Stickigt

Springy Lucky

Here it is, the finished Lucky. I don't know what happened - but it grew a lot between sewing in the last yarn end and trying it on for a midsummer night's photo session. Maybe I just shouldn't have centrifugated it? Can I shrink it back to the close-fitting wrap it used to be?

Sizing not considered, this is a summer wrap in disguise. It should be knitted in cotton. I chose wool instead. There are people who don't wear wool in summer. I am not one of them. Rowan 4 ply soft looks and feels like cotton, so no one will know but me. And other knitters.

About Lucky:

I will never knit something "sweet" and monochrome again. It is just too boring. I liked the yarn a lot, and that's it. Been there, done that.

I was surprised to find that although published in a book for relatively new knitters, the pattern gave no clues as to the best way of increasing and decreasing. Not many clues at all in fact. Hadn't it been for the very popular knitalong I wouldn't have managed the raglan recalculating or the only working way to sew the neckband to the body.

Almost all Lucky sewing done

Summer came to Stockholm today. Finally a perfect knitting afternoon on my shady balcony! But no knitting for me, made all sewing on Lucky instead. The mother of all knitting punishments is still left to knit: the neckband. Thought that it would be 2 metres long in yesterday´s post, was wrong. 158 cm will do. Lucky lucky me.

Virkigt

Mange takk till Renate för den mysiga sjalen jag fick idag! Och den lilla bonuskassen är perfekt för den allra minsta stickningen - typ 2 m framkant (13 m bred) till Lucky som strax ska påbörjas.

Lucky : the last steps

Things are actually moving on with Lucky. This is in fact my only work in progress, so the opposite would be kind of awkward. I did my raglan recalculating last night. It took one ale, one hour and some proof-reading by DH. My God, I should take math lessons. Or knit more.

The back and right front are finished. The left front will be tonight. I am combining knitting at warp speed (which causes some night pains in my left hand) with one fine piece of audiobook: Angels and demons by Dan Brown read by a Swedish actor named Johan Rabaeus. He's taking his job as entertainer very seriously and has worked out many different Central European accents for all the Bad Guys the hero encounters. Really Bad Guys gets asthmatic coughs as well. Just to make sure.

So is Lucky totally forgotten?

I began knitting something completely pink a week ago, so Lucky has been a bit neglected. Lucky for me though, a KAL participant posted her sleeve adjustments on her blog, so I will try to follow her instructions for a slightly wider sleeve at the armhole. I have also decided not to use designer Melissa's sleeves at all. Since the body of the wrap is cropped, I want the sleeves to be fitted too. So my sleeves will be narrow at the wrists and widest at the armhole - like most sleeves. And full length. No wrist-showing-off here. This is the first sleeve. The back and fronts are on hold at armhole height in case I have to recalculate a bit later on. My row gauge is in fact a bit off.

Lucky progress report

I knit on nothing else but Lucky at the moment. I am having a profound knitting experience with Rowan 4 ply soft in combination with ebony needles. The feel of it is super. And I would say that the fabric is quite springy and not at all wool-like... The colour is perhaps a bit moody, but that's what I wear normally. I knit everyday on my 20 minute subway ride to and from work in central Stockholm. So this is my progress since April 2nd. The back is awaiting armhole shaping. I have never recalculated raglan sleeves before, so if designer Melissa is willing to do it for me, I'll wait.

Lucky start

I got gauge with 3 mm ebony needles. So I'm off. Lucky will be my most non-glamorous web project so far. It's not very blog-friendly with pictures of grey lace materia in various lenghts. So watch closely this time. (And yes - that's an orange sofa underneath.)

I have read all posts on the KAL blog on sizing difficulties for this wrap. All things considered I chose medium again. I made a severe mistake in knitting a medium Rosedale earlier, but this garment is only 50 cm long or so, so my behind won't have anything to do with it.

Unlucky

I am swatching for Lucky clover lace wrap, hereafter named Lucky. But things aren't working out between me and the needles. I now have to choose between way to many stitches to the inch or way to few. Or maybe another swatch - this time with 3 mm ebony needles?

Lucky is supposed to be my knitting for spring. The yarn is 100% merino Rowan 4 ply soft, colour Sooty. I just hate knitting with cotton, so wool it has to be.