theraineysisters knitting and so much more

Matt Cooke is King of the Mountains!  Matt, you thrilled us with your skill and your perseverance (and those crazy legs!!)!  We are so proud of you!!

Matt and Nora Cooke – picture taken after Stage 5 of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado

Yesterday was the first day of the Minnesota State Fair.  My annual routine is to head to the Fair with knitting peep, Kim, where we await the opening of the Creative Activities Bldg doors at 9 am in anticipation, eager to see how we did with our entries.  Not this year.

A work snafu brought on by some incompetent boob (okay, it was me ) meant that I had to work.  Not only WORK, but get to work by 6 am !!  Kim decided she might as well go to work, too, so we met up at about 4:30.  Some of my other friends came along (including “The Other Susan”), so it was quite a fun afternoon-evening, although I was already crispy fried like a nice calamari.

Kim and I agreed to enter the building as “results virgins” and not look up the results on line ahead of time – we both kept our promise.  It is always a challenge to find everything and this year was no different, especially since I could not remember what I entered!  Really sad, I know.  Kim had entered four items and I entered seven.  Finally found them all.  Here is an overview:

I entered:

Moose River Cowl – 1st
Burr Cardigan – 1st
Inggun – 1st
Icicle Hat – 1st
Lyra Shawl – 2nd
Sock Monkey Project Bag – 3rd (yay – recognition for a Sock Monkey!!)
Pueblo Stole (entered as scarf) – nada

The Moose River Cowl was a last minute throw in – I expected to get nothing for it, but it won a blue!  I was shocked.  My High Country Pueblo stole was a lot of work and came up short — you really never know what will win!  Honestly, there are so many wonderful knitters in Minnesota and fabulous entries, it is truly an honor to win any ribbons.

It took me a while to realize it, but my Inggun vest was displayed wrong side out.  Kind of weird because it is highly cabled around the neck so it seemed pretty obvious which was the right side.  They did change it upon request.  I got to step into the display area to assist!   It is fixed in the picture above.

Lyra came in second to the sweepstakes grand champion: a large, traditional, Shetland-style shawl that is simple and elegant, in cobweb laceweight.  Not a surprise!  I was thrilled to get 2nd.  I was also thrilled that my Sock Monkey Project Bag received a ribbon – you rock, Lil Sock Monkey, you rock!!

Kim did EXTREMELY well!!  She received 1-2-3-3 place ribbons.  I do not have a picture of her linen-stitch scarf, but here are the rest.  Can you tell she has a new grandson to knit for?

Romper in sockweight, Monkey Hat, Bubbles Baby Blanket

Kim’s mom also entered for the first time and won several ribbons this year!  Yay!!

By the time we left the fair, I was afraid I would not be able to get my sorry [edited to maintain PG rating] off the Sky Ride, but I did and got home after a long and action-packed day.  Whew!

Matt Cooke Update: Matt is 4 for 4 as King of the Mountain.  One more mountain stage to go tomorrow — it is likely that if he simply finishes the race he will win overall King of the Mountain, in the toughest race in the US.  We could not be prouder of Matt!  You go, Cookie (aka “Hotpants” 😉 )!!  We love you!

I just returned from a few days in Ogunquit, Maine. (I’d gone up with a friend to catch Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Oguinquit Playhouse.) It’s been years since I’d had a chance to go up to the New England coast, and it was just as beautiful as I remembered, despite a bit of fog.

I brought with me my latest finished object: Havsfrun, a stole designed by Anna Dalvi. Havsfrun is based on a medieval Swedish ballad about a sea witch who loves a mortal. The shawl depicts the water of the sea witch’s realm, which part around her lands and fields.

I knit mine out of yarn that I had purchased at this spring’s Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. Nona, from Spirit Trail Fiber works, is a heavy lace weight yarn that is 50% merino, 25% cashmere, and 25% silk. Yes, it’s a darn shame to knit with. My color — Woad — was a limited edition blue with little touches of dark and light and occasional glimpses of green. Perfect for a sea witch, but hard to capture in photographs. First, I took some artsy shots in Maine.

Here are some more “traditional” shots that show the pattern a little better.

