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And one stitch back, or thereabouts, on the destashing front.
The Vital Statistics
Pattern: Icelandic Jacket by Leslie Stanfield from Adorable Crochet for Babies and Toddlers. Now all too often whenever a book proclaims itself to be 'adorable' or 'stylish' it is anything but. This is, thankfully, not one of those occasions. This pattern at least from the book is adorable.
Yarn: I chose this pattern in order to use up the Jo Sharp Soho Summer DK Cotton that I have had since the dawn of knitting time. The pattern necessitated me purchasing three additional colours, which turned out to be four more balls. While I have seen some Jo Sharp wools here in the US, I found that this particular cotton was quite hard to come by and ended up purchasing it on ebay and from others on Ravelry. Hence four more balls of the stuff because the Calico was a two-ball deal. So I used:
- 4.4 skeins in Cloudless (light blue)
- 0.6 skeins in Putty (light brown)
- 0.3 skeins in Calico (white)
- 0.3 skeins in Freesia (yellow/green)
From the five balls that I started with, I am left with not quite four balls remaining (and an adorable jacket).
Size: The pattern is written for only one size (6 months) but with a bit of crochet know-how I think that it could quite easily be re-sized. I see on Ravelry that someone has made an adult version.
Hook: 3.0 mm for edging, 3.5 mm (E) for body, 4.0 mm (G) for foundation chain.
Start to finish: 16 February to 1 March 2010 - crochet is fast.
Recycle/stash content: Well, I really did try but as far as making a dent in the stash, I only reduced it by one ball.
Comments: This is a great pattern, I just love it. I made it from cotton instead of wool so that will have changed how structured it is. I can't wait to make another one from wool to see the difference. I also crocheted the lower fronts and back all in one piece (the pattern calls to divide below the yoke and have side seams but I didn't think this necessary). I also think that all but one of the underarm gusset increase rows (being the one with four increases at the edges) could be worked in a single row.
The sleeves could also be crocheted in the round but I didn't do this as it would have made the fabric of the sleeves slightly different from that of the rest of the garment (when you work crochet back and forth you see back and front of the stitch on alternating rows; when you work in the round you see only the front of the stitch every row).
Only one other hint - when placing the top-most button hole, place it just below the neckline because you then crochet three more rows. If you place it any lower, it will be too low once those rows are done. I bought my metal buttons from The Weaving Works; next time I might try wooden as the book suggests. Oh and one more, I always like to use a slightly larger hook to make my foundation chain to ensure that it is loose enough.
Verdict: If I were to make as many of these as I would like to, we may just have to move to Iceland. I'm extremely happy with the result and it really is adorable.
Also known as a freesia.
After ordering it on 6 February, the final ball of Jo Sharp Soho Summer DK Cotton that I was waiting for arrived in the mail yesterday. It came from Philadelphia, by ground, so perhaps that accounted for the hold up, snow storms and all.
The final colour was freesia, that yellow-green. I was a bit concerned that it wouldn't fit with the rest of the colour scheme for the Icelandic Jacket but I have completed the yoke now and I am absolutely delighted with it. It's not often that I have that 'this-is-what-I-will-knit-for-the-rest-of-my-life' feeling (or crochet, as the case may be). But I've got it now.
I'm thinking through my stash at all the different things I could try this with - Shetland wool, assorted worsted weights, what size would it come out if knit in 4ply? - and all the possible colour combinations of course - ah, this must be the lure of colourwork. Super easy in crochet because although you are effectively crocheting stripes, the different heights of stitches and crocheting into gaps creates colour sequences. I'm even thinking of some variations ... I really could be doing this forever.
In the last couple of days, in an attempt to use up some stash, I have managed to acquire five new balls of yarn. I have had some Jo Sharp Soho Summer DK Cotton in colourway Cloudless (at left) since days of yore, or at least since very early in my knitting career; it could well be one of my first stashed yarns. I bought it before I understood gauge and it wasn't a great colour for me anyway. I have since used it to knit a child's jumper and perhaps some other oddments.
The desire to use it led me to the Icelandic Jacket (centre) which requires three extra colours, only one of which I am counting amongst my new five (Calico on the right). Thoughts of crochet led me to the Bergamot jacket which led me to a yarn store (or two) in search of the pattern book and some hooks and basically at this stage, all was lost.
In my wanderings I managed to pick up (left to right) a ball of Rowan Revive in colourway Ironstone, Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Peridot, Rowan Lima in Lima and Rowan Felted Tweed in Camel. They are all curiosity purchases, the first two as possibilities for Bergamot, the second two as options for Tim's Great Garment of 2010 (TGG10). I'll swatch them up and probably end up knitting four more baby hats.
Bergamot isn't looking too hopeful though. Thank you so much for all the colour suggestions - navy, grey, oatmeal, cream - all of which, alas, are contraindicative to this being a project for me; as lovely as I think that Bergamot would be in any of those shades they are not ones that I can wear. A rich plum on the other hand, lovely on me but I can't see Bergamot in it. Perhaps we are an ill-fated pairing, this project and I?
ps. The other two Soho Summer shades are still in transit, otherwise it would have been seven.
Is it possible for a pattern to just infiltrate your brain? When I need some knitting supplies (mostly needles or to check out books) I like to go to The Weaving Works in the U-District of Seattle. And every time I walk in the door, my eye is caught by a poster for the Rowan Purelife range. And that poster features this cardigan/jacket - Bergamot.
At first I didn't like it. Then I found it quite interesting. And now, well I'm thinking about what yarn I might make it from.
I'm in a crochet frame of mind at the moment as I am planning to make the Icelandic Jacket (Ravelry link) from Adorable Crochet for Babies and Toddlers by Lesley Stanfield. I am hoping to use up some Jo Sharp Soho Summer DK Cotton that I have had forever. This got me to thinking about crochet jackets, got me to thinking specifically about this one.
Thing is, this is one of those patterns that I find it difficult to imagine in any colourway other than that presented by the yarn company and this yellow/tan is not something that I could/would ever wear. But it seems to need something in a neutral shade - is that perhaps the styling of the whole thing? Am I mad?
Or perhaps I've just been drinking too much Earl Grey tea lately.
And one stitch back, or thereabouts, on the destashing front.
