theraineysisters knitting and so much more

September 15, 2007

From Susan — Motivation…

Filed under: Back Story,Hemlock Ring — lv2knit @ 8:17 pm

I want to thank everyone for their kind comments about my “generosity” with the United Way gift bag, but also want to set the record straight.  I am not much of a charity knitter.  I know many people who knit quite a bit for others — either family and friends or for charity.  But most of my knitting is for me.  Sorry, but it’s true!  The Market Squares bag that I donated is one that I did not use, so its loss will not be greatly felt.  However, I do hope that someone else will love it and use it.

I also want to mention that I added a few pdf files that can be found as links in the upper right hand corner of our blog.  I finally figured out how to put pdf files on our site (I know — it’s not that difficult!!).  There are three beaded knitting patterns: amulet bags, the Wedding Purse, and a small cell phone purse designed for beginning bead knitters. 

In addition, I created a pdf for the Hemlock Throw that combines all the pieces into one place.  I mentioned this at the end of yesterday’s post as a “PS” but thought it might get lost in the shuffle.  I made changes to the pattern to reflect the new version in heavy yarn vs thread and updated some techniques (i.e., ssk).  I want to thank Jared again for his wonderful concept!!

In response to Sue: In our signature photo (at top of page) Sally is on the right and Susan is on the left 🙂

PS to Astrid: I didn’t “fix” the problem people have with SSKs — the original pattern says to slip 1, knit 1, passover…which is even more asymmetrical than regular SSK.  So I changed the wording in the pdf to say ssk instead.

September 14, 2007

From Susan — “Learn to Knit Kit”

Filed under: Back Story — lv2knit @ 8:18 pm

I have been plugging away on the third Hemlock, but a picture would not add to much of anything.  That is all I have been working on knitting-wise EXCEPT for the fact that it is United Way time at my place of employment.  One of the fund raising activities is a silent auction of Themed Gift Bags — you know, A Night at the Movies with DVDs and popcorn, or a golf-themed bag.  The Team Captain for our department had the decidedly brilliant idea for a knitting related theme — now you can see how well I have trained my co-workers!! 

I of course jumped on the idea and donated most of the stuff, and did the shopping.  We started with a felted Market Squares bag that I made a while back and never really cared for.  It was in gaudy summer colors and was not felted enough.  I threw it in the washer one more time and it did improve.  

Our LYS donated a gift certificate to a series of learn-to-knit classes (I would give the name but don’t want them to get inundated with requests!).  It is a total win-win for the yarn shop: it costs them nothing to add a student to a class, but they gain a future customer!  We purchased a gift card to a nearby coffee shop, and then filled the bag with yarn from my stash, knitting needles, a zippered accessory bag, lots of knitting accessories and a very basic learn to knit book.  The estimated dollar value is more than $230 but the cash outlay was only $50 — thanks to my stash and generous donations!

The auction is next week so we’ll see how it goes.  I really hope it brings a good price.  If it’s a hit, I’m not sure what we’ll do next year – I don’t have any other bags I want to donate!  It’s a great cause so it is a nice way to get use out of things that were gathering dust in my yarn room.

I hope to get the Hemlock done this weekend and then I can move on to something I am thinking about…

In Answer to Your Questions:

The picture at the top of our blog was taken in Florence during the first of many road trips for Sally and me.  The year?  None of your beeswax!! ;)  Though the fashions would indicate that it’s VERY recent! 😉 😉 😉

I do not have a picture of the Market Squares Bag that I donated — what a doh!  I forgot to take a picture.  I’ll try to catch one before the auction.

And in answer to your questions about the Hemlock Throw, I created a pdf file that combines all the pieces of the pattern into one place for your knitting pleasure!

September 12, 2007

From Sally — Not Quite Silver Not Quite Belle

Filed under: Silver Belle,Tangled Yoke — surly @ 9:50 am

I’ve kind of but not quite finished Silver Belle. I need to weave in all of the ends because the Cashmerino Aran yarn doesn’t lend itself well to felted splicing. I also need to sew on the buttons. I’m not thrilled with the sweater, though, in all honesty. It measures out to the correct size, but it fits as if it’s way too large. I think I could have made the small, with a 32-inch bust, and it would have fit better (even though I’m a 34). Part of it is that I think the yarn is too heavy for this sweater, even though it’s the yarn called for. I’ll wear it, but it’s much more oversized than I would have liked. It will be something that I throw on over something else if it’s cold, which is not really what I was looking for. That, plus boredom, is not making me rush to do the little bit of finishing I have left. Here are few photos.

Sewing in the bodice:

Starting to attach the back yoke:

The back pre-collar:

The front with collar (I’ve just pinned one of the buttons on for show):

The back:

Yeah — I’m feeling pretty meh about the whole thing. The good news is that there is always some magical perfect sweater just waiting to be ruined knit. So my next project (while I decide exactly what to do with the lovely Betsy) is the Tangled Yoke Cardigan from the most recent issue of Interweave Knits.

