theraineysisters knitting and so much more

My second Hemlock is totally done.  This picture actually looks far better than it looks in real life!! A couple of you had questions.  The Hemlock Throw was knit in Cascade Eco Wool (250 grams, 478 yds).  The oatmeal version was knit in Color 8016, the teal is Eco Plus in color 8462.  I started each with US Sz 10 dpns and switched to 10-1/2 circulars when I could.  Why did I change needle sizes?  Because I don’t have Sz 10-1/2 dpns!  It takes less than 2 skeins to make a throw — you could make two of the same color with 3 skeins.

I am making my personal throw out of Berroco Peruvian (100% Highland Peruvian Wool, 100 grams, 174 yds), Color 7137 to match my LR sofa:

It takes 2.5 skeins of Peruvian to equal 1 skein of Eco Wool so I bought 7 or 8.  It is like butter and a little fuzzier — I hope it works.

I have not used a lifeline in the Hemlocks — it is much bigger knitting and even though I have had to rip a couple of times, it is NOTHING like ripping out a fine lace shawl with hundreds of sts!

Re: The Betsy sweater (see Sally’s post) — I found the book on ebay and bought it on the spot.  Woo Hoo!  Thanks, Ann. 🙂  Our blog-tectives are the best in the land!

PS — another question: I used the Emily Ocker cast on to start the Hemlock.  Also, if I sent you a copy of my pdf file of the pattern, there is a mistake on Rnd 46: k9 not 10.

Another question came up; What does (O, k1) x 8 mean?
Response: at the start, you cast on 8 sts and divide onto 3 (or 4) dpns.  After working a couple of plain rnds of 8 sts you do the (O, k1) x 8.  The pattern is telling you do do a yarnover before every single st. 

To do the YOs before the first st on the dpn: insert new dpn into 1st st as to knit, bring yarn around the needle from the front (not from the back as you normally would). 

This creates a new st before each st — so there are now 16 sts.  You do the YO before the first stitch a couple of more times in knitting the small medallion in the center of the petals.  Once you have enough sts to change to a circular, it does not seem as strange.

It’s the return of the Blob!!  I finished my second Hemlock Ring and already started the third. I just can’t get enough of this project, I guess :).  This one is for Friend Number 2 and the third is for me.  After all this knitting, I need one of my very own.

Here it is in the blob stage:

Here’s the “bedroom cheesecake” photo:

A close up of the center petals:

It looks splotchy because I sprayed it with water to keep it damp and it did not sink in evenly.  The color is a very beautiful dark teal and not uneven at all.  Here is a close up of the feather and fan:

The color in this shot is probably the truest.  So there it is.  The blob is not a blob any more.  I will be smarter this time and steam press it before I unpin! 

I’ll keep working on my Hemlock and post a picture after it is farther (further? — Sally, fix it!) along.  I made a huge, ridiculous error and had to rip back, but it really does go pretty fast.  My biggest thrill is that two Christmas presents are D-O-N-E!! 

And I’m halfway through Harry Potter Number Five (The Order of the Phoenix)…

PS: Happy Birthday to CF — a mere baby at 48!!

PS2: I wondered if anyone would notice Lettie’s “boyfriend” and Marina spotted him instantly! 😉

PS3: Welcome Home, Mattie!

I’m sorry, but unblocked lace is b*tt ugly!!  It just is!  Look at this blob — would you want it as a gift?  Would you want to knit it for yourself?

Blocking is certainly a help!  I decided to try using the bed in our guest room as a blocking surface.  The idea of crawling around on my decrepit hands and knees wore me out.  It worked quite well for this relatively small piece:

And see how Lettie is overseeing the blocking process?

The knitted pillow is a former UFO that I made into a pillow.  It was a sweater that never got off the ground — it sat for years in a bag.  The back was at least 4 inches wider than the front, due to either my bad miscalculation (lots of cabling on the front, plain basketweave on the back — does the word “compensate” mean anything?) or a poorly written pattern.  It was so long ago I can’t remember.  I grafted the ribbing from the back of the sweater to the top of the front for symmetry and length, and used the back as the back of the pillow.  So I got a pillow out of the deal, which is more than I can say about my other UFOs ;).

I am going to give this Hemlock Ring to a dear muggle friend and make another immediately for another muggle friend.  We’ll see if after making two I have the stamina to make a third for me.  They are two people that really do appreciate handknits and so I have made special things for them in the past.

Now I’m off to wind a skein for the second Hemlock.  By my reckoning, since the first one took a week to knit, the second should take at least 3-4 weeks?  Months?  If I want it for Christmas, there is no time to waste!

PS — I had quite a bit of yarn left over.  You could easily make this larger with just the two skeins.

In response to Susanne: I blocked my Hemlock Ring to a full 48-50″ HOWEVER, when I unpinned it, it snapped back to about 44″.  It also looks a little wonky, not crisp like Brooklyn Tweed’s.  So, before I post finished pictures, I plan on repinning it and steaming the daylights out of it.  It may be a day or two before I feel motivated to repin the lil sucker!