Monday, May 21, 2007

Two FO's

Well! That was a little longer than I intended to go between posts. I had some excitement with Wicked, as I relate below, and then it took a while to dry (it's still slightly damp in these photos).

wicked2
Wicked
Artyarns Supermerino (104 yds per skein) almost 5 skeins
US 6 Denise circular needle, US 6 dpn's

I'm pretty happy with the way Wicked turned out. I really loved working with the Supermerino -- it's sooo soft and the color is lovely. However, I did have some fit problems, which I think were related to the Denise circular needle cords I used to hold the live stitches while I tried the sweater on.

I was too lazy to put the stitches on waste yarn every time I wanted to check the fit, but the stiffness and semi-permanent bends of the needle cord (which don't bug me at all while knitting) made it difficult to tell how well Wicked was fitting. This resulted in lots of extra knitting/reknitting for me. It's still not quite right, but I can live with it, I think.

If I had it to do over, I'd probably essentially use the directions for the smallest size. I'd also knit the crossover pattern on a smaller needle (at least on the collar and sleeves), as it's pretty darn stretchy. After blocking, the neckline grew quite a bit, changing the fit of the sleeves, the chest, and how my shaping aligned with my body.

wicked5

Modifications, etc.:
I knit the short sleeved, worsted weight version without a pocket. I cast on for the second size (32-35") and followed the instructions as written until three inches into the body, when I began the decreases a bit early.

After starting the optional hip increases, I decided that I needed to rip back a few inches and add more decreases. I did this, then knit the top down to the point where I was about to start the border.

At this point I re-evaluated and decided it was still too roomy. I ripped back to the armpits (I really should have ripped back further, but alas), K2tog 4 times in each armpit, knit two rounds straight, then started the decrease rounds. I repeated these three rounds 12 times total. Then I started the hip increases and did 8 repeats.

Instead of the called for 1x1 ribbing, I used 2 inches of the crossover collar pattern to finish off the bottom, then bound off in 2x2 rib.

wicked4

My other finished object was a Mother's Day gift, so I had to wait for confirmation that my mom had received it before posting about it here.

cloth1

cloth3

cloth2
Washcloth (my own design)
Katia Jamaica, color #4000 (219 yds per ball) ~0.3 balls
US 6

I used moss/seed stitch for the borders of the cloth and to create a box in the center of it. Then I wove a length of blue yarn through the stitches bounding the seed stitch box for added contrast. I thought the yarn was lovely, but a little wild, when I picked up the single ball on sale last year. I think it works well as a small object.

jamaica

The colors are so fun!

cloth4

18 comments:

Bear Knits said...

Wicked is wicked! It looks perfect on you!

Your Mother's Day gift looks cool. I love the colors!

Rosina said...

It looks just smashing! All your work was certainly worth it :) I like your mods for the bottom ribbing. That makes it look so polished. How do you knit so fast?

soknitpicky said...

Your wicked looks really good! It looks like all that extra redoing paid off because it seems to fit you really well in the pics. Congratulations!

Octopus Knits said...

Thanks so much!

Iris G said...

Wow, Wicked is amazing on you! And now I have to get some Jamaica to try, such wild beautiful colors!

Lara said...

I think your wicked looks absolutely great! The fit looks perfect to me.

I also love your dishcloth - now I know what to do with my left over Katia Jamaica.

Anonymous said...

So pretty! I would never have guessed you had any issues with fit. Great job!

Irie said...

wicked awesome! well done... :)

margaux said...

that wicked is goregous! (also, your CPH loks pretty awesome too - makes me want to make another!) I like the sans pocket look... plus that color - fabulous!

Alison said...

Beautiful! I love the color.

Unknown said...

It sounds wickedly frustrating, but it looks perfect! Why don't you think so?

Cute & fresh washcloth too.

Cindy said...

I just read your blog for the first time and your knits are lovely!

I especially like your CPH and Clapotis. The octopus is awesome too!

Stephanie said...

I think all that extra work was worth it, it looks fab on you, enjoy wearing it!

nuttnbunny said...

Perfect modifications!

Anna said...

That is certainly one of the prettiest Wickeds I have seen. It looks perfect on you and I really like the color. All your knits are very beautiful.

lv2knit said...

You do beautiful knitting -- and, though the technical skills involved in creating your Octopus are masterful, it kind of freaks me out. Especially when it's wrapped around your cat. EEEK. Your knitting is gorgeous, nonetheless!! And Wicked fits great!

Dave Palmer said...

thanks for your comment on my blog. it is a good way for me to find my way to other interesting sites. your sweater fits well and looks like a fun knit. a successful project!

Nikki said...

Oh my goddess, fit problems? Are you kidding me? that sweater fits you so perfectly, I am sick with envy. yours is the best-fitting version I've seen.