Ravellenic Finish #1

My first project participating in Ravelry's Ravellenic Games was super fun and fast to knit ... but I'm feeling a little "eh" about the actual finished product. I've been admiring this pattern, the Betula Ring cowl, for months now. You know my long-established love of garter stitch, and I loved the fabulous way you could wear this cowl multiple ways. But I may have learned a lesson in how wrong things can go when you substitute a yarn of a different weight than called for in the pattern. On paper, MadTosh Chunky is the perfect yarn for this pattern. But I quickly realized that there was a large difference in gauge--the pattern uses a bulky yarn that knits up at 3 stitches per inch, whereas MadTosh Chunky is closer to an aran weight that knits up around 4 stitches per inch in the called for needle size for this pattern. I adjusted stitch counts, and that worked great, but what I didn't make up for was the floppier, drapier nature of my fabric at this gauge. If you look at the original pattern's pictures, it features a stockinette section that sits sturdily erect (part of what attracted me to the pattern). My MadTosh sadly couldn't replicate that behavior. I also learned that I need to just trust the pattern with this project ... I kept knitting more repeats on the stockinette section, thinking it was just too short. But in reality, my extra knitting made it too long and the tube just rolled annoyingly. So, while I am still in love with this pattern, I sadly plan to frog this project and knit this pattern again with some of my actual true bulky weight yarn in my stash. I just don't enjoy wearing this cowl as is, and this awesome yarn deserves to be in a project that will be worn and loved!

Pattern:  Betula Ring cowl (link to my Ravelry project page)
Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Chunky (colorway: Vishnu, 1 skein = 160ish yards)
Needles: Size 10 Knit Picks Harmony fixed circular
Modifications: Cast on 24, instead of 18 on garter flap due to difference in gauge. Also knit approx. 18-20 rows instead of the 12 called for in the stockinette section.

Hope your Ravellenic knitting is more successful than mine so far!