5.24.2007

Unfinished Poncho

I got Knit & Crochet: Ponchos, Wraps, Capes & Shrugs! out at the library, and decided to knit the Rainbow Poncho. I came the closest I've ever done in using the actual yarn specified in the pattern. It calls for Noro Kureyon, and I had a bunch of Noro Big Kureyon (the same yarn just in bulky weight). I had bought it specifically for a poncho, though at the time of purchase I didn't have a pattern yet. So I was excited when I saw this pattern.

This yarn is really, really cool. 100% wool, with long color blocks which create the striping in the finished project. The colors of this colorway (#7)are gorgeous and subtle and go so well together. I used the same yarn in two Calorimetries I knit earlier this year.

I obviously had to make a few changes based on the yarn weight difference. Rather than 80 stitches on size 10 needles, I cast on 60 on size 15 needles. Then I knit, knit, knit, knit, knit, for what felt like forever. Finally I finished the main body. The only part left to be done was the collar. Here's the almost finished product (the red at the top being the waste yarn for the provisional cast on):


When I got to this point, I actually started wearing it without finishing it. The weather turned cool (then hot, then cool again). And I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with the collar. I thought it looked pretty good with the open neck, and tossed around the idea of just picking up the provisional cast on and then just binding off again. But then I was convinced to do up the collar as the pattern called for, since this is a warm snuggly piece of clothing, and the collar would make it more so. I've done the collar up now and binded off and everything, but I still think it's unfinished. First off, because I haven't sewed buttons on yet, but more so because I don't really like the way the collar turned out. I didn't go for long enough, due to the regular/bulky difference issue. I finished it several rows early, thinking it was long enough, but it wasn't. The collar is supposed to fold over, and it's not long enough to. Plus, I used size 13 needles for the collar, and it just seems too loose. So I think I'll take it all out and redo with size 11, and make sure I make it long enough this time to fold over. Of course, until I do, I'll probably keep wearing it. We'll see if I ever get around to it.

5.18.2007

diggin' the crochet thing

Since I previously taught myself to crochet I took the opportunity of Mother's Day to hook (is the the correct usage? I'm new to crochet lingo as well) a quick kerchief and scarf for my dear mum. She models them below. The kerchief pattern is from Cozy Crochet and it took me something like 20 tries to finally figure out how to start it. All due to my inexperience, nothing wrong with the actual pattern. Though it would have been nice for the book, which is aimed at beginners, to be more explicit with the directions. Once I got the first few rows down, though, it was smooth sailing and quite easy.

The scarf I actually started the morning of Mother's Day, so I needed something really light and quick. I selected just the corkscrew part of Cool Warmth and it was totally easy. Since I obviously did a few other things that day, I finished just as Mom was going to bed.

The yarn was almost all that I had left of 100purewool 100% merino worsted in Sienna Marble. Probably just under a skein. My mom wanted the kerchief quite big. I kept asking her if it was big enough, and she kept saying, "No, bigger." Till I finally decided on my own that she couldn't possibly want it any bigger, and finished it up. And of course she told me that it wasn't big enough when I gave it to her. Oh, well.

Oh, and something I learned was that the length of a chain decreases significantly when you slip stitch all the way back along it. I only chained half as many chains for the ties as the pattern called for because they seemed really really long, until I slip stitched back and realized why they called for so many. But, because the kerchief was so big, the ties are still long enough. :)



argyle on the baby

Remember the argyle hoodie I knit for my not yet born nephew? Well, he's been born, and now he's an adorable, chunky 4 month old. Here he is modeling the sweater while his adoring knitting aunt (me) holds him. Looks like he's outgrowing it just in time for Spring. Just as I planned. :)

5.02.2007

can I crochet?

A lot of the time when I'm looking for a pattern for a project I have in mind, I end up finding totally cute crochet patterns. I don't know how to crochet. I've never crocheted before in my life (except the occasional chain for a provisional cast-on). So I thought I'd give it a try.

I got Cozy Crochet out from the library and when Sara came over for a visit, we took the plunge. It worked out pretty well. We did just the beginning of the first pattern, a dish cloth, which involves just making a chain, and then single crocheting (or is it double? more on that later) row after row after row. I was using some waste yarn, so I only got 3 rows into it before I ran out, but by then I felt pretty comfortable with it anyways. Oh, and bored, too, so we tried out another stitch, I think the half double crochet is what it was called. What I find really annoying is that there are apparently English crocheting terms and American ones, and they're really confusing. Because an American single crochet is a British double crochet. And an American double crochet is a British triple crochet. After crocheting some I must admit the British terms make much more sense to me. But this is from someone who insists on calling it "stocking stitch" rather than "stockinette". I hate the term "stockinette". So I guess it's just really important each time to make sure you know if your crochet pattern is Old or New World.

See Baby checking out my progress making my initial chain. More practice will be needed to establish the correct tension for the chain. I think I make it too tight, because the foundation row was very difficult and time consuming.