The Clapotis Saga!

I had a 3-day weekend a few weeks back on account of local elections! So, I decided to finish something on the knitting front for a change. If you've been following my blog, you would've noticed that it's been a few months since I posted about a finished yarny object! ;-) So, without much ado, I will present my bright and vibrant clapotis here! My ravelry notes for this project says that I started it on Feb 26,2009 and I completed it on Nov 24th,2009. I knit one half of it in the 3-day weekend. So technically, I should've knit this in 6 days whereas I took 9 months to complete it! Gaahh!!



It is a mindless pattern..very logical.. appeals to the geek in me! ;-) It was my go-to project between complex lace projects! Its perfect for watching a F.R.I.E.N.D.S. or a Grey's Anatomy marathon! I will not say I enjoyed knitting it as much as I enjoy the finished wrap! I've been knitting it on and off for the past 9 months! I sincerely admire people who have knit their 'umpteenth' clapotis! They can give Socrates a lesson in patience!




I thought the yarn was DK-weight when I started the wrap.Along the way, I realized that its worsted weight.I am still a yarn-illiterate! The yarn is soft for a acrylic/wool blend and provides instant warmth when wrapped in it. The color is bright and delicious! It reminds me of ripe papaya!



I used 4 skeins of the yarn: 1 skein for the set-up rows, 2 for the 'straight' rows and 1 for the decrease rows. The wrap is knit on a bias, by increasing from point to the desired width, then keeping the stitch count constant by increasing on one end and decreasing on the other end in alternate rows, and finally, decreasing after the desired length is reached. A very logical pattern but, mega tedious!



This wrap makes for an interesting subject for a photo-op! I kinda went camera-crazy and clicked quite a few snaps! I love the play of light through the dropped stitches! Unfortunately, I am hard-pressed for space in my balcony and I don't have any natural props to take better pictures! SO, I had to made do with my clothesline in the balcony! See.. this is what I mean..



I used the only 4mm circular knitting needle I had for this wrap and it was completely monopolized for 9 whole months. Everytime I needed the 4mm needle, I will knit a few rows on this urging the wrap to near completion soon. I know that if I put the unfinished wrap on a stitch-holder, it will never see completion in this life.. ;-) The only thing that kept me going on with this project was the look of the finished object!



The yarn has a light fuzz about it which makes dropping the stitches a pain! some day, when I forget just how tedious it is to make a clapotis, I will make this again with a silky yarn! The wrap curls a lot and the edge is not properly defined giving it a rustic look. I wanted to do a crochet edging with beads to add drape to the wrap but unfortunately, I didn't have enough yarn. I had exactly 2 inches of yarn left after I knit the last stitch. Nothing like yarn-shortage to make this otherwise-boring wrap an exciting and exhilarating project!! ;-) Oh yeah! I like living dangerously!! ;-)



Here are the stats of this project:

Pattern: Clapotis by Kate Gilbert
Yarn: J.Sagar Wash n Wear blended wool
Needle: 4mm circ RAKed by Helena aka ignorantbliss
Started: Feb 26, 2009
Completed: Nov 24, 2009



Here it is all folded up, waiting to go into my denim tote to travel with me on cold days!



I must say that the weather in Hyderabad is pretty cold these days warranting the use of a wrap or a cardigan and this wrap came about just in time for this winter! Its finding good use in my office where the AC is always on high! Someday, I will tell the SOB story of my attempts at knitting/crocheting an adult-sized cardigan. But, that's for another day.

Hope you all are having a lovely holiday season!
Seasons' greetings to all my blog readers!

-Josie