Eleanor Poncho

The weather is struggling with transitioning to spring, and with the last few days varying between warm and too cool, I thought it would be a good to time to get some use out of the Eleanor poncho. This is another old knit, one of my oldest and most favourite knits in fact. I purchased the Viva Poncho book back in 2005 and bought myself a bagful of Rowan Polar (slightly discounted, phew) and cast on. So, ponchos. I like them, for the most part, but it is a little annoying not being able to sling your bag over your shoulder when wearing one of these. You also have to be weary of too much fringe and seams and things. It was the whole ensemble - the model pictured in a bright white Eleanor with skinny jeans and black high tops - that sold me on the design.

I wear this a lot in the spring and fall and have gotten many compliments on it. The pattern is great for a new knitter - learning to increase, decrease, cable and work in the round. The Rowan Polar is a soft, squishy luxurious alpaca blend and feels nice and fuzzy against your skin. It's a little expensive though, and has actually been discontinued, so the only place you'll find it is probably on eBay.

Pattern: Eleanor Poncho from Viva Poncho
Yarn: Rowan Polar, 5 skeins (? one less than pattern)
Needles: US11 circulars Cherry is chugging along slowly. It would be further along if I didn't have to rip back about 4 inches worth of knitting - I noticed a mistake smack in the middle of the back and it was enough to make the pattern look sloppy, so I ripped it back. Another four inches later, I have gotten to the same point in progress as I did a couple days ago.

Tomorrow I have a half day off which will be spent getting my neck and shoulder muscles restored to normalness. Damn knitting injuries.

P.S. Did you notice the new blog title bar?