I mentioned in my July wrap-up that I’d gone backwards in my goal to get rid of all my yarn by starting a new project with new yarn. Well, I just finished said project! Welcome the Genesis Kimono into my closet:
I got the pattern free from Hooked on Tilly, though she has since removed the pattern from her blog and the only version you can get is for money. The pattern had modifications for small, medium, and large, and I used the large size for myself (though the medium would’ve been fine, as it turns out). For the most part, the pattern was easy to follow and it got into a good rhythm. The only problem I had was with the adaptation for the large. At the end, when you sew the side panels to the back, there’s supposed to be a gap between the two sides (otherwise they’d connect behind your neck). The large adaptation has the side panels wide enough that they actually overlap. Instead of overlapping them (which would’ve made the kimono unwearable), I left several inches unsewn and later flipped them back with a button to make lapels. It’s a good thing I know how to improvise! It’s possible this has been corrected in the paid version of the pattern, but I don’t know. Yarn used: Lion Brand Mandala in Centaur (body); Deborah Norville Everyday in Heather (edging/fringe).
Another fun benefit: Matching the Mandala yarn for the edging/fringe was very difficult, and I ended up with several extra skeins that didn’t quite match. I got to make a few small cross-body purses for my upcoming cruise. No pattern on either of them, I was just making it up as I went along from pictures on the internet. They aren’t terribly professional, but they’ll do!
Yarn: Lion Brand Jeans yarn in “Brand New.” This project took about two hours total, including all the squinting at the small internet photo to figure out what to do next. It also only used about half the skein, but I gave the rest away to a friend who likes to make collage pieces out of leftover skeins.
[PS – After finishing this project, I suddenly found the pattern. Only it’s in Danish. Heh.]
Yarn: Lion Brand Heartland in Badlands. Again, took about two hours total, and used about half the skein. This pattern was pretty much made up from scratch, and it came out okay.
Now I only have a single skein of yarn left to use to finish my goal of zeroing out my stock this year. Woohoo!
The Zen Leaf 
I really like all of these! As I said before, they are a lot better than anything I could do with crochet hooks!
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I think it’s really easy to see the flaws in your own work and see what you could’ve done differently. I’m definitely not making professional grade quality! I envy those who can!!
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I am trying to make the genesis kimono but am having a terrible time trying to figure out the starting and ending chains to get the exact stitch count. I count and recount and start again only to have more than 136 stitches or less than. Any pointers would be appreciated. I’m actually using the same colors you did.
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I forgot to mention that part! Sorry – I think the Large pattern was off by one stitch. I believe my lines were all 137 stitches. I don’t have the pattern in front of me, but I chained the correct number (and double-checked) and chose the right number loop to start the first row of dc. I didn’t bother to count at that point, just ran the next row with all the chains and spacers in it, and it came out perfect. The 136 has to be wrong, because an even number would mean there isn’t a dc at the end of both rows. It must be an odd number, since the dc starts and ends the row. I got about ten rows into the pattern before I decided to check the count, just in case I’d missed stitches. I came up with (I believe) 137 and freaked out a little, but I counted each row back, including all the ones that go with a very specific chain/space number, and they were all the same. I think the pattern is just wrong. As I said in the post, I don’t think the woman who created the pattern actually made the large version to check that her adaptation was correct. I’d say that if your rows that aren’t just dc are turning out the perfect number for the pattern, so that they end/begin in the same place as the pattern ,don’t worry too much about the number of dcs in the dc rows. I hope that helps!
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