theraineysisters knitting and so much more

Happy New Year, everyone! 

Be safe, healthy and happy in 2015!

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a thing for Paris and the Eiffel Tower. So when I saw a pattern for Paris mittens featuring the Eiffel Tower, I had to make them. I decided that they’d make a perfect Christmas gift for my daughter, who lives in snowy Colorado. Her now husband proposed to her at the Eiffel Tower several years ago.

I experimented with several yarn combinations for the mittens, finally settling on Classic Elite Fresco in cream and a mystery yarn from a period when I was doing a lot of glove designing. I am fairly certain that the mystery yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere, but I don’t know the color name. It’s a gray with lavender overtones. The last photo — with Nora wearing the mittens — is the truest in showing the color.

I love the mittens, especially the bi-plane that pulls the Paris banner, but they were a pain to knit. That’s on me; I don’t like knitting fair isle on double points. I do like the results, though! (A fun design by Andrea Arbour with just a few modifications by yours truly.) The glass desk ornament in the first two photos was a Christmas gift from Nora this year — how fitting that we “exchanged” Eiffel Towers.

Ack!  My Christmas knitting is down to the very last possible moment!  I was knitting a sweater for my great niece (great in so many ways!!), and put off the sleeves for way too long.  You know.  Sleeve syndrome.  Then my dad suggested that I knit a hat for his girlfriend.  Yes, they are in their 80’s and he has a “girlfriend.”  This was on Sunday night while I was still knitting furiously to finish a sleeve!!

So here are my last minute gifts, all ready to wrap:

The Sweater

Erika insisted on red for the color.  I used Berroco Vintage in color 5150 (4 skeins).  The pattern is Peachick Eyes — a child’s version of Justyna Lorkowska’s adult cardigan Peacock Eyes.  I was using worsted instead of fingering weight yarn (!!) so I used the stitch counts for the size 2 version and lengths for the size 12.  I had Erika’s measurements and now can only hope it fits!!  I also substituted garter for the 1×1 ribbing.

The Hat
I thought if I used really big yarn and a simple hat I could knit it in one night and wetblock it in time for Christmas day.  I had to wake up at 5 am on Tuesday to finish it, soak it and block it before leaving for work so it would dry in time!

I used my own One Day Hat pattern and held two yarns together.  I used Maulbeerseide Schurwolle (a dk weight merino and silk blend) and held it with Kidsilk Aura (like Kidsilk Haze only heavier).

It took a bit longer to knit because I wanted longer ribbing to fold double.  The pom pom is adjustable and removable but I thought looked cuter as a gift.  It will be super warm!!

Are the rest of you ready??  Tick tock!!!

Addendum
In today’s paper they had an article with people sharing special ornaments and their meaning to their families.  I thought, wow – how could I have missed that opportunity!!  So, I will share the story of the little blue chicken here.  When John  and I got married it was a week before Christmas (as you know from Sally’s post!).  So it was not until the following year we started collecting ornaments for our first real Christmas together.

We went to an international boutique on the West Bank called the Global Village  (thanks, Susan, for providing the name!!) and bought a bunch of brass and fabric ornaments from India.  One was a tiny blue chicken, about an inch tall.   The little blue chicken was a riot.  So tiny you could never find it on a tree!  As a joke, we placed it at the top instead of a star or angel.  Even though it started as a joke, we have done it every year since.  The Little Blue Chicken stands big and proud atop the tree.  A light is strategically placed beneath, casting a large chicken shadow on the ceiling above.

We love our little blue chicken. 

Another addendum — here is Santa’s Helper in her new sweater!!

“I’d like Sally to knit me a cream colored scarf for Christmas.” This was the message from my mother-in-law to my husband. She’s 92 years old; her wish was my command. (Even the song says Christmas is for kids from one to 92.)

I rummaged around in my stash and found some cream cashmere I bought at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival from Hunt Valley Yarns. Then I looked for a simple but elegant pattern and settled on Dorchester designed by Donna Brooks.

This was a nice, easy pattern that I hope she’ll find wearable. She lives in Minnesota and so she needed a scarf that would be warm; that’s one reason I steered away from something overly lacy or open.

In other news, it’s Susan’s wedding anniversary today. Happy Anniversary!

Tis the season for “detour knitting.”  In other words, knitting for others!  I made a hat for hubby this weekend that he is sure to love.  Have any of you seen the Garter Ear Flap Hat, free from Purl Soho?  Well, it is adorable and I thought perfect for my husband, the cross country skier.  My hubby is not a pixie, but is as cute as one!

Garter Ear Flap Hat from Purl Soho

I made a few mods on this one to make it more of a ski cap.  I see him throwing this on after a race when his race hat is cold and wet.  The earflaps are amazing!  They hug the ears perfectly – this hat is really comfortable!!

Susan’s Garter Ear Flap Ski Hat

I definitely see more of these in my future, for people big and small!

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday.  I made the traditional dinner for my immediate family and everything turned out the best it’s ever been!  The exception was the pecan pie – which I was REALLY looking forward to.  You could not get it out of the pan.  At all.  I tried.  Many times.  That may have been a positive because it kept me from eating the whole thing…somehow I managed to eat plenty!!

