Thursday, April 28, 2016

verdigris

My latest finish has popped up here a few times in progress since I started it in January. I've been knitting fairly monogamously on this for the last month or so because I really wanted to wear it! As proof, I cast off and only waited a couple of days to weave in all the ends. Unheard of :)


Thankfully I say this about most of my projects, but I'm really pleased with how it turned out (which I take as a sign that I'm doing something right with my choices!). It's not a complicated pattern, but the little daubs of color, the asymmetric design, and the wonderful opportunity to play with colors makes this a high impact piece.


I like to learn new things, so a lot of the appeal for me when I chose this pattern was figuring out how the dashed stripes of color worked. Once I got past the first few sets of stripes and got the hang of it, I admit I got a little bored especially as the rows of garter stitch got longer and longer. But there was a background color change to look forward to, and then before I knew it I was done. There is something to be said about a dependable project you can put down and pick up in the middle of anything, so 'boring' is in no way a value judgement. It's a lovely pattern that I'd recommend to garter stitch enthusiasts that want to branch out.


I switched up the color order a bit and played yarn chicken with the brown in the last set of stripes. Turns out I lost, but I actually like that I ended up using three colors in that set instead of just two. I love the colors individually and together. Green is one of my favorites and I can't decide if I like the light or dark shade the best. I'm leaning towards the darker one. The addition of some leftovers of small quantity that had been hanging around the stash was especially satisfying. All of this yarn, with the exception of the brown, was purchased at Nine Rubies over time. Sadly, they've recently closed their doors so I'll think of this project as a bit of a farewell to them.


I was lazy and didn't block before I wore and I think it's going to be ok without. All of my other garter stitch projects have ended up re-squishing themselves up anyway and it seemed like a shame to wait another day to wrap it around my neck. When thinking up a name I settled on Verdigris because the mixture of colors reminds me of the patina that copper gets as it ages. Google it, you'll see.


Pattern: Moonraker by Melanie Berg (my Ravelry project page)
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock in 'Lettuce' and 'Fresco Y Seco', Baah! La Jolla in 'Maldives', & Anzula Squishy in 'Sexy'
Needles: US Size 6, my fancy Addi turbos I bought at Knit, Purl