purlsandmurmers

Decadent Shell

Decadent Shell Cowl is done.

Photo of cowl collar sitting or flopping, depending on how you look at it, with the sweater flat on a table.  I have no idea how I will fold this.

Yarn:  Decadent Fibers Creme Puff, slightly less than 2 skeins

Pattern:  I used the pattern for the Anna Sleeveless cowl, sweater # 3, from Adrienne Vittadini book 17.  It wasn't the pattern I originally had in mind.  I was thinking of a sweater by Colinette for  a fitted funnel-neck shell.  But the day this idea took hold of me, I scoured the house for that pattern, upending boxes and drawers of patterns, and generally creating mayhem with little success.  I found this Vittadini pattern, which worked in a pinch.  It was the right basic shape after all, and happened to work out to the same gauge as the the Decadent Fibers yarn so I didn't have to do any math.

 

Of course, when I went to put the blocking board away, two days ago, there was the Colinette pattern I originally wanted sitting right where it was supposed to be, silently mocking me.

This sweater was worked from front to back in one continuous piece. 

The Vittadini pattern did not call for any kind of edge stitching or finishing at the armholes but I found that unattractive so I finished them as follows:

    Knit One Row; Purl One Row, Cast Off knitwise.

I like that finish much better.

As for the cowl, I decided a cowl was fine, and preferable to a funnel neck in this bulky of a yarn.  The Vittadini cowl is a big floppy thing, you knit around the neckline, increasingly evenly, knitting a bit and increasing again.  I didn't like this neckline and ripped it out.

I wanted a shaped cowl, that did not stand up too tall in the back, and fit close to the back neck, and then was fuller in the front. 

Here is what I ended up with:

The back neckline is on the right and does not stand up very high.  I increased the height and fullness of the front by adding a series of short rows to shape the cowl.  I really like the end result,  (photographed with less than stellar results in the hotel room mirror).

Decadent Shell Progress

The Decadent Fibers Shell is on the blocking board.  I finished it this morning sitting in my new chair looking out over the Hudson River.  It is much more humid today than the last couple of days and I could only barely make out the Catskills in the distance, but there was a fair amount of boat traffic, both commercial and pleasure, on the river.

Here it is pinned to the blocking board but not not yet fully straightened (notice the wavy nature of the rows of reverse stockinette.)  There is a thunderstorm rolling in and I wanted to be sure to get a photo while there is still enough light. 

When I wet this down the sink  looked like I had filled it with some kind of deep red Kool-aide, and although I did change the water a few times, hoping to get all the dye out,  the towel I used  was once pale peach and now looks kind of cherry colored.  I hope it comes out of the wash fine, and I hope my blocking board does not end up with a red stain. 

Notice the remnants of yarn.  I knit from both balls simultaneously, alternating rows, but they are not equal.  Obviously there was not exactly the same number of yards in each skein.  It is OK, the larger ball is the one with more purple, and this will be the best one to have near my face when the cowl is finished.

Crazy for wool.

Now what would possess a person, in the middle of a heat wave, where it is not only impossibly hot, but humid as well, to abandon the pleasures of knitting cool, sport-weight linen, and pick up wool on size 13 needles?

Tell me I am crazy.

I would whole-heartedly agree. 

The Decadent Fibers wool from last fall has come to life again, this time alternating balls in simple reverse stockinette stitch.  I am knitting a sleeveless cowl or turtle or funnel-neck.  I am not sure which yet because I am not sure about how close I will be cutting it with the yarn.  I have enough for the shell, and something leftover for the neckline, but I don't really know what yet.  I am knitting in one piece bottom up, around the shoulders and back down and am somewhere in the armhole shaping right now but have not yet gotten to the neck shaping.

That is enough.  I can return to the linen.

I think I just needed something fast and colorful, something where progress could be determined after minutes of knitting, not hours.