theraineysisters knitting and so much more

Thank you for all the well wishes.  It was a beautiful wedding.  The weather was perfect.  So many friends and loved ones traveled to share our joy.  I did not take many photos, but I will share one.  I am hoping my sister got a few good ones while we wait for the ones from the “real” photographer.

PS from Susan – Nora was absolutely stunning and the wedding was fabulous.  I did get some nice photos (maybe), but my husband has my camera.  He travelled by car and is taking the long scenic route home.  All in all, it was a picture perfect weekend.

We are in packing mode here today.  My husband is driving to Colorado so he can take all the essentials: bike, roller skis, etc.  That means that I can load up his van with all the junk I want!!  I will take a long a small carry on just in case we beat him there (daughters and I are flying out tomorrow).  It’s the best of both worlds!

I am excited about the wedding and to see Sally’s lovely shrug.  She took quite a bit of time landing on the look she wanted and I am sure it will be beautiful.

A Sally mentioned, my daughter will also be getting married — in December.  She has requested a bolero, much like the one worn by Sally’s and my mother in this photo:

We ordered fabric that matches her dress and I found the perfect pattern:

It will take me a lot less time than Sally’s shrug, I’m sure!!!

As for knitting news, I have some projects underway that will be revealed a bit later.  What I realized this week is that I have not really shared some recent FOs and their details.  I entered this hat in the fair and forgot to tell people about it in detail.  And this hat deserves it!  It is a lovely, well designed pattern.

Flavia Hat by Beth Kling
Yarn Used: Miss Babs Tierno in Color Beach Glass
Needles – I think I used size 2’s and 4’s

You start out with twisted rib, which is set up to flow right into the main pattern.  The increases are added without disrupting the ribbing.  The hat is worked on 244 sts!  Quite a lot.  I used slightly larger yarn to get a larger finished size.

The beauty of this design is the elegance of the decreases.  Beth changed up the design in very creative ways to have the decreases naturally flow into the crown.  Beautiful!

I received a second place ribbon for the hat.  Okay.  Nothing odd there.  Except that 1- there was no first place and 2- there were TWO second place awards…now that is unusual!  (Reminds me of Strangers on a Train, “I’ll have a pair of doubles.”)  The judges are not obligated to give out a blue ribbon (or any ribbons) if none of the submissions are deemed worthy, but it seemed odd to have two seconds.

ETA Deepa’s Theory: “Here’s my theory- your hat and the other second place winner had the exact same score, say 98/100. Since there was no outright 1st place, they gave out two red ribbons. Just speculating.”  –Makes sense!

Well, the weekend will be a blur and it is doubtful either of us will post anything before next week.  Wish us luck!!

I know that I’ve been missing in action, and Susan hasn’t been that very visible either.

I leave Washington, DC tomorrow for Boulder, Colorado where my lovely and wonderful daughter (and occasional model) Nora will be married this weekend.  I’ve been deep in wedding details these last few weeks.  I’ve helped create most of the “paper” for the wedding — programs, menus, place cards, etc.  And I’ve knit her a little silk shrug — nothing complicated, just an impromptu pattern.  So I apologize that not much has been posted.  It’s just that other than the shrug, I haven’t knit much.

I don’t want to share the shrug because she hasn’t seen it, and I don’t even know if it will fit or if she’ll wear it.  But here are some quickie photos of one of my swatches:

I do have a new project for the trip, which I hope to share when I return.

P.S. Susan’s deep in wedding planning, too — but I will let her talk about that when she’s ready.

Some of you may recall my post about Vintage Mood — a cute, intriguing design knit with bulky yarn (which I had in stash!).  It had “issues” which I corrected surgically (described in this post).  To recap, the back neck had a hump.

After Surgery

Someone asked if there was way to fix the hump as you were knitting it — what would I do differently?  Would short rows work?  I deferred to the designer to fix the problem, but dear Sivani jumped in with both feet and crafted a solution.  I did not try it because my vest was already supposedly fixed, but Charlotte did.  She said it was a success!

Here is Sivani’s Solution (bear in mind that she was working from my photos and did not have the pattern in front of her — even MORE amazing!):

Sivani’s Solution
Use preferred method of shortrowing, e.g. Japanese, Wrap and Turn, etc.)

20 rows before starting the ribbing, locate and mark the center stitch (CM), and 8 sts either side (M). (17 sts in center group)

R 1: K to M, turn (8 sts to CM))
R 2: (and all even rows) P to end
R 3: K to  3 sts before M, turn (11 sts to CM)
R 5: K to  5 sts before M, turn (13 sts to CM)
R 7: K to  7 sts before M, turn (15 sts to CM)
R 9: K to  8 sts before M, turn (16 sts to CM)
R11: K to  9 sts before M, turn (17 sts to CM)
R13: K to 10 sts before M, turn (18 sts to CM)
R15: K to 10 sts before M, turn (18 sts to CM)
R17: K to 11 sts before M, turn (19 sts to CM)
R19: K to 12 sts before M, turn (20 sts to CM)
R21: K to 12 sts before M, turn (20 sts to CM)
R22: P to end

Do not break yarn!

– End of first side. —

Attach yarn at the other end.

R 1: P to M, turn (8 sts to CM)
R 2: (and all even rows) K to end
R 3: P to  3 sts before M, turn (11 sts to CM)
R 5: P to  5 sts before M, turn (13 sts to CM)
R 7: P to  7 sts before M, turn (15 sts to CM)
R 9: P to  8 sts before M, turn (16 sts to CM)
R11: P to  9 sts before M, turn (17 sts to CM)
R13: P to 10 sts before M, turn (18 sts to CM)
R15: P to 10 sts before M, turn (18 sts to CM)
R17: P to 11 sts before M, turn (19 sts to CM)
R19: P to 12 sts before M, turn (20 sts to CM)
R21: P to 12 sts before M, turn (20 sts to CM)
R22: K to end

— End of second side —

Return to the edge of the first side, and continue working in pattern (starting rib).

Thank you so much, Sivani and Charlotte, for sharing!!  It makes me want to knit another — kind of!

Figuratively, at least!  But just wanted to drop in and say we are alive!  No knitting news.  I have been sewing like a fiend, which is keeping me trapped in the basement without hope of seeing daylight!  I hope we have something of interest to report soon…

This weekend and this date sure are harbingers of summer’s passing.  Bummer!  Last chance for summer activities before the first fall cold snap hits.

I am working on a very satisfying project which will be revealed if when it gets finished, but I also knit this little item at the request of my daughter (for a friend of a friend).

It is my One Day Baby Hat knit out of leftover Venezia Sport.  I have a feeling that I will making a LOT of small projects out of my leftovers!

In the original, you can see that the Malizia floral yarn  worked out so the little flower thingies popped out perfectly at the top and bottom of the lace motifs:

In the newest rendition, the lace motifs are smaller (smaller gauge yarn) so the flower thingies don’t line up in the same way.  Whatever!  I think it looks fine and I am not going to do anything to “fix” it!

If I cared, which I don’t, I would enlarge the lace pattern for smaller gauge yarn and use a 10-stitch motif instead of 8.  The other thing I did is make the hat too long by probably a half inch.  Oh well.

The reason that I made this for my “non-knitworthy” daughter is that she actually went to the state fair and found my knitting, dragging her friends along for the ride!  Many, many points were accrued!  Wow.