Knittess

Sanders Mittens Finally Finished

2011-02-24T13:09:00.000-08:00

The mittens described in this post sat in the UFO pile for an extremely long time. They are finally finished and I am very pleased with them.
Yarn: Dale of Norway Falk 0090 Black 48.4 g.; 6027 Turquoise 22.3 g.; 8426 Green 15.0 g.
Needles: 2.5 mm. dpns
Pattern: Sander's Mittens from Folk Knitting in Estonia
Begun: July 29, 2007
Completed: February 20, 2011
Size: 9 5/8" long and 4" wide. The thumb is 2.5" by 1.5"; I think this is a child's medium.

Drum Card Miracles

2010-06-28T21:15:00.001-07:00

I received some mystery fleece last fall when no one bid on it at the GLASG (see sidebar) raffle. I think it was leftover from the Color Connects event in March of 2009.

I tried hand carding it but the work was slow going because the fleece was rather matted. At the end of May 2010 and again in June 2010 I took advantage of Open Studio Night at The Urban Craft Center in Santa Monica. On Open Studio Night non-members may attend and use the studio equipment and library for free.

I used the drum carder to turn this:

into this, which is a carded batt,

and then into this, which are 2 nests of sliver dizzed off of the drum carder and one small batt of fiber that didn't diz off.

I need to work on my dizzing skills but I'm very pleased with the result of my efforts. I even had some help when a 5 year old boy and his 3 year old brother turned the crank on the drum carder for me.

The colors aren't good in the last photo. The nests should look similar to the batt in the center photo. Watch this space for a photo of the singles I'm spinning on my spindle.

Shetland Spinning & Lace Knitting

2010-06-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

In May I traveled up the coast to Whidbey Island, near Seattle, Washington to attend a three day workshop on Shetland Spinning from fleece to lace. It was taught by Elizabeth Johnston who came halfway across the world from Shetland and Martha Owen who came across the US from North Carolina where she is a resident artist and instructor at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown.

We washed and processed Shetland fleece, tried to spin it as finely as possible and began designing our own Shetland style lace shawls. Elizabeth and Martha were fantastic teachers and a thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the weekend. Now I want to visit Shetland. For years I have wanted to attend the John C. Campbell Folk School.

This is a photo of a shawl Elizabeth designed and knit out of Shetland fleece she spun and dyed with indigo:

Dyeing Cakes

2010-04-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

For Valentine's Day my mother sent me a Valentine with a $20 bill tucked inside. I promptly spent it on Gail Callahan's new book about dyeing yarn and fleece which I bought from Nancy at Custom Handweaving.

I have read quite a few (and own several) dyeing books but I learned many new things from this one and am pleased to have it in my home library. Thanks Mom! One technique Gail describes that I had never seen in a hand dyeing book before is dyeing yarn while it is wound in a ball or cake. She shows how one can inject dye into different locations in the cake to create a multicolored yarn.

Usually I make a skein of yarn before I dye it and this "dye in the cake" idea intrigued me. I decided to dye some cakes of yarn using immersion dying in the hope that I would get a semi-solid effect. I used some off-white 80% acrylic and 20% wool yarn I had frogged from a thrift store sweater and dyed the yarn in the microwave in canning jars. I used the four basic colors of liquid food coloring--red, yellow, green, and blue--and a vinegar/water solution.

I chose acrylic/wool because I wanted to use the yarn for the class I teach at the local library.

Here's what the three quart and one pint jars look like in the microwave:

Here's what the four balls looked like after they were dyed:

And here's what the "red" cake looked like after it dried and was put in a skein:

Not surprisingly, the color is pale. You can't dye acrylic with food coloring. Only the wool took up the color.

I like the technique but I will need to experiment more with wool. Because I used a mostly acrylic yarn the color seemed to "sit" on the yarn in places and required a lot of rinsing which was impractical with a cake of yarn and, consequently, I had to skein up the yarn to open it up for effective rinsing. Not having to skein yarn was one of the features that attracted me to this technique in the first place. In addition the yarn took a while to dry because air can't circulate well when the yarn is compressed into a cake.

Positives:
-You don't have to skein up the yarn in order to dye it which is wonderful for those with no niddy noddy and swift and those in a hurry.
-Leaving the yarn in a cake greatly reduces the risk of felting during the dyeing process.
-You don't need a large container to hold a cake of yarn. You can dye yarn in a canning jar and a saucepan. Just be sure to elevate the jar so that it isn't sitting directly on the bottom of the pan or it might break.
-No plastic wrap is necessary which makes this a "greener" process. Usually I color a skein, wrap it in plastic wrap and steam it; I don't steam it in a jar because it is hard to stuff a skein into a jar. With this method I can put each cake in its own canning jar or larger glass container and place the jar or container in the steamer rack of my dyeing pot. (I only use the microwave when dyeing with food safe dye.)
-This would be a fun way to dye with children who might get overly enthusiastic with skeined yarn and make it hopelessly tangled.

Not So Positives:
-It is difficult to rinse out a cake of yarn. I assume, however, that when dyeing 100% wool the dye solution will exhaust and little rinsing will be necessary.
-A wet cake of yarn takes a while to dry.

Clearly more experimentation is in order. I especially want to determine whether I can use this technique to produce a semisolid.

Blue Dorset

2009-10-22T13:48:00.001-07:00

I have added spinning to my skill set, although at this stage in the process using the word "skill" is a bit of an overstatement. As with any endeavor, however, I improve the more I engage in it.

Kathy who, among other things, processes and sells fiber and related products (here is a link to her etsy store, Katrina's Wool World) , responded to a post I put on Ravelry. Out of the kindness of her heart she sent me for free! some beautiful Dorset batts. They were two different but similar shades of blue so I borrowed the drum carder from the Greater Los Angeles Spinning Guild (see sidebar) and combined them.

First I tore color A in half lengthwise and ran it through the carder to fluff it up. It had become slightly compacted during shipping. I ended up with two batts totaling about 40 grams:

Next I divided color B into three sections and formed three batts totaling about 60 grams.

I then created a 5 layer high sandwich with alternating colors.

I divided the sandwich into four lengthwise strips and ran each strip through the drum carder once. I did not want to over process the fiber because I wanted to keep the beauty of the variegated blues. I pulled the finished fiber directly off the drum carder using a spice jar cap as a diz. The final photo shows the bumps of fiber ready for spinning.

I intend to make this into a three ply sock yarn. With 100 grams of fiber I should have exactly what I need if I spin it fine enough. Thanks again Kathy, the fiber is beautiful and wonderfully sproing-y!

Helmet Liner

2009-07-04T12:12:00.001-07:00

The Sand and Sea Knitting Guild (see sidebar) held a charity knit along in November, 2008 and I chose to knit this helmet liner. I will donate it back to the person at the Guild who is in charge of charitable donations.

Details:
Pattern: Helmet Liner from Citizen S.A.M.
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino Color Chestnut Brown No.00231, 79.3 g. total
Needles: US 6 for the ribbings and US 8 (5.0 mm.) for the rest
Begun: 11.8.08
Completed: 12.2.08 except for weaving in the ends and blocking
Notes: I used a provisional cast-on for the face so that the ribbing would be ridgeless.

Another Swallowtail

2009-02-18T13:51:00.002-08:00

I love wearing and just looking at my Swallowtail Shawl (closeups here) so much and I enjoyed knitting it so much that very shortly after I completed it I cast on for another. This hasn't been as quick a knit but has been at least as satisfying. I'm again using Kaluund Classic Two, this time in "Wisteria." I am enlarging the shawl, hoping to use up as much of two balls of yarn as possible. This is a wonderful travel project because it is small, lightweight, and keeps your interest, but isn't too complicated to knit on in public.

Completion Monday

2009-02-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

I love those Monday holidays. On President's Day I completed two more projects, a pair of mittens in periwinkle mystery wool and a brioche stitch scarf in cranberry yarn recycled from a thrift store sweater. I made the mittens for myself and will probably donate the scarf to charity.

Obama Mitts & Wristwarmers

2009-02-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

So named because I finished them during Obama's acceptance speech on election night.

