Thursday, October 19, 2006

Kate the Kitten



The progress on Kate is slow...very slow. When I started to knit her in H, I thought I would have plenty of yarn. But as Kate grew my discerning eye discerned that I would not have enough brown yarn to finish. Also, Kate was growing to be a large cat, more like a lion than a cute little kitty. A problem, I think.

Solution 1.
Use another yarn.
LK had asked me to make her a Wonderful Wallaby in brown and so I had bought a slew of brown yarn. It's a sport weight yarn and will work much better than the yarn I have because it is a lot finer. If I knit Kate with this yarn she'll turn out a little smaller. And I'll have enough yarn...like 500 grams (about 17 1/2 oz, for those of you who do not convert).

Solution 2.
Revamp the pattern and adjust all the measurements.
Not really my idea of fun. Veto that idea.

Solution 3.
Use a smaller size of needles.
That also will make the kitty smaller. I like working with small needles. It makes the finished product look more professional and not so homemade as large loopy things often do.

Solution 4.
Quit and make mittens.
Nope. I promised SAJ this adorable gal and she's fun to make. Besides I do like a challenge once in a while.

Solution 5.
Scrounge my stash and forget about matching exact yarns. And just continue knitting hoping everything will turn out not too lopsided.
(What one-year old worries about gauge anyway?)

I think 1 and 3 are good solutions. The only problem will be LK. Maybe if I buy her a quality yarn to replace hers she'll be happy. That and if I can get it started on her sweater in the near future!

But I think 5 is the best and will do the trick.
When I pawed through my stash I hit pay dirt. Apparently I had a lot of left over yarn from... get this... from the 70's when Jailgy and I started crocheting! There is a ton! I don't throw away yarn and take all that any want to give me. (I regret not taking the scraps that Gramma offered me while I was in H. Are they still available? If so, save them. If not, I really do have enough.)

(But I could always make another Kate.)

5 comments:

Gramma said...

Yes, I do have scraps of yarn. Then I gave #1 daughter lots of craft yarn...not good enough for sweaters, but fine for things like kate. I sat in my chair Monday night intent on weaving. I made one very nice light blue square and promptly fell asleep. Kedj and I worked hard on the garage. I threw lots of remnants out. There was a time I thought I would do a Victorian scrap crazy quilt with velvets and satins and taffetas. KJ had so much leftover from prom dresses and bridesmaids' fancies. But then, I got to thinking. Who would be bothered with such a project anyway.

Kedge said...

I have been watching three kittens grow up in the yard behind my work. From itty-bitty to half grown now. One black/white, one grey/white, one siamese. Way too cute!

SAJ said...

I like 70's mismatched yarn... A LOT. I'm sorry I got you into such a crazy project. But I am really excited about Kate. I think I might love her more than Baby Bug even.

grandma c said...

sounds like this kitty will have loads of personality... make sure you show us when she's finished.

knitterykate said...

More than you love BB? Nah. (just kidding, I know what you mean!)