Restitch - GO!!!

Restitch 2010 is now underway! The official kick-off has started. If you've not hit your thrift shop of choice, dark closet corner, relative's closet - now's the time to head there :) ... I got a start with my Looping Chalices hat and the Dripping Chalices scarf using the cold weather and no decent stuff in my yarn stash as an excuse :D .. worked for me heh .. umm let me define decent .. nothing that wasn't marled, swirled or black .. marled / swirled yarns have the nasty habit of losing your decorative stitches and I really didn't want to use black ... it's so hard to see to work with. So i frogged the sweater I bought at Value Village and balled it up for my hat and scarf.

Quick chat on the scarf .. Popsicle Scarf pattern on ravelry written by Purple Sage - it had just the right look to nicely compliment my Looping Chalices hat. It was a quick and easy knit to do, even tho I found it tedious at times, it was still super easy and quick to make .. the M1 and then dropping that stitch 7 rows later is a perfect change. This scarf is actually taller than me and I'm 5' 3". It's nice and warm - and the pattern allows it to be almost a reversible scarf.

For my first (well second ... third!) project I picked this gorgeous sweater from Drops Design - DROPS Jacket with cable and lace pattern and crochet triangle on back piece. I've always been a wee bit intimidated by their patterns, but was definitely taking the plunge! I just fell in love with this pattern and am itching to try it! I think even if I supremely goof it, it'll still look stunning .. LOL

A friend from work gave me a sweater that doesn't fit her boyfriend - unless he was a gorilla, and this man is NOT a gorilla. AWESOME!! Ooodles n ooodles of yarn there .. Gorgeous seafoam green worsted weight. Got to Knatter on Wednesday nite and had my balls of yarn all ready to go, pattern printed .. just had to do my test swatch and I was off .. heh .. so I thought. I did my first swatch with the 8s that the pattern calls for .. it was small .. so i jumped up a needle size to 9s ..that was small too **scratches heads ... thinks a bit .. hmmmmm The pattern calls for 2 strands of DK yarn with it being 12 wpi (worsted) and 17 sts / 4 in (also worsted). I'm generally a gauge knitter .. I did NOT want to go up to 10s .. not with YO and cables being in this pattern .. I had visions of my hoodie or NOT sweater skitter across my brain .. so I looked at the yarn .. Gina had a skein of worsted on the couch so I compared the strands .. well geeze o pete .. bloodyhell .. ** kicks the table .. rolls eyes Bet you already know what I saw and quickly figured out. Since the yarn was kinked from being knitted, it was alternately DK and worsted weight. **bangs head So this yarn in essense wasn't DK or worsted .. it was technically both. When I did my hat and scarf, it didn't matter what the gauge was, so I took no notice of it so to speak .. but gauge matters in this pattern ..

BUT

You knew there was a but .. there always is .. heheheheheheheheh ... Helene had found this site on steps to take when you buy a sweater from a thrift shop and the best way to get it unraveled and unkinked. While I had already read it, I didn't do the soak, fling and hang part of it . ... So that's my current step in my project ..

Oh the link?? Recycle Yarn from Thrift Store Sweater I'm half way thru my yarn and have pics and an adventure with it .. like you would expect anything else .. I'll be posting about that one later with my observations and finished 'yarn' :D Talk to you soon!