2BKnitting

Knitting Mojo Came Back...Slowly

2011-11-09T20:38:00.001-05:00

I've started a small knitting project. A quick and easy project to feel like I've accomplished something. A lace cowl in a raspberry color. It's still a work in progress. I carry this project in my backpack hoping I might have a few minutes to knit during my lunch break.

I haven't lost interest in knitting. It's just a lack of available time. Also, I have an issue with competing hobbies. Two weeks ago, I picked up another hobby...oil painting. I'm teaching myself (not unusual, huh?) and so far working on my 5th painting. I've noticed when I sit down to paint, I paint in 2 hour increments mostly alla prima (wet on wet).

This weekend, I do get to spend sometime with my yarns and teach a friend (Mavis) how to knit. I will be teaching her the basic stitches, knit and purl as well as the long tail CO and binding off. I plan to pull out some yarns I have from my out-of-control stash and let her pick something for her first project a scarf. I have another friend (Kim) who wants a refresher on knitting so she can start her own project. I need to set aside some time for her.

I'm feeling overwhelmed for the lack of time I have for myself. I always tell my friends to make time for themselves and do something fun. Right now, I feel torn between knitting and painting.

What do I do?

A Lot of Reading, a Trip to Alaska, and Some Yarn

2011-10-12T21:18:00.003-04:00

It's been awhile since I last posted. Not much knitting going on. My vest is still on the needles waiting for me to do something. My knitting mojo just up and left me. Okay, so a gadget has something to do with that. Over the summer I bought an Amazon Kindle eReader w/3G & wifi. I've downloaded a lot of free Christian contemporary fiction and have been on a reading-spree. I never thought I would get hooked reading on a thin device. I have. I also purchased one or two knitting reference books to use when my knitting mojo comes back. I have bought and downloaded a 500+ page photography reference book from my DSLR. This thin eReader device has come in handy. It fits nicely in my purse and I take it with me wherever I go. Including my recent trip to Alaska.

I found two yarn shops in Anchorage: Far North Yarn and The Yarn Branch. FNY had the best selection of yarn I've seen so far. They had plenty of aran and chunky versions as well as high end yarns. The only low end yarn they carried was Plymouth. They were well stocked with a variety of colors and had enough on hand to make up to two sweaters. Speaking of sweaters, they had a lot hand knitted garments on display. I was impressed with their store...especially for a place as far away as Anchorage. TYB shared a store front with a quilting fabric store. Their selection and variety was small. No comparison to FNY.

I was happy to see that knitting was very popular in this beautiful city.

I managed to purchase a few skeins and balls of yarn. They did pack nicely in my luggage.

Louisa Harding-Grace Hand Dyed (hanks of blue/gray, purple/mauve, & pink/raspberry)/Noro-Maiko (black tweed hanks)/Rowan-Amy Butler Belle Organic DK (Raspberry balls)

While I was in Anchorage, I went a local Michael's store and scored a fantastic find:

The bags are called the Yarn Traveler. They were regularly $11.29 and I found them in the clearance section for $3.49 each. Once other nice thing about Anchorage...no sales tax. I stuffed each one with my new yarn I purchased and in the suitcase they went.

Oh knitting mojo...please come back soon!

Working on Lace Vest from Vogue Knitting Mag

2011-07-17T09:40:00.000-04:00

Since the beginning of this month, I have been working on a lace vest that was in the Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer '11 magazine. I'm using Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece yarn. The border and base ribbing is in a lovely Sedona Red while the lace body is Terracotta Canyon.

As you can see it's knitted in one piece (both fronts and back) including the button bands. Sweet!

I'm knitting the buttonholes using the one row horizontal technique that I found on the Vogue Knitting website. I like this technique as it looks neat and everything is done on one row and then I can move on.

Here's a close up of the lace pattern:

Another Look at Prosperous

2011-06-19T21:11:00.005-04:00

Still knitting the body. Almost finished with the shaping of the body. Have two more sets of increases to do. Will knit the body for a total of 12.5 inches. I love knitting with Brown Sheep Serendipity Tweed. There's about 200 yards per skein and I used one skein to knit all the way up the body for about 8 inches. Too cool.

This tank looks amazingly smaller than my first version using the Cascade Sierra yarn. That's a good thing. I'm hoping for at least one inch of negative ease. Two inches would be nice. Once I knit the body for 12.5 inches, I will add an extended cable to my addi click needles and try the top on for size.

Happy Knitting!

Another Prosperous Top and a New Knitting Case

2011-06-12T20:37:00.008-04:00

A week ago today, I started another Prosperous tank top. This time, I'm using Brown Sheep's Serendipity Tweed in Striped Coral Root color. It's a beautiful tweedy yarn in 60% cotton and 40% wool. It doesn't feel itchy when I rub the skein against my skin. I'm hoping the knitted fabric will hold true. I'm knitting the same size as the olive version, size 32". This time I'm following the pattern instructions...verbatim.

I did a provisional CO of 160 sts using size 7 circs. Knitted for 4 rows, then did a picot row of YO and K2tog. Switched to size 8 circs and continued for another 4 rows. Undid my provisional CO sts and threaded another circ through the loose sts. Matched WS together (RS facing out) and knitted through the two needles to produce the picot hem. Here it is in the round (knitted from the bottom up):

The beautiful skeins of yarn:

Now onto my new accessory....

Here's my new knitting case. It's a Mini Hanging Organizer by Vera Bradley. I stumbled upon this at my local boutique in Old Town Manassas. When I unzipped the main compartment, I knew this was a knitting case in the making.

There's a back pocket as well as a handle on top:

Even though it's small, it can hold a lot of knitting accessories:

There's a metal hook at the top....

...that can be tucked into it's own little pocket:

Plenty of zippered pockets for all sorts of knitting knick-knacks:

I was torn between this bright and bold print and a black and white version. I'm glad I chose this one. The quality and craftsmanship of this case is superb. There is no way I could sew one of these for the price I paid.

I don't know why I'm attracted to Vera Bradley. I used to think it was for "older gals". VB has some really nice bags and accessories. This mini hanging organizer is one of them.

Finished!

2011-05-29T21:54:00.007-04:00

Finished and just in time to wear for our 90 degree weather we're having this weekend. My Sierra Prosperous tank top was a fun knit, but the sizing is off. As you can see from the pictures, there is no 4 inches of negative ease anywhere. I'm blaming this on operator error. Moi. I did get gauge with this Cascade Sierra yarn, but have no clue as to what happened during the knitting stages. I knitted a size 32", but ended up with something close to 35-36"...my bust size.

I finished the neckline and armholes with a single crochet stitch. That resulted in a snug fit in the upper part of the top. I was pleased with the results of this finish.

I really like how each of the back cable and lace pattern continues into the straps.

I'm happy with the way the back looks. The picot stitches add some interest.

So, doing a provisional cast-on was a first for me. The picot hem was also a first and I really like the finished look...mostly it doesn't curl up and out.

What's next on the needles? Another version of this top. This time I plan on removing the shaping around the waist and depending on the yarn I use, I may or may not cast on less stitches. We will see.

Some Pictures of Prosperous Tank Top

2011-05-20T19:54:00.007-04:00

I thought I would share some photos of my Prosperous tank top...still in the works. It's a fascinating knitting project. I'm still knitting the front and back straps. This is a project where you have to try on the top to figure out how long the straps should be. I'm getting closer to the final lengths...at some point, I will put all the straps on waste yarn and do a loose slip knot to tie the shoulders together. By the time I finish this top, it will be summer. Glad this project is sleeveless.

The front view:

The front neckline close-up:

The back view:

The front cable and lace pattern:

Other hobbies have taken over my knitting time. One of which is making Origami cranes. I have no idea how and why I've started this hobby. Last year, I happened to be searching on the Internet and found the "crane" instructions. I started with plain white paper which got pretty boring after I mastered the folds. I happened to be at my local Michaels store and sure enough...they carried the fancy Origami paper that came in plain colors and printed designs. Too cool! I'll post pictures of what they look like later this weekend. For now, I'm watching Lord of the Rings with my hubby and folding beautiful sheets of Origami paper.

Happy Knitting!

A Somewhat Quiet Knitting Weekend

2011-04-24T09:43:00.007-04:00

I'm finally getting over a week-long cold. I thought I had the allergies and couldn't figure out why the allergy meds weren't working. That's because I had a head cold. Makes more sense as I haven't had a Spring allergy for years. After being duped up for two nights on NyQuil, I'm feeling better. Feeling like my ole knitting self.

The weather here is going back and forth between 60 to 80 degrees during the day. I'm starting to wear my sandals and starting to feel like knitting for summer weather...like sleeveless tops.

Sometime last week, I started knitting Prosperous Plum Tank which I renamed "Sierra Prosperous Tank" because I'm using Cascade Sierra yarn. BTW, this is a free pattern on Ravelry. The yarn is moss colored and a joy to knit with. It's 80% Pima cotton with 20% wool.

This Prosperous Tank is an interesting knit for me. First, it's knit in the round (way cool). Second, I did my first provisional cast on. Third, I learned to knit a hem (e.g. picot hem). Really, way cool! I had way too much fun at the beginning of this project.

The instructions includes two charts (A and B) for the pattern which has a bit of a cable pattern along with a squiggly lace pattern. As I was looking at what others knitted on Ravelry, I noticed I disliked the dominant continuous squiggly line which is in chart A. I ended up modifying the pattern a bit by reversing one of the cables in the pattern. In chart A, instead of doing a C6F, I changed it to a C6B.

Here's what I have done so far for the front with the pattern going up the center:

One thing is for sure, I'm having a blast knitting this top. Here's the back with the pattern going up along each side:

My Sofia is still waiting to be finished. I spent a few minutes here and there sewing up the seams of my cardi. It didn't take too long and I actually enjoyed my quiet moments joining the pieces. Taking the refresher class late last year probably helped with the overall enjoyment process. I confirmed I was doing the seaming process correct and I learned to take my time and just enjoy it. It worked.

I'm still knitting the eyelet border to go around the fronts, sides, and back. I'm past the halfway point, but still have a few inches to go.

I'll be back later this week to post (with pictures) about my provisional cast on method and the picot hem I learned.

Happy Easter!

Blocking Sofia

2011-03-19T20:56:00.002-04:00

I have finished knitting the main pieces of Sofia (my cropped cardi). I’m now knitting the garter and eyelet edging as a separate piece. After knitting several inches of the edging, I thought it would be a good idea to block the main pieces and then figure out how many inches I need to knit.

Here the two fronts and one sleeve:

And the back and the remaining sleeve:

I’m blocking these pieces based on the diagram with the finished measurements. There were only two diagram measurements provided: length and width. For the sleeves, I’m using my personal measurements taken from my sewing days.

I used a lot of lace and T-pins to shape and pin the pieces in place. I sprayed water over the knitted pieces and will let it dry for the next few days.

After I sew my cardi, I should have a better idea of how long I need to knit the garter and eyelet edging. Yes, I will have a lot of seaming to do next weekend.

In the meantime, I’m thinking about my next project. I found some neat projects in the latest Spring/Summer Vogue Knitting magazine as well as the new Tahki Yarns City Tweed pattern booklet.

I will be back to post about my new project as well as how Sofia is coming along.

Happy Knitting!

Knitting Louisa Harding’s Sofia

2011-02-27T11:19:00.001-05:00

My knitting plans that I laid out back in January are no longer valid. My vision has gone from cold weather to warm weather knitting. I’ve shifted gears and decided to start knitting lightweight/short sleeved garments. This includes knitting Sofia by Louisa Harding.

So far, Sofia is knitting up nicely. The instructions are very good and are given line by line. I’m knitting the back section working my way up along the armholes. There are front left and right sections to knit. The front edges are knit as a separate piece and then hand stitched along the fronts, bottoms and back edges. This will be time consuming for me, but I’m sure it will be worth my efforts.

I’m using a beautiful teal yarn called Revue by Reynolds. The yarn has a bit more green than the picture shows. It’s 100% merino and it’s soooo soft and squishy. I got gauge with 20 sts using size 7 needles. The twist in this yarn is exceptional. I anticipate using less than half a bag of this yarn…somewhere around 500-600 yards. Did I say bag? Yes, I ended up buying 3 bags of this yarn in 3 different colors. The other two bags contains aubergine and navy. The bags were on sale and I couldn’t pass up the potential of making future cardigans from this lovely yarn.

The Sofia cardigan is from the Cardigans by Louisa Harding book I purchased last year. This book was a wonderful find as there were many cardis that caught my attention and would love to knit.

Kitty is beautiful lace and cable cardi design. I think this would be a fun knitting project that would definitely keep my attention.

Here’s Minnie also from the Cardigan book. This cardigan can be knit with short or long sleeves and with lace or cable trims.

I’m back to knitting garments in pieces versus in the round. That means more seams and keeping my knitting skills in check.

If you get a chance, check out the this wonderful book by Louisa Harding.

Back From the Caribbean (pics) and in the Knitting Groove

2011-02-13T17:46:00.001-05:00

I actually lost my knitting mojo, like for 5 weeks. I went on vacation for two weeks and took a small knitting project with me. I ended up knitting two rows, that was it. I finally finished my project this weekend. It’s my “single skein lace cowl”:

This was knitted using Plymouth Happy Feet DK yarn in beautiful variegated blue colors. Kind of reminds me of being in the Caribbean. From the picture above, my cowl is drying after being hand washed in J&J baby shampoo. The lace fabric really loosened up and softened. Prior to hand washing, the fabric had lots of bumps and ripples. I didn’t do much stretching to the cowl in length nor width and I’m just letting it dry naturally. I can’t wait to wear it and see how well it drapes. Will post a modeled picture later this week.

Here’s a few pictures from our vacation in the Caribbean:

-Bonaire-

-Aruba-

-Dominica-

-Grenada-

-St Thomas-

Now, that I’m back to reality and it’s halfway through February…I’ve decided to focus on knitting warm weather garments. My knitting books and magazines are scattered around me and I’m thinking about bright colors and sleeveless tops. I think the warm Caribbean waters has affected my thinking. Ahhhhhh….

How About That? Reid Does Fit

2011-01-09T20:41:00.003-05:00

I'm modeling my New Tweed Reid. Finally. I had finished this project back in September of last year. This tunic was meant to be worn sometime in the Fall. It took me only 3 weeks to knit and it took me 4 months to get it blocked. What can I say? Hand washing is a chore for me. I tend to wait until I have several things that need hand washing. Then I do it all at once.

I will end up wearing this with a black long sleeve t-shirt underneath. After all, it's cold now.

After blocking, I finally got the chance to model this tunic. It fits beautifully I must add. When I blocked this top, I just laid it out on my blocking mats and gently reshaped the garment. No pins were used. I think that was the key for me. I had tried this top on right off the needles last year and it was quite loose. Maybe that's why it took me so long to hand wash and block. I think I lost interest in it.

Now, I'm back to loving this top.

Trying to Be Good

2011-01-09T10:10:00.004-05:00

I've been wearing a lot of the cowls I've knitted. I like them better than wearing scarves. Plus, I enjoy knitting cowls. So, what do I do? I found another cowl pattern on Ravelry. So, instead of knitting and wearing the same lace pattern (e.g. Noble and Listado), I opted to look for another different lace pattern. I have now collected three new cowl patterns to try. The first one is called a basic lace cowl and the pattern includes CO instructions for different weights of yarn. That's a plus.

I've pulled out from my stash the Plymouth Happy Feet DK yarn in bright blue tones. I've been saving this for something special (other than socks) and finally matched a perfect project to go with it.

I've started this basic lace cowl and finished the first lace repeat pattern. I had to knit the first few rows to see if I would like it. The lace pattern is gorgeous. The yarn is knitting up beautifully. Now...I have to stop and put this knitting project aside as I'm taking this with me on vacation. Pure torture for me not to finish this. I have two small WIPs that I should be working on now, but it's not as exciting as when I start a brand new project that I can't seem to put down. Like this cowl.

I guess I need to put this away. Like in my luggage. What's that saying? "What you don't see, you don't knit"...that might be my new saying for this week.

Some Pics

2011-01-04T20:56:00.003-05:00

Here's some pictures I mentioned I would post. Here is the Listado Cowl:

I'm trying to figure out where did all that white hair come from?

Here are my blocking projects from the weekend:

Winding Down?

2011-01-03T22:13:00.003-05:00

I've been on a knitting frenzy. Trying to finish some small projects. Get them off my needles so I can start thinking about my next big knitting project to start sometime in February. I finished my Listado cowl. I stopped knitting way before the 21 lace repeat pattern per instruction. I'll admit, I lost track of the number of repeats that I knitted. I just kept knitting and then decided to stop short and wear the Listado as a cowl and not as a head covering. I'm not a hat person, so I didn't think I'd wear Listado over my head. I hand washed and blocked the cowl. Took less than a day to dry. I managed to take some quick pics of me modeling the cowl. Now, it's getting late and will have to post a pic later this week when I get some computer time.