The pattern was a fun, quick, and easy knit and I love the shawl and the yarn.

So that takes care of the Oceans and Witch portion of the post. Where are the Mountains and the King? As many of you know, my son-in-law, Matthew Cooke, is a pro cyclist. He rides for the Jamis Hagens Berman team. Yesterday was the first day of the USA Pro Challenge, aka the Tour of Colorado. This is one of the premier races in North America and includes all of the top riders from the Tour de France. Matt went out on a break and swept up all of the points for the King of the Mountain jersey. We couldn’t be more proud, and we are rooting for him to keep it. (Of course, I don’t know if that’s the team’s strategy for him!) Personally, I think he looks great in polka dots.

PS from Susan — We are thrilled for Matt as he got the ‘KOM hat trick’ for his 3rd King of the Mountain ride today!!  Please help us cheer him on so he gets the overall King of the Mountain award for this thrilling race!!

I’ve been off the last few days, just relaxing — not really a vacation, but more like a taste of retirement!!  And now back to work so I can afford to retire some day…

Jeremy from StevenBe’s  hosted a luncheon last Monday with notable author and knitter, Debbie Macomber.  Yes, that Debbie Macomber!  She has written a zillion books and has had some work made into movies, and recently the Hallmark Channel series, Cedar Cove starring Andie McDowell.

Debbie is completely accessible and down-to-earth.  She seemed like anyone you would hang out with in your favorite knitting store or knitting group.  Except that she is world famous and probably could buy and sell us all!

She chatted about her early years and the role that knitting played in building her confidence and self esteem.  Her prolific writing career began after she started her family.  She now owns a knitting store in addition to her writing.  She keeps it upbeat in both her stories and her approach to life.  I have only read a couple of her books, but I really enjoyed meeting her!!

Many of you have donated generously in the past to this wonderful program.  I work with Pastor Dee Moore on the project and she recently contacted me saying that even though infant loss has been reduced (yay!!), they are running very low on shawls.

In case you have not heard about Wrapped in Care, here is some information from the brochure (see links to the right for flyers if you would like to share them with a knitting group or prayer shawl knitting circle):

What is this program about?
The Birth Center of United Hospital and the Newborn Intensive Care Units of Children’s Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota have initiated a shawl project as part of their bereavement support program for women who suffer the death of an infant.

This program will allow mothers to be wrapped in the warmth of shawls during a very traumatic and painful time.  In addition, if the mother is not discharged yet, they can also provide a far more beautiful background than a hospital gown for pictures that will be treasured for a lifetime.  [They really do use the shawls as a backdrop for the final pictures they have of their baby.]

What can I do?
Share a very special and generous gift by knitting a shawl for the program.  Hand-knit items are a treasure.

If you do not have time to knit a shawl, financial contributions are also welcome.  (See contact information below).  Sorry, but we are unable to accept yarn donations.

What kind of shawl is needed?
The shawls can be of different sizes, shapes and colors.  Prayer shawl patterns work well.  Please follow these criteria when selecting yarns:

–          Soft yarn, easy – care fibers preferred (please include care instructions if possible)

–          Yarns that are one color in soft hues without a pattern or variegation work best for photographs

Where do I send my finished shawl?
Mail your shawl or monetary contribution to:
Checks should be made payable to “Perinatal Loss Cart Fund”

Rev. Dee Moore, C/O Wrapped in Care
Children’s Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota
GardenView Building,Suite503
345 North Smith Avenue
St. Paul, Minnesota 55102

If you can dedicate some of your very precious knitting time to this program, it will mean a great deal to someone who will cherish it!

Reply to Heidi:

There is a link to some patterns on the right hand side of the blog which I added below — but they are pretty boring!  Any prayer shawl type pattern will do.  I did a Ravelry search of free shawl patterns using worsted yarn and ended up choosing Tethys.  I am not sure your skill level or the type of knitting that you enjoy, but there are tons of patterns that will work.

Rule of thumb: easy care, not variegated yarn.  I am using Caron Simply Soft and will “steam block” it to block it permanently.

