Friday, March 03, 2006

Do You Koigu?

After the day/week I have had, knitting with some really good stuff was in order.

Some friends are putting together a comfortghan for a mutual friend who is having a huge rough patch.

The yarn of choice? Koigu Painter's Palette. Such gorgeous colors! Such a soft and wonderful hand-painted merino yarn! Ten inch squares.

Deadline to get them to the "joiner," March 17.

So, for the past several days, I have been perusing stitch dictionaries, lace books, cable books, and stacks of patterns dating all the way back to my early knitting days.

Having chosen a pattern stitch by process of elimination (Which is better, a or b? ad infinitum), I cast on 70 stitches (gauge=28 st/4") and proceeded to knit a border 12" wide. WTF?

I frogged and cast on again, this time, using my previous actual gauge (6.3 st./in). Okay, 63 stitches on the needle. Knit a few rows. Check the gauge. Eleven inches wide. Huh?



About this time, I figured that the only way I am going to get this yarn and these needles to behave and give me a 10" square is to start in the middle and work my way to the edge. Sort of like I did here (winging it) as a square for one of the "knit a square" groups I belong to. (This one will eventually join lots of others in an afghan for one of the many Ship Support "Points of Contact," the service people who accept and distribute hats, slippers, and cool ties for the project.)

Once I get past the first couple rounds, I find that knitting a square from the center out is quite satisfying.



I cast on again (12 stitches this time), divided the stitches and set to work.

The pattern is from Knitting In the Round published by House of White Birches (the old Knitting Digest folks) ISBN 1-59217-039-0. That's the lace in solid purple in the background.

The pattern makes up in worsted weight to a 12" square. I figure my sport weight will finish at about 8". I'll add a garter stitch border to get it to the right size.

The Koigu has been stashed for a while. In the event you can't tell, it's shades of purple and turquoise. The needles are Clover bamboo size 3, but I'll be switching to a 16" Addi circ in another couple of rounds. The pattern is called "Candlelight Squares."
Comments:
goody, your colors and mine will work well together, mine are mainly purples.
 
Post a Comment

<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?




Previous | Next | Random