I've started another Watch Cap for my hubby. Still using Berroco Vintage, but in an olive green color. I've gone down a needle size to #7 on 16" circs. Hubby had given his feedback on my first version...the stitches are a bit loose and so the cap doesn't fit as snug as his Yankees RTW knitted cap. *Sigh* So, back to the drawing board with the smaller needle size. Just like the first version, I'm knitting this cap using the Continental method. Practice, practice, and more practice. I've finished the 3 inches of 1x1 ribbing and now knitting the main body of the cap in St st. I really enjoy knitting the ribbing. I noticed my knitting is much more contained and consistent. I also noticed, I'm knitting a bit faster.

I still have my 4th set of fingerless gloves to finish...the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran version. Just need to finish the cable at the knuckles and then I can start the right glove.

I hope to finish these projects within the next two weeks. If not, I'll end up taking them with me on vacation.

I did mention February. I hope to come back from vacation rested and ready to go with a new outlook on knitting. More challenges on the horizon. I'm anxious to start knitting a project with two colors. I do have a few projects in mind, at least one of them is a cute sweater by Jared Flood. I anticipate the next project will be time consuming and may take me to the end of winter to finish.

That's all for now. I'll be back to post pictures and maybe a book review or two.

Tub, Water, & J&J Shampoo Day

2011-01-02T08:12:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, I spent some time with my designated dish tub, water, and Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo. What are on earth was I up to? Getting ready to block some garments. I have a dish tub that I use solely for soaking/hand washing my knitting projects. Once I add the cool water, I throw in a few drops of J&J baby shampoo and swish the water around to produce some bubbles.

If I have a wool or wool blend project, I simple dunk it in the water with very minimal movement. I then change out the water and give the wool project a final rinse in the tub...again with very minimal movement. I gently push my project to one side of the tub and dump the rinse water out of the tub. Still holding my project against the side of the tub, I continue to apply a bit more pressure to get most of the water out of my knitted project. I then lay my wool project out on a flat thick bath towel and stretch out the project flat, but not too much stretching. I take another thick bath towel and lay it over my wool project that's already laying on the first towel. I start at one end of the towels and gently start to roll, keeping my wool project sandwiched between the two towels. At this point, I let rolled towels sit for a few minutes. Note: I've been known to step on the rolled towels to put a little pressure and get the towels to pull the excess water from the wool project.

I lay out my KnitPicks blocking mats. I actually used two sets as I was blocking three garments. I place thick bath towels over the mats. I unroll the wet towels and gently place my wool garment on my towel covered blocking mats. I rearrange my project to the size I need, flatten edges, etc. Sometimes, I will pin my project in place or just leave it flat to dry.

For my non-wool projects, I don't have to be as gentle when hand washing and I tend to do a bit more squeezing to get most of the water out of my non-wool projects. I still do the towel rolling method and will still lay my projects out flat on my blocking mat.

I will be back to post of a picture of my projects on my block mats.

Happy Knitting!

Happy New Year!!!

2011-01-01T09:09:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year to all my fellow knitters and fiber artists! I hope 2011 brings you more yarn and fiber and many more knitting hours. Have a wonderful year and remember...to make time for your self and do something fun.

Happy Knitting!

2010 - A Year in Review

2010-12-30T18:02:00.003-05:00

This year has gone by quickly for me. Even when I was working full-time, I managed to find time to knit and expand my knitting knowledge and skills. I’ve knitted several shawls, garments, and accessories and noticed a consistent theme of knitting a lace pattern in most of my projects. I wanted to close out this adventurous year by doing a recap on the new techniques and skills that I’ve learned in 2010.

Learning to Block:
I’ve learned the importance of blocking whether it’s a garment or accessory. Sometimes I would use the damp (spritz of water) method or hand wash the knitted project in baby shampoo. I invested in blocking mats from Knit Picks. Not just one set, but two sets. Some of my projects ended up being rather large. To get the shawls shaped correctly, I had to either hand wash (one extreme) or spray water on them and then stretch them out on my mats and pin them in place. I even went as far as purchasing lace blocking wires also from Knit Picks to block out a few of my shawl projects.

Stranded Knitting:
I was knitting the baby hats which I called strawberry and blueberry and got a chance to do a bit of stranded knitting with two colors. Given that it was only for a couple of rows and a simple project, it was enough to get my feet wet and learn how to carry lengths of yarn and a simple twist to prevent holes.

Knitting Shawls:
I knitted a lot of shawls this year. I wore them mostly at work in my cold office. I got a chance to use the Noro Taiyo yarn and now I know why everyone loves Noro for it’s distinctive colors that stripe perfectly. Even for a shawl. Incredible!

More Lace Pattern Knitting:
I mentioned that a consistent theme was knitting lace patterns in my projects. I can tell you I’m attracted to knitting projects that has a pattern whether it includes lace or cable. Plain stockinette stitch projects get dropped further down my priority list. It’s all about keeping my interest.

Knitting Garments in the Round:
I got a chance to do more knitting in the round. Mostly top down which I prefer.

I knitted a Reid top which was from the bottom up and I learned to integrate and knit the sleeves with the yoke. Not too hard to do.

Modifying a Garment:
I must have been in an experimentation phase over the Summer. I came across a Tahki Yarns Henley short-sleeve top pattern in one of their summer booklets. I was captivated by the chevron lace pattern, but I did not like the three-button neckline (Henley) nor the short sleeves. Also, the length of this top was too long for me. So, I modified the pattern. I shortened the length (removing some colored-block rows), re-wrote the neckline pattern to make it into a scoop, and basically omitted the sleeves. I guess the simple solution was to have looked for a sleeveless shell pattern, but I felt the challenge and answered it.

Knitting Stripes:
I knitted the same sleeveless top in the round that incorporated a chevron lace pattern (the same one under Modifying a Garment). I knitted this top using 3 colors. It was a great experience for me. Since I was using different colors, I ended up weaving in a lot of loose ends.

I-Cord Bind Off:
I probably wouldn’t have learned this technique if wasn’t for the 3-color sleeveless top I knitted. I had modified this pattern so much that I needed to use a simple finish in the armholes. That’s when learned this new BO technique. This produced a beautiful edging and not stretchy at all.

Short Rows:
I got a chance to learn how to do short row shaping for a lace leaf top. Of course this short row shaping was used for shaping bust area. It’s an easy technique to learn and use in other patterns.

Experimenting with Various Yarns:
Since I have developed a nice stash (mostly in the last year), I was able to knit with different kinds of yarns: cotton, linen, silk, wool and synthetics. I also got a chance to knit with different brands of yarns like: Tahki Yarns, Rowan, Noro, Debbie Bliss, Berroco, Classic Elite, etc. I noticed from my purchases this year, I’ve added a lot more Berroco yarn (Vintage, Remix, and some others). It’s probably because it’s an affordable yarn. I’m sure texture, color, and softness was a criteria. I don’t buy yarn that causes me to itch.

Fingerless Gloves:
Got a chance to get back into knitting with DPNs and knitted a lot of fingerless gloves. I had a good laugh at myself. It took me awhile to get comfortable with having 3 needles in the round and using the 4th to knit. I also learned a valuable technique of knitting a future hole (thumb area) with contrasting yarn and then put those contrasting loops back on the left needle and pick up the main colored yarn and continue knitting. I go back and pick up the stitches around the contrasting yarn and then remove the contrasting yarn. A nice hole appears and I can continue knitting in the round for the thumb.

This has become my TNT (tried ‘n true) project for mindless knitting in front of the TV. I’m sure there will be several family members who will be getting these gloves for next Christmas. Unless, I find another fun TNT project for mindless knitting.

Classes:
I took my first knitting classes as a student. Normally, I’m the teacher. This was a welcomed switch for me. I needed to expand my knitting skills or fine tune my techniques. My first class was on buttonholes and button bands. I learned a lot of buttonhole techniques and not to be fearful.

My second class was on seaming. Basically, this reinforced what I’ve taught myself about seaming. One key point I learned is to seam with the same tension that I knitted. This was very noteworthy and so true.

My third and last class for this year was learning to knit Continental style. I’ve always wanted to learn and tried to teach myself but failed miserably. This class was an eye opener for me. I learned to first break down the steps for the knit stitch and then try to recreate the steps, but with the yarn in the left hand. Once I figured out how to hold the yarn correctly (or basically what felt good to me), I was able to start knitting the Continental way. I also learned to break down the purl stitch and learned to knit that stitch as well.

Continental knitting:
What a major breakthrough for me. I can say that I’ve mastered the Continental method. I can produce the knit and purl stitches and have created several samples of St st, ribbing, seed stitch, etc. I’ve also knitted up a 4”x4” swatch and got gauge. It’s nice to see that I can go from English to Continental and vice versa and still keep gauge.

I ended the year with knitting a watchman cap for my hubby using the Continental method. I can say I completed a true project.

I have found there are many benefits to learning this method. The first important benefit is knitting the ribbing (knit and purl). I’m knitting this more efficiently with less movement and increasing my knitting speed. My ribbing stitches look more consistent versus the English method. Another benefit for me which will be another stepping stone into learning another technique for next year is knitting with two colors.

Summary:

Even though I knitted less projects this year than in 2009, I’ve managed to keep up my knitting skills and picked up a few new techniques along the way. More yarn was definitely purchased, but not in small quantities for small projects. I was thinking more of future sweaters, tunics, cardigans…larger projects. Can we say bags of yarn? And yes, storage continues to be a problem for me. My hubby is planning on building some shelves for me in our basement. That way I can organize and store my bins more efficiently. He’s aware that I have a yarn stash, but I’m not sure he knows how much I have.

I’m looking forward to 2011 with the anticipation of learning new knitting skills and techniques. I have lots of projects queued in Ravelry and lots of yarn to knit with. And still, lots to learn.

Weekend Knitting

2010-12-26T11:25:00.011-05:00

I can't believe it took me until Christmas Eve to get into the full-blown knitting mode. Hours upon hours of blissful knitting. Other than going to church on Christmas Day, we spent a quiet time at home. More knitting and watching DVDs. This morning, we got up really late with no snow on the ground...yet. Sleepy-eyed, we ventured out for some breakfast.

Here's what I have on my needles, the Listado cowl/head cover in Renata Tebaldi colorway. I thought I was going to knit this in Julia Child, but at the last minute I changed my mind and went for the contrasting colors.

My beautiful hank of yarn went from this:

To this cake of yarn:

I spent time winding some yarn this weekend. Very therapeutic I must add:

When hubby asked what I wanted for Christmas, I should have mentioned a new Swift. For now, my homemade swift will do for another year. I've had to add a few cans of tomato sauce to my "swift box" to add stability when my swift is spinning so fast. Here's my last year's post of my Tilta Swift and a link on how to make your own.

I had a last minute knitting request from my hubby. He wanted me to knit him a hat. So, I've started to knit a watchman cap using Berroco Vintage in brown. This pattern is from the "Knits Men Want" book. I have to say this book is wonderful. There are classic style sweaters and projects for men and includes different gauges and yardages to complete a project. Here's the beginnings of the cap:

Here's the cover of the book:

I hope my fellow knitters are enjoying their holiday weekend. I know I am.

Colorful Eye Candies!

2010-12-23T15:05:00.009-05:00

The mailman had arrived. What timing! Now I can really start to knit up a storm. Here's the Heather yarn I mentioned in the previous post:

Heather by Schaefer Yarns in Renata Tebaldi

I plan to use this Julia Child color to knit the lace neck warmer/head cover:

Heather by Schaefer Yarns in Julia Child

We spent only an hour in Uniquities and I managed to find a beautiful hand dyed yarn from Mountain Colors called Twizzle. I couldn't resist this color combination called Snapdragon:

Twizzle by Mountain Colors in Snapdragon

I finally bought the rest of this Zara Chine yarn. I bought a few balls of this yarn every time I stopped by Uniquities. Now after the 4th visit (over several months), I have enough to make a long sleeved sweater. Yes, by using this crazy shopping method, I took a chance that they would sell out of this yarn. I was lucky.

Zara Chine by Filatura di Crosa in Black/Gray

Here's a picture of another pair of Fetching Gloves. I knitted this lovely pair using Savoy by Tahki Yarns in a berry color:

And started another pair using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in a charcoal gray color:

That's all for now. Stay warm and keep on knitting!

Like a Child Waiting for New Toys

2010-12-23T08:49:00.007-05:00

I'm back in the knitting saddle and feeling much better. Just in time for the Holidays. I started, yet another pair of Fetching gloves. This time I'm knitting with Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in a charcoal gray color. Another pair of gray gloves??? Yes! For me? Yes! A gal can't have too many fingerless gloves. Plus it makes great mindless knitting while watching TV with dear hubby. Instead of a being a sock knitter, I'm just a plain ole fingerless glove knitter. Anyways, I wanted to make a comment about the Cashmerino Aran yarn. It's fabulous to knit with! Sooooo soft! The yarn produces a lovely knitted fabric with beautiful stitch definitions. I've checked Ravelry and there were many comments about pilling issues. I have not encountered that while knitting the gloves.

I'm off the next few days. What is a gal to do? Why, go visit one of her favorite local yarn shops. So, I'm heading off to Uniquities with my mother. BTW...my mother has been knitting up a storm. Instead of knitting plain ole cardigans, she's expanding her horizons a bit. She's knitting herself a fancy cable sweater.

Before I go, I wanted to share this stunning lace cowl from the Creative Knitting Accessories with Style mag:

Design by Laura Nelken

It's a slouchy neck warmer as well as an elegant head cover. As a Christmas gift to myself, I ordered some beautiful yarn to use with this project. I plan on using Heather by Schaeffer Yarns. It's a mix of merino wool and silk and a bit of nylon. On Ravelry, there are some other projects that were knitted with this yarn and the colors were just stunning. I plan on knitting this neck warmer using the Continental method. I need the practice.

I'm anxiously awaiting for my yarn to arrive. No, I won't be hanging out at the edge of driveway waiting for the mail truck to arrive. Though, the thought did occur to me. Could leave a glass of milk and some chocolate chip cookies.

Happy Knitting!

Still Sick As a Dog

2010-12-19T16:52:00.006-05:00

I was hoping that I would be in recovery mode by now. Not today. A head cold has taken me hostage for the last 3 days. I managed to finish another pair of my Fetching Fingerless Gloves...just need to weave in the ends. Not in the mood right now.

I had planned on starting a scarf for myself using the Continental method. I did start something, but decided I disliked the stitch pattern. So, it's frogged. I thought I was being picky about the scarf design. I think it has more to do with not being motivated right now. My hands want to knit something, but the brain is...well...distracted.

I spent some time on Ravelry. I found a beautiful cardigan. If I start it this month, I could finish it in time for next winter. LOL!!! Here's the Turpan Cardigan:

Turpan from Caron.com

Turpan from Caron.com

This cardigan would be the ultimate project of all projects for me. Possibly another stepping stone into some serious future knitting projects. This cardigan is just gorgeous. I'm contemplating knitting it in the round. We'll see how ambitious I am when I get healthy again.

Another Fingerless Glove Pattern?

2010-12-16T21:32:00.000-05:00

Yes! I happened to be looking around on Ravelry and found another fingerless glove pattern. It’s the same Fetching pattern, but instead of the plain cable design…it’s using an “owl” design. This modified pattern is from Destiknits at http://destiknit.com/. Here’s a picture of the gloves from Destiknits.com

Naturally, I will want to try knitting a pair of these real soon.

On the knitting front – Continental Way:

I’ve been practicing faithfully…knitting the Continental way. I’ve knitted a 4”x4” swatch in St st using the Berroco Comfort yarn and I’m getting gauge. Wahooo! I’ve been challenging myself by knitting another swatch and switching between St St, ribbing, and the seed stitch. So, I have several rows in St st, several rows in ribbing, several rows in seed stitch. I’m really challenging myself and to create consistent looking stitches.

I enjoy knitting this way, however the slow rate I knit. I’m sure with more practice, my speed will pick up. I do like how I don’t have to use my right hand as much (the swinging of my right arm to go between the knit and the purl stitches). I do like having the yarn in my left hand and actually using minimal movements to knit and purl. Would you believe that purling is actually easy for me to do and that I enjoy it using the Continental method versus the English way?

Happy Knitting!

Continental Way of Knitting–Finally

2010-12-12T11:01:00.001-05:00

** Updated to include a picture of my knitting sample from class **

What a way to end another year of adventurous knitting. I took my last of three knitting classes last weekend on Continental Knitting. As most of your know, I taught myself to knit almost 3 years ago and I taught myself to knit the English/American way. You know, the throw your right arm to create a stitch. The 1-1/2 hour class was pure stress for me, but in a good way! We started out with a “warm-up” exercise of knitting our normal English way. Pure knitting stitches. Then I did a few rows of stockinette to warm-up with the purl stitches.

Then the Continental lesson began. Brenda, our instructor, broke down the “knit” stitch…the direction the needle goes into the loop and then the direction the yarn wraps around the needle. Got that. We were then instructed to hold the yarn in our left hand/fingers and then try to “knit” a stitch. Almost got that. It took me awhile to figure out how to hold the yarn in my left fingers. I struggled to figure this out first. I noticed others in the class were worried about their gauge. Not me. My first priority was to get the “technique” down first and then worry about tension/gauge later. Can’t worry about both at the same time, otherwise I won’t get it.

