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Monday, October 26, 2009

Soft, Blue, and Twisted

Thank goodness for fall sunshine over the weekend that finally allowed me to photograph this project in a way befitting it.


Pattern: Koolhaas by Jared Flood
Yarn: Intention Yarns, 100% pure local wool, colorway Family, less than one skein
Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) and US 8 (5.0 mm) Knit Picks Options
Started/Completed: October 14/October 18
Mods: none

When I received this yarn, I knew it would be perfect for a Koolhaas of my own (you may remember that I made one last year as a gift). The yarn was a softly spun, slightly felted singles yarn, heavy worsted weight, in a blue/purple colorway with a few hints of pink. The full skein was 200 yards, so I had plenty for my hat and have a fair amount left over. It knit up very much like Malabrigo, although it's not as soft.

My only complaint about the yarn was that it turned my fingers a little blue as I knit with it. A fair amount of blue dye did come out in the blocking wash; I'm hoping that it was just excess that wasn't rinsed very well. I'll have to play around with the hat for a bit to see if there's still blue rubbing off before I wear it. If there is, it will be getting another bath with some vinegar.

I really enjoyed the pattern the second time around and found it a little faster to execute. I still screwed up the first round of the decreases (which I'm pretty sure I did the first time, too) and had to tink back a bit, but once I got past that minor hiccup, it was smooth sailing. I love how smoothly the design flows into the decreases at the top of the hat. It's a very architectural look, which isn't surprising, considering the design's namesake.

I'm definitely planning on knitting this again. In fact, I think it might make a very cute baby hat done in fingering weight.

If there aren't enough cable twists for you in my hat, how about a comlpeted pair of baby socks?


These are my usual pattern, with cable twists just like my socks and made from the leftovers with size 0/2.0 mm needles. They were started last Thursday and finished on Saturday, easy peasy. We officially have family socks!

7 comments:

  1. Beautiful Koolhaas! You should wear that when you bring Rainbow home from the hospital to fully realize the "intention" of the yarn. :)

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  2. pretty koolhaas! i should make one for rob (after all, he IS the architect) but i just haven't gotten around to it. and your baby will be the best footed baby in the land!

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  3. I should give Koolhaas a try at some point, but I'm afraid it might give me cloning anemone's flashbacks. Nice hat, and the Rainbow socks look great!

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  4. That hat is so pretty! Love the socks too.

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  5. I have admired Koolhaas for a long time and the Malabrigo makes an absolutely gorgeous pairing! Of course, knitting with Malabrigo is like knitting with a little bit of heaven. :)

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  6. Your Koolhaas turned out gorgeous! I finished my first one last week and loved the pattern!

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  7. P.S. And Rainbow's matching socks are adorable!

    P.P.S. My verification word is "sphooti". Which is a sound I imagine Rainbow will make many, many times. ;)

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