Thursday, October 09, 2008

Am I Really That Versatile?

Okay, so I promised a little chat about Versatility.

When the new Knitty came out this month, as always, I looked through the sock patterns. Then I kinda clicked around on the other stuff too. I don't knit a lot of sweaters because they are big and if I want decent sweaters (which I do) I will have to spend a lot more on yarn. Not that I have a problem with that but it's not so much in the budgets right now. So, instead I knit socks in perpetuity. They require less yarn and are therefore cheaper to knit and provide endless hours of knitting entertainment.

Well, I happened to click on Versatility on the latest edition of Knitty. At first my thought was: What the HE11 is that?! Then I clicked away. But that image stuck in my head.

I would go do something else and *pop* there it would be, haunting my brain.

*pop* Hmm, Kinda like a stole. In bulky yarn though. I'm a bigger girl, I don't know if Bulky yarn is the way to go for me.

*pop* It could be a sweater style thing too though. Hmm, I could do that. It would change around. That would be nice.

*pop* A Shrug. I've been wanting to knit a shrug and this way, if I don't end up liking it as a shrug, I can wear it other ways and then I don't have a shrug that I won't wear.

*pop* Why don't I go and look up what size needles and how much yarn it takes.

*pop* Suddenly I find myself printing the pattern.

*pop* Then I'm searching for Yarn. Where do I go? Blue Moon Fiber Arts of course. I found something I liked: Icelandic in Valkyrie but I would need 2 skeins and at $30.00 apiece that would be $60. For something I wasn't sure about.

I took the pattern to my mom's to show her. She liked it too.

Then I went to the store with her. Just so she could drop off a roll of film. (Yeah, I know, she's old school.) I happened to wander into the craft section. That's where I found it.

Clearance Yarn.

Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick. In Charcoal Gray for...

$4.00/skein. That's right. Only $16.00 for the whole project.
The frugal knitter in me squealed with glee.
I managed to find 2 sets of 2 dyelots so I got four skeins in 2 dyelots so I'm alternating.

If I love the pattern as much as I **hope** I will, then I will probably still get the Blue Moon stuff and make another.

Meanwhile:
I did a gauge swatch immediately and cast it on moments later.
The pattern calls for size 10.5 needles. The yarn recommends 13s. I am using 11s. It's slightly wider but since I am "slightly wider" than the model in the pictures, I think that's okay.


This picture is more accurate color-wise. It's a really fast knit. I will probably make it a bit shorter than the pattern calls for as well because my wingspan is only about 64" and the pattern calls for 71. That would be kinda big.
Well, there it is, my new obsession. That I'm making myself stay away from. I have to finish that throw. Then, I will be able to knit obsessively on this.
The hive mind says:
Versatility, versatility, versatility.

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