finished object Friday

When I saw a Braided Ball on another blog I was intrigued. And then when I saw Bernat Mosaic on sale it all clicked. Let's try it!

First, the yarn: it's an inexpensive acrylic fabricated as a cheap and easy care alternative to Noro. They've succeeded in my books from a colour standpoint - the colours are beautiful, the repeats are long and the transitions are very attractive. Nicer than Noro, in fact, which I find gets very muddy in transitions. I don't think this pattern shows the colours to full advantage; instead, something like this would be stunning (and machine washable)!

It feels like a brushed cotton on my hands, and like cotton, has little stretch. The knitted fabric is very soft and feels slightly felted. Many Ravelers complain that the yarn shreds and falls apart with handling, and they're right, it won't take much stress. I had no trouble knitting it, but seaming or frogging would be an entirely different story. In that regard, it reminded me of Rowan Felted Tweed.

As for the pattern, it's really simple until you hit the assembly stages. The ball is constructed from six bands of stockinette fabric (12-13 grams of worsted weight each) which are woven through each other and then stitched into closed bands. Weaving strips three and four through the first two isn't hard. But when you get to strips five and six, it's awkward. I could have used a couple of extra hands to help hold the other bands in place.

Finished, it's about the size of a softball. Although hollow in the middle - I might put in a bell - the bands are sturdy enough to give the ball a pleasant firmness. Looks like my braided ball is going to live on my desk as a stress ball, at least for the time being. As much as I enjoyed making the ball, I can't see myself making more. After all, what would you do with them?

It's worth taking a look at Tami's Amis to see more finished objects, but I warn you, looking does seem to have the unfortunate effect of adding to my own project list. Many fun and interesting things!