So at Stitches last year (sigh) I bought the following:
- Whitebirch's Righteous Rainbow (sold out now, I guess)
- Canon Hand Dyes Random Minis kit (also sold out, I guess)
I don't know what to do with fingering yarn since I am not into socks or shawls. Also I wanted to use all of the colors/stripes in that Canon kit. They did give out a list of possible patterns, but none of them quite worked for me. So the answer was....design your own shrug/bolero, I guess?
Here's how I did it:
(a) Whenever I'm designing something for myself, I pick whatever needles work with the size of the yarn. I felt like size 3 worked best with the random minis, did a gauge swatch (though I guess I didn't write that down), and cast on enough stitches to go around my wrist in the fit I wanted. Then I did 2 increases every inch, until I hit the armpits.
(b) So I cast on 48 sts with DPN's and did 2x2 ribbing for 1 inch. I had a marker at the start of rows, then switched to stockinette. Every time I reached an inch (every 9 rows for me) I did k, kf&b, nit to 2 sts before the marker, kf&b, k1 to increase. I did that increase every 9 rows and put a marker there to keep track. I just ran the yarn together (didn't finish off a row with each color, just kept tying on and going) every time I did a new one. I did this for 18 inches/until I got up to the armpit, came out with 88 stitches.
As for the minis kit, I divided each skein into two and knit them in with color gradation.
(c) I put pins approximately 1.5 inches on each side from the starting point (12 sts for me). I did one more row after doing the last increase, but started binding off once I hit the marker--bind off the 24 sts at the armpit, switch to a circular needle. I had 64 stitches left. I finished up the Mini kit and then started with the Whitebirch yarn. Knit for 9 inches, put stitches on holder. Repeat for other arm. Do 3-needle bind off to attach both sides together. (Yes, this leaves a seam up the back, I decided screw it, I'll have the seam.)
(d) As for the turning the shrug into a bolero: Pick up and knit stiches from the black stripe (or pick on yourself where the start of your armpit is) all the way around the back and to the other black stripe, for 250 stitches. Knit in k3, p1 ribbing (starting on wrong side though, so start with p3, k1) for 4.5 inches. After that, decrease on each end when you start by 1 stitch to gradually taper the edges. Keep knitting until you run out of yarn. With whatever remaining yarn you have left, sew the 4.5 inches at the top to the top of the tube.
I actually cheated a bit, I changed the gauge from size 3 needles to size 5 because knitting that big of a project on size 3's was kinda painful. I cast on with 3's and knit that for 2 rows, then switched to 4's for 2 rows, then to 5's.
I kind of wish I'd had more yarn to make the bolero part fit over my boobs, but oh well. It's hard to find something to do with 840-ish yards of yarn, so what the heck.
Front
Back
I attempted to once again take selfies of myself in a bolero. THIS IS DIFFICULT.
No, seriously, trying to take the back of myself is HARD and I do not have a mannequin in here.
Anyway, you get the drift.