Ponchette Redux

I don't know that there's many things worse than scrambling to finish a project only to find that you've managed to screw the whole thing up. From cast-on to bind-off, the brick-colored ponchette was an anomaly of sorts ... a seemingly simple project that was anything but.

The photo in my last post showed it taking up nearly a full twin-sized pull-out sofabed. That's right, it was pretty big. At first, I assumed that I blocked too aggressively, but the bottom line is that it was just doomed from the beginning.

Damn hemp.

A devil fiber if ever I met one, hemp is a nightmare to knit with. No matter how tightly I caught the stitches, they were still way too loose throughout. I should have known something was amiss when everyone who has knit this project finished in less than a week. Me? It took nearly as long as a blanket.

The good news is that it's not a total wash; it's a nice rectangular shawl for someone for the holidays.

Even better news: Two days ago, I headed to the LYS, picked up two balls of SWTC Bamboo, and pounded a newer (and more appropriately sized) version out in less than two full days of knitting. Here it is blocking on the same pull-out sofa:


So why the rush to get this done?

You see, I'm getting ready to leave for a business trip on Wednesday morning to Ottawa. It's chillier there than here, and for some reason I had set a goal of having this ponchette completed in time to wear it if I go out and about. It's made of soy silk, which in my experience can be pretty warm if it needs to be. So I figure I can take a long-sleeved shirt and a short-sleeved shirt and wear whichever suits the weather.

I wanted it in brick, but I'll settle for this gorgeous turquoise. As long as it dries as planned, I should be able to seam it up tomorrow and toss it in my tote!