After 15 minutes of what felt like re-learning to knit all over again, I finally got it. Close enough to be able to create knitted stitches for several rows. It was uncomfortable at first, but I did fall into a slow rhythm.

We took a 5 minute break to relax our hands and de-stress (at least for me).

We proceeded to learn the purl stitch. Again, Brenda broke down the process of the direction the needle goes into the loop and then the direction the yarn wraps. Made sense to me, but doing it was another head scratching “how am I going to attempt this?” I was able to make a purl stitch, but still had problems with holding the yarn in my left hand.

I had an AH-HA moment. I took the yarn and placed it in my right hand as if to knit. I took note of how the yarn was threaded in and around my fingers: under my pinky, over my ring finger, under my mid-finger, and over my pointer finger. I put the yarn back in my left hand and followed the same threaded pattern I had done with my right hand. Once the yarn went over my pointer finger, I then felt the need to wrap it around once to apply some tension/control to the yarn. It worked! I continued purling for a few rows until I got into a good slow rhythm.

Brenda wanted us to combine the two stitches and we proceeded to do the stockinette stitch for a few rows. A few important things I noticed, I was knitting a bit quicker, I could keep the yarn comfortable in my left hand/fingers while switching between knitting and purling, and all I had to do was switch my needles (circulars) at the end of the row and just keep knitting.

Our last task was to knit a ribbing pattern. I ended up doing a K2P2 for my sample. This ribbing task went fast. I truly appreciated the Continental way of knitting.

At the end of class, I realized the stress of learning a new way of knitting went away. I actually had fun. I noticed my class sample turned out nicely and evenly, even though I have a gauge issue. I had to laugh at myself as I looked like a tight knitter.

While others in class were absorbed in getting gauge and frustrated on how to hold the yarn in their left hand, I found that working on how to hold the yarn first in the left hand helped me accomplished this knitting style much faster with less frustration. Just like how I first learned to knit three years ago, gauge will come with much practice and a lot of swatch knitting.

Here's my sample from class. Below the black line is my English knitting style. Above the black line is my Continental knitting style.

Why am I learning the Continental way? One, to be able to knit the ribbing pattern or seed stitch pattern quick and easily. Two, be able to knit with two colored yarns. Three and overall, to knit faster.

More Fetching Fingerless Gloves

2010-12-11T10:19:00.001-05:00

I’m on a knitting roll. Not so much knitting garments (as I have a few WIPs staring me in the face and making me feel guilty), but knitting quick accessories. I seem to do this in spurts. Maybe it’s seasonal. I have a new found love for knitting fingerless gloves. The Fetching pattern in particular. I really like the cabled ribbing pattern around the wrists and again at the knuckle area. This has become my TNT pattern. So far, it takes me 3 hours to finish one glove or 6 hours for a set. Not bad as I’m a slow knitter.

Here’s my 2nd set of Fetching knitted in Comfort by Berroco in a gray color:

The gray color is much darker than the pictures show. I’m not too talented taking a one-handed picture using my DSLR, so I have to rely on my handy P&S (point & shoot) and of course the pop up flash which blows the color way out. Trust me, the dark gray color is beautiful.

I really like knitting with the Berroco Comfort yarn even though it’s a synthetic yarn. It produces a beautiful knitted fabric and it’s quite soft.

I have to admit that there’s nothing like knitting with real yarn. Here’s my 3rd version of Fetching on my DPNs. I’m using Savoy by Tahki Yarns in a beautiful berry color. This yarn is silk/merino wool and very, very lovely to knit with. It has a beautiful sheen and a joy to knit with. Some Ravelers who have knitted garments with this yarn have mentioned that this yarn will pill. So far, I haven’t experienced that while knitting the gloves. It’s just doggone beautiful!

So, what will I do with several versions of Fetching? I’ll have a set to use at work to keep my hands warm while I’m typing. Yes, it can get chilly in the office. Another set will be worn when I’m on a photography assignment and have to take outdoor pictures. I still need my bare fingers to grip my DSLR and press the buttons. Better to have something to partially cover my hands than nothing at all.

These are functional fingerless gloves and the cabled ribbing adds some elegance to an otherwise simple and easy to knit pair of gloves.

Knitting Weekend

2010-12-05T09:24:00.002-05:00

I’m having a fun filled weekend of knitting. Meaning…hours of non-stop knitting. From Friday evening until today. I haven’t had the opportunity to do this in a long while. I’m having a great weekend.

I’ve finished the basket weave scarf and just need to weave in the ends.

Friday, I CO for the Fetching fingerless gloves and finished them early this morning. I just need to weave in the ends (more weaving). Here’s a picture of the left glove with the contrast waste yarn knitted into the glove. The contrast yarn represents the hole or thumbhole area. This morning I finished the thumbhole and will post pictures later of using DPNs to pick up the “live stitches” above and below the contrast yarn. It’s funny that I learned this technique a few weeks ago in my Buttonhole knitting class and then come across this technique again in this pattern.

This Fetching pattern is a real winner. It took me less than 6 hours to knit both gloves. Remember, I’m a slow knitter. The pattern instructions are easy to memorize. I’ll be knitting several more of these. It will be nice to have a small knitting project to take with me on the go and just pick up and knit when I have a few minutes or an hour to spare.

You will notice that both the gloves and the scarf are knitted with the same yarn – Berroco Comfort. I like this color which is a brown heather with a berry hue to it. This yarn creates beautiful stitch definitions. It’s machine washable and the knitted fabric is very soft.

Later this afternoon, I will be attending my last of three knitting class at my LYS. I will be learning to knit Continental style. We’ll see if I can accomplish this within this 1-1/2 hour session. Wish me luck!

Happy Knitting!

Two Down, One to Go

2010-11-24T19:25:00.001-05:00

I’ve completed another knitting class. This one was on seaming. This class confirmed my seaming techniques that I already have been practicing. I did learn something new. When I “sew” two knitted pieces together, my seams should match my knitting tension. So, no more pulling the yarn too tight which causes the seams or the knitted stitches to look wonky on the right side.

During the class session, we did use all seven swatches. There was a lot of stitching and seaming going on. In the end, I had perfect seams…both on the inside as well as the outside.

Next up? Is the long awaited Continental knitting. I’ve always wanted to learn to knit this way, but could never figure it out on my own. I’m looking forward to this class in December.

On the knitting project front, I’m almost finished with a basket weave patterned scarf for my brother. I have just 2-4 more inches to go and it will be done. It’s been a slow project as I have to switch from knit to purl stitches every 4 stitches. I’m constantly throwing my right arm. A good reason to learn the Continental way.

One Very Good Reason to Take a Class

2010-10-23T06:13:00.003-04:00

Here I am, closing in on the end of October. I'm approaching my three year mark when I started to learn to knit. During my first year, I taught myself the knit and purl stitch and knitted many scarves. Then I attempted my first hand knitted garment, a long sleeve two tone sweater. I knew I could do this on my own as I've had garment sewing experience and knew what the garment pieces should look like. My sweater looked pretty good as long as you didn't look too closely. I made a lot of "knitting newbie" mistakes. From there and in the last two years, I've moved onto more elaborate garments and accessories I would not have imagined knitting on my own.

What did I use to teach myself knitting? Books, magazines, and the Internet were my resources for tackling new knitting skills and inspiration. I've come to realize I'm a self starter. I'm always in the mood to challenge myself. To learn something.

I've been ~~cranking out~~ knitting lots of garments and I think I've come to a crossroads in my knitting life. I've realized that my knitting skills may need some polishing. Maybe it's time I learn from a knitting master or two. A real person who could go back to the basics and provide some tips and suggestions. Maybe a real class.

Here's an example of what made me stop and reassess my knitting skills. I've been working on "My Favorite Cardigan" and knitting right along. Instead of knitting the sleeves, I decided to start working on the front button and buttonhole bands. I was appalled to see what I had done:

I'm not a perfectionist. (That word is not allowed in my knitting vocabulary). When I see something like this at an RTW (ready to wear) store, it gives me the willies. I immediately took a picture of my bad knitting to document "my what not to do next time" and then proceeded to frog my button band.

I've come to realize it's time to take a class. While books, magazines, and the Internet can help a knitter like me, there are times when I just need to fine tune my techniques by learning from a master. Someone with many years of knitting experience who could help me take my knitting to the next level.

My Favorite Cardigan has been sitting in my knitting bag for the last two weeks, waiting to be brought back to life. I will be back to post the results of what I learned in class. Stay tuned!

I've Signed Up for Some Knitting Classes

2010-10-15T20:34:00.004-04:00

For the last two-plus years, I've had a fun adventure in learning and teaching myself to knit. It's time for me to turn over a new leaf.

One of my favorite LYS is offering some exciting knitting classes. There were several classes that caught my eye and I managed to narrow my list down to three important ones: Button and Buttonhole Bands, Seaming, and Continental Knitting. The first two skills, I've had the chance to practice on my own. Now, I'm going to refine those skills by learning new techniques. The Button and Buttonhole Bands class will come in handy as I'm in the midst of working on My Favorite Cardigan which has button down front. I've already knitted the button band and I've put the buttonhole band on hold to see if I learn something new from class. I'm sure I will.

I've had a lot of practice with seaming, but I feel my seaming techniques are just average. Looking forward to techniques that I'm missing.

The third class, Continental Knitting, is something I've always wanted to learn. I'm an English knitter...I throw my yarn to knit a stitch. I've tried to teach myself the Continental way and it just doesn't feel natural. Go figure. I learned to be a proficient crocheter before becoming a knitter. Hopefully, something will "click" in this class or I'll have an "ah ha!" moment.

So, it's time for me to learn from a knitting master or two. My first knitting classes and I can't wait for them to start. I'm off to complete my homework projects/assignments before the classes begin. I'll be back over the next few weeks to post what I've learned.

Happy Knitting!

Cast On Not One but Two

2010-09-22T21:12:00.004-04:00

My New Tweed Reid lace pullover top has been finished for at least two weeks now. It's waiting to be blocked. It's waiting for me to find a few minutes out of my busy life to give it a good soak, roll it gently in lots of towels, and lay it out on my blocking mats. Actually, I'm waiting for floor space where I don't have to worry about family members who might accidently step on my finished product. I'm guessing, it will take at least 2-3 days to dry.

I've CO for two new projects. Two new cardigans to be exact. I'm knitting up My Favorite Cardigan by Wendy Bernard. It's an off the shoulder cardi with cables running down the fronts and on the sleeves. It's also a top down cardi. No seams! I'm using Classic Elite Waterlily in Blueberry color. Here's a picture of this gorgeous yarn:

I've also started another top down cardi. It's a cropped cardi pattern from Plymouth yarns. I'm using Plymouth Encore Tweed in Black. So far it's knitting up beautifully. This black tweed is the only color I like in the Plymouth Encore line. I have two more rows before separating the sleeves from the body. I may end up knitting a few more rows before separating to make sure the armholes are large enough.

Interesting that I'm not knitting something with a lace pattern. Interesting that these two new projects are top down cardis. I just keep on knitting. :)

A Work in Progress

2010-09-11T08:40:00.006-04:00

My New Tweed Reid is still a work in progress. I have the last decrease in the yoke to work and then maybe another inch of knitting after that. I'm still undecided on how I want the neckline to look. The pattern instructions have "bobbles" around the neck. I'm not sure if that's the look I want. I am contemplating an I-cord finish for the neckline. Something simple.

I managed to try on Reid while still on the needles and the fit seems to be right in line with what I was looking for. Not too flared at the hip area and not too long in length.

In the meantime, I've cast on for a man's scarf in basket weave pattern. Yes, it's time to start knitting Christmas gifts. Hope to knit a few of these in between my huge knitting projects. I'm using Berroco Comfort yarn in a really nice brown/bronze color.

I've also cast on for a top-down cardi from Plymouth Yarns. I found the most beautiful black tweed yarn for this project. It's Encore by Plymouth Yarns. The yarn is so beautiful, that I'm overlooking that it's an acrylic-wool blend yarn. I had to get used to having acrylic run through my fingers. This cardi is similar to the Shrug This! cardi from the One Skein Wonder book. BUT...there are a lot of differences. One...this Plymouth cardi comes in different sizes. Two...knits up in worsted weight yarn. Three...instructions are slightly different as to working the sleeves and then joining.

So far, the cardi is knitting up beautifully in the black tweed yarn. There is something about black tweed yarn that makes a garment stand out.

Moving Right Along with Reid

2010-08-27T20:33:00.003-04:00

My New Tweed Reid is coming along nicely. Here's the lace body. I still need to knit about another inch before I join the sleeves and work on the yoke.

Here's one of the sleeves I've started. I'm using a #9 in 16" circs.

I'm curious to hear from my fellow knitters...what do you use to wash your hand knit wool garments?

Started New Tweed Reid

2010-08-21T20:06:00.005-04:00

Now that we're getting close to the end of August, I decided to start thinking about knitting for cool weather. I found this beautiful wool blend yarn called New Tweed by Tahki Yarns. It's a blend of merino, rayon, and silk. Has a lovely tweed/nibs and the knitted fabric is beautiful. At first I thought the yarn was a bit scratchy, but I think it won't be too bad.

As you can see, Reid has a lovely feather and fan lace pattern in the main part of the body. I really like the scalloped edging that's created. I've made some modifications to the pattern. First I'm shortening the top by 2 inches. Next, the pattern calls for 3 needle sizes for the lace patterned body...starting with #10-1/2 for 4 inches, #10 or 5 inches, and #9 for 5.5 inches which comes out to 14-1/2 inches of an A-Line shaped body. I've gone ahead and started knitting with #10 needles and will knit for about 7 inches. Then, I will switch to #9s for about 5.5 inches. This should narrow the wide shape at the bottom. Personal preference.

I've actually knitted several more inches than the picture shows here, but you can see how the bottom is taking shape:

Here's what the top will look like when I'm done. This is a Berroco pattern from their #298 booklet called "Blackstone Tweed and Blackstone Tweed Chunky".

This pattern comes in size XS-2X. It's knitted in the round from the bottom up. Once I finish the body, I then knit the two sleeves in the round separately. I join the 3 sections and start knitting the yoke in the round. Sounds like a pretty cool project.

This will make a great transitional garment as we approach the Fall season.

Happy Knitting!

Another Finished Top

2010-07-30T19:35:00.005-04:00

** Updated to include new pictures **

I've finished my Calmer Tank Top (Ravelry: Lillian Tank Top). I must say it fits beautifully. It's now become one of my TNT patterns. I plan on knitting up several of these to wear throughout the seasons. I'm thinking of using Cascade Sierra, Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, and even Lion Brand Cotton Ease. Wool blends and cotton blends. The lace pattern is beautiful and the top knits up quickly. I managed to knit my Calmer version in under 2 weeks. That's during my lunch breaks and during the evening hours.

I was going to start knitting a different project, but I may end up knitting another tank top. I'l be back with pictures. :)

Happy Knitting!

A Hot Sunday

2010-07-25T08:22:00.005-04:00

For a hot and humid Sunday (over 100 degrees), it's only appropriate to be knitting a lace tank top. I've cast on for a Lillian Tank Top pattern I got from Ravelry. It has a lace body, few rows of ribbing under the bust, and then stockinette stitch to the shoulders. It's knit in the round and then separated for the front and back. There's ribbing around the squarish neckline and armholes and also at the bottom hem.

I'm using Rowan Calmer yarn for this project. This yarn didn't sit for long in my stash. After seeing so many complements about the yarn I knew I had to try it out. The yarn is very springy and light. Produces beautiful stitches in my opinion.

Here's the base of my tank top:

I also came across some future projects:

Reid, by Berroco, is a beautiful lace top. Perfect for transitioning from Summer to Fall. I plan on using Bamboucle in Apple Red for this project.

Then, I saw Minnie, from the Cardigans book by Louisa Harding. This is a versatile pattern. It can be made long or cropped (e.g. bolero), cabled front or lace, and long or short sleeves. I actually like this version pictured here:

I also fell in love with Sofia, also from the Louisa Harding's Cardigan book. It's a beautiful cropped cardigan that draws/curves up the front and has short sleeves. Very cute and very shapely. Unfortunately, I can find a picture...but will try to post one later.

I'll be running my errands early this morning and then staying inside later today in the cool comforts of my AC.

Finished Pictures of Leaf Yoke and Chevron

2010-07-17T21:51:00.003-04:00

A quick post with pictures of my finished tops....

Leaf Yoke:

Chevron:

Happy Knitting!

Another Top Completed and More Knitting

2010-07-17T08:10:00.003-04:00

I got around to finishing my Leaf Yoke top the other day and wore it to work on my special day. I received a lot of complements. The top is very comfortable to wear and the Pebble yarn made the garment feel lightweight. I actually like the two color contrast yarns I used, but I plan on knitting another top in a single color.

