I managed to finish up the purple poncho on Friday and it has been worn almost continuously throughout the weekend by our eldest daughter. It fell very squarely into the '6 balls required' field, meaning that I had about six inches of yarn left at the end - close call! Here she is in all her purple shimmeriness:
It was pretty difficult to get it to hang straight as in the pattern picture but we had a lot of fun trying.
Many thanks for the comments to the last entry about my denim dilemma. I have to 'fess up and say that I made a snap decision based on available yarn and have made a start on Picot. Here's progress so far:
Yes, that is an entire front (or back, both are identical). I've had a bad head-cold all weekend and didn't feel like moving around too much so this is what resulted. If all goes well with this one, I'm going with Vintage as my next denim project.
I've put the stitches for the neckline on a holder - pattern says to cast off 44 stitches and then pick up 44 stitches for the collar, which is stocking stitch for 13 rows, then a picot cast-off. Now, does anyone know of any horrible reason why I couldn't just use the 44 stitches straight off the holder? I'm just looking to make my life easier!
Posted by Anita at July 6, 2004 01:41 PMThat poncho is so wonderfully funky! I bet my niece would love to have something like that. Your daughter is going to be the envy of her friends.
I'm glad you decided to go with Picot. There's something about frilly hems and cuffs that I love right now. Plus, they're fun to knit. Can't wait to see this finished!
Posted by: Becky at July 6, 2004 04:50 PMi can't think of a reason - i often use live stitches instead of casting off. if you haven't seen it already polly (all tangled up) has a great list about rowan denim - things to know about it - such as definitely wash/dry it before seaming -and wash/dry some extra yarn to seam with!! hold on, i'll try to find the link for ya.
(wait, you must have seen it already right???) :)
The poncho is fab ! Looks great on your daughter.
No reason at all not to add the border to live stitches - well,none that I can think of.
Hope the cold goes soon.
Lovely purple poncho ! I am one of the host of demin people knit-along but I haven't cast on yet >< I think I need to hurry up to finish my linen drape cardi and start my Bomber immediately.
Posted by: Eva Shiu at July 7, 2004 06:18 AMI love the poncho!
The only reason I can think of that they ask you to cast off and then pick up the stitches is that a seam may make the collar lie down better than just trying to "bend" the knitted fabric if it is all in one piece? Does this make sense (I cant remember what the collar looks like for picot)
I'd probably just go with using the live stitches though if it were me, I'm all for making life easy.. Hope you're feeling better now.
Posted by: kerrie at July 7, 2004 10:44 AMWow, shimmery! I love it in all its purpliness.
Hope your head cold goes away pretty soon. Picot looks fabby and I can't wait for Vintage! Have you decided on the other color?
Posted by: MJ at July 8, 2004 04:29 PMI love the poncho! My daughter would love it as well. She has given me specific instructions as to what type of poncho to make, and it looks like your daughter's is perfect.
Posted by: Annie at July 8, 2004 10:10 PMThe pnocho's great Anita - very cool ! And Picot is coming along impressively fast. You make me feel slooooow ! Hope the cold's gone. I had one last week and it seems so unfair when you get a cold in summer.
Posted by: Heather at July 8, 2004 10:10 PMyour poncho looks great! your daughter looks like she is having so much fun with it. always a perk! as far as the neckline goes, i agree with kerrie. i took a finishing class where the shop owner told us never to work off live stitches for the neckline. this owner said live stitches resulted in stretchy sloppy necklines and bound-off stitches would contribute to a sturdier neater neckline. they may be why the book stated that. do I bind off for neckline? NOT if I can work off live stitches, lol! its just too easy not to work off live stitches. whenever a pattern read bind off on the neckline i just stick it on a holder in most cases.
great pattern choice by the way for your denim along. i really like that one.
Posted by: froggy at July 12, 2004 08:39 PM