FO: Moonset

On very rare occasions I see a pattern and actually make the effort to get the suggested yarn, this was one of those times.  I had the good fortune to test knit a pattern, Solaria Cowl, from The Stella Collection designed by Julie Crawford and Tanis Lavallee. Also, in that collection is the Suncrest shawl designed for TFA Red Label, a fantastic merino/cashmere/silk fingering/sport weight fingering.  When I was at the K-W Knitter's Fair in September I had a chance to chat with Tanis and pick up a skein of Red Label in Dove, which is absolutely gorgeous.

Then in October, Julie announced on the Ravelry board about the November TFA KAL, it seemed like I should break my personal queue and knit it up.  And it was the right choice, it is a fantastic shawl and a beautiful yarn and so soft to wear.

- Details -

Project Name: Moonset 

Pattern: Suncrest Shawl by Tanis Lavallee

Recipient: ME!

Yarn: TFA Red Label in Dove

Modifications:

• Somehow my body was narrower than called for so I did three extra lace repeats to max out the skein.

New Skills:

• Not a whole lot, but this is the first time picking up just one of the loops on a shawl, it makes a really nice edge.

Feedback:

• I love it when a pattern and yarn look as good together as the sample/pattern version 

Re-Knit?: Probably not, but I need to make others from The Stella Collection, and I'm looking forward to the 2013 TFA club as it will be one long Stella Collection as we will be getting different weight yarns and all the patterns will be designed by Tanis and Julie.

FO: Spectra-scope

Most of my FOs have happened this way, Christina is online browsing for yarn, Christina buys a single skein of some yarn, Christina pets and oogles yarn after it shows up, Christina goes to queue to find a pattern for it, Christina vows to by more than a single skein next time she shops online for yarn after discovering she can't find a pattern for her single skein.    For Spectra it was the other way around, I actually ordered the yarn to go with the pattern.

It is a neat pattern, a really interesting shape and a great chance to try a new skill, intarsia. And I really wanted to knit something outside my normal range of things.  This was a great break, although it did get tedious at times, I had to make myself knit two wedges a day so that it would be finished in time for me to start fresh with new projects for the Ravellenic Games (that coincided with the Olympics).

In the end I'm pleased with the result, and I think I'm going to use the leftovers to weave a scarf, with the Grey outside yarn as the warp (end to end threads) and the Chroma as the weft (back and forth yarn) to make sure that I don't end up with a broken frayed warp and also to watch the slow color changes occur in a different manner to the Spectra-scope scarf.

- Details -

Project Name: Spectra-scope

Pattern: Spectra by Stephen West of WestKnits

Recipient: Me, but I may end up rehoming it

Yarn:  KnitPicks - Gloss Fingering in Coast Grey and Chroma Fingering in Roller Skate (both colors are discontinued)

Modifications:

• I did a total of 100 color wedges instead of the 80-some called for in the pattern.

New Skills:

• Intarsia: This is the first time I have done intarsia colorwork.  I neither loved nor hated it, so if another pattern that I love calls for it I won't be afraid.

Feedback:

• Yarn: I find that with KnitPicks yarn you get what you pay for, it is a good price and you get good yarn, but it is sometimes just the right thing.  I liked working with the Gloss Fingering, I like it more than the Gloss DK I used eons ago on the Shifting Sands scarf, and on par with the Gloss Lace of my Falling Leaves Shawl.  The Chroma must be an acquired taste, because it did what was expected to do (have long color changes) but I didn't enjoy working with the single as much as a like the single of Tosh Merino Light.
• Pattern:  My first time working from a Stephen West pattern, and it was nice, clear and short, some of the things I like most in a pattern.

Re-Knit?: Nope, it is a cool FO but I would much stoles and shawls to scarves (and I weave my scarves these days).

FO: Secret of Opals

At the start of summer the hottest thing in the knitting world was the Color Affection Shawl. As someone who has never been very good at following trends, I haven't started my Color Affection yet (although I do have yarn put aside for it) I decided to try another of Veera's shawls, the Secrets of Change.

I had bought the Tosh Sock more than a year ago for a Jared Flood/Brooklyn Tweed pattern that I fell out of love with, and now knowing so much more about yarn and spinning I know that I found the right pattern for the yarn.  Also, the line would have driven me much more crazy in a lace stole because I wouldn't look quite as much like a design feature.

The miles and miles (well yards and yards) of garter stitch were incredibly soothing and made for a shawl that is delightfully squishy.  What astounded me was that there is as much yarn in the first five section, as there is in the final section (as evidenced by the drastic color change betweens skeins, that it was my fault I didn't alternate skeins to avoid).

I'm eager to work on other of Veera's shawls, because she has a great aesthetic and an affinity for garter (which I'm realizing more and more that I love it dearly).

- Details -

Project Name: Secret of Opals

Pattern: Secrets of Change by Veera Valimaki for Rain Knitwear Design

Recipient: Me

Yarn: madelinetosh Tosh Sock in Opaline

Modifications:

• I slightly shortened the pattern on the last repeat (7 repeats instead of 8) because I was worried about running out of yarn.

New Skills:

• None

Feedback:

• Yarn: As always madelinetosh has great colors, however my skeins weren't well matched and I didn't check beforehand and I ended up with a line.  It was totally my fault, I should have alternated, but I prefer to think of it as a design feature rather than error.
• Pattern: My first time using a Veera pattern, and it was well written, well formatted and a great FO.

Re-Knit?: Nope, but I already have another Veera pattern on the needles and have plans for the infections Color Affection shawl.