When you read my sister’s post about her scarf (just below this one), you might see a photo in the background. It’s of my sister when she was a baby! Hard to believe thirty years have gone by so quickly (plus a bunch of other years we don’t talk about).
I’d also like to give a shout out to my little assistant, who turns one today. Here’s a photo of him the first day I saw him.
I think Susan’s scarf is great and I love the label idea (even if she did borrow it).
Sally has been wowing the knitting masses with her stunning Japanese knitting. I have not been wowing or Japanese knitting or anything exciting like that 
. I did think I would share the final chapter of the scarf I made. I “borrowed” an idea I heard about from a reader of Grumperina’s blog. I am not a reader of her blog, but someone told me that when she gives socks away, she makes a label for them.  I thought that sounded like a cute idea for my scarf, and thought I would share it with you:
The picture in the background is me with Grandma Thelma — she made the dress I’m wearing
I included a picture of the scarf being worn so the recipient will understand my “motivation.” I also included care instructions so it will not get washed and dried in the machine 
.  I printed the label on high quality photo paper.
Because the rolled up scarf was too big for the label, I tied it in the back with leftover yarn:
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The color shown here is very true. So, there you are. I think it makes a pretty cute little gift and hope the recipient enjoys it.Â
I wish I had a knock out to show you like Sally has been working on — maybe the next time!
This is just a brief post to show the progress on my “Japanese” pullover. I have finished the front and just started the back. (I normally knit the back first but I screwed up in my pattern translation and realized I had started the front. There’s a different stitch count so I didn’t want to muck around too much.)
Here’s Lucy modeling what I’ve done:
Here are two close ups of the actual pattern. I love the stitch in the middle of the lozenges and it’s quite fun to do. (The color in the second photo is a bit pink for some reason. I think the other photo is truer.)
I have seen the Gates of Hell. We will get there by virus. OMG! Even with a flu shot this year, I suffered for almost a week, unable to lift head from pillow. UNABLE TO KNIT for days. That, mes amies, is my definition of hell. Oh well, I’m better now :)!
I have been knitting on the Roseleaves Tunic. I cannot tell if it will be gorgeous or an absolute disaster. It is that darned variegated yarn — I have a love-hate relationship with the handpainteds. It is very difficult to tell how they will look. DH is my Muggle Canary-in-the-Mines. He has no sense of fashion (he thinks he does…), but he will comment favorably on beautiful yarns. For instance, he loved the Merci Scarf and said so frequently. He has not said a single word about Roseleaves — not one. That tells me he is saying to himself, “What is she thinkin!?! Utt-bay ugly.” Like I said, he has no taste so that may not be enough to deter me ;)!
Here is a picture of the yoke;
The sleeves are knit top down from each side. Here is a picture of the first sleeve, which is almost complete:
Sally says to keep knitting. I have a long way to go: the sleeves from cuff to cuff will be 5-1/2 feet! And then the body. She promised to give me some of her yarn if I run out — at least I think she did 😉 ! She will, because she is so good to me!
Susan recently talked about Japanese knitting patterns and pattern books. She and I both purchased several of them recently and, being easily distracted, I started playing around with some swatches. I won’t bore you with all of the various swatches I knit and all of the yarns I tested. I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to knit one of the patterns I was seeing or whether I wanted to design something using some of the unique stitches I was seeing. I finally decided to try a fairly simple but elegant design. My scanner isn’t working and although I know I’ve seen a photograph of this design somewhere, I can’t remember where it was. (I will definitely post it when I find it.) I’ve made some modifications to the design, but not too many.
I have in my stash some beautiful white laceweight silk. Lots of it. Several thousand yards. I felt guilty dipping into it, but on the other hand I’ve been hoarding it for so long that it’s ridiculous. Even after I finish the sweater, I’ll have plenty for a shawl.
I decided to mix it with some Kidsilk Haze in the color Pearl both to get the gauge I wanted and to make a soft fabric with a little bit of a halo. I’m very pleased with the results, although I will be upfront: I know that the knitted fabric doesn’t look great in this photo. Because I am twisting stitches on most rows, the stitches look irregular — like teeth that need braces. I did wet block my swatches, however, and when I did so the stitches really straightened out and looked great. So I am fairly comfortable that the finished project will look better than it does right now. (*crosses fingers and toes*) I do love how the Pearl color softens the white silk; in person, the resulting color does look like a pearl. It has a soft, luminescent sheen. After being wet blocked, my swatches were unbelievably soft. I can’t wait to wear it.
Here is the current state of the back:
I don’t know what the Japanese name for the pattern is, so I am calling it Japanese Ironwork here.
Never fear — I’m still working on my Cross Lanes and my Pearl Buck.
P.S. I want to thank my sister for blogging in my absence. I was visiting my daughter (and my little assistant!).
For what? You didn’t win anything!! Well, that’s true, but I want to thank them for hosting the awards this evening — an annual event I enjoy every year :). Unfortunately, I saw very few of the movies because they were so grisly. I did see Juno and was pleased Diablo Cody won the writing award. A couple of other Twin Citians did well, too (the Coens).
This afternoon I went to the MKG Tea and had a wonderful time. Met some new peeps and ran into some people I have not seen in AGES (15-25 years to be exact). Wow — flashback time. It goes to prove that knitting is a way to bring people together. We had a 7-year old there (Anna) who has been knitting since last October — taught by her grandmother and attending her first Guild meeting. How cool is that?
