theraineysisters knitting and so much more

April 18, 2007

From Sally — Quick Answers to Some Questions

Filed under: Knitting Tips,Widdicombe Fair — surly @ 1:37 pm

Toby asked a few questions in the comments to my last post, and I thought I would answer them here to make sure she saw the answers.

1. I have never knit Fair Isle, but given your comments I think that I might try one of these one day. Would you recommend a class or is it possible to learn Fair Isle from a book?

That’s a hard one. If you want to try to learn how to knit fair isle two-handed (holding one color in one hand and the other color in your other hand), then you might want a class. True confession time: that’s not how I knit fair isle. I never got comfortable doing it that way and didn’t feel like taking the time to practice. (Thank goodness there are no knitting police.) When I did try it, I found that my gauge wasn’t as consistent as I’d like. I know that practice would greatly improve that, but — well — then I’d have to be practicing instead of knitting. So I drop one color and pick up the next; I’ve gotten very fast at doing that. I keep the dark color always hanging to my right and the lighter color to my left. It’s just how I do it.

Anyway, back to your question. The only tricky parts are cutting and finishing the steek. You might be able to find someone to give you a private lesson on that if you can’t find a class.

2. Do you order the kit from Virtual Yarns or purchse the yarn from your LYS?
Is the yarn in the kit a wool that is soft enough for a baby? Is the pattern available separately from the kit?

You can’t purchase these blanket patterns separately; they are only available as a kit from Virtual Yarns. Although it’s not the softest yarn in the world, it is much softer than other fair isle yarns in my opinion, especially after having been washed (by hand of course). Moreover, if you used a different yarn, you’d probably have to do some sewing in order to keep the yarn from unraveling after you cut the steek.

3. One thing I wasn’t clear on is where there would be steeks in a straight piece of knitting. I’ve read about them. I thought steeks were normally inserted in a sweater where the piece was knit in the round. Is the blanket knit in the round and then cut?

Yes. The blanket is knit in the round and then cut. It fits nicely on a 24″ circular needle. As I said in my first post, I started with a provisional cast on. When I finish all of the repeats, I’ll leave the live stitches on the needle. Then I’ll cut the steek, pick up stitches along one side, pick up the stitches from the provisional cast on, and then pick up the stitches from the remaining side. The border is then knit in the round as well. There will have be a LOT of stitches on the needle, at that point but I’ve done this before and the border is slow but not difficult.

From Sally — Widdicombe Fair

Filed under: Widdicombe Fair — Sally @ 11:03 am

I made the mistake of looking at the calendar, and realized it’s mid-April. I decided that I better knit the baby blanket I promised my husband I’d make for some dear friends who are expecting their first baby. I love making fair isle baby blankets. I’ve knit three or four of them. They’re fun, they’re quick, and they make a wonderful gift because they will never be outgrown.

I told my husband he could choose the one I knit from among several Jade/Alice Starmore patterns. He chose one I’ve already knit: Widdicombe Fair (which I often call the Carousel Baby blanket because the pattern is carousel horses). It’s available as a kit from Virtual Yarns in both a red and blue colorway. I’d already done the blue one for my niece’s baby so I was tempted by the red. My husband really really really wanted me to do the blue one again. So I am. Here’s a photograph of the finished one I’ve already made:

It’s kind of anti-climactic to post pics in progress once you’ve knit the whole thing, right?

Even though I just started it yesterday, I’m almost finished with the first repeat (out of five). One of the advantages of these baby blankets is that they’re only a little over two feet wide, which means that you have fewer than 200 stitches on the needle. That’s a lot fewer than I would have if I were knitting a fair isle sweater; it’s one reason the project goes quickly. Moreover, because these are, after all, baby blankets, the patterns are very obviously pictorial. It makes the pattern quite easy to see and follow without needing to consult the chart every few stitches. Finally, there is no shaping and only one steek. Therefore, I think that a baby blanket like this would be a good first project for someone thinking about doing fair isle. Just my opinion.

For this particular blanket, the directions tell you to knit two rows with one color before starting on the actual chart patterning. You are then supposed to pick those rows out later, when you want to have live stitches for the border. ???? I did not do that. Instead, I used a provisional cast on. I’m not sure what the advantage could possibly be of the other method.

