Campanula

Campanula - Knitter's Magazine, Spring 2007, p. 62
Materials - 7 balls Karabella Yarns Vintage Cotton

This is my first serious lace project. There have been a couple of setbacks. I decided to knit the body in one piece, rather than three, but then didn't cast on enough stitches. Fortunately that didn't take me long to figure out. Then, when I got up to the foundation pattern for the lace work I forgot a yarn over at the very end of the row and so wound up one stitch short when I started the lace pattern. I have also discovered that I can't knit lace while tired, or while consuming any alcohol at all. I had almost finished the body up to the shaping when I discovered a mistake several pattern repeats back. I ripped back and fixed it. I have read about using life lines in lace knitting, but have not mastered that technique. Instead I rip back to one row before the one that I want to start knitting with and then pull that last row out one stitch at a time while inserting my needle back into the live stitches that I want to start knitting on.

Mitered Short-Row Capelet - Vogue Knitting Fall 2008

Materials - 8 skeins Prism Symphony (5 variegated, 3 solid); 80% Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% nylon;

I picked Thunderclap and Purple (107). I had to have the colors special ordered for me by Hanks Yarn and Fiber, a wonderful yarn shop.

I was drawn to the pattern by the unique construction - it appeals to the engineer in me. Unfortunately, when I completed the first panel there was a prominent bump at the miter corner. I checked the photo in the magazine and the bump was visible in all the panels. In my mind, a design flaw.

I pondered the construction for a couple of days and came up with a solution. The bump arose because of the purple yarn that forms the center of each panel. Until you get to the purple there are decreases every right side row. But there are no decreases in the two rows of purple - hence the bump. My solution is to switch to the purple one decrease early (2 rows). To make up for the fact that there were 2 fewer rows of the variegated yarn I added another short row to the purple, wrapping and turning every 12 stitches rather than 15. To make the mitered point cleaner I also combine the 3 center stitches on the final purl row.

Arles - Rowan Magazine #45

Materials - 5 balls of Rowan Calmer, 80% cotton, 20% polyester, 175m/50 g, 21 stitches and 30 rows, 5 mm needles

Of course I had to use purple. The yarn is very soft, but kind of mushy so the stitch definition isn't great.

I have to figure out the collar. I'm not sure if my nascent crochet skills are up to the challenge. I may do a beaded collar (knitted) instead.