Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Haruni

Thanks for all of your warm wishes and suggestions on where to find furniture and such.  I will definitely be checking out all of your suggestions!

Would you believe that I haven't knit a single stitch in almost a week?  Yep, it'll be a week tomorrow.  (That sounds like it deserves applause, but it doesn't).  It's not that I don't have things to knit, or don't have time to knit, it's just that I'm at home on my Spring break and, get this, I don't want to knit.

I would rather spend my time at home hanging out with my countless siblings, catching up with old friends, and being generally lazy around the house while I can.

I'm glad, then, that I waited to block my Haruni shawl until I got home, otherwise I would have already shown it to you and I wouldn't have anything to write about this week.


I knit this shawlette using The Plucky Knitter's Merino Cashmere Nylon Fingering yarn.  Her shop is currently empty, but she just posted on her blog that she'll be updating it tonight, so keep your eyes peeled.  This yarn is in the "Movin' On Out" colorway and I won it from a contest she was running on her blog a while back.

I knit a smaller size than the pattern indicates because I had less yardage than required, and I arbitrarily chose a US size 4 needle to knit with (it's what I had available when I started).  It came out to be a decent size, perfect to drape around your shoulders.

I gave this one to my mother because the last one I gave her (Collonade) was a bit scratchy and I thought she could use something a bit more comfortable.


I chose to go with the crochet bind-off (the pattern gives you the option to do an applied i-cord bind of as well), but I didn't use a crochet hook - I found it easier to just use my knitting needles.  What I did was with one stitch on the right needle, I would yarn over and pass the first stitch over the YO, then repeat several times to make a "crocheted" chain.  It was easier and faster for me to do and achieved the exact same results.

I ran into a bit of a snafu as I was blocking this piece.  It turns out I dropped a stitch at some point near the end of the shawl and when I stretch it out to block it, the stitch ran a bit.  No worries though, it's all fixed and you can't even tell where the accident occurred, but it still caught me off guard.  The only thing I could do at that point was some makeshift repairs which involved securing the dropped stitch with some spare yarn (a scrap from one of the ends I had woven in) and maybe a knot or two.  Seriously though, you can't tell.

And with that, I have one more project off the needles.

12 comments:

  1. It's lovely!

    Thank goodness you caught it before something horrible happened.

    And I think it's wonderful that you are totally relaxing and just hanging out. You have more than deserved it.

    xo

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  2. Holy crap I love that project. Everything about it. The color, the edging, the pattern. Everything. I'm going to go drool in my corner now.

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  3. Beautiful. Adding that to my queue!

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  4. It's gorgeous! And congrats! BTW, swabbing toilets as a self-employed house cleaner pays more than flipping burgers. When I didn't have a bed, I found (or made?) this big sack that I stuffed with hay (straw is bigger but cheaper). I don't recommend this. Lumpy, you know? But it did smell great.

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  5. The shawl looks amazing, enjoy your time with your family.

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  6. The yarn and pattern appear to go together really well. I have GOT to get my hands on some Plucky Knitter yarn! I hope that you are enjoying your spring break and your little vacation from knitting.

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  7. pretty!
    i get what you mean about not wanting to knit, i've noticed that when i'm at Uni i'll happilly knit through films,lectures and bus rides, but at home i might leave it for ages. apart from when it was ravelympics of corse, but i reckon most people were hopped up on crazy juice then. :)

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  8. It came out great! I love the colorway. Hope your mum loves it as well!

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  9. The dropped stitch in a lace piece happens to many a knitter. I've had problems a couple of times. Haruni is beautiful! You did a nice job and the color is stunning.

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  10. I checked Plucky's site this morning, and no surprise, it's all gone. Oh well. Maybe next time.

    Your Haruni is stunning. The color is awesome, and the lace really lets it shine.

    I'm glad you had a restful break. Only one more term to go!

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  11. I love the color, and it's beautiful. Here's a knowing chuckle on your advanced technique for choosing needle size. Heheh.

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  12. That is absolutely stunning--both the color and the execution.

    As for plying:

    The ply is set by wetting it and letting it dry. Most fibers have enough resilience to absorb considerable differences in twist. In Japanese embroidery, for example, all threads are hand-twisted. To make a tightly twisted thread, you under- and overply tightly. This thread is slightly bumpy. To make a smooth thread, you underply the singles, overply them, and then wet the resulting thread to set the twist.

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