Doris Chan's Cinnabar
So I finally got round to posting pictures of my finished Cinnabar. Even though I finished it in early December, the only excuse I have for not taking photos sooner is that I've been wearing it - a lot! I get lots of compliments on it and somebody said that they'd expect to go into a shop (for UK people, they specifically namechecked "somewhere like Next") and pay at least £40 for it. Not including my time, it cost me about £3.50 in wool from eBay, and that's including postage! I've also got enough wool left to make a winter wrap for my mother-in-law but that's a whole different project...
I made Cinnabar with a wool/mohair/acrylic mix. After a few rows, I realised that the wool was a wee bit too bulky, so I went down a hook size (5mm, not 6mm). Instead of making it longline as per Doris's finished garment, I wanted a shorter boxier look and I only did two rows of edging because that's all it needed to finish off. Having made a couple of Doris's other creations since Cinnabar, I know that I need to skip the last row before joining off and only do three foundation scs when joining to give a better fit, but because my Cinnabar is quite boxy, it still looks good.
I did have a few sticking points - Doris has kindly posted errata for the pattern - but I got there in the end. It took me 3 days longer than it should have because I couldn't work out the sleeves, but again, I persevered and got there in the end. However, having made one of Doris's creations, I found the next two really easy (4-S Vest and Eve's Rib Tunic) and I was confident about modifying the patterns to my size, shape, and taste.
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About Miggins
About Me:
Crochet addict. Who'd have thunk it? ;) My mother wouldn't teach me because it was too "difficult" to teach me left-handed, so I finally completed 1996's New Year's resolution this May and taught myself from a leaflet found in the habadashery section of my local department store. Now, I'm unstoppable...
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That is just gorgeous! You've done a great job! I love that color too!
Theresa
Thank you so much! I lightened the photos a bit so it's actually a wee bit darker, but the synthetic element of the yarn gives it a nice sheen, which I like a lot.
This is a beautiful sweater! Thanks for all the info, too. I'd love to see photos of your other Doris Chan projects as well.
-Joy B.
I'm working on it. =) I'm wearing my 4-S Vest today so I've taken photos and I'll post them in a bit. I decided that I wanted my Eve's Rib Tunic a bit longer so I added a few rows and increased the length of the ribbing that I added to the bottom. I tried it on last night and I think I've added a few too many rows... it's nearly down to my knees!!! I'm in the process of ripping it back (I also realised why the rib was taking so long - I'm doing two rows where there should only be one, d'oh). As soon as it's done, I'll take photos.
That looks fabulous.
Pauline
Thank you! I can't tell you how proud I felt when I finished it.
That's beautiful! Would love to see it on you (or anyone!) though, just to see what the "boxy" style looks like.
Next time I wear it, I'll get someone to take a photo. I'm awesomely pleased with how it turned out.
Miggins! It looks Terrific!! I have been out of the loop (un-hooked?) since the end of December but it is so wonderful to check in and see what you've done! I'm thinking Cinnabar is my next one; I need a cardigan!
http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/pottercraft/errata/everydaycrochet.html
Hey, the publisher actually started a corrections page! There are correx for CINNABAR and TALL LATTE (which means they probably apply to any other sweaters based on those two).
ETA: Hmm, there SHOULD be a picture there; it showed up in the preview! I'll leave well enough alone for now... hope it appears for you!
Glad to have you back, Teresa! I'm dying to see how far you got, no photo showed up here yet.
Nice to you see you hooked up again, T! That colour is divine. I can't wait to see it finished. I keep attempting Tall Latte with a twist but I keep changing my mind on what the twist is!
I'm rockin' on with this; it is going (knock wood!) amazingly fast. I just finished off the third of 7-and-a-quarter skeins the yarn store Diva told me I'd need. (Diva is the name of the 2d closest local yarn shop; it takes me all of 8 minutes to walk there!). They are big skeins! I'm around Row 11 below the arms (total of 19 to complete the body: I'm going to add the 2 extra rows for tall people).
So Miggins saw the picture, and I can see it now ... ?!? The picture makes the color look a big greenish; the actual color is really turquoise. I am happy to see it across the room while I work, waiting for another crochet break!
I've missed you guys along with missing the yarn!
T
I can see the photo now, what a gorgeous color! Can't wait to see more progress.
Progress it is! (If the photo shows up!?) Day 3-and-a-half -- I finished the body at lunchtime and just took some pictures. Next: border bands, then sleeves!
The yarn is probably chunkier than called for. It's thick-and-thin, and the label said "3.5 or 4 or 4.5 stitches per inch," which is within the range DC specifies -- "heavy worsted"). It's not going to be baggy! I like how it feels when I put it on. Can't wait to finish and wear it! The color makes me happy.
Wow - you are making amazing progress! That is absolutely beautiful, that color makes me happy too! What fiber is your yarn?
It's wool -- Cascade "Jewel Hand Dye." I know the swatch is funky! I never get consistent stitches on the edges on swatches. But when washed, the stitches closed up a bit, got more even and softer. There's a nice 'geological effect" from the yarn's thick-and-thin, the every-which-way stitches, and the color modulations of the hand-dye.
[OK... where did the picture go???]
What IS it with the pictures! I never used to have this problem?? I guess I will just have to keep working on my sweater and posting progress pictures, and hope that some of them "stick"! Meanwhile ... I completed the edge bands on the body. They look RILLY RILLY cool in this yarn. I still wish it was not thick-and-thin but I love the gentle color modulations. I always fall for variegated yarns (colors!!) but it's never as interesting to me when it's worked up (pooling, stripe-ish, irregular, blah). This is just a sort of texture of color. Next: sleeves!
T
Miggins, what was your solution for the sleeves? I am kinda stumped too. Directions and logic say that there should be one decrease (shell-becomes-a-vee) over 3 taper rounds. But the specific directions for the taper rounds make it sound like you do one at the beginning of the round, one at the end. That has a logic too, but I ended up running out of shells to convert befor I had done enough rows to get length. What did you do?
ETA: Turns out there is an error in the sleeve instructions for larger sizes (I made size 40): thanks to Doris for AMAZING followup! I will post the correction soon.
Skyblue Cinnabar finished! Here's Sunday afternoon before I finished the 2d sleeve:
It's blocked and drying. Buttons and final pix and I get to wear it tomorrow?!?
I used a different yarn for the last row (reverse SC a.k.a. crabstitch) on the very edge of the band. The thick-and-thin looked lumpy so I used Cascade Quattro (same maker, same color, but regular worsted weight) to make a smoother edge.
Now why don't my pictures show? Another attempt...?!?
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2108/2357442619_b7045ab8b7_m.jpg
Woah, that is lovely! You must be so thrilled. Glad Doris helped you with the sleeves.
I love Doris's patterns, they work up SO quickly. I've started a longer length Mei-Mei in a mauvey/pink cotton and I marvel at how quickly her garments take shape.
I'm a fairly novice crocheter and i think i finally figured out what to do after the first three rows on the yolk!
My first sweater ever!
http://flickr.com/photos/elainegreycats/2503201189/
Ooh! Beautiful color! matches my new shoes!
The first time through one of the patterns in this book is a challenge! I did a lot of back-up-and-do-over but I learned so much! Check out my "blow by blow" account of making Jewel, my first one, under the Crochetalong section; a lot of the basic ideas are the same on all of the sweaters in this book. That said, I found Cinnabar went together the fastest of all the five that I've made from this book (well, four and a half!).
Good luck! Keep posting!