FO: bunny lovey

Thanks for all the advice on the last post. I decided to knit the pattern as written, and beg/borrow another skein of the yarn. So that project is on hold, and I've just started a new sweater, so I've only a wee FO to show you.

Bunny Blanket Bunny, free (whee!) from Lion Brand.

I've given up on knitting anything big for babies, because the number of babies far exceeds my knitting speed. I thought a lovey (what a great word!) bunny, who can also absorb spit and throw-up like a dishcloth, would be appreciated. And fast. The pattern is super cool--kudos to the designer--because it is all in one piece, and the head is a sneaky slipped stitched pattern that all of a sudden one realizes makes a stuff-able pouch!

Yarn is Cotton Supreme from Universal Yarns, leftover from the bootylicious pixies.

Yay for small sweet things.

Algebraic and Aesthetic questions

This is a 3-part question.

There are a total 210 grams yarn. It will be difficult-to-impossible to get more yarn that will match.

Madeline Tosh Merino Light in Clematis

The sweater consists of Back (B), Left Front (F1), Right Front (F2), two sleeves (S) and Ruffle (R’) which wraps all the way around the bottom, fronts, and collar. S and R’ both contain short row ruffles which should be the same depth.

As Pink as a Rosebud, updated and re-released by Susan Crawford

The body, consisting of B + F1 + F2, has used up 101 grams of yarn.

(A) Is there enough yarn to complete the project? What is the yarn deficit?

B = 98 caston + [56 rows even] + [cast off 8 each end twice for armhole] + [armhole dec to 78 over 4 rows] + [even 82r ]+ [cast off 12 each end 4 times for shoulders] + 30 bindoff

   = 98 + [98 * 56] + [(98 * 1) + (90 * 1)] + [(82+78)*4/2]  + [78 * 82] + [78 + 66 + 54 + 42] + 30

   =98 + 5488 + 98 + 90 + 320 + 6396+ 78 + 66 + 54 + 42 + 31

B = 12760 stitches

F = 30 caston + [inc to 42 over 12 rows] + [inc to 50 over 16rows] + [29 rows even] + b[indoff 8] + [19 rows even] + [decrease to 24 over 36 rows] + [31 rows even] + [bind off 12 + 1 row even + bind off 12]

   = 30 + [(30 + 42) * 12 / 2] + [(42 + 50) * 16 / 2] + [50*29] + [50 *1] + [42 * 19] + [(42 + 24) * 36 / 2] + [24 * 31] + [24 + 12 + 12]

    =30 + 432 + 736 + 1450 + 50 + 798+1188+ 744+ 24 + 12 + 12

F = 5476 stitches

TOTAL knitted stitches

= 2 F + 1 B

= 2(5476) + 1(12760)

= 23712 stitches knitted so far

Find exchange rate from stitches to milligrams (use milligrams instead of grams to make easier)

Y = stitches per mg of yarn = 23712st/101000mg = .23477 st/mg

Stitches still required if knit as pattern written = (2S + R’)

S = {[nonruffle part]} + [ruffle short rows]

   = {[Increase 16 to 43 st over 34 rows] + [32 rows even ]+ [decrease 43 to 16 st over 34 rows]} + [short rows 15 stitches wide of 2 rows every 2 regular rows]

   = {[(16 + 43) * 34/2] + [43 x 32] + [(43 + 16) * 34/2]} + [ 2*15 * (16 + 17 + 16)]

   = 1003 + 1376 + 1003 + 510 + 480 + 510

S = 4852

Ruffle R' requires 264 repeats of R

R’ = 264 R

 R = {nonruffle part} + {ruffle short rows}

    = {30*2} + {15 * 2}

    = 60 + 30 

R = 90

R’ = 264 * 90 = 23760

2S + R’ = (2*4852 + 23760)

33462 Stitches still required if knitted as written

mg yarn required = 33462/Y

= 33462 (1 mg/.23477 st) =

= 142,539 mg yarn still required if knitted as written

142,539 mg exceeds the remaining yarn of 109,000mg. There is not enough yarn to finish the project as written. The yarn deficit is 33.5 grams.

(B) How much do the short-row ruffles need to be shortened (in depth, not length) to be able to complete the project with the available yarn?

Ruffle depth = Z
Remaining stitches available = X = 109000mg (.23477st/1mg) = 25590 stitches remaining

S = [nonruffle part] + [ruffle short rows]

             = [Increase 1 + Z to 18 + Z st over 34 rows] + [16 + Z *32 rows even] + decrease 16 + Z to 18 + Z st over 34 rows] + short rows Z stitches wide of 2 rows every 2 regular rows

   = 34(1+Z+18+Z)/2 + 32(16+Z) + 34(1+Z+18+Z)/2

   = 34 + 64Z + 612 + 512 + 32Z + 34 + 64Z + 612

   = 160Z + 1804

R’ = 264 R

R = (15+Z)*2 + Z * 2

= 30+2Z +2Z

=4Z+30

R’ = 264 * Z = 264(4Z+30)

R’ = 1056Z + 7920

X = 2S + R’

            = 2(160Z + 1804) + 1056Z + 7920

            = 360Z + 3608 + 1056Z + 7920

            = 1416Z + 11528

25590 = 1416Z + 11528

14062 = 1416Z

Z = 9.93

This project could be completed with the remaining yarn if the ruffle is decreased to 9-10 stitches wide.

(C) Now for the hard part: Will this sweater look loserish if the ruffle is decreased by 30%, from 15 stitches to 10 stitches wide?

Even in a copy of a picture of a reprint of a copy of the original vintage pattern, the sweater looks nicer than the modern version. It probably has to do with the corset underneath. Hmm.

What should I do? Knit the ruffles shorter and block them out as much as possible? Put the project on hold and try to find more yarn? Stripe with a slightly different yarn? Something else?

Answers welcome!

PS: This is for all those people who said that algebra wasn't useful in real life, and also for all the people who say there is no art to knitting

LYS: Taos Fiber Arts (New Mexico 2012 part 4 of 4)

Happy March! I got way behind on these so this is the last of the posts about the New Mexico trip.

Another delightful yarn/fiberarts shop in Taos was Taos Fiber Arts, in this cute little adobe abode.

Most of their yarn is hand-spun and hand-dyed. Check out this great loom/spinning wheel combo! With matching stool!

The focus seems to be more on weaving and felting rather than knitting. Look at these wonderful handmade woven rugs/tapestries!

And a lot of the stuff for sale is of the felted variety. They have classes in needle felting, which seems like an excellent opportunity to work out any hitherto-suppressed aggression.

While a lot of felted stuff is super cute, I think that needle felting, like crochet, has a very steep slope from chic-to-holymackerel.

 

The most local yarn there is rustic churro (the goat/sheep-like animal, not the cinnamon-y street snack) yarn, which isn't soft but seems warm, so I got a skein to make Cammy a(nother) cat bed. Because this bed (with the custom turd-like pillow) and this bed aren't enough.

  

All in all, this was a great trip, knitting-wise and everything-wise. What a beautiful area! This has been a ridiculously warm winter in St Louis, so it was a treat to see some real snow.

 

PS for the knitters: yarn porn, from La Lana Wools, which arrived a while ago but I didn't get to wind and photograph until now

DK mixture of yarn and silk

 

Worsted wool in variegated green. Funny, I thought I had purchased the yellow and wished I'd bought the green! So it was a delightful surprise when I opened the package.

 

Yummers.