theraineysisters knitting and so much more

Here is the sweater I made for my niece.  I knitted it out of Cascade Etoile in color Iris — very soft: 70% kid mohair and 30% acrylic, 164 yds/50 gm.  Probably similar to Kidsilk Haze but bigger.  The gauge on the label is 5 sts/inch on a US 7.  I used a size 6 to get 5.5 sts/in. 

 

Here is the pattern.  It is a bolero style from Sirdar.  I made a size 4 because everything I have ever bought her is too small.  I hope she’ll get to wear this some day!  I love the picot edging, but I would have done it differently if I had had time to think.  They picked up the edges after knitting each piece and then did a picot bind off — I would have done a picot cast on and saved a step.  The pattern shows the collar in 1×1 ribbing, but I changed it to reverse st st due to LACK OF TIME!

 

It looks very different in the yarn I chose but I think it turned out pretty cute.

Since this is a knitting blog, I guess I’ll actually share some knitting updates :).  I have done very little on the Woman’s Continental, but I did knit a sweater since my state fair post.  My great niece turned two today (Happy, BD, Erika!).  Her mom called me Wednesday evening to invite us to a little party for Erika to be held yesterday afternoon.  I realized that other than her family Christmas stocking, I had never knitted her anything, so I thought I’d try to whip something up.  Good plan, but the timeline was a little tight.  I bought the yarn on my way to knitting (on Thursday, after my day at the fair) and started that evening.  Friday I worked all day.  That did not leave a lot of time.  I had until 3:15 pm Sunday to finish.  I sewed the button on at 3 pm.  I was still wet and not dressed.  That is cutting it close.  I’m not sure if or when it will fit her — she was covered in chocolate cake and frosting when the gift was opened, so we did not let it near her!  But it was a labor of love.  I’ll share a picture and project details when my daughter brings the camera back. 

I have been making some progress on the jacket.  I am just a few inches shy of the raglan shaping.  I am clipping along because this is mindless stockinette and I am enjoying the yarn tremendously.  This shows the fabric — just picture a bigger rectangle!

Because I am sizing this up — for two reasons: one, because I am larger than 40″ and two, because I want it to fit as an outerwear jacket — I have had to make changes to the pattern, but nothing too drastic.  So far I am happy with the results.

Lest you get the idea that I have been shirking on both my knitting and blogging duties, I will admit only to shirking my blogging.  I have gotten a small bit of knitting done in the past few days.  I have been finishing up a few loose ends in preparation for the State Fair.  Entries are due next week so the unpleasant part of completing a project has been left to the bitter end in several cases. 

I have finished my Beaded Bag:

This is my design in the sense that you have to basically create a shape to fit the purse frame that you buy.

I also finished up the silk American Beauty Scarf:

I had several ideas about how to finish the ends.  My first thought was some kind of beaded fringe, but it seemed like guilding the lily.  I ended up doing a double crochet scallop.  I do not crochet, so it presented a challenge.  I made my daughter a sweater last year with this crochet stitch along the hemline so I had done it before, but it is quite pathetic to watch me struggle with crocheting!  I am not a huge fan of crochet, but it certainly has its place.

I also finished knitting and felting a bag for my youngest — if I make something, she always wants one, too.  It is like the purple bag my daughter, Laura, made but of course in pink.  It is drying.  I worked on Oregon a little bit with very little progress to show and also finished up the second baby hat. 

The hats are turning out like “Goldilocks and the Three Hats” — one was cast on too tight, one was cast on too loose and the next should be JUST RIGHT. 

 

So now I am caught up on my blogging for a day or two.   

Thank goodness bunions aren’t on the thumbs — Sally can still knit!  I just talked to her and she sounds great.  So far, so good.

I really did miss my knitting peeps on Thursday, but it was well worth it.  My kitchen (as old and outdated as it is) looks the best it has ever looked.  It has inspired us to move on. 

I have been working on Oregon and my American Beauty scarf.  The scarf just gets longer so it doesn’t look any different (just look at the old picture).  I received my latest issue of Interweave Knits and Kate Gilbert (Sunrise Circle designer) has a bolero pattern in it made with the same silk yarn as my scarf.  Tres cher (French for ‘mucho bucks’).  It’s kind of pretty but you can’t see how gorgeous the yarn is from the photo.

The other thing I’ve been doing is finishing up my State Fair entries.  Everything must be turned in by mid-August.  I’ll do a State Fair post then. 

I took my Ponchette to the Knitters Guild meeting and had to wear it because of the blast from the air conditioning (I really don’t like being blown on). I loved my little Ponchette, and people raved about it. The advantage of the poncho-type shawls/wraps is that once they are on, they are on. You don’t have to keep fussing with them.

My little daughter told me NEVER to wear it with anything but black or green because it looked AWFUL with the maize-yellow shirt I had on. Thank you, dear.