Clapotis Detail
There’s been some discussion concerning whether or not the clapotis should be blocked. The designer says:
My three Clapotis mottos:
1. curling is good
2. block schmock
3. WS is nicer
In other words: Yes, it curls when you’re making it, but when it’s all done, I like that it curls around. I actually purposfully twist it before putting it on so the dropped stitches flow and move more. I would never dream of blocking it because I like the way it curls and the dropped stitches pop. I would be afraid of stiffening them up or straightening them out…I’m not telling you NOT to block… you do as you see fit. I wouldn’t block it, but I would rarely follow a designer’s pattern or instructions as written so do what you like… but don’t bother blocking.
Right after finishing mine, I didn’t block it, but I wasn’t really happy with the way it looked. The curled ends kept the Fibonacci sequence from showing properly. So I blocked it, and the improvement was dramatic.
It drapes better (and is longer!) after blocking. Just lovely, and perfect wrap for a stroll around Scotland.
Note: The original pattern makes a rough parallelogram-shaped scarf. Adding one repeat to the straight section creates a rectangle.
I had planned to design a lace wrap to make for our trip to Scotland. At the time, I didn’t know that lace pattern+alpaca yarn = bad idea. About 32 rows into the pattern, I figured it out and frogged the project.
I still wanted a wrap, and I still wanted to use my alpaca yarn. It had been sitting in my stash (all 1000 yards of it) for 4 years, an impulse buy at the annual Downtown Sidewalk Sale in 2004. I picked it up because it was soft and couldn’t put it down. The plan was to use it, along with some really ugly super bulky acrylic yarn, to make a throw, which explains why it languished on the needles for ~3 years.
After the failed Scotland wrap experiment, I went back to Ravelry in search of inspiration. I had 330 yards each of cream, grey, and brown 100% pure alpaca. I liked the looks of the Clapotis (a pattern which came out the same year I bought the yarn). It was simple, but still lacy, and the natural fuzziness of the alpaca wouldn’t interfere with the pattern. Designer Kate Gilbert notes:
French women are known for wearing scarves. Starting in September and until summer arrives, this is a most important accessory. The scarf may be striped or patterned, colorful, wrinkled and is much bigger than the scarves you probably have. Women just wrap the scarf around their neck in a “Je suis belle et ça ne demande aucun effort” sort of way and off they go.
But all the ones I’d seen were done either in variegated or solid yarn, and I didn’t have enough of any one color to complete the project.
Being a scientist/geek, it occurred to me that I could use the Fibonacci sequence to space the colors.
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