theraineysisters knitting and so much more

March 15, 2012

From Sally — (Almost) Instant Gratification

Filed under: Taiga — surly @ 4:31 pm

It was an unusually warm winter in our nation’s capital, and it is looking to be an unusually early spring as well. A few adventurous blossoms have appeared on my Yoshino cherry trees. My daffodils are in full bloom. My peonies are coming up. The camellia that fills one of my yarn room windows is in full flower.

Camellia blossoms

So what in the world was I thinking last week when I started a project using bulky (yes, bulky — I never knit in that gauge) wool/mohair/angora? I mean really. What was I thinking? In my defense, my sister made me do it.

The pattern is a cute, short sleeved cardigan designed by Svetlana Volkova called Taiga. I thought it would be perfect for chilly spring nights. If there were going to be any. Which ain’t happening. So I may not wear this until fall. The yarn I am using is Blackstone Tweed Chunky (65% wool, 25% mohair, 10% angora). It’s heavy. Very heavy. I am so unused to knitting with large size needles; they felt like tree trunks. (U.S. 10)

It’s not quite finished. I need to knit the sleeves, finish the bands, sew down the pocket linings, and add the toggle closures. It desperately needs to be blocked, both for fit and to even out the stitches. Despite everything, I think it’s cute. And if we get a sudden cold snap that sends my flowers into sudden hibernation, I’ll be prepared.


From Susan — I, too, have this on the needles! But we know my knitting time is limited. I also rue my color choice. I am almost done with the colorwork and it is woefully lacking in contrast. I THOUGHT it would work, but it doesn’t. So, I ordered yarn much like Sally’s purple and I will have to reknit the stranded portion.

Powered by WordPress