Wrap it up

Fir and roses, every girl's dream.

So, remember how I started a wrap on Sunday that I needed to finish by Saturday? Done.

Back to basics
I wanted to knit a little somein' somein' to wear over my strappy little dress for my cousin-in-law's wedding. The Shetland Triangle Shawl from Wrap Style caught my eye at first. Even went so far as to get the book from the library (oh, how I love the library). Then I realized, oh yeah. Triangle shawl. So not me.

But what really got me all weak in the knees was the stitch pattern, and that I found in my Barbara Walker Treasury. So I figured, just wing it!

It's like that hallway in Poltergeist that gets longer, and longer, and longer...

Introducing the Stashmina
I wanted something almost pashmina-like: long enough to wrap around and toss over my shoulder, wide enough to cover from shoulder to elbow. I also wanted to knit it in a worsted weight to give it some heft. Since I had two skeins of Lambspun Prism, going double-stranded would fit the bill - and be a nice little stashbuster! Plus, since the skeins come in such monster yardage (565 yards!), I could go from beginning to end without having to join AND just knit knit knit until I ran out of yarn. Which I did.

The Fir Cone stitch pattern is VERY easy to memorize, but not so head-poundingly dull that you want to poke a DPN in your eye after the first 100 yards. It's a 16-row repeat, but you only have to memorize 2 rows - which in and of themselves are essentially the same, just from different starting points. So as not to detract from the Fir, I kept the border at just a simple garter stitch all around.

I'll have Fir Cone with a side of Garter, please.

I managed to finish it by Friday early evening, which gave me juuuuuust enough time to wash, pin, block, flip, re-pin, re-block and dry by Saturday late morning. Most of the back rack flattened out naturally, but a few nobbins had to be gently tugged straight. That, plus the endless pinning of the points, took some time.

While the side borders blocked out beautifully, they do have a tendency to curl in a bit after wearing (which you can tell in the top pic above). If I had to do it over again, I'd increase it to three or four stitches on each side instead of just two. Other than that, I love how it came out!

Gratuitous butt shot. Nice wrinkles, too.

It's just the size I wanted, and the silk content of the yarn helps keep it from being overly warm, making it perfect as an evening wrap. It took some power knitting on Friday to get it done in time, but well worth the effort!

Yaaarn
This was the same yarn I used for my Mini-Clapotis but in a *slightly* darker shade, and it's still fabulous. I haven't been a big fan of knitting double-stranded in the past, but with this yarn, no problem. Soft, silky smooth, no issues whatsoever. Well, maybe one. Okay, two.

Everyone's a comedian.

First, it bled quite a bit in the wash. There was an alarming level of green in the water when I pulled it out. However, it didn't seem to affect or fade the color of the final FO, so take that for what you will.

Second, it sheds. As you can see in Hubster's cheeky little pic above. I haven't noticed a significant amount of leave behind when I wear my Mini-Clap, so this may be due to the double-stranded aspect. And I imagine after another wash or two, that will diminish well enough.

That's a wrap (literally!)
I was quite dismayed when Saturday started out in the 80s, but as the sun went down, it chilled up nice and good and my Stashmina got quite a bit of use. I also LOVE how the Fir Cone pattern looks in worsted weight - it's amazing how much the weight of a yarn can affect the look of lace!

Knitting on deadline was a big fat PITA, though. I sadly had to push all other wips aside, and lay off the knitting for a few days to rest my hands when it was done. From now on, I really need to start projects on a timetable a little earlier. We'll see if I can remember that when the holidays come around.

Oh, and apparently, I need to get my legs in the sun because damn, they look downright ghostly.

Fir Cone Stashmina
Pattern: Not much of one, but my own
Yarn: Lambspun Prism in Long Peak Lichen
Needles: H&S rosewood, size 7
Mods: n/a
Lesson learned: To knit on deadline is a PITA, but to finish it, divine.