Details:
Pattern: Hand/Wristwarmers from Last Minuted Knitted Gifts. I've used this pattern twice before, here and here.
Yarn: Hand dyed "Fisherman" yarn, 39.4 g. total. I've used this yarn before too, here.
Needles: 3.5 mm. (U.S. 4) dpns
Size: Woman's medium. 7" long, 3" wide, unstretched.
Begun: 9/23/08
Finished: 11/4/08
Notes: Cast on was 36 stitches. I added a thumb gusset as described in this post. I again forgot to reverse the twist. I made them so short because I was afraid I'd run out of yarn. Instead I had enough left over to make the matching wrist warmers shown below. They had a cast on of 40 stitches and I used the same needles.
I gave the mitts and wristwarmers to my cousin, Sandy, for Christmas.

Cotton-Ease Log Cabin Complete

2009-02-14T08:28:00.000-08:00

The second log cabin blanket is complete. The Cotton-Ease washed well but I'm not confident that the ends will stay in place.

Here it is lounging on a chair on our sunny patio. This photo captures the color the best.

This shows the reverse side.

Details:
Pattern: How To Log Cabin from Mason-Dixon Knitting. I cast on 20 stitches and knit 25 ridges on the public side for the center rectangle. After that I added 10 public side ridges to each strip.
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in Sugarplum 144, a discontinued color. I used 5 skeins and had a small amount left over. The final blanket weighed 489.2 g.
Needles: Denise Interchangeables in size 7 (4.5 mm.)
Size: 31 inches by 31 inches after machine washing and drying
Begun: July 21, 2008
Finished: November 2, 2008
Notes: Even though quilt-esque aspect of the log cabin design is obscured when using one color, the design is still visible and gives some needed structure to the blanket. Knitting with only one color was easy and resulted in fewer ends to weave in which always enhances a project in my opinion. I added a three stitch knitted on i-cord border.

Warmth Sent to Cheyenne River Reservation

2009-02-13T16:39:00.000-08:00

One of the charities I support is the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Last year there was a mitten blitz challenge on our Native American Support Yahoo Group . We were challenged to make 8 pairs of mittens in 2008. I only managed to knit 7 pairs but I sent them off along with 3 hand knit wool hats and three hand made scarves. I also sent some warm clothing that was not handmade.

Some of the mittens are described here, here, here, and here but I never created an entry for the green felted mittens, the toddler mittens with the green stripes or the wool hats. The knitted red scarf is described here and the other two, crocheted by my mother, are almost identical to this one. They all have attached cards stating the fiber content and care instructions.

The mittens were especially fun to knit and I look forward to participating in this year's challenge.

Alpaca Shetland Triangle

2009-02-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

I've been knitting--I just haven't been posting. Here is a sample:

Begun in January with some Classic Elite Inca Alpaca I got at the Fairview Knitters' post-Christmas swap (thanks, Heather). I'm using my new Harmony interchangeable needles (thanks, Mom) in size 5.5 mm (US9).

As usual, it doesn't look too great before blocking.

Blocking opens up the lace beautifully.

This shows the corner detail during blocking. I added two repeats to the border pattern to use up as much of the yarn as possible and to increase the size of the shawl.

In my haste to get this wrapped for my friend's 60th birthday party on February 3rd I failed to take a finished shot. I'll have to track her down.

Another winner from Evelyn Clark. Project details when I have time to post again.

Sometimes Better Than Socks

2008-10-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

Washcloths are better than socks when it comes to portable projects. I plan to donate this to Socks for Soldiers.

Details

Pattern: 4 Corners Dishcloth, located in the side bar of this blog, using a cast on of 25 stitches.
Yarn: Sugar n Cream in Black 00002, 68.2 g.
Needles: 4.5 mm. (US 7) Addi Turbo 16" circulars.
Size: 11.5" by 11.5".
Begun: 7/14/08
Completed: 9/23/08
Notes: I need to find a new pattern. I like the rounded corners but the grafted area always looks wonky. Our soldiers deserve better.

Is There a Cure for Startitis?

2008-10-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

At the end of 2007 I reviewed my works in progress, realized to my horror that I had 36, and decided to bring the total down to 12 by the end of 2008. I planned to accomplish this by only beginning a new project after 3 old ones were complete.

Not surprisingly I haven't stayed on course: a number of new projects have been started before the requisite 3 old projects have been completed. But the good news is that I have completed a decent number of projects in the past 9 months, 19 projects in fact, which is only 5 short of the 24 project reduction goal I set at the end of last year. Will I be able to complete 5 more in the next three months? Certainly.

The bad news is that I've started so many new projects that my total of current projects is 31, only 8 of which are listed on the sidebar. Several have only an hour or so of work left in them and several others need to be frogged before they can be removed from the WIP list but others are will take many hours to complete. Is there a cure for startitis?

A Square Log Cabin

2008-09-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

I made this blanket with Mission Falls 1824 Cotton using the log cabin technique described in Mason-Dixon Knitting. I started out using stash yarn but had to purchase more yarn for the last three rounds which made this an expensive baby blanket. It has a wonderful drape though and I think it is sturdy enough to last through all of a child's imaginative play.

Details

Pattern: Joseph's Blankie of Many Colors from Mason-Dixon Knitting, revised to be knit square.
Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Cotton in 6 Sea #402, 4 Maize #209, 2 Chicory #401, 5 Jade #303, and 2 Indigo #404.
Needles: Denise Interchangeables in US 7, 4.5 mm.
Size: 38"by 38" after machine washing and drying.
Begun: 9/28/07
Completed: 9/28/08
Notes: I added an i-cord knitted on border. I love this pattern but it is extremely difficult to calculate ahead of time how much yarn you'll need of each color. I ended up with two extra balls of the last three colors (jade, maize & sea) because I overbought. The two rounds of maize are the same color but a different dye lot. The color difference is exaggerated in the photo.

The number of balls of each color might be edited in the future after I sit down with everything to determine what I bought and what is left.

The blanket is quite heavy and certainly not for travel. I doubt I will make another worsted weight baby blanket, especially a cotton one. I think sport or dk weight yarn is best for blankets.

A Kerry Blue Saturated With Memories

2008-09-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

The Kerry Blue Shawl is one of my oldest WIPs. I began it as part of a KAL on the About.com knitting forum. That forum is where I joined the online knitting community when I first got back into serious knitting in late 2004. I send my thanks to the many wonderful and helpful knitters I met via that forum, especially the one who posts as MousePotato who was so generous with her advice. She agreed to lead the KAL, introduced me to Emily Ocher's circular cast-on and was extremely informative in too many ways for me to describe here.

This shawl traveled with me through one of the most painful experiences of my life--my father's illness from metastasized melanoma and subsequent death. I carried it with me during the summer of 2005 while my father was in the last stages of his illness and I was flying home to Texas every few weeks. Because the lace patterns line up and are easy to memorize it was the perfect travel knitting.

I also knitted on it at while staying in Texas, sitting with my father in the den while we watched television together and talked and later, by my father's bedside, after he could no longer walk and a hospital bed replaced his easy chair. I especially recall one night toward the end of his life when I stayed up all night until my brother relieved me at almost dawn. Working on the shawl kept me awake and helped to relieve the heartbreak I was experiencing. My father died a few days later, by which time I had returned to California.

I know this story is sorrowful but this shawl does not represent sorrow to me. It is a tangible reminder of a time when our family gathered together to care for and say goodbye to a man we deeply loved and admired and to support our mother who lost her best friend and husband of 54 years. I knitted on an ocean wave lace edging because my favorite family holidays as a child and as an adult were spent at the beach.

Here are the blocking shots. The process was hard on my back but it was a joy to see the lace reveal itself as I stretched out the blocking wires. Neither shot captures the color. I'll try for accurate color when I do the project post.

(The dark horizontal ridge visible in the bottom photo is the hem of one of the towels I placed under the shawl.)

My First Noro

2008-09-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

This is another project that sat in a WIP bag for a long time. Now it is finished well before our "cold" weather arrives. I made this for myself.

The photo below shows the entire scarf but the color is washed out. The grass is actually green.

This inside shot shows the colors more accurately:

Details:
Pattern: Noro Scarf designed by Jared Flood.
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden in color 225, 4 skeins.
Needles: Addi Turbo 16"circulars in US size 7, 4.5 mm.
Size: 6.5" by 75"
Begun: June 4, 2007
Completed: September 23, 2008
Notes: This took so long to finish because I had to do the end of the scarf three times and once I hit a snag on a project it rests semi-permanently in the "fix it" pile. Unlike Jared, I used the same yarn throughout and at the end two of the colors coincided, thereby destroying the striped effect. I tried reversing the order of one but that merely created coinciding colors in another location. I finally removed some of the offending yarn. The scarf is plenty long nonetheless.

