Finished: Clapotis

31Jan07

Pattern: Clapotis by Kate Gilbert, Knitty Winter 2004
Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Brown Berries (4 skeins)
Needles: US 8 Knit Picks Options 32″ circular
Modifications: Purled the to-be-dropped stitches instead of using stitch markers.

I was completely uninterested in this pattern for a full two years. Then it got chilly this month, and I realized the scarf I was wearing was one I made in the fall of 2004 and that it had definitely seen better days. Two and a half weeks after getting the yarn and starting the project, the weather seems to be warming up, but hopefully I’ll still be able to get some use out of this. It’s still pretty cold at the bus stop at 7:30 a.m., after all, regardless of the afternoon temperature.

While I really do like the finished product, the Malabrigo is more noteworthy than the pattern. I’d never used it before, and part of the reason I decided to make this project was an excuse to try the yarn. It is unbelievably soft, and the color is gorgeous. I ordered from Pureknits for the first time, just because they happened to have the colorway I wanted, and the yarn came unbelievably fast, despite the fact that they’re on the opposite coast. They also sent a sample of their bamboo yarn, which is softer than any of its counterparts that I’ve seen in yarn shops. I usually don’t get excited about online purchases, but I look forward to ordering from them again.

Anyway. I can’t say Clapotis was the most exciting pattern to knit. The twelve repeats for the straight section were gruelingly dull. Dropping the stitches helped keep me interested, but unfortunately the Malabrigo is so sticky that undoing the stitches was kind of time-consuming. I don’t mean to say it was a bad pattern at all; it was well-written and the bias construction was, well, more clever than anything else I’ve knit on the bias. Still, it’s not a project I’d want to make again – at least not in the full size – any time soon. This would perhaps be a good place to point out that I also have a naturally somber expression, to say the least, and my face in the picture above does not reflect how I feel about my Clapotis.

I still can’t really get over how lovely the yarn is. I just finished it today, and while the stitches are still pretty crisp-looking, the fabric already has a fuzzy halo to it. I imagine it must felt beautifully. I’d like to try their more solid colorways, too, since I’m generally not big on variegated yarn. A solid Clapotis just didn’t seem right to me, though.

Filed under: 2007 Finished Projects   |  3 Comments
Tags: Clapotis