Monday, March 17, 2008

I don't use the word "frock" enough.

Figured I'd better post an F.O pic of the aforementionned giant cowl, before time slips away from me and it becomes "officially" irrelevant/verbotten.



That photo was done in haste as I was flying out the door to work one morning, but here's the specs, nonetheless:

pattern: free from Knitlit Kate, the XO UO Cowl
yarn: Cascade 220 handpaints 100% wool (about 2 skeins, maybe a bit more)
needles: US #17

First of all, I'm not that happy with my yarn choice for this. I do LOVE it, and was so completely enamoured of the colour that I couldn't not buy it. I knit with it triple stranded in order get gauge. Ironic that *I* would be concerned about gauge, isn't it? I never am where it counts it seems, yet in a knitted tube where gauge is essentially irrelevant, I go out of my way to get it. That said...two-stranded would have been the way to go with this baby, and would have made it far less stiff.

I dunno. I'm kinda thinking about frogging it.

Not sure if this was the original Urban Outfitters inspiration for this cowl or not,



but at $9.99 one does pause to wonder, why knit it?

oh right --knit therapy, right, right. got it.



My vintage shoulderette is also well underway now. It's about half done. I am so going to run out of yarn. I know it. Anyone looking at my blob of yarn would know it. I bought it at School Products in NYC. It was in a bag that said 70% cashmere, 30% nylon. That's it. nothing else. No name, no colour, and not much more than a shoulder shrug from the guy who sold it to me. It is soft like buttah. There is no more. And yet, I continue. Just in case. It's like this sickness. I can't stop knitting it even though I know it's pointless. And the UNKITTING. Sweet, merciful crap I'm doing a lot of "un-knitting" on this one. Stupid lace. What was I thinking bringing this to work as my "dumb" knitting? It's like 3 steps forward, two steps back with this thing. Someone asks me a question mid-row and it's all over.

And yet, still I persist. Actually now that I have the pattern memorized it's going a lot more smoothly. I just don't understand my bizarre compulsion to find out exactly "when" the running out of yarn will occur.

Iceland who?

Hope everyone had a great weekend --mine was unfortunately full of high school-type drama and a hangover deep like the snow on my balcony (that's me on the right...). the snow has now even buried my patio umbrella, it is just that high.


(thanks to my neighbour VĂ©ronique for this photo...)

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was sorry we weren't able to join you on Saturday! Our newlymom friend called desperate to get out of her apartment and she ended up staying longer than expected.

I hesitate to say it but I feel Spring may finally be on it's way to our godforsaken city.

Reckless Glue said...

not a problem --I spent a lot of that evening "hiding" in a corner due to some un-expected ex-bf action in the crowd, so I probably wouldn't have been much fun anyway!
that and I got kind of drunk so I probably wasn't in the best form...
god,this comment makes me sound pathetic.

melissa said...

i'm laughing because i've been in your "i'm going to run out of yarn" position many times. why do we torture ourselves and keep knitting? i'll never know.

Virtuous said...

Wow I have never kntited triple stranded before, but I do like that Cascade yarn.

And you are right! I always weigh the benefit of buying vs. knitting it!! ;op

Heck I want to go to that store and snatch that up for $9 bucks!!

Hope snow is melting over there!

Julia said...

Don't worry about running out of yarn! Just start the second cuff earlier and the shoulderette will just be more of a 3/4 sleeve thing. Don't forget you're going to block the lace and it will end up way bigger anyway!

I knit this before I knew about the wonder of stitch markers - are you using them between the repeats? That should help prevent some un-knitting. Not that I'm any better when it comes to lace knitting - that swallowtail shawl nearly killed me!

Reckless Glue said...

yeah I'm totally banking on the blocking, but I'm starting to wonder if I'll have to block out a whole sleeve's length! and stitch markers between repeats? How does that help? (or is it just so you know how far to rip back when it happens?) I've taken to counting my stitches on every knit row before I progress to the next lace row. seems to be helping. Just tried it on my lunch hour at work and totally effed it up AGAIN. Time to start another cowl for work i think...

Anonymous said...

The stitch markers are a big help because when you divide up the repeats you'll get to an end of the repeat and realize you missed something as opposed to getting to the end of the whole row. Plus you can count the stitches in between the markers to check your stitch count. Does that make sense? A technical writer I am not.

joy said...

I'm jealous of all that snow.

and because I have a weird obsession w/cowls, I'm all over that XO UO pattern!

Reckless Glue said...

haha I have the same cowl affliction!

knitlit kate said...

i love it in that yarn! you look so cool in it...seems like it has a lot more body than the hip hop, too..which i totally dig.