Marching Fingerless Mitts

2008-09-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

My niece plays in a marching band and her hands get cold at those night time football games. I made her some fingerless mitts in one of her school colors. I hope they keep her hands warm but are flexible enough to enable her to play her instrument with ease while wearing them.

The color is more accurate in the photo below:

Details
Pattern: Hand/Wrist Warmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts.
Yarn: Karabella Aurora 8 in color 23, 53 g.
Needles: Brittany Birch size 7 (4.5 mm.) dpns.
Begun: September 10, 2008
Completed: September 23, 2008
Size: Woman's medium, 6.5" in circumference and 9" long relaxed.
Notes: Using the same pattern, I made these for my son in the ribbed style and, although we liked them, we agreed they needed a thumb gusset so I added one this time.

A set of two knit stitches formed the base of the gusset and I used a lifted increase to add one stitch on each side every other row. I worked the thumb in stockinette stitch and at the same time I continued the spiral rib on the rest of the hand. I increased the thumb up to 10 stitches, worked the next round plain and on the next round put those 10 stitches on a holder while casting on two stitches over the gap. When the hand was complete I bound off in purl to encourage the last row to roll inward and not flare out. I then picked up the ten thumb stitches and picked up 4 new stitches in the gap. In the next round I decreased the four picked up gap stitches down to two by working the outer two together with the first and 10th previously held thumb stitches. The thumb is 8 rounds tall after the pick up point. I bound the thumb off in purl also.

Fortunately I had two balls of this yarn but barely used more than one ball. I think I'll make another pair using fewer rows.

I foolishly forgot to reverse the spiral on the second mitt so they are exact matches.

Completion Tuesday

2008-09-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

Today of finished four languishing projects--a striped scarf in Noro Silk Garden, a scarf using an Icelandic lace pattern made with Cascade Cloud 9, fingerless mitts in Karabella Aurora 8, and a black washcloth. I still have far too many WIPs but I'm making some progress. Details to follow.

Edited on 9/26/08 to add: The Icelandic Scarf has an error I did not see until I was about to block it. Back to the frog pond.

Edited on 9/17/09 to add: Now the Icelandic Scarf is complete.

Twenty -Eight Inches of Ribbing

2008-09-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

My Socks for Soldiers socks are finally complete. Not only did they have a total of 28 inches of ribbing, I misread the pattern and had to frog 2" from the foot of each sock. All for a worthy cause. I plan to make the next pair more quickly and more efficiently.

Details:
Pattern: Socks for Soldiers (see sidebar)
Yarn: Schachenmayr nomotta Regia Stretch Uni/Solid) in 0099 Black, 134.5 g.
Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm.) for cast-on and 1st 3 rounds, US 0 (2.00 mm.) for the heels and US 1 (2.25 mm.) for the rest of the sock. The new pattern uses the 0 needles for the bottom of the leg and the toes as well, so those planning to make these should be sure they're using the most up to date pattern.
Size: 11.25" long at the foot, after machine washing and drying, for a man's size 12 shoe
Begun: June, 2007
Completed: August 30, 2008

Black Mittens

2008-09-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm finally posting about another pair of mittens I made for the Native American Support Mitten Challenge. These were knit from some wonderfully soft lambswool recycled from a Gap sweater.

Details
Yarn: 100% lambswool recycled from GAP sweater, two strands held together. The original yarn was fingering weight. Using two strands created worsted weight. Total for both mittens 52 g.
Needles: Inox 3.5 mm. (US 4) dpns
Gauge: 5 stitches per inch
Pattern: Ann Budd's marvelous The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns, yet again
Size: fourth largest size: child's large/woman's small
Begun: 9/14/07
Completed: late 2007
Notes: The pattern called for a c/o of 34 stitches but I increased it to 36 for K2 P2 ribbing. I picked up 3 stitches over the thumb gap rather than one and decreased these extra 2 stitches on the next round.

Seemingly Never Ending Mittens

2008-09-05T18:59:00.000-07:00

Two pairs for the NAS Mitten challenge in Rowan Chunky Print. I enjoyed knitting with this yarn and think it made very pretty mittens. The yarn is soft, thick and sheepy scented and the colors are a delight. The actual color is midway between the light of the lower photo and the dark color in the upper photo. Unfortunately it has been discontinued. It seems to be my fate to fall in love with discontinued yarns/colors.

The suggested needle size of US 11 was too loose for a mitten so I felted the first pair a bit to tighten up the stitches. The second pair was knit using 4.5 mm. (US 7) and the fabric is just right.

Details:
Cuffless Pair
Yarn: Rowan Chunky Print in Girly Pink (no. 077) 52.7 g. total
Needles: U.S. 11
Pattern: Super Bulky Mittens for Women from Knitting Pure and Simple, felted down to a child's medium
Begun: 9/11/07
Completed: 10/10/07
Notes: I won't use this pattern again. Although it was quick (as promised by the designer), I didn't like the way the thumb gusset decreases were designed and the thumbs tend to twist. Also, I think cuffs are necessary in cold weather. I might have liked it better if I'd used a more bulky yarn, as called for in the pattern.

Cuffed Pair
Yarn: Rowan Chunky Print in Girly Pink (no. 077) 92.0 g. of yarn for both.
Needles: U.S. 7
Pattern: The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd.
Size: women's medium, 7" around & 8.75" long
Begun and Completed: during 2007
Notes: I liked this pattern much better than the other one and have already made several other pairs of mittens using it.

Backyard Leaves

2008-08-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

This took over two years to knit because every stitch depends on a chart. Not portable knitting for me. I made it for my daughter who specifically asked for it and chose the yarn. She loves it so much she took it before I blocked it. Maybe she thought she'd have to wait another two years to get it if I held on to it.

Details:
Pattern: Backyard Leaves from Scarf Style
Needles: Old Aero circulars in size 4.0 mm. (U.S. 6)
Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton in Deepest Olive 907, 138.3 g.
Size: 4" by 66"
Begun: 6/24/06
Completed: 8/13/08
Notes: I used a provisional cast on and then knit the 2nd half after picking up the provisional stitches. This was a mistake because extra stitches are cast on a few rows after the initial cast on row. When the scarf was "complete" I had to undo the join and graft the scarf halves together. It doesn't look as neat as I'd hoped it would. If I make this again, I'll do each half separately and provisionally cast on all the cast on stitches, then graft the halves together after they are knit.

I revised the pattern near the tips of the leaves by changing the middle stitch in row 62 to a knit on the RS instead of a purl.

This is the first time I've knit with Wool Cotton and I enjoyed the experience very much. And for once the color in the photo is accurate.

As Long as the Books

2008-08-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Harry Potter Scarf, patterned after the ones shown in the Prisoner of Azkaban movie, took forever to knit and it is incredibly long. I made this for a friend who is a Harry Potter addict.

The indoor shot, below, shows the claret color more accurately and the outdoor shot, above, shows the gold more accurately.

Details
Yarn: Emu Superwash in Claret (no. 2) (now no. 1512) and Gold (no.6), 330 g. total weight. This yarn is now made by a new company which no longer offers the gold color.
Needles: Bamboo 16" circulars in 4.25 mm (US 6) for the c/o, b/o and main knitting, 3.75 mm (US 5) addi turbos for the first and last 5 rows to reduce flaring.
Pattern: A free download from Atypically.Knit
Size: 7.5" by 100"
Begun: '05
Completed: '08
Notes:The pattern called for the scarf to be knit in the round but I didn't want that heavy a scarf so I knit it in K1 P1 rib on 80 stitches. I didn't carry any of the striped colors up the sides which meant I had over 120 ends to weave in on this baby.

4 Corners Washcloth in Cornflower

2008-08-15T12:38:00.001-07:00

Another completed item for this week. And another 4 Corners Washcloth.