I resolved the long armhole issue on my Leaf Yoke. First, when I was getting ready to do the I-cord BO, I picked up less stitches in the underarm area...about 44 stitches versus the 50 recommended in the pattern. It was a slight improvement, but the armhole area was still a bit "loosey-goosey" for me. I dove into my sewing notions stash and found fine elastic thread. I took my darning needle and threaded the fine elastic through my I-cord BO edge, making sure the thread didn't show on the right side. I pulled the elastic until the armhole area was slightly gathered and I knotted the elastic. I tried on the top again and the fit was perfect.

I'm still weaving in the ends of my Chevron top. Though I loved using 3 different colors for this top, the ends are a pain in my side to weave in. I have a few more strands left and I should be done.

I've been looking through Ravelry (my queue) and through my pattern books and magazines to find a new knitting project to start. I found a lot of sleeveless tops, but can't seem to find one that jumps out at me. I've also grown my yarn stash to include more cotton and cotton-blended yarns in light worsted and DK weights. I actually enjoy knitting with the thinner yarns.

In the meantime, I've resurrected a WIP from last year...my Lace Panel cardigan. I stopped knitting it last August which I regret now. It's taken me awhile to figure out where I left off and I've noticed my knitting skills have vastly improved since last year. My right front I'm working on now looks a bit better than the left front from last year. LOL!!! I'm glad I had documented this garment on Ravelry. Let's face it, my mind can only remember so much from last year.

So, I'm working my way towards the shoulder and I'm not looking at my notes from last year. See that vast improvement of my knitting skills? I can now look at what I knitted and figure out when I need to do my next decreases. Wonders never cease for me.

I'm still debating as to knit the short sleeves for this cardi or just knit an I-cord binding around the armholes and make this cardi into a vest. My "Simple is Better" motto keeps coming to mind as I really need to change this WIP into a finished garment and check if off my Ravelry list. I'll be back to post the results.

Happy Knitting!

Knitting Updates & Learning Another Technique

2010-07-10T12:09:00.002-04:00

I've finished my Chevron Lace Top. Now, I need to weave in all those loose ends. My gosh, there are a lot. I feel proud of finishing this top as I made some modifications to the original pattern and it's been quite a few months since I have knitted a garment. I've had to take out my Knitter's Companion reference book to review techniques that I used to know. I had a huge "knitting high" over the last few weeks. Enjoyed it immensely. The top is done (minus the loose ends) and it fits. I ended up finishing the armholes using the I-cord BO. It was a last minute decision and my first attempt at this BO method. I spent time researching different I-cord techniques over the Internet. The technique I chose is from Knit Picks. Simple is better. That seems to be my knitting motto of late.

I ended up finishing the neckline with 1x1 ribbing. Would have preferred to finish with the same I-cord binding used on the armholes, but wanted to make sure I could get the top over my head. Ribbing finished made more sense.

I'm still knitting my Leaf Yoke top. I have about 4 more inches to knit in the body. My armholes came out really deep and I plan on using the I-cord BO as it will tighten the armhole space quite a bit. To match the armholes, I plan on knitting the same I-cord BO for the bottom hem. Again, simple is better. I also plan on finishing the neckline with the same BO method. I'm looking forward to finishing this top this weekend, if possible.

I enjoy knitting the I-cord BO method and like the finished/polished look. My knitting mojo is moving right along. Knitting is fun. Life is good.

Happy July!

2010-07-02T22:38:00.004-04:00

I can't believe it's already July. This week, we've been having beautiful weather. No humidity and in the 80s. I've been out enjoying the weather when I can. This can only mean that not much knitting has been done.

Here's a status check on my two garments. I've got another 2 inches to go on the back section of my Chevron shell. After that is completed, I can finish the front.

I'm knitting my Leaf Yoke top when I happen to be sitting in front of the TV. Mindless knitting in the round.

My plan is to finish these two tops over my 3-day Holiday weekend. Plus, make two necklaces. Plus, re-organize my yarn stash. Plus, look for new knitting projects to start soon.

More Garment Knitting

2010-06-30T21:55:00.004-04:00

I'm back to garment knitting. It's only taken 7 months to get the garment-itch, again. Now that Summer is in full swing, I'm thinking "sleeveless" tops. I found a cute chevron top in one of my Tahki Yarns booklet. I'm doing some major omissions/modifications to the pattern...no sleeves and no front button placket. Oh, and no seams(!)...just knit in the round. Make it simple.

Here's the body of the shell. I really do like the colors I picked out. I'm using Tahki Yarns Cotton Classic. I believe this is the first garment I'm knitting with smaller than #8 needles. I'm using #6 needles! This knitting project is going fast. I've already separated the front and back section and now knitting the back.

Also on my needles (size 7), is the Leaf Yoke top that's from last year's Knit.1 magazine. As you can see, I'm using two colors for this top. Just wanted to knit something different. I've learned how to do short row wraps (shaping). Something new for me to learn.

I'm alternating my time between these two projects. I hope to have both completed by the end of our upcoming holiday weekend.

Happy Knitting!

Why Settle for One, When I Can Knit Another

2010-06-11T21:43:00.004-04:00

Yep, I did it again. Once I find a really good TNT pattern, I can't seem to stop thinking about different versions. After I finished my Blue Liesl, I was itching to cast on for another. This one is called Linen Liesl. I found this gorgeous Plymouth Fantasy Linen (linen, cotton, rayon) yarn in my stash. I purchased this yarn on sale last year with no idea of what I was going make.

Here I am, trying it on after sleeve separation. Gotta love top down knitting and the ability to try on the garment while it's still being knitted.

Since this yarn has no give, I ended up knitting a size 42 or a Large. I normally knit a size Small. I started out with a size Small and found that the front edges wouldn't meet (for a wide neckline). I frogged my first attempt and made a conscious decision to try size 42 and see what happens. I cast on and knitted the yoke with #10.5 needles and then switched to #10s one row before sleeve separation. I was worried that the body of the lace cardi would be too roomy for me that's why I went down a needle size.

As I'm coming down from my knitting high with Liesl, I'm now looking for another garment to knit. I've pulled my warm weather magazines and stacked them into a neat pile. I'm off to do some searching....

Back to Garment Knitting

2010-06-04T21:30:00.003-04:00

I needed a break from shawl knitting. I've put Panache on hold for a few days so I could crank this beautiful Liesl lace cardigan. I went yarn shopping over the holidays and came across this beautiful Stacy Charles Victoria Print yarn. After knitting a test sample, the knitted fabric had a loose slinky feel to it. I knew this would be a perfect match.

I knitted a size 34" and got gauge with a size 11 needle. I did a picot bind off on the sleeves and at the bottom of the cardi. The pattern comes with both charts and written instructions. This is definitely a TNT pattern for me.

I went searching in my stash for more yarn to make another version. I did find a lovely linen/silk/rayon blend yarn. I knitted a sample and got gauge. I'm ready to go again.

I missed knitting garments and I think this was the lovely break that I needed.

Panache Shawl...Making Progress

2010-05-27T20:52:00.004-04:00

I'm somewhere around row 97 of my Panache shawl. I think I have close to 370 stitches on my needles. It sure feels like it. Knitting the lace pattern across one single row is slow going, especially for a slow knitter like me. Still...it's a beautiful shawl and a joy to be knitting such a creation.

Notice how it drapes beautifully in the front?

Like how the side profile is looking.

I'm spending about 2 hours a day on this shawl. Knitting during my lunch break at work and then knitting at home in the evening. Nothing else is getting done (except maybe getting groceries and fixing a quick dinner). Fellow knitters...I think you know the feeling.

Happy Knitting!

Panache Shawl Started

2010-05-19T21:49:00.003-04:00

I've started another shawl called Panache. I'm knitting the lace stitches and watching a cool pattern evolve. I'm using LB Cotton-Ease in Berry. A happy color to go with a happy pattern. I'm loving it!

It looks like this will take awhile to knit. There is no chart involved, just line by line instructions. I'm hoping I can get this done in two weeks with a couple of hours of weekend knitting.

Be Still My Shawls

2010-05-14T18:06:00.005-04:00

I'm still in a shawl mood. I have a funny feeling that I will be knitting shawls well into June/July. I'm still working on my 400 yards of Cotton-Ease Heaven Shawl. I've decided to knit a 4-1/2 lace repeat pattern. I hope to get it done by the end of this month. I have to. That's my two-month mark/anniversary of working on this baby. Way too long.

So, here's what a 4 lace pattern repeat looks like. I think I left off on row #8. A few more rows, I can start the finishing the edge. I will more than likely nix the lace border pattern from the instructions. That's what I did for my first version. I had a problem lining up the border with my shawl (only because I added an extra lace pattern repeat).

As you can see, it's a beautiful lace pattern knitted in a solid color.

I took my mother to Needles in the Haymarket yarn shop and found another gorgeous shawl to work on. It's called Panache. I saw the finished product in purple and it was just gorgeous! Most of you know, when I say something is gorgeous...well, it just is. The ladies at the yarn shop told me this is an easy shawl to knit. I have to take their word. Can I use the word "gorgeous" again?

So, here I am doing some research on Ravelry for Panache. It looks very intricate, delicate, and feminine. The instructions do look easy. I've added it to the top of my queue. I have no idea what yarn I'll be using...it will most likely be worsted weight. A half circle version of this shawl should take roughly 700 yards of yarn. The 3/4 version would take roughly 900 yards.

I will leave you with a picture of Panache from Ulla's site. Isn't it gorgeous?

BTW...Ravelry has the free English version of this pattern.

Happy Knitting!

Just Some Pics....

2010-04-18T21:39:00.002-04:00

Enjoy!

Blocking My 330 Yards of Taiyo Heaven

2010-04-17T22:04:00.004-04:00

I finally got around to blocking my shawl. The yarn I used is Noro Taiyo (cotton/silk/wool blend). I added an extra lace repeat pattern. As the shawl is drying, it measures 57"x31". I'm using Knit Picks blocking wires and T-Pins. Great tools to have. I installed the wires on 3 sides of the shawl including the straight edge.

I love how the shawl ended with a black edge.

I'm looking forward to wearing this in the next day or two.

Taking a Break

2010-04-16T22:21:00.006-04:00

For the past few weeks, I've been spending a lot of time getting to know my new Nikon D5000 DSLR camera. I found a fantastic deal on a refurbished body. A deal I couldn't pass up. Instead of knitting, I've been re-learning how to take great pictures. Each camera and each model has different qualities. I've finally figured out how to use the 11-focus points on the new camera. My old favorite D40 had only 3-focus points I had to worry about. With this new camera, I'm learning more about aperture, ISO, AF-S, AF-C, etc. So far, I love the results I am getting. Here's the proof....

I did manage to block the heck out of my Colonnade shawl after the light blocking didn't work so well. I soaked it in J&J Baby Shampoo. Gave it a good rinse and rolled it in a towel several times to remove the excess moisture. I noticed the shawl softened quite a bit and has a beautiful drape. Here's a picture of the shawl, taken with my new camera.

I've received a lot of complements on this shawl. It has a light feel to it, but does keep me warm in my chilly office at work.

For the next few weeks, my knitting time will be sparse. More pictures will be taken. More time will be spent at work. I still have to block my Noro Taiyo shawl. I still have two more shawls that are WIPs.

I'll be back soon. Happy Knitting my fellow friends!

Colonnade...Lightly Blocking

2010-03-26T21:20:00.003-04:00

I ran into a roadblock with my 250 yards of Taiyo Heaven shawl. The body is finished, but the border is not matching if I follow the instructions. Of course, I've knitted a 3-1/2 pattern repeat versus the 2-1/2 pattern (instructions). So, I will play with this shawl over the weekend and report back a solution to this knitting madness.

If I can't knit, then I can block something. I've pinned my Colonnade Shawl to my blocking mat covered with towels. I sprayed a light mist of water over the shawl and I'm letting it dry into shape.

Hopefully, the rippled edges will even out when dry. I can't wait to wrap this shawl around me. I will be back to post a modeled picture.

Knitting Right Along

2010-03-21T21:47:00.005-04:00

That's what I've been doing for the last few weeks. The two shawls are taking a bit longer to knit. Of course, if I hadn't started the 2nd one...I would have finished the first one. What can I say?

Here's my 2nd version in Noro Taiyo yarn:

Here's the 1st version in Noro Silk Garden:

I prefer knitting with the Taiyo yarn since it's a cotton-silk-wool blend. Much softer on the hands. It looks like I will be finishing this version first. I'm avoiding the itch of starting up a third version in a solid color, plus two more. Looks like my plan to begin my Christmas knitting is off to a great start.

Knitting Bliss

2010-03-09T21:07:00.007-05:00

As you can see, I've had to limit my time on my computer in order to spend more time knitting. I've finished my Colonnade shawl. It's waiting to be blocked. In the meantime, I've started two more projects.

First up, is my 220 Yards of Heaven Shawlette. I'm using Noro Silk Garden and I have to mention...I love this yarn! The colors are stunning! It's a nice surprise to see something like this develop:

Next, I've started a sleeveless shell in plum color. I'm using one of my favorite yarns, Lion Brand Cotton-Ease. This is my second attempt. I made one last year when I was starting to knit garments. It came out okay. Now that I have a year's worth of knitting experience under my belt, this should knit up faster and look a bit more finished. I am knitting this version in the round (no side seams). This version has a moss stitch border at bottom edge of the shell.

Looks like I'm anticipating and preparing for warmer weather. I am! It's been in the 60s here and I definitely have Spring Fever!

Knitting a Shawl

2010-02-20T15:53:00.011-05:00

After taking a short break from knitting (like 4 days) and clearing my head of all the projects I wanted to knit, I've started on the Colonnade Shawl. I had visions of using the Classic Elite Waterlily yarn in rose and blue, but the blue yarn is on backorder. Which means that it may not arrive. I've checked my LYS and no one has this yarn in stock. What a shame. This yarn is a winner and I've read many reviews that it knits up beautifully and washes well.

I've found another yarn to use. It's Plymouth Royal Llama Silk. What a beautiful yarn. The colors are rich and it's soft in my hands. Thankfully, I have one of the colors in my stash...the wine/purple color that I will be using for the contrast color or the open lace pattern. Yesterday, I was visiting my LYS in Haymarket and came across a bright raspberry color which I'm using for the main color.

My gauge is slightly off and so my version of the shawl will be slightly smaller in width. This is fine as I'm a petite person and would prefer not to be lost in a huge shawl. This yarn is worsted weight and I can already tell that the shawl will drape nicely. I've read a few reviews of this yarn and I understand it blooms nicely after the first hand wash and actually gets softer. Nice!

As you can see, I couldn't wait to cast on:

The main Raspberry color used for knitting the base of the shawl

This wine/purple yarn was actually a shrug in the works last year. I ended up frogging the shrug and re-winding the yarn, thinking it could be used for something much nicer. I was right.

The contrast Wine/Purple color will be used for knitting the open lace pattern

Here's a link to the pattern: Colonnade Shawl

Here's some pictures of different ways to wear this shawl:

Colonnade by Stephen West for Knitty.com (photo by Jilian Chapman)

Colonnade by Stephen West for Knitty.com (photo by Jilian Chapman)

So far, this is becoming a quick knit. Of course, I many more rows (increases) to go and I haven't begun the lace pattern. I plan on knitting a few more rows in the main color and possible in the lace pattern. This will be a decision I will make on the fly.

More Snow and in a Knitting Accessory Mood

2010-02-08T18:28:00.007-05:00

What a weekend! We had a huge snow storm that dumped close to 2 feet of snow on us. Yes, it was very pretty to watch. Here's what it looked like early Saturday morning from our front door:

Here's what our front walkway looked like by Sunday:

We are expecting another 6-12 inches of snow starting tomorrow. I have to say I'm building up some arm and leg muscles with all the shoveling we've have accomplished so far.

The Knitting Front:

For some reason, the accessory bug has hit me. I've had in my Ravelry queue a really pretty shawl called Colonnade by Stephen West. It starts out with Stockinette stitch and ends with a beautiful simple lace pattern. I plan on using Elite Yarns Waterlily in two colors. I'm toying with the idea of using wedgwood blue and rose. I haven't decided which color will be used for St st and which color will be used for the lace pattern. It will depend on which color looks better near my face. I thought this would be a great seasonal transition accessory to wear from Winter into Spring. Yes, I'm already thinking about warmer weather. ;)

Snow and Knitting Thoughts...the Two Go Hand-in-Hand

2010-01-31T06:10:00.014-05:00

We've had several snow storms in the last two weeks. The last one earlier this week brought 4.5" to 5" of snow. Tomorrow and Saturday, we are expecting the BIG one. Predictions are around 18" to 24". I'll be knitting up a storm on Saturday.

I've been working on a red Noble Cowl. My second version, but this time using Rowan EF Merino DK yarn. This yarn is gorgeous and very soft. It's becoming one of my favorites. The red color is just beautiful. I need to make a mental note to knit more with red. It's a happy color and makes for happy knitting. Sorry, no pictures of the red cowl yet...

...but I can include a picture of my first version of my Noble Cowl in Heathered Purple:

This past weekend, I hand washed my My first Noble Cowl (Cascade Superwash). I used my Knit Picks blocking mats and dried the cowl flat. I also used the Knit Picks blocking pins.

