Adapting lace knitting instructions: How easy is it?

I used to think I was allergic to wool. Every time I used it, my fingers would itch and it felt very scratchy.

More recently, though I’ve found it’s not the wool: it’s the processing!  Some processed fibers still are too scratchy, but the lesser processed fibers work just fine.  Good thing too, or I wouldn’t have been able to finish my latest project.

Here’s what’s left of two balls of handspun that wasn’t dyed. It’s from Brown Sheep Mills mill end roving, and is very soft to knit.

It was a real pleasure to knit this yarn.

I decided upon a lace scarf.

As you can see, the lace pattern isn’t very prominent:

That’s because the handspun yarn “blooms” and fills in the spaces. It does, however, make a very nice warm scarf.

The original knitting instructions made a very wide scarf in this yarn. So, I ended up frogging a bunch of it, and re-knitting it in a narrower width.

And yes, knitting a swatch first helped me to decide the pattern, yarn, and needles worked well together.

The pattern comes with instructions on how to resize it. It’s The Columbine II Seamen’s Scarf in Stahman’s Shawls and Scarves: Lace Faroese-Shaped Shawls from the Neck Down & Seamen’s Scarves. This book has multiple levels of skill for the projects. I may just end up knitting several of the projects as I practice my lace knitting.

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Adapting the knitting instructions for a lace purse

When I read about a bride’s purse in Knitting Daily, I knew I wanted to try its free knitting instructions.

However, I didn’t have enough white crochet thread, and the correct size needles were in use for socks I started a while back. I did, however, have a purse I’d started which was sitting on a shelf. Sitting alone because I found it too hard to knit. Not wanting to give up on crochet thread, the Knitting Daily pattern was just what I needed to try again.

I like the way the two colors of crochet cotton blended, and wanted to use them. The new purse started by ripping the “old” purse, and reusing the crochet thread.

So how did I customize the knitting instructions?

• By changing the colors
• By changing the thread from one strand to two and adjusting the sizes of the needles accordingly
• By stopping when I was satisfied with the size of the purse
• By creating my own edging
• By changing the crocheted cord to an I-cord

After ripping and winding crochet thread, I started my new purse. On size 3 double pointed needles since that’s what I had. When I needed a circular needle, I used my size 4 because I don’t have a size 3. And I wanted to make the purse now, not wait until I could purchase a circular needle.

So that’s what I did. Using the larger needles, because I have 2 strands instead of the one from the pattern. It also makes a larger purse, of course. My solution was to only do two repeats of the lace before adding my own edging.

And, I didn’t want to crochet the tie. Instead, I decided to try Elizabeth Zimmermann’s I-cord, from her book Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Workshop.

The result is a purse large enough for a cell phone, small wallet and keys. I added a lining made of two circles of fabric sewn rights sides together then turned and slip stitched in place. This has the right side of the lining peek through the lace and the right side of the lining also be inside the purse. The lining doesn’t show up well on my pictures.

Here is the final result:

For the edging, I made up my own. A close-up:

And, yes, that’s an I-cord cast off also from Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Workshop.
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Knitting with crochet cotton isn’t so hard. My earlier attempt at creating my own knitting instructions for a purse was complicated by knitting too few stitches on the circular needle.

All in all, it’s not so hard to customize the knitting instructions for a lace purse.

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