Seeing double

So here is the thing about the Claoptis. I have to admit that I was never all that excited about the project. I mean, seriously, it’s just a scarf with some diagonal drop-stitching. Boooring. Plus, everyone in the world was making them, and who wants to be just like everyone else.

But then the local knitting group had a little knit-along, and I decided what the heck, since it was certainly going to be a nice, easy project and it would use up some stash yarn, and I had been trying to think of a project to make for an upcoming birthday anyway, and this seemed just as good an idea as anything else. So exactly two weeks ago I cast on (several times, in fact, with three different types of yarn before finally settling on the one I ended up using). The yarn I used misplaced its label quite some time ago, but if I close my eyes I can see myself huddled beside a basket of pretty gray (unlabeled) yarn at the Tess Designer Yarns booth, trying to find a selection of matching skeins, so I am taking a guess that it’s a merino and mohair combination. The yarn itself is delicious soft and silky – that alone kept me happily knitting away. Plus, I took the advice of a fellow knitter and purled the drop stitch columns instead of having to fuss with pesky little stitch markers, and before I knew it, it was time to start dropping stitches.

And that’s when it hit me, why it is that this pattern is so popular and everyone in the world is making themselves a Claoptis (or two, or six). Those simple dropped stitches, done on a diagonal, turn this into something just a little bit amazing. The dropping of the stitches adds width, but not bulk, to what would otherwise be a rather boring little scarf, so if you use a light weight yarn, it can just as easily be wrapped around your neck as spread out and wrapped around your shoulders.

I finished my first Clapotis last Thursday night, in exactly one week. And then the next morning, I dug out the remainder of that mystery yarn and my little kitchen scale, weighed them against the finished Clapotis, determined I had exactly enough, and the very next morning, cast on for the second. The first will still be mailed off for that aforementioned birthday, but the second one, which I finished last night, is just for me.

I gave the first one a quick bath, and while I didn’t pin it out, I did let it drape a bit wider on the bed, so it’s dried a bit more open and airy than the second (so far). I thought about taking pictures of them singly, but considering they’re the same yarn, I figured that’d be a bit boring. Plus, one of the other Clapotis knit-alongers wanted to know how much the wash had made my first one grow. So when I came home this afternoon, I stretched both out onto the floor and did my best to take some pictures.

Of course, that’s always easier said than done when there are cats around. Rosie and Azzie immediately came rushing over to see what I was doing, and in the few seconds it took for me to turn around and grab my camera, they’d already flopped down to take advantage of the new (temporary) place to lounge.

A little straightening, a little distraction in the shape of a conveniently tossed cat toy, and at least I’ve only got one ‘assistant’ in the picture, and a better view of my twin Clapotis.

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