My KP blocking mats have been a great investment. The mats remind me of interlocking puzzle pieces and I can arrange them to hold my blocking projects: from my small cowl to a large sweater/cardigan. So far, I haven't had the need to use all 9 mats at one time. You can see from the above picture, that I place a towel between my knitted project and the blocking mat. Then I use the blocking pins to pin the project into shape and let it air dry.

You can see a big difference when a hand-knitted project is blocked. Here's the project in progress. Notice how stiff and rippled the cowl looks:

After blocking, see how the lace patterns pops out and the cowl drapes nicely:

I've been thinking about my lonely CPH that's been sitting in my knitting bag since last November. I need to get in gear and finish it. I need to knit two sleeves (one is already on the needles). There will be two major design changes. First, will be the sleeves...to shorten them quite a bit. Second, will be to omit the hood and instead knit a deep ribbed collar around the neckline. It's probably a good thing that I put this project aside. It's given me time to think about the changes that need to be made.

Once I complete CPH, I need to start thinking about knitting for Spring. I've been going through my knitting mags and books looking for a fun project. I would love to tackle an easy fair isle or intarsia project. I think I'm ready for a multiple colored knitting project. I feel a challenge coming on.

I'm also thinking about Christmas projects. Already and again? As I continue to tackle my CPH and any new intensive knitting projects, I'll need some quick and easy projects to complete. I might as well use my time wisely and knits some gifts. My 30-day knitting marathon before Christmas is history. Been there, done that.

As you can see, I'm spending less time on my computer and more time with my knitting needles.

Happy Knitting!

Little Strawberry & Blueberry Baby Hats-Completed

2010-01-21T21:12:00.004-05:00

** Updated to include the Strawberry Hat **

The Little Strawberry & Blueberry Baby Hats:

Pattern: Leaf Top Baby Hat by Michele Sabatier
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in Violet and Cactus
Needles: US 7 & 8 (16” circs) and #8 DPNs
Amount: Less than 100 yards of yarn used
Mods: No changes were made

Comments/Conclusions: This is my first attempt at knitting with two colors. If you recall, this is one of my knitting goals for 2010. I spent several months looking for an easy two color knitting project. Lo and behold, I came across a great pattern and a cool baby gift to give to a friend. There are times when I try to over-analyze a technique. This was one of them. I decided to “just do it” and see what happens.

Here, you can see how I stranded the two colors. When color #1 required 7 stitches, I took color #2 and did simple twist (WS) with color #1 (after the 4th stitch) and continued with color #1. That way, the color #2 strand wouldn't be carried for more than 4 stitches. This helped shorten the long strands of yarn.

This is a versatile hat. You can actually roll the brim more to have the hat sit above the ears or roll the brim less to cover the ears. This has been the easiest and quickest knitting project. If I had the time to knit this in one sitting...it would take me at most 5 hours.

This baby hat is knit up in stockinette stitch, two color knitting at the start of the crown, K2tog for decreases or crown shaping, and then knitting an i-cord. It’s a fun knitting project that will keep your interest from start to finish. I highly recommend knitting this rewarding project.

I have one more hat to knit and then I’m off to search for another two- or even a three-color knitting project.

Some Completed Projects

2010-01-20T20:24:00.004-05:00

Quick post to show you what I've completed in the last few days.

First up, is the Blueberry Baby Hat:

My DH saw a really cute version on Ravelry and suggested I make one in red and call it StrawBerry Baby Hat. That version is now on my circs.

Next, is my No Swing Jacket:

I will be back to post a quick review.

Knitting with Two Colors

2010-01-19T19:52:00.002-05:00

One of my goals this year is to knit with more than one color yarn. I finally came across a perfect knitting project that required knitting with two colors and it's an easy one as well. I'm knitting a baby hat for a friend of mine. I found this on Ravelry, but here's the pattern for the Berry Baby hat by Michele Sabatier. A really adorable baby hat. I'm calling my version the "Blueberry Baby" hat. I'm using a violet/blue yarn for the base and a light yellow for the top.

This is turning out to be a quick knit, that I'll be making several to keep on hand for gifts. What a great way to practice knitting with two colors as well as using up the yarn from my stash.

I'll be back to post a picture of my new creation.

Happy Knitting!!!

Knitting Bliss

2010-01-16T21:05:00.003-05:00

I started the new year working a long and tiring work week. Working until 1am and then 12am for two nights in a row, is not my cup of tea. Losing sleep and then missing meals, makes me a very grumpy person. Then sleeping half the weekend away doesn't help. I have somewhat recovered during this past work week. I'm trying to keep my sanity while balancing a new job and keeping house. I made a commitment to myself, that I would somehow work in more knitting time. Time for me to have fun. I've started to bring a small knitting project into work with me. I am managing to get at least 30 minutes of knitting time during lunch. Like a kid getting a "happy meal", I'm getting my "happy knitting time".

So the small quick and easy knitting projects that you see me post here and on Ravelry will actually take me a bit longer to knit. That's because 30 minutes can equate to 6 rows of lace pattern or 15+ rows of stockinette stitches. Still...this is my knitting bliss.

Since I've started my new job last month, I've now become an evening knitter. I've managed to find 30 minutes of knitting time. Sometimes, I can knit while I'm cooking dinner. E.g. waiting for a pot of water to boil or waiting for dinner to bake in the oven. Yes, I'm a huge fan of casseroles. My evenings are devoted to the bigger knitting projects. Like this "no-swing jacket" I've been working on:

This is my second version and it fits beautifully. As you can see from the picture, I removed the "a-line" from the body. I've adjusted/tweaked this pattern as it had too much ease for a petite person like me. It's a quick knit with the bulky yarn and I really enjoy knitting from the top down. I hope to complete this jacket before this weekend is over.

I have several small projects in the works. One or two new ones that will need to be completed rather quickly. Thank goodness I have the yarns in my stash to use.

Happy Knitting!

January Knitting Progress

2010-01-10T11:54:00.007-05:00

I've been busy. I've been finding time, here and there to get some knitting done. I finally have a finished pic of my "Not So Swing Jacket". The pattern is from Plymouth Yarns. I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick yarn in Barley (tweed) and trimmed the jacket in Black. The brown and black 1-1/4 inch button came from my button purchase late last year at the Sewing Expo. I used a little over 4 skeins of yarn to complete this jacket.

There is a lot of ease in this jacket. I knitted this without the increases in the body. You can still see a slight "a-line" look in the side profile. I did 2 of the 3 required increases (per instructions) in the sleeves. I'm thinking of calling this "My House Jacket" and just wearing this around the house.

Currently on my 16 inch circular needles is my "Noble Cowl". I'm using Cascade Superwash 220 yarn in a heathered purple color. This yarn is a dream to knit with. No splitting. This is turning out to be a beautiful lace cowl. I love how the edging came out.

Also on my needles is another jacket titled..."No Swing Jacket". This version will be more fitted and longer. I'm using LB WE T&Q in charcoal color. This is a beautiful heathered dark gray color.

I hope you are getting in some knitting time.

HAPPY KNITTING!!

2009: A Look Back in Time - A Beginner's Adventure in Knitting

2009-12-30T19:52:00.007-05:00

I thought it would be a great time to look back on my knitting adventure. What I’ve learned, attempted, tackled, and accomplished. Yes, I was once classified as a beginning knitter earlier this year. As most of you know, I started knitting garments back in February of this year. I spent months before, contemplating what should be my first knitted garment. I needed to challenge myself and step away from scarves and wristlets I felt comfortable with. I looked through many magazines, books, and patterns on the Internet. I was looking for a “beginner” or “first project” patterns. Nothing appealed to me. I went on a personal field trip to a few local yarn shops (LYS) to see what I could find. That’s when the whole knitting euphoria started and my real love of yarn began.

I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time, when I was approached about a job at a yarn shop. I was quite taken back, but took it as a complement to be given such an offer. Little did I know that a few weeks later, I would be laid off from my full-time job of almost 10 years. I graciously accepted the LYS offer (thanks to Jill and her great judge of character) and I had no idea of where this new adventure would take me.

I’ve spent many hours knitting this past year and I have many finished projects to show. Sometimes I would start at 4 or 5 am in the morning and knit for two hours or so. That would be the quota for the day. If I didn’t get a chance to knit in the morning, I would get the chance in the afternoon for an hour or two. Since I worked at my LYS, I may or may not have had the chance to knit. My knitting time might be for an hour or two after I completed my yarn shop duties (e.g. assisting customers, fixing mistakes, straightening yarn displays, setting up POs, ringing up customers, etc).

I’m not a fast knitter since I knit the English way. You know...the swing method. :) I would definitely classify myself as a consistent knitter as I always get the appropriate gauge. I’m also consistent in the area of TNT (tried and true) patterns. If I really, really, really like a pattern and get wonderful end results, I would be knitting another version (or two or three or more). Yeah, I did go crazy over the Shrug This! pattern this year.

This will seem weird, but I’ve actually kept track of all my knitted projects for 2009. Thanks to Ravelry, I have a journal/diary of all my knitting adventures. From completed projects to projects that are sitting in limbo. I’ve also kept track of the yarn yardage and mileage on a spreadsheet. Amazing...close to 8 miles of yarn was knitted. As a number, it doesn’t seem like much, but if you laid out 8 miles of yarn and started to knit and walk...that’s a lot of yarn!

What have I accomplished in 2009?

- I learned to knit the pieces for a sweater and cardigan
- Seams - did a lot of seaming actually enjoyed the process
- Tackled lace patterns
- Tackled difficult patterns (e.g. Intermediate)
- Joining and Knitting in the round
- Consistent stitches that resulted in getting correct gauge majority of the time
- Sweaters, cardigans, socks, hats/berets, purses,
- Fixed many knitting problems (for myself and others)
- Taught classes
- Developed extensive yarn knowledge
- Met some wonderful knitters
- Enjoyed my knitting adventures
- Completed 19 garments and 14 accessories

So now, here I am...10 months later as an intermediate knitter. I have a lot to show for this year and quite a bit wiser in the knitting arena. I have no problems or fear with fixing other people’s knitting mistakes, even mine. I look at it as a challenge. I know so much more about yarns than I could ever imagine.

A month ago, I’ve had to leave my fun yarn shop job and pursue a full-time position. A new career. As much fun as I’ve had, it was time to move on. I have had a lot of wonderful knitting experiences under my belt. Still, I have much more to learn.

What will 2010 bring me? I’m not sure. I do not want to start a “to do list” of projects and be bound to it like I did in 2009. I need to do something different. I need to be a different knitter. I need to be an exploratory knitter. Here is my basic plan and what I would like to accomplish:

- More difficult knitting projects. In order for me to keep knitting and learning new techniques, I need to pursue more challenging projects.
- More quality projects. I need to choose my patterns/projects wisely. Since I now have a full-time job, my knitting time has been drastically reduced. My time must be spent on learning new techniques and future projects need to be wearable.
- To continue knitting daily. If I can squeeze in 30 minutes of knitting time, I’d be really happy.
- Learn to knit with two or more colored yarns.
- Take more field trips and visit many more yarn shops in my area and in my travels.
- Start knitting my Christmas gifts earlier. No more 30 days of marathon knitting.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I Should Be Knitting...

2009-12-30T12:03:00.003-05:00

Instead, I'm sitting in front of my Mac looking through the Interweave Knits CD collections from 2007, 2006, and 2005. I think I've hit a jackpot! I bought this collection back in November when Interweave was having a sale. I got a bargain. As most of you know, I started to knit in 2008 and I started collecting the Knits magazine this year. I have no back issues prior to this year. This is why the CD collection is a bargain to me.

I have way more patterns (garments to accessories) than I can handle at the moment and storage is a problem for me. Magazines are stacked in piles as well as books. I know, I need to get a bookcase dedicated to knitting. I won't even talk about my yarn stash storage problem. Right now, having the older Knits magazine archived on CD is the way to go.

I have the ability to read articles, peruse patterns and instructions and print them out. Not bad.

Looking forward to seeing the Interweave Knits 2008 on CD in the near future.

Still Here and Still Knitting

2009-12-29T21:10:00.008-05:00

This month has gone by quickly for me. First off, I need to mention that I started a new job this month. That's why I haven't been posting like a mad woman. I've been busy working full-time in the corporate world. Yes, I've been going through bouts of knitting withdrawals...big time! Yes, I do miss working at my LYS. I miss squeezing the yarns and I miss my knitting friends.

I still find some time to knit. Mostly in the evenings during the week and then a few hours on the weekends.

My knitted Christmas gifts (felted bowls, shopping bag, and cozy socks) were a big hit and a big surprise this year. I'm sure the recipients are expecting something hand made for 2010...no pressure! lol!!!

My poor CPH is on hold. I was in the process of knitting the first sleeve. I have to modify the sleeve instructions to accommodate my shorter arm length. I haven't had a block of time to devote to this project. I'm hoping to have a whole weekend in January to get back on track and finish this project.

In the meantime, I've casted on for my "Not So-Swing Jacket" using Lion Brand Thick & Quick yarn in Barley. Before I started my new job, I came across this Plymouth pattern at one of my LYS. Since I have very little time to knit, I knew this would be a quick knit with Bulky yarn and knitting from the top down. There is a lot of ease in this jacket. The size small has a finished bust of 42 inches. I decided not to do the increases in the body and will knit this jacket shorter than the 20 inches the instruction calls for. I also plan on using black LB T&Q yarn around the neckline, bottom of sleeves and bottom of the jacket.

Right now, the sleeves are on waste yarns and I'm working on the body. This tweedy yarn is beautiful and a nice surprise from Lion Brand. Here's what the jacket looks like so far:

I hope to finish this before the end of this week. A nice way to end 2009.

Lace Shopping Bag - Completed

2009-12-06T20:51:00.008-05:00

To continue with my latest knitting craze of knitting in the round, I decided to knit a shopping bag for a Christmas gift. I used the Lily Sugar 'n Cream yarn from my stash. I was planning on using the yarn to knit up a few wash cloths and decided the yarn would be well used for a bag. I love it when I'm right.

Name of Pattern:
Lace Shopping Bag

Designed by:
Cecily Glowik MacDonald for Creative Knitting, May 2009 and Fall 2009 (mags)

Pattern/Garment Description:
Hold the plastic and save a tree: take this to the market instead.

Size(s):
One Size

Yarns Used:
Lily Sugar ‘n Cream in pastel multicolor and naturale color. Used 2-1/2 balls of the multicolor. Used 3/4 ball of the naturale. In total, used about 400 yards of yarn.

Gauge:
18 sts /4 ins in lace pattern

Knitting Tools Used:
Circular needles: 16 inch size 5
Circular needles: 16 inch size 7 (decreases)
Circular needles: 24 inch size 7 (for body and start of decreases)
DPNs: size 7 (decreases and knitting the handle)
Stitch markers
Bent tip tapestry needle to weave in the ends and sew the strap to the top edge of the bag

Techniques I used:
Join and knit in the round
Ribbing (K1, P1)
YO
K2tog
SSK
SK2togP
Garter stitch in the round

Changes I Made to the Pattern:
No changes were made

What I Like About this Pattern:
Great looking lace pattern

What I Dislike About this Pattern:
It took awhile to knit and finish this bag

My Pattern Rating (Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Hard):
Easy

Conclusion/Additional Comments:
I knitted this bag as a gift for a family member.

The bag is knitted in the round from the top edge to the bottom. The strap length is about 25 inches long.

The bag ended up measuring 15 inches long (excluding the strap) and about 13 inches wide. It’s a bit stretchy because of the lace pattern, but the Sugar ‘n Cream yarn is quite sturdy.

This project seemed to go on and on. I carried this project with me and knitted whenever I had a spare moment. In total, I think I spent about 7-9 hours on this bag. The repeat lace pattern is a multiple of 9 stitches. Every now and then I had to tink a few stitches because I added an extra stitch or was missing one. There were 8 rows that made up one repeat pattern. A bit time consuming.

This is a great shopping bag with a lovely lace pattern. The bottom of the bag came out beautifully.

A Time of Reflection...Will You Join Me?

2009-12-04T16:45:00.010-05:00

I've been busy writing an upcoming post for this blog. I'm not sure what I'm going to call it, but it will be a reflection of my 2009 knitting adventure.

So, why don't you join me in writing one for yourself and post it on your own blog before the end of this month. Let us know what you've learned, the good and the bad, new experiences, old experiences and what you plan on doing for 2010. Come back and post a comment on my blog to let me know. I would enjoy reading about your knitting adventures. I'm sure others will too. :)

Happy Knitting!

Another Meret Beret Completed

2009-11-29T19:42:00.005-05:00

I've just completed another beret. I love this Dream in Color Classy yarn in Ruby River color. It's really a dream to knit with. No splitting and very springy yarn. I've come to realize that red is my color. The real color of the beret is in the last two pictures. I will be back to post live model shots of me wearing my berets.

In the meantime, I wanted to share with you what the beret looks like mounted on a 11" dinner plate. I placed two sheets of paper towels between the plate and the beret to give it some body.

