Spiraling around

Lately there are so many ideas spiraling and swirling around in my head, I find it hard to focus on just one thing. I'm playing with a series of shapes, and thinking about how they translate into useful objects. This project, the Nautilus Poncho may have been one of the catalysts on shape considerations.

We all know what a genius Norah Gaughan is. Her mind works in ways I can only dream of! This project, which had its start as a humble knitted strip gets joined using crochet edges and joins to become a spiral evoking a nautilus shell.

When I photographed the blob that was destined to became the poncho, it was at the transition point between the finished knitting phase and the start crochet phase. Looks sort of like an octopus to me. It was really really long. One endless strip of fabric that started with three tiny stitches and then grows to 22 stitches.

Crochet does not come naturally to me. So I struggled to get this right. It took me four attempts to get it. But that's mostly because the instructions were rather vague. I found myself seeking help from crochet friends, from books and through correspondence on Ravelry. One night, while working the crochet during the Flatbush Stitch n Bitch, Barbara told me she too, struggled with the crochet part. Well! So it wasn't me after all - she's a master knitter!

Turns out, it wasn't the crochet that was the problem, but understanding when to do what - each side has different stitch sequences and it's critical to know when to do them in the right sequence. If you miss this, you end up with a straight sided tube, not a spiral that extends out like a... yea, like a nautilus shell.

I wanted to knit this so I could wear it in the office on those days when the air vent blows down on my shoulders and makes me really miserable. I had a test run this week, wearing it a few days and man, this thing is warm! The bulky wool really packs some power. And this color is useful for an office environment.

There will be few (like maybe just this one) ponchos in my collection, so I am glad I chose this design as the one. The yarn was a real find. I am one who really doesn't find bulky yarns very appealing, mostly because so many of them are loosely plied. Those fat singles look real nice in the skein, but I can't help thinking they will start fuzzing and pilling in about an hour after wear. It is something that really bugs me to no end. So when this yarn went on sale at Webs, I ordered a bit. Then I ended up ordering a whole lot more! In fact, I picked up so many different colors, I had to buy a new bin just to stash it all! hee hee. Look for more projects using this brand real soon.

So, I am pleased with this knit. It satisfied the original objectives - something to keep my shoulders warm in the office, something that was a bit unusual but not so avant garde that it would scare the corporate nerds, something that would hold up to use without getting shabby looking, and something from my existing pattern collection. Along the way, I learned a few things - like the crochet thing.

I bought the book and am slowly, ever so slowly opening my mind to crochet. And while I doubt I will ever end up crocheting baby afghans in acrylics, there are a few interesting patterns that have me intrigued.

And perhaps most important, this project really got me thinking about shapes. I've jotted down a few shape ideas in my pda and have started working on some things I have in mind for future projects of my own design. I credit Norah Gaughan AGAIN, for a really inspiring project!

The specs:
Pattern: Nautilus Poncho by Norah Gaughan
Source: Knitting Nature by Norah Gaughan
Yarn: Cascade 109 LE Bulky, Silver
Needle: Size 11 ; hook - my biggest one
Started: December 14, 2009
Finished: January 14, 2009 (my first FO of '09!)
Verdict: Better than I thought; it was shaky for a time.