Lorraine so aptly voiced this sentiment (“Susan- I’d love to have a [Merci] scarf like that, but I don’t want to knit one- does that make sense?”) — alas, I am afraid the answer is a resounding, YES! It makes tons of sense! However, for most of us, we are the knitters, not the knittees. There are so many things I “want” that I do not have time to make. I want them to magically appear in my closet, in the exact style, color, etc. that I covet. It takes so long to make everything and costs so much for the yarn (I do have expensive taste ;)) that I can’t do it all. The internet has just made it worse. I find “must haves” every day!
But this is too scrumptious to ignore:
Sirino 50% silk/50% wool from The Great Adirondack Yarn Company, color Serengeti II (675 yds, 150 gms)
Note presence of dog hair — it is on everything I own
This yarn is so beautiful, I cannot find the words. It is like knitting from an Egyptian pharoah’s jewel cache. There is a lot of a deep rusty, copper color and a deep, regal purple, with very short runs of aqua and peacock teal. The sts shine like there is light emanating from inside. I hope when I get to the lace section (with stockinette thrown in) that I still like the way the colors work — but this is stunning color, like I have rarely seen.
I just did something to my computer so my icons are back. I don’t know what I did, but there is hope. One commenter said to “defrag” my computer. I have no idea what that means! My husband mentioned it, too, and said we should do it once a week (I THINK he said defrag! ;)). If I figure out what that is, maybe I’ll do it!
I bought longer needles for Lyra, so I could actually see the pattern emerging as I transitioned from one needle to the other.Â
I think there are still about 50,000 sts left to knit on this baby — it is truly the most ambitious project of my knitting life. The “tulips” are almost done, so I see light at the end of the tunnel. The light is a very small dot way, way, WAY in the distance :).
The yarn ball left on my scarf is the size of a small lime — but it never gets smaller! I want this done NOW. Note to self: stop knitting on other projects…
I had to restart my Roseleaves Tunic.  I decided to follow the instructions for a change and ended up not liking the way the slipped edge stitches looked. I started it up again this morning, so nothing really to show yet. Note to self: STOP the madness! Finish the $%^&&%$ Merci Scarf and then work on Roseleaves!
Hi, Sally! Hope you, Nora, Joe and B-Man are having fun!
Reminder to Twin Cities Knitters: the Minnesota Knitters Guild meeting is tomorrow at 2 pm. It is a “tea” (which means food!). I love the MKG Teas — it’s like the world’s biggest knitting group! Hope to see you there.
PS — The Merci Scarf is the tres simple scarf I have been knitting as a thank you to a special person in our lives. Here is the final scarf!!
The “pattern” has already been posted on The Blog, but here it is again:
The yarn is drop dead soft: it is Cascade Autunno in Desert Shade (Color #34918, 98 yds/50 gms, 100% Fine Merino — I used 4 skeins). I had never heard of it, but it is very soft with gentle variegation and a ragwool effect. I had trouble finding a stitch that would work because of the ragwool coloring — too much going on for many stitch patterns.  I am using a seed rib as follows:
The Merci Scarf (multiple of 4x + 3 sts)
I am using US Size 8 needles and 35 sts
Row 1: *k3, p1* rep betw * * to last 3 sts, k3
Row 2: k1, p1, *k3, p1* rep betw * * to last st, k1
It is mindless and perfect for a scarf because it does not curl and is reversible.Â
PS2 — I cannot find Utilities OR disc defragment anywhere on my computer 🙁 I did find it and I did defrag!! Woo Hoo! Thanks for all of your advice!
I am still working on that $%^^$## scarf! As my peeps pointed out this evening, I could have finished a sweater by now! I am down to the last skein — BUT, I digress!
At knitting tonight, Emily was wearing a recent FO — an oldie but a goodie. It is the Roseleaves Tunic from A Gathering of Lace.Â
I had a brainstorm: could I use the laceweight silk and wool that Sally and I bought in NYC? It is crazy with color — lots and lots of gorgeous color:
Sirino 50% silk/50% wool from The Great Adirondack Yarn Company, color Serengeti II (675 yds, 150 gms)
Purple, gold, tan, turquoise, etc. I swatched and I am starting it. I’m not sure if it will work, but so far I am pleased. I am excited to be excited about some knittin! The yarn is lustrous because of the silk.
I hope to be able to blog again this week. My computer is acting very strange — the desktop icons keep disappearing. It is tres annoying. I am not a computer person, so we may need to seek HHHHHHHHEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!Â
Yesterday I was immersed in knitting from dawn (not quite…) until dusk (actually, pitch dark!). I started the Roslin Hoodie class at The Yarnery. A very nice group of students, with very nice yarn choices for their hoodies. The class is set at a reasonable pace so people can get the project done and have a life.
Then, last night, I spent the evening with a wild bunch of Nicky Epstein fans at Amazing Threads. Nicky taught a 3-hour class on edgings and flowers and bold finishes. It was a fun evening. Nicky had already spent the weekend at the Mall of America with “Knit Out” so she was a little tired, but she seemed to hang in there just fine. I, on the other hand, was still recovering from little daughter’s 13th birthday from the night before, so I was more pooped than Nicky!
Knitting has been slow and not very exciting. I am working on the Merci Scarf, and it is ~40 inches long — so it looks the same, except 40 inches long! B-o-o-o-o-r-r-r-r-r-r-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g! I love the scarf, but it is taking a lot more time than I thought. Scarves are a lot of knitting.
On the way to The Yarnery yesterday, I also visited my oldest daughter’s artwork, on display at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She won a silver key award in the Scholastic Arts Award program. She created a poster for her own (faux) company, with an environmental theme. Since my knitting is too boring to photograph, I will share her artwork with you:
Portrait of Artist as Lace Tam Model:
Happy Monday and Happy Knitting 🙂
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