I don’t do any finishing to the stranded back on these blankets, other than the finishing I do to the cut steek edges. The strands lightly felt and stick to each other anyway; I don’t foresee a problem with a baby’s fingers catching in them. I suppose you could sew a complementary fabric backing to it and if someone I give a blanket to wants to do that — that’s fine with me. I’m not going to do it, though. I knit them. That’s it.

While perusing the Virtual Yarns site to get the link for the blanket kit, I came across something else I’d like to knit: this Rheingold Wrap. It comes in a gold colorway, too. I’m intrigued by it. I’ve always wanted to knit the Persian Tiles one as well.

So many projects, so little time.

April 15, 2007

From Susan — A Very Minor Setback

Filed under: Eris Cardigan,Peacock Shawl -- Susan's — lv2knit @ 9:45 am

I can’t blame this one on the knitting gods!  I have had to rip back the sleeves a few inches on Eris — I was literally at the point of binding off the sleeves and thought, “Hmmmm, they really seem too small/narrow at the wrist.”  They were.  So now I’m backing up a few inches and changing my decreases to every 8 rows instead of every 6.  I should still be blocking this baby today.

Sally and I both have unnaturally small wrists — we’re such delicate flowers, aren’t we??  Plus, I am unnaturally tall.  So what I usually do is cast on for the smallest size sleeve and continue doing increases to get me to the size I am making, which tends to be one of the largest sizes.  I can then accommodate my delicate wrists and the unnatural length of my arms in one fell swoop.  That often works.  What I also do is take the bottom hem of the garment and wrap it around my delicate wrists and pull it over my hands to see how many sts I need for the wrist and then calculate my sleeve increases (or decs when top down) from there.  I did both these things, but it was still a little bit off. 

I am working on the silk Vittadini top.  It is not quite as mindless as I had hoped: even though it is stockinette in the round, the ten-ply yarn can be split easily so you need to look at it while knitting.  Darn it!

Romi just started her Peacock Shawl, so I’ll be able to knit vicariously through her for the next few days whilst I await my yarn.  The good news is that she is using the same Zepher yarn Sally used (and that I am waiting for) and LOVES it.  She says the shawl is flying off the needles.  Be still my heart.  So, I will track her progress and hopefully get to start mine before she finishes hers.

To the sleeves, Batman!

April 12, 2007

From Susan — Doesn’t It Deserve a Second Chance??

Filed under: Current Projects,Vittadini Nicole 1 in Silk — lv2knit @ 7:46 am

What — my silk, of course!  I have decided to give my beautiful silk one last another chance.  I was thinking of trying the Diagonal Triangle Tank but felt a bit discouraged after reading about Gale’s fiasco.  Many of her issues were with the yarn itself (Regal Silk), but a number of the problems had to do with the pattern, the fit and basic construction. 

I stumbled on this Vittadini pattern (I say that as if the magazine was on my front step and I tripped over it when I went out to get the paper — actually I “stumbled upon it” at a yarn store 🙂 ).  I thought it had some of the same cute design elements as the Diagonal Tank, but with fewer potential fit problems and the ability to adjust the size easily.  We shall see, n’est-ce pas?

VittadiniPattern.jpggreen_lilacmulberrysilk4011.jpg

Mine won’t be as snug fitting, but I think this would look gorgeous under a linen shirt.  I’ll give it a go.  This will be my take-along project as Eris is mere hours from being done and far too big to haul around easily.

Stephanie, the winner of a copy of my “Lace Tam and Scarf” pattern and 2 skeins of Rowan Silk Wool DK, posted a progress picture of the tam.  Way to go, Steph!  It’s looking good.  Let us know when it’s finished.

The yarn gods are teasing me and did not allow my Peacock yarn to arrive today.  I actually think they are testing my resolve — will Susan maintain her excitement and enthusiasm for the Peacock Shawl even if days pass, allowing her fervor to cool?  I laugh at the yarn gods, I laugh in their smug faces!  I shall maintain my resolve, assuming that nothing else intervenes in the next couple of days — and where the heck is my yarn!??!!

PS: I do believe, I do believe — in global warming…despite this evidence to the contrary!

