Pattern: Lace Capelet
For: me
Yarn: 273 yds Malabrigo Lace in Lavanda / 192
Needles: US 10 Knit Picks Options
Inspired by: AShrillCaramel's version
Timeline: started 02.09.2009; finished 02.27.2009

Well, not much to report on this. The pattern was straightforward and it knit up really fast. I followed some other people's suggestion of casting on 140 sts, and it worked out well. I also knit additional decrease rounds on rounds 81 and 85. I would have finished it sooner, but I first bound off knit-wise, which ended up too tight. Then I did a sewn bind-off that was way too loose. Finally, I went ahead and redid the sewn bind-off so that it was tighter. I think it looks better now.

I really liked working with the Malabrigo Lace and enjoyed the subtle color shifts in the yarn. I think this will be great to toss over a tank top during the summer. If I had been paying attention, I probably would have made it so that there wasn't a disruption to the yarn-over pattern where the row began, but I was lazy. I don't think it's that big of a deal anyway. I probably should have knit another repeat before starting the decreases, but...yeah, lazy.

Pattern: Tapestry Cowl
For: me
Yarn: 147 yds Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Blue Green, 155 yds Spindle Cat Studio Handpainted Merino Wool Yarn in Olde Gold
Needles: Knit Picks Options and fixed circs in US 4/3.5 mm, US 3/3.25 mm, and US 1 1/2/2.5 mm
Timeline: started 12.29.2008; finished 02.14.2009

When I first saw this pattern, I knew I wanted to make this for myself. I also had a couple skeins of sock yarn that I thought would look good together. Normally, I wouldn't want to pay $5 for a cowl pattern, but I thought this pattern was pretty extraordinary. However, after purchasing the pattern I was blown away. The pattern is so well-written and has tons of useful information for double-knitting, including video tutorials. If anyone is thinking of buying this pattern, don't hesitate. It's fabulous. I would knit one of Pepperknit's patterns again in a heartbeat.

Before starting this cowl, I thought this might be the sort of project that takes months and months to complete. Seeing the pattern emerge helped this move along a lot more quickly. I've only double-knit one thing before and I didn't really know what I was doing. I decided to knit this continental and the suggestion in the pattern for continental knitters was awesome.

I knit the pattern as written aside from needle size choice. I had read that a lot of people had issues getting gauge, so I started out on US 4s instead of US 5s. I ended up going down another size to US 3s and finally down to US 1 1/2s. I didn't rip anything out, though. I just moved down in needle size as I went, which resulted in the bottom of the cowl being wider than the top, which I like. It seems to stay up on my face pretty well and I can't wait to try it out in the cold.

Pattern: Ogee Lace Skirt
For: me
Size: followed directions for the 43" waist
Yarn: ~303 yds Berroco Comfort in Dutch Teal
Needles: US 11 Denises for the skirt; US 2 / 2.75 mm metal DPNs for i-cord ties
Timeline: started 01.25.2009; finished 02.01.2009

This isn't exactly the best picture in the world, but whatever. It isn't exactly the time of year to wear this puppy in Chicago, so I may be updating this at some point in the future. I thought that the pattern was well-written and enjoyed working on it. It knit up really fast, too. The only changes I made were to go up a needle size, not bind off the three stitches that would eventually be one of the i-cord ties (so that I didn't have to pick up stitches later), and knit the i-cord on tiny needles. I'm really glad I knit the ties on very small needles, since they're nice and firm.

I'm pretty happy with how this turned out. I chose Comfort since I'm cheap and was surprised that it was pretty nice to work with. It wasn't as drapey as I wanted, so I ended up killing it by holding a wet cloth over it and pressing down with an iron. It hangs much more nicely now, and it really helped give me a bit more length (and width, which was fine) and open up the lace pattern. I made this to wear in Brazil next month, so I guess I'll see how much use I get out of it.