Doing test knitting is a mixed blessing!  You get the pattern free, ahead of time.  That’s it.  People ask if you get free yarn.  NO.  This past June I wanted to test a summer tee (Anitra Vest) designed by Elenor Mortenson.  It was quite complex, so I opted out.  But I felt bad about it, so I signed up for another: Jul.  It will be out later in October.

It is also complicated, but I am now on to the plain knitting.  Here is the yoke:

This really pushed all my knitting skills!

I like it fine but for one problem that has ruined this for me.  There is a very obvious color break right under the yoke.  Yep.  The “hand-dyed yarn” problem!  I was already carrying three colors in the yoke, so I didn’t want to carry a 4th to alternate skeins.  I started doing that after the yoke.  The new skeins have an orange cast vs the gray cast of the yoke.  It’s hard to see it in the pictures but is quite obvious IRL.  I will finish it, but I am very disappointed.

I have decided to make it into a summer tee because of the lightweight fabric and my desire to minimize the effort invested.  ::le sigh::

It’s over.  All finished.  Right down to picking up my entries at the fair.  The weather brought high highs and low lows to fairgoers — there were some major storms with flooding and damage.  We went on the first day (record breaker) and the last Sunday (record breaker).  A true “sea of humanity!”

My knitting did okay this year.  Not great, but certainly not embarrassing.  I entered a couple of things at the last minute and they did well.  I’ll just recap a few.

I knit a Sophie Scarf using yarn I bought at Rhinebeck last fall held with KnitPicks Aloft from stash.  The fabric is absolutely scrumptious.  I knew a Sophie would never win a ribbon of any kind, so I decided to add embellishments.  I crocheted some pansies and embroidered some Queen Anne’s Lace onto the center of the scarf.  It won a blue ribbon!!

The way it was displayed was embarrassing!  It looks like a babushka.  Are we heading into a long, cold Russian winter??  Here is what the back looks like IRL:

The next sweater was a last-minute throw in: my Elton Cardigan.  Yep, the same mannequin.  Styled like you would find it on the floor of your closet!!

Here’s what it really looks like:

My other “throw in” was Broken Oath.  I love this sweater and its fall “pumpkin spice” vibe!  The color is even called Pumpkin Spice Heather.  And, it was displayed like a sweater!!!  The judges raved about this one.  I have never seen so many comments…so, why second place and not first??  Who knows?  I was expecting third place so I was happy!!

I was a little disappointed that Structure Loop didn’t do better.  I worked so hard on this one!!!  But, the comments did mention all the important elements, so it wasn’t that they didn’t “get it.”

I also entered Ris in the sleeveless/vest category, and it came in third:

That’s enough for now.  The Minnesota Knitters Guild hosts their September State Fair meeting on the Sunday of Yarnover weekend, so we will hear the comments and see many of the other entries.

PS to Chloe: I was super nervous to actually start the embroidery.  It sat for a week on my table, as the clock ticked away to the entry deadline.  There are infinite choices!  Full embroidery in one color, more than one color, appliqués, etc.  It finally got to crunch time and I just dove in.  The actual embroidery wasn’t that difficult.  All the decisions made it hard!

PS to Millie: I, too, hoped for better than 3rd place on my Ris.  It had 110 inches of steeks, colorwork short rows, buttonhole loops.  Oh, well!  Entries are anonymous, but a former judge, who attended Meg Swansen’s Knitting Camp with me, told me she read my blog!  That meant I could no longer post any knitting that I thought I would enter in the fair.  It also meant that my friend Kim and I could only “show and tell” the previous year’s knitting!

I recently completed a test knit for Justyna Lorkowska (aka Letesknits) called Leafkerchief.  It is a tiny Sophie-sized version of her popular Leaflet Shawl.  I made of two of them relatively quickly.  The first one didn’t show the pattern very well, though it is a pretty color, so I made the blue one.  The finished size is about 35 inches long.

Baah New York, color December 2023 (140 yds)

Sun Valley Fibers MCN (160 yds)

I used my continuous i-cord cast on to avoid the cut-off ends on the original (video here).  I just like the pointy ends better!  I also did regular 3-stitch i-cord along the edges.  I am not a fan of the k1, slip 1, k1 edges.

I knit the red one with a sz 4 needle and the blue one with a sz 5.

Surly and I both appreciate all of your kind comments and thoughts about our dad’s passing.  It means a lot!

She and I both went out “out to sea” when the new-ish design Sea Loop Tee came out.  The nubby cotton yarn makes the design (Gepard Cotton Waves).  It was a bit hard to find, but we located a shop with 50 skeins.  We bought almost half before the hoarders got it!  The knitting was not fun due to the nubbiness of the yarn, and it turns out quite heavy.  I lengthened both the body and the sleeves quite a bit.