AprilSnow002.jpg

April in Minnesota — ahhhhhhhhh!! 

PS to LimeDragon — The Vittadini Pattern is called Nicole 1 and is from Issue 27.

April 11, 2007

From Sally — Rose Colored Glasses

Filed under: Cap Shawl,Knitting Tips — Sally @ 1:41 pm

I have shawl fever. I can’t stop myself. After finishing the Peacock Shawl, I needed to knit yet another one. The yarn I’ve wanted to knit with for a long time was even in my stash: Rowan Kidsilk Haze in Blush (Shade 583). I bought a fair number of skeins of this yarn a long time ago, but had never decided on the perfect project for it. Now I have: the Cap Shawl in the Victorian Lace book. If you have the book, the pattern is on page 28. If not, here is a thumbnail photo I was able to find.

The Cap Shawl is a circular shawl approximately 74 inches in diameter, and it may very well be one of the easiest patterns in the book. Even so, it is gorgeous and dramatic. It would be a great shawl for a beginner, except for the start. (I think that the start of a circular or square shawl can be a bit tricky for beginners, but maybe I’m wrong.)

Here is mine the day I started it (two days ago).

I was going back and forth about which size needle to use. The pattern, which uses Kidsilk Haze, called for a U.S. 7 (4.5 mm), but I thought that would be too loose. I started it on a 6 (4.0 mm), and that looked a bit loose as well. I jumped all the way down to a 4 (3.5 mm). I did that because I knit my Icarus Shawl out of Kidsilk Haze on a U.S. 3 (3.25) and it turned out well.

I finally liked how the center looked on the smaller needle, but I was a bit concerned that the shawl might not stretch enough when blocked and end up being too small. So, after about fifteen rows, I switched to a U.S. 5 (3.75 mm). Now, I might have stayed with a 5 except for one problem: I wanted to knit it on Addi Lace Turbos and the only ones I could find in a hurry (I’m a bit on the impatient side) were size 6.

What to do? What to do?

I decided to put in a lifeline, try the 6, and then rip back to the lifeline if I thought the knitting looked too loose. If you are unfamiliar with the term lifeline, it’s a way of saving your sanity in lace knitting. When you are at a point where you know your patterning is correct, you thread smooth yarn through your live stitches and leave them there. Later, when — I mean if — you make a mistake, you have a safe place to rip back to. (It can be very tricky to rip back down safely to the right row when you have all the decreases and yarnovers involved in lace knitting.) The idea is to do periodic lifelines — every ten or 20 rows — so you are only “risking” a certain number of rows of your knitting.

Well, this is not the kind of pattern I would normally take the time to use a lifeline with, but I went ahead. I was on my Knitpick interchangeable needles, so I just threaded some spare yarn from my Peacock shawl through the little hole you use to tighten the needle tip on to the cord. That way, I could just knit a row and automatically pull that yarn through for the lifeline.

NOTE: If you do this — or even if you are threading your lifeline through your live stitches with a tapestry needle, DON’T PUT YOUR LIFELINE THROUGH YOUR STITCH MARKERS!! If you do, they won’t move with you on the next row. Yeah. It would be a problem. Here is a (slightly out of focus) photograph of the lifeline right after I put it in. Note how the lifeline jogs around the stitch marker.

I have not had much time to knit this week, but the first half of this shawl is so easy (I don’t need to even glance at a pattern or chart) I’ve made some progress anyway.

Here is a photograph I took today as I went from a 24″ circular needle to a 32″:

Finally, here’s another photograph. I’m including this one because you can more clearly see the lifeline I put in two days ago. I’m staying with the size 6 needle, but I haven’t bothered to pull that lifeline out. I could (should?) put in another one, although I don’t think I need one. (Saying that out loud probably dooms me to some horrible mistake.)

