Sunday, November 8, 2015

Another Cowl...

Another item finished!  I finally finished my Sandy Cowl (that I call my Wine Cowl).  If you're curious why mine is longer than the one at the link above, you can see the modifications I made to the pattern on my project page.


It was so easy, it's ridiculous how long it took me to finish this cowl.   Mine is made with Knit Picks' Brava in the color Wine.   I love the color, but I'm not so sure now what I think of the yarn.  Earlier this year I finished an afghan using Knit Picks Brava and my overall review of that yarn was unfavorable.  I used the color silver in that blanket and that yarn was on the thin side of worsted and many skeins had knots and unevenly spun places - to the point of frustration and some serious waste.   This wine color was thicker (more what I'd expect in a worsted-weight yarn), and I didn't have many problems with knots.  It was actually a pleasure to crochet with. 

That said, in this cowl, I think this yarn produced a little too stiff of a fabric.   I'm curious how it may soften and even drape after I've washed and dried it.



The pattern was easy, but I had some trouble with the joins (getting them to look smooth and be invisible).  I'm not sure someone else would see my joins and notice the awkward seam.   But I see it.  And it bugs me - a little.  I'd  kind of like to try this again without creating a seam - instead crocheting each row round and round (without turning), and just ending when I'm done.  I don't know why it wouldn't work.  But I do think I'll find me some softer yarn if I decide to make this again.  The designer of this pattern used Lion Brand's Heartland yarn, and hers looks pretty drapey. 

That's about it.  I've been focusing lately on finishing some projects and for some reason that has slowed me down.  I guess it's not as exciting to plug away on WIPs as it is to start new projects. ;^)

Check out the Year of Projects thread on Ravely to see what other Yoppers are working on this week.






11 comments:

  1. Love the colour of your yarn, very Xmassy and I hope when you wash it you get the softness and drape your after. Yes I guess working on WIP's is no where near as exciting as starting a new project but I love seeing wip's become FO's and ticking them off a list has a certain satisfaction that can't be found in a starting project.

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    1. Thank you, Ruth. It's funny I've been drawn toward reds lately. I'd never thought of it before, but I wonder if my draw to certain colors is seasonal.

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  2. Such a beautiful cowl and love that classy red.

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  3. Love the color!!! Such a beautiful accessory! Try washing it with hair conditioner - I always do it with my projects and they bloom afterwards!

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    1. I will give this a try, Alina. Thank you for the suggestion!

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  4. That cowl is a beauty. the color and stitch go well together.

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  5. Lovely cowl, I'm glad you didn't have the same issues with the yarn and I'm sure it will soften on washing.

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  6. I feel the same way about the Brava. I went to use it in my scrapghan as I'd been using Red Heart worsted and it was more like a DK.....softer but not as thick so I decided not to use it. I would not consider it a worsted weight in looks or in using it. I do love your cowl though and that color. It turned out gorgeous. The color with that pattern is really the prettiest cowl Iv'e seen. Great job!

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