Monday, October 21, 2013

Recession Knitting: Update 1

So I finished my first proposed "recession knitting" project:  the Theresa Shawl from the Fall 2013 Knitscene.  I LOVE IT!!

At about the halfway point on this shawl, I realized I was not going to have enough of my green variegated bamboo dk to finish this shawl (sad face).  So I added in some leftover Malabrigo Arroyo in a blue denim color and alternated every two rows between the different colorways.  I really like how the blue stands out against the green yarn.  I couldn't be happier with how this shawl worked out.  It's a really beautiful pattern and a very clever design.

Having said that, I did make some modifications.  I started out following the pattern as written, just letting the variegation in the green bamboo dk make the chevron pattern.  But the leaf pattern was kind of getting lost in the changing colors and the yarn was curling under at the edges.  I didn't think a good blocking was really going to help with the curling in this bamboo.  So I tore out all my knitting and started again just using a 5 stitch garter border on all the edges (including top and bottom).  It's not as elegant as the leaf edge in the pattern, but it solved my problem.  If I were to do it again, I'd taper the edge at the start and end, beginning with only 2 sts on the border and increase to 5 to give it a sleeker look.

I really like how this variegated bamboo looks.  I think I found the perfect pattern (minus a few hiccups) for this yarn!




2 comments:

  1. Super pretty. I love varying shades of blue and green! My wedding colors were teal and split pea green so I was drawn to this as soon as I saw the picture. You did a great job. I'm jealous ;P

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  2. Thanks, Heather! This bamboo has been lying around for a couple of years. I couldn't find the right project for it. I'm so happy with how this shawl turned out :)

    You're such a sweetie for commenting!

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