Details:
Patterns: 4 Corners Dishcloth (at sidebar) using a cast on of 25 stitches
Yarn: Sugar n Cream in Cornflower Blue #00083, 70.5 g.
Needles: 5.0 mm. (US 8) Addi Turbo 16" circulars
Size: 12" by 12"
Notes: I used a provisional cast on and left a long tail at the center. After the washcloth was fully knit, I used the tail to graft the two sections together working from the center out to the edge. Before beginning the grafting, I passed the center stitch over the one next to it so that both needles would have 24 stitches. This is larger and has a looser fabric than the Patio Pinks one. The color is a true cornflower blue--not the wedgewood blue of the photo.

Patio Pinks Washcloth

2008-08-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

Another 4 Corners Washcloth like this one. It is more square than it looks in the photo and the colors are more vibrant.

Details:
Patterns: 4 Corners Dishcloth (at sidebar) using a cast on of 23 stitches
Yarn: Sugar n Cream in Patio Pinks #02318, 56 g.
Needles: 4.0 mm. (US 6) Inox 16" circulars
Size: 10" by 10"
Notes: I used a provisional cast on and left a long tail at the center. After the washcloth was fully knit, I used the tail to graft the two sections together working from the center out to the edge. Before beginning the grafting, I passed the center stitch over the one next to it so that both needles would have 22 stitches.

Caught Red Handed

2008-07-24T07:35:00.000-07:00

The pattern for these mittens is from the Jan/Feb 2006 issue of Piecework, a magazine published by the same company that brings you Interweave Knits. Piecework contains articles and projects for all types of handwork, mostly needlework, but a few esoteric kinds as well. I read my first issue two years after it began to be published and immediately bought up all the back issues. I've continually subscribed ever since. You can see my rather beat up working copy of the pattern under the mittens.

The knitted mittens are finished off with a crocheted border that shows up the best in this outdoor shot. The color is more accurate in the other two photos.
Details:
Pattern: Cable Mittens from Piecework Jan/Feb 2006
Yarn: fingering weight lambswool recycled from a J. Crew sweater (the pattern called for worsted weight)
Needles: Inox 2.5 mm. (U. S. size 1 1/2) dpns; small crochet hook
Size: Child's large
Begun: 1/06
Completed: 4/30/07
Notes: My favorite recycled yarn comes from J. Crew lambswool sweaters. I'll definitely make these again, probably in other weights of yarn. My daughter loves them so I gave them to her.

A Change from Mittens

2008-07-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

It can't be all mittens all the time so I made a scarf, which you can see here lounging among the peach blossoms in January. That peach tree produces terrible fruit but always bursts forth in beautiful flowers just after Christmas to brighten the new year.

Details
Yarn: 3 50 g. balls of Cascade Bollicine Maxi, which seems to be discontinued because I couldn't find it on the Cascade site with other Bollicine yarns.
Needles: Clover Bamboo 5.0 mm. (US 8) circs.
Pattern: my own using Mistake Rib on 31 stitches with an extra stitch cast on for a slipped stitch border for a total of 32 stitches.
Size: 5" by 54.5" after machine washing and machine drying.
Begun: 12/27/07
Completed: 1/30/08
Notes: I like the brioche scarf pattern better because it has more depth. I made this so narrow because I bought the last three balls available in this color and wanted it to be long enough. Made for Native American Support.

Hiiumaa Socks

2008-07-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hiiumaa Mismatched Mates Socks from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush. Mine, however will match. I started these last year when they were the monthly sock for the Knitting on the Road KAL (sidebar). They're a little big so I lost interest but I think I'll finish them rather than frog them. I like how the marled yarn makes indistinct stripes.

I'm using Lang Yarns Jawoll Superwash Solid in Navy (#83.0025) for the main sections and Lana Grossa Meilenweit in blue/navy marl (#1299) for the stripes on size 2.25 mm (US 1) needles.

Log Cabin Baby Blanket in Cotton-Ease

2008-07-21T13:36:00.000-07:00

I love the Log Cabin Blanket design from Mason-Dixon Knitting. Mindless garter stitch for reading, talking and movie watching. I started another one today with Lion Brand Cotton-Ease lavender on size 7 Addi Turbos.

February Baby Sweater in Jaeger Matchmaker Merino DK

2008-07-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

Almost done. I just have to sew on the buttons. This has already been machine washed and dried.

In the Knitter's Almanac EZ called this "Baby Sweater on Two Needles" but, as did many other knitters, I made this entirely in the round. Details will be on the final post.

Helgi's Mittens in Gold & Brown

2008-07-20T08:32:00.000-07:00

This is the beginning of Helgi's mittens from Folk Knitting in Estonia by Nancy Bush. I needed something for my trip to Texas in April and this fit the bill nicely. I'm not crazy about the color combination but it is what I had in my stash.

I'm using Dale of Norway Falk and size 2.5 dpns as usual. The white mark you see in the photo is the "thumb trick" waste thread.

I added a cuff because I can't imagine wearing mittens with no cuff. If someone from a cold climate can explain why so many mitten patterns have tiny cuffs I'd appreciate being enlightened.

These will probably be donated to Native American Support (see sidebar).

Rounded Corners

2008-07-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Washcloths are the perfect summer knitting-- small, portable, and cotton.

I recently found a free pattern on Ravelry and am using the pattern to make baby washcloths. The pattern is based on EZ's garter stitch baby blanket, one of which I made earlier this year.

Details:
Pattern: 4-Corners Dishcloth. Click the link on the sidebar.
Yarn: Peaches & Creme Ombre Worsted in 137 Sunrise
Needles: Inox size 4.25 ( U. S. 6)
Size: 8" square (cast on 19 stitches)
Notes: This is too small so I'll make the next one larger.

Eye Candy Friday Presents Christmas in July

2008-07-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

One Christmas a friend gave me a pot of lilies. They continue to produce beautiful white blooms--but in July.

Another Tam

2008-07-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

This was a project from a Sand and Sea Knitting Guild Tam Workshop. Although I had already made a tam, I wanted to participate with the other members of the guild. I learned how to do a tubular cast on, which is not difficult at all but probably easier to learn when someone shows you rather than when reading directions. I still need to add some rainbow elastic because the ribbing is a bit loose.

Details:
Pattern: Leaflet distributed in class. I chose the zig zag bind off option.
Yarn: Tahki Donegal Tweed in color 839, Dark Khaki, 73.4 g. The actual color has more green than is apparent in the photo.
Needles: Inox 16" U.S. 5 for the brim and Addi Turbo 16" U.S. 7 for the top. Also U.S. 7 dpns for the final decreases.
Size: 11.75" in diameter, to fit an adult.
Begun: 6/14/08
Completed: 7/12/08
Notes: I wish I looked better in this style of hat because they are fun to make and the fair isle designs are gorgeous.
ETA: I added some rainbow elastic I bought at A Mano Yarn Center (see sidebar) and gave this to my daughter, who says she wears it constantly.

Talisker Tam

2008-07-15T10:04:00.000-07:00

This tam is knit in a Sailor's Rib pattern and was designed by Nancy Bush. It is the first tam I ever knit.

Details:
Pattern: Talisker Tam published as part of a sweater and tam set in Interweave Knits, Fall 1997.
Yarn: Tahki Donegal Tweed, 55.9 grams. The yarn was unlabeled so I'm uncertain about the color number.
Needles: 16" Inox US 4 for the brim and 24" and 16" Addi Turbo US 7 for the main part of the hat. Unknown brand of size 7 dpns for the decreases.
Size: 9.5" in diameter, adult size.
Notes: There are a few minor corrections to this pattern here. Fun and quick to knit. I'll be making more tams in the future

I Don't Play with Dolls But. . .

2008-06-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

When I attended the Nordic Knitting Conference in Seattle last October I attended a workshop taught by Marilyn Van Keppel on the Icelandic Shawl. She had us knit a doll sized shawl that is a miniature copy of a classic Icelandic Shawl. I loved every second of the conference. Even standing in line for dinner was fun because of all the beautiful knitwear I could see. Marilyn was a very informative teacher and she allowed us to inspect and pet a number of Icelandic and Faroese shawls she's knitted, including several from Bundanaurriklaedid and Three-cornered and Long Shawls, which she translated into English. Both books with the translations are available from Schoolhouse Press.

