merp

One more project from my blog-free days to share with you:

Pattern: Shetland Shorty by Gudrun Johnston

Yarn: Jojoland Quartette (20% cashmere, 80% merino wool)

Time to finish: Oh, I don’t know, 15 months?  Like, a year and a quarter?? Worked in the last ends in late September. (On the plus side, it didn’t need to be blocked.)

I started this on a whim, thinking it would be a quick way to use up some stash yarn I hadn’t found a good project for, thinking it a somewhat unlikely garment, but really cute, so why not?  Since it would be so quick.

It took for.ev.er.

Here it is last summer, after a couple months of twiddling with it:

Of course, it’s not like I plowed through with intensity of purpose or anything.  I found the stitch pattern fiddly and tedious – boring, yet I couldn’t quite knit on automatic, or bad things would happen. So I kept losing interest.

Also, I did the lace wrong.

I think the way I ended up doing the lace looks fine, but I’m pretty sure it’s not as written.  Something about the way I knit – apparently it’s called “combination knitting” – was very inconvenient to this lace pattern, and I ended up having to purl awkwardly in a way that’s upside-down to me (apparently, this would be “continental”).

Which is not at all to criticize the pattern.  I love Gudrun’s style, and her design and writing were both detailed and well thought out.  Though you wouldn’t necessarily notice it at first glance, the garter-stitch bands and ties are carefully shaped with invisible short rows, and everything works together beautifully.

Will I wear it?  Well, I still think it’s a cute design, even though it’s a little like wearing a bra on the outside.  It does add just a touch of warmth that will probably be nice to have over a sundress or camisole next summer.  And I love the yarn as much as when I first bought it on ebay on impulse.

So I’m basically happy to have it, but recommend the pattern reservedly, only to those with more patience -  or speed – than I.

(Sorry for the lack of variety in poses.  It is hard to photograph yourself decently. Or indecently, for that matter, but I wasn’t going for that.)

Meanwhile,  a number of life events in my friends’ lives in August and September warranted an assortment of handknits.

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Evangeline was actually born in June (on her mother’s birthday!), but what with wedding and move, I didn’t have time to knit this up until late August:

Pattern: Topaz, by Yumiko Sakurai

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash

Needles: #9

New skill learned: Stranded colorwork!  All these years, all the things I’ve made, and I’ve been avoiding this one with trepidation.  It’s, um, not that hard, as it turns out.  (Especially in an easy, 2-color design on a tiny garment.)  My imperfections were nothing a good blocking couldn’t correct.

So why is my one glaring error on the idiotically simple shoulder straps?

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For a friend and co-worker who’s carrying a lot of weight at work and deserves more than a bit of pretty wool:

Pattern: Crofter’s Cowl [ravelry download], by Gudrun Johnston

Yarn: Malabrigo, in “deja vu”

Needles: #7, maybe?

Lovely pattern.  I did not bother to do it in two pieces so that the lace pattern is grafted together in mirror image – I think it looks fine knitted all at one go this way.

I love this yarn.

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For someone in my knitting group who got married last month…a pair of not-quite-matching matrimonial hats.

Bride’s hat:

Pattern: Foliage (again!), by Emilee Mooney

Yarn: Malabrigo, in “pearl”

Needles: #7, #5

I’m becoming a Malabrigo addict.  Took my sweet time getting there, but it was inevitable.  (Also, apparently, a bit of a Foliage addict – v.1 and v.2).

For the groom:

Pattern: Turn a Square [ravelry download], by Jared Flood

Yarn: Malabrigo, in “pearl” and some kind of blue

Needles: #7, #5

This pattern is simple, obviously, but perfect.  No pointy-headed elf syndrome!  Now Mr. Merp wants one.

Here, my first attempt at jogless joins.  Jogs not quite invisible, but certainly less: