f.o. - killeany

After one last late-night effort, I've finished Killeany.


Here it is in all it's unblocked glory. Uncropped photo, too, because I'm in a hurry today and just wanted to get this posted fast.

The deets: Killeany from....some Alice Starmore book. Possibly The Children's Collection, though don't quote me on that one. Look, I'll be honest here: our main downtown library branch has most of Alice Starmore's knitting books. Meaning, the whole library system has exactly ONE copy of each. If I were an unscrupulous loser thief I would rip out the security tags and STEAL THEM ALL because as most of you know, they go for hundreds of dollars on amazon and ebay. So I take them out, lose my mind over the awesomeness of the designs, and photocopy the ones I want. I don't even feel bad about it, because if A.S. or the publishing companies want my money (and I am definitely willing to pay for these designs) they should put all these books back into print. Jerks.

Oh, I'm sorry, I went off the rails there for a moment.

The point is, I'm not sure which book has this design.

Anyway, it's Killeany, and it's knit from about 7 skeins of Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in the asparagus colorway, though I think that color name is a misnomer. It's more of a bluey-green. Very pretty for my fair child. I used size 7 & 8 needles, and made the smallest size. It's actually quite big and boxy when I stretch it to size, but I'm tempted to leave it unblocked because Daughter is very petite and thin, so it may be less overpowering this way.

This is a great knit, though a slow one. I was way more of a tortoise than a hare with it, which I'm not used to. Feels like I've been knitting it since about last summer, though it was started in November. As usual, the design is wonderful and the instructions flawless. I do adore the perfection of the Starmore designs I've knit. (Not that my knitting is perfect...I'm talking about the designs themselves.)


Here's a closeup of the lovely cabling up the front. The back is identical. So complex-looking, no? It really wasn't hard, just a little tricksy following 6 different charts with differing row counts. I used a pencil and paper to keep track and it was no problem. Not for a beginner, but I definitely recommend it for an experienced knitter looking for a bit of a challenge. The last thing I'll say is that the design does seem a bit masculine to me. It's shown on a girl in the book, but for some reason I think it looks boyish. Hopefully the color feminizes it a little.

Oh, and the yarn? It came from my mystery benefactor, who sent me an anonymous gift certificate to Knitpicks last summer. After some sleuthing I think I may know who you are, and if you are reading this I thank you again, from the bottom of my heart.

And finally, happy birthday to my good friend Karen, who has a really thought-provoking post up today about re-entering the workforce after many years as a stay-home mom. Go wish her a wonderful birthday, won't you?