Wednesday, May 28, 2014

FO: Hanami.

Started: April 5, 2014

Finished: May 23, 2014

Yarn/yardage used: Skaska Designs 50/50 Merino & Silk, about 600 yards (I still have over half a skein left).

Beads: 24 size 8/0 ice-blue silver-lined beads left over from the Nouveau Beaded Capelet.

Beaded cast-on: Surprisingly fiddly. I couldn't manage to get the beads consistently showing on the right side.

This project was difficult for me. I'm not sure why. It's a lace pattern, which I love, using yarn that I love, on sharp slick lace needles that I love. Maybe it was the unmemorizable pattern. Maybe it was the fact that it was rectangular. Maybe it was the time limit, or that I had sset myself a strict goal of sixteen rows every day.

I finished knitting a full week behind schedule, though still well before it was actually needed. It sat for a few days before I bought another set of blocking boards and borrowed blocking wires from Amy.

On the day I finished, which was also Bandit's and my third anniversary, I gave myself permission to buy more yarn and start new projects, as a reward. Given that just a few weeks ago I was saying I needed to cut down on the number of WIPs in order to feel better... that may have been slightly counterproductive.

I do feel a lot better now that this is off the needles. I might even grow to like it now that I'm not responsible for knitting it anymore.

19 comments:

  1. I know what you mean. I just inexplicable get turned off a project or just suddenly stop knitting altogether. It's really beautiful, though! I'm glad you finished it. :)

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    1. I'm glad I managed to finish too! I don't often get hit with a case of knitting aversion, especially on lace, so it was quite baffling.

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  2. Oh how I feel you :) I'm feeling so much better now that I don't *have* to knit 2 pairs of socks each month.. and all of the sudden, I've finished two pairs of socks.. I think your hanami really turned out beautifully too! Great job :)

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    1. Nothing like the feeling of imposed obligation to turn a hobby into a chore, right? Your socks are lovely, and I'm glad they're now cooperating :)

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  3. I have coveted one of these for ages. I love it! I am a but intimidated by a pattern that I can't memorize though.

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    1. Yeah, it was not very fun bringing a small packet of chart printouts around with me. The basketweave half is a 32-row repeat (half of these being purl rows) so if you put in a great deal of effort it might be memorizable? The blossom half went by much faster for me.

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  4. This is sooooo beautiful. The color, the knitting, everything!

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    1. Thank you very much! The FO is growing on me, even if the knitting process was a bit grueling.

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  5. It's so beautiful. I really love the color and the beads are a perfect touch. I understand about not wanting to work on something anymore. Have a little of that going on right now myself, to my chagrin.

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    1. Thank you! It's pretty frustrating to have crafter's block - I hope you work through yours soon!

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  6. That is gorgeous! I've always admired that pattern but it does seem like it would be a bear to knit.

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    1. Thank you! It's not really technically challenging, but it does require a chunk of commitment, especially if one doesn't already knit lace for fun all the time.

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  7. This is gorgeous! I'm so happy you stuck with it to finish it!! When I can whittle my WIPs down to a manageable number, I plan to cast on!! Looking forward to seeing your next WIP you bought yarn for as a "reward" love it!

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    1. Thank you! I hope you enjoy knitting it!

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  8. It's gorgeous! I have a love/hate relationship with lace. On the one hand I love casting on pretty lace shawls, but on the other hand I usually hate them by the time I finished 1/10 of the knitting. Kudos for finishing such a big project so quickly!

    ps: Sometimes I also reward myself for finishing a sweater by buying yarn for a new sweater. Veeery counterproductive if you wanna cut down your stash :D

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    1. Counterproductive for cutting down stash, but at least good for keeping the knitting train rolling! I do love lace, and I've started casting on sweaters recently, but casting on is definitely much more fun than finishing. Lace doesn't usually have this much of an "ugh how do I slog through" factor for me once the shiny newness wears off.

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  9. Hanami! Aww lovely :) Our spring has pretty much passed here, but it does remind me of sitting under trees with flower petals and BBQ-ing in Japan.

    That is a really cool pattern, I like how the pattern cascades from order to some chaos. That is a great combo of pattern + name!

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    1. I really liked the name and the story behind it too! There's a page in the pattern explaining about the cherry-blossom-viewing tradition, and how that influenced the design elements. The recipient is part-Japanese, so I hoped it would touch a chord there.

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