Apologies to Jordana Paige

Dear Jordana,

I am really sorry. I saw your felted pumpkins in last fall's Knitty and fell in love immediately. Since I was already knee deep in holiday knitting and sinking fast, I didn't get any made last fall. However, I vowed to rectify that situation by making extra ones in time for Holloween this year. With the break in the heat the last couple weeks, and the newly arrived wool, I decided today was the day.

I don't know why, but I think I am not constitutionally capable of knitting a pattern as written. I started out knitting a single wedge for the smaller pumpkin with my Wool of the Andies in the appropriately named Pumpkin color. I got half way up the increases only to find that I didn't like the way it was coming out. I hated the thought of having to knit the wedges separately, then sew them together. A more patient soul would have trusted that it would all come out right in the end, but not me. I had visions of knitting and sewing up all seven wedges, felting the thing, and winding up with a wonky looking pumpkin.

So, I ripped it out and started modifying. My first thought was to knit the wedges in as single flat piece, and only have one long seam up the side, as well as top and bottom. Then I took it a step further and said, why not go all the way and knit it circularly:










Before I knew it, I had a completed, knit in a single piece, pumpkin:













It was soon joined by a top and a length of vine:













The pieces all felted well and are currently drying:











I have two main concerns for the finished pieces. First off, I think the vine is too big for this pumpkin. I went back and looked at the pictures, and it appears you only put the vine on the larger pumpkin. No worries, I will use it on another, larger pumpkin. I'm debating whether to make a smaller/shorter vine for this one, or to go without.

Of slightly greater concern is the "seam lines". I knew when I went about modifying that this might be an issue. I used a column of purl stitches to mimic seam lines, but I'm not sure the indentations were quite as prominent as they should have been. I bound the bejayzus out of them:










and I'm hoping for the best. If it doesn't work out, I have ideas for improving this one, and things to try on the next one, assuming I don't tuck my (proverbial) tail between my legs and go back to knitting these according to the pattern.

I still think the design is beautiful, and I'm sorry I felt the need to fix what wasn't broken

Yours sincerely,
Kat (no, not that Kat),
Studiously ignoring everything that has to be done in the next week and a half in favor of felting fun.