Dear Kay,
It has been great to see in you in New York—a welcome respite from my yarn vigil at the front door back home. I felt like a fisherman’s wife, keeping an eye on the horizon for my Plötulopi yarn to arrive from Iceland.
To fill the lopiless hours during my travels, I’ve been deep in a cowl-to-skirt conversion project. We’ll call it a scowl because I don’t know if this is actually going to pan out.
To recap: this all began as a cowl that didn’t behave the way I hoped it would. I pivoted to making the cowl much simpler than the original pattern, with the result being a blankety swath of merino moss stitch.
OK. Fine. A lot of cowl.
A lot for a neck to take on.
In a late-night delirium, I thought it looked like a moss-stitch pencil skirt.
This thought didn’t go away.
I realize you are deeply skeptical of this project, but you are someone who will knit fifty Honey Cowls in a row, so I can understand how you might not be interested in a project that morphs from cowl into not-cowl. Change is hard! Please just go back to gloating about the fact that you got your lopi yarn and I didn’t.
The scowl took a turn in Chicago last week when I ran into a wall of Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Worsted.
Contrasting border! Must make! This incredible shade won the Facebook insta-poll choosing between fuchsia (shade Mondawmin) and taxicab yellow. Thank you for your votes, America. This is the sort of caucus I can get behind.
I finished the border.
I adore this yarn. It has such a twinelike twist to it, yet it’s got a nice bounce. Really great.
Now, it’s time to figure out the waistband. If I’d begun this project as a skirt, I would have built in shaping from the waist to the hem. I would have cooked up a tidy tube at the waist into which I would have threaded elastic tape. It would have been so pfaffing beautiful.
Unfortunately, I’ve got a cylinder that’s 40” around at the waist.
My waist is around 30”. I’m not sure I want ten inches of bunched-up moss stitch around a zone as threatened as my waistline. The phrase “moss stitch dirndl skirt” comes to mind. Yikes! On the other hand, don’t we all want a nice and snuggly midsection covering for these cold winter days? It’s like a cowl for your waist. A wowl.
The right thing to do would be to perform sewing machine surgery on this cylinder and take out the extra fabric.
I don’t have a sewing machine, number one, and number two, it just feels like cheating. Surely there’s a knitterly solution to be found using the ancient ways of olde.
What do you think? I could use a little advice—except from you, Kay, who has already weighed in (pointedly) (clearly) (loudly) that it makes a fine cowl and move on, hon.
Love,
Ann
This looks pfaffing beautiful (and I’ll take pfaffing as my new adjectival expletive, thanks). I’m afraid I have no advice but only a query…when you say you would have ‘cooked up a tidy tube’ for the elastic if you’d originally planned it as a skirt, how would that work? What patterns have such a tube? Interested in maybe making my first skirt…
Essentially a hemmed edge. Many skirt patterns have them. Check ravelry for sure.
That’s what I had in mind. You knit a flap, usually stockinette, then a purl row for the fold, then more stockinette. You stitch down the flap, and it makes a tube.
PS. Suggestion. Cut off the top, and reknit including some waist decs and your ‘tidy tube’? There’ll be an offset with the moss-stitch, but you could use that as a design feature. Maybe. Hmm.
“Agree’ “Like” Thumbs up.
I may be too late to this skirt party. I’ve been thinking about this post since I read it. I believe it is possible to graft seed stitch invisibly. I did it for 3×1 ribbed socks (after more than a year of thinking about it and bring afraid to try and studying how to do it and then finding the courage to try). If ribbing works, then seed stitch must be possible. For this skirt, I think you’d cut off the top, reknit it with shaping from the top down, and then graft in pattern. Try some in-the-round swatches first! My notes about how I did the invisible in-the-round grafting on ribbing is here, in case it helps you: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/knittingwithwords/craftsy-socks-wedge-toe-gusset-heel
SO glad I’m not going to be the last person to cast on for my Stopover! My yarn’s ETA is today and I’m hoping the mailman doesn’t leave it in the pouring rain we are getting. Love the skirt but no idea how to trim it down. Good luck!
I received my yarn early and was moving along nicely. Then I got to the sleeves and decided I did not enjoy working with that little circular needle. Now, who has 10.5 dpns around? So had to order them (read: rural). So I’m waiting with you and Ann, I guess, who purchased from an alternate solar system.
Yes, Mercury Yarns seemed like a fun idea at the time, like ordering from Iceland only farther. Someday . . . my Plötulopi will show up . . . someday . . .