Details:
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Laceweight in "pretty in pink" (no. 3140) and a mystery laceweight wool bought at a weaver's garage sale in plum, 10 g. total for both yarns.
Needles: 5.0 mm. (US 8) for the provisional c/o, 3.5 mm. (US 4) for the shawl and the border, and 1.75 mm (US 2) to pickup the provisional c/o in order to knit the border.
Pattern: MvK's own pattern entitled "Icelandic Triangular Lace Shawl," distributed in the class.
Size: 20" across the top and 9" deep at the point after blocking. The border is 2.5" deep.
Notes: The pattern specified three colors for the border but I only used one. I find it hard to believe that one can make something so beautiful out of 10 g. of yarn. I'm looking forward to remaking this in a bigger size. Maybe by then I will have acquired some blocking wires.

Red Mitts--one done, one to frog

2008-06-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

I completed the first red half-mitt and promptly cast on for the second using the wrong sized needle. Maybe this is why knitters suffer from second sock syndrome.

I'm pleased with how the first one turned out although having a gusset on only one side of the thumb will take some getting used to. It is a bit hard to see in the above photo but the gusset is located between the palm and the back of the hand on the left side of the mitten back.

Above is a palm view. Note no gusset on the palm which, surprisingly, doesn't adversely affect the fit. The color is washed out in this shot.

Cuff closeup, also washed out.
Other details are on my Ravelry project entry.

Eye Candy Friday in Periwinkle

2008-06-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

Jacaranda blossoms fill our skies this time of year. I never get over the thrill of seeing these trees in bloom.

Waving Lace

2008-06-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

Evelyn Clark's Waving Lace Socks from Interweave Knits, Spring 2004. The pattern has been reissued in Favorite Socks. The color is more accurate in the full sized picture but the heel photo shows the details nicely. This was fun to knit because the pattern could be memorized so I wasn't chained to the chart but it had enough detail to keep my interest.

I used cotton yarn but the lack of memory even with the partial wool content created fit problems. I solved these by going down to a size 00 needle (and trying not to impale myself or anyone else) for the ankle, the heel and the instep. When I reached the widest part of the foot I reverted to a size 0 needle and returned again to the 00 needles for the toes. I adjusted the decreases to match my wide toe box.

Details
Pattern: Waving Lace Socks by Evelyn Clark
Yarn:Schachenmayr nomotta Regia Cotton in color 54, a denim blue. I used 93.5 grams of a 100 gram ball and felt as though I were running on fumes at the end.
Size: To fit my size 9 foot.
Needles: Crystal Palace 2.0 mm (US 0) for the leg until the ankle and the foot between the instep and the toe. Susan Bates US size 00 for the ankle, heel, instep and toe.
Dates: 4/3/07 - 5/2/08
Modifications: A slipped stitch instep and the needle and toe revisions described above.

Shell Socks

2008-06-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

I knit these socks for my mom whose feet are almost always cold.

Details
Yarn: Schaffhauser Sport- und Sockinwolle in white (no. 19) 72 g total; and Lang Jawol reinforcement in white used on the toes only.
Needles: Crystal Palace Bamboo dpns 2.0 mm. (US 0) except for a size 3.25 mm. (US 3) for the cast on.
Pattern: Child's First Socks in Shell Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks.
Gauge: I didn't record it.
Size: To fit a woman's size 8.5
Begun: 1/1/07
Completed: 2/24/08
Notes: No Modifications. The yarn was soft, the socks are warm and the pattern was a fun knit.

Red Half-Mitts

2008-06-04T13:25:00.001-07:00

These are the Half-mitts from Twined Knitting. I started them last weekend and am thoroughly enjoying the process. They are being made in Dale of Norway
Falk in a bright red. Because the yarn in "s twist" instead of "z twist" I am twisting the new yarn under (rather than over) the old yarn to keep the working yarns from over twisting and kinking back on themselves.
The cuff was worked with 2.5 mm needles and the hand is being working with 3.25 mm. needles. I had to tweak the pattern a bit. Details will be in the final post.

Odessa in King Australian

2008-05-25T12:19:00.000-07:00

Yarn: King Australian Merinos, Blue Tweed color 1009.
Needles: Inox 16" circulars in 3.5 mm. (US 4) for the brim and 4.0 mm. (US 6) for the rest, Inox dpns in size 4.0 mm. (US 6) when it became too small to use the circulars.
Pattern: Odessa by Grumperina
Size: cast on 110 stitches, to fit a man
Begun: 8/5/06
Completed: 8/29/06
Notes: Soft yarn, a wonderful unisex pattern, perfect airplane knitting. Made for my Godson.

Jaywalkers Finally

2008-04-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

I think these were destined to be WIPs forever. I started the first sock at least three times trying to get the size right and did three heels. I even broke a Brittany Birch dpn along the way just to add to my fun. Then I let the second languish before getting around to completing them.

Because of my narrow heel I'm not a big fan of flap heels on socks so I made these with a short row heel. The short bursts of color on the Lisa Souza yarn went perfectly with the short up and down sections of the sock.

Details:
Yarn: Sock! from Lisa Souza in mahogany, 84.2 g. total.
Needles:Inox dpns, 2.25 mm. (US 1) for the leg and foot, 2.0 mm. (US 0) for the heels and toes.
Pattern:Jaywalker from the incomparable Grumperina.
Size: To fit a woman's size 9.
Begun: 11/05
Completed: 11/07
Notes: I used a slipped stitch sole and a short row heel. I also made the toe boxier to fit my wide foot.

EZ's Square Garter Baby Blanket

2008-04-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

Yarn: Free Style in light blue (no. 5703), 11 skeins, approx 962 yards/880 meters
Needles: Addi Turbo 5.0 mm (US 8) 60" circulars and the same size Bryspun short dpn for the icord edging.
Pattern: Knitted Garter Stitch Blanket from The Opinionated Knitter, pg. 52, available here from Schoolhouse Press.
Gauge: 4.5 stitches and 8.5 rows per inch.
Size: c/o was 66 stitches, dimensions after machine washing and drying is 33.5" by 33.5". The blanket is actually square, I did a poor job of laying it out for the photo shoot.
Begun: 10/28/06
Completed: 1/4/08
Notes: *I slipped the edge stitches which made applying the icord effortless, all I had to do to attach the icord was to pull the working yarn under the slipped stitches along the sides; no wrestling with bumps.
*I wrapped the short row stitches and knitted the wraps along with the stitches. The photo above is a closeup of the wrapped stitches and icord border. This photo also shows the color more accurately.
*I made the mistake of adding new yarn in the center of the afghan rather than at the edges. I couldn't use a spit splice because this is superwash wool and I wove in the ends as neatly as I could but they show. Since this is a gift and I'm a perfectionist I'm not pleased. If I'd added new balls of yarn at the edges I could have hidden the tails under the icord border.
*I'm giving to my daughter's friend who is expecting a boy in two months.
*I only used 11 balls of yarn because I got this on eBay. It is small because I was afraid I'd run out of yarn. As it turned out, I was running on fumes at the end.
*The garter stitch makes for a very thick blanket. The next time I make this I will use a sport weight yarn and make it bigger. It is a wonderful, easy pattern and, in my experience, baby blankets are loved by the recipients for years so they are well worth the effort.

Fingerless Mitts

2008-04-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

Yarn: Classic Elite Waterspun (discontinued) 39 g. total (approx. 108 yards)
Needles: 3.75 mm (US 5) dpns at first and then moved to two at a time on two circulars after I closed the thumb holes.
Pattern:Hand/Wristwarmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Gauge:
Size: length 8" to fit my teenage son's large hands
Begun:
Completed:
Notes:My first but certainly not my last knitted mitts. Making two at once on two circulars from the same ball of yarn enabled me to make them exactly the same. I liked the pattern but next time I'll put it a thumb gusset to give the thumb some warmth. I wish this yarn weren't discontinued because it was a delight to work with and my son loves the mitts.

Cabletinis in Stripes

2008-04-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

These are Wendy Johnson's Cabletini socks which is a free downloadable pattern available here.

Yarn: Schachenmayr Nomotta Regia Silk Color in white with blues (number 0191)
Needles: KA 6" dpns in size 2.0 mm (US 0)
Modifications: These were knit from the toes up using a Turkish cast on and a short row heel. I also reversed the direction of the cables on the second sock so that they are mirror images of one another.
Begun: Oct. 5, 2007
Completed April 21, 2008
Comments: I loved the the softness of the yarn. It was a pleasure to knit with. And I loved the needles--they were sharp, smooth, strong and short. I'll definitely be buying more of these needles. This was a fun pattern to make because it was easy to memorize but the cables required me to pay attention. They were perfect airplane/airport knitting.

