Thursday, March 31, 2011

Where are they now? - 2KCBWDAY4

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Whatever happened to your __________? Write about the fate of a past knitting project. Whether it be something that you crocheted or knitted for yourself or to give to another person. An item that lives with you or something which you sent off to charity.

Ooh, this is challenging. I could talk about some of the duds I've made, but I don't have pictures of most of those. For example, I made a Brea Bag for a good friend, B, and it turned out awful. I was going on a trip to visit B (and her sister A) and attend a conference, and I made a clutch for A, but didn't finish B's bag, so I brought it with me and finished it while I was there. Point of that ridiculous sentence is that I couldn't not give it to B when it was finished, because she'd seen it in progress, and her sister got a handknit as well. If it had been a one-off present for someone else that they hadn't seen beforehand, I would have frogged it and made something completely different. It's such a cute pattern, but my yarn choice wasn't great and I couldn't find a perfect handle, so I knit one, which was a bad idea. I have no idea where that bag is now, but hopefully it's not being seen regularly.

Or I could talk about shawls. I love shawls. They're beautiful, and a wonderful chance to use some of my fancy sock yarn. I've made some that turned out wonderful:

Moss & Ferns Shawl
The Good Doctor

Rosalie Multnomah
Rosalie Multnomah

Problem is, I almost never wear them. Oops. It's really only cold enough for wraps for a few months per year, and even then I feel awkward in them. I usually wear 'em bandanna style, with the point in the front and the ends wrapped around back and then tucked under the point. I can't do the "over the shoulders" look at all, not without feeling like a grandmother. But, since they are lovely, I have them on display in the apartment year-round, along with all my scarves.

What gets worn most often? The basics. My charcoal gray alpaca Odessa, black alpaca Multi-Directional Scarf, off-white wool scarf, and most of my blue socks. Both of my Clapotis scarves (purple and navy) get worn all the time. They are my default vacation scarves, because they can double as wraps if I'm cold and don't care about looking like a grandmother. My Sleekit Mitts live in my backpack and get worn in my cold office. As much as I love to buy and knit with bright colors, it's the sedate ones that get worn most often. Interesting!

One thing I love very much is when folks who have received non-dud handknits from me send photos of the items in use. This is especially great for baby knits, because pictures that include handknits and wee humans are the best!

I could go on more, but I am almost finished with my big swap project, and I'd love to finish it up this evening!  It will, I hope, be worn often by its recipient.

What handknit do you use most often?

2 comments:

  1. The blanket's I've made get used a lot. Don't have much by way of handknits, that I've kept. My mother-in-law wears the shawls I made quite often, though

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  2. Yay for gifted knits actually being worn! That's the best.

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