Saturday, September 12, 2009

Progress report - Pyramide and Pagode

Thank you so much for letting me join the group.

I've knit both Mermaid (color #7) and Solo (#1) in the past year. I started Blues last winter, but lost interest after proceeding 2/3 the way through both fronts. Now if I could figure out where I put the rest of the yarn....

I am seriously drooling over Donna (just released). Hoping that one of the merchants has the kits at Ally-Pally (National Knitting and Stitching Exhibition at Alexandra Palace, Oct 8-11) so that I can get a better idea of the color choices.

Currently on the needles is Pyramide




which now only needs the 7 neck rows and sewing together and -

Pagode, which is a long and sad tale. I purchased the kit in Denmark, oh must have been early to mid 90s. Instructions, of course were in Danish. I started the kit, wrong as it turns out, but made some changes because I just was not going to knit all that garter stitch. Obviously it became apparent that the drape was not right; plus the color combination did not thrill me. Putting it aside to marinate, I moved on to other projects.

Hauling it out of storage this spring, I found extensive moth damage. So much for all that lovely yarn, the planned frogging and re-knitting. The pattern had not, alas, under gone a magic transformation into English.

Having now knit two other HFs, being able to read a graph and the starting stitch counts (plus all those wonderful pictures of everyone's wonderful projects from Ravelry) I decided to do it my own way. Casting on a million stitches, I indulged in mindless knitting for weeks with replacement yarn in better colors (Harrisville shetland and some leftover HF) as a one piece project before hand cramps and brain death set in.

Admitting that I had too many projects on the needles, I pulled it out of hibernation about 15 days ago to restart from the inner burgundy stripe and got this far a week ago before going back to Pyramide and a couple of other projects -



This is the view from the back of the sweater. Knitting it in one piece has been an interesting challenge. I am now up to the sleeve shaping on the back and have only about 60 ridges to go.

Right. If I can find where the darker grey has decided to hide.

If anyone wants the details on how to do this as a one piece, I would be happy to share.

-Holly