I finished up two hats yesterday for a total of four. There's a fifth hat, hiding half done in my china cabinet but we shan't speak of it. Apparently, four hats in a weekend is more knitting than even I can stand.
In these hats and in a few other I've knit this month, I tried two new jogless striping techniques. The first slips the first stitch of the second row of the new color and is best explained in this video and in this post. I like this technique better than that of picking up the lower stitch and knitting the two together blah, blah, blah. BUT it's still not perfect. There is still a slight uneven look to the stripes and depending on the yarn and the work, this might prove unacceptable. I can get it almost blocked out, but not entirely.
The second technique is flawless. Absolutely perfect and here's why: it takes into account the very nature of knitting in the round (a misnomer, it's a spiral) and flows with it instead of fighting against it*. I first read of this technique at Grumperina's and had to sit on it for months before it finally clicked and I understood. It felt very wrong at one point (wherein I checked her post "Don't Worry, Keep Knitting") but it works. I don't think it will be the perfect method in all applications, but would rather change my project to fit this technique than deal with botched stripes.
Tada! Perfect on all sides.
* Working with, instead of fighting against, the natural order of things is my philosophy on life too which is why it appeals to me even more.