Shoulder detail:

It’s tres French nautical!!  Very simple knitting and a cute transitional sweater.  Not for the hottest days of summer!!

We lost our dad in June.  He was 92 and fiercely independent.  He chose to live in the log home he built with his own two hands.  We are heartbroken yet also realize that he died the way he wanted to.

Our mother was a widow with two young children when she met my dad.  He took us as a package deal, which was a lot for a man of 25!  Our brother came along later.

Ona and Gib

Yes.  Those were their names!  No other couple could claim that!

Dad had a sense of humor, was warm and loving, and really cared about the three of us.  Dad, you will be missed!!

As you all know, my sister Susan is my best friend in the world.  We talk on the phone for hours almost every day. I wish I were with her but I’ll be seeing her soon.   In the meantime, please wish my big sister

Happy Birthday!

I’m a visual learner, especially with things like knitting.  I tried to write out the instructions for the i-cord cast on I used for my Sophie Scarf (both of them!), but it bamboozled people.

I attempted to remedy this by making a video.  It was a technological nightmare of epic proportions!  The final youtube video is not as polished as I would like, but at least it got out there.  So.  Here is it.  My continuous i-cord cast on for the Sophie Scarf and other similar projects!

PS to Michele: The ends need to be grafted together to look like the cast on.  Maybe I need to do another quick video!

I’m somehow fixated on summer tee knitting.  My latest FO struck me as so cute, I just had to make it.

The Original Luminos Prototype

I loved the original colorway in Hedgehog Fibres Squid and Graphite, purchased from Wool & Company.  It’s my favorite on-line yarn store.  Free shipping and yarn winding, plus 10% off orders of $100 or more!!

The sweater is called Luminos.

The shoulder has really cute detailing.

I changed up the front a little bit and did a centered double decrease instead of “k2tog/ssk,” which splits apart.  The designer used the split aspect to create the cute shoulder by chaining along the split with the colorful yarn.

I think it’s really cute and it fits.  The problem is that I do not show my upper arms in public.  Ever.  Not even when it’s 100 degrees.  So, the problem is that none of my tops/shirts go with this!!  That means I cannot wear it.  So, that’s a bummer.  I may wear it anyway with a weird looking layered look, and not feel great in it!!  I can’t help it that my arms are as old as I am!

I did try adding a short, cap sleeve, but it did not look any better and the knitting looked kind of bad.  So, I ripped it out and left it as it appears above.  The neckline, which I also like, is a double v-neck (front and back are identical) which makes wearing a top or shirt problematic.  I’ll live with it and admire it from afar??

ETA: I did wear it to knitting today and people liked it!  I wore it with a white, long-sleeved tee and I think it worked okay.

ETA2: How many times can you use the word ‘cute’ in one post!?!

Oh, yes there is!  Another peep!

My new speckled hen was made to look like an actual chicken, and I love her.  I used leftover yarn from my Pickpocket sweater: Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, color Newsprint.  I used Ravelry Red Rios for the red and Cascade 220 for the black.

I made one of these as a hostess gift and a couple more of the small chicks as requested gifts.  It’s still a fun little thing to do!

Happy Mother’s Day to all moms, aunties, friends of children, etc.!

Last post, I described my brief foray into jewelry making.  Today, I’m going to discuss my second fiber habit, crocheting.

I don’t crochet often, but really enjoy it when I do.  I like granny squares.  There.  I said it!  I made a granny square cowl a few years ago that I absolutely love.  I recently became smitten with these Granny Square Chickens.  Yep.  More chickens!  What is it with crafters and chickens these days??

Here is my first attempt.  You make two granny squares and then sew them together in a particular way to get the chicken shape.

I loved it and thought, hmmmm.  Should I try another color combo?

Liked it even better!  Then my friend, Christine, made one out of fingering weight yarn…so, I had to give it a go.

When I was making this one, I thought a pansy-themed chick would be cute…so, one more:

And that, my friends, is how I ended up with a basketful of chickens!

My girls will come over today and one has already expressed interest in a chicken.  I may have to make a replacement!!  I also made the basket.  Another crafting rabbit hole!!

ETA: Laura took chicken #2!!  The one with pink petals.  I’ll need to make a replacement.  Jena didn’t take one — her dog would eat it!

ETA2: The replacement chicken is done!

PS to Chloe: I had to laugh when you called this a herd of chickens instead of a flock!!  🙂

PS2 to Chloe: Chloe shared that Frankie Brown has a free KNITTED granny square pattern on Ravelry for you non-crocheters!  It’s called How to Knit a granny Square.