It's Patrick Star!

At least that's what The Girl calls him, though the "real" Patrick Star has a face and clothes and isn't a lifeless pillow.

I know I said in other posts the Star Pillow would be finished by The Girl's birthday party and then by her actual birthday...well, I guess I lied. I had every intention of finishing the pillow by those self-imposed deadlines, but it just didn't happen. I have no explanation, since it's not like I've finished the new Harry Potter book yet. (I'm getting there. I'm on Chapter 10. I've just been tired lately due to work-related stress.) I like self-imposed deadlines even if I know I won't meet them, basically because they're always in the back of my mind...and the longer it's been since the deadline came and went, the more likely I am to do whatever it is just so I can say it's done.

So I finished the Star Pillow...I mean...Patrick Star on Monday night...6 days after The Girl's birthday. No matter, since she's been carrying it all around the house and using it as a headrest in the car since she received it yesterday afternoon. (She wanted it yesterday morning, but I said HANDS OFF! until Serena could take some photos.)

Presenting....PATRICK STAR!!



Pattern: Star Pillow from Moda Dea
Yarn: Crystal Palace Deco-Ribbon Color 106 Black on red (2 balls) and Color 126 Kiwi on Lemon (1 ball)
Needles: U.S. 11 straights, Susan Bates, aluminum
Modifications: Besides using a different yarn and smaller needles than called for in the pattern, I began decreasing each diamond after 20 stitches instead of 26. (Good thing I did because I would have run out of yarn. I originally wanted 5 diamonds in each color, but obviously that did not happen.) Also, I didn't knit the button for the middle of the pillow (though that might've hidden some imperfections in my finishing) because The Girl does not want to use it as decoration but as an actual pillow, and I didn't think the button would be comfortable to lay on.

Overall, this was a fun and quick stash-busting project. I'd never used ribbon yarn before, and while the yarn is rather soft, it was a pain to knit at times. It kept twisting and folding in on itself, which I'm sure is normal, but I didn't feel like letting it untwist every other stitch. So I just knit the stitches as they lay, and I like the finished project. I'm not sure I'll ever use ribbon yarn again, though. The yarn was gifted to me last year as part of a shawl kit containing numerous novelty yarns, and I thought the yarns together were rather frightening. I do like them individually, so it's okay.

Although I've been knitting for almost 3 years, my finishing is a little rusty (probably because it's a rare occasion that an "On the Needles" project becomes a "Finally Finished Knit"). However, I notice my skills getting better as time goes on. At least I'm not embarrassed to show off the finished product!

Coming Soon: I'll be seeing my nieces and nephews next month when we go camping again, so expect the "On the Needles" list to expand temporarily. (I know, I added the Triceratops when no one was looking, but The Girl has been asking me to knit it forever...and I caved!) I've also created a gallery of "Finally Finished Knits" on the sidebar, and yesterday's photo session involved taking photos of a few things I've knit since I first picked up the needles in October 2004. I've completed a lot of knits since then, but most have been gifted or loved so much they are no longer photo-worthy. I'll be posting these projects very soon!



**Photos Copyright 2007 Serena M. Agusto-Cox**