theraineysisters knitting and so much more

January 25, 2007

From Sally — Berry Cluster Pullover & Stash Enhancement

Filed under: Back Story,Current Projects,Sally's Berry Cluster Pullover — surly @ 7:16 pm

One reason I wanted to finish my Bohus Blue Shimmer is that I needed to start playing with my Royal Alpaca. Somehow, I keep getting shipments of it from The Tangled Skein in St. Peter. I don’t know WHO could have been placing orders for additional skeins on my behalf. It’s a mystery.

After Susan posted about her Berry Cluster Pullover, I was reminded how much I wanted to knit that. As I may have mentioned, I have yarn in my stash — the actual yarn called for — to knit it. But I kept picturing it in my Royal Alpaca. So the question became: Cameo (the dusty pink) or Spanish Leather? I chose the Spanish Leather. The color is not real true in these photos. Although it’s a brown yarn, it has almost a pink undertone to it. It’s very pretty. And it feels like butter. I just started it a few days ago and will finish the back this evening.

Of course, I’m already mentally looking ahead to my next project or projects. I have several head starts I’d like to revisit: Mermaid, Lismore, and my Feather and Fan shawl. But I was also tempted into buying some yarn today. My friend Jennifer and I met for lunch today. Before we enjoyed our Burmese food (which I had never had before), we visited a brand new yarn shop in Hyattsville, MD. It just opened Tuesday. A Tangled Skein is a lovely store and the owners are delightful. (If the name sounds familiar, it’s true. There is The Tangled Skein in St. Peter, MN — the source of all of my lovely Royal Alpaca — and A Tangled Skein in Hyattsville.) There is no website up yet for A Tangled Skein, but there should be one shortly.

I bought — hmmm, this is embarrassing — more alpaca. My new yarn is Ultra Alpaca by Berroco. It’s a 50% alpaca 50% wool blend. It knits at 5 stitches to the inch and comes in 100 gram skeins of 215 yards. I bought this with the Eris zippered cardigan from The Girl from Auntie in mind. I even bought some Wildfoote sock yarn from Brown Sheep (color Mistletoe) to match.

Can you tell I have a thing for blueish-green? ‘Cause I do. I also bought a new sock book from Interweave, Favorite Socks, which is a compilation of many of their sock patterns from back issues. I have ALL of Interweave’s back issues, but I couldn’t resist. It’s nice to have them all in one place.

January 17, 2007

From Susan — A Mini Update

Filed under: Current Projects,Patterns for Sale,Updates — lv2knit @ 8:28 am

Hi, all.  Well I did decide to go with Option #1 on Oregon: leave it be.  For those of you who have knit fair isle sweaters designed by A S****more, you know that most of her designs are the traditional “T” shape: the body is knit as a straight tube without shaping and then the sleeves are picked up and worked down.  With a FEW of her designs, she did some minimal shaping at the underarm.  Oregon is the first of this type that I have done.  Unlike some of my idols (Marina and Wendy) I have only made three other fair isles and they were of the traditional type.  So, my lil Oregon will be a hybrid of sorts.

My knitting of the past couple of days is two lace tams — one for me out of lime green Tahki Jolie angora and one that is a shop sample.  More on these when the second is finished. 

I will just say that the yarn I am using for the shop is absolutely scrumptious!!!!!!!!!  It is Sublime extra fine merino (75%), silk (20%), and cashmere (5%).  At my LYS it is $9.50 a skein, but this link shows it cheaper.  I’ve not seen it before — anyone used it?  It is a heavy DK weight.  They call it DK, but it borders on worsted.  Extremely soft.  I mean luscious.  I am using the Sage green and will post a picture when more is done.  These lil tams are my portable project for now.  They are tres easy to carry with.

PS — Wendy finished her black Bohus and posted a picture yesterday.  It is absolutely awe inspiring and makes me want to drop Oregon like a pimply-faced teenager for the hunky college guy!!

PS — I think I had an incorrect link to the Sublime — it showed an Aran weight.  I replaced the link.

January 15, 2007

From Susan — 2 Bummed 4 Words

Filed under: Current Projects,Oregon Cardigan,Updates — lv2knit @ 11:57 am

As Sally said in March 2006:

From now on, I will read directions. Really. I will.

I made a mistake on Oregon — not a deal breaker, but a bummer nonetheless.  I was supposed to do several more decreases on the armhole shaping to the tune of 4 sts each side of the armhole.  I didn’t notice this because I am changing the neckline and it was embedded in the instructions for the v-neck shaping.  Not a big deal, but I still need to deal with it.

