Sunday, July 12, 2009

RoseRed is the word...

Yes, the answers to all the questions was Rose Red! (Hope it didn't sound like I was a bit full of myself - it really was a coincidence that I happened to be knitting the Rose Red beret and swatching with the Rosenrot/Rose Red wollmeise at the same time as my blogthday!!).

Thanks everyone who commented and had a crack at the questions! Sorry to keep you all in suspense all week about the winners (I bet you've all been SO EAGER to know!!) - I've been feeling pretty blah all week with the flu, and it's been hard enough keeping up with what everyone else has been blogging let alone thinking about blogging myself! Oh dear. Onto better things...

The lucky (well, I hope, anyway!) winner of the socks knitted by me is .................................

SARAH! (hope it makes up somewhat for the loss of the Ashes series. Heh!) (also, hope I didn't just put the kybosh on Australia by writing that!)

And the winner of the special prize is ...........................................

ANNA! (see, the Poms are winners somewhere, if not in the cricket!)

And because I expect you are all dying to the see what a finished Rose Red actually looks like, some actual knitting content:

Details
Pattern: Rose Red by Ysolda Teague. What can I say, the lady knows how to give great pattern! Well written, clear and easy to follow, a range of sizes provided, clever and a great end product. What's not to love! I knit the medium size, and it was perfect! Although blocking was the charm with this one. Before I blocked it, it fit on my head, but really didn't have the requisite slouch. A soak and a dinner plate later, perfect!
(this was taken pre-blocking!)

I also love how the pattern doesn't have a ribbed band, but rather ends with large cables - really really pleasing effect.

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in colour 340700 (red), 2 x 50g balls, held together with Madil Kid Seta in shade 459 (red), 1 x 25g ball. I was really pleased with how these yarns worked together. The Kid Seta was not as true a red as the DB, but the mohair halo from it gives a gorgeous effect to the whole. I couldn't have asked for a better combination. And, even better, the DB was from stash!

Sticks: 4mm bamboo dpns, to start the pattern - which is done from the i-cord outwards - so clever! And then 4mm KP Options fixed circular once the increases were almost done.

Time: One week! It didn't feel like a quick knit, because there is a lot of k2togs, ssks and psso's, but I was pretty pleased to have this knitted so quickly, as I've worn it quite a bit already! 21 June - 28 June 2009.
(this was pre-blocking - a bit (too much) like a mushroom!!)

What I learnt: I've never started a beret from the crown before, so it was really cool to start with a couple of stitches and do the little i-cord thingy, then increased outwards to create the fullness of the beret. Very cool. Although I would have liked some guidance as to how to cast off. I figured from my experience with toe-up socks that my regular cast-off wouldn't be stretchy enough, so I thought either the sewn-bind off or the lace bind-off (I think that is what the k2tog, sl st back to L needle, repeat, method is called?) would be best. I checked Ravelry to see what other people had done but didn't find much guidance, so I decided I'd go with the lace bind-off, and I'm really happy with it.
I've save the story of the Rosenrot swatch for another day!

26 comments:

Michelle said...

Oh wow! I looks fantastic!

Sorry you've been sick with the flu too - I don't think I know anyone who hasn't had it yet!

Michelle said...

Oh course I look fantastic ... but your Rose Red looks fantastic too!

Gidgetknits said...

As soon as I saw Rose Red in the comments, I looked at the pattern and... wow! Yours looks amazing! And congratulations to the winners - I thought the Rose Red answers were brilliant!

Bells said...

yipee!! What a gorgeous hat!! You are tres clever. It's just perfect!

And I love who won the contest. Two of my favourite bloggers!

Anonymous said...

Heh heh - I bought me a hat today - I will forever blame you, Nora, Lee and Margarita if people laugh at me when I wear it. But if it can look as nice as yours I will be content.

kgirlknits said...

it's absolutely stunning - I love the combination of yarns, that halo is lovely.

missfee said...

love love love the beret and it is so so very soft in real life - I knew that the answer was Rose red.

Carol said...

How absolutely amazing, and it really couldn't be made in any other colour. Perfection!

MadMad said...

It looks great! What a cool pattern! And I love that all the answers were Rose Red! Too perfect.

Shazmina Bendi said...

beeootiful! and it suits you very much!

roxie said...

Wicked gorgeous hat!

Quell bummer about the flu. Don't try to jump back into things with both feet. Give yourself time to recuperate.

Linda said...

Your beret is wonderful, it looks so cosy! Well done to the winners!

amy said...

It looks really, really nice on you! I hope you feel better soon. The flu ran through the family twice last winter. Blech.

Olivia said...

Lovely beret! I had a feeling the answer might have been Rose Red, ha ha. I hope your flu is on the way out! We just had a particularly heavy, lingering cold around here.

2paw said...

My 'Word' is 'goosem'!!! That made me laugh!!
I adore your beret and I have beret wearing envy. I look like a sad person in a hat but your beret suits you so well. It is such a clever pattern, and I love the cables that finish it off!!

TinkingBell said...

Utterly gorgeous - and did you know the pattern is in my Bendi bag, along with the needles, ready for me to find the right yarn there for it? Psychic twins strike again!

Anonymous said...

Oh isn't that just stunning! Looks good on you! :)

(And W00t! the Poms on the draw! one down...)

DrK said...

the answer to everything in life is rose red! esp in that gorgeous beret! it has finished up beautifully and looks gorgeous on. well done.

Anonymous said...

This is so divine. I'm adding it to my 'to do' list!
Right now I'm having a sensational time at Loani Prior's 'Wild Knitting' week working on wilder tea cosies, but your piece is sooooo inspiring!

Sarah said...

Yippee! I am the luckiest - no wait isn't that Monty P? ;o)

And your beret is tres gorgeuse

Ann said...

The beret looks gorgeous & I love the color. Happy belated blogthday!

Alwen said...

I've heard about using the Kid Seta along with other yarns, now I get to see it! And what a pretty model. I'm impressed!

Philigry said...

oh, love that hat!

Michele said...

that's a fabulous yarn combination - worked out really well. and good to know about your cast off. i've long admired this pattern. it's on my 'one day' list.

hope your flu has vanished.

catsmum said...

fab-u-lous ... and 't'will keep your ears toasty warm at Bendy this weekend
another year when I don't get to meet you IRL :[

Anna said...

Yay! So excited to win the special prize! And your Rose Red is really lovely - great choice of yarn.

(But I'm a bit confused about the Poms not winning the cricket - we beat you at Lords for the first time in 75 years yesterday... do I still get the prize...?)