Last Koigu Skirt Entry Ever, I Swear
Pattern: A-Line Skirt from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2006
Yarn: Koigu KPM in chocolate brown and pink
Needles: Size 2 Addi Turbos
Modifications: Most notably, I decided in the end not to do all of the embroidery and ribbon weaving that they did in the magazine. I actually started it and wove the ribbon in to about half of the lace section and embroidered a couple of the flowers, but realized pretty quickly that I actually liked the skirt better without it. Maybe it is because the brown I chose is so much darker than the pink stripes, but it just started looking too busy.
I also modified the pattern to work the skirt in the round, primarily because I knew that knitting something as arduous as this (a whole skirt! out of sock yarn! on size 2 needles!) would mean that if I knit it flat, I'd finish the front and never the back. Other than that, the only other changes I made were for sizing - I started out with the "large" width and worked up to the "medium" sized waist because I know that I am hip-py and need a little flare out for my skirts to look decent.
Overall, I am really pleased with this skirt - it looks super cute on (though without the ribbons you need a slip under it), and it is by far the most challenging thing I have ever knit simply because of the work involved. It's also the first thing I've made that actually fits me exactly the way it is supposed to, which is probably directly related to its being the first thing I've ever done a large swatch for instead of just the 4"x4" square. However, would I knit it again? Doubtful, unless I get extremely bored, considering this is about 80,000 stitches (not to mention almost $100 worth of yarn!), but it's a great project if you can afford it.