Not too long ago, I reported that I had lost a half-finished project – the Match and Move Shawl by Martina Behm [Ravelry link]. Here is a progress photo of my shawl:
And here is the pattern photo:
This project has been a bit of a disaster from the start (no fault to Martina). The pattern has a unique shape, formed by having an initial section with increases on both sides, and a second section with increases on one side only. The pattern has a formula for weighing the yarn so that you know when to switch to Section 2. As I detailed in this post, I was on a business trip with no scale available and I kept blindly knitting along even when I suspected it was time to change. It was also apparent that if I had switched at the correct point, the shawl would have been too short.
So, I determined to buy another skein of yarn that would work with these three shades. I ordered one on-line, in the hopes that it would work, as detailed in this post, but then couldn’t find the shawl at all. I tore apart the house looking for it, to no avail. Well, I’m happy to say that I’ve found it! Where, you may ask, was it hiding? Why, right in with my stash yarn where I had searched multiple times! (Head thunk!) I’m also happy to report that I think the new yarn looks fantastic with the other three:
Now I just have to decide how much to rip back and how to incorporate the new colour. Before I decided to buy a new skein, I was trying to use up every available bit of the yarn I had, and I did a bunch of calculations on how many rows I could knit with each of the three shades before running out.
It was an interesting exercise, in which I tried to keep the ordering of green-pink-grey but vary the thickness of the stripes, in order to squeeze every possible bit of length out of the yarn I had. This led to me breaking the pattern up and knitting shorter blocks of colour, as you can see below:
One of the things I really like about this pattern is the big, bold stripes, however, so I think these narrower stripes will end up getting ripped out. And I will probably have to rip back a stripe or two (or three) in order to add in the new shade in a way that looks a bit more organic and less like I ran out of yarn.
I am so happy to have found the project, and also that the new yarn works so well with the others! Now, it’s back to my Vodka Lemonade (the cardi, not the drink!) which I am determined to finish before moving on to something else.
Oh well done for finding it. It’s so frustrating when things like that vanish for no reason! I like the new colour too. Hope it plays nicely from now on.
So happy you found your UFO. I, too, have a monumental stash and know the reward of locating missing items. Regards, Maryann
I can’t believe you found it!!!! That is so awesome. Now, finish it before it gets away again.
Glad it has been found. I am sure the knitting gods moved you in some spiritual way to it’s location 🙂 And why not treat yourself to a vodka lemonade anyway, in celebration.
I wonder whether you’d get a way with just switching to purple now rather than continue to use the pink? Then at the end have another pink bit. I’d be tempted to get some colouring pencils out and drawing some options before I ripped out any stitches…just in case it isn’t essential.
Finding something that has been right in front of you happens to us all, even in normal times! The colours are lovely. Is there any way to introduce the new colour at each end? …. likely not. Enjoy finishing this elusive WIP!
So glad you found it! The new yarn really does look good with the current yarns 🙂 You are right, the big stripes do give the shawl a bold, graphic look, but the thinner ones look nice too! They give it a bit more liveliness, in a way. I will be interested to see the final result.
I can’t wait to see this!