FO: Brilliant Retro...

It's missing the snaps but I'll call it finished.



Pattern: Brilliant Retro by Teva Durham (Interweave Knits Winter 2005)
Yarn: Patons Brilliant in "crystal cream"; 6.5 skeins
Needles: US5/3.75mm Addi Turbos
Time: 1.5 months

Notes:

It's finally done! While this cardi is pretty and sparkly, it's probably one of the more boring projects I've worked on. I think the combination of small gauge, lots of stockinette and ribbing, and a plain shape made it so.

After working on several projects requiring mods (and one without a pattern), it's nice to be able to knit straight from a pattern and not think about it. Normally I'm not into shiny materials, but I ended up using the yarn called for in the pattern because it was on clearance and I really liked the cream color. It reminds me of champagne when knit up. The fabric is actually nicer than I expected considering the metallic thread in it, but the yarn can be annoying to work with. The ends frayed easily so I had to tie a knot at the beginning and end of each skein. When I went back to weave in ends, I took some sewing thread and sewed up the ends to help prevent fraying over time.

The pattern description wasn't kidding when it said the cardi was close-fitting. I made a size larger and the arms are still skin-tight while the body is a touch looser than snug (this might be due to the ribbing in the back).



I also have no idea why I have so much of this yarn left over. I used less than what the *smallest size* called for even though I did not make the smallest size. I'm guessing the designer overestimates the requirements, but I wonder if part of it is just me since I always have an extra skein when I finish a garment.

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Not much new knitting to get done. I'm re-doing a sweater I knit for Mom last year that ended up too big. However, I did get some new goodies--the KnitPicks Options set.


The shiny, pointy tip and the join.

I bought a bunch of Addis in smaller sizes while in the UK as they are way cheaper than in the States (about £3 compared to $15-20 here) and got spoiled used to them. When I had an opportunity to use my Denise needles again, they just didn't feel right anymore. But since Addis are so expensive, I decided to give the Options set a try. They are very similar to Addis but not quite the same. They do feel slightly heavier but not really noticeable. I like the pointy tips and the cords feel the same although I might just be crazy but I think the Addis' cords are still more flexible. My other concern with the Options is that the thread (where the needles and cords are screwed together) will wear out over time. It's still a great deal, though.