This might just teach me for being cocky…
in my last post I was all proud saying how well it was all going. I’d done 2 pattern repeats and all was looking great. Since then I’ve done another 2 bringing me up to 4 in total.
As I was knitting the 3rd I kept looking at my ball and going mmmm I don’t think I’m going to have enough to do the 21 and a half repeats called for in the pattern, but it doesn’t matter, mine will just be a little shorter. I have 2 skeins (they are the only 2 skeins of this colourway ever, can’t get any more no matter how much I beg) however many I get done in the first one I’ll remember and do that many in the 2nd.Â
Well I’ve done the 4th repeat, and I’m starting to get bad feelings, I just can’t quite see how to make this big enough. It’s 17 inches unblocked, and if I stretch it out it becomes 23 inches. Â The pattern calls for ~800 metres lace to light fingering weight yarn, I have 840m of light fingering yarn. The pictures below show what I’m on about, and how little yarn is left of the first skein. Loads of you are more experienced than I am, is this going to work, will I end up with something of a usable length when I block it properly, or should I stop now?
(PS I know needles aren’t usual blocking tools but I have no idea which box my pins are in, I improvised with the only sharp pointy things I could find!)
6 responses so far
I it supposed to be a scarf? if it is, I don´t think you will have enough yarn.
I think the color is beautiful! maybe make something else?
Sorry
Monica
It’s meant to be a wrap. this pattern says the unblocked final length is 56 inches, so at the end of one skein I should get to 28 inches.
Maybe this is going to be possible and I might just be a few inches short. There is quite a bit left in the ball, and it was centre pull so each round I pull out will longer than the last!
How much further do you think you’ll get on the first skein? (Looks like you have another 50 yards or so.)
Why don’t you figure out how long your finished scarf will be and then how long you can block / stretch it? My experience has been that, once washed, wool lace blocks even longer than expeced.
Once you’ve done all this. Simulate how the finshed scarf will work for you (use an existing scarf, a piece of fabric, whatever). You may be surprised.
We all tend to like a make long scarves but a nice shorter scarf is a nice accessory to wear unlooped to fill the neckline of a coat or to wear under a collar. I’d hate to see you abandoning all that nice lace when you might have something that you’ll love. I think its worth measuring the remaining yarn and doing all these calculations before you abandon this lovely lace.
Good luck!!!
I might see where I get to with the first skein, hopefully by then I’ll have found my pins and properly try and stretch it out.
It’s not going to be for me as the colour lovely though it is isn’t very me! It is part wool, so I am expecting quite a bit of stretch but having never done it before I’m not sure how much! According to pattern the final dimensions when blocked are 25X66 inches, and that was using Sea Silk, so this should grow even more.
Thanks for the reassurance.
Didn’t realize it was a wrap. I think you’ll make it - barely.
If this isn’t for you - maybe you’ll need to be creative when gifting it - think of someone more petite or a lovely little girl. OR…the wrap doesn’t need to be worn loose with ends flouncing - it can be wrapped around the shoulders and secured with a nice shawl pin. (That may work with a shorter wrap.)
For me, wool always stretches a bit more than expected when blocked. Maybe that will give you hope.
Let us know how this works out.
I didn’t realize it was a wrap either. Maybe you could wet the whole thing once you finish with one ball, to really know how long it”ll stretch. I read about halfway blocking somewhere, but haven’t done it yet
Good luck and keep us posted
Monica