Wrapped in Care Free Patterns

Last spring my knitting peeps and I participated in a knitting shop hop.  One of our stops was Needlework Unlimited.  They were hosting a trunk show by a designer that I had never heard of before: Bente Geil or Geilsk on Ravelry.  She is Danish and many of her patterns are in German.  A sweater was on display that I fell in love with called Dydsmønster…whatever the heck that means!!

Bente Geil’s Dydsmønster

It wasn’t yet available so I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Until my birthday.  Then I rushed over and bought her Geilsk Tweed yarn and the pattern – in English!!  I started it right away and have been working on it quite regularly ever since…but it is a slow knit (32 sts and 34 rows per 10 cm).

I think I would be done with it by now but for one little problem.  Yes.  That pesky little problem called “did you read the pattern?”  I thought I read the pattern, but therein lies the problem.  I missed one very small and very important sentence: Continue 8 row repeat 6 times.

When  I joined the body and split off the sleeves,  I missed that one little sentence.  As you can tell from the picture, the bottom flares out quite a bit – in actuality, you almost double the stitch count by adding two sts per cable section every 16 rows.  Because I failed to do the straight away section, I started my flare right after the underarms.

So instead of the sweater shown above, I got this:

The bright red is what I knitted – the dark underneath shows what it was supposed to be.  It was a lot of extra knitting.  A lot of WASTED knitting, because I had to rip it all out back to the underarm.  Thousands and thousands of sts and hours and hours of knitting.  But I’m not bitter.    I kept thinking there was something wrong and I should have trusted my instincts, but every time I looked for that all-important sentence, it eluded me!!!

Despite it all, I plunged forward yet again.  I really like the design and the fit.  So I am far from done, but still enjoying it.

It looks much better on a person with arms (sorry, Lettie!).  I just love the bold raglan shaping:

The triangular wedges are on the fronts, the shoulders, and the back.  I have several inches to go on the body but decided to take a break and work on the sleeves.

You can see how nicely the cables flow, even though the direction of the knitting under the arms is reversed.  I added the cabling right under the arm where the sleeve starts, which was not in the pattern.

I hope when it gets done it is cute and fits because it sure is a lot of work.  This designer is very talented and there are a few more of her designs that I like.  Her yarn and patterns are available at Needlework Unlimited so you do not have to order from overseas.

Replay to Laila:

Thank you for commenting and giving us a definition of dydsmønster!  Actually, the cables are not true cables — they are worse!  You make elongated sts on the WS row and then pull the last 4 sts over the 1st 4 one by one on the RS row.  They take longer to make than regular cables if you cable without a cable needle.  Also, they do not rip back as easily!! 

As already mentioned, Susan and I attended Meg Swansen’s Knitting Camp earlier this month.  On our way to the wilds of Wisconsin, we stopped at Amazing Threads, one of the yarn stores that Susan frequents.  They had a store sample of a shawl that we both had considered making: Imagine When designed by Joji Locatelli. It’s a simple but elegant shawl, made by combining garter stitch, short rows, and eyelets. The shape lets it sit nicely on the shoulders.

I started it on the way to camp, and finished it right after I got home. After experimenting with some lovely Madelinetosh, I decided to knit it from the same yarn the shop had used: Anzula Dreamy, soft and drapey blend of merino, cashmere, and silk. The store had a proprietary color — Neptune. I hate to be a blind follower, but sometimes it’s the way to go.

In other words, I used the exact same yarn and the same needle size (a U.S. 6, 4.0 mm) as the person who knit the shop sample. Even though I generally knit a little loosely, my shawl didn’t block out to be as large as the sample. It would have been easy to make a larger size by adding stitches and rows in a few key places, and I had plenty of yarn left over. Unfortunately, I didn’t know it was going to be smaller until it was finished. The pattern called for two skeins and I barely dipped into the second one. It’s still a nice size, but I do wish it were a little larger. The shawl still has a fair amount of spring to it, so I might try blocking it again. Le sigh. I might even make a second one in a different yarn.

Below are some not great photos. It’s hard to photograph the shape.

Can you capture the light of a firefly?  Can you hold a sunbeam?  YES!  Buy gorgeous yarn!  It is almost impossible to capture the colors in pictures, however.  Here are my skeins of Lost City Silks in Honeydew (green) and Cerillos (aqua) — 1000 yds/90 grams, $60.  Now, go buy your own and see what I mean!

