clapotis finished

I took some photos of my finished clapotis.
It's pretty big. I used 9 skeins of the supermerino with size 7 needles. I did one more increase repeat and then the 12 straight section repeats.

lace capelet finished

I just finished sewing the button on this lace version of the anthropologie inspired capelet from the pattern posted by crnaofca on craftster. The anthropologie inspired capelet became quite popular on craftster's knitting forums and I guess I got a little swept up in it. I made a previous one out of Sierra in cinnamon by Knit Picks following this pattern. That picture is on my knitting photo gallery page. For this lace version I used 6 skeins of Lion Brand Kool Wool in Khaki with size 11 needles. I really like this yarn and am sad that it's been discontinued. I used Kool Wool in tomato to knit a vest from the 2005 issue of Knit It magazine (pic also on my knitting photo gallery page). It's a very soft yarn but not fuzzy. I actually finished knitting this capelet in July but then dragged my heels and didn't finish weaving in the ends or blocking it until just this past week. I like knitting but blocking and finishing is a drag.Also, I've finished my clapotis! I actually finished it on Sept. 17th but haven't been able to get a good picture of it. It's been so dark and rainy and overcast. Taking the picture with a flash messes up the colors too much. I really speeded along on this and it ended up taking just less than a month to knit. I ended up with a little left over yarn from it and then also a skein that is the same colorway but different shade and have been wondering what to do with it. I came across this pattern that's kind of neat but I don't care for the way the edge curls and don't know what you could do to avoid it. Adding a ribbing would squish the dropped stitch strands I think and I'm not sure blocking would take care of it. Maybe I'll experiment with it some time.

Finished blue bag

Here is my second booga bag. It's from this pattern at blacksheep bags. I did 42 rounds in Lion Wool ocean blues then 15 more rounds in Lion Wool navy with 16" size 11 needles. I started on 7/4/06 and finished knitting on 7/16/06 but just got around to attatching the handles today. I hand stitched on some beaded trim (Jo-Ann craft essentials) with DMC pearl cotton color #807. I think maybe I should have glued the trim on instead of stitching it on. The bead ribbon seems a bit delicate. Now that it's done I think it's really cute. I may even make a third bag someday in KnitPicks Wool of The Andes in Violet and Hush. I'm guilty of already buying the yarn. I had said I never wanted to felt my knitting because it's basically destroying all of those knit stitches that took so long to make. Now I've made two felted bags and have plans for a third. I guess it's a bit addicting.

happy again

It looks like my clapotis will get finished after all. The yarn that I got from the ebay seller was a very close match. Close enough that I can finish and I don't think it will be real noticable. I'm so relieved. After I saw how far off my first replacement skein was in color I feared I'd be buying a roomfull of yarn in a desparate search for a close match. I think I got lucky. I'm really amazed at how much yarn this project is using. Here is a progress shot from today. I'm on my 12th straight row repeat.

not enough yarn

Well I've been knitting away on clapotis every free moment I've had. I was so dedicated to it like I was in a race because I was so anxious to finish. I had 7 skeins of the artyarns supermerino 108. I had done a search of the web and seen where others had knit clapotis in 5 skeins. So I got 7 skeins to be on the safe side. I figured I'd could knit some mittens with the extra. Well, there won't be any extra because I'm not going to even have enough to finish clapotis. I'm on repeat number 11 of the straight section and have only one skein left. I need two for the decrease sections (because I used two for the increase sections). Adding that extra increase repeat must have really increased the amount of yarn I'd need. That's the only thing I can figure that would have thrown me so far off, because my guage is right on. So I ordered two more skeins from the same place I got the initial batch from, hoping they would have more of the same lot. They had one skein left. I took it, confident that it would match what I had gotten only a few weeks earlier. It didn't. The shades were very different so that I can't use it. I can't bear ripping out a bunch of my straight rows to have enough to finish. It took so long to knit them and then it would end up way to short so I wouldn't like it and I have a feeling I'd get totally messed up because I'd have trouble picking up the stitches again with the dropped columns in there and all. I got really down about this. I've worked so hard on this project and have been so excited to finish, like no other knitting project and now I worry it may not ever be "right" because I won't be able to get anymore matching yarn. There are no stores even remotely close to me where I could go and actually see this yarn before I buy it, so I have to mail order and cross my fingers I'll eventually get a skein that's a close enough match. (I guess I'll probably end up with a bunch of extra yarn after all) I've got two skeins on their way to me now that I bought from a seller on ebay. I'm hoping that they will be closer (close enough) in shade and color so that I can finish. But I have a bad feeling.
In the mean time I've been working on the Evonne shrug from berroco's web site. My mom brought the pattern over a while ago and said she'd like me to knit it for her. She picked out the yarn, Shetland Chunky by Patons in High Plains Varagated (my apologies to berroco ;) ). I've finished the back and am a quarter of the way thru the left front.

Clapotis

I wasn't going to knit clapotis. I really wasn't. When I first saw the pattern on knitty.com I wasn't that interested. But I kept seeing photos of other peoples finished clapotis every where I looked in knitting cyberspace. It seemed like every knitting blog and every kitting forum had clapotisis. They were everywhere and multiplying. Then one day I did an about face and was seized with the desire to knit one for myself. After researching yarn I decided upon artyarns supermerino in colorway #108. I was a little concerned that the pink in it would be too much pink and too light. But the yarn that arrived to me looked better than the photo. It is hand dyed and so I know there are variations from batch to batch. I really like the colors. It has a mix of navy, plum, purple, violet and fuchia. I think it's the beauty of the yarn that keeps me knitting, and knitting, and knitting.... Really, this is a huge expanse of knitting. Here it is lounging on my lawn chair.
I added an extra increase repeat because I thought my stitch guage was less than what the pattern called for so my straight rows are something like 118 stitches. The colors of the yarn and the drop stitch rows are what keep me going. I'm addicted to those drop stitch rows. The drop stitch columns cause a wavy undulation in the fabric which is what I think the word clapotis means in french - the lapping waves of water. The pattern is so darn clever. I think the author is a knitting genius to come up with something so unique and clever.

knitty

I've made a couple of items from Knitty.com recently. The first were these wristwarmers. They are the "fetching" pattern featured in the summer 06 issue. I used Red Heart Soft in navy with size 4 needles. When I did the thumb I picked up 4 stitches along each edge instead of two. Then I knitted one round, then on the second round I k2tog the two extra stitches on each edge to bring me to the 17 the pattern called for. I wanted more stitches at the base of the thumb so it wouldn't pull and make gaps as much. Then I added an extra round (5 instead of 4) to the thumb to make it a hair longer. They were a pretty quick and easy knit. I started them on 7/8/06 and finished on 7/15/06. They fit perfectly so I am pretty pleased.

The next thing I made from knitty.com was this cuff bracelett. It is the perdita cuff from the same issue. It took me about a week to make them. I used DMC pearl cotton (one skein) in color #988 with size 1 needles. It was like knitting with toothpicks. I like the beads. The pattern was the lily of the valley one and the beads really make it look like lilys of the valley. I used 10/0 seed beads in a kind of pearl white.

I don't think it's the type of thing that I would wear very often but the pattern looked so intricate and I like the beads in it so I had to make them just to make them. I liked how it turned out and it fits well.