I couldn't resist this kit!

Posted on July 19, 2008 | 7 Comments

So last week I had a dinner date with Lidia, my ex-coworker from String. I met her at the store, and of course had to take a look around at all the new stuff . . . and I literally squealed when I saw this little crochet flower scarf kit:

(anyone else notice the typo in the title?)

It looks cute enough from the front, but wait until you see the back!

How could I possibly resist all those tiny skeins of cashmere!?!?! There was no way it wasn't coming home with me.

I was so captivated and excited I didn't even read the details on this thing . . . so I was kind of shocked to open it and realize I had just bought a crochet kit using laceweight yarn! I had never really seen the laceweight version of Artyarns' cashmere, so when I saw this I assumed it was the worsted weight . . . I probably would still have bought it if I had known this fact, but I wouldn't have gotten such a shock when I started winding the little skeins! This is the "Pastels" version of this kit (it apparently also comes in a Jewel Tones, although I've never seen it) and the colors are gorgeous. This picture really does them no justice whatsoever. They're all tone-on-tone solids, but some of the colors have more variegation than others. Together they positively sing!

I have done one row of flowers so far:

(this shot is much better for color)

But I have to say, this isn't easy. The yarn is SO thin, and cashmere is SO delicate, and you change color after every round . . . it's a very fiddly project. To put it mildly. And this is gonna take a long time.

And frankly, as is the case with most of Artyarns' patterns I've ever read, this pattern is poorly-written and hard to understand. I am an experienced crocheter so I figured it out, but I probably could have done just as well working from a picture as I did working from their instructions. And their explanation of how to do the color changes and how to order the different motifs leaves much to be desired, too. I find it much more annoying to have badly-explained instructions than to just have it say "change colors randomly as it pleases you" -- even though writting the latter is less instruction, at least it is crystal clear!

In any case, I've decided to do the color changes in order from left to right as they are presented in the chart (if you buy this you'll know what I mean), just so I don't have to think about not repeating colors and hopefully don't run out of any color too soon. Although I have no faith in this system assuring me I won't run out, it at least lets me keep going without second-guessing every color choice . . . and if I'm going to follow someone else's design I would like to worry/think as little as possible, thank-you-very-much.

So if this completely mixed-bag review has made you want one for yourself, here's what I know about the kit: It is brand new and apparently only a few shops have it now, so I appologize if posting this drives you as crazy with desire but you end up unable to get your hands on one . . . I believe String is supposed to get more in soon, but I know I bought the last one they had last week!

Posted in cashmere, crochet, crochet flowers, scarf kit

 

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