whatifknits

My Fad of the Moment: Shrugs

I’ve transitioned from my recent shawl binge to a shrug binge. Do you knit like that? I find myself captivated by a particular shape or construction method, and then work variation upon variation on it until I feel as if I’ve made it “mine.”

Several years ago, when I was a much newer knitter and just starting to work in the round, I went through this process with hats: lace hats, cabled hats, hats with ribs in Fibonacci sequences, pointy hats, slouchy hats, hats with all sorts of designs worked into them in K/P combinations.

Now it’s shrugs.

This is my version of Lacey from Knitty. I used malabrigo instead of mohair (no surprise there).

My modifications to the pattern:
• knit on dpns, then a circular, rather than using magic loop method
• shortened the cuffs (to 4.5″)
• worked wrist-to-wrist based on my measurements (this took three skeins—one for each sleeve and one for the body)
• worked the body-opening ribbing using my remaining skein of yarn and just kept going until it was done

What I love about this pattern is that it involves no seaming at all: just round and round for the sleeves, back and forth for the body, pick up the ribbing, bind off and—voilá—you’re done.

Next came the Interweave Knits Sugarplum Shrug.

Their version:

Mine (knit in Ella Rae Angora Extra that I got on sale from—where else?—Little Knits):

My modifications:
• K wrong-side rows so that lace pattern has a garter stitch base, rather than stockinette
• rather than knitting lace border separately and attaching it, I sewed the side seams, then picked up stitches at the wrists and body opening and knitted a ruffle in modified feather-and-fan

As you can see, I am so pleased with the results that I am starting to go all Berroco…

Now I’m working away on an Aran Cabled Shrug for my sister in Lamb’s Pride Bulky (on sale at Discontinued Brand Name Yarn).

The pattern is a bit frustrating, as the two cables are knit over different repeats, so I did a lot of cut and pasting of print-outs until I had them both centered satisfactorily. My gauge is also bigger than theirs, so I’m using the pattern, but knitting to my sister’s measurements, rather than following the recommended number of repeats.

Coming up next?

I’m thinking about Nashua’s Unstructured Shrug in Noro Transitions.

Or perhaps this somewhat frivolous little number from Drops.

I’m sure to have enough malabrigo…

February 18 2008 | Aran Cabled Shrug and FOs and Lacey and Sugarplum Shrug and WIPs | 6 Comments »

Old Dog (Cat?) Learning New Tricks

I’m posting from one of the computer classrooms at UCSC while on a break from a day-long Excel class. In my new position, I receive, modify, and create many Excel documents. I’ve been using the program intuitively, but clumsily, and am glad for the opportunity to have a systematic go at it. I have not yet come up with any knitting-related uses for Excel, but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time.

Thanks for the great responses to my question yesterday! I’ve enjoyed the sites you’ve steered me to and welcome more suggestions.

Yesterday afternoon I finished up the Lacey Shrug in Malbrigo. It’s a good fit, and I expect to get a lot of use out of it. I’ll ask Melissa to photograph it when she’s back from visiting family in NY.

Of course finishing one project left me itching to start another, regardless of the fact that I have a whole stack of WIPs. After an hour or so leafing through back issues of IK, I decided on the Swallowtail Shawl. However, I’m not knitting it in lace-weight as recommended; that would be far too safe. Instead I’ve cast on using size 9 needles and Cinnabar by Louisa Harding (color 8). The shawl as shown in IK is actually more of a scarf, and I’d like a larger version that will really be worth wrapping up in. I’m not sure yet if Cinnabar is the ideal choice. It has a high cotton content, so it’s heavy, and the different fibers in the marl make it a bit splitty, but it sure is pretty. With the metallic sparkle in this yarn, I’ll either have a show-stopping shawl or something that looks like it’s made for a high-pomp junta dominated by grannies. We’ll just have to wait and see.

P.S. If you’ve got the Winter 2006 issue of IK, check out the clever cast on for this shawl. You start with a two-stich provisional cast on (which is manageable even for the provisional-phobic), work six two-stitch rows of garter, pick up a stitch along each of the three garter bumps on one side, then undo the provisional stich holder and knit those stitches as well. Voila! You have seven stitches on your needles and a very tidy start for a shawl.

January 10 2008 | Academia and FOs and Lacey and Swallowtail Shawl and WIPs | 2 Comments »