April 7, 2007

From Susan — Why I Love Knitting

Filed under: Bronze Beaded Bag — lv2knit @ 6:12 pm

Yesterday, when I was pining away for my Zephyr yarn for my Peacock Shawl, something else arrived instead.  It was a kit I had ordered to make a knitted beaded amulet bag.  I have a zillion amulet bags, but this one is special.  I had seen it on one of my students at a recent knitting class, and I fell in love with it.  It took awhile for me to get around to ordering the kit, but I wanted to have it done in time for the Minnesota Knitters Guild Yarnover Workshop on April 21.  I’m teaching the amulet bag class and thought it would be fun to bring examples of other styles of beaded knitting.  The kit arrived last night and I started right in.  After all, my shawl wasn’t happening!  It went fast.  It is the bag on the left in the picture (the bag on the right is there to show scale — the new one is larger than my usual).

amuletbags001.jpg

It is much more gold/bronzey in real life and very pretty.  The decoration is pressed glass.  Ironically, I already owned everything in the kit except the pattern book and the pressed glass medallion 🙁 .  Oh well!!  It is knitted using short rows to get a deeper scallop at the bottom.  The kit can be ordered through TWE/Beads.  There is a lot more finishing involved because of the swags and beaded necklace.  You could very well simplify it if you wanted.

WHY I LOVE KNITTING

This is why I love knitting.  Knitting can be anything you want it to be!  If you don’t like wool, use cotton.  You hate knitting cables, do lace.  Love knitting in the round, go for it.  Hate knitting in the round, don’t.  Tired of the same old-same old?  Try lace or bead knitting or fair isle.  Knit something huge, like an afghan, or knit in miniature.   Feeling generous?  Knit for charity.  Feeling like you need a bit of luxury in your life, knit with cashmere or silk.  You can never get bored with it and it’s always there for you.  The variety is infinite and the whole world of knitting fits in your lap while you watch TV.  Sign me on for another 40 year tour of duty!

 

April 6, 2007

From Sally — Peacock Feathers Shawl

Filed under: Peacock Shawl -- Sally's — surly @ 1:35 pm

I retire from the world
Leaving troubles behind in my wake
To create something of beauty
So calming and quiet
And marvel at what I can make

I love knitting lace because it makes me feel like an alchemist or a fairy or some other magical creature. I take a lumpen, shriveled pile of yarn and by dipping it in water I transform it into something beautiful.

The Peacock Feathers Shawl is finished. It is absolutely gorgeous. I’m in love and I can’t stop staring at the object of my affections. I love this shawl not only for its beauty and clever design, but for its personal history with me. I’ve been knitting for years. I’m pretty good at it, too. But when I started this shawl several years ago, it was the first lace knitting I’d ever done. Yes, I’m that reckless and ambitious. Anyway, it was slow going and I kept getting distracted. Eventually, it ended up in the (rather large) pile of unfinished projects I have. I truly never believed I’d actually pick it up again. Once something sits too long, it tends to sit forever.

The revelation was that when I did pick it up again — out of frustration with the red silk shawl I was working on — the pattern seemed so easy and obvious. I got that thrill of knowing I had learned things over the past few years. I’m a better knitter now than I was when I started this shawl. How exciting is that?

So here are some photographs of the finished shawl.

Wet, but not yet blocked. An ugly duckling waiting to be transformed into a peacock.

Partially blocked.

Blocked. Pinned down like Gulliver. (Yes, this shawl is enormous. Size matters, and not just to Clay Aiken fans.) It measures 88″ across the top and it is 43″ deep.

Draped casually over the window seat. This is more true to color than the blocking photos.

Finally, being modeled by Lucy.

PS From Susan (aka The Jolly Green Giant) — right now I am absolutely GREEN with envy.  I have been waiting very impatiently for my yarn to arrive so I can start my very own Peacock Magic.  I cannot wait!  And seeing this finished is just about the last straw.  Get it together, Mail Delivery Person!  Can’t you see this is a knitting emergency!?!!??  And the color of my heart’s desire: Peacock!  Zepher Wool and Silk in Peacock.  Cross your fingers and toes that it arrives today!

 

April 3, 2007

From Susan — Picture This….

Filed under: Back Story,Oregon Cardigan — lv2knit @ 11:21 pm

Geez it’s tough to get good pictures!  The color of this sweater is NOT orange.  Really!  But you get the idea, I guess.  And thanks to all of you for your incredibly supportive comments — you’re uplifting lil suckers!