I take my mister and spray water over the entire hat. I used my hands and fingers to rearrange the lace pattern

Sitting on top of a can of diced tomatoes. This way the beret can dry quickly and evenly.

Happy Knitting!

Meret Beret - Completed

2009-11-28T08:50:00.005-05:00

Another project completed. I've already CO for another beret. Love this pattern. I will be back to post pictures of me modeling my new beret (that will require some unusual photog skills).

Name of Pattern:
Meret Beret or Mystery Beret

Designed by:
Woolly Wormhead

Pattern/Garment Description:
This pattern was the “Mystery Beret for November 2008 (Ravelry). This pattern can be made more slouchy by knitting one or two extra lace repeats - one extra repeat will make a regular slouch beret, two extra repeats will make it really slouchy!

Size(s):
Sizes: S (18”), M (20”), and L (22”)
Finished sizes: S (16”), M (17.75”), and L (19.5”)

I knitted a size Large.

Yarns Used:
Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Denim Twist

I used slightly less than 1 skein of yarn.

Gauge:
18 sts/4 inches and 24 rows in Stockinette stitch

I was on gauge with #7 needles.

Knitting Tools Used:
Circular Needles: 16 inch in size 7 (CO and ribbing)
Circular Needles: 24 inch in size 7 (body of beret and start of decrease)
DPNs: size 7 (for decrease/knitting the crown)
Bent-tip tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Techniques I used:
M1
YO
S2KPO (slip one, knit two together, and pass over the slipped stitch)
SSK
K2tog
Ktbl

Changes I Made to the Pattern:
I added an extra lace pattern repeat to make the beret more slouchy. Total of 3 lace repeats were knitted.

What I Like About this Pattern:
It’s a quick and easy pattern. Enjoyed knitting the lace pattern of the body. The pattern came with different sizes and also had notes on making the beret more slouchy.

What I Dislike About this Pattern:
Nothing to dislike.

My Pattern Rating (Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Hard):
Easy

Conclusion/Additional Comments:
I really enjoyed knitting this beret. Next version will be knitted in a solid color, so 1) I can see what I’m knitting and 2) to see the lace pattern better.

I’ve blocked the beret using an 11 inch dinner dish. I pulled the beret over the dinner dish, rearranging the center of the hat with the center of the plate. I also made sure not to stretch out the brim of my hat and let it relax over the center of the plate. I sprayed water from my mister over the hat to get it damp (top and underside of the plate). I sat the plate over a small can of diced tomatoes and let it dry overnight. You could also use a soup can as a prop. ;)

Next Projects
I’ve already cast on another version in a Ruby River color. I plan on knitting a 4 lace repeat to give this beret a really slouchy, slouchy look. Of course, I hope I have enough yarn.

On the Knitting Front

2009-11-26T13:03:00.005-05:00

A quick post for today. I've finished my 2nd version of the Vintage Bubble Bag. I also completed my Meret Beret. Guess what??? I enjoy knitting slouchy hats!

I will post my review of the Beret in the next day or so. In the meantime, I've decided to knit another version. This time in a red rose color. I'm off to cast on....

For the folks in the US, have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Moving Right Along and On Schedule

2009-11-20T11:29:00.005-05:00

I'm on schedule with some of my knitting gifts and have actually finished my projects early. Now, I can sit and relax and continue knitting my CPH and another VBB (vintage bubble bag).

I have to show you a multi-colored bowl I knitted using Plymouth Galway for the main color (heathered blue) and Noro Kureyon (#40) for the contrast colors:

So this floppy looking bowl...

...became this beautifully felted bowl

I ended up using all of the yarn I started with: 4 skeins of Galway (2-brown & 2-blue) and 1-1/2 skeins of Kureyon. This is a wonderful example of using up every bit of wool yarn.

I also finished another pair of Cozy House Socks for a gift. I used a lighter worsted weight yarn in Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Denim Twist color. I wanted to use a machine washable yarn for this gift. This lighter yarn made the socks smaller or snug, which is the fit/size I was after. The recipient of this gift wears a shoe size smaller than mine. Here's the 8" length sock (I really like how this yarn color knitted up):

New Upcoming Project:

I've been checking out slouchy berets/hats on Ravelry. I plan on knitting my first slouchy hat sometime in December.

Vintage Bubble Bag - Completed

2009-11-19T19:33:00.009-05:00

I've already started knitting another Vintage Bubble Bag and thought I should get this review posted for the first version. So, here it is my Chianti Vintage Bubble Bag:

Name of Pattern:
Vintage Bubble Bag

Designed by:
Pursenalities - 20 Great Knitted and Felted Bags by Eva Wiechmann (book)

Pattern/Garment Description:
Taken from the book: This bubble bag reminds me of my mom's shopping bag - room and practical. This vintage look is very stylish right now, and although I used colors that are subtle, you can make yours wild and bold.

Size(s):
One Size

Yarns Used:
Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in Chianti (burgundy) (18 sts/4 inches, #8, 190 yds) - wool/mohair
Noro Silk Garden in 282 (beautiful colors) (18 sts/4 inches, #8, 110 yds) - silk/mohair/wool

I used less than 2 skeins of Lamb's Pride and 2 skeins of Silk Garden.

The bag is knitted with one of each yarn type (double stranded).

Gauge:
Not necessary to get gauge

Knitting Tools Used:
Circulars: 24 inch in size 10.5 (top & i-cord straps)
Circulars: 24 inch in size 15 (bubble bag)
DPNs: size 15 (3 needle BO)

Techniques I used:
Joined and knitted in the round
Garter stitch in the round (knit one row, purl one row…so on)
Stockinette stitch in the round (knit all the rows)
3 needle BO
5 stitch i-cord
Felting

Changes I Made to the Pattern:
The only change I made to the pattern was to lengthen the straps by 6 inches. This turned out to be the right call, as I can wear the handbag over the shoulders.

What I Like About this Pattern:
Quick & easy project. Ability to use different yarns and different colors. Straps could be lengthened.

What I Dislike About this Pattern:
Nothing to dislike

My Pattern Rating (Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Hard):
Easy

Conclusion/Additional Comments:

I never really had an interest in felting a hand knitted project. I suppose I haven’t seen a felted project that caught my interest, until this project came along.

I first saw this felted bag at my LYS. A customer had brought in some knitted bags to be felted and then pulled a pretty black/multi color one that she had already felted. It was amazing to see this bag, before and after felting. I knew right away that I wanted a knit bag of my own.

The hardest part was trying to figure out which yarns to use and then what color combinations to use. Possibilities are endless. For this bag, I used similar colored yarns. I bought the Lamb’s Pride Worsted in Chianti (wine color) and came home to see what Noro yarn’s I had in my stash. The Silk Garden #282 was a perfect match.

It took about 4-5 hours to knit this bag and about 35 minutes to felt.

Another TNT pattern for me.

Before Felting Pictures:

Felting Process:

My LYS has a felting/agitating machine. I placed my bag in the machine. Added hot tap water, enough to cover my bag. Added a dime size amount of All liquid detergent (white bottle) and turned the machine on for 15 minutes for the initial agitation. Afterwards, I would check the bag by feeling the stitches/fabric. I set the machine for 10 more minutes and checked it again. I could still see the stitch definitions in the bag and the bag had shrunk. I set the timer for another 10 minutes and the bag came out perfectly. A felted fabric and nice size. I then placed the bag back into the machine with the soapy water and added a few drops of fabric softener to the water. I set the machine on 2 minutes, enough time for the soap bubbles to disintegrate. The fabric softener also gave the bag a nice scent.

The water had turned a nice light wine color and the machine had lots of fuzz/lint. I suppose that’s from the Lamb’s Pride yarn. I drained the machine into a bucket and used a fine mesh colander to scoop out any fuzz and lint.

The Lamb’s Pride had felted into a nice thick wool fabric with no stitch definitions. I understand that the Noro Silk Garden takes longer to felt. You can see some stitch definitions from the colorful Noro yarn. I like this effect.

NOTE: I am fortunate to have a LYS that has a special felting/agitating machine to felt my bag. I am certainly spoiled in this area. For those of you who will use a washing machine, your felting process, felting time and results will be different than what I’ve mentioned in this review.

Felted Bowl - Completed

2009-11-11T09:20:00.005-05:00

Name of Pattern:
Felted Bowl

Designed by:
Leigh Radford for One Skein (book)

Pattern/Garment Description:
Taken from book: “I like colorful containers of every sort. Recently, I began making sturdy felted bowls and now have an assortment throughout my house. The bowls make colorful decorator accents and are ideal for organizing buttons, beads, yarn, keys, or other small objects that need a special place. I used a single color of yarn for each of the bowls...but imagine the fun you can have with stripes!”

Size(s):
Small (2.5”x17”) and Large (5.5”x18”) - height x circumference

I made the Large size bowl.

Yarns Used:
Plymouth Galway Highland Heather in 712-Brown: 210 yards/skein, 100% wool

I used two skeins and knitted with double stranded yarn

Gauge:
Not necessary

Knitting Tools Used:
Circular needles: 24 inch in size 13
DPNs: size 11
Bent tip tapestry needle (thread through the last few stitches and pull tightly)

Techniques I used:
Join and knit in the round
SSK
K2tog
Felting

Changes I Made to the Pattern:
No changes were made

What I Like About this Pattern:
Quick and easy knitting project

What I Dislike About this Pattern:
Nothing to dislike

My Pattern Rating (Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Hard):
Easy

Conclusion/Additional Comments:

I’ve been looking for man-ly type of gifts to knit for the upcoming Christmas holiday. Some of the men in my life live in a warm climate in the middle of winter. Wool scarves are frowned upon. So, I looked around and came across these functional felted bowls.

I’ve only had limited amount of knitting in the round skills and limited felting skills. I thought this would be a quick and easy knitting project, with a few challenges.

As I was knitting the bowl, it began to look more like knitting a hat (which I haven’t done one...yet). I ended up knitting 10 inches before starting the decreases for the base. I didn’t have #13 DPNs in my stash, so I ended up using my #11s for the decreases and finishing the base of the bowl. This unintentional change worked out fine.

I have to say this floppy looking bowl turned out to be a beautiful felted piece.

Felting Process:

My LYS has a felting/agitating machine. I placed my bowl in the machine. Added hot tap water, enough to cover my floppy bowl. I added a dime size amount of All liquid detergent (white bottle) and turned the machine on for 10 minutes for the initial agitation. Afterwards, I would check the bowl by feeling the stitches/fabric. The floppy bowl had shrunk considerable, but still felt floppy. I set the machine for 5 more minutes and checked it again. I could still see the stitch definitions in the bowl and it started to take the shape of a tall bowl. I set the timer for another 5 minutes and the bowl fabric was nice and thick. I could still see some ribbings of the stitches. I set the time for 3 minutes and let it agitate. I did another check and I could see I had a nice bowl. I then placed the bowl back into the machine with the soapy water and added a few drops of fabric softener to the water. I set the machine on 2 minutes, enough time for the soap bubbles to disintegrate. The fabric softener also made the bowl smell nice. This was a fascinating process to watch and experience.

The water had turned a nice light brown color and the machine had minimum amounts of fuzz/lint. I drained the machine into a bucket and used a fine mesh colander to scoop out any fuzz and lint.

The Galway had felted into a beautiful wool fabric.

NOTE: I am fortunate to have a LYS that has a special felting/agitating machine to felt my projects. I am certainly spoiled in this area. For those of you who will use a washing machine, your felting process, felting time and results will be different than what I’ve mentioned in this review.

Next Projects

I plan on knitting and felting several more bowls. For the next one, I plan on using blue yarn with a brightly colored Noro Kureyon yarn. I also plan on knitting the top rim/edge of the bowl in garter stitch and then the rest (base) in stockinette stitch.

A Chance to Felt...Knitting Projects and Other Things

2009-11-10T20:11:00.006-05:00

I had the opportunity to felt my own knitting projects. My Vintage Bubble Bag and the Brown Bowl are drying. So far the Bag is taking 2 days to dry. My fault, I forgot to swap out the damp towels inside the bag for dry ones (overnight). I used small hand towels and stuffed them inside the bag to help shape the bag. I found a "lint shaver" at my local fabric store on sale for 50% off. I used it to shave the long pieces of lint/fuzz off the bag. The fuzz was not as bad as another felted bag I saw a few weeks ago.

The felted bowl came out beautiful! I wasn't too sure about felting with Plymouth Galway yarn, but I'm extremely happy with the results. I can now start knitting more bowls for gifts.

In the end, my bag took about 35 minutes to felt and the bowl took 25 minutes. I will be back to post a review for each of these items and my thoughts about felting.

CPH Status:
I've managed to work on CPH for a few hours. I'm getting ready to shape the front right neckline, do the decreases, and hopefully bind off the shoulders sometime tomorrow. I hope to start one of the sleeves this week.

On the Sewing Front:
I've been going through my pattern stash, looking for a needle case to sew. I'm in dire need to store my DPNs. I don't care to wrap them in rubber bands or dump them in a zippered case. I found a Butterick pattern that looks promising. It's for straight needles, but with some modifications I'm sure it will work to store my DPNs. Unfortunately, I can't start this sewing project until I finish my Christmas gifts. I'm hoping, maybe, Thanksgiving weekend I'll get to sew it.

Oh, I made a comment about being at my local fabric store and catching their 50% off notions sale. I also found a beautiful home dec remnant to make a simple tote bag to carry my knitting projects. That was also 50% off. I enjoy finding fantastic bargains.

I have a lot of projects to tackle as well as a lot of blogging to do over the next few days and weeks. Stay tuned!

Getting in Gear...Christmas Gifts

2009-11-06T17:51:00.004-05:00

Christmas is right around the corner and I need to get myself into a fast knitting gear mode. Some of you have mentioned that I'm already a knitting machine. Thank you for the complement. :) Now I have to really crank it up a notch, if it's at all possible. My personal goal is to complete most of the gifts by the end of this month.

I've already casted on for a brown felted bowl. I'm using worsted weight yarn and knitting with two strands. I'm also knitting this project in the round, starting out with #13 - 24" circs and will start the decreases. I just realized I don't have #13 DPNs in my stash. I have #11s and #15s. I'm wondering if I should just use the #11s for the decreases and the bottom of the bowl. What do you think? The bowl will end up being felted. I'm not sure what it will look like going down a needle size. Anyways, do you realize how hard it is to find #13 DPNs???

I've started another cozy house socks. This time, I'm using a lighter worsted weight yarn to make the sock a bit more fitted. So far, it's working out nicely.

I have some other sewing projects in the works (tote bags, laundry bags, etc). I'm so glad I can knit and sew. With this combination, I should be able to get quite a bit done before the end of November.

Happy Knitting and Happy Sewing!

Another Project in the Works...Chianti

2009-11-04T20:45:00.007-05:00

A few days ago, I started another small project called the Vintage Bubble Bag. Here it is still a WIP:

I've used two strands of yarn and knitted the bag in the round. I have been knitting the i-cord handles and I'm almost finished with the second handle. The next step is to attach the handles to the bag. Then I can felt it. I can't wait to see the end results.

I'm calling my bag Chianti. Named for the main color of yarn I'm using. I will be back in a few days with the results of my felted bag. Stay tuned!

Cozy House Socks - Completed

2009-11-01T13:03:00.009-05:00

Wow! I'm really impressed with these socks. Can you believe I said that??? Still, I'm not a sock knitter. Don't get me wrong. There are just so many other things to knit and try out. Could I tackle another sock pattern? Sure! Now that I understand the structure of a hand knitted sock. ;)

I have to CO for another new small project that I'm anxious to start. Let me leave you with this post.

My first pair of socks! Wow...I could get used to taking these modeled pictures without wearing any makeup

Name of Pattern:
Cozy House Socks

Designed by:
Sue Dial for One Skein Wonders (book)

Pattern/Garment Description:
These cozy socks knit up fast and are an easy introduction to sock knitting. Pick a bulky worsted yarn and get busy. You can probably finish a pair this weekend.

I finished a pair within a weekend.

Size(s):
One size fits all

Yarns Used:
Bernat DenimStyle (70% Acrylic/30% Cotton) - 196 yards/skein - 18 sts/4 inches with #8 (label info)

This yarn has been in my stash for a few years. I used one skein and had a few yards left. What a wonderful way to use up this yarn.

Gauge:
18 sts/4 inches in St st with #7 needles

I had close gauge with #7s. I have to make a comment here. I've been noticing I don't get gauge with the yarns I purchase from Michael's (e.g. Lion Brand and Bernat and Patons). This is when I go by their yarn labels for the recommended needle size. I normally have to go down a needle size from what's suggested on the label.

On the other hand, when I do a swatch for the more expensive yarns from my LYS, I can actually get true gauge based on their yarn label recommendations (e.g. Debbie Bliss, Blue Sky Alpaca, Plymouth, Malabrigo, Berroco, Brown Sheep, Cascade, Noro, Sirdar, etc).

Interesting, huh?

