May 06, 2005

Before anyone thinks that I've forgotten about my Popcorn Jacket...




With all the work I've been doing on my son's cotton jacket, I've still managed to tuck in a few rows on the pieces of my Popcorn Jacket here and there. I'm moving along much more quickly than I thought I would so I figured I'd better show some progress before it's all finished! The back is completed, and I've completed the right front piece (see that, too). Boy, knitting wool on 4.5mm's has been a BREAK from the ribbing and detailed finishing on the cotton jacket. Plus, I'm still getting a kick from the popcorn-like tufts created by the Phil Pompom. Looking at the knitted pieces from the side is a riot:




Remember when you were a kid in school and would mix detergent and water to make relief maps? I get nostalgic for relief maps when I view the pieces of my Popcorn Jacket from the side. Thankfully, the Popcorn Jacket doesn't feel like a relief map or I'd be in trouble when wearing it.

And since I'm close to finishing current projects, I might as well 'fess up about swatching for a new project, already. Such an eager knitter:




This, my friends, is the swatch for the Rebecca cardi (Pattern 38) in Rebecca 29. Sometimes I like to start with sleeves instead of swatching but this time I decided to be a good girl and swatch for this one because i) the cardi is knit in one piece from the bottom up so starting with a sleeve is kinda hard; ii) I've never worked with this cotton before; and iii) it's a cable pattern with about 20 cm of ribbing before the cable pattern even starts, and do we really want to frog a cable pattern and 20 cm of ribbing if it turns out that I'm off gauge? And it's a good thing I swatched because I didn't get lucky with the gauge this time. My tension was too loose according to the gauge set in the pattern, so I'll be going down to size 3.25mm needles. (Incidentally, I'm using bamboo needles for this one. Addis are usually my needle of choice but Inox bamboo circs are my fave for slippery cottons: The yarn doesn't snag on the join [coughCRYSTALPALACEcough] and the points are sharper than addis, which makes knitting up finer gauge cottons a breeze for me.)

« Category | Main