Options:

1) ignore it and add 4 sts to the shoulders

2) cast off the extra sts now, re-create the steek, and continue with an odd shaped steek that I will trim before I pick up the sleeves

3) rip it back 

Obviously, #3 is NOT AN OPTION — do you think I’m effin nuts?  “2” was the option I was leaning toward last night (or should I say , this morning at 1 am), but I am now leaning toward “1.”  I don’t think it would be that big of a deal to have an extra half inch of width at the shoulder — I am a large person with square shoulders and a need for extra sleeve length (which derives partially from the shoulder drop, as we know).  The other benefit to Option 1 is that the trees would be perfect little half trees along the armhole.  Does that sound like rationalization??  Mayhaps.

As long as I am coming clean about my knitting boo boos:

I screwed up on the Moebius Lace Scarf.  It has the simplest lace pattern known to mankind — out of an 8-row repeat, there are really only 2 lace rows and they are EASILY memorized.  As I was knitting on each and every lace repeat, I would check the rows before to make sure the pattern was lining up. 

There must have been a rift in the space-time continuum (or I spaced out for a few minutes) because I added TWO extra yarnovers in the previous lace row (!#$%@@&).   Now, I could probably fudge one extra yarnover, but two is an awful lot of extra yarn to deal with.  Add this to the fact that it is very tough to SEE, given the tiny (Kidsilk Haze) yarn and scrunchy texture of the knitting.  I don’t want to “k2tog” a bunch to get rid of the excess because the fabric is so sheer, you might see a “clump” of thicker knitting.  

In short, I need to rip out a couple of rows — 378 sts worth.  THIS might be a deal breaker: if the class does not go, I may not be inspired enough to continue. 

I am off today, so if I plan on knitting I will need to make decisions about the above — like I said, it’s a bit of a bummer!!

PS — thanks to all who purchased the Lace Tam and Scarf Set!!

January 8, 2007

From Susan — Be Still, My Fickle Fickle Heart

Filed under: Blue Shimmer,Current Projects,Oregon Cardigan,Updates — lv2knit @ 10:38 pm

I am madly and passionately in love with this new arrival from Sweden!! OMG, it is the Bohus of my dreams — my Large Lace Collar Pullover (sweater on right).  I have wanted to make this particular Bohus since I first became aware of them (see Poems of Color to learn about Bohus knitting).  Instead I made Wild Apples (see Susan’s Gallery) because the kit for the Large Collar did not have the quality of black yarn I would have liked.  When famous Wendy (of WendyKnits) started HERS (from a kit directly from Sweden), well I was smitten and bitten by the Bohus bug once again.  It was not difficult to get Sally on board, so soon TWO kits were winging their way across the Atlantic.  Both arrived today!  Woo Hoo! A side note from Sally: We’ve been asked where these kits can be ordered. You can find information here. We are both planning to make the black pullover. As much as I love my Blue Shimmer, and I do, this yarn from Sweden is much nicer in that the spinning and color are more consistent. There is a cream color in the kit, and that was especially noticeable when I compared it to the cream in my almost-finished Blue Shimmer.

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Here’s the thing — we are not going to start them right away because we are involved with other projects and feel the need to get something done on them first.

For me, the ‘other project’ that I am committed to finishing (?) is Oregon…

Geez fair isle is slow!  I knit and knit and knit and get no where!  I got re-inspired to work on Oregon because I made it to  to a milestone: the sleeve steeks. 

I did run into a little snafu ala Marina.  The sleeves were not centered to the pattern and therefore the shoulders would be “off” when grafted together.  At first I thought, “If it’s good enough for AS, it’s good enough for me.”  However, it really bugged me, especially when I took a look at it and the sleeve was only off by 4 sts.  So, I ripped out a few rounds to re-align the sleeves. 

Another advantage is that the sts go to the back, thus enlarging the sweater by two full inches — the extra inch that goes to the back and the extra inch I will need to add to the front bands to make the front match the back.  I need the extra width anyway because the sweater is a touch too small.

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AS shaped the armhole slightly which you can see in the photo — I took off one additional stitch so that when I pick up the sleeves, I will end up with a perfect half tree just like the center front.

Sally reported that she is very nearly finished with the body of her Blue Shimmer.  She is also pining for the Large Lace Collar Bohus, but the siren song of her new Royal Alpaca is calling her ever so seductively.

