2021-10-11

EOB (end of ball) 1: One ball of UW Handpaint yielded 27 squares … taking note of that for future reference.

What’s next? A few things …

• Since my gauge is 18 sts instead of 14 sts, I’ll do more repeats.
• I’m actually playing with the idea of turning this into a poncho, since the fabric really invites itself to just that.
• I only had one ball of the Cider, but I have ‘one of each’ of the other colors. At least two other colors will go well. I’ll plan to “separate” the colors with a solid and found a blue in my stash that I think will do the job (Denim). So … let’s do that one row of blue next, and then I’ll proceed with some Sangria …

20211016

Half of the poncho is done.

A few notes:

• Each Handpaint color is separated by one full row of Denim. Since the yarn runs out in the middle of a row, I decided to add a zigzag to ensure a full separation between colors. That zigzag happens at different places, since the yarn runs out at different places.
• I got 26 squares out of the ball of Sangria.
• I decided that two Handpaint colors will mark the half way of the poncho. I worked the center 4 squares as triangles for the neck opening. Half way was on a right side tier. but I only had to slightly modify the triangle work.

Next:

• The next (and last) Handpaint color is Seabreeze. I don’t think I want to use the remaining Handpaint colors (Pin Lemonade, Daquiri, and Mojito) because they enter different color schemes. Instead, once the Seabreeze runs out, I’ll finish in solid Denim.
• For the next tier I’ll need to work 4 triangles first, that then can be integrated into the center, to complete the neck opening.

Casting on Triangles

For the neckline, I worked the “Bind-Off Tier” triangles for the center four squares, which also required to substitute the missing triangles for the next tier. (see photos)

Here is what I did (the next tier will be RS):

• With new yarn, cast on 1 sts. Work in rows.
• Knit.
• Kbf.
• Knit.
• Knit to last sts, kbf.
• Work last two rows until there are 13 sts on the needle. The last sts is the first sts of the next triangle.

Repeat for as many triangles as you need (I did 4 for my project).

For the last triangle, just knit the last sts so that you end with 12 sts on the last triangle.

Integrate these triangles in the next tier.

Working Decreases

Do the following to decrease blocks along the sides:

• At the beginning of a Tier, do not work the ‘First Block’. Instead, bind off 11 sts of the first block on the left needle. You will have one sts on the right needle.
• On the first ‘Repeat Block’, pick up only 11 sts along the selvage edge of the block below, skipping the first garter ridge. The remaining stitch from the bind-off will serve as the 12th sts for this block.
• Continue to work ‘Repeat Blocks’ as needed.
• At the end of a Tier, do not work the ‘Last Block’. It will automatically form a smooth, decreasing edging.

20211020 Final Stretch

I’m on the final stretch … The original plan was to just finish in Denim, but it is “a lot of dark solid”, so I’m planning on using one more of the Handpaint colors to add a “stripe”, breaking up the solid.

The next Handpaint in line is 33303 Mojito. It has a brighter green and also introduces a light yellow into the mix, so I want to see the effect first, before I make a final decision on whether to make it part of the project.

Otherwise I’m happy with the progress and looking forward to the last square!

20211022 Off the Needles

The poncho is off the needles and I’m pleased.

The one row of Mojito does well in breaking up the solid Denim, in my opinion. And looking at the poncho all spread out, the colors seem to present an imaginary transition from fall to winter.

The poncho can be worn four ways, depending on how you fold the square (see picture), and each way has a different expression. I think at the moment I like “D” the best, because it shows the fall to winter transition.

Next chapter: The neck opening.
With the given gauge and fabric stretch, the current total width of the neck opening is too much. A few options come to mind:

• Put some pretty buttons one triangle away from the edge. This will leave interesting openings in addition to display pretty buttons.
• Sew more of the sides together, as much as needed. The benefit here is that it can be adjusted to any width desired.
• Work a turtleneck over the four center triangles (about 18” un-stretched). The remaining sides can either stay open, or be sewn together.

I want to try knitting the turtleneck and leave the sides open as “interesting design element”.

2021-10-26 All Done! (Finishing Notes)

A few notes on the final steps:

• For the turtleneck, starting at a side seam, I picked up about 3 sts in 4 rows around the neckline, for a total of 84 sts (the exact number is not very relevant).
• I knitted up the ball of Denim (I had only used it for 3 squares to finish the poncho). The length of the turtleneck is about 10”
• I worked garter in the round, which is one round knit, one round purl.
• I worked a stretchy bind-off so that the turtleneck smoothly adjusts. I bound off 3, then worked one extra stitch. (There’s actually a mini video for that, if you need it:https://www.berroco.com/learning-center/how-videos/how-work-stretchy-bind)

I decided to not leave any openings along the shoulders and closed the seams with simple whip stitch.

No fringes … I love fringes, but the poncho has already enough character the way it is.

Pictures were taken pre-blocking, so I expect the poncho to “grow” a bit when washed (it’s in the laundry machine right now).

I still have about 2/3 of the Mojito ball and will try to find out how to put it to good use …