theraineysisters knitting and so much more

August 21, 2008

From Susan — Why We Save Our Presents for Christmas Morning

Filed under: Back Story — lv2knit @ 4:35 pm

There are two kinds of Christmas people: the ones who open their presents on Christmas Eve and the ones who wait until Christmas morning.  We were Christmas morning people. One year, we decided to honor the other tradition and we opened all of our gifts on Christmas Eve.  The next morning, I was so disappointed: where was everything? Somehow, I had expected presents to be “re-stocked” and that there would be more gifts to unwrap. But of course there were no extra presents. My husband comes from Christmas Eve people, but I refuse to let their tradition taint our home!

What does that have to do with August and the Minnesota State Fair?  Well, yesterday I wrote that the anticipation of wondering if your knitting got a ribbon made it all the more fun.  The state fair posts the results on-line.  A few years ago, the results were available the NIGHT BEFORE the fair opened!  I read the results — I knew how my stuff did before I got there.  Bummer!!  It was not as much fun.  But the temptation was too much for me! 

Well, this morning, the results were up before I left for the fair.  So I could have read them before I left. I DID read about the baking results because my friend entered some cookies and bars — she won a ribbon, BTW:

Linda's Bars3 by you.
The ones with the pink ribbon are hers!

But for my stuff, I knew better than to read about it ahead of time, and I was glad I waited.  I walked in through the back way and right in front of me was this:

Lyra by you.

I just burst into tears!  I was so expecting it to be overlooked. It was entered in the “Table Linens” category and up against very lacy and lovely crochet and tatting. I did not know what to expect, so I was very, very pleased!

PS — Twinsetellen commented that she went to the fair and saw Lyra and wondered why it was displayed with the purl side up (i.e, wrong side up)!  I looked at a close up photo that I took and sure enough, they are displaying the wrong side.  I wondered why it looked “rougher” to me than I remembered! I’ll need to mention this to the fair people when I go back.  Jeesh!  My eyesight needs a tune up…

Around the corner I found my Roslin Hoodie:

Roslin2 by you.
Can you believe the mannequin?  Such a dramatic pose! 😉 

Again, I was very pleased to see that it did so well.  Off in another case was my Mystic Waters Shawl:

MWS by you.

Yes, a second place — which thrilled me especially when I saw how it looked hung up like an old dishrag.  I think this shawl would show better in a richer, more vibrant color, but too late now!  So, those are my results this year.

The big thrill was seeing Kim’s sweater, decked out in all of its child-sized glory:

Kim's Sweater1 by you.
Again, why does it look like it was made for infant Quasimodo?

She made a beautiful Dale of Norway sweater that turned out just perfect — note The Yarnery award!  Kim was there so we hung out and looked around at all the displays.  We were both disappointed when fellow Thursdays at Four knitting peep, Ellie, did not win a ribbon for her darling child’s sweater:

Ellie's Sweater by you.

I fell in love with this petit point Christmas Stocking:

Stocking Petit Point by you.

The judges must have, too, because it was bedecked with ribbons and awards.

After perusing the displays, I checked out the Knitters Guild event outside the Education Building:

Glitter Knitter1 by you.
Knitting Squares at the Fair

I also wanted to see Kris King’s felted bag on display at the Fine Arts exhibit — it is where the real artwork is displayed (painting, sculpture, photography).  OMG, her bag is gorgeous:

Kris King by you.

Wow! Felting as an artform.  Way to go, Kris!  It is absolutely stunning.

So long for today, State Fair — I’ll be back with DH in tow!

State Fair by you.

PS — an answer to a question:  “What exactly is the Sweep Stakes award?” The sweepstakes is awarded by comparing all the blue ribbon winners in the category and then selecting the best of the blue ribbon winners.  It is a thrill and an honor because it is the best of the best!

From Susan — I Respectfully Decline

Filed under: Back Story — lv2knit @ 12:01 am

Last year, at just about this time, some of you may recall that I received an anonymous letter “asking” me to stop entering my knitting in the Minnesota State Fair.  Today’s blog title is my response to that request.