How do you like my candlestick warmers??

Actually, that is just how I blocked them!  They look kind of cute like that, though, don’t ya think!!  These are the free Drops pattern called Fjord Rose Wrist Warmers, which comes in many different things (sweater, neck warmer, socks, etc.).  Don’t know why, but I just had to make them.  I used a mishmash of yarns and much larger needles than called for.

Here they are being worn:

Susan’s Fjord Rose Wrist Warmers

I thought they would add a cute knitting element to my store-bought sweaters.  Plus, they ARE wrist warmers and I am getting prepared for the next round of polar vortex weather 🙁 .

Sock Monkey Bag thinks the wrist warmers are the most beautiful, stunning, gorgeous things he has ever seen!!

I think it is love at first sight!!

PS to the Pats — the Sweater Vase was purchased from Crate and Barrel. I saw them in Vogue Knitting and the hunt was on!! Unfortunately, I bought it in early 2012 right after the 2011 holiday season. I do not believe they are still available.

PS2: I did a little bit of sashaying with Sock Monkey Bag and my new wrist warmers at knitting last night for Kathy’s benefit!!

I couldn’t resist.

By now, many of you have probably heard of Woolfolk Yarn, which — as their website says — “combines the hand of cashmere with the wear of merino.” They have two yarns: Får, which is a chained worsted weight, and Tynd, a plied fingering weight. I have just finished knitting a sweater using Får. It is heavenly — ultra soft with a slight halo.

The pattern I used is Flet, designed for Woolfolk by Olga Buraya-Kefelian. I’m going to show you a few photos, but be warned. This has NOT been blocked. I haven’t even woven in the ends yet (you can see some of them in the photographs.) I’m sharing it now anyway because I haven’t posted in a long time and I am afraid that I won’t get all of the finishing done before I leave for Colorado for Thanksgiving. I didn’t want to wait to share.

I liked the yarn so well that I’ve already purchased more. You can see the “chainette” aspect of the yarn in this photo.

In other news, Susan is the Minnesota Knitters’ Guild’s featured knitter this week. Check it out!

Which is cuter, Foxy or Wolfie?  Impossible to decide!  Friend Kim made both and brought her Wolfie to knitting group.  I brought my Foxy.  Two adorable models graciously agreed to show off their cuteness by showing off the hats’ cuteness.

It is amazing how the ears totally “pop” when the hat is being worn!

Not me personally.  I rarely feel “foxy” any more.  Sad, but true!  But I do have a Foxy Hat!   Knitting peep Kim brought her finished Foxy to knitting on Thursday and we L O V E D it!  So adorable.

My Foxy

The pattern is okay, but it calls for intarsia in the round, using a shadow short row technique.  I decided to try “Annetarsia” in the round, having just bought the book (Annetarsia Knits: a New Link to Intarsia by Anne Berk).  This simple project seemed the perfect way to explore Anne’s brilliant technique.

It was and it wasn’t.  Going one direction looked fine:

But the other did not:

Ahh, you say.  It looks BETTER.  Yes, it does because I seamed over the ugly.  It looked a mess!  I followed the pictures in the book, but this side looked awful.  Anne Berk is coming to Yarnover next year and I may take her class so I can find out what I am doing wrong. 🙁

So, I am still not a fan of intarsia in the round.  If I make another of these cuties (maybe Wolfie next time), I will knit each half separately and seam them.  Faster and nicer looking.  At least for me!!

Yep.  Over 17000 projects in Ravelry.  The free Honey Cowl pattern is what one could call “popular.”  This cowl was designed to accentuate the beauty of the Madelinetosh colors, and it does not disappoint!

My Honey Cowl is knit with Tosh DK, color Spectrum (132 gms, 297 yards, cast on 200 sts).  I received this yarn from a good friend (Mary) who had it left over from a project. I was so obnoxious about my lust for this yarn, that she felt compelled to hand it over!

I thought about a number of projects that would work but landed on Honey because it showcases all the color variation in the yarn:

Look at those colors!!  Though an easy pattern, it took me forever — it was very b o r i n g!   Mine ended up being about 6.5 x 39 inches.  It is very pretty and will go with several things.  Yay!  Thanks, Mary!! 🙂

On another note, I would like to share this cautionary tale.   Another knitting peep finished up a beautiful bandana-type shawlette.  Knit it, blocked it, was ready to wear it to work to add a little pop of color to jeans and a shirt.  Unfortunately she had used the MAGIC KNOT (video link) to join two ends of yarn.  It came undone.

I have seen this happen to several knitters on Ravelry and would warn others not to rely on this joining technique in knitting.  It is meant to work when the finished product is held taut, but knitting is not taut!  In its natural state, the yarn is relaxed.  And often a bit slippery.  The very short ends can work themselves apart.  If I use this method (which is rare), I also leave the ends and work them into the knitting.

Luckily I was able to perform a minor surgical procedure on K’s lovely shawl!!

You can see my surgery from the wrong side because of the ends, but hopefully no one can spot it from the right side.

Other than the above I am in a bit of the fall doldrums.  I am working on my sweater coat, which is very slow.  Today I will be volunteering at Fall Fiber Festival at my old high school!  It is very strange to go there…bad memories.  Must forget.

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