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FO Friday: Knit Jasper

remilyknits 3 Comments

Please say hi to Knit Jasper!

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Project: Knit Jasper

Pattern: Siberian Husky, highly modified

Designer: Joanna Osborne and Sally Muir

Available: in Knit Your Own Dog

Yarn: Palette

A friend of mine from agility lost her dog Jasper to a sudden accident.  Before he died, she incurred some serious vet bills, and the agility community held some raffles to raise money to help her out. I donated a “custom knit mini dog” for the raffle.  Someone mentioned that they hoped the winner would give the prize to Kathy … so I decided to make her a Jasper up front, so the winner wouldn’t have to give up their prize.  (The winner, by the way, has a mini poodle — look for that project soon!)

It was hard to get started on Knit Jasper, because I wanted so badly for it to be as close to perfect as possible.  This was extra hard, because the original Jasper is not any particular breed — so there wasn’t a pattern in Knit Your Own Dog that was exactly right. Eventually I decided that the Siberian Husky was closest in shape, especially the ears and head.

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I charted out the written pattern for the Husky, and colored in Jasper’s signature tri-color markings. I made the legs and body just a smidge shorter to better match Jasper’s sturdy frame. Slowly he came together … I couldn’t figure out how to put a ruff around his neck without making it look like a lion’s mane, but overall I am satisfied with the doppelganger. After I took photos, I decided to tip the right ear — I soaked it in water, pinched it in a chip clip, and let it dry overnight.  The tipped ear really helps the look!

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jasper at Kathy

Here’s another pair of knit vs. original photos — it’s important to get rears right too!

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So long Jasper, happy trails to you.

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FO Friday: Vermont Juneberry

remilyknits 4 Comments

I finished my Juneberry!

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Project: Vermont Juneberry

Pattern: Juneberry Triangle

Designer: Jared Flood

Available: $6.50 on Ravelry

Yarn: The Shearer’s Yarn in Quoddy Blue

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I bought this yarn at a farmstand in Vermont, on my way back from an agility trial.  What I have, is what I have … so I was excited when I calculated yardage, and found I had enough to make a Juneberry — a pattern I’ve had queued for a while now.

You can, therefore, appreciate the depths of my horror when I realized (as I began working the edging) that I had nowhere NEAR enough yarn to finish the pattern as written.  I modified, measured, knit, ripped, and repeated until I had an edging that preserved some flavor of the original, but used the right amount of yarn.  Even so, I finished on fumes — the tiny ball below is all I had left!  Phew.

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I’m satisfied with my modded edging … I had to loose the big lacy holes, but I’m ok with my faggoted substitution.  I was able to keep the bobbled swoops, and lost 1 of the 3 lace holes along the outside edge.

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I really enjoyed this knit, and will likely make it again, this time with enough yarn on hand to complete the full edging! It’s fun to knit lace with worsted-weight yarn — over and done very quickly.