I did enter a few items this year and now wait in anticipation for the “big reveal” tomorrow, as are so many others.  I think that’s the biggest reason to enter: the torture of waiting!  I didn’t enter as many things as last year, because I didn’t consider them “fair worthy.”  It sure seemed like I didn’t get much knitting done this year, but when I perused the blog, I found more than I had remembered:

Icarus Shawl
Adamas Shawl
Alix Shawl
Mystic Waters Shawl
Lyra
Roslin Hoodie
Saartje’s Booties
Merci Scarf
Lopi Cardigan
Kauni Cardigan
Rudy the Felted Reindeer
Sweetheart Glovelets
Fetching Glovelets
Hemlock Ring Throws x 4
Felted Modular Purse

Started, but…not finished
Roseleaves Tunic
Mitered Cardigan
Hanne Falkenberg Plisse

That’s a really good reason for having a blog: you can look back on your projects and their ongoing progress.  I can’t rely on my memory for this stuff!

There are some fun Knitters Guild activities going on at the fair tomorrow, and I am meeting some of my peeps at the Creative Activities Building early in the a.m.  I’ll do an update with pictures tomorrow!

August 14, 2008

From Susan — Icarus Takes Flight

Filed under: Knitting Tips,Susan's Icarus Shawl — lv2knit @ 9:43 pm

Icarus Shawl on Lettie Front by you.

My Icarus Shawl is done.  I chose it for its beauty and simplicity, but its very simplicity made it a little boring to knit! I did have some fun adding beads a la Mimknits, except I used a crochet hook instead of fishing line.  Mim says that there is a risk of dropping a stitch and having the shawl unravel, but that is really not the case here.  If the bead is placed above a YO, which these are, the stitch cannot unravel.  It will stop at the yarnover and not go further.  I had no trouble using the crochet technique.

Beading
There are to my knowledge three ways to add beads while knitting.  Two require that you thread the beads onto your working yarn ahead of time, and one is done by pulling the stitch through the bead as you go.  These pics show the differences:

The following two methods require pre-threading the beads:

Bead placement occurs between two sts.  The fan effect is created by slipping an increasing number of beads in-between.  Beads are placed on both WS and RS rows —

 amuletbag091006.jpg picture by lv2knit
This pattern is available free: Beaded Amulet Bag Pattern

The next method is also done with slipped beads, but the bead is placed in front of the stitch, replacing the stitch so to speak.  The stitch is slipped as to purl with yarn in front, with the bead positioned on the short strand in front of the stitch:

WeddingPurse007.jpg Wedding Purse picture by lv2knit
This pattern is available free: Beaded Wedding Purse

The last method is the one that Mimknits described above — pulling a stitch through the bead as you go.  Here is a picture of the beads and crochet hook that I used for Icarus.  I think my beads could have been quite a bit larger to have more visual impact:

Blocking
Anyone who has knit lace knows that blocking creates a miracle.  It transforms the lace from a blob to a thing of ethereal and breathtaking beauty.  While knitting lace, it is such an ugly duckling, I throw it on the floor, let the dog lay on it, roll it up and throw it in a corner…but once blocked, I treat it with such reverence!  It becomes a delicate crystal vase that must be carried and handled gingerly — at least for a while!

Here is pre-blocked Icarus:

Icarus Shawl pre-block by you.

The magic of Icarus lies not only in the expected miracle of lace blocking.  There is an intrinsic quality in this pattern that is not apparent as you are knitting it. The routine and repetitive pattern rows become something much, much more in the blocking.  Intricate shapes appear that were not there as you were knitting — really, they weren’t!  For this reason, I highly recommend this pattern for someone’s first lace shawl.  You get a lot of bang for your knitting buck!

Icarus being blocked:

Icarus Shawl lower by you.

The feathers really become feathers!  And now the shawl is something to love!

Icarus Shawl with Peacock by you.

Sally wrote about her Icarus and included a wonderful poem (scroll down to read the poem).  So, now both Rainey Sisters have completed their mandatory Icarus Shawls. 😉

From Both Sisters — Lost in (Cyber-) Space

Filed under: Back Story — Both Sisters @ 7:18 am

That was scary!  We were off the grid for the whole day yesterday, but we are back and glad to be here!  We’ll do a real post tomorrow — an FO revealed!

