theraineysisters knitting and so much more

December 30, 2006

From Susan – The Blue Blob

Filed under: Current Projects,Oregon Cardigan,Updates — lv2knit @ 1:43 pm

I have been knitting my way into the New Year!  I hope all of you had a fabulous holiday.  Mine is still in progress as we are having my side of the family over on Wednesday — including Sally et. al.  It should be very fun.

I started the Lace Mobius and have made a bit of progress:

image

As you can see, the long circular knitting needle winds its way in a coil.  One full row adds length to both sides — it grows outward from the center.  The lace stitch is tres simple.  Even though there are 8 rows in the pattern repeat, you only do 2 different lace rows, which can be easily memorized.  However, I do not consider it mindless because I really have to look closely as I knit to see the sts.

Because the Moebius is not mindless, I took Oregon to knitting group on Thursday evening.  I know fair isle does not seem like a “mindless” choice, but it was the best I could muster, given the status of my currents WIPs.  It is a dismal state of affairs.  But, here is a picture of Oregon:

image

I am about an inch from the underarm shaping/steek.  Oregon has a shaped armhole, which AS did on a small number of sweaters and all (?) of her fair isle vests.  I am interested in seeing what difference it makes to the fit.  Even though the armhole is shaped, the sleeve is still worked without a cap.  This of course means that I will have to knit even more sleeve than normal to account for the length that is lost to the armhole shaping.  I’ve been knitting on it the last couple of nights and a little progress has been made — I have such a long way to go!!

Thank you for all the comments about the Santa stockings and my Santa mantel :).  I love your support and encouragement.

September 4, 2006

From Susan — Slowly I Knit, Inch by Inch

Filed under: Oregon Cardigan — lv2knit @ 1:44 am

Here is another progress picture of Oregon.  I feel like I got to an important milestone: I am done with a full Chart B repeat. 

Oregon9-3-06.jpg

I am pretty close to gauge — I have about 5″ to the armhole steek. 

So I will knit on…the other big item on the agenda this week is to get ready for my trip to DC.  And get the kids to their first day of school.  And remember to pick up my stuff at the fair. 

August 16, 2006

From Susan — Awaiting Inspiration

Filed under: Back Story,Oregon Cardigan — surly @ 5:19 pm

Again, I settle into the knitting doldrums with nothing to inspire me.  I am slogging away on Oregon, but it progresses so slowly that it does not do much for my knitting mojo.  I have toyed with a couple of new projects, but none of them are quite working out.  I have some designs to work on but that takes too much brain power, and what I really want is something a bit mindless to take along with me.  I can’t design “on-the-go.”   So that is why I have had very little to post lately.  I just don’t have much goin’ on.

Here is a current picture of Oregon — looks strikingly familiar, right?

Oregon8-16-06.jpg

You can see there is a little bit of progress.  It was interesting the other night, though.  I was working on Oregon at a soccer game in the outdoor/natural light, and the colors were spectacular — incredibly bright and vivid.  It was surprising to see the difference.  The yarn really is gorgeous.

Knit Out Update — October 8 at Brookdale

I attended the Minnesota Knitters Guild meeting last night.  Knit Out 2006 is going forward as planned and should be a lot of fun.  Hope everyone within a 50-mile radius will be there!

August 8, 2006

From Susan — A Tree, A Tree!!

Filed under: Oregon Cardigan — lv2knit @ 8:34 pm

I have knitted up to the tree line on Oregon — woo hoo!  I was not lying when I said this was going to be a long haul.  Part of the problem is the non-portable nature of the project.  And as yet I have not found my portable project.  I am bereft and have nothing to take to work with me, or in the car (when eldest daughter is driving).  So, I plug along when I have time at home.

But here is Oregon:

Oregon.jpg

Watching grass grow…….yawn!

July 31, 2006

From Susan — Response to Comment

Filed under: Oregon Cardigan,Updates — lv2knit @ 10:48 am

Wendy, thanks for your question about the ribbing.  It is called corrugated ribbing: 2×2, using one color for the knit sts and another for the purl. The colors change along the way.  AS rarely changes both colors on the same round in order to soften the color changes.  It is terribly slow to do.

July 30, 2006

From Susan — I’m on the Slow Train to Oregon

Filed under: Oregon Cardigan,Updates — lv2knit @ 11:52 am

This looks like the other picture, n’est-ce pas?  You’re wrong!  The trees are starting to emerge!  I’ll keep doing this for 20 more inches with a stop along the way to add armhole steeks and do the neck shaping.

Oregon7-30-06001.jpg

The fabric is very thick, but lightweight.  You can see the nubbiness and multi-colored nature of the yarn.

 

July 26, 2006

From Susan — Mini Update

Filed under: Oregon Cardigan — lv2knit @ 9:34 am

I have been knitting like a fiend because I wanted to get done with the bottom border of the sweater.  I have six inches complete in four grueling days — I am on vacation this week so work has not interfered with my real job!  The pace will slow down now. 

