Pattern: Clapotis from Knitty
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease (86% acrylic, 10% wool, 4% rayon), Red Sprinkles (2 balls)
Needles: U.S. 8 straights, Susan Bates, aluminum; U.S. 8 circulars, 32", Susan Bates, aluminum
Modifications: None
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease (86% acrylic, 10% wool, 4% rayon), Red Sprinkles (2 balls)
Needles: U.S. 8 straights, Susan Bates, aluminum; U.S. 8 circulars, 32", Susan Bates, aluminum
Modifications: None
Clapotis was one of the first things I knit for myself, and it is the biggest thing I've knit so far. I finished it in February 2006, when I was blogless. Now that I've jumped on the blogging bandwagon and have a place to chronicle my knitting journey, I can share some of my first knits and keep track of how far I've come and how far I still have to go.
This was a long, but fun, knit. It felt a little tedious at some points, but knowing I would soon get to drop some stitches (on purpose!) kept me going. (It also got much easier to knit when the light went on inside my head and told me I should switch to circular needles before my wrists collapsed under the weight of it all!)
I am not a yarn snob by any stretch of the imagination, so I didn't care that I wasn't using a "fancy" yarn. (I still have some Red Heart--gasp!--that I bought when I was learning how to knit, and I will come clean and admit that I still plan to use it. It does have its purposes. And if you know me well, you understand that I'm quite thrifty and try to minimize waste. So if I bought it, regardless of whether or not my tastes have changed since then, I will use it. I just won't buy truckloads more!) The Wool-Ease is fairly soft, and the wrap has been washed several times and still looks as good as the day I finished knitting it. I love the sprinkles of blue, yellow, and green (which are not visible in the pictures) and how they give the yarn some texture and break up the monotonous red (not that there's anything wrong with red).
Though it took quite awhile to finish, I love the look of the finished product and would definitely knit another--but I'll probably splurge on a "fancier" yarn. Other than my socks (you'll see those soon!), this is probably my favorite knit so far.
**Photos Copyright 2007 Serena M. Agusto-Cox**
9 comments:
That is gorgeous! I haven't done any projects that big yet, only small things, like socks and scarves, but I have been dying to do a big project. I like nice yarn too but some times you just need to be practical and be able to throw stuff in the wash. I like Plymouth Encore for all my acrylic needs. It costs a bit more but it seems a little softer too. If I were you, I would be dragging that thing with me everywhere, movies, work, library, everywhere!
Beautiful result! I love the color, and the shawl looks so cozy!
When I knit this pattern, I thought it got pretty tedious, but dropping the stitches was fun and brought the shawl to life.
Very nice!!
Barbara
www.wordknitter.com
Thanks for the compliments!
Bethany: I'll have to try Plymouth Encore. I've heard about it but never actually used it. This is a good pattern if you've never done anything big before. It's very easy, and the finished product is lovely.
Barbara: If it wasn't for the promise of dropping stitches, I think it would still be sitting in my knitting basket! But pushing through the "boring" parts was well worth it. I'm not sure that could be said for a lot of pattens, at least in my opinion.
you knitters...lol I cant even get the stitch to stay on the needle.
We'll have to sit down and try to teach you again. You have to get the slip knot down yo!
slip knot....ew i hate that band!
Yeah, but we like that other group the lead singer's in. Can't remember the name, but it's on my ipod.
Your Clapotis is very nice! And I so hear you on the thrift and acrylic issues. I quite like acrylic, especially for being eminently machine washable. All our LYSs in Singapore seem to stock nothing but expensive yarns and I, for one, would like easy access to some Red Heart LOL!
It's good to know I'm not the only one who doesn't mind acrylic. You talk to some knitters and acrylic is like a 4-letter word! Everyone has their own opinions and tastes, which is a good thing because otherwise the world would be a very boring place.
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