August 11, 2008

From The Rainey Sisters — A Mini-Knitalong

Filed under: Aran Wrap Cardigan — Both Sisters @ 3:00 pm

This is a mini-knitalong because there are just the two of us in it, but the project itself is not mini — not by a long shot.  We are making the Aran Wrap Cardigan from the Fall 2008 Vogue Knitting (Design #30 by Angela Hahn):

We both liked how it looked in Vogue, but a photograph of the back we found at Angela’s blog completely sold us on this project (pictures included with Angela’s permission):

Another of the front and how it would look if someone (“Not me,” lamented Susan!) had a waist:

This picture shows the construction:

We both love this!  The unusual construction is appealing, but also cause for angst, so we were happy to find Angela’s blog for more photos, construction details, errata and helpful tips.  (We recommend making a visit there — after you finish reading here, of course.) She provided a list of yarns to try as an alternative to the very heavy and very pricey yarn that was used for the Vogue version (Trendsetter Journey, 55 yds/50 gm — ~$300).  One of her suggestions was Peruvia, which Susan had used to make a Hemlock Ring and Rudy, her stuffed and felted reindeer.  It is beautiful yarn — so the quest began!  Instead of spending $300, it is more like $80-100.  Much better for our price range! (Note: we don’t mind spending money on yarn, but when there is a beautiful yarn that will work as well or better than the original and costs half as much — why not?)

The quest was short:  Susan chose Chipotle (#7114) and Sally decided on Bing Cherry (# 7151).  You start knitting with the large rectangle. It is about 24×45 (58) inches.  It’s a lot of knitting, but you are making the fronts, back, and collar all at once. 

The sleeves are picked up and knit down, as is the bottom peplum.  It is possible to use the no-cable needle technique for the travelling sts, though it easier to do the Coin Cable and Reversible Ribbed Cable with a cable needle.

Here is our progress so far:

Susan’s Aran Wrap (scanned to show true color);

And to show progress (the actual yarn is not this red — at all!):

Into the third repeat — Susan is making the larger size and will have to do three more repeats of the pattern to complete the large rectangle 🙁 .  The disadvantage of being “The Big One!”

Sally’s Aran Wrap:

Sally’s yarn, which is red, looks less red than Susan’s in this photo. It’s really not as dark as it looks here.

The true color is similar to Manos del Uruguay Color M, also known as Bing Cherry. It’s a deep, rich red flecked with dark. This yarn is also wonderful to knit with. We really wanted to shy away from the recommended yarn because the designer kept saying how heavy it was, and that brought back bad memories for Sally of her Silver Belle.

P.S. from Sally:

My little assistant is visiting (although he returns home to Colorado tomorrow). He still loves his Cats-and-Mice blanket.

August 8, 2008

From Sally — Premature Blocking

Filed under: Paisley Long Shawl — surly @ 9:01 am

I’ve been nervous about my Paisley Shawl. Despite reader assurances that it “blocks long,” I had a few doubts. For one thing, when I finished the first half of the shawl it was 27 inches wide and only 18 or 19 inches long. When finished, the shawl is supposed to be about 77 inches long and 29 inches wide. I’ve knit a lot of shawls and I know how much lace blocks, but the proportions seemed odd to me. So, I did a “partial block” or “block as you go.” I briefly soaked what I had knit and then did a quickie block. (As you may recall, this shawl is started in the middle on a provisional cast on; I bound off the finished half but left the provisional cast on in place when I did this block.)

INSERT SIGH OF RELIEF HERE.

It will work. Here is the partial shawl on Lucy (yes, I know — she needs some clothes. Susan keeps telling me that.)

When I finish knitting the entire thing, I’ll do a more exacting block of the entire piece. At least I now know that the knitting is not in vain.

I’ve already undone the provisional cast on and placed the shawl back on the needles so I can knit the other half:

It’s going to look very odd as I continue knitting. One half will be blocked and the other half will be a shriveled mess.

In the meantime, Susan and I are both getting very excited about our fall projects. More on that soon.

August 7, 2008

From Susan — Thumbs Up!

Filed under: Back Story — lv2knit @ 8:22 am

Well, I wore my new outfit yesterday, shawl and all!  My immediate work peeps said nothing 🙁 but others raved.  One woman asked me if I had received a lot of compliments on my beautiful outfit :).  So the verdict is a thumbs up!

I will finish Icarus TONIGHT (or maybe tomorrow 😉 ).  I’ll post pics at that time.  It takes a little time to do that and I am supposed to be heading to work right now.  Tonight is Thursday, so you know where I’ll be — join us at Panera’s if you can!

August 3, 2008

From Susan — All Sewed Up

Filed under: Back Story — lv2knit @ 9:29 pm

I do like that about sewing: start in the morning and done by evening!  I made another of my ‘work dresses’ today.  I bought the fabric to go with a shawl that I have had for several years* that went with NOTHING I owned.  The color looked brownish next to pink and pink next to brown.  It languished — I would take it out every once in a while and wish again that I had something to wear it with.

