It takes a bit of effort to learn and understand the unique system traditionally used for charting twisted stitches. Once it settles in, however, it quickly becomes second nature, like reading any knitting chart.

Worked right to left, bottom to top in the round, you can see that the twisted stitches on the move involve two stitches. The arrows show where the twist will appear on the next row.

This small motif at the left, of a single line of moving stitches begins with the simplest stitch – knit 1 through the back loop. In the next row you make a right twist involving stitches 4 and 5. You work this like a two stitch cable. Place the 4th purl onto the cable needle and hold at the back. Knit the twisted stitch through the back, and purl the stitch on the cable needle. Notice that the twisted stitch doesn’t move on row 6, but the first stitch in that row is also knit through the back as a setup to begin the journey to the left. These twisted knit stitches really show up well against a background of purl stitches.

In Norah Gaughin’s Twisted Stitch Sourcebook, the stitches are graphed in the same manner as right and left turn cables. This example is worked on a stockinette ground, and shows the traveling rows stacked 3 wide. If you worked just the innermost set, it would look just like the example above. However, the first row of the right turning stitches is worked with twists involving 2 stitches, rather than the K1b from row 1 of the upper chart.

In both the Erlbacker and Gaughan book, there are instructions for working the twisted stitch without a cable needle. The stitch handling, however, is different. Here is how for the RT (right twist):

Erlbacker: Slip 2 stitches to the right-hand needle. From the back, insert heft-handed needle into the second stitch. Slide the right-hand needle out, letting the twisted stitch fall free. From the front, pick it up again with the right-hand needle. Replace both stitches on the left needle. K1b, K1.

Gaughan: Knit the next two stitches together without removing them from the left needle. Knit through the first stitch and move both stitches off the left-hand needle. The loop from the K2tog and the loop from knitting the first stitch again replace the original 2 stitches, but have reversed their order.

The first draft result of the twisted stitch sock is off the needles and has been blocked. Draft two will be simplified somewhat due to the difficulty of twisting stitches right next to one another in the yarn(s) I’ve chosen. The Shetland from Marguerite’s croft (left) is really lovely, and the sock is warm and soft on my feet. This first one off the needles fits well, and consumed all but a few feet of the 150 grams in the skein. My feet aren’t terribly long, so I’d say 150g is a minimum. I used a star toe for this one; one of several types of traditional toe shapings.

I’ve already cast on for the simplified version using the Shetland-grown merino from Uinst yarns in the Hebrides. Like the Shetland example, this yarn is firmly spun but still has quite a lot of loft and bounce. This yarn also has occasional slubs of lighter and darker tones, giving the yarn a texture all on its own. I’m much happier with the paired elements (below) than the tripled ones (left).

I’ve also eliminated the “twig” pattern on the sides, leaving them solely on the back of the leg. The line of red stitching is for the afterthought heel.

Also on the needles is the start of my Shetland Wool Week cap. This year’s design by Alison Rendall is named Buggiflooer; the Shetland name for Sea Campion.

The pattern calls for either for two yarns or multiple colors. The idea from the designer was to make stranded knitting a bit more accessible for beginners just trying out the technique. I actually chose to go with the two colors myself preferring the stand-out nature of the light color against the base (main) color. There is a single row of an additional contrast (the yellow-green yarn left) near the crown, so I guess actually it’s technically a 3-color hat.

Six yarn companies are represented this year, each with unique color combinations. I chose Aister ‘oo‘ yarns curated by Kate Davies to try yet another yarn source. I’m really drawn to that yarn because of the rich colorways. Like most of the Shetland yarns, this one has a little bit of crunch to it — that semi-rustic feel that characterizes the sheep of the Shetland Islands. I don’t know the bloodlines of the flocks that are used for this yarn, but if it is all local and unimproved, and because they are somewhat isolated, retain many of the characteristics of the primitive breed. I’m finding small but interesting differences in the local yarns of Shetland. You do have to pay attention to feel those differences because they are pretty subtle.

I hadn’t ever seen Lincoln Longwool sheep in person, so was pretty excited. They normally have wonderful, long, curly locks hanging down in front of their faces, but these guys had been trimmed, so you don’t get the full effect of just how grand they are. This photo (below) is more like what I was expecting.

One of the two at the venue had been bottle-fed as a lamb, and was really friendly, bumping at your hand if you stopped scratching his head.

The sheep were provided by Peter Cook of Tare Shirt Farm in Berwick, ME. Peter and his wife Nancy run their 18th century working farm with a number of heritage breeds. The farm is focused on fiber; spinning, weaving and knitting. I got to talking with Nancy at her demonstration table (teaching knitting to passers by). Noticing a book by Jacqueline Fee, made mention that I had known her. As it turns out, Nancy is her daughter, so we had just a lovely chat about her mom and her mom’s influence on knitting. Jackie was a force of nature, to be sure, with strong opinions and a total passion about knitting “properly”. The first time I met Jackie she sort of squinted at me and asked “why in the world I was knitting on straight needles?” She went on to extol the virtues of circular needles for flat knitting, noting also that I should much prefer to knit my sweater in the round without seams.

Her book, The Sweater Workshop, is a classic and one of the early publications about knitting seamlessly in the round. And of course, I managed to snap this picture only as Nancy dove under the table to bring out a piece to show to me!