Brioche Again

2008-04-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

I finished another brioche stitch scarf. To me it is the perfect scarf pattern stitch because it involves fast thoughtless knitting (the kind you can do without looking) and creates a reversible fabric. I made it out of 100% merino frogged from a Ralph Lauren thrift store sweater that cost all of $4.99 plus tax.

Yarn: see above, I have no idea about the yardage; I used 276.8 grams
Pattern: LTCO 26 stitches, do 7 rows garter stitch for a total of 8 ridges on each side, change to brioche stitch and knit until it is long enough, change back to garter stitch for 7 rows and bind off while knitting.
Needles: Addi Turbo's size 5.0 mm (US 8) 16"
Finished dimensions: 81" by 7"
Begun: Oct. 9, 2006
Completed: March 8, 2008

Now my son tells me it is too long and I'll have to frog some of it.

Sand and Sea Knitting Guild

2008-03-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

I joined the Sand and Sea Knitting Guild on Saturday and had a wonderful time at my first meeting. This is a welcoming group of very talented knitters.

Toddler Mittens

2007-11-15T13:41:00.000-08:00

This is the second pair of toddler mittens I made for the Native American Support Mitten Challenge. They appear in the photo to be different sizes but they match.
Yarn: Very Old Red Heart 100% wool worsted in peach
Needles: 3.5 mm., US 4
Pattern: Another from Ann Budd's pattern book
Completed: 11/07

Ducks Above; Fish Below

2007-09-17T14:57:00.000-07:00

For my first Dale of Norway baby sweater I am using the basic shape of the Pusekatt pullover (pattern 11405) in booklet number114 and have added a border from the Lighthouse sweater (pattern 5402) in booklet number 54. I revised the border pattern because (for some reason I cannot fathom) it was designed with the fish on top and the ducks below.

I'm using 6 colors of Baby Ull: light blue (5703) for the body; deep blue (5726) for the yoke, sleeves, and the sky behind the ducks; navy (5545) for the deep water, the sleeve edges, the button band edges and the dividing line between the body and the yoke; gold (2317) for the fish, turquoise (6714) for the shallow water and the hem, and yellow (2015) for the ducks.

This next photo shows the inside, including the bright turquoise hem. I began with a crocheted provisional cast on and smaller needles, knit the hem, knit one row in the main color, purled a turn row, and continued to knit. Somewhere in there I changed to the larger needles. When the body was as deep as the hem, I undid the provisional cast on and knit the hem to the body using K2tog. The row of K2tog stitches shows on the front but with all the wiggling babies do I think knitting the hem on rather than sewing it on is the better way to go.

Regrets--I forgot to knit in the baby's name and/or the date. I don't want to use duplicate stitch now but will try to remember to put some text in the next time. The sleeves and upper yoke are complete but not yet photographed.

Next I have to drag out the sewing machine and stablize the armholes before I cut them.

Mini Mittens

2007-09-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

These are from Ann Budd's The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns. I should have made all my mittens in this size because they worked up very quickly. These, too, were made for the Native American Support mitten challenge. They are posing next to a hand embroidered hot pad a friend bought me in Israel.

Details
Yarn: Spinnerin "4 ply Fisherman" (worsted weight, no longer produced) in natural, dyed by me with food coloring and Jacquard Acid dye, 27.3 g. for both mittens
Needles: Inox 3.5 mm.(US 4) dpns
Gauge: 5 stitches per inch
Size: 5.5" circum., 6.5" long (to fit a 2-4 year old child)
Begun 9/7/07, completed 9/14/07

Twisted

2007-09-14T16:10:00.000-07:00

The Sander's Mittens from Folk Knitting in Estonia is my first project using three colors simultaneously. Keeping all the strands from twisting around one another is a bit of a challenge but I'm rising to it. I'm using Dale of Norway Falk in 0090 black, 6027 "ocean blue" and 8426 "grass green" and rosewood 2.5 mm dpns.

This is also my first time working the half-wick decrease which is used at the top of the mitten. It is similar to a centered double decrease but involves knitting two of the three stitches rather than just one.

The pattern contains an odd number of repeats and I didn't like the way they were off center when I began the decreases at the top. I solved the problem by keeping the edge stitches black and working three rows of alternating stitches in black and the pattern color. The motifs use three rows per pattern color so the new design balances the main design nicely. I wanted to use stranding rather than all black at the top so the mittens would be as warm as possible.

This photo shows the thumb. I asked some children in my Monday knitting class try it on and it is much too short so it will have to be frogged and reknit. Fortunately I haven't yet knit the thumb on the second mitten.

My Mom's Red Scarf

2007-09-13T21:43:00.000-07:00

My mom crocheted a scarf for the Red Scarf Project. It looks like a mottled medium blue in the photo but is actually closer to what used to be called Prussian Blue and is solid. I don't recall the name of the yarn; it is similar to Plymouth Encore Worsted. The LYS only had two balls this color so it is a tad short. She used a standard chevron pattern and a size I crochet hook.

Cotton Beanie Number 4

2007-09-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Cotton in Sky #403 and Jade #303; total weight 56.4 g.
Needles: 16" 3.75 mm. (US 5) Inox grey, 16" 4.5 mm. (US 7) Addi turbos and metal 4.5 mm. (US 7) dpns
Size: 72 stitches cast on, 17" circumference unstretched, 7 5/8" tall unstretched
Completed: 9/2/07
Made for Sand and Sea Knitting Guild Charitable Support (sidebar)

Odessa with Beads

2007-09-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

I've made several of Grumperina's Odessa hats but this is the first one with beads. I love the pattern. It is easy and quick to make and looks great on. I enjoyed working the beads into the knitting. This one was made of a friend's friend's 11 year old granddaughter who lost her hair from chemotherapy. I hope she likes blue.

Details
Yarn: Karabella Aurora 8 (I think) 49 g.
Beads: 69 beads abut 3.75 mm each
Needles: 16" 3.5 mm. (US 4) Clover bamboo, 16" 4.0 mm. (US 6) Inox grey and 4.0 mm.(US 6)Plymouth Bamboo dpns
Begun 3/15/07 and completed 3/20/07

Eye Candy Friday presents Nkd Ladies

2007-09-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

They are called that because the flowers arrive long after all the foliage has died. I began with 5 plants purchased at a charity farmers market over 20 years ago. They reproduce without any human assistance (my kind of gardening). This year over 50 stalks shot up, each of which produced numerous large pink blossoms. These are from the south end of the garden fence.

This is a closeup of the ones on the north end.

Beanies for Hospice Patients

2007-07-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

As I slog away with size 2.25 mm. needles making solid black socks with 14 inches of ribbing on the leg I provide myself with a little variety by knitting colorful beanies. I bought some Mission Falls 1824 cotton on a swap site for a good price and am making up the color combinations as I go along. Three are complete and one is on the needles. The photo was taken on a very sunny a day as the first hat reclined in the lemon tree. The socks are for Socks for Soldiers (see button on sidebar) and I planned for the beanies to go to SfS as well. Unfortunately, I made them too small for the soldiers so I donated them instead to the hospice supported by the Sand and Sea Knitting Guild.

Afghan Squares

2007-07-25T06:47:00.000-07:00

Native American Support, one of the charities I knit for, collects 9" squares that are later made into colorful afghans. This is perfect knitting to do while reading blogs or watching movies on TV, I can use wool, I don't have to sew the squares together, and the cause is worthy--perfect! I've completed several but don't have photos to post yet.

Return of the Mystery Stole

2007-07-08T14:58:00.000-07:00

Mystery Stole 3 is in full swing with thousands of participants. I signed up for MS2, worked on it through the first two clues, and abandoned the project. I loved the yarn I used (you can see my swatch here) and thought Melanie's charts were very clear and easy to use, but the pattern just wasn't "me." Each row was unique and there were no repeats to allow me to get into the rhythm of the design.

I'm much happier with the MS3 which has repeats and beads. I'm using black Misti International Laceweight Baby Alpaca leftover from this and mat medium blue beads from Ritual Adornments, my local bead store.

Eye Candy Friday

2007-07-06T15:50:00.000-07:00

A Dahlia that is blooming on the patio outside my kitchen. For once the camera phone captured the color.

Point Protector Tutorial

2007-07-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not writing one. It's been done and done very well.
See it here.

