Autumn Cape 2017 A long Term Project 2017- Rib Bottom

Autumn Cape 2017 A long Term Project 2017- Rib Bottom

It is beginning to feel like I am nearing the end of this long term project with the addition of the Rib

Wool for Rib

I had a bit of a think about what colour to use for the Rib. Naturally it would have to be some dark colour. I toyed at first with finishing off with black which I had plenty of in my collection.

When I put it against the dark brown it just didn’t look right. So it would have to be an earthier colour. I had now received the same brown as I had used earlier but I was reluctant to use it. I wasn’t sure how much of that I would need to finish of the branches.

Then I had an idea. I remember when gardening that the topsoil was darker than the drier earth below. Therefore I picked a lighter brown colour – Merino Blend DK Shade 23 Chocolate (Dye 56813)

Picking up Stitches for Rib

This is always the part I hate as I am not very good at it. I picked up with a 5mm needle. Since it was a great deal of stitches I decided I would do it in sections.

Daytime Front Piece and Side Rib

I picked up the Front Piece and the Side Panel. Since I was knitting downwards I started with a knit row. I knitted the Rib in blocks of five.

Night Time Front Piece and Side Rib

I did the same with the both the other Front Piece and the Back section. I must admit I was very lucky as when it was sewn together the Rib carried on flawlessly. So that is another section finished.

Autumn Cape 2017 A long Term Project – Branches and Boo boo’s Part 4

Autumn Cape 2017 A long Term Project – Branches and Boo boo’s Part 4

This blog is a continuation of the various corrections I have had to make. 

Brown Boo-Boo

This little Boo boo is right at the bottom of the Front Piece

Brown Boo-Boo Fixed

This was a simple fix. I just added a leaf to cover the mistake and at the same time break up a bit of the excess brown.

Night Time Branches

This is at the top of the Night Time Front Piece and joined section of the Hood.

More Night Time Branches Added

As you can see in the photograph I have added some more branches leading off the main branch and also extended the branch a little. This still needs more adding too it but it gives an idea.

Branches Too Straight

This is part of the Back Section. This was when I was only just beginning to get the process down. The branches are far too straight to be natural. Frankly the whole of the Back Section needs reworking.

Branches Too Straight Altered

This Branch didn’t need too much doing to it. A little bit of embroidery has change the curvature of the branch. I have also thickened the branches leading off it. Underneath the straight branch I have added a small one changes the outline. This also breaks up the block of yellow along the tree.

Not Enough Support

These branches are very raggedy and obviously could not support the other branches leading off it.

Not Enough Support Emergency Fix

It was very lucky that I decided to look at this part of the Back Section when I did. As I was beginning to sew the brown to thicken the branches I spotted something.

A piece of orange wool was sticking out. I naturally thought it was a tail end that I hadn’t trimmed short enough. When I turned it over to the other side I got the shock of my life. It was a tail it was a loop that had somehow come undone.

This would have been a potential catastrophe which could have struck at any time especially with me continuously turning the item. I don’t think I have ever threaded a needle as fast in my life. I began sewing over and over the area through the higher loops. I then sewed below and along the section.

You will be able to spot in the photograph that there is now a rough yellow circle in the branch. I also thickened the branch a little further along. Before I do any more corrections I will need to give it a good check!

Autumn Cape 2017 A long Term Project – Branches and Boo boo’s Part 3

Autumn Cape 2017 A long Term Project – Branches and Boo boo’s Part 3

After waiting for a week or so I finally have the extra wool I need.

Cygnet Wool Rich Aran

This wool I got off eBay and I had to pay through the nose to get it but needs must when the devil drives.

Daytime Front Piece Branches

One area that needed to be addressed was the branches on the Daytime Front Piece

Daytime Front Piece Leaves

I extended the branches a little and thickened where necessary. I then added a couple of leaves. These leaves not only break up the amount of green around the Fox but also cover up a couple of Boo boos.

Daytime Too Much Yellow

The above photograph shows a mass of yellow. This technically isn’t a mistake I was juggling the mixture of colours with the lack of red wool. Discontinued yarn has been the bane of this project.

Too Much Yellow Fixed

I have labelled this photograph as Too Much Yellow Fixed. Actually it isn’t fixed it is merely the start of the process. I have added a couple of leaves to break it up initially but it is going to take much more work to get it to a point where I am satisfied.

However if I took pictures of every single little thing I did not only would this blog take even longer than it has been doing but also I would never get any work done.

Autumn Cape 2017 A long Term Project – Branches and Boo boo’s Part 2

Autumn Cape 2017 A long Term Project – Branches and Boo boo’s Part 2

Whilst I am waiting for some more wool to arrive I am going to tackle some of the Boo boo’s that are on the Night Time Front Piece

Badger’s Front Paws Grass Mistake

I have named this Badger’s Front Paws Grass Mistake. It isn’t really a mistake as such. It is simply where the wool has puckered due to being pulled tight. This generally happens when I run out of a section of wool or the wool I am using snaps.

Badger’s Front Paws Grass Correction

This little Boo boo is an easy fix. I merely added a leaf to cover it up and voila au revoir Boo boo!

  

Badger’s Tail Grass Mistake

Here by the Badger’s tail we have a similar problem to the Front Paws Boo boo.

Badger’s Tail Grass Correction

The problem here was again fixed by adding another leaf

Badger’s Nose Grass Mistake

The more I look closely at the Night Time Front Piece the more things I find. The photo has not come out too good here. However there are imperfections either side of the Badger’s nose.

Here I cannot just add another leaf as the contrast in sizing will look out. I will have to have a think about this problem and come back to it at a later time. Some kind of embroidery option I think will be needed. In the meantime I will concentrate elsewhere.

Autumn Cape 2017 A long Term Project – Branches and Boo boo’s

Autumn Cape 2017 A long Term Project – Branches and Boo boo’s

Since this pattern is organic and I am continuously altering and adjusting it there will always be areas that I will have to come back to in order to correct.

One of my continuous bug bears is the trying to make the discontinued wool go as far as possible. I have about 5 colours that I am watching constantly to make sure I have enough to do what I want. There is also the huge learning curve to contend with. When I started on the back piece I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Now after nearly a year and a half I still have no idea but it is no idea with STYLE.

Longer Branches Required 

One of the things I needed to do was extend the branches up the back of the Cape.

Branches Extended

As you can see I have extended the branches with the dark brown wool.

Thin and Ragged

Some branches are thin and ragged. These need to be thickened so they look like they could realistically support each other.

Unfortunately when I checked how much wool I needed to correct everything I realised there was no way I could do this without extra wool. Therefore I would have to search on the internet to see if anybody had a spare ball of this discontinued wool.

Variety of Leaves

 

As the days are becoming shorter, darker and colder I really didn’t want to put the project on hold. So I had a think to see what I could do in the meantime. I decided that I would make some leaves

Comparing Leaf Sizes

When I came to sew a couple on I found that they looked wrong. They were fine for low down on the ground but they were a little too big elsewhere.

I decided that I needed to try and make some smaller ones. I got one of my original sized leaves and checked the pattern to see what size needle I was using. It was a 3.25mm.

I then tried using different sized needles and compared the results with the original.

Small Leaves

I found that that using a 2mm needle gave the best results. So therefore I made more leaves using this sized needle. I knitted just over a dozen leaves in different colours.

I then sewed up the leaves, washed and pressed them ready for use.