Potions OWL!!!! Potions OWL!!! sooo pretty!
Sept to Nov 2012

OOOOh… yarntopiatreasures.com to the rescue!

They helped me select colors and blending to create four different tonal colors for use with this pattern!

PennyIA
Gryffindor, BA2
Potions OWL
Option 1: Create something using multiple strands of yarn or fiber in the same object.
Project & Pattern: PennyIA Velvet Morning Velvet Morning
Sequence & Points of Consideration:

I am going to alter the sweater to be (almost) seamless, top-down using contiguous sleeve method as opposed to the seamed bottom up original directions. I will still knit and seam the collar on separately, so it won’t be entirely seamless. The reason I’m altering it, is because I find I am MUCH more likely to end up with a well fitting sweater using a top-down method. But, I really want the set-in sleeve look. I haven’t tried the contiguous sleeve method yet, but will be attempting a separate sweater for classes that is a simpler pattern to try it out in September. This also makes the pattern a little more challenging for me as I will be learning a new method to top-down seamless construction. My other challenge is preventing puckering in the stranding section. I find that at least 75% of my projects with stranding I still have tension issues. I can reduce them with determined focus, but that isn’t exactly my strong suit. For this sweater I might be finding myself frogging puckered sections to get the end result I’m looking for.

I am using size 4 needles for my swatch which got me to guage right off the shot (considering the pattern calls for an 8, I was surprised - but not that surprised as I am a notoriously loose knitter).

I did not include any buttons in my supplies because I have no intentions of adding buttons. I want to wear this sweater open and adding buttons just seems like an unnecessary step.

Proposed 50% mark: Finish the body from the top-down until the 2nd repeat of the pattern (past the waist) - includes two repeats of the ‘flowers’ before the vertical banding. Remaining work would be to work to the hem, knit the sleeves from the stopping point (at armholes), knit the collar and seam the collar to the sweater.

I hit the 50% mark on time… and thought I was ahead of the game. So I spent the last 9 days in October focusing on the homework assignment (that I wasn’t able to finish). Then November came around with the Hat Time Trials - tremendous fun, but that was another 7 days without working on the OWL. Then I was in a fugue of no-mojo for about six days post-Hat Trial… which cost me. I had eight hours of crafting time left to the month of November, and a minimum of ten hours left on the sweater. I chose to work a couple of homework assignments instead to maximize the time I did have left.

I’m picking this up post-Term though along with my Christmas Knitting and shouldn’t have any trouble finishing it for January 1, 2013 (WIPtheFirst).