Knitting Tools Used:
- Circular needles: 24 inch in size 7 for knitting the ribbing flat
- DPNs: size 7 for knitting the heel flap, shaping/turning the heel (short rows), heel gussets, foot, toe, and kitchener technique
- Bent tip tapestry needle (seaming ribbed cuff and weaving in ends)

Techniques I used:
- Knitting in the round with DPNs
- Short rows
- Picking up stitches around the heel
- Kitchener stitch for closing the toe area
- K2tog & SSK
- Seaming (the cuff)

Changes I Made to the Pattern:
No changes were made to the pattern. I recommend following the pattern verbatim.

What I Like About this Pattern:
It's a great pattern. Well written. Easy to knit sock pattern. My first pair!

This One Skein Wonder book is one of my favorites. When I got to the Kitchener stitch, the book referenced the glossary in the back to see how this stitch is worked.

What I Dislike About this Pattern:
Nothing to dislike

My Pattern Rating (Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Hard):
I rate this pattern as Easy/Intermediate. An Advanced Beginner with a lot of knitting experience could easily tackle this project.

Conclusion/Additional Comments:

I started out on circulars, knitting the ribbed cuff flat. Then I changed to 2 DPNs to knit the heel flap (flat & short rows). Once I started to pickup and knit the heel gussets, I added two more needles to the mix. Personally, I think this was a great way to introduce DPNs into this project and get a lot of practice. This knitting process is based on the pattern instructions. That's why I recommend you follow them and get the same wonderful results I received.

The ribbed cuff that needs to be sewn together

It took me awhile to get used to knitting with 4 DPNs. By the time I completed the first sock, I felt quite comfortable with the 4 needles. I plan on making a pair for hubby and of course, will have to make some pattern adjustments to accommodate his foot size.

This has become one of my TNT patterns for cozy socks to wear around the house. It was a quick and easy knit. My first sock took about 5 hours to knit. The second sock took about 3-1/2 hours to knit. Yes, I got into a knitting sock tempo.

One Completed, One More to Knit

2009-10-31T20:11:00.002-04:00

Okay, one more post about my socks with pics and I must get back to my knitting. I managed to finish one and I estimate it took me about 5 hours (an hour here and there) from casting on to seaming the back of the ribbed cuff. Now, the second one is going much faster. Here is one sock completed:

I had a chance to learn a new technique...the Kitchener stitch. I used this to finish off the toe end. It really makes a nice finish:

This cool project has given me lots of opportunities to learn new techniques. An invigorating project!

I should finish the second matching sock by tomorrow morning and have a review within the next day or two.

A Cozy Sock in the Makings

2009-10-30T20:53:00.004-04:00

I had some time this morning to cast on for one of my small projects from my "to do/to learn list". My first sock. I must have done two swatches to get gauge. Then I CO and just started knitting like crazy. Now, I've mentioned before that I'm not a sock person. I don't get the "I need to make one of these" feelings/urges when I see hand knitted socks. BUT, I have to say this one caught my eye.

So, I'm knitting up a pair for me. A trial pair, I call it. I have a funny feeling I will end up wearing these a lot and DH will end up with a pair as well.

I can now scratch off my list: teaching myself to knit in the round with DPNs and for knitting my first sock (still a work in progress).

Not bad, huh?

Finally...It Arrived

2009-10-29T17:57:00.004-04:00

The Free Gift:

When I got home from work today, I had a very nice surprise waiting for me. This is the gift yarn and two patterns from Rowan International. I did get a chance to give the yarn a quick squeeze and I must say...it's beautiful! This is my first Rowan yarn and I can't wait to knit with it.

Now, Rowan members on Ravelry have been waiting for their yarns to arrive. Rowan had run out of this pretty blue color a few months ago and provided supplemental colors a few weeks ago. Random colors. No one knew what color they were getting. I really didn't care what I got. It's free yarn. Okay, I really did care as beige makes me looked washed out. I'm happy with the selection and quite surprised I received the original color.

My Knitting Projects:

I'm shifting gears and will be working on some small knitting projects over the next few days and even weeks. Somewhere in between I will still work on CPH.

I think I'm burned out on knitting garments. Is that possible??? Yes. It's happening to me right now. That is the reason I have to start working on smaller projects. You know, change of pace.

At last count, I've knitted at least 18 garments this year. Whew! I need a break.

Knitting Around For the First Time

2009-10-23T18:32:00.009-04:00

I was feeling a bit under the weather this morning. I didn't feel like working on CPH nor did I feel like sewing. The sun decided to take a break today and hide behind the clouds. I decided to have some fun and learn something new about knitting. I have two new small knitting projects that I want to complete by the end of the year and they involve knitting in the round. I've been busy knitting garments that I've pushed these projects further down my list. Plus, I didn't know how to knit in the round.

So, I started with my DPNs. Gwen, a fellow sewist/blogger, gave me one of her techniques for joining in the round. It was a slow start, but I managed to figure out how to knit in the round with DPNs. I guess knitting a ribbing (K1,P1) wasn't a great pattern to start with. I should have started with just the knit stitch...it would have gone faster. Anyway, here's the result of my first attempt:

After patting myself on the back for this small feat, I came up with another brilliant idea: try the magic loop method. I have heard this was an easier way to knit in the round. I grabbed my instructions, my 47" #9 circulars and CO 40 stitches and away I went. Here's the results of this method:

Now, I feel like I can tackle any knitting project. Stay tuned to see what I'm up to.

Still Working on CPH

2009-10-22T17:28:00.005-04:00

I'm still cruising on CPH. I've finished the back a few days ago. I'm now working on the front left and very close to BO/decreasing the armhole.

I was chatting with my fellow knitting friend about not knitting the hoodie, but knitting a deep ribbed collar instead. She thought it would be a great idea..."would you really wear the hood?" Maybe not was my answer. So, I will be making a last minute knitting decision when I get there.

As I am knitting this CPH, my mind is filled with many knitting changes. Besides changing out the hoodie, I will need to match the ribbing depth of the collar with the front ribbing for the buttonholes/button loops. Yes, then there's the choice of knitting buttonholes or crocheting button loops. This all depends on how the CPH will fit once I do the all the seams and try it on. I love this process of knitting and making changes on the fly. It's an unknown, but I'm a fearless knitter.

BTW, don't be surprised if my CPH may soon be known as CPC (central park cardi). ;)

Creating Things

2009-10-17T18:07:00.004-04:00

I've been busy...creating things. I figured the left side of my brain gets a good workout on the computer that I needed to start working with the right side of my brain. So, I thought I would start with a simple basic scarf. With my limited knitting experience, I wrote down some instructions and created this:

Who knows what's next. The creative juices are flowing. Ideas are being formed. Sketches are being drawn. Now, this is fun!

Happy Knitting!

Starting Over...Size

2009-10-13T08:36:00.011-04:00

I started working on my CPH (central park hoodie) a few days ago. This is as far as I got with it:

Yesterday, I CO another version. I decided to go up a size to a Medium (40"). I normally knit a 36" and that depends on the garment type as well as the type of yarn I will be using. On Ravelry, I read that CPH runs small. I noticed other knitters who were close to my size, were knitting one size up, even two. I decided to follow suit.

Now, normally I don't follow the majority. I'm an independent thinker. God gave me a brain to use to make my own decisions and to be a creative individual. That's who I am. BUT, when previous experience of others have resulted in the same or similar answers, I don't mind following along to get similar results.

So, with CPH I will knit one size larger. I also plan on making some other adjustments on the fly. I can do that, because I'm an independent thinker and I know how to make adjustments to get a better results for me. I can do this because it will be my own hand knit garment. Remember, I'm the creative individual creating a unique garment.

I'm still in the learning process of knitting. Just like I am in the sewing world even though I've been sewing for 4 years now. I never stop learning. It's an on-going process for me in anyone of my many hobbies.

I'm still learning about size in knitting and can be fooled by the individual pattern makers/designers. Have you noticed, that each knitting pattern is different and you may not get the same size results you anticipated from one pattern to the next? But in the end, 90% of you out there are happy that it fits? BTW, I'm one of those in the 90% category. :)

I know if I knit a few patterns from the same designer (e.g. Hélène Rush), I will get consistent results in size. When I start knitting patterns from different designers, I will get different results.

Have you ever seen a cardigan with buttons pulling across and distorting the front of the garment? That's a no-no.

Personally, I don't care to knit something tight or close fitting. I don't strive for that. I want my hand knit garments to drape over my body. I want my garments to look good on me. I want to be able to breathe while wearing them.

I'm not disappointed that my first 12 inches of CPH will have to be frogged. I'm not disappointed that I lost a few hours of knitting. I'm not mad at myself for making a bad choice. I don't like to complain, but rather move on.

What did I get out this experience? I got a chance to practice and memorize the cable pattern. How do you like my gigantic swatch?

Alpine Cardi - Completed

2009-10-10T17:48:00.008-04:00

My Alpine Cardi in Alpaca With a Twist in Ochre

This time I'm on the ball. I managed to take some photos of me modeling Alpine. Here's my review:

Name of Pattern:
Alpine Cardigan

Free pattern at Berroco's site.

Designed by:
Berroco Design Team

Pattern/Garment Description:
Cute cropped cardigan with short sleeves and round neckline. Single button at the top. Chevron-like knitted pattern in the front left and right pieces. Ribbing at the bottom of the body and sleeves. Garter stitch and ribbing around the neckline as well as a decorative BO.

Close up of the chevron pattern

Close up of neckline detail

Size(s):
X-Small (32), Small (36), Medium (40), Large (44), 1X-Large (48), and 2X-Large (52)

I made my normal size Small.

Yarns Used:
Alpaca with a Twist Highlander in Ochre color. Used roughly 3.5 hanks (145/yard) of this lovely yarn. This is my favorite yarn. Love all the colors it comes in. This yarn has a very, very low itch factor. It's soooo soft. Delightful to knit with.

Gauge:
15 sts/4 inches in St st and #10 needles

I was right on gauge.

Knitting Tools Used:
Circular needles: 40 inch in size 10 for the main body (St st. and Chevron pattern)
Circular needles: 40 inch in size 9 for the ribbing (bottom and sleeves)
Circular needles: 40 inch in size 8 for the neckline
Stitch markers to mark the 15-stitch pattern
Bent tip tapestry needle (seams and weaving in ends)
Crochet hook J (5.00mm) for adding button loop in front
1-1/4" button

Techniques I used:
K2tog & SSK
P2tog
M1k
M1p
Mattress stitch for seams

Changes I Made to the Pattern:
For the sleeves I knitted an inch less than the pattern required. Wanted the sleeves to hit above my elbow.

For the neckline, I picked up 121 stitches versus the required 133 stitches. Personal preference.

What I Like About this Pattern:
The design and style is gorgeous. Believe it or not, it was a quick knit. Another pleasurable knitting experience.

What I Dislike About this Pattern:
Just as another Ravelry folk mentioned, the cardi can be a bit snug under the armholes. I found that to be true for me as well.

My Pattern Rating (Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Hard):
Intermediate

Conclusion/Additional Comments:
I would definitely knit this cardi again. For the next version, I would knit the armhole 1/2 inch longer and do the same for the sleeve cap area. That way I could wear a long sleeve t-shirt underneath. I would also knit the bottom ribbing with a size 8 needle (recommended in the pattern) versus the #9 I used to give the cardi more shaping.

I added the optional button loop closure. I crocheted a one inch chain to the right front for the loop and added a 1-1/4 inch button on the left side. I found the gorgeous button at a recent Sewing Expo I attended.

Overall, it's comfortable to wear. I notice I'm not tugging at it which is a good sign of fit and design.

This is my first Berroco pattern. Their instructions were easy to follow and I like the results. I would definitely try their other patterns.

Here I've shown two different ways of wearing this cardi. I think it looks great as a simple cardi over a camisole, tank top or short sleeve t-shirt.

Modeled with long sleeve t-shirt. Oooops...picked out the wrong one. Should have picked the one with a lower neckline. You get the idea

Just When I Thought...

2009-10-09T09:38:00.007-04:00

*** Updated with picture of Alpine ***

...I was done with prioritizing my Ravelry queue, I find another pattern. This time I was perusing around and came across SweaterBabe's Vine Lace Top-Down Cardigan. It is really cute. The design, the style, and the cute pockets...adorable! This pattern quickly worked it's way into my Top 5 queue. There is a lot of texture and design features incorporated into the front. It's doggone gorgeous!

Vine Lace Top-Down Cardigan by SweaterBabe for SweaterBabe.com

Simple styling from the back. Love the deep ribbing

I would love to knit this up right now, but I need to go stash diving and see if I have any bulky weight yarn and enough yardage. This would be beautiful in a burgundy or raspberry color. Definitely charcoal color. Even a bright blue color.

Alpine:

~~I just have less than an inch of work to do on the neckline and I should be done. Maybe an hour's worth of work.~~ Alpine is done. I just need to weave in some loose ends and decide which button to use.

Here's a close-up of the decorative neckline and BO:

CPHoodie:

I hope to start this cardi/hoodie this coming weekend. Unless something else interferes (like starting the Vine Lace cardi).

Happy Knitting!

Vogue Knitting Patterns on Sale

2009-10-06T19:08:00.009-04:00

I wanted to ~~enable~~ share a post for today. Vogue Knitting has their patterns on sale. All patterns (including Debbie Bliss Magazine, Knit.1, Knit Simple, and Twinkle) are on sale for $2.99 at the Vogue Knitting online store. Their pattern sale started today and runs for 3 days.

Who could resist a Nicky Epstein pattern? It's an older pattern (like 10 years old), but I could not pass up this elegant cardi. It's rated "Advanced" and by the looks of this pattern...it really is.

Holiday Cabled Cardigan by Nicky Epstein for Vogue Knitting

I came across this cute and simple everyday cardi. A simple V-neck with 3/4 sleeves I could see knitting up two of these: one dressy and one casual. This cardi uses worsted weight yarn and would be a nice easy knit.

Buttoned Cardi by Cheryl Murray for Knit Simple

I did a post about this pattern back in July. I'm glad I waited for this pattern to go on sale. I would love to tackle the fair isle, but I will wait. In the meantime, I'm still thinking of knitting this up in a two tone like a charcoal gray and black or a medium blue and teal. I think you get the picture.

Fair Isle Dolman by Jen Jarvis for Vogue Knitting

I've been looking for a jacket pattern and came across this interesting number. Besides the style, I really like the textured look.

Neutral Territory by Gayle Bunn for Vogue Knitting

Here's another pattern that's been on my radar and I'm glad I waited for it. A young lady at the LYS had knitted this up and I actually got a chance to try this on. It was one size too big, but I could tell the style and fit would be a winner on me. This pattern uses worsted weight yarn. I could see this knit up in a tweed.

Garter Yoke Cardi by Melissa LaBarne for Knit.1

So, there you have it. My bargains for this month and it's still early October.

Knitting When I Can

2009-10-06T08:49:00.004-04:00

The sewing bug has bit me. A small enough bite that I must take advantage of the moment and see where it leads me. For the next few days and weeks, I need to find a balance between sewing and knitting. I know some of you have already accomplished this. I know it's not easy.

I'm thankful that I spent some time focusing on my knitting to-do-list for the remainder of the year. That will help. I have moved my most of my beautiful yarns out of my sewing room...yarns that I know I will not get to until next year. It will be hard not to give them their deservedly squeeze every now and then, but I need my sewing space. Thank goodness for Ravelry's stash organizer...a great resource to remind me of what I have. Now, if I can just remember where I put them. ;)

BTW...I'm testing out an application I found at the online Apple store for my iPod. I can load pictures of my yarn stash and keep a "portable" list with me. I can also keep a list of all my needles. I can upload pictures of my future projects as well as completed projects. I'm still testing this application as I want to see how much info it can really hold and is it really worth the price and how often do I use it. If I really like, I'll be back to post the name. ;)

I'm done knitting all my Alpine pieces. I'm now working on knitting the front left and right bands. After that, I will start the seaming process. I hope to work on the neckline by Friday.

I've been swatching my CPHoodie using the City Tweed HW yarn with my #8 and #9 needles. I'm right on target with #8s. Knitting with #9s would give me a bit more ease...about 2 inches overall. This is important for me as I'm figuring out what I will be wearing under this hoodie. The City Tweed HW yarn is not as thick as I first thought. Don't let the "HW" for heavy weight fool you. I may end up going with the #9s in order to wear long sleeve Ts under my hoodie. Will I run out of yarn? Probably not. I already measured my sleeve length and compared it to the line drawings. I will need to shorten my sleeves by 6 inches. What??? Yes. I will double check my measurements before I start knitting. :)

Reverse Shaping for Alpine

2009-10-04T15:47:00.011-04:00

I thought I would take a few minutes and do a special post on reverse shaping. Rachel and I are currently working on Alpine. Yes, it's a coincidence. I've caught up with Rachel and have finished my right front piece. I thought this would be a great time to review what I've done.

I'm not a big fan of seeing "reverse the shaping of the left front to make the right front" in most instructions. When I do come across this type of instructions, I immediately write out the "shaping" instructions for the left front. When I get ready to the right front, I write out the instructions but reverse whatever I do for the left front. Confused? Not a problem. I've included a picture of my notes for both the left and right fronts of Alpine.

