Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Truncated

I finished my second Wholehearted shawl yesterday.  Actually it was finished last Friday except for the bind-off.  I thought I had left enough yarn to do the picot bind-off, but ran out about 2/3 of the way through.  So I unknit the bind-off row and set it aside with the intention of spinning more yarn to finish it.


But then yesterday morning I saw Evelyn's finished shawl, which she did without the picot, and I quite liked it!  So I decided to just bind it off straight, using my favorite stretchy bind-off.  After which I steamed the heck out of it!


Because I had less yarn than the pattern called for, I made some adjustments, so this one is really more of a shawlette.  I'm going to live with it a while; if I decide it's too small then I'll spin up some more yarn and add on.

I did the garter stitch section as written, then did only 9 repeats of the textured pattern.  After that I worked 6 rows of garter stitch and then did the bind off.  I really like this one for elasticity and simplicity:

  *p2tog, place stitch on right needle back on left needle*

Just keep doing that all the way across:  easy peasy!


When I'd finished, I had about 2 yards of yarn left over!  Nice!


This yarn was such a joy to knit with.  And it's interesting to me how different in character it is from my first one.  This shawl feels very springy and lightweight - the fiber is 100% merino.  The first one feels slightly heavier and quite a bit more drapey.  On that one, the grey is 30/70 silk/merino and the lavender is 100% superwash merino.  The superwash treatment really does change the hand of the fiber and the yarn - I'm not much of a fan.  In my experience, the yarns I've spun with superwash fiber lack the bounce of similar yarns spun with untreated fiber.

I've been working little by little on my next spinning project, but it's a lot slipperier because of the added silk!  So it's likely to be a while before I have anything to share!

18 comments:

  1. So beautiful! I love the color of that yarn-- nice job! I love how flexible knitting is... if you decide the shawl's not big enough, you can pick up stitches and add on more! Amazing!

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    1. I like it way more than I was expecting to! (The color that is.)

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  2. Beautiful! I pinned your super stretchy bind off so I can find it when I need it. Thanks!

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  3. Isn't it lovely to have such different finished objects depending on the yarn and needles? I love the color of this version and can imagine how useful it will be on a cool summer's night. Even though it's on the small side, I love having just a little coziness around my neck in the summer.

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    1. I think the character of this one completely changes depending on whether one color or two are used, and whether the straight or picot bind-off are used.

      Funnily, I felt my first one was a little too long, and this one's a little too short! So for #3 I'll shoot for a middle ground.

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  4. Wholehearted is such a great shawl for modifications.
    I eliminated the Picot Edge since I wasn't in the mood for too feminine of a look, I added an I-cord bo and am very happy with the look.
    Thanks for giving me the opportunity to knit this one.
    hugs

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    1. I noticed that you did that, and I was surprised because I wouldn't have thought the i-cord BO was stretchy enough! But yours looks amazing!

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    2. Gail, you got me wondering. Just measured ten inches of the Wholehearted bo and stretched it out to measure 14". That's not too bad for stretchability.
      hugs

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    3. Thanks, Gerry! That's really good to know!

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  5. It turned out so pretty! I've never thought about knitting a shawl. How do you like to style yours?

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    1. You should try it! It makes a great travel project. I keep mine on my knitting chair; sometimes in the morning my shoulders get cold and I just drape it over them. But usually I wear my shawls as scarves, all wrapped around my neck.

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    2. Hmm, I'll have to check out some patterns.

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    3. They're good for stash bustin' too . . .

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  6. Looks so warm! I could use something like that now. Coming into winter here, brrr...
    Such a nice colour!

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    1. You definitely have the skills to make something like this!

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  7. You knit so fast! I am so so so slow. Maybe I'll get better with time.

    Your shawl is beautiful. It's such a lovely color.

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    1. You will get faster! It's all about practice!

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