So yesterday afternoon I sat down and ran through the garment instructions (not the trim) using a generic worsted weight yarn, basically practicing the stitches. (They’re nothing fancy, just chain-three spaces and double crochets, but there’s a lot of them in various configurations and I’m easily confused that way.) And I blasted through the entire pattern in a couple hours without even noticing it. Only had to pull some out and rework it once.
(In case you’re curious, while reading or crocheting I sit facing the bird cage and aviary. The youngsters, JT and J3, just keep playing with their toys and each other as if I’m not there, but Pete warbles at me and Tweet. She admires his muscles and I warble back in between stitches. It seems like the polite thing to do.)
Anyways, the pattern. First thing I noticed was, there’s a lot of sag in the spider web part of the design. You can kind of see it in the image above (click to get a larger view). That bugged me. Second thing I noticed was, I live in metro Houston (about time I noticed that) and a mainly acrylic-wool blend yarn, such as the one listed for this design, would be awfully hot. Even indoors. Besides, I’m allergic to wool. I’m allergic to everything, including bird seed, but that’s another matter.
Instead I dug through the old yarn stash (hey, it’s down to about 300 skeins, almost time to panic) and found some leftover Tahki Cotton Classic in a nice light tan. Wish I could remember what I made with the rest of that… It measured fine on the gauge trial with a metal I hook, so I kept going.
Except I changed it. In Round 2, where the pattern calls for two chain stitches between blocks of double crochet, I only inserted one. In Rounds 3 through 7, where it calls for three chain stitches, I inserted two. The rest of the pattern I’m working as instructed, but for now, the spider web sags noticeably less.
Of course, with my luck I’ll probably reach the end of the instructions and find myself with some sort of disaster on my hands (or on my back, in this case). Designer Kristin Omdahl has a lot of experience; surely she put those stitches in there for a reason. Oh, well. If I survive and it’s not icky, I’ll try to post photos tomorrow. Warning: I’m changing the trim, too.
Cheers,
Vivian