Knowing is half the battle
2008-03-30 | Filed under Knitting |
I’ve put aside my Nautilus hat for the moment. I suspect I will finish it, and may end up sending it to Afghanistan. But I’m not entirely pleased with the results, and I’m not sure how warm it will be.
It turns out the “dk” in the name of the alpaca/silk yarn means double knit, which makes it a light worsted weight, as opposed to worsted. So not only have I been using a lighter weight material than the pattern calls for, I’ve been using needles a size larger than the recommended range for light worsted.
Now, this is pretty basic knitting information, discernible with TSOR. Had I invested those thirty seconds before starting the hat, I might’ve picked a more suitable pattern for my soft, pretty yarn. But it’s okay. I’ve been enjoying myself with that hat, and it’s the first time I’ve (intentionally) done yarn overs for a lacy effect (even if it is just a series of eyelets). So far I’m pretty much on pattern. With a more appropriate yarn choice it might look more like it’s supposed to, but as it is it still looks on purpose. Plus, it’s spurred me to actually obtain some information by a method other than nudging Larry and asking him what I should do. (I still think that’s a perfectly fine tactic, but I need to expand my repertoire.)
In the meantime, I have started (and finished about three-quarters of) this hat. One Size Fits Most? Perhaps. It’ll be large on me, but my head is on the small-to-medium end. One Hour? Not so much.
We went yarn shopping on Saturday, in an actual yarn shop as opposed to A.C. Moore. In addition to some pretty Peruvians, I got a couple balls of the Eclipse yarn called out in the pattern. Berry (purplish pink) instead of red; apparently it’s been discontinued, so I did not have a wide range of colors to choose from. Thick/thin yarn looks rather ridiculous. I thought I’d hate working with it, but on large needles it’s actually been okay. Especially after Larry pointed out how I was twisting my stitches; once I stopped doing that, things became much easier. I’ll complete this hat well before the deadline.
Also, today I got my Ravelry invite. Huzzah! I was afraid my heightened interest in knitting might subside before that happened. (Said worry being more reflective of my mercurial moods than the speed of Ravelry’s invites.) So now I shall have another place to blather on about knitting. Or so I assume. I haven’t actually gotten around to creating an account yet, and I’m not entirely sure how I’ll end up using the site.
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8 Responses to “Knowing is half the battle”
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Sorry — I originally posted this in the comments on the LJ feed. Here it is again.
If you do create a Ravelry account, you should look up my friend Adrienne.
And congrats on going to a real yarn store. I avoid them… as it’s easy to spend waaaay too much money there.
(Reply to this)
Yes, there was a certain amount of sticker shock. Between the two of us, we topped $60. But I have been able to rationalize it. The $18 I paid for the hat yarn (actually less, since I have some left over) can either be read as the price of the finished item or the entertainment price. I did not finish the hat in anywhere close to an hour, being clumsy and slow. But even if I had, $18 per hour is not an unprecedented entertainment cost for me. And if I see it as price for the finished item plus entertainment…well, that’s a real bargain.
(I suspect Karl Marx is rolling over in his grave.)
Sorry to be off subject…knit/purl etc.
Did you get the photos? What a doll you were/are.
They haven’t shown up yet.
Never mind. They did arrive. I didn’t see them because Larry put them where we always put the mail. Very cute. I forgot what a ham Brynnie was as a kid.
You guys were the BEST kids ever! We had a ball growing up with you both…;)
Can you use any of them? I’ve got a shot of us all at BDP’s graduation from law school including the bison! Would you like that?
I’ve got that one already. Love the bison. And yes, I’ll be able to use some of the others; the only problem will be narrowing it down.
Great! I’ve got millions…not even counting slides.These were just some of ‘em.