theraineysisters knitting and so much more

July 12, 2009

From Susan — Bedecked and Bejewelled Am I

Filed under: Lacy Cardigan,Updates — lv2knit @ 7:47 pm

 Look at the pretty markers sent to me by a very sweet and generous reader:

Markers by you.

Prissy (aka Merry Gay) sent these to me after seeing my little chain markers.  She makes these for fun, and shared them with me.  They are too pretty for knitting and beg to be worn as earrings! 🙂

I have also been laboring on my Lacy Cardigan…stick a fork in it, thank goodness!

Lacy Cardigan by you.
Lacy Cardigan by Ann E. Smith for Blue Sky Alpacas
Yarn: Sublime Aran (11 skeins), Color #15 Clipper, Needles US 8 and US 6; crocheted edging
The color is very true in these pictures

Lacy Cardigan by you.

Pro’s and Con’s of this project:

The yarn: soft as butter but unforgiving in stitch quality; not spliceable
The pattern: very nicely written; easy, quick knit (16 days); not seen everywhere so it seems more unique; unavailable (?)
The buttons: cheapies from my stash — a replacement may be necessary!!
The edging: got me to learn how to crochet
The fit: perfect; sleeves are just the way I like them with a little flare over the hand
Modifications: very few; I decided I did not want to waste any brain power so resisted the urge to go overboard on mods

Overall grade: B- to C+ (marked down for stitch quality — part me, part the yarn…the picture doesn’t show how uneven some areas are)

Will I wear it?  All the time!  It is soft, fits perfectly and is a good color to go with my summer clothes.  All in all, I am happy I made it so I could remove the curse of this yarn (a dozen false starts!!).  A finished object!  Yay!!  🙂

July 5, 2009

From Susan — On the Blocks: A Quick Update

Filed under: Lacy Cardigan — lv2knit @ 11:25 am

The sweater back/fronts are drying as we speak.  The first sleeve is 6″ so far.  This is a quick knit and I am very glad for that!!  Maybe I’ll be sewing it together next weekend (??).

Lacy Cardigan 003 by you.

One thing I like about photographing my blocked items is that I can see the shaping better and then make adjustments — I’m off to even up my scallops!!

PS from yesterday’s post:

Nancy provided a link to a charitable organization that accepts knitted and crocheted afghan squares for the people of Pine Ridge — the poorest community in America. 

Ravelry group Afghan Squares for Pine Ridge Reservation

July 3, 2009

From Susan — This Week in Knitting

Filed under: Crocheting,Lacy Cardigan — lv2knit @ 10:17 am

I have been doing some summer time knitting.  I started a sweater last Friday and it is going pretty fast, but I do not like it. 

I named it “Last Chance” on Ravelry because it is the last chance I am giving this yarn.  The yarn (Sublime Aran, Color Clipper) appears ideal on paper: 75% merino, 20% silk and 5% cashmere, in a perfect denim blue to go with my work wardrobe (my pathetic work wardrobe, but I digress!), in a gauge of 18 sts/4 inches.   This spring/summer I started no less than ten different projects attempting to use this yarn from my stash.  It is the reason my knitting stalled for months.  I kept trying to make something out of this beautiful $#$%^^&*(*&^ yarn!

So, I decided to start the Lacy Cardigan for which I learned to crochet and is knit to a gauge of —- 18 sts/ 4 inches:

Lacy Cardigan by you.

As I said, it is knitting up fairly quickly, but I do not like the way it looks.  I am hoping for a miracle.

Lacy Cardigan 002 by you.
The color here is completely wrong!  The real color is deeper, richer, more denim than bright.

A person on Ravelry who made this said that she thought hers looked terrible until it was done…a glimmer of hope!!  So, I knit on.  I will toss out this yarn rather than admit to another false start!!

Speaking of Crocheting
I have been trying a little bit of crocheting to gain experience.  I am making the Cockleshells Scarf by Theresa Gaffey —  a simple scarf done in fingering weight yarn using double crochet only.   The original is made in an alpaca sock yarn that is soft as butter.  Mine is not as soft but has beautiful color:

Cockleshells 002 by you.

Thank goodness for Kim in my knitting group!  She made this scarf too in the original yarn — and it turned out to be gorgeous.  She helped me with my edges because her edge was much nicer.  Unfortunately, I did not take a “before” picture so you are seeing the improved version!  Still looks uneven, yes?  You should have seen it before!  I don’t know if I’ll ever become a true crochet head, but it is a nice change from knitting.  I also knitted me up one of those dang dishcloths because I had some really pretty ocean-colored Sugar and Cream (Sugar and Cream Stripes, Color 21143).

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