Presto ProtoPretty Chango! (wink, wink)

...green yarn becomes...





ProtoPretty DNA sweater shell or tank by Chris O'Brien
Jo Sharp Soho Summer DK Cotton 100% Cotton (109 yards / 50 g per ball), ~5 balls of the color "Rockpool"
US 4 (3.5 mm) 16" and 24" bamboo circular needles

Yes, it's true - my ProtoPretty DNA tank has magically appeared. It only took me 3 months :)*

*Please note that it shouldn't have. I just had too many things on my plate.

This is a great design that combines three beautiful patterns: diamond background lace (1), modified torchon insertion (2), and DNA cable (3). I pretty much followed the instructions for the smallest size, and it worked out well.

1
2
3

I enjoyed the Jo Sharp Soho Summer DK yarn, but I had to be a little careful to keep from splitting the myriads of thread-like plys.

The only problem I had (or thought I had) - aside from occasionally messing up the lace patterns - was that my stitch count didn't always match the pattern when I got to certain landmarks (e.g. after binding off for the armholes). I was 4 stitches off. Luckily I realized why pretty quickly: the width of the modified torchon insertion chart is 19 stitches for the first three rows and 17 stitches for the final three rows. Due to gauge differences, etc., I was simply ending up in a different part of the chart than the designer did, and since the modified torchon insertion chart is worked twice for each row of the pattern, this put my stitch count off by 4 stitches. Mystery solved.

The pattern doesn't specify how many stitches to pick up for the armholes or neck, which is fine by me. Sometimes it can be nerve wracking trying to match the # of stitches suggested in a pattern. I tried to pick up stitches in ratios that made sense with the composition of the corresponding edge. Also, I made sure the number of stitches I picked up in each armhole was the same.



I think it worked out nicely :)

The DNA cable also looks quite interesting on the "wrong" side (click for closer view):




Malabrigo Scarf

I should also mention that I finished the Malabrigo Scarf I started in late August (don't worry, this one only took me a month!).




Malabrigo Scarf by me
Malabrigo Merino Worsted 100% Merino Wool (216 yards / 100 g per skein), 1 skein (exactly) of the color "Charrua"
US 5 (3.75 mm) bamboo circular needles

Key:

S = stockinette (knit on right side, purl on wrong side)
R = reverse stockinette (purl on right side, knit on wrong side)

Pattern:

CO 26 sts.

Work in garter stitch for about 3/4 of an inch, then work
bands of stockinette and reverse stockinette stitch as follows:

8 rows each of S,R,S,R,S,R,S,R,S (= 9 bands)
10 rows each of R,S,R,S,R,S,R,S (= 8 bands)
12 rows each of R,S,R,S (= 4 bands)
12 rows of R (= 1 band - this forms the center of the scarf)
12 rows each of S,R,S,R (= 4 bands)
10 rows each of S,R,S,R,S,R,S,R (= 8 bands)
8 rows each of S,R,S,R,S,R,S,R,S (= 9 bands)

Work in garter stitch for about 3/4 of an inch, then bind off.


Of course, I love the yarn (so soft, and such lovely colors):






Squooshy!





Moana agrees :)

What was that?

Pssst.

Hey, do you hear something?
...something like the click, click-clacking of tiny claws

...or the snick, snick of miniature masticating mandibles?

Shhh! There it is again.





Boo!

Meet Lola... the lavender lobster!






"Lola" or Knit Lobster by Molly Lincoln
SWTC Karaoke 50% Soy Silk, 50% Wool (109 yards / 50 g per ball), ~0.5 balls of the color "Bloom"
US 2 (3.0 mm) Knitpicks Harmony dpns
US D (3.5 mm) crochet hook (for chained antennae)

I had been wanting to try this pattern for a while, and I'm glad I did - it's pretty entertaining to make the pieces and put them together! I worked the pattern essentially as written, except I changed the last part of the claw pieces. Here are my changes:

Where the pattern says “Now work an icord for 6 rows using the 3 live sts remaining. Row 7: k2tog, k1. Row 8: k2tog” I did the following instead:
-Pick up 1 st on each side of remaining 3 live sts = 5 sts.
-Work a 5 stitch icord for 3 rows.
-Next row: still working as icord, K2tog, k1, K2tog = 3 sts.
-Next row: still working as icord, k2tog, k1 = 2 sts.
-Next row: still working as icord, k2tog = 1 sts.

Although no numerical gauge is given for this pattern, I think my gauge was a little too tight and my row gauge was a bit wacky because my lobster seems shorter and plumper than the original. This also may have had something to do with the fact that I, in retrospect, overstuffed Lola. I had some difficulty pulling the legs through the body - a slightly looser gauge would have made that easier - and my overstuffed arms/claws were somewhat resistant to the process of being formed into multiple segments.

Despite these issues, I love Lola anyway :)

I think she looks a bit like this "white" lobster.



As usual, I enjoyed working with the subtly color-changing Karaoke, which I've used several times before. It was challenging to execute some of the m1's (make 1 stitch) on the small needles with this worsted weight yarn, and the single-ply broke on me (I pulled too hard) the first time I tried to tie a length of yarn around one of the arms to try to get the segmented look.

Here's the rest of what happened when Lola introduced herself to Bug:








As you can see, they're getting along smashingly :)

Happy (almost) Halloween!