Remember when I said that Tangled Yoke was on track? Yeah, well, Tangled Yoke jumped the track. After tinking 800 stitches, including crossovers and 1-to-5 increases, we needed some time apart, and you know how friendly that old Startitis can be. He’s a real hoot.
So out came the dpns (I’m a huge fan of the dpns), a ball of SWS in ‘Natural Denim,’ and 
an old ball of Red Heart Soft that’s been in the stash forever…and out came Fake Isle!
Now say what you want about Red Heart; I’ll be the first to agree that Super Saver is no fun. In fact, I have a few skiens left over from that knitted-toy-making phase I went through there for a while, and I think that’s about all I’d ever use Super Saver for. It does make nice, durable, washable toys…if you can stand to knit with it, that is.
But Soft is a totally different animal. While it’s still acrylic, it’s buttery acrylic. It is a bit splitty, but I honestly can’t complain too much about it. Plus, no itchies for me. I dig it.
I’ve used SWS before too. I made a drop stitch scarf for Sweetie’s sister for the holiday last year in the ‘Natural Plum’ colorway. She loved it, but it made my neck itch! Plus, the ladders had no interest in dropping on their own, so all 6 feet of dropped stitches had to be individually unraveled. It was lovely, though, and the yarn is very nice to work with.
But hats are different, especially when you have hair. A wool blend isn’t so itchy, at least for me, when it’s on my head. And, given that next week I’ll be a bit farther from the equator than I am right now, and it’s notably chillier up in those parts closer to the pole, I decided that the best way for Startitis and I to bond was with a hat.
The problem: I’ve never been all that grand at sizing hats, anyways. Throw Startitis into the mix and, well, we committed a cardinal error: no swatch.
She’s a bit snug. Who knew I had such a tremendous head?!?
This is also only my second attempt at Fair Isle (the first being a set of Endpaper Mitts that may, someday, be photographed); and the floats around the crown, while tidy, are probably a tad snugger than desirable. Hence the always funky ’nipple effect’ going on, too.
So, this Fake Isle is destined for the gifting, to someone with a noggin less bulbous than my own. Wow, at the rate I’m going in this quest to learn proper sizing, The Shrimp, my little niece, will have mountains of handknit castoffs. There have been some other mishaps…and chances are pretty good that more will come.
Maybe I’ll grab that other ball of SWS and craft some brilliant something else, or maybe I’ll find a pattern for that gorgeous tweedy bamboo blend and make Sweetie’s brother’s scarf.
Just maybe I’ll grab the Tangled Yoke and attempt to make friends again. I did have the goal of finishing it before the trip up north. I had some daydream of walking into a faraway yarn shop for some exotic fiber not commonly found in New England wearing a handknit beauty like Tangled Yoke. But, I’m down to 7 whole days before take-off, and I haven’t even found a set of buttons that I love yet.
I did get my happy flying pills yesterday, which is at least one thing done for this trip, since I am not a happy flyer. I still need to stock the ferret supplies for the weaselsitter, and find a winter coat.
Madori will not be happy that I’m gone, but she’ll have to deal with a week alone with her Grammie. She’ll be mad at me when I get back, though. She always is.
This artifact is, in fact, my digital camera. Circa 2000, this one-megapixel monster was cutting edge. Now…not so much.
So now, for the sake of posterity, here it is. The Somewhat Cowl, in all it’s crummily photographed glory, ready and waiting to be frogged for lack of a better home. I have some plans for the yarn…obviously that project won’t be for me, though.
I’ve never knit an Interweave pattern before, let alone deciphered an Interweave chart, so the first couple cable rows were tinked multiple times to the chorus of many a frustrated curse word from these Italian lips. But, no crises to speak of, and it’s on track now.
Now, we’ve reached that moment, the moment where it’s definately a sweater. The shape is coming together. It’s practically ready to be tried on.
They were rambunctious to say the least, thus no on-horseback photography. Big Sis, who rode Natalie, and I had our hands full, and both horses and humans were quite sweaty at the conclusion. Marquile resembled a saddle bronc there for a while, but by the end of the ride her head was set, she was nicely collected, and if not for her amply overweight belly, she was almost reminiscent of the blue-ribbon western pleasure show horse that she once was.