Dulaan

2007-06-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

I've been knitting items for the Dulaan Project for over a year and this week I sent off a box of 20 hats and 1 scarf. Most of the hats were knit following the Needle Beetle Seaman's Cap pattern but the cabled ones are from the first SnB book.
Several of the hats were knit in worsted weight wool I bought on ebay and dyed myself. Others were knit with yarn from recycled sweaters. The blue and light purple hat follows the Seaman's Cap pattern but contains a fair isle pattern of my own design which, unfortunately, does not show well in the photo.
The most fun to knit was the red, white and black one. It is the Match My Coat Cap, also from Needle Beetle (I left off the pom-pom). The scarf is plain st.st. knit in the round in a beautiful pale blue wool/angora mix that I recycled from a thrift store sweater. Too bad the bright sunlight washed out the color in the photo.

I knit so many hats because for me they are the perfect portable project. Since I use 16" circular needles until the very end I never need worry I'll lose a needle. I long ago memorized the NB Seaman's Cap pattern and can adapt the length before the decreases to the size I'm making. When I cast on each hat I clip a set of six stitch markers to the bottom edge. When I'm ready to start my decreases the markers I need are right at hand. I do the last few rounds on double pointed needles at home.

My Knit List

2007-05-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

Copied from http://kneuroticknitter.blogspot.com/ but edited a bit.

Bold for things you’ve done, italics for things you plan to do one day, and normal for things you’re not planning on doing.

I did this to see what I've tried and what I would like to try. I would be interested in seeing others' lists.

American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Bobbles
Button holes
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Continental knitting
Domino knitting (modular knitting) ~ I learned how in a knitting class but don't care for how it looks
Drop stitch patterns
Entrelac ~ I learned how in a knitting class but I don't care for how it looks
Fair Isle knitting
Freeform knitting
Fulling/felting
Garter stitch
I-cord
Intarsia
Kitchener BO
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with DPNs
Knitting and purling backwards ~ I'll have to keep trying; I'm very slow
Knitting smocking
Knitting small tubular items on two circulars ~ I didn't care for this method
Knitting a circular item using the Magic Loop ~ I didn't care for this method either
Lace patterns
Long Tail CO
Moebius band knitting
Norwegian knitting
Provisional CO
Short rows
Slip stitch patterns
Steeks
Stockinette stitch
Swatching
Textured knitting
Swiss Darning
Thrummed knitting
Tubular CO
Twisted stitch patterns
Two end knitting
Knitting with alpaca
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Knitting with beads
Knitting with camel yarn
Knitting with cashmere
Knitting with cotton
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Knitting with linen
Knitting with metal wire
Knitting with soy yarn
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Knitting with silk
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Knitting with wool

Afghan/Blanket
Baby items
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Gloves
Hat
Hair accessories ~ when I was in elementary school
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Jewelry
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Pillows
Purses/bags
Rug
Shawl
Scarf
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Slippers
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Stuffed toys
Sweater
Toy/doll clothing

Charity knitting
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Knitting art
Knitting for pets
Knitting for preemies
Knitting items for a wedding
Knitting a gift
Holiday related knitting

Designing knitted garments
Dyeing yarn with plant colors
Dyeing yarn with acid dyes
Participating in a KAL
Publishing a knitting book
Knitting to make money
Knitting for a living
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Knitting on a loom
Machine knitting
Olympic knitting
Resizing patterns
Spinning on a drop spindle
Spinning with a spinning wheel
Teaching a male how to knit
Teaching knitting classes
Writing a pattern
Knitting in public

Black is Beautiful

2007-05-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

It is unfortunate that the photo is so terrible because this is a beautiful scarf. I wanted something warm, soft, practical and solid black and managed to hit on all four. It is knit in brioche stitch with two stands of Lacewight Baby Alpaca in black and one of Baby Ull , also in black. The ends were knit in garter stitch for 8 rows on size 9 (5.5 mm.) needles and the body was knit in brioche stitch on size 10 1/2 (6.5 mm.) needles. It has 19 stitches of brioche stitch in the center and a three stitch version of Annie Modesitt's i-cord edging on each side but the edging was unnecessary because the brioche stitch forms its own nice edge. The ribs are not as prominent as they appear in the photo--that is a distortion in the photo caused by the blinding sunlight.

This took so long to complete because I wanted to use a decorative border but could not get it to work. I cast on using a provisional cast on and, as I neared the end of the scarf, I perused Knitting on the Edge by Nicky Epstein looking for a pattern. Unfortunately, almost every pattern was knit beginning with a cast on rather than ending with a bind off or was knit side to side. I could have used one of these and grafted it on to each end of the scarf but brioche stitch isn't particularly suitiable for grafting in my opinion. So, I gave up and used garter stitch which provides a nice horizontal pattern in contrast to the brioche ribs and prevents the ends from flaring. I had used a garter stitch border previously on a brioche stitch scarf I made for my mother out of three strands of laceweight baby alpaca and liked the result. This time I substituted Baby Ull for one of the strands of alpaca because alpaca lacks the memory of wool and it is my hope that the wool will keep the scarf from stretching out of shape.

Pattern: My own, 25 stitches wide.
Yarn: Two strands of Misti International Laceweight Baby Alpaca, 80 g. (about 700 yards total) and one strand of Dale of Norway Baby Ull, 97 g. ( about 350 yards).
Needles: Addi Turbo 9 for the borders; Denise 10 1/2 for the main part of the scarf.
Size: 5.5" by 61" but the brioche stitch makes a thick fabric that spreads out easily.
Begun: Sometime in 2005.
Completed: April 20, 2007.
Helpful Hints: A simple edge works well with this stitch pattern. Choose something that will prevent the ends from flaring out. This looks lovely in three strands of laceweight yarn of coordinating colors. If you want to get the most out of your yarn, weigh it before you begin and again after you complete the first garter stitch border. Calculate how much yarn the border needed then periodically weigh your yarn as you near the end so you'll have enough available for the ending border.

Dyeing with Mixed Success

2007-05-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

Another hat for charity is complete. This one was made with the old version of Emu Superwash, a DK weight 100% wool that is much scratchier than the new version. I acquired the grey yarn on a swap site and dyed it with Wilton cake dye using Sky Blue, "Barney" purple (don't ask) and green liquid food coloring. I tried to space the colors out so there would be one stripe per row without total success but I came close. The purple tends to pop out in the photo but the colors are actually more balanced. This will go to a charity collection and I hope the recipient doesn't mind the less than perfect result. The hat is resting on our roses, which are in full bloom.

Pattern: Needle Beetle Seaman's Cap which is my favorite charity hat pattern. It is extremely easy to make and the tall foldover provides a second layer to keep the wearer's ears warm. I cast on 102 stitches.

Needles: Inox grey sizes 4 (3.5 mm.) & 5 (3.75 mm.).

Yarn: Emu Superwash DK, 50 g balls, no yardage given; I used 63.3 grams.

Gauge: 6 stitches per inch on size 5 needles in st st in the round.

Size: 17.5" circumference, 8.25" high from foldline to crown, child's large.

Begun: 3/11/07

Completed: 4/23/07

Vanalinn Progress

2007-05-10T11:46:00.001-07:00

This is a scan of my progress on the Vanalinn gloves I'm making for the Glove Knitting KAL (link in sidebar). The pattern is from A Gathering of Lace. I'm using cream colored Dale of Norway Baby Ull and size 2.00 dpns. Baby Ull is machine washable and wonderful to knit with. This is the first glove I've ever knit and I am enjoying the experience.

Dalarna Socks

2007-04-27T09:56:00.000-07:00

The Dalarna socks for the Knitting on the Road KAL. This was the pattern chosen by the members for February and March of 2007 and I actually completed my socks on time. Yes, my feet really are that big.

Pattern: Dalarna from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush

Yarn: Dale of Norway Falk , which isn't a sock yarn but was the closest I had to the Guernsey yarn called for. I used 147 g. of color 3841, which appears to be naturally colored, not dyed. I tried adding reinforcement thread to the heel flap but it made the fabric too stiff so I settled on using a smaller needle instead.

Needles: 2.5 mm (US 1 1/2) rosewood for the main part of the sock; 2.25 mm. (US 1) for the heels .

Gauge: 7 stitches per inch on size 2.5 mm.