OregonBlog1.jpg

I decided to name my mannequin “Lettie” after my Grandma.  I am named for my grandma.  Her name was Lettie Sue.  The hat I named “Aubrey” is named for my Uncle Bug and Great Uncle Jim — both really named Aubrey.  As you can tell, our family is WEIRD.  But I digress.

Okay, back to Oregon and cheesecake shots of her busty self on Lettie.

Oregon018.jpg

When it is on, the neck does not “ripple” like that either.

Here is a flat picture (no comments from the peanut gallery, please — and you know who you are!).

Oregon010.jpg

The next picture shows the part of the ribbing/zipper or button placement that can make you pull out your hair!  When you pick up the front bands in corregated ribbing, you need to make sure that they are picked up identically on both sides so that the OTHER stripes match — the stripes in the main pattern of the body.  You need to figure out exactly where the two knit sts will fall on every body stripe.  I didn’t get that carried away: I just made sure the ribbing matched at the boldest horizontal stripes in the body pattern.  I knew it would be especally noticeable because of the bands meeting in the center.  The color is very true in this, a scanned picture:

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So it’s a wrap!!

And last and lovingly not least, is a beautiful picture of Lettie, known to all as Sue.

Lettie2.jpg

 

PS — I left Oregon at home to keep Lettie warm, so I can’t wear it tonight to see Yarn Harlot — the windchill is below zero 🙁

April 2, 2007

From Susan — Eight Months and It’s Over

Filed under: Oregon Cardigan — lv2knit @ 11:20 pm

Oregon is done.  It is done.  Finished.  Complete.  Nothing left to do.  No stitches on needles.  No zippers to sew.  No steeks to cut.  I am in shock and awe.  I never thought it would happen!  I started this “project” at the end of July, 2006 and finished it this evening at 10 pm central time. 

Honestly, it was the thing that would not die.  I worked on it tirelessly, endlessly and tediously.  I cannot express the relief that it is O-V-E-R.  I feel like I gave birth.

I will post a picture tomorrow — I’m too sick and tired to photograph it tonight.

The final score?  On a scale from 1-10, I would give it a 7.  Why the 3-point deduction?

Point 1 deducted for yarn: I really prefer Jamieson Shetland for fair isle.  It has a harder finish, smaller gauge and does not “loft out” when wet blocked.  Also, AS’s yarn is nubby/thick & thin.  It is hard to get nice even sts when the yarn itself is uneven.

Point 2 deducted for fit:  I should have made it one size bigger and 1-2 inches longer.  Can I wear it?  Yes, but it feels skimpy.  [Note to self: if you HAD made it bigger, you would still be knitting on it, so shut up! 😉 ].

Point 3 deducted for return on investment: For the time put into this project, it should be absolutely, drop-dead stunningly, jaw-droppingly gorgeous.  It is very nice, but not as nice as it should be for the time invested.

Anyway, I am now ready and able to move on to the next….BIG thing!  Woo hoo!

 

 

March 30, 2007

From Sally — Lucy!

Filed under: Back Story,Peacock Shawl -- Sally's — surly @ 8:26 pm

My lovely mannequin has arrived and I’ve christened her Lucy, which is a nickname several of my friends have given me. I have NO idea why. Really. I don’t. (I think they might have some ‘splainin’ to do.)

Lucy is a bit bigger and bustier than I am, but I have broader shoulders. So we’ll have to see how she looks in my sweaters. For her unveiling, I decided to put her in a shawl I made last year. It’s the Autumn Lace Shawl, pattern and yarn from Kiparoo Farms. It’s a heavier, less delicate shawl than most of the ones I’ve made. That’s one reason I like it. The yarn is a deep, beautiful red although the strong late afternoon light in these photos washes it out a bit.

Taking pictures with Lucy was great! She didn’t complain that it was windy, she didn’t mind being fussed with, and she even let me stick some pins in her.

Thank you again, Kim!!!

Also in the oversize novelty box were these slippers, knit for me as a surprise by my big sister:

I’m wearing them right now, although I suppose I should decorate them. Thank you, Susan!

As for the Peacock Shawl, I’m almost finished with Chart 7, which is the last chart before the edging. I should finish it this week. I think Lucy will look lovely in it.

PS from Susan — I guess mine will have to be Ethel!!

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