Thursday, October 01, 2009

Slipped through the Net

It has been brought to my attention that once again there are finished objects that I have neglected to blog about
mea culpa

item the first:
Rell commented on Nadie's shrug in the last post and that was when I realised that you probably hadn't seen it finished - I posted pics on Ravelry and Nadie put some on Facebook and somehow in what is laughingly referred to as my mind, that equated to blogging about it.
So I've checked the relevant project page on Ravelry, and apparently I started it way back in February. Finished the main part of the knitting in March but didn't get around to sewing it up until July [ and yes, yes, we have talked before about the difference between finished-except-for-the-sewing-up-and-buttons and finished finished ]
Anyway, once Nadie was finally able to try it on, she felt that she'd like the sleeves a little longer so the easiest and best solution that I could come up with was to pick up stitches around the end of the ribbing, do some increases to add flare, and then just made cuffs in the same lace pattern that I'd used for the body of the shrug.
I have to say that I wouldn't have thought of ruffled cuffs originally but I really like the effect, and more to the point, so does the girl who has to wear it.
which she does
a lot
as evidenced in the last post
For anyone who's interested:
The pattern started life as the Diamond Lace Hug Me Tight from Patons book 1235
I used the recommended yarn [ Zhivago ] and the recommended needles [ 4mm and 6.5mm ] and did the ribbed sleeves as per the pattern, albeit with fewer stitches, but then I changed to a different lace pattern and as I've just detailed, added the froofy cuffs.
So it's not really Diamond Lace anymore now, is it ?

The second one that slipped through the net was this crochet shrug bed jacketish sort of thingy
that I finished just before going into hospital. Not that I actually needed it - the ward was kept at approximately the same temperature as a swedish sauna.
This finished object also bears very little resemblance to where it started and for good reason:
I really hate to say this but it was an appalling pattern, riddled with errors, poorly phrased instructions and even a very obvious mistake in the middle of the sample.
Also no gauge was given - which makes yarn subbing a gamble [ thank goodness for ravelry ] and no finished size either ... and all this in a pattern touted as beginner friendly.
Okay, I know it's a new magazine, but I really had high hopes for it because it comes from the same stable as Yarn Forward which is one of my faves.
Let's just say I probably won't be buying it again for a while - at least not until there are signs that the pattern writing has improved.
A real shame because some of the designs had real potential.
Anyway
the specs such as they are:
pattern:
Roundabout from Inside Crochet #2
yarn:
Panda Purla [ Alpaca/acrylic singles ]
hook:
4mm
mods:
the pattern is essentially a slightly fluted circle caught together under the arms. I continued on and did another eight rows around the body to give it a bit more in the front and then added some sleeves which were basically as long as I could make 'em before the yarn ran out.

Like many of the commenters on Rav, I pretty much abandoned the written pattern and just counted stitches and rows from the photograph.

so there you are
and stitching on the Feathered Star block continues slowly as does my recuperation

5 comments:

Vickie said...

oh the shrug is beautiful and wow them sleeve cuff look fab -well done...love the colour of your bed jacket and you have done a super job considering the pattern was painful,hope you are recuperating well,cheers Vickie

Alice said...

Well, aren't you a genius? Those lacy cuffs on the shrug are nearly as pretty as the wearer.

Lynne said...

A warm hospital? What will they thinkl of next? The last time I soent any time on one, DD had pneumonia and I nearly froze to death in the hours I spent with her!

So, I wonder if I should knit a bed jacket for her forth-coming (February)confinement? The hot weather outside may cause the powers-that-be to create a temperature inside that is more like an Antarctic summer!

Donna Lee said...

The knitted cuffs on the sweater look like they were intended by the designer. They add just the right touch.

I'm glad you're resting. Be kind to your body-it's the only one you've got!

Bernie said...

I love the shrug especially the sleeves....great idea and Nadie looks so nice in it.
Love your bed jacket look.....you still amaze me with all you can do, I do well to sew buttons on straight but saying this I did buy a lovely shrug yesterday, it's a pretty navy blue and I love it. I love anything that has a different sleeve, like a flounce or even an elastic mid arm. (You would realize how much if you could see my dresser drawers..LOL)
You sound so much better, hope you are still resting......:-) Hugs