theraineysisters knitting and so much more

The Ponchette is history.  I actually finished it and had to rip out two repeats, so it is finished and then some.  I like wearing it as pictured below: more poncho style.  It hangs long in front (covering my waist) and hugs the shoulders nicely.  The thing I did differently here was to work an i-cord edge along the top so it would not be a raw garter at selvedge AND to give it a firmness so it would be less likely to stretch.  I did not block it at all.  The only blocking I might do is to pin out the points to make them pointier.

Here is the back:

And a seam detail:

So you won’t think I have something against handpainted variegated yarns, here are some pictures of a past sweater made using Cherry Tree Hill Merino and Silk DK in Gypsy Rose.   The pattern was in a summer issue of Vogue (2003 or 2004?).  The one pictured in the magazine was quite short (view-of-bellybutton short) and had 3/4 length sleeves — I think to conserve yarn.  At $35-40 per skein, I can see why!  I added length and width, and made long sleeves, so I used 6 rather than 4 skeins.  The way the colors are created in the yarn, each small diamond contains all the colors.  I don’t think most other yarns would do that.

I love the way the neckline does a little zigzag.  You do a crocheted edging to finish it off.  The other change I made was to have the front and back necklines the same.  They added a straight insert across the back which I found unnecessary.

Another past favorite in handpainted variegated is another Vogue design — from the 2003 Winter Special Occasions issue.  I knitted it in Mountain Colors’ Mountain Goat, a mohair blend in color Yellowstone.  It is fabulous yarn to work with! 

The Norah Gaughan design is fantastic for garter stitch because the structure of the jacket provides support and therefore reduces stretching.  Look closely at the back:

The diamonds are actually formed by two different pieces and joined through the center by picking up sts through the cast on edge.  It is ingenious and extremely fun to knit.  You start with one square at a time and keep adding on until the back or fronts are done.  I wear this one all through the fall as a coat.

The Ponchette is at the 32″ mark.  The finished length for the largest size is 53″ so I’m  getting there.  It is a lot of knitting!  I would post a pic but it looks the same except wider.  When you’re knitting along, you see all the gorgeous colors — seagreen, rose, gold, purple – but when you look at it overall, it looks kind of muddy green and reddish pink.  Hmmmmm.  Oh well, on I go.  I am enjoying the knitting, and I’m sure when it’s done it will go with something! 

Our internet service was out from the day I got back to today.  We were all in withdrawal.  Everything we did, we thought, “I’ll go check it out on the internet….no, wait, I can’t.”  It was horrible!  I had no idea I was so hooked.

I went to my friend’s daughter’s wedding on Saturday evening, which was the reason Sally and I had to hotfoot it back from Omaha.  The wedding was beautiful.  The following people were wearing my daughter’s jewelry creations:

Bride, three bridesmaids, two junior bridesmaids, two grandmas, one mother of the bride, two of my daughters, one guest, and me.  I was bursting with pride!  The junior bridesmaids each wore one of the small wedding ring purses on their wrists and then gave them to the bride and groom to open at ring time.  It was quite cute.  The bride wore the wedding purse throughout the reception.

I am 99% done with Ballerina — it is blocking at this very moment.  I wanted to block it before knitting the cuffs so I would know how long the sleeves would end up.  Good plan because the sleeves gained at least 3”!!  Thank goodness because they were SOOOOO skimpy.

I’ll post more later with some pictures and the update on my next major project — it is something that has been aging gracefully for at least 2-3 years (maybe more).   Sally and I will also share our impressions of the knitting shops we visited along the way. 

It is good to be home.

PS — Ballerina was dry this morning so I tried it on.  The sleeves are the perfect length without adding cuffs at all (!?!).  That was surprising!  I’ll i-cord edge the sleeves tonight and it will be D-O-N-E.