So, I finally dragged the lil sucker around with me and found the perfect fabric:

Dress by you.

It is white, lineny fabric with embroidery in the exact matching color and 30% off to boot!  I made the dress today and the rest is history:

Dress 004 by you.

Yes, I do realize that all my work dresses look pretty much the same 🙂 . 

When I tried it on with the shawl, it seemed a bit dressy for work, but no matter.  I will either wear it and hope that I do not experience another “lose the pants” moment (“Lady, lose the shawl!”), or save it for dressier occasions (though my social life is rather bereft of such occasions at the moment!).  In any case, I really like the dress — my daughters both said they liked it without prompting — and I like looking at it with the shawl.  So there!

Knitting is progressing well — I am on the 3rd chart out of 4 for my Icarus Shawl.  Chart 4 has 24 rows and then there are 4 finishing rows, so I have about 30+ rows total left to do.  I’m thinking of adding a few beads to the bind off row to add a little bit of pizazz.  Maybe it’s gilding the lily — I’ll have to see.  I’ll post a picture later — maybe when it’s done if it goes quickly.

* in answer to PainterWoman, this is a purchased shawl and is not knit

August 2, 2008

From The Rainey Sisters — Twist Collective

Filed under: Back Story — Both Sisters @ 5:56 pm

There is a new player in town — Twist Collective.  It describes itself as follows:

“The idea of Twist Collective came from our shared desire to bring talented designers and writers together, to give them a beautiful showcase for their work, and pay them fairly. After publication with Twist Collective, designers have the option of using the pattern as we produced it, photography and all.  Meanwhile, writers have an explicit right to use their work here as the beginning of something bigger, if they like, or just to work out an idea in a publishing format that allows them their own voice.  

Twist Collective will be published quarterly, send monthly newsletters updating subscribers with news and events, and the magazine’s blog will supplement issues with contributor and reader content, updates to the site, and other surprises.”

This is a new venue for knitting designers to showcase their designs.  You can buy the patterns on-line for about $7 each.  Anyway, there are some very nice designs from some very well known designers.  We added a link under “Where we visit.” 

July 30, 2008

From Sally — Where in the World Have I Been?

Filed under: Paisley Long Shawl,Sally's Ode to Joy — surly @ 2:59 pm

Whew. I’m back and I finally have a computer. We went on a long drive cross-country to see my parents, my daughter (and my little assistant), and my husband’s family. Too much driving — once was definitely enough. We did have some fun along the way.

That wasn’t the most exciting part of our trip. That honor goes to suddenly coming across a tractor trailer wheel lying on its side in our lane on Interstate 80 with a huge truck in the lane next to us and a ditch on the other side. More thrills in those few seconds than in my entire paragliding. Fortunately, our car was drivable, just barely, and we made it home. Le sigh.

On the road, we saw some famous people:

More important, my hands are feeling much better and I’ve been able to do some knitting. While on the trip, I finished one of the sleeves to my Ode to Joy short cardigan (aka the Bolero).

I’m feeling a little bit unmotivated to pick up the stitches for the other sleeve. I added about two inches of length to the sleeve by doing additional rows of each color sequence starting about three inches from the top of the sleeve. (You pick up and knit from the top down.) The first one was a slo-o-o-o-w knit and I think I’m associating working on it with spending hours upon hours in the car. I need to get over it and just do it.

In the meantime, I’ve been working on the Paisley Long Shawl from Fiddlesticks Knitting. It’s a lovely piece and a relatively easy knit even though the lace is worked on both right and wrong side rows. You start in the middle of the shawl using a provisional cast on and then work your way to each end. I’m on the large set of “Paisley” patterns (on my first half of the shawl).

I’m making my shawl out of Wagtail’s 4-ply Fine Kid Mohair in Midnight Red (100 grams equals 410 yards). It’s a beautiful yarn with a nice sheen, but now that I am working on it I’m a little concerned that the color is very close to the Zephyr I used for my Peacock Shawl.

I do wonder how my shawl, which looks even more shrunken and misshapen then most unblocked lace, will ever resemble the beautiful model. Let’s cross our fingers.

P.S.Tangled Yoke: Someone asked about the bobbles on The Tangled Yoke. I’m not sure I understood your question — there are only bobbles at each end of the design as you go around the yoke. There aren’t bobbles elsewhere in the cables.

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