FO: Ishbel

Pattern: Ishbel, from Ysolda’s Whimsical Little Knits
Yarn: Fleece Artist Somoko, about 3/4s of a skein
Needles: 4mm KP Options

I’d had Ishbel in my Rav queue for ages without being able to settle on a yarn, and I’d had the Somoko in my stash for ages without being able to settle on a pattern. Putting them together resulted in loveliness. Quickly-knitted loveliness, too–on and off the needles in just four evenings. Not bad for a slow-to-average knitter.

Somehow, despite using the recommended needle size & yarn weight, and despite the shawlette blocking out to a little larger than the pattern’s stated dimensions, I only used about 275-ish yards of yarn rather than the stated 330. Had I known (I had an inkling, but didn’t want to push my luck) that was going to be the case, I’d have knit the small stockinette and large lace rather than small for both. I’d've had more than enough.

I love the shape of it, how the ends curl up and drape around my shoulders better than a straight-edged triangular shawl. And it does drape beautifully; the silk in the yarn adds sheen and a touch of crispness, and the merino and kid mohair make for softness and strength. I’m perfectly willing to forgive it for knitting up more variegated than it looked in the skein, because it’s pretty, regardless.

… So what’s next? I’m not sure. Am pondering a cardigan, but I’ve lost quite a bit of weight over the past few months. I intend to keep losing, so garment sizing is still a bit of an issue. (The Carolyn cardigan I knit myself last November is hilariousy huge on me now; I may try to felt it down to my current size and wear it as a jacket. Also, the Taiyo shrug I started several months ago has been frogged because of fit problems.)

Hmm. Rather than fiddling with sizes, I may indulge in a smaller project–the temperature’s been steadily dropping over the past couple of weeks and I have a serious lack of knitted handwarmers.