theraineysisters knitting and so much more

Well, they did it again! Completely changed the blog set up. It is even harder to post than before, but I will try!

Thank you to everyone who commented after my last post. It really means a lot to us!!

Some of you may go way back. If you do, you may remember the Sock Monkey Dress I posted during the 2006 Minnesota State Fair. I did say way back! It went viral and put The Rainey Sisters on the map. Because of that post, I have been associated with sock monkeys ever since.

This ad hit my email a few months ago. You may have also seen it. It triggered my “sock monkey” response!

I decided to recreate the sweater in the ad. I don’t think I quite succeeded, but here it is!

I used Cascade 220. I started out with Joji Locatelli’s Basic Raglan, but it just didn’t work at the neck. I ended up needing to do major surgery to correct it. The neckline just didn’t drop enough in the front. I think that is a major problem with most top-down sweaters that rely on short rows to raise the back neck. It just isn’t adequate. The blue lines show where I machine stitched and then cut out fabric. I picked up the live center front sts.

I wish I had used a marled yarn instead of the color I chose. Also, I used a bluer red than the picture in the ad. I tried lipstick red, but this looked better to me. I do wear it because it’s kind of a workhorse sweater. And, just to let you know how I really feel:

PS to Samina: There’s not much of a story regarding the sock monkey dress. It was on display at the fair as an art installation, not an entry. The artist, whose name escapes me, used sock monkeys often in her work. Very fun and creative!

It seems our blog is petering out! No one posts. No one comments. So, I will send out this little post and see what happens. It does cost us hundreds of dollars a year to maintain this blog. I know. Surprising!

This is one of my recent FOs. It is my second Comfort Fade Cardigan, designed by Andrea Mowry. My first, more subdued rendition, can be found here. This color choice was actually not my own. I was inspired by a project I saw on Instagram. I ran to BeWoolen to get the same colors of Rios!! When I saw the actual colors, they looked different than the picture, so I substituted a couple of colors. Frank Ochre yellow just didn’t translate in the photos, but I wanted that acidy color in my cardi. I really like the results.

Another recent FO is my Melt the Ice Bandana turned Cowl. It was designed to be a summery alternative to the oh-so popular Melt the Ice Hat, with proceeds also going back into the community.

I converted the bandana into a cowl by working in the round after I got to a certain point. I am now knitting a regular bandana in a wool/cotton blend that will tie in the back.

I am still protesting. Still angry about what is happening to our country, but damn. It is absolutely exhausting. Every day they do something worse than the day before. It is impossible to keep up, and that is what they are counting on! So, I try to remain optimistic that we can weather this storm.

PS: Thank you for all the supportive comments! It means a lot. Don’t be shy about commenting as it is appreciated!

PS2: To Anne C. Anne asked about tips to fading sleeves to match the body. My advice is to count rows. Comfort Fade said just knit til they match, but I took notes on row counts and my sleeves match. Be sure you leave enough yarn of each color for the sleeves. Each sleeve row at its widest takes about a third of the yarn length of the body, then less as you decrease.