I knit a lot of little projects. Bowls, socks, cozies, hats. It is fun to knit up a bigger item, especially when the knitting goes so quickly. I’ve found that while knitting a lace shawl looks complicated, it usually has a pattern that makes it easy and interesting. My latest finished object is a beautiful shawl I made for a friend.
Do you every have a project that you like and hate at the same time? That was this project for me. I like the colors, the stripes, the yarn, the pattern; but I don’t like the final product. And I had a hard time starting it. I think my problem with the beginning of it was that I began it while with other knitters. We all started it at the same time, on an outing with food and drink, conversation and beautiful scenery. I couldn’t concentrate on the pattern enough to understand it. So I kept making mistakes, on after another. It was frustrating.
I persevered. It’s finished. And I don’t like the end result. So I’m still frustrated. It should be something I love. But the yarn just didn’t work with the pattern. And I’m really tempted to tink it all to use the yarn for socks. I made the most beautiful pair of socks out of a ball of the same yarn. It’s very tempting…but all those hours on the shawl. And the pattern is so cool!
Decisions! What would you do? keep the shawl as is? Give it away? Tink it and knit socks? Knit the shawl again with different yarn?
It’s been a week of experimenting with yarns. I’m making up the projects as I go. And right now, I’m slogging through, unsure if the effort has been worth the time. Will I like the end results? If I like do, I’ll write up the pattern and make a few more. Maybe they will end up in the Green Gable Studio shop.
Do you like to wear cowls? Do you like the yarn color?
Would you decorate your house with a yarn bowl? What color of bowl would you want in your house?
I’m almost done with a pullover. I’ve been working on it since spring, and just can’t wait any longer to share. It’s so nearly done. All I have left is the ribbing at the bottom.
But I have a problem. When I knit sweaters, I begin the project using a pattern I like, and then gradually I find I’m veering off on my own design. By the end I’ve changed my project so much that it doesn’t remotely resemble the original pattern.
When I do this, it feels wrong to say I designed my own sweater. It’s very different than it’s supposed to be, but I did begin by using someone else’s pattern.
I recently did this while knitting a sweater using the Pink Onyx Pattern. The original one is a short sleeved summer top. I made it into a long-sleeved pullover with the mesh pattern covering the entire front and most of the back. Also, it’s longer than the pattern and uses two colors. I followed the original pattern from the cast on to where it tells you to separate for the sleeves. But after that nothing is the same.
It’s made from Berocco Weekend DK yarn in a discontinued cream color with black to finish it off after I ran out of cream.
So is it an original pattern or an adapted pattern? I honestly don’t know.