Modifications: I had to adjust for the different gauge, did 6 rather than 4 decreases down the calf and added the 4 decreased stitches back in at the top of the heel flap. I made a wedge toe rather than the toe called for in the pattern.

Size: To fit a woman's size 9 medium foot.

Helpful Hint: When working the decorative cuff with two strands, don't break the extra strand until you done both sections; just carry the extra strand down the ribbing section. This leaves you with two fewer ends to weave in.

Below is a closeup of the top showing the decorative edge:

Next is a closeup of the foot:

These are very thick and warm. I liked the pattern and will probably make it again with a thinner yarn.

Glove Knitting Kal

2007-04-26T09:14:00.000-07:00

Recently I joined the Glove Knitting KAL which is being monitored by Nanette Blanchard of Knitting in Color. If you've never seen her blog do yourself a favor and spend some time there. It is filled with beautiful photographs of wonderful, colorful knitting. Nanette's technical information is very clearly explained and she includes numerous helpful links. Nanette has written several booklets on stranded knitting and offers them for sale on her blog. NAYY, I'm just very impressed by her work. The gloves I'm making are Nancy Bush's Vanalinn Gloves in A Gathering of Lace. I am using Dale Baby Ull in off white and size 2.0mm dpns.

Rascal Goes to the Beauty Parlor

2007-04-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

Our miniature schnauzer finally went to the groomer last week. Doesn't he look pretty? He was a rescue so he might be a mix rather than a purebred dog. He's all white, which is unusual for a schnauzer, and has shorter legs than the other schnauzers I've seen. He is 10 and a half years old but is still quite spry, has a typical terrier personality and is very smart. We love him!

How I Spent My Easter Vacation

2007-04-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

My husband, our youngest son and I went to Texas and New Mexico for a week and a half over Easter. One of the highlights was a visit to Hill Country Weavers in Austin, Texas. Yes, I managed to convey utter knitter nerdness by taking photos of the store and the sign. The friend I was visiting kindly drove my husband and son home and went shopping elsewhere so I could touch and admire all the yarn. Despite the "Weaver" in the title this store is a knitter's heaven. The converted house has numerous rooms and is filled with many varieties of yarn and more books than I've ever seen in one yarn store before (and I've visited plenty). They had many popular yarns one doesn't find in our warm climate since south-central Texas gets cold(er) in the winter. I bought myself some lovely wool/mohair, a few sets of needles, some silk laceweight for a shawl and even a gift for a friend. Details will have to wait for another post.

Log Cabin Socks

2007-04-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

The Log Cabin Socks from Handknit Holidays by Melanie Falick was one of my favorite knits of 2006. I made them as my project for our Knit the Classics (see link in the sidebar) December selection--A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Via ebay I managed to acquire 3 skeins of the yarn called for in the pattern--Rowan Cork-- which is now, unfortunately, out of production.

These socks are soft, warm and extremely thick. They were a wonderful comfort to wear when I was recovering from Rotator Cuff Repair surgery in January 2007 during our "cold snap."

I hope to make these again in another chunky yarn such as Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky although I suspect that the DB will create a much softer and "floppier" sock.

Stats: Rowan Cork in color 046 (Horizon), 2 1/2 50 gram balls.

Modifications: I continued the ribbing down the toe as suggested in someone else's blog (I'll edit this to add a link if I can find the source) and lengthened the foot to fit me.

Helpful Hint: Cork has great yardage so anyone who wants to substitute a different yarn will most likely need more than 150 g. of yarn to insure that enough yardage is purchased.

Booties

2007-03-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

Better-Than-Booties Baby Socks for my daughter's friend's baby boy, Javin.

I guess I need to cave in and get a real digital camera. This photo was made by my camera phone. The color is much darker than in the original, which is classic baby blue.

I love this pattern and plan to make more versions, incorporating other stitch patterns. It was a fun knit and introduced me to short rows using yarn overs. I usually use the wrap method. I think the yarn overs are easier to knit but the holes are more obvious so I wouldn't use them for non-baby socks.

Pattern: Better-Than-Booties Baby Socks by the inestimable Ann Budd.

Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fine (80% cotton, 20% merino wool) in color CF-610 "nymph," 203 m./222 yds. per 50 g. I used just under 20 g. of yarn for both booties so one ball easily makes at least two pairs.

Gauge: 8 1/2 stitches per inch in st. st. in the round.

Needles: Brittany Birch size 2.0 mm (U.S. 0) 5" long which was a good size for such a tiny knit.

Size: Newborn to 3 months, but they stretch. Foot is about 4 1/2 inches long. Cuff to sole is 4 1/4 inches long.

Begun: November 2006

Completed: March 2007

Modifications:
--I added K2 P2 ribbing at the top
--This is designed for the cables to stop at the bottom of the cuff except for one at each side. I shifted the end of the round which would have centered one cable on the front of the foot and instead continued six cables down the instep.
--I used a cable needle to make the cables, rather than a twisted stitch and the cables cross in an opposite direction on each sock.
--I also didn't care for the bulkiness of the zigzag bindoff at the top of the toe so I started the short row toe at the top of the foot and kitchenered the toe to the sole.

Wow

2007-01-15T17:42:00.000-08:00

The prize I received from Curlerchik arrived yesterday. This yarn is soooo beautiful. The photo doesn't do the yarn (or my lawn, for that matter) justice. The huge 200 g. skein contains 320 meters of NewZealand 10 ply wool handpainted by Jan Gilray. The main color is black rather than navy and the purple is darker. I have not yet decided what to make out of it but for now it is resting on the counter where I can pet and admire it. A thousand thanks to Curlerchik for her generosity.

Swallowtail Shawl Closeups

2007-01-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

I finally reformatted the photos of the Swallowtail Shawl. Scroll down to the September 20, 2006 post for details. This is the edge:

This is the corner:

And this is a closeup of the center:

My blogging skills leave much to be desired, hence the boring layout. And I made the photos on my scanner so they fail to do justice to the beautiful yarn I used. The edge picture comes the closest to the true colors which varied but didn't pool.

Comments

2006-12-31T12:55:00.000-08:00

I enabled the comments feature after learning I had won a blog contest on Curlerchik's blog http://www.curlerchik.blogspot.com/ and she wasn't able to get in touch with me. I don't want any prizes to go astray. I'm embarrassed by how far off I was when guessing her knitting output. It was very gracious of her not to drop me from the contest altogether.

Swallowtail Shawl

2006-09-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

I finished the Swallowtail Shawl from Interweave Knits Fall 2006. I very much enjoyed knitting this shawl even though the nupps were hard on my hands. If I make this again I plan to use a very small wooden or bamboo needle to purl the nupps together. My working needle tended to push the stitches rather than enter them even after I loosened them.

I had never knit with this yarn before but I certainly will again. It isn't labeled merino but it is incredibly soft and was very easy to work with. I did not make the shawl larger because the store only had one ball of yarn in this color but next time I will make it larger. Even though it is a few inches wider and longer than the size specified in the pattern, it is too small for me. The red spot in the picture is not part of the shawl; it is the red tile roof of our garage. My camera phone utterly failed to capture the glorious colors.

Details:

Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl from Interweave Knits Fall 2006, now available as a pdf from Evelyn Clark Designs.

Yarn: Kaalund Yarns "Classic Two" 100% wool 50 g. approx 356 m. "water lily," a handpainted yarn from Australia. The colors are purples, greens, and blues with a touch of pink. The linked page doesn't display the color properly; it is much prettier than the swatch shown. I used one 50 g. ball and had 6.1 g left over.

Purchased at: Wildfiber
Needles: Inox grey 16" size 5 (3.75 mm)
Finished Size: 52" across top, 26" top to bottom tip
Began: 8/1/06
Completed: 8/24/06
Notes: I changed all the double decreases on the left side to right slanting decreases so they would mirror the left slanting decreases on the right side.

I couldn't get my other photos to load. Later I'll publish some close up shots.

Mystery Stole Swatch

2006-06-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

The Mystery Stole swatch is complete.

Handpainted 100% Alpaca Lace from Zen Yarn Garden
Salmon River Colorway
Approx. 540 yrds per 50 g.
Inox Grey needles U S size 4
Patterned dimensions: 5 1/2 inches wide by 3 inches tall

The actual color is more pinky-coral and less orange than shows on the monitor.

New

2006-06-13T10:55:00.000-07:00