Quirky Bird Knits Lady's Mantle from Knitter's Mercantile - Done!

Finally Finished!  

Granted, it took twice as long to finish the last ball of this Yarn Hollow Brocade as I planned, but that’s not really the yarn’s fault, is it?

It’s a cozy piece.  Fluffy yet with an elegant drape--you could easily dress this up or down.  I’m very glad I added those extra inches, although I think if I had it to do all over again I’d get a third hank and keep the original neck-to-waist length.  Or close to it.  Too much and this would start to look like a poncho.

This is one of those accessories that calls for a stand-out closure.  I’ve got a few, but a new piece like this might demand some holiday shopping, and I’m ready to take on that challenge.  Maybe one of the JUL closures Knitter's Mercantile showcases, or just a statement pin.  I’ll let my inspiration strike me.

While I do love the colorway, I’m changing my mind about doing this in a solid.  It would be wonderfully versatile in a cream, black, or red, don’t you think?  The stitching would certainly be harder without the color change to help track the yarn-overs, but I expect if I paid enough attention I could pull it off.

Up next, we’ll hear from November’s Author Who Knits, and then you’ll join me for a dash through Denver that scores us some great chocolate and a clever little adorned knit bag.

Quirky Bird Knits Lady's Mantle from Knitter's Mercantile - Day 5

Survival Stitches?

I’m sitting here wondering if you have had the same experience as I have had as I watch the ongoing recovery stories of Superstorm Sandy.  The heart-wrenching photos of submerged homes and devastated neighborhoods can’t help but bring a wave of pity, an urge to help, a desire to do something to ease their pain.  Here in Illinois we know a thing or two about Mother Nature throwing a fit and taking out your subdivision.

It’s the human stories, however, that give me pause.  I hear tender stories of elderly couples and young mothers clinging to hope in Red Cross shelters.  Train-riding friends bemoan the absurd bus commutes forced upon them by a lack of rail lines.  All that waiting and coping, coping and waiting...

It had me ready to run to U-Haul, fill a van, and start driving east.  Not just with a load of food, batteries, blankets, and bottled water, but with needles and yarn.  Really, I heard a piece on NPR that had me nearly in tears, wanting to run to New Jersey and teach these people to knit.

Why?  Because I know how the wait-and-cope season of a disaster feels.  I know the bone-deep urge to do something--anything--only to know there is nothing yet to do.  Grief, loss, damage, wreckage...the sitting around involved is as hard to bear as the disaster itself.  And it is then, most especially then, that knitting keeps me alive and sane.  

It is progress when there is no progress to be had.  It the deeply gratifying act of creating something from nothing.  It is accomplishment, calm, connectivity, activity, sheer occupation to keep the frantic thoughts at bay. It’s everything that is my personal antidote for disaster, and I want someone else to have it, too. “Here,” I want to say, handing them yarn and needles, “this can help.  Let me show you how.”

DestiKNITters, has this happened to you? 

Quirky Bird Knits Lady's Mantle from Knitter's Mercantile - Day 3

Sub-goals and color helps...

I’m a big believer in sub-goals.  I love to break down large projects into a series of milestones.  It helps to keep me motivated, and gives me smaller celebrations along the way to my finish line.  And I do love to celebrate, so more celebrations are always better than less.

Some patterns hand you logical milestones.  Before attempting a DestiKNITions segment, I always break down the pattern into what I think will be the six most appropriate segments.  There are times when life loves to mess with my formula, as in the case of the infamous Amnesia Cowl...something I am living down even to this day.  Other times you have to build in your own checkpoints.  

Once you have the basic repeat down, there isn’t much but “full steam ahead” on this mantle.  So, given that I have two skeins of yarn to work with, I wound the skeins into four even balls so I’d have “mile markers” at 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 the way through the long stretch of similar knitting.  I love the sense of accomplishment I get when I reach the end of a ball and start a new one.

Another trick to this piece--or in this case it's simply a huge help--is the colorway.  Every other row you counting back two stitches to pass the slipped stitch over.  The nice thing about working with this yarn is that in almost all cases the slipped stitch you are passing over is a different color than the other stitches on your needle.  That helps tremendously.  This isn’t an easy pattern to TINK out when you mess up, so it’s important that you can “read” the stitches on your needle--between the different-colored slip stitch and the yarn-overs, you can usually figure out where you are and what your next stitch ought to be.

Notice I said “usually.”  I confess I’ve lost my place twice on this piece already and had to cobble together some quick fixes to keep my pattern on track.  Nobody’s perfect--least of all me.

Quirky Bird Knits Lady's Mantle from Knitter's Mercantile - Day 2

Whirled fleece...

It’s so fleecy! 

Really, there isn’t another way to describe it.  I work so often with spun, plied yarns that when I get my hands on something fluffy and fleecy like this it feels like I’m knitting clouds.  It’s the closest I’ll get to working with roving without stepping up to a spinning wheel.  And the stitches?  They’re sheer heaven--so much loft and not a hint of “the itchies.”

Despite the very long rows, things go quickly.  I won’t lie to you--it’s a LOT of purling, and when you’re not purling you’ve got to pay attention to your yarn-overs and your slipped stitches.  Still, there’s something to be said for long rows that require some brain power.  This would be downright mind-numbing if there was lots of garter stitch.  And I don’t think I’d care for this in a solid color yarn--you need the color change (more on how MUCH you need the color change later, by the way).

I chose to add a slip-stitch edge because I’m fond of the clean line that creates.  I confess the edges--switching from a two-stitch border to a three-stitch one--baffled me until I got a sense of how the repeats stacked up on top of each other.  It’s possible that my extending the garment is at the heart of that and you won’t have any trouble at all.

Still, I’m very pleased so far.  The texture is quite lovely and the color truly wonderful.  I think this one’s going to be a winner.

Quirky Bird Knits Lady's Mantle from Knitter's Mercantile - Day 1

Cope and Change...

Ah, there’s nothing like the thrill of casting on a new project...even if it’s a very long row of long-tail cast-on.  More stitches is just more chances to smile at the lovely yarn and the promise of a new shawl.

For me, part of the beauty of knitting is the customization.  At six feet, “one size fits all” hardly ever applies--even for accessories.  

As knitters, we get lots of choices once we select a pattern.  The obvious customization open to knitters is color.  If you’re fond of red or know you look ill in coral, you can make the garment of your choice in a color that suits you.  Texture is another element at the knitter’s command.  If you want that shawl to be a slice of silky, drapey heaven, you can make it so.  Or use a tweed and get a homespun look.  The very best patterns can give you completely different results just by swapping out the yarn.

Size is the prize for me.  I need just about everything longer than it comes, even a shawl like this.  Top down sweaters and toe up socks are easy--just keep going.  Even some scarves and shawls are a snap to adapt.  But you do have to be careful.  This shawl is knit end to end, so it wasn’t just a case of knitting more rows like our Multi-Textured Vest.  I had to make sure that I added the correct number of stitches to each row to keep the pattern intact.  And that isn’t always as simple as dividing the row by gage--you need to take the borders into account.  A quick email to the friendly ladies of Quirky Bird Knits informed me that I need to add my stitches in factors of three.  

I also needed to be aware that whatever I added in length would decrease the width if I only had the two skeins of Yarn Hollow Brocade to work with.  Broad-shouldered gal that I am, I added a fair bit of length to my mantle, so I’ll end up with a more narrow rectangle--which means my mantle won't go as far down my body.  I’m fine with that, but I’m glad to go into this with my eyes wide open.