Here is a progress picture:

OregonProgress1.jpg

This sweater will never look as good as Henry the VIII because the gauge is not quite as fine, but I love the rich colors.  The little white things you see in the picture are my expensive stitch markers (cut up drinking straws), marking off each pattern repeat.

July 25, 2006

From Susan — Fair Isle Facts and Fiction

Filed under: Back Story,Oregon Cardigan — lv2knit @ 11:50 am

Knitters are intimidated by fair isle because of its perceived complexity.  Yes, these are challenging projects, don’t get me wrong.  However, they look harder than they are.  The time consuming part of the process is the gauge: usually 30 sts and 36 rows to 4″.   AS’s new yarns knit up to a larger gauge: 28 sts and 32 rows per 4″ — still not what I would call bulky!!  For my size sweater, I am knitting 347 sts every round and each round takes forever!

Facts and fiction:

  1. Oregon uses 17 colors and looks extremely complicated, but in true fair isle, you never knit with more than two colors in any given row.  In Bohus and Norwegian knitting, there are times you knit with up to 4 colors at once.
  2. People are scared off/confused by steeks.  Steeks ( a word that roughly means “gate”) is used to bridge a gap, such as a center front in a cardigan or a sleeve opening, so you can knit in the round while doing color work.  The benefit is that you always knit to create stockinette stitch.  Also, the design pattern is always facing you — you are not trying to figure out where you are in the pattern from the wrong side where the stranding occurs.The steek itself consists of 10 sts of stockinette stitch.  It is just a ~one inch wide strip of knitting strategically placed for cutting after the “tube” is done.  Shaping is done on either side of the steek and magically appears once cut.  As I get to the v-neck shaping on Oregon, you’ll see what I mean.  You carefully cut the steek up the middle (leaving 5 sts on each side) and then finish the cut edges. 
  3. If done correctly, the yarns will not get all twisted together (as in intarsia).  As you knit, you carry one color above and one below.  The yarns run parallel and do not cross each other.  There is no need to twist the yarns together — in fact, DO NOT twist them unless absolutely necessary.  I only twist the yarns for carries across 8 or more sts. I have seen sweaters where the knitter twisted all through the sweater and it looked terrible — the sts get very distorted and the color that is being carried shows through. 

To keep track of the colors, I made a color card with the name and symbol of each color next to a small length of yarn.  Some colors are very similar and difficult to keep straight.  To keep track of where you are in the pattern, use sticky notes — place the sticky edge along the TOP line of the row you are on.  Another thing people use is a magnetic board.  Either way, you need to have a visual line to follow to keep track of your work.

There you have it: Fair Isle 101.  Once you’ve done one of these, it all makes sense!

Wendy asked to see the inside of the color work.  I thought I’d share a picture from an already finished sweater because this design really shows the reverse image of the stranding.  Here is the outside (public) view:

Henriettabackouter.jpg

And the inside:

Henriettabackinner.jpg

This design is Henry the VIII from Tudor Roses.  Now I must knit!

July 24, 2006

From Susan — “The Next Big Thing” is Started

Filed under: Oregon Cardigan — lv2knit @ 3:53 pm

I am a huge, long-time fan of Alice Starmore — probably more like a groupie — and have made several of her sweaters.  She represents the pinnacle of design.  Her patterns are unusually detailed and typically flawless.  Embarking on one of her fair isles is a long journey for me, and a labor of love.  With every stitch, you marvel at the use of color: both in every strand of yarn and the way the colors come together to create the final tableau.  I have had the yarn for this project aging like a fine wine for a few years now.  I am ready for the quest to begin.

oregoncardigan.jpg

I have a particular affinity for this design.  Years ago, I signed up for a two-day workshop on “color” and knitting ganseys.  The yarn shop owner told me I just had to take this class, “The teacher is great,” she said, and I signed up even though I had never heard of Alice at that point.  AS was travelling around the country with her yarn and patterns in tow, teaching workshops to the uninitiated.  The first day, she was wearing the Oregon Cardigan in the original (spring) colorway.  As I sat listening in rapt attention to her every word, I stared at that sweater.  I thought it was incredible and wondered where on earth she got it.  A crazy realization slowly crept over me (like I said, I was truly uninitiated!) — she had knitted it herself.  Not only that, but designed it as well.  I had never seen anything like it and could not imagine knitting anything of that complexity.  Fair isle knitting, with its colorwork and steeks, became the grail.

A few years later, Sally and I went on the knitting tour I mentioned in an earlier post.  AS was one of the instructors.  She taught a half day session on fair isle knitting.  Other than Sally and me, no one in the class had heard of her, like me years before.  To show us how to cut steeks, she cut the sweater shown above — that exact sweater.  So, it became a personal goal for me to knit Oregon.  I love both colorways, but the Autumn really spoke to me.  We also dined with AS the evening before the class.  WOW!  That remains my best knitting moment of all time.

So, I have started Oregon.  I will post a picture soon.  It is a slow go for me and will progress at glacial speed.  This will be my my fourth fair isle.  Once hooked, it is hard to resist the siren call! 

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