My DD Elder just returned from South Korea, and Sally and I came back from Knitting Camp in Wis-con-sin (said with emphasis in a nasally Minnesota whine).  That counts (it is part of the world, after all!).

I told my daughter that she HAD to go to a Korean knitting store and get me something with Korean writing on it.

She found Banul:

They seemed to have a lot of cute, knitted toys.

And loved covering the walls with elaborate knitting:

She bought me a Japanese book because the [crocheted] patterns were cuter! 😉

And here is my lovely daughter, proving her knit-worthiness as she models her new Aranami shawl:

I had no idea how to wear it, but she threw it on in a flash with her impeccable fashion sense!

Sally and I had a great time at Meg Swansen’s Knitting Camp 2.75.  It is hard to describe what went on, but generally a lot of “show and tell” as Campers shared their latest projects, general discussion/Q&A about knitting minutiae, and other knitting-related activities.  Linda and Penny were our besties at Camp, and next year I hope that Kim can again come along.

We met Denise, a newbie to Camp, who dyes her own line of yarns.  We were gobsmacked by her laceweight silk yarn ($60/skein, 1000 yds/90 gms) — sold at Lost City Knits.  I am just selfish enough NOT to share the link, except that I already ordered two skeins in the colors of my choice: Honeydew and Cerillos.  I am not very original.  Denise had two shawls knit from the identical  colors and I just had to have them both!  She mentioned that Honeydew was not a big seller, so she designed and knit a shawl in that color.  It was drop dead gorgeous and now awaits her test knitters to finish it up.  Hurry it up, peeps!!

I am working on a couple of projects that will be revealed in the near future and I will share pics of my Lost City Silks when  they arrive!!!

It’s happened to all of us. (It happens far too often to me.) We finish a project, and we don’t love it the way we had hoped. It may not be a disaster, but it’s not what we wanted and so it gets shoved to the back of a closet to be forgotten. With knitting, that’s really a shame because it can take so long to knit a sweater or shawl or whatever.

One of my most recent meh projects was my Summer Solstice sweater. I liked the pattern and I liked the yarn (Fibre Company’s Arcadia in the color Summer Sweet). I didn’t like the result. I had made it just a little too short (the result of not having purchased enough yarn because when I bought it I wasn’t sure what I wanted to make out of it). A reminder of what it looked like on Lucy:

See? Nothing “wrong” with it at all. But it hit me at unflattering spot and I just felt dowdy in it. Susan kept telling me to fix it. I resisted because to lengthen it required finding yarn in a different dye lot that looked plausible, removing the collar (because it is added last), knitting the additional length, and then reknitting the now even longer collar. Le sigh.

I finally decided to go ahead. I found three skeins of yarn that looked close. To be on the safe side, I chose to reuse the collar yarn for the additional length; I knew that the dye lot difference would be less noticeable if I only knit the collar out of the new yarn. So, I removed the collar, winding it into a hank/skein. I wetted it, and hung it up to dry. (That step was to remove the kinks in the yarn.) Using just that salvaged yarn, I was able to add five inches in length to the sweater. Here is my “new” Summer Solstice. (Forgive the poor quality of the photos; it is SO humid in Washington today that my camera lens kept fogging up when I went outside and it was very difficult to get any pictures.) You can see how much longer it is by looking at the hem in relation to the sleeves, even though I added an inch or so to them, too, as long as I was at it.

I think the difference in dye lots is virtually undetectable. Yay!

My other reclamation project was not a knitting one. A couple of years ago, I purchased a T-shirt meant to be worn as a tunic. I really love the color and the pattern on it, but it was too long. Too short — too long — why can’t anything ever be perfect? I had ordered this online so hadn’t been sure of the length when I bought it. It looked stupid. My sewing machine doesn’t have a serger, and I didn’t feel like spending more $$ on this thing.

Well, the other day I thought I’ll just cut it off and do a decorative hem by hand. It might work. And it did! I used an embroidery stitch in a thread color that I thought would work with the pattern.