The left post-it note represents the shaping for the left front. The right post-it note represents the shaping I did for the right front. "R" stands for right side and "W" represents the wrong side

In summary:

- If I have done a BO on the left armhole right side (RS), I will need to do a BO on the right armhole on the wrong side (WS).

- If I have done a BO on the front left neckline WS, I will need to do a BO on the right neckline on the RS.

- If I have done a decrease on the left armhole with an SSK, I will need to do a decrease on the right armhole using K2tog.

- If I have done a decrease on the left neckline with a K2tog, I will need to do a decrease on the front right neckline with an SSK.

So, I end up writing out what I'm doing for the RS and WS until all my appropriate BOs and decreases are accounted for.

Here's a picture of my right and left fronts and the results of my reverse shaping:

The two fronts

Another view of both fronts

Here's a picture of the two buttons I'm contemplating for this cardi:

One dressy and one casual. Which button do I choose?

BTW...this Alpine Cardigan is knitting up fast! I'm now working on my sleeves.

I'm also resisting the urge to CO my CPHoodie. I must finish Alpine!

Happy Knitting!

Look What I Found....

2009-10-02T16:48:00.006-04:00

I'm back from Day 2 at the Sewing Expo. I found a whole bunch of lovely buttons. Most of them were 50% off. I purchased these buttons with a "vision" for future hand knit projects. So, they won't go to waste. Here's the results of my two day's of digging in the button pile:

When I got home this afternoon, this was waiting for me...my City Tweed HW in Jacquard. Notice, I have recently purchased buttons already picked out to go with this yarn. Isn't the yarn lovely?

Here's an update of my Alpine. Back is finished.

Now, I'm still knitting the front left. I wanted to show one of the new buttons that happens to match Alpine nicely. The other button that I'm contemplating is the single orange button in the top photo, second from the left corner.

My head is still spinning from all the wonderful sewing information I've received. I still have one more day at the Expo with one more class to attend.

Happy October!

2009-10-01T08:17:00.002-04:00

I'm knitting away on Alpine. Almost finished with the back piece and hoping to start the front left sometime today. The Alpaca With a Twist Highlander yarn is my favorite yarn. I'm enjoying the softness and the beautifully knitted fabric that's being created. At first, I wasn't too sure of this red yarn with an orange tint against my skin. No worries now. I love this yarn.

Today, I'm heading to the Sewing Expo for a pants fitting class. I will be drafting a pants pattern for myself and making necessary adjustments (e.g. getting rid of the smiles). I am looking forward to being around fellow sewists and hoping to find my sewing mojo at the same time.

I plan on doing a little shopping at the Expo. I need some unique buttons for my future hand knit garments.

I better get going and collect my yarn scraps, my knitting project, and my tickets to the show.

Happy Knitting!

What's Almost on My Needles

2009-09-28T20:52:00.009-04:00

I thought I would do another quick post today before the hectic week begins. I've been knitting some swatches from different yarns for another project called Alpine.

Alpine by Berroco

So far, this yarn is getting my attention and the swatch came out beautiful. I found this yarn in Barrington, IL over the summer. My DH picked out this color for me. Yes, he actually stepped into this cute yarn shop and took a seat and chatted with the owners.

Alpaca with a Twist - Highlander in Ochre

I've been playing around with my Ravelry queue and finally decided to stop moving my future projects up and down my priority list. I guess you could say I'm locked in with my list for the remainder of the year. Closing in behind Alpine is the Central Park Hoodie (CPH).

Central Park Hoodie by Heather Lodinsky for Interweave Knits

I did some stash diving (really deep) and couldn't come up with the 1200+ yards of yarn that I needed for this project. So, I took a trip over to KnitPicks.com and found this yarn:

Knit Picks City Tweed HW in Jacquard

Again, DH picked out this deep blue/green tweed color for me. For the life of me, I couldn't select one single color...because I loved them all. It appears that DH will be selecting future yarn colors for me. ;)

Looks like the CPH will keep me ~~engrossed~~ busy for the next few weeks. Of all the projects I've tackled so far, this will be the most challenging.

And yes, I'm in "tweed" mode.

Lil Black Sweater - Modeled

2009-09-28T14:02:00.004-04:00

Finally! Almost live pictures. I had some time this morning to do a photo shoot of myself. I will be posting additional pictures of my latest shrug and the cabled vests I made. In the meantime, here's a few shots of me wearing my new Lil Black Sweater. Enjoy!

Happy Knitting!

My Lil Black Sweater - Completed

2009-09-25T19:52:00.012-04:00

I'm back with a second post for today. Still feeling a bit sick, but that won't stop me from posting a review.

This is my favorite sweater. Funny. I seem to say that to each and every new knitting project I complete. Seriously, I had a blast knitting up this cute little sweater. I would have been done sooner than the 2 weeks it took me. You know how it is when I have to spread my knitting time across several projects, do some housework, get in some computer time, and go to work.

Here is my latest and cutest project:

My Little Black Sweater in Vintage by Sirdar Denim Chunky

Name of Pattern:
Little Blue Sweater

Designed by:
Simona Merchant-Dest for Interweave Knits

Published in Interweave Knits, Fall 2008. Available online as a single pattern purchase.

Pattern/Garment Description:
Short sleeved sweater with scooped neckline. Eyelet and cable pattern in the body and sleeves. Long ribbing pattern from hip to midriff area and short ribbing at bottom of sleeves. Ribbing around the neckline.

Size(s):
Finished bust circumference: 30, 34-1/2, 39, 43-1/2, 48, and 53 inches

I made a size 34-1/2 inches.

Yarns Used:
Sirdar Denim Chunky (discontinued) in Vintage color. It's a black and charcoal heathered yarn. Beautiful. I used 3.5 skeins of yarn. Each skein has 171 yards.

This yarn is a cotton, wool, and acrylic blend. Machine washable and lay flat to dry.

Gauge:
17 sts/4 inches

I was right on gauge in pattern.

Knitting Tools Used:
- Circular needles: 40 inch in size 10 (for the K2/P2 ribbing @bottom and sleeves)
- Circular needles: 40 inch in size 10-1/2 (for the eyelet and cable pattern)
- Circular needles: 40 inch in size 9 (for picking up the neckline)
- Circular needles: 16 inch in size 9 (for knitting the neckline)
- Cable needle
- Bent tip tapestry needle (seams and weave in ends)

Techniques I used:
- Used long tail cast on
- C4B, C4F
- YO
- SSK, K2tog
- p1tbl on WS
- Mattress stitch for the seams
- Knit the neckline in the round
- BO in pattern

Used mattress stitch for the seams

Changes I Made to the Pattern:
- I omitted a few rows while knitting the sleeves. I wanted my sleeves to end above my elbows.
- Instead of picking up and knitting 100 stitches around the neckline, I picked up 88 stitches.

Knitted fewer rows in the sleeve, but still ended up with the correct measurement within the sleeve cap area. BTW, this is the true yarn color

What I Like About this Pattern:
I love the shape and design of this sweater as well as the scoop neckline.

I enjoyed knitting this beautiful sweater. The eyelet and cable pattern made the knitting an enjoyable experience. Knitting with bulky yarn made this a fast knitting project.

The eyelet and cable pattern

What I Dislike About this Pattern:
Nothing to dislike at all

My Pattern Rating (Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Hard):
I rate this as Intermediate. There's a lot going on with this sweater.

Conclusion/Additional Comments:
What can I say? This was a fun knit. Love the pattern, love the yarn I used. Perfect match. That's what made this project an enjoyable knitting experience. This is what knitting is all about.

Too bad this yarn has been discontinued. This is one of my favorite yarns. I ended up buying some other colors (on sale) for future projects. This yarn is machine washable and lay flat to dry. I wouldn't put this through the dryer as the results are horrible.

Personally, the only problem area I encountered was knitting the front armholes and neckline at the same time. I made sure I had a block of knitting time (peace and quiet) in order to do the BOs and decreases. I did end up writing out parts of the instructions. I'm getting pretty good at "reading" my stitches and not relying on my "counter" or my "tick marks".

When I finished sewing the seams, I tried on the garment. I noticed that the neckline was wide and loose. I could barely keep the sweater on my shoulders. Gut instinct told me I needed to make some adjustments on the fly. I used my 40" size 9 needles and picked up 88 of the 100 required stitches. I did one row of K2/P2 in the round and then switched to my 16" size 9 needles. Yes, that's what I did. Even though, my 40 inch needle fit around the neckline, I wanted to be sure that the neckline would not stretch out or become wavy while knitting. It was a bit tight knitting and purling 88 stitches on 16 inch needles, but it worked.

Picking up less stitches around the neckline, guaranteed that I would have a neat and close fitting neckline

This pattern is a winner! I love the design of this garment, the neckline shape, and the eyelet and cable pattern. I plan on using this neckline for other future garments. It's not too low and not too high on my neck.

This is definitely a TNT pattern for me.

I really do need to put more padding in the back of SusieQ

A Sneak Peek...

2009-09-25T18:24:00.003-04:00

I've been under the weather for the last few days. Today, I ended up staying in bed. I popped in a DVD, The Devil Wears Prada, and knitted. I got a lot accomplished including drinking lots of water. I managed to finish my "Lil Black Sweater". Here's a sneak peek:

I'll be writing a review and posting lots of pictures later.

Note: the sweater is actually black/charcoal. I bounced my flash in order to show the details/highlights of this beautiful garment.

I'll be back....

Started Another Project

2009-09-17T21:15:00.005-04:00

I'm still working on my Little Black Sweater. I'm now knitting the front and working my way to the armholes and the neckline. This will be an interesting knit as I'll be decreasing the armholes and the neckline for the left and right sides. I'm hoping to finish the front piece sometime over the coming weekend.

I did CO a new project called Nimbus. I'm using a beautiful wool yarn in a burgundy red color.

Berroco Peruvia Quick in Granada

Nimbus is turning out to be a quick knit for me as I'm using chunky yarn and size 11 needles. I love the style of this cropped cardi. Very simple style. I think it will look just as good unbuttoned or slightly open. It's still warm in my neck of the woods, but I've been wanting to knit cardi/jacket to wear when the temperature starts to get colder. I didn't want to rush and make something at the last minute. I like planning ahead.

Nimbus by Berroco Design Team

The length of this cropped jacket is roughly 15-1/2 inches long for the "small" size I am making. I was thinking about lengthening the cardi, but may nix that idea as I didn't buy extra yarn.

If I get the perfect fit that I think I will get with this version, I do plan on making another in a longer length and use a yarn that is machine washable. Yes, when I knit two of the same garments, one is destined to be machine washable.

Happy Knitting!

Denim Cabled Vest - Completed

2009-09-13T10:14:00.004-04:00

I thought I would do a post before heading off to work. I am way behind in my knitting reviews and live model pictures. When I have a good hair day, I will be back to post those pictures.

In the meantime, here's my review on my Denim Cabled Vest:

Name of Pattern:
Cabled Vest from the Tahki Yarns Terra Collection, Spring/Summer 2008

Designed by:
Rosemary Drysdale

Pattern/Garment Description:
Cropped sleeveless lace vest with cabled fronts.

Size(s):
Small (38), Medium (42), Large (44-1/2), & XLarge (48-1/2)

I made a size Small.

Yarns Used:
Plymouth Yarn Fantasy Naturale in Denim Tweed color. This is 100% mercerized cotton yarn. I used less than 4 hanks of this yarn (140 yards each).

This yarn splits a bit. It's also a bit heavy.

Gauge:
18 sts = 4 inches in lace pattern stitch pattern

Knitting Tools Used:
- Circular needles: 40 inch in size 8
- Cable needle (size 8)
- Stitch markers to mark beginning of armholes
- Yarn/tapestry needle with bent tip
- 4 buttons - 5/8 inch (right now it's optional)

Techniques I used:
- Long tail cast on
- K2,P2 ribbing
- M1 - used M1R and M1L to knit the increases along the sides
- K2tog & SSK - to knit the decreases along the front edges
- CB4F and CB4B (cable stitch patterns)
- BO in pattern

Changes I Made to the Pattern:
Instead of knitting 8" before BO at the front placket, I knitted 9". Just like the previous version I made.

No buttonholes were knitted. Ooooops, I forgot to knit them.

What I Like About this Pattern:
A challenging knitting project. Still challenging the second time around.

What I Dislike About this Pattern:
Nothing to dislike

My Pattern Rating (Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Hard):
Intermediate. There's a lot of challenging moments, especially with the front pieces.

Conclusion/Additional Comments:
Another version of this fabulous cabled vest pattern. This denim tweed yarn is a beauty.

I did have some knitting issues on this second version. It was all operator errors. I really wanted to knit this 2nd version, but I had so many other projects on the needles vying for my time and many distractions that I wasn't as focused as I should have been.

I forgot to knit the buttonholes on the front right. For now, I'm leaving the vest plain and wearing it open. I have receive many helpful suggestions from fellow knitters that I'm thankful for. I'm sure one of the suggestions will be used.

When I was seaming/attaching the front pieces at the shoulders, I had reversed the left and the right. I didn't realize it until I had finished the seams and looked at the garment. My front plackets were now at the sides and my armholes were in the middle of the vest. *Sigh*

I had done an excellent job of weaving in the ends, that I could not find the ends. I ended up pulling/stretching the shoulder seam (RS) and clipped the sewing yarn in the middle of the shoulder. For beginner knitters, I don't recommend doing this as you may end up cutting the wrong yarn. It took me awhile to undo the seams, but as you can see I was able to fix my major problem.

All these major and minor errors happened in the late morning hours when I was tired. That could mean only one thing. Do most of my knitting from 5am-9am.

I'm glad I'm done with this project and I have a vest to wear into the upcoming Fall months. It's one of my transitional garments. It's also machine washable. ;)

Rowan International Information for Inquiring Minds...

2009-09-11T10:51:00.007-04:00

I'm back with a post about Rowan International. Rachel and Amy had a few questions that I thought it deserves a special post. Here are their questions:

Question: How many patterns are there in the Rowan publication?

Answer: It appears there are on average 30+ patterns per magazine. There are a few men's patterns, some children's patterns, and a lot of women's patterns. The designers includes: Kaffe Fassett, Martin Storey, Erika Knight, Amanda Crawford, Sarah Dallas, and others.

Here are two issues that I have:
- Issue #45 (Spring/Summer): 37 garment patterns (4 men's and the rest women's) and 10 accessories patterns
- Issue #46 (Autumn/Winter): 40 garment patterns (7 men's and the rest women's) and 8 kid's & teen's patterns

To see all the fashion that is included in each magazine, you can go to Rowan's site and click on the magazine. Be patient as the photos load.

Question: How did you subscribe to the Rowan mags?

Answer: I understand there are two ways to subscribe. One via the Rowan site and the other via phone. I've heard there were problems fulfilling the subscription request via the Internet. I went ahead and contacted Jessica (US) and she was able to take my subscription order over the phone.

Here's the information:
Jessica Lacasse
1-800-445-9276 x2511

Jessica is a super sweet person and answered all my questions. She must have the patience of a Saint. I can imagine all the customer calls and emails that she must endure when the free yarn isn't available to ship. So, if her phone rings and rings and goes into voicemail, leave her a detailed message (e.g. interest in subscription). Jessica will call you back.

Give Jessica a big Hello from me. :)

My Rowan #46 Arrived and Knitting Thoughts

2009-09-10T07:46:00.006-04:00

Yesterday, I received my welcome package to Rowan International. In the package was the beautiful #46 pattern book, their Autumn/Winter newsletter booklet (in color), a Rowan pin, welcome letter, another letter explaining the delay in their free yarn shipment, and a book sale notice. This annual subscription is definitely worth the price versus buying their pattern books separately.

I also received a package of brown/beige marled yarn in the mail from Jimmy Beans Wool. This yarn is destined to become a garment for my hubby.

Now that I have finished the 3 out of 5 WIPs, I want to start my Little Blue Sweater. I love the neckline and overall design. I love the final garments I've seen on Ravelry.

Little Blue Sweater by Simona Merchant-Dest for Interweave Knits

I have two wool yarns in mind (in my stash) and will need to knit a few swatches in the eyelet and cable patterns to see which one looks and feels like a great match. Most of the time, I can tell when the yarn and pattern will be a perfect match before I knit a swatch. This will be a bit different as I'm in between the size 34-1/2 and 39 inches in the bust measurement. Plus I will be knitting an eyelet and cable pattern throughout the sweater (front/back) which looks likes it will produce some amount of stretch with the eyelet and not much with the cable. I could go up a needle size and make the size 34-1/2 or go down a needle size for the size 39. I will make the call after I see what my swatches look like. ;)

Happy Knitting!

A Quick Picture Day

2009-09-09T10:09:00.004-04:00

Happy Wednesday!

A quick picture post. I've finished my last shrug. A review will follow as I made a minor change to this garment.

Here I am knitting the neckband on my vest. Still have two rows to go and then BO. Notice the empty front plackets?

I plan on wearing these two garments...A LOT. Both are machine washable. You can't beat that.