Working on Lace Vest from Vogue Knitting Mag

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:  

A Work in Progress

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

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

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!

Why Settle for One, When I Can Knit Another

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

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.

Lace Shopping Bag - Completed

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.

My Fascination for Knitting Lace Patterns in My Garments

I've been going through my patterns and noticed I have accumulated several lace pattern garments. It is the season to incorporate lace patterns into one's knitting projects. I didn't know the real reason, until I finished my lace cardigans and started to wear them. I've been wearing both versions of Hey Teach over the last several days. From hot & humid to breezy days. They were very comfortable to wear.

I love the open lace stitches as it allows air to circulate within the garment. That's important for me as I tend to get overheated when the air temperature goes up and humidity sets in. Using cotton or cotton-blended (natural) yarns also helps to keep me cool. I wore my Denim version (cotton/silk/rayon) on the hottest day and I still managed to keep my cool.

For me, the pattern has to have some functionality as well as style. As I head into the hottest months of July and August, I'll be knitting a lot of lace-type garments to keep me cool.

Happy Knitting!

Where Did My Lifeline Idea Come From?

Recently, you've heard me mention about using a lifeline during my lace knitting. It's in my previous frogging post and here. At the time I was writing the posts, I couldn't remember where I read about this wonderful technique. That's my problem when I absorb a lot of knitting information from magazines and books.

I was looking for another "lace" project and picked up my Fons & Porter mag to skim through the pictures. That's when I had my "Aha!" moment. The latest issue has a fantastic article on learning to knit lace and some fantastic tips. That's where my lifeline idea came from.

Fons & Porter's-Love of Knitting: Summer 2009 magazine

I typically associate Fons & Porter with quilting and their quilting notions. I was ready to dismiss this magazine at the bookstore, but decided to take a peak at their lace projects. That's where I found the Petal Tam (hat) and Lacy Green Scarf patterns that's on my to do list. I figured for the two patterns, it was worth getting this magazine. I'm glad I did as the knitting lace tips were an added bonus.

Some of the garments and accessories in this magazine, cover different age groups and interests.

If you see this mag, just open it up and take a peek. If anything, take a look at the knitting lace article.

Another Knitting Update

I'm now knitting the lace pattern on my cardi. I've completed two pattern row repeats and now getting ready to work on the armhole areas. This will require some quiet time and solitude as I have to do some BOs and decreases on a few rows and be able to knit and maintain the lace pattern. Sounds like the appropriate time to put in a lifeline incase I make a mistake and need to frog back to a starting point. So, I'm copying the lace pattern chart and writing notes to myself. We'll see what happens.

The only minor issue I'm having is with the yarn. This Debbie Bliss yarn is a bit splitty. Still, it's a joy to knit with as it has a lovely silk/rayon/cotton mix. The color is just gorgeous.

Here are a few pictures of my progress:

Backside piece attached to SusieQ

I am thoroughly enjoying my knitting time with this cardigan. So far, it has been a pleasurable knitting experience.

Close up of lace pattern


I attempted to work on my lace scarf. I found another issue. Apparently, I lost one or two stitches in each of the repeat pattern. I'm at the point of frogging this project. Or I could "tink" back to the problem area...probably two rows worth of knitting. I've lost interest in the yarn color, too many errors in this project, and well, it's not as exciting as knitting the Hey Teach cardi. What am I to do?

Vogue lace scarf. Tink or frog?

Knitting Updates

I have to say that knitting a simple lace pattern actually requires some quiet time. Focus time. A block of solitude time. I tried to knit this while watching TV, while at work, or while rushing to knit a section...only to have made mistakes. I decided not to frog any of the mistakes and just keep knitting. This will be my original piece of knit work. Lessons learned and a reminder of what not to do on my next lace scarf project.

Moving right along with the lace

One thing that helped me to knit the repeat pattern is to place stitch markers between the repeats and also at the side. Of course I got distracted and I missed some garter stitches on one side.

Using my stitch markers with this lace project


I'm still working on my weekend cardi. I'm in the body area where it's pretty much straight forward stockinette stitch. I only need to knit about 1-1/2 inches and then do the ribbing. Then I can move onto the sleeves and rib the front and neckline.

Progress being made

Back side view

I frogged my Plymouth Yarn Royal Llama Silk Shrug. It's been sitting on my needles for 2 months with no progress at all. I was halfway through knitting it and lost interest back in March. You know, it's one of those garments that just doesn't do anything for me. Since the Royal Llama Silk yarn is worsted weight, I know I won't have any problems finding a cute top to knit instead.

Plymouth Royal Llama Silk Shrug...frogged and gone


I found this fabulous yarn at my LYS. It reminds me of the beautiful Caribbean.

Lorna's Lace yarn in Georgetown color

Trying Something New

I mentioned a few posts back, that Sabine started working on her lace scarf and is making progress. I saw the pattern in the lastest Vogue Knitting magazine (Spring/Summer 09). It's project #30, appropriately called Lace Scarf. The pattern and chart looked simple to follow. I thought that would be a wonderful first lace project for me.

Since I was the first one up this morning (and I can't run my sewing machine), I thought I would get started. Here's the results:

The beginnings of my lace scarf

The yarn I'm using is Premier Yarns-Coral in beige. I'm using a #4 needle. I'm using this non-lace yarn so I can see the stitches and learn how to read the chart and knit. So far, so good. I'm finding that this lace project is knitting fast.

(Note: I've added some pictures of my DIY swift and ball winder to my previous post)