The Deco Columns Throw

There is a family wedding coming up.  The groom is one of my favorite people in the world so I wanted to make something very special for this celebration.

I looked at a lot of patterns.....and swatched Umaro which I think is lovely.   It is.  Just not for the yarn I am using.    The Deco Columns Throw seems to be a great choice.

The stitch pattern is a six row repeat...just enough interest to keep from being dull but not so much that I can't work on it unless I am alone in a room with no stimulation.   So far, I am liking it a lot.

The project is living in one of my favorite knitting bags which was an great Etsy find.   This is one of those things that I coveted for quite awhile before I bought it.  The seamstress, who is in London, is very skilled and the workmanship in the bag is exquisite...and worth every penny that I paid for it.   Dolly, who is a great judge of knitting bags, has spent at least one day sleeping in the knitting bag, on the project.   As I know better than to wake a sleeping cat, those days not much knitting gets done.

Dolly helping with the knitting......not....

The bride is allergic to cats.   This project will be thoroughly washed before being given away.

At this point, I am still really enjoying this project and happily knitting along.    My goal is to finish it before I am heartily sick of it.

There are a couple of other projects going so that I can take breaks.   It keeps the fun alive.

The Magnolia Hat

The Magnolia Hat drew me in....it was lovely...the Cascade Highland Duo yarn looked so soft in the picture.....and the purple shade was delicious.......so I bought it.

Now, I had become a convert to reading charts.  Most of the time, I will choose the to follow the chart rather than to read the written instructions.  Most of the time, that is easier.  Not this time.  By the time I figured that out, I had taken parts of this hat in and out several times.   Here it is, finally, finished in its unblocked beauty.   I look forward to wearing it next winter.

What lesson have I learned?  Look at both the written directions and the charts.   Pick the version that works the best for where one's head is at the moment.  That will save time and much puzzlement.  Will I make this hat again?  Eventually, yes.  It is a lovely pattern...and will make a good gift.  This one is mine.

Swatching....it is a very good thing....

Swatching.   Not swatching is to dance with danger.  Unless I am very, very sure about what I am doing......like making yet another pair of Raggi socks....I swatch.  There is enough heartache in life without creating more on one's own.

Why I am I thinking about swatching?   I was going to make Jared Flood's beautiful Umaro pattern for a wedding gift.   It is beautiful.  I had a lot of yarn and did not have to buy it.  It was in Stash Mountain.   I swatched.  I swatched again.   I swatched....and swatched more.  I wanted to through the swatch right out the @#@$% door.  The poor swatch looked like the dog's dinner.   As I did not want to change yarns, I have changed the pattern.  

This swatching saved me from hours of wasted work.   The yarn looks lovely in the Deco Columns pattern and I am very, very happy.....