1 July 2009
Cropped Tilted Duster
Materials: 4 balls of Rowan Felted Tweed (50% Merino Wool, 25% Alpaca, 25% Viscose) in SH 165; size 4 needles. Pattern: a heavily modified Tilted Duster (originally in Interweave Knits Fall 2007).
Time: 1 month.
Cost: $0. Thanks, Mom!
This yarn was a present from my mother. We both wandered into a yarn shop on vacation, and she decided that she wanted to buy me something for a project (I mean, not unlimited quantities of anything I wanted, but you know what I mean). This was a totally different method of yarn shopping from what I’m used to — I always meticulously research my purchases online, and am often ordering from Elann or Knitpicks or using a workhorse yarn from Cascade, so the idea of just… browsing and buying was mind-boggling. I eventually decided on some Rowan Felted Tweed for the cropped version of a duster that I had seen on Ravelry; Rowan yarns seemed very exotic and luxurious in my mind, and 4 balls was just enough for the project I wanted. Mom also provided input on my color choice, which was actually a good thing. She pointed out that I always make stuff in purple or gray (guilty as charged), so something like this light blue would present a nice change for me.
I was surprised, given that it’s Rowan and all, how hairy of a yarn this is when it’s worked up. I mean, it’s not as itchy as something like Peace Fleece, but — as I suppose is to be expected — the tweediness gives it a rustic character. And I loves me some tweediness; it gives this color a nice depth.
This sweater is also an example of the positive powers of Ravelry. I’m much more of a lurker than a poster (online as in life, heh), but it is so immensely useful to have a database of comments and photos on every yarn and pattern imaginable. I always consult it before starting a project, and in this case, I used other members’ modifications to make a cropped version of this; to be honest, the original is something I never would have made. I also re-sized the pattern to allow for the lighter-weight yarn, so a fair amount of math was performed. I did forget to calculate the number of stitches necessary for the ribbed edges, so you can imagine my surprise when, instead of a sporty and snug-fitting ribbing, I ended up with a floppy shawl-like effect. I actually kind of like it, though.
Ooh, I really like it! Very figure flattering, and a huge yarn/time savings (really, only 4 balls of Felted Tweed?) compared to the original. Nice work!
Caveat: 4 nearly entire balls of Felted Tweed. But that could be easily adjusted for by shortening the sleeves and narrowing / shortening the edging.
Cute! Good work.
Ravelry is an incredible resource. In fact, it has SO much information that I’m still trying to figure out how to keep from being completely overwhelmed by it all. When so many patterns have been made with countless different yarns, and when every yarn has what seems like equal numbers of lovers and haters, what is one to do? Especially when one is still learning and other than “cannot work with mohair”, doesn’t have much firsthand experience with fibers?
[...] responding to Nat’s excellent question in its own post, partially to give myself some room to ruminate and partially for future reference. [...]