So progress is being made, and projects are lining up.  Plus, I just got the flyer for the Minnesota Knitters Guild “Yarnover” event, which is April 21.  I am teaching the Beaded Amulet Bag class.  Yarnover is a great day of knitting and shopping at the vendors’ market.

Knitting is grand!

January 2, 2007

From Sally — What Was I Thinking?

Filed under: Spiral Pullover — surly @ 12:37 pm

Have you ever started knitting something even if you suspected, deep down within your bones, that it was a doomed project? Sometimes the siren call of something unexpected and interesting is impossible to resist even if you know it might will end badly. The Spiral Pullover designed a few years ago by Norah Gaughan is, I fear, such a project.

It looked so seductively fun to knit. You start with 8 stitches, knit a spiral, and the entire sweater then grows magically out of it. I know, I know — even just describing it I realize it sounds suspiciously like a Chia Pet or a package of Sea Monkeys. But I digress.

The original pattern called for a raw silk yarn called Mandalay. But I don’t like knitting with raw silk so I substituted. I used Jaeger’s Extra Fine Merino Aran in a lovely, rich colour called Wineberry. It’s a beautiful yarn and I love how it knits up (poor little skeins — to wait your whole life to be knitted up into a *whispers quietly* mistake).

One of the first questions that needs to be answered as I dissect the “progress” of this project is: What was I thinking in knitting a size large? I may complain that I’m no longer the cute little thing I was in college, but I’m not a size large. The size large is 46″ around and 28+ inches long. I’ve got a 34″ bust and I’m not even 5’5″. There was a better size: the S/M. But I bypassed that with its ample seven inches of ease and 24″ length. Why? I don’t know. It’s a mystery for the ages.

I knitted for a little while — made the spiral. It’s hard to describe, really, how you construct this sweater. The knitting changes direction through increases and decreases and it’s just one of those things that could work beautifully. Or not.

I googled, looking to see and be inspired by other knitters’ success stories.

I found one lonely blog entry about it — someone who had started it. I emailed her to find out how it had all turned out. I could practically hear the ringing of evil laughter — mwha ha ha ha ha ha — through my cable modem. Her response included such phrases as “godawful mess,” “twisted heap,” and “unwearable.” My reaction to that was: [audio:what.mp3]

So I plowed on. And then, as is my wont when I get bored or distracted by some new pretty, I threw it in a corner of my yarn room. I resurrected it (and I use the term loosely) the other day. I had only about 30 rows to finish the entire body of the sweater. So I figured out where I was (it’s a pattern that gives instructions for each row; I had quite carefully made sure I never marked where I was) and then finished it so I could bring it to Minnesota tomorrow and give Susan a good laugh.

Here are some photos. First, the entire thing (except for the sleeves). The spiral will be in the right hand corner of the front and extend to the back.

Here is a close up of how the direction of the knitting changes so that you are able to shape the front neck and shoulders (no such luck on the back — the front is the easy shaping side).

Finally, to give you an idea of just how big this sweater is going to be on me if I ever do finish it, I’ve put it next to the U.S. Capitol building.

Yeah — a tad oversized.

December 31, 2006

From Susan and Sally — No Snow in Minne-snow-ta

Filed under: Updates — lv2knit @ 1:42 pm

New Year’s Eve in Minnesota and not a flake to be found.  It is very disappointing and not a little disturbing (see “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Soylent Green,” and “The Day after Tomorrow”).

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Because it has been a brown winter, it never did quite seem very Christmasy or wintery.  Last fall, Sally and I started a project we were both very enthusiastic about, but it never “got legs” so to speak.  It was a shawl that would be gorgeous (IF it worked) to wear during the holiday season — very festive and certainly wintery in nature.  It is the Winter Wonderland Shawl designed by Sharon Winsauer.

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The pattern is available from the Alpaca Yarn Company which also carries the Forest Path Stole pattern (featured in Interweave Knits a few years ago).  Sally and I fell in love with this shawl, immediately ordered the yarn, and started cranking out snowflakes like crazy.  We didn’t post anything because we realized that this project could flop very easily because of the unusual construction — we wanted to see if it would work before posting.  We forged ahead and then, like so many times before, momentum stopped.  As Sally recently put it, “Its time has passed.”  So, these are the only snowflakes in Minnesota — at least anywhere near my home:

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Aren’t they wonderful?  If nothing else, the snowflakes could be appliqued onto something.  This project is set to resurface in the fall of 2007 — if there is snow for inspiration.  If it is another brown year, I’m not sure the muses will deem this project knit-worthy.