That’s a great idea.
Mine is to pick up and knit along the top and decrease into a cowl neckline until it becomes a poncho.
Yes, poncho! Good idea! Powl?
I like Luaren’s idea! Poncho!
Oops. Sorry I misspelled your name, Lauren. (I’ll blame it on my incredible enthusiasm for your poncho idea.)
Gosh. That’s beautiful.
How do you feel about a really long pencil skirt? ;-> You could pick up the top and shape it up to a waist…. Or hey, a minidress!
I like the minidress idea as a tunic– knit a t-shirt top with the cream color and figure a decorative band type join below the bustline–an empire-style tunic!
Sooooo tempted to say what Kay would say ….but also, if you aren’t just sick of it, could you unravel a bit at the top, do a shaped contrastsy panel leading into the waistband tunnel?
Hmm…Pick up stitches around the waistband and fold to make pleats? Like a three needle bind off, but in measured amounts. Still bulky, but less so than a simple gather. (I wish I had a 30 inch waist. Somehow, talking about diet and exercise don’t work as well as actual diet and exercise. Who knew?) Where does one buy the appropriate slip? Department stores seem to have only shapewear. I need to breathe every day.
What DID happen to slips? Mine date from the Reagan era! And I love a pleat, but this merino is pretty fluffy stuffy.
Oddly, the only place I’ve been able to find slips lately is Amazon. And they have a surprisingly fantastic selection of lengths and colors.
One suggestion is to seam one end, stuff it with fiberfill and seam the other end and voila! You have a soft and comfy big pillow for your couch or floor!
This is beginning to seem like an excellent solution… the extreme softness of the merino yarn is worrying me. A skirt needs sturdy stuff to withstand the, uh, experience it is about to go through every time I sit down.
My solution is to send it to me! I could wear it as is. I love moss stitch and those are my favorite colors.
I would take it to a tailor and have them do the cut and sew. They could probably add a facing for the waist band and a button closure or zipper, too.
And have the tailor put in a lining, knit skirts tend to bag out when you sit in them and a lining will stabalize it.
Smocking-could you cross stitch/smock, over 3 or stitches, drawing them together so that one stitch is tucked behind 2. For 3 or 4 inches down from the top, thus drawing in the waist?All the way round, or in panels over the hips or front and back? Maybe use the fuchsia yarn for the stitching so there is a bit of contrast.
Skowl, schmowl — look at those tags! Did you see Hamilton?? By the time I get a ticket, I’ll have the whole thing memorized from listening to the CD. But will the brill’ creator still be taking the stage in the fall?
*pulls out earbuds from listening to Hamilton*
Thank you! I’ve been sitting here trying to figure out why LMM is tagged!
EAGLE EYES! I started to write about the otherworldly experience that was going to see Hamilton, but I decided I need to really DIG DEEP for my reportage. Please stay tuned.
I agree with the previous commenters that there is nothing for it but to cut and replace. Options: 1) pick up and work from there, either in third (Hot orange! Bright teal! Chartreuse!) color or a contrasting stitch-pattern; 2) unravel the yarn from the bit you cut off, cast on and work from the waistband toward the hip, increasing till you reach the exact stitch-count of the rest, then Kitchener them together in seed-stitch in the round (yes, you can too do it). I admire your ability to assess, abandon, regroup, and take a new path toward a fresh destination – I could use more of that in my life AND my knitting!
This thing may end up a ball gown at the rate it’s going. Or a pup tent.
Agreeing with those who say, knit up from the top. With or without cutting or picking. It will be longer. If you could plan to only wear longer tops with it, you could use an elastic yarn like Cascade Fixation to make a comfy but fitted waist down section!
Oh, wait, I do have something to add: The skirt called Lanesplitter on Knitty has an added on waistband that’s an elastic casing. Of course it also has you knit to negative ease for the hips, so that’s usually
still bigger than the waist. Here’s a link: http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEff10/PATTlanesplitter.php XXO
I think you know what to do, Ann. Cut a bit off the top, reattach your yarn and work it up, shaping, decreasing, perfecting…
Surgery my dear will fix it. Take a swig from the jug and get to cutting the top part off. Pick up the live stitches and, with a little decrease math, knit up to the waist with shaping. Voila, a scowl.
I’m afraid I’d go the sewing machine route. Looking forward to the transformation.
I’m not sure this is even a possibility, but could you somehow make a v-shaped steek and then seam those together to create shape?
This is exactly what I was thinking.
WOW. I never would have thought of that. Cool idea.
I have little skirt experience…one Simple Straight Skirt by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas I was wearing when we bumped into each other at VK Live last month. It has very little shaping after making the tube for elastic at the waist. Ten inches is a lot to hide if you were to fold the top and create the waistband. How about a little unraveling, maybe 4-5 inches, and pick up and knit some proper shaping to get the skirt you really want? Scissors to knitting seems so violent!
Hello TEXAS! Love that skirt! Thanks for the heads up. I have developed a serious case of skirt fever. I’m thinking about them all the time now.
How about making the pink the top and simply keep knitting and decreasing on the sides. If you pay attention you can keep the seed stitch intact. When it is the right size knit two inches in stocking stitch, hem it and call it a waistband.
That is the best simple advice!
Steek a couple of armholes and make this fab convertible cowl/sweater/scarf http://ru-knitting.livejournal.com/3722040.html
That is a fascinating vest/cowl. I wonder what it would be like to wear?
I support you in this, Ann, and I vote for the cut-it-and-reknit-with-shaping option.
I’d take out the cast on, unravel a bit, pick up the stitches and knit up towards the waist, decreasing, then do the waistband. Or give up and get a little vest to wear with the dirndl.
My yarn got here yesterday! I cast on for a sleeve/swatch at 10:00 last night. Stupid work is really going to cramps my knitting time this weekend, though.
I have no idea how to fix your scowl. I’d probably just hold it up with a belt.
I think the belt idea is brilliant.
As they say at The Gap, cinch it! Seems like totally plausible solution to this mess.
I have a different definition of pfaffing. We use it to describe devoting time to unproductive things that go nowhere. Not that I would suggest my definition applies to your skirt.
while there would still be bulk, I suggest considering one or possibly two box pleats with lacing to allow you to slope them in toward the top and loosen for putting on and taking off. Too dirndle? I also have a vision of some multi-craftual option in which your cozy knitted bit is attached to a fabric top to make a tunic. This would likely involve a sewing machine unless you could find an already-made long tank top with a 40″ circumpherence, though. . .
Sorry for lack of advice … how thick is the fabric? and how long? I guess too thick and too long which is why you are contemplating the thickness, etc.
Much more resonant – Did you see Hamilton? If you did, I am tres jealous.
(otherwise, why is it in the tags???)
Sew darts into it with mattress stitch, then cut away the bulk. It shouldn’t ravel (because Wool) but whip stitch the raw edges if you are worried about it. I did similar surgery (albeit a straight seam, not an angle like darts) many years ago on a sweater knitted in the round that was too big. Good Luck!
I support the take it to a tailor suggestions esp since you also should have a lining made for it. Moss stitch or no, the type of wear you will give a skirt… types of pressure in certain areas … is very different from other types of garments. You do not typically sit on a sweater or blouse for example. In order to hold its shape over the long haul it will need to be lined. Sorry, ask me how I know!
I love a box pleat–I just worry that this fabric is already pretty thick.
Maybe some “extreme” ribbing at the waist and have it fit like comfortable yoga pants? or I may be on a different page? I see it as a new yoga style.
Pick up stitches in contrast color, begin ribbing withgradual decreases to get you to your preferred waist size, so that you have ribbed waist (fold over, or don’t, your call).
Alternative: make a woven fabric skirt-top that fits you properly, with a bottom edge that measures to meet your 40″ of knit material. Sew the beautiful knitting onto the woven skirt top. I think this would work because the structure of the skirt top will cause it to fit, but by the time you get to the knit portion, some movement/stretch would be welcome.
Alternative: keep knitting, sew the bottom closed, and make it a snuggy. 🙂
Cut and reshape. (I almost said cut and paste. I’ve been in revision mode.) I’m not sure if that’s the best suggestion, but I think you should do whatever it takes to make it work as a skirt because its adorable. Of course, I’m a skirt person from way back–they are practically all I wear–so my thoughts are a bit biased.
I’d rip back a bit and do the shaping but also agree that a lining is essential to keep the skirt from bagging out. A more important question is whether you test-washed that gorgeous red to see if it bled?
Winter tube top!
How about using the contrast bottom for the top, start decreasing for your waist and turn the whole thing up side down? I would prefer the darker color on my seat and hips anyhow.
