Sunday 17 January 2010

First FO's of the decade

I finished 2 projects this week - quite an achievement for me.
First up, Pyroclastic socks from the latest Knitty. I used sock yarn from stash, obtained a couple of years ago when I joined the Yarn Yard sock club for a short time. The stitch pattern is relatively easy to memorise so the leg was no trouble at all to knit. On the first sock I got a bit confused with the movement of the stitch markers, so I had to frog when I realised I wasn't reducing the width of the pattern on the instep, but once I'd figured out exactly what I was doing, it flowed naturally. These socks have the EZ shaped sole which gives a lovely snug fit, and I changed the toe to star shaped which I find suits me better. If I'd change one thing, it'd be the choice of yarn - the stitch pattern has got a bit lost there. I think it'd be much better in a single colour, or a semi-solid. Other than that, I'm pleased with the result.

Next is the mini dress I started last summer with the intention of taking it on holiday. The pattern was in a supplement with Knitting magazine and the yarn is Bergere de France Coton 50. I had 8 balls of this languishing in the stash for about 6 years and I'm glad I finally broke it out. It's beautiful to knit with, very soft with good stitch definition, blocks well too. I made a couple of minor alterations - I cast on for the second size and decreased to the first size for a better fit, and also knit it a lot shorter than the pattern calls for, since the model was about 6 feet tall and the suggested size would probably have reached my ankles! Both have worked well and I'm really pleased with the result. I think it'll be good to wear on it's own or layered over a vest for spring/summer, but might also look nice over longer sleeves in colder weather.

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