A very boring but productive week and a half, partly due to freezing rain which encouraged me to stay at home and knit. I am enjoying Netflix: six seasons of Bones have also helped me sit and knit. I have read most of Kathy Reich's books about Temperance Brennan and enjoyed them, but I didn't watch the TV series previously because I was miffed that the protagonist had the same name but was a completely different character with completely different colleagues than the books. This time around, I was willing to overlook that and accept the program as a different entity, enjoyable on its own merits. Here's what I got accomplished while Bones solved all those cases.
The Brioche cowl is done, but not without errors. I'll wear it myself instead of putting it in the gift bin. The original right side with the red/purple dominant looks good:
But there are three spots on the reverse where I missed purling the YO together with the appropriate stitch. One error shows up more than the others because it falls against a white rather than gray stitch, so the cowl is not perfectly reversible, although it might not be noticeable in wearing. Look for the red bar over a white stitch under the first stripe in the photo below.
This cowl uses a tubular cast on and cast off, for which I had to use the instructions in the book and internet videos. I think I did an adequate job for the cast on; it did seem vaguely familiar. However I found the cast off quite confusing and hard to remember. I hope I would do better if I tried it again. Which I probably should, before I totally forget the steps.
On the other hand, I am completely happy with my Northern Lights Cardigan. Notice that I changed my color plan. The green looked good with the purple, but it really dominated the yoke, and it just isn't my color. The red, while on the burgundy side, with the purple main color reminded me too much of a Red Hatter costume. So I resorted to off white, which keeps the color scheme a bit more neutral. But instead of using the main color to accent the white motif, I threw in a bit of the burgundy and continued to substitute it to complete the yoke. It's the same intensity as the purple, so the color scheme is still balanced. I think two shades of purple with just the neutrals would have been boring without the extra shot of red, and I like the result.
The cardigan isn't blocked yet, and I will look for buttons on my next trip into town. The pattern calls for the beads to be sewn on the sweater after the yoke is knit, so I did it that way, but it was drudgery. If I were knitting this pattern again ( and I am tempted; maybe Mom would like it), I would probably put the beads on the yarn and knit them in as I went. The beads I used were size 4, color Gunmetal, which ties in the bit of gray in the yoke and shows up well on both the burgundy and the mauve. I used less than a third of a 40 gram vial of beads.
My third completed project is a quick pair of mitts from some stash Auracania Magallanes. It averages aran weight but it ranges from thick to very thin. It might not have been the best choice for mittens, but I didn't know what else to with one skein. I wanted to try out Ocatillo, a new pattern that I bought from Patternfish. The mitten fits well and is interesting to make. It would like nice in two colours too, with a contrasting or coordinating colour for the horizontal cuff, making it a good stashbuster pattern.
I received my copy of Melissa Leapman's new book Stashbuster Knits, and I think I'll find it useful. Three things I really like: 1) She shows three colorways for every design. 2) If you want to use up lots of smaller scraps, she gives yardage for each repeat of some of the stripes, fair isle bands, and motifs. 3) Information at the front lists how to combine finer weights of yarn to make heavier weights; you could make custom marls.
So far, I'm still on track with knitting what I've got. I don't know how long it's been since I've gone a month without buying at least one ball of yarn. I am still allowing myself to buy new patterns, so I can update what I'd like to make with the stash. I frogged the Celtic wrap I was making with some rose heather Classic Wool, because I know I'd get more wear from a sweater. I'm in love with the Rocky Coast Cardigan from Coastal Knits, the other book I purchased from Knit Pick's ongoing 40% off book sale. Can I keep myself from starting it before I finish my Dovetail pullover? Stay tuned and see.