How about a couple of box pleats (or two in the back and two in the front) with a button and loop closure to hold them closed. Or knit a long icord in the pink and thread it through some spaces (which magically appear?) in your knitting to create a paperbag-type waistline. I think that would look better than an elastic waist all bunched up.
A paperbag waist seems like a natural solution to this–I’d need only to add some loops to keep the whole thing from dissolving in a puddle the minute I start walking! Hmmmm thinking…
I still shudder from the memory of a knitted skirt keeping my “bum” shape after I got up from sitting down. Nice big pouf area as I walked away:(
You’re not alone! I too am waiting for my Lopi from Iceland! I have no idea what to do with your tube, sorry!
I saw some previous comments for a mini-dress. I LOVE this idea. You could even do the top out of non-yarn/knitted. Like maybe a heavy jersey or something totally different like denim or a heavy cotton. I’m envisioning a top that is sewn separately and then sewn on to the skirt that you have knit. Excited to see how this turns out.
Even if you don’t have a sewing machine, you can always add darts by hand. I have a sweater that I made for myself that I decided (after steeking, of course) needed more waist shaping. So I added darts to the sides to bring in the waist, using the main yarn as my sewing thread. I left the extra fabric in my sweater, but for the skirt you could trim it away, like steeking, if your darts are large enough. I would put in between 2 and 4 darts, depending on how much shaping you need and how much fabric you’re willing to have in any particular dart.
What’ s to he matter with the sewing machine ? So what if it is cheating? Quickest easiest solution– just get a friend that does have a sewing machine alter it. OR knit on some at the top ( skirt will be longer) with theat shaping you need.
Comment
This is a good thing. Cowls replaced scarf knitting. Most cowls look like neck braces and twenty years from now viewing pictures of women wearing them will reduce future knitters to hysterical piles of laughter. Make a skirt. And I say, take those sad cowls and wear them as miniskirts over jeans. 🙂
I would buy a sewing machine and a walking foot that fits it and steek that baby. Afterward, no matter how the scowl experience went, you would have a sewing machine and could make your own really cute project bags, throw pillows, quilts, etc. I’m not much of a sewing person, (notice I didn’t use the word “sewer”), but when you’re slogging away on some big or tedious knitting project, it feels amazing to sew some little project and have it totally completed in an hour or two. Lift is just better with a sewing machine!
Brought to you by the Singer Sewing Machine Company! You make a good pitch artist!
You are either going to sew it or re knit it. If you want it sewn ( that is what I would do) (cheating is winning) send it to me and I will do it, or take it to a friend with a serger or sewing machine, locally.
That is a lot of moss stitch to re knit and your Stopver yarn will arrive smack in the middle of it. It just will.
Martha … brilliant advice … and yes … she could take it to CRAFT SOUTH … surely someone there would know exactly what to do … the cutting and undoing of seed stitch is majorly tedious … and even the steering thing is not so recommended on that kind of “fabric” … or she ought to send it to you and you know what to do having been steeped in Alabama Chanin “fabrics” and the hand stitching thing … happy weekend when it rolls around!
Cheers … Ina + Pokey + Stella
I like the idea of opening up the CO stitches however works best for you and go from there to make your waistband tube for the elastic. HOWEVER, if you are like me and that sounds like WAY too much work and potential chaos (for me); how about an I-Cord tie that would be held on by small I-Cord belt loops?? Once the I cord is through the belt loops (which would look adorable in the fuscia CC) you could redistribute the bulk appropriately each time you wear it and it would like a draw-string skirt.
There are so many very practical suggestions above, and I incline toward the steeked boxy top. But what I’d really like to see is the moss stitch continued till you have a reeeeally long tube, then an MDK post with an Interpretive Dance for Knitters video, a la Martha Graham and her tube.
Careful, Susan, we are highly suggestible.
It’s beautiful, I can totally see it as a skirt. I think the answer to the great debate of cut & sew vs snip and reknit upwards to include decreases/shaping comes down to: how sick of it are you? If you’re very sick of knitting it, do the cut & sew. As a tailor & a knitter I can tell you they will both work out *just fine* – it’s sewing, not brain surgery.
