A lost week or more

The day after my trip to the Jay County Fiber Fest and Spin In, my throat caught fire. I've been virtually comatose ever since with the worst head cold I have had in years (thanks, g'daughter!) This past Monday, I finally felt well enough to take a short walk around the nabe. Tuesday I made it to yoga - the forward folds made my ears pop. Today I managed a little yardwork. I would have been more worried about the duration of this illness, but the g'daughter's pediatrician said something to my daughter about this year's cold virus being particularly long lasting.

The good news is, when I wasn't binge-watching "Nurse Jackie", I was binge-knitting the poncho with no name. Despite my inability to count, the first two panels came together perfectly.

For the Best Innovation of the Year, I nominate Clover Wonder Clips. I have tried all sorts of other methods to hold two pieces of handknit fiber together for seaming, but nothing works as well as these clips. AND they are much easier to see than straight pins.

The i-cord seaming was tedious but inspired. Since the stitches on the edge of the fabric had been slipped, there is a slipped stitch for every two rows. I worked the slipped stitch into the i-cord with one pass, then created an i-cord row without the slipped stitches.

In other words: Cast on 2 stitches; k1, slip 1, pick up the stitch from each piece of fabric through both loops, k through all the stitches; pass over slipped stitch; slide stitches to other end of needle; * k2; pick up stitch from each piece of fabric through both loops; slide stitches to other end of needle; k1, slip 1, k through all the picked up stitches, pass over slipped stitch; slip stitches to other end of needle; repeat from *. Got it?

Because of my counting mishap, I am wary of getting the second side panel to line up as well as the first. Each side panel has short rows across the top, to provide some shaping. I really, really, REALLY want the poncho to be symmetrical.

Working the i-cord and pinstriping require I sit at a table, which taxes my scoliotic back. After a certain point, these tasks cannot be avoided, though. Onward!

Decisions, decisions

The self-designed poncho has hit a snag: seed stitch and stockinette stitch have different row gauges. I was hoping to join the center panel (seed stitch) with the side panels (a wide rib in stockinette) using i-cord. Since I slipped the first stitch of each row on both pieces, I knit a row of i-cord with stitches picked up from the edges of each piece, then knit a row of i-cord without picking up stitches from the edges. If I want to ease the two pieces together, I will have to skip more stitches on the stockinette side, which I'm not sure I want to do. However, if I abandon the wide rib, I also abandon the pinstriping I was planning for the purl columns.

This problem is a good lesson in how one design decision can affect subsequent design decisions. It is also a good reason for taking a self-designed project one step at a time. Ideally, I should have made some kind of mini-poncho with swatches, to see if my ideas would work. At least I checked after knitting the first side panel instead of forging ahead and knitting all four, and THEN discovering they would not play well with the center ones. In fact, I should knit that mini-poncho NOW, before I make any decisions about the current state of affairs.

At least my transportable project is going well.

The Jollyville colorway has narrower stripes than the other xmas colorways I've worked with, which adds to the fun.

Why couldn't I design a HAT?!?

For several years, I have wanted to knit myself a poncho. If I voiced that wish out loud, it usually brought quizzical looks. Then this season, ponchos began appearing in department stores. Although I doubted I could get one knitted before winter's end, I embarked on this journey.

First, I pulled out a pattern from my Ravelry queue, then bought the required amount of yarn. Given the size of a poncho, I went economical and purchased Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool, in Oak Tweed, on sale. Only later did I realize the "tweed" would not work with the big fat cables of my desired poncho, as the stitch definition is non-existent. That's when I veered into design-it-yourself territory.

One advantage of DIY knitting is if I don't like something, I can change it up. Unfortunately, that is a disadvantage as well, as I keep second guessing my design decisions. Currently, the poncho has three panels, front and back, with the center ones in seed stitch. The side panels are 5x1 ribbing, with the plan to pinstripe the purl columns in contrasting yarn. During a brief period of insanity, I considered switching from the wide rib to a lattice stitch, but swatching again revealed that lack of stitch definition.

Why panels? For one thing, I think sewing them together will provide some "backbone" to the fabric, hopefully preventing too much stretching. Also, I can knit the panels on straight needles, which I find easier when having to purl much. The width of the poncho will be elbow-to-elbow, with each "sleeve" ending in ribbed cuffs, like the original pattern. The back will be a bit longer than the front.

Another plan is to use i-cord in contrasting color for edging and for the seams. We'll see how that goes. The front center panel includes short-row shaping for the neckline. I'm debating on either a cowl collar or a hood.

Oddly enough, as the design was taking shape in my head, my daughter showed up with a store-bought poncho that greatly mimicked what I had in mind, purchased for about $20 at the mall. *sigh* But mine will be better, warmer, and a work of art (I tell myself).

Meanwhile, I'm slogging along, wondering why I couldn't be inspired to knit something smaller. Thank goodness for books on CD.

Another detour

My daughter put out a call for doll clothes, so I could not resist whipping up this poncho out of leftover yarn.

Pattern: 18 Inch Doll Poncho
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, colorways 340027 (blue) and 340202 (light blue)
Needles: US4
Modifications: None. Instructions for a jogless color change found here.

Now back to our regularly scheduled knitting.