Sunday, October 30, 2011

Hair of the Mo

I used to think mohair was from something called a "mo." It took me quite awhile (ie. up til a few years ago) to finally figure out that the yarn is made from the hair of an Angora goat. Not to be confused with angora wool, which is made from the fur of an Angora rabbit!

At any rate, I love this warm and fuzzy stuff!



The pattern is from Vogue Knitting 2010/2011, a standard-fitting pullover. It is written for a cowl neck, where the cowl is knit for 8 inches in rib, and sewn on separately to the neckline of the sweater. It is then supposed to be folded in half so that it ends up being 4 inches doubled. I thought I would not fold it, but let it lie in gentle soft folds instead. Turns out I got very bored at the 5 inch mark so I cast off, then sewed it onto the sweater. Unfortunately the single layer of fabric did not sit well, so I tried folding it to the inside. I was told by my teenaged daughter that it looked like the ruffle of a clown.

So I ditched the whole cowl idea and instead picked up 60 sts around the neck, worked about 5 rounds in rib, then cast off in pattern! This works for me.



Other modifications include omission of the patch pockets (they looked like hip pads on me), and I did not turn up the hem. The turning ridge is still present, but I have now decided that it is a "design element."



It's a perfect fall sweater. Details on ravelry!



Saturday, October 1, 2011

Happy Panda

A sweet surprise from my daughter, on my birthday last month.



Needle-felted love. And he's holding a piece of yam, I am told.
(A favourite veggie of mine)