If you can find a tailor with some guts, great, though I’m sad to say, they do seem to be a bit thin on the ground…
If you have a friend with a sewing machine, this is easy, you can do it! Sew darts on each side seam, similar to what you have laid out in the pic above. Don’t make them quite as long or as deep as actual body measure. Press from the inside and when you do, place the seam over a large dowel (or broomstick handle) -the curve of the dowel will allow you to press just the seam and not smash down the rest of the fabric. Sew the dart seam with a narrow zig-zag, then cut the dart open, & trim the edges to about 1/2″ & overcast them with a wider zig-zag. After that, apply facing to inside of skirt for elastic, insert elastic, join ends, and Bob’s your uncle.
If all that is too much, send it to me and I’ll do it for you, no charge, – it’d be a hoot and a half!
“It’s sewing, not brain surgery” needs to go on a needlepoint pillow!
I was showing my 78 year old mom the blog (I’m visiting her and am a little obsessed by the Stopover), when she saw your cowl and was transfixed. She hasn’t knit in years and years, but saw the white cowl and announced that she’d like to make a baby blanket just like it. I couldn’t believe it. Your cowl is inspirational.
So many skirts today are not worn at the waist but at the hips. It would be much easier to pick up stitches and knit a waistband with elastic inside if it were to settle on your hips…less fabric gathered, unless you’ve small hips, in which case…never mind!
I’d snip and reknit the top down. Or from the hips up. How about in ribbing? 1 – the decreasing happens in a naturally fitted way and 2 – the contrast/half stitch off will be less relevant.
Your beautiful cowl reminds me of a cowl/cape ala Meringue. And really no adjustments needed.
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/meringue-3
The colors are stunning!
Figure out the distance needed to decrease down to your size and pull the thread there. Knit on up shaping all the way. You’ll be happier with it tapered to fit you.
1. Buy more yarn.
2. Knit two sleeves, keep stitches live
3. Unravel the CO
4. Pick up all stitches and fiddle a bit
5, Knit yoke
6. Bang out a Scowlover sweater
Perhaps a bottom warmer? A gal sells them from recycled sweaters here at the One of a Kind Shows.
http://www.honeybea.ca/original-bumwarmers/
Now I just know Ann is not likely to go for the bunwarmer option, but I did successfully turn a too-large cowl into one of these during a recent cold spell. It was nice yarn and yet I never wore it as a cowl. One cold day I was going to help a friend move and I knew I’d need some extra layers (doors constantly opening, running back and forth to cold garage for more boxes, we all know the dang drill). I just looked at that tube of knitting and realized I could (inch inch) it over my yoga pants and voila! as they say: bumwarmer extraordinaire. I kept wearing it all that week, too, but mostly around the house. Nothing worse than a cold tush.
As for your problem, Ann: in a hot minute I would let one of these fine ladies reshape, line, and Put A Waist on It for you. Or do the sewing darts and cutting thing. But for gawd’s sake don’t keep going into a dress or turn it upside down or add another color! Stay true to your murky (a spring fling with fuschia is understandable). Good luck!
The bunwarmer has not been properly explored as a garment category. I think we can break new ground here. There are legwarmers, earwarmers, mitts, mittens, fingerless mitts, shawls, scarves, cowls–but nothing for the region that Dave Barry calls the behindular area. You guys are onto something here.
Whoa. Speechless for a solution. Looking forward to reading about the fix. I’m like Kay — I knit things over and over again, so my solution would be to find Shrek and give him the cowl/showl/wowl. That said, not even sure Shrek would work because: (1) he’s a cartoon; and (2) he lives in a swamp and not likely to wear knits. On the other hand, the pink would look fetching with Shrek’s complexion.
Fantastic color choice! And hilarious post! I wish I could keep up with you, M-D, on all the many platforms. I don’t quite understand how folks have time or energy to follow you on all these platforms. Or perhaps I’m missing a small but important piece of knowledge? Alerts perhaps?
I know your skirt is going I be awesome and fit perfectly. Btw, as your book notes, you don’t need a sewing machine for a steek. Just, say’in…. (And some other sources state that more emphatically than you do. Just sayin…..)
Also I’m shocked, yes shocked! that u don’t have a sewing machine, when you’re so adept in the crafty and creative and all-around interesting departments. Don’t get me wrong, I dont have one either, but I’m not adept at the crafty and creative and being all-around interesting, like you are. And yet, even I, must admit that technically I do have one. It was my grandmother’s from the days when a Singer sewing machine was a piece of furniture all of its own used – It works with a foot treadle, and is encased in a wood cabinet with six drawers for notions — it still my grandmother’s scissors, spools of thread bobbins galore and a bright red handled awl (!). And if I got a new belt to go around the big wheel that spins when one works the treadle, it would indeed work. Amazing how easy it is to fix old times things. I know this because as a child I insisted my mother get a new belt and show me how to use it. Sadly she wasn’t a sewer herself. Or encouraging of me (actually more impt than being a sewer herself) so all I did was make a pin cushion on
on my own. I must have been 9. I still use it.
