. Anyway. Lesson learned - don’t get over confident with a pattern you think you can manage - accidents happen! I’m now on the picot cast off, and of course didn’t need a lifeline once I’d put one in.

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When I was struggling with the pesky sock and had to go back to lifeline several times, I found it hard to pick up. The stitches kind of got pulled down into its mother stitch. I had used a white thin crochet yarn I happened to have as the lifeline. Is this normal or are you saying that narrow ribbon will alleviate that?

When I use a lifeline and frog back I try to stop a row or two before the one with the lifeline then tink the stitches on the lifeline. It’s easier than just ripping back all the way. Depending on the pattern I’m working I might tink two rows to get to the one with the lifeline. I’ve not tried using ribbon but think I will.

When I do lace shawls I put them in every 4 rows or so when it starts to get big and there are hundreds of stitches. Always on the WS as usually that’s just knits.

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I feel you pain! It’s usually the patterns I’m most familiar with that I mess up. Because of the familiarity, I’m over confident and fail to pay close enough attention. That’s a good reason for me to not repeat a pattern very often.

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That’s what I’ve found, KnittinGigi; I, too, was having problems with the lifeline sort of sinking down into the stitch it’s saving. A bright contrast colour lifeline helps you see where you are going, but after much fiddling around and experimentation I personally have found ultra-thin ribbon - 1/16th of an inch to be the best for me - this is the one I got, but there are others, I’m sure: https://www.amazon.com/16in-Double-Faced-Satin-Ribbon/dp/B07F2MPVLT

It’s narrow enough to fit into the lifeline hole in my needles (with a bit of a struggle sometimes, but worth it!)

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Actually, I find I do quite like repeating some patterns because by then I’ve got better at them! If, that is, I like the pattern enough to want to do it again.

Oh, I quite agree. Some patterns must be repeated. I remember one cardigan pattern I made for my husband more than once, as well as a couple for each of the boys. I even made one from the same pattern for myself. But the last time I made it, I had to frog the entire yoke, because I got distracted and knit it inside out! Didn’t realize it till I was ready to set the sleeves. So I worked most of one night and the next morning doing that and setting the sleeves, so my husband could wear it that day when he went up to northern China. So even when I like a pattern well enough to repeat it, I’m likely to mess up from familiarity and lack of concentration. But maybe that’s just me.
And BTW, I really like the idea of using a narrow ribbon for a lifeline. That’s brilliant.

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I’ve made four or five Stephen West Pengweenos, the baby/toddler jackets; I just love them. Ditto Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Surprise Baby Jacket. The Pengweeno can be endlessly varied, and uses up left overs brilliantly; I did one for a baby whose mother is Japanese, using Japanese stitch patterns in some of the sections, so fun.

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