Muddy Paws: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

So I have been getting lots of people asking me how exactly my row counters work. So I took a picture.

In the picture I am doing an Eye of Partridge heel on a pair of socks (Opal Zircus, see previous post). I am using my new Sockknitter's Row Counter and have taken off the excess chain so that I only have the 4 rings needed for the heel. My needle is on the first ring in the chain - so I am starting the first row of the 4 row pattern repeat. I have already completed 3 repeats of the pattern and can tell that by the little beaded circlet on the decade part of the counter being placed below the 3rd larger bead. So basically I have knit 12 rows of my socks - 3 times 4 rows.

Or to put it in the simplest terms - rings on the chain indicate single rows (in the photo my needle is through the first ring so I am on row 1). Each of the larger beads on the bottom part equal either 10 rows or a complete pattern repeat (in the photo I have moved the circlet below the 3rd bead so here I have completed 3 pattern repeats. If I had been using the complete chain with 10 rings then it would mean that I had finished 30 rows).

I would be lost without a counter for heels. I can't for the life of me see the difference between a row of slip, knit, slip and slip, slip, knit, slip.

I'm desperately trying to get packed up and off to a dog show today. But I keep getting distracted. Pack one pair of underwear - read 5 posts on Ravelry. Pack one pair of socks - read the blogs of 3 other people. Find one clean show lead - opps, I walked past my beading and have to string a few. Kai the sheltie almost has his championship so I am hoping that this will be the week end. Next week I should have lots of new pictures of dogs, knitting, and watching the other dogs while knitting.

At one show last summer my sister Susan and I had another person come up to us while we were exercising (a polite way of saying taking them outside so they can do their business) our dogs and tell us that she was never brave enough to knit at a dog show. Hopefully this year we can convert the show dog show world that knitting and showing go wonderfully together.