Can’t wait to see that gorgeous skirt!
Btw, wish I knew how to add a pic to this comment. Sorry!
The platforms! Just go with the one that feels good. I want to start sending telegrams, old-school all-caps communications with no punctuation. Maybe I can retrofit Twitter for this.
And thank you for the reminder that a steek doesn’t require a sewing machine. I do a mean backstitch, tight as a tick. Nothing’s escaping my backstitch.
I thought “scowl” was a hoot, but I LOL’d at “wowl”…
and I’ll echo the thought before me: pick up and knit a t-shirt top to make it into a tunic/dress.
ScowlOver! Make it a Sweater like Jorun suggested! Then you don’t have to worry about making fabric disappear. You could have lovely fuschia sleeves in stockinette with a moss stitch cuff, and the yoke could be done in the taxicab yellow in stockinette so shaping is easier and would match the sleeves.
I’d pick up stitches on the “top” but you’ll have some pleats/ruffling on the top, you can add some more contrast and either not pleat but add shaping (in which case, you’ll probably have to remove some of the pink at the bottom) as if you decided to do this first, then end with the tubular waist band; if you do sharp decreases (I wonder how short rows would look?) it won’t be so fitted, but the top part would be shorter.
Another thought is to make a paper bag skirt; fold a flap for the icord to be threaded through, leaving openings, thread i cord through the flap (you could even do loops like belt loops which would be easier) and tie. But you will have bunching on top and bottom
you could also unravel from the top (cast on edges are a bit.. to unravel, but they can be done) to where you would have started fitting assuming it’s a bottom up skirt and then knit up in a fitted fashion. That might be easiest and neatest way to go
1. Does Judy Chicken have a sewing machine?
2. While we are waiting to decide how to make this into a skirt, should we think about how to accessorize it? Boots? Booties? Tights? A belt? The top? A sweater? A matching sweater? With a cowl? Jewelry?
3. Head spinning
Judy Chicken has an entire floor in her home devoted to the crafterly arts. I need to get over there so I can show you the epic scope of Judy Chickens’s Land Of MakingTM. It boggles the mind.
Cut a steek and turn it into an artsy blanket by adding on more color blocks – a bowl? Will it felt?(ouch. I know) Turn it into a lined bag?
BOWL!!!! LOL. It probably would felt in a terrible way given that the fucshia is superwash yet the top part is not. Or maybe artful way. I honest to God don’t know what the right destiny is for this thing. There are so many plausible ideas in here that I want to try them all. And yes: lined bag is a legit way out here.
I vote to knit up from top in fuscia then decrease and add waistband. I can’t wear cowl’s often, because I have a short next, but skirt? Love the idea.
Oh, my “unyarn” came from Iceland today. Swatches are waiting for their bath. I can’t wait to start Banging out a Freyja.
Will it felt? How about converting the tube into a tote bag? Add a band off fuschia to the top, moss stitch straps and poof!
I’m with Karen T. Flip that bad boy and make the fuchsia the top of the skirt, and knit to fit, assuming you have the yarn. If not, it’s time for a stiff drink and a borrowed sewing machine ;=)
Oh, waiting for my yarn still too. Last time I had this much trouble with Iceland was 2010, when that volcano erupting ended up canceling my trip. Do you think Iceland is trying to tell me something?
Open it up and make a cape? With some kind of luxurious collar type thing in the red color?
Take out the casting on (from when it was a cowl) — “unpick” to get live stitches, and knit up a waist band in the desired size/ circumference.
Make some “afterthought sleeves”? (a la EZ’s afterthought thunb)
Frog back to the white cowl, with a width you like, and then make a regular bind off. Opt (or not) to make a similar one with the frogged red yarn
Whatever you decide, I hope you have fun and also create something that you love / like.
LoveDiane
The Wowl!
I won’t offer any advice, doing surgery on this is exactly the kind of thing I take on. I have a little shelf of misunderstood pieces that remind me of that scene in Toy Story where the mean kid next door took apart all the toys an reassembled them with each others’ parts and it is creepy.
No..what I mean is..go for it! It’ll be fabulous!