an unexpected FO

Sometime in January or February I started a little shrug for Campbell. The pattern was Honey, out of the Rowan Purelife Kids Organic Cotton Collection book. She insisted on the same brown-ish color in the book, and I wanted to try knitting with the new Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Silk, so Honey was born.

And promptly put away.

The stitch pattern was obscure and un-intuitive. No chart was given (of course not, why would anyone want to read a chart and waste printing space???), which made it nearly impossible to keep the pattern aligned correctly when given vague directions to "cast on 16 sts at the beginning of the next 8 rows". I set the piece down about 1 ball in, way back in February, frustrated at the amount of brain power required and lured by more exciting and knittable projects.

Last week, fresh off the success of the 48-hour cardigan, I was motivated to pick up a few UFOs. Honey was one of them - it's been a while since I've knit something for Campbell and I thought, what the hay.

After an hour of struggling to piece the stitch pattern together from where I left off in February I decided this was WAY to much work for a child who has refused to wear my knits in the past, and frogged the SOB. Or atleast frogged it down to the garter border of the back. Here's what I did instead:

• Pattern: Honey, reincarnated. (Heavily modified from this book)
• Yarn: 3 balls Nashua Creative Focus Silk in Raw Umber, #1137

• Needles: border in size US4 (3,5mm) needles and pattern in size US9 (5,5mm) needles

I re-calculated all the numbers based on my gauge of the yo, k2tog stitch pattern on the bigger needles. Mostly, it came out pretty well given all the tinkering I did. I think the sleeves are a bit long and I had to block the stitch pattern wide open to make them wide enough, but who cares? She's actually wearing it!

Comments

[the craftivist]

love it! looks like the perfect gift for a few of my nieces!

also, where did you get the widget for "on the sticks" in your sidebar? i'd love to add something similar to my blog!

[leslie]

campbell is ADORABLE!
and so is honey!