Happy Friday! I've finished a gift, but my feelings are mixed.
 |
| The Sanguine Gryphon Bugga, colorway Fierce Snake |
This is the
Tumult cowl from Hunter Hammersen's awesome little
Rabble Rousers collection of accessories. The stitch pattern was pretty fun and simple to work, though I'm not sad to see the last of twisted stitches for a little while. I made it to match
my mom's cuffs. I think they make a pretty little set. However, I'm not thrilled with the fit of the cowl.
 |
| Too tall... too squished... folded over sorta works? |
Hunter mentioned that the stitch pattern stretched a lot after blocking... and my
swatch did, but the
cowl... not so much. The thing about twisted stitches is when you put a lot together like that, they really do tighten things up and the fabric does some funny things. I wanted the lovely draped styling of the cowl in the pattern photo:
 |
| Copyright Hunter Hammersen |
But that didn't happen. For one, I had to go hunting to see what size the sample was... which I hate. It's one of my pattern pet peeves. I understand wanting flexibility in patterns and it's great to encourage knitters to think for themselves, but I like some baseline information. What size is pictured and also how many repeats did you knit to get that height? Yes, swatches and math will let you figure it out for yourself, but 1) swatches lie and 2) I still want to know how tall yours is. Don't get me wrong, Hunter is one of my absolute favorite designers: I love her aesthetic, her yarn choices, and her patterns are clearly written. Those little sizing things just bug me.
 |
| It's still pretty, though! |
Speaking of yarn choices: going back to the pattern page just now I realized Hunter used a 65% wool/35% silk blend yarn for her cowl. That would explain the lovely drap! My yarn was 70% wool/20% cashmere/10% nylon. Bugga has a little bit of drape to it, but not usually much when knit on size 4 needles. Oh well... It's still wearable, just not what I was going for. I'll get the next one!
Sorry it's not what you hoped for. I think it's still lovely! You did a great job :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lisa! :)
DeleteIt is pretty. I think the one you made is more functional, so that's the way I'd roll, but I understand you were going for more drapey.......in future, if you ask questions in Hunter's ravelry group, you can get advice from her or someone else that has knit the cowl and maybe not have regrets. But, I like it. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a good idea! I was rushing along trying to finish by my mom's birthday and didn't even think of asking.
DeleteOh I'm sorry you're not happier with the cowl. It's so pretty.
ReplyDeleteIt's alright, thank you!
DeleteOh darn, it is really frustrating with things like this happen. The photos of you wearing it are rather comical, I know I've made those exact expressions before when my knitting has gone crazy! The silk content in the pictured cowl would definitely explain the big difference though.
ReplyDeletehaha yeah... should've checked what yarn she used beforehand!
DeleteIt is pretty... is there no possibility of blocking and stretching it a bit? I'm sure it wouldn't be the same as she has it in her photo, but it might be a happy middle ground. :-D
ReplyDeleteI stretched it as much as it would feasibly go but thanks for the suggestion!
DeleteOh that is a shame...But it's still very pretty! Great colour. Maybe you can wear it as a funky bandana?
ReplyDeleteI love the color, too. I think it works well folded down over itself, should be doubly warm that way at least!
DeleteSilk typically grows with washing and after it stretches, it stays stretched. So I think the fiber blend had a lot to do with the final fit. I love that "too tall" picture though.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to add to your pet peeve list of patterns not talking about the sample's size. I detest when a sweater's size is given, but there is nothing on the model's measurements or what kind of ease was given. Thank Bob for ravelry and all the help you can get there.
True! It's so helpful to have all the baseline data for making your own decisions/modifications.
DeleteI totally know your feeling, when it really turned out nice but you jut don't like it. I do think it looks lovely and at least you know what to do next time!
ReplyDelete