WIP Weekend Report

So I am not very good with knitalongs but I think I will try to get the hang of reporting on my WIP. I really love looking at others progress during the creation process so I imagine that sooner or later someone will benefit from me showing mine. So one of my many resolutions will be to try and do this every (read: sometimes) weekend.

Knit Two Together Doctor's Bag

Here is the completed front panel of the Doctor's Bag. I have been wanting to knit this for ever since I got the book. This project, in fact, was the REASON for buying the book. Now I tried to knit this with Elann Peruvian Highland Chunky but the plied texture of the yarn detracted from the herringbone stitch pattern...plus I didn't like the color. Then I stumble upon Valley Yarn Berkshire from WEBS. This is really a great yarn that I will be using again. It is a 85% Wool, 15% Alpaca blend that just feels luscious AND it is inexpensive which is what I wanted in a yarn intended to be a bag. Below you can see a close up of the fiber. It does have the tendency to little white fibers come out but nothing to detract from its quality.

Rebecca 27 Apricot Jacket (a.k.a. Apricot Jacke in German)

You might remember this yarn as the recently retired Marnie sweater. I just couldn't deal with all the gaping holes created with the pattern on size 7 needles. So when I started thinking of the Apricot Jacket as a substitute (since GGH Java and GGH Samoa are very similar in gauge) I knew I would have a problem with the requested size 8 needles called for in the pattern. So I swatched..

Size 8 on left, size 7 on right

Here are the swatches that were made to test out the pattern gauge. Now I got gauge using the requested size 8 needles but to me it looked horrible! I couldn't be consistent with the 8 and cotton is very unforgiving when it comes to poor stitch tension.

Look at all those visible rows..yucky yucky yucky

So I swatched on 7's which gave me a better look but not exact gauge.

It was slightly under the 4" mark but bigger than the 3.75" mark. Now I am not shaped like the wonderful model for this jacket so messing with gauge may be my downfall, but for this I will take the chance..famous last words. I think it suits the yarn, suits my desire of difficulty, and gives me incentive to diet...All bases covered.

So here is my progress so far

Back Panel: past the ribbing and on to the eyelets

I am heavily dependent on those who came before me as the pattern for this jacket is harder than deciphering the Di Vinci Code! This also marks my divide from the knitting monogamy I normally have. TWO PROJECTS...blasphemy for me, normality for true knitters. I am one with the multi-knitters.