Project details: 13 snowflakes are knit individually on dpns using “Glimmer” (3 skeins); then you pick up around each snowflake with Suri Elegance (1 skein) and knit the background.  To finish: graft the snowflakes together and knit an edging with Glimmer. 

I miss snow, and I miss winter. 

From Sally: Here are a few photos of my snowflakes, including one with its knitted background. (I know, I know. Mine aren’t as nicely blocked and finished as my sister’s yet.)

PS from Susan — it started snowing, but it’s too warm to stick much.  Turning to ice tonight for New Year’s Eve travel (!).

December 30, 2006

From Susan – The Blue Blob

Filed under: Current Projects,Oregon Cardigan,Updates — lv2knit @ 1:43 pm

I have been knitting my way into the New Year!  I hope all of you had a fabulous holiday.  Mine is still in progress as we are having my side of the family over on Wednesday — including Sally et. al.  It should be very fun.

I started the Lace Mobius and have made a bit of progress:

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As you can see, the long circular knitting needle winds its way in a coil.  One full row adds length to both sides — it grows outward from the center.  The lace stitch is tres simple.  Even though there are 8 rows in the pattern repeat, you only do 2 different lace rows, which can be easily memorized.  However, I do not consider it mindless because I really have to look closely as I knit to see the sts.

Because the Moebius is not mindless, I took Oregon to knitting group on Thursday evening.  I know fair isle does not seem like a “mindless” choice, but it was the best I could muster, given the status of my currents WIPs.  It is a dismal state of affairs.  But, here is a picture of Oregon:

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I am about an inch from the underarm shaping/steek.  Oregon has a shaped armhole, which AS did on a small number of sweaters and all (?) of her fair isle vests.  I am interested in seeing what difference it makes to the fit.  Even though the armhole is shaped, the sleeve is still worked without a cap.  This of course means that I will have to knit even more sleeve than normal to account for the length that is lost to the armhole shaping.  I’ve been knitting on it the last couple of nights and a little progress has been made — I have such a long way to go!!

Thank you for all the comments about the Santa stockings and my Santa mantel :).  I love your support and encouragement.

December 23, 2006

From Susan — Chewbacca wants a Hat for Christmas

Filed under: Current Projects,Updates — lv2knit @ 1:25 pm

What went wrong with this hat?  It’s ruined!  It is WAY too fuzzy.  Oh, well, back to the drawing board.  Looks like money for Ian.

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Laura said (before felting) that no guys she knew would wear a hat with purple in it anyway.  So, I got motivated to start the Moebius Lace Scarf and this time it is working.  Pics to follow.

December 22, 2006

From Sally — I’m Knitting a Hat, too!

Filed under: Current Projects,Sunrise Circle Jacket — surly @ 9:11 am

I’m knitting a hat for my husband for Christmas. He wants a plain black stocking cap with the letters NCVC (the name of this bicycling team) going around in red. Exciting, eh? I started it last night so I could knit while watching the Vikings lose. All I have at the moment is the three-inch hem and the turning row, so there is no point in posting a photograph.

He asked me to use a blend of wool and alpaca I already had in my stash — how festive. I tried to suggest that I could go and find him a softer yarn, but he said he likes “scratchy hats. The scratchier the better.” Alrighty then. One scratchy, black hat coming up just in time for the holidays.

My Sunrise Circle is almost finished. All I have left is the button loops. I’ll finish it off as soon as I get some traction on this hat. My camera is back from the shop, so I’ll be able to post pictures.

From Susan — A Little Bit of Christmas Knitting

Filed under: Current Projects,Updates — lv2knit @ 1:31 am

Me — wait until the last minute?  Mais non!!  Ce n’est pas possible.  Au contraire!

I started the Tychus Hat because of two reasons: 1) someone showed it on their blog and it looked cute (cuter than on the Knitty.com site) and, 2) Laura (eldest daughter) promised to knit 2-color hats for a few of her male friends and I thought it would be a good idea to test drive the pattern.  I am making this for a nephew and if it turns out I may knit another.  I’m using 2 colors of Pastaza — purple and charcoal — on Size 9’s.  It is mindless knitting and very portable. 

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As you can see, I used a provisional cast on so I can graft the last row to the first — that way there won’t be a front or back.  I’ll be finished tomorrow and will have an update.  I’M HO-HO-HO-PING IT FITS!!

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