I’m knitting it in Rowan’s Felted Tweed in a color called Watery. The color is a bit more interesting and subtle than it looks here.

I’m making several changes to the pattern. First, and most important, I’m knitting it as a pullover rather than a cardigan. I don’t like the skimpy looking button band in the original pattern. I could alter it, but I’d rather just make it into a pullover. Therefore, I’ll be making a few changes in the neckline as well. I’ll worry about exactly what I’m doing later.

September 10, 2007

From Susan — Respond to Hemlock

Filed under: Hemlock Ring — lv2knit @ 5:45 pm

My second Hemlock is totally done.  This picture actually looks far better than it looks in real life!! A couple of you had questions.  The Hemlock Throw was knit in Cascade Eco Wool (250 grams, 478 yds).  The oatmeal version was knit in Color 8016, the teal is Eco Plus in color 8462.  I started each with US Sz 10 dpns and switched to 10-1/2 circulars when I could.  Why did I change needle sizes?  Because I don’t have Sz 10-1/2 dpns!  It takes less than 2 skeins to make a throw — you could make two of the same color with 3 skeins.

Hemlock2011-1.jpg picture by lv2knit

I am making my personal throw out of Berroco Peruvian (100% Highland Peruvian Wool, 100 grams, 174 yds), Color 7137 to match my LR sofa:

Yarn3001.jpg picture by lv2knit

It takes 2.5 skeins of Peruvian to equal 1 skein of Eco Wool so I bought 7 or 8.  It is like butter and a little fuzzier — I hope it works.

I have not used a lifeline in the Hemlocks — it is much bigger knitting and even though I have had to rip a couple of times, it is NOTHING like ripping out a fine lace shawl with hundreds of sts!

Re: The Betsy sweater (see Sally’s post) — I found the book on ebay and bought it on the spot.  Woo Hoo!  Thanks, Ann. 🙂  Our blog-tectives are the best in the land!

PS — another question: I used the Emily Ocker cast on to start the Hemlock.  Also, if I sent you a copy of my pdf file of the pattern, there is a mistake on Rnd 46: k9 not 10.

Another question came up; What does (O, k1) x 8 mean?
Response: at the start, you cast on 8 sts and divide onto 3 (or 4) dpns.  After working a couple of plain rnds of 8 sts you do the (O, k1) x 8.  The pattern is telling you do do a yarnover before every single st. 

To do the YOs before the first st on the dpn: insert new dpn into 1st st as to knit, bring yarn around the needle from the front (not from the back as you normally would). 

This creates a new st before each st — so there are now 16 sts.  You do the YO before the first stitch a couple of more times in knitting the small medallion in the center of the petals.  Once you have enough sts to change to a circular, it does not seem as strange.

September 9, 2007

From Susan — It’s Deja Vu All Over Again!

Filed under: Hemlock Ring — lv2knit @ 11:25 pm

It’s the return of the Blob!!  I finished my second Hemlock Ring and already started the third. I just can’t get enough of this project, I guess :).  This one is for Friend Number 2 and the third is for me.  After all this knitting, I need one of my very own.

Here it is in the blob stage:

Hemlock2003.jpg picture by lv2knit

Here’s the “bedroom cheesecake” photo:

Hemlock2004.jpg picture by lv2knit

A close up of the center petals:

Hemlock2009.jpg picture by lv2knit

It looks splotchy because I sprayed it with water to keep it damp and it did not sink in evenly.  The color is a very beautiful dark teal and not uneven at all.  Here is a close up of the feather and fan:

Hemlock2010.jpg picture by lv2knit

The color in this shot is probably the truest.  So there it is.  The blob is not a blob any more.  I will be smarter this time and steam press it before I unpin! 

I’ll keep working on my Hemlock and post a picture after it is farther (further? — Sally, fix it!) along.  I made a huge, ridiculous error and had to rip back, but it really does go pretty fast.  My biggest thrill is that two Christmas presents are D-O-N-E!! 

And I’m halfway through Harry Potter Number Five (The Order of the Phoenix)…

HappyBirthday.jpg picture by lv2knit
PS: Happy Birthday to CF — a mere baby at 48!!

PS2: I wondered if anyone would notice Lettie’s “boyfriend” and Marina spotted him instantly! 😉

PS3: Welcome Home, Mattie!

From Sally — A Call for Help

Filed under: Uncategorized — surly @ 6:51 pm

I’m almost finished with Silver Belle — I’m knitting the collar, which I think will take me three to four years at the current rate of knitting. In the meantime, I’m fantasizing about my next project. There are several under consideration, including one phantom sweater.

The other day I was reading a bunch of different blogs and doing google searches. At some point, I came across a lovely vintage-looking sweater with an interesting mitered collar. It was designed by Kim Hargreaves; I think it was a cardigan. I don’t remember which rabbit hole I went down and I don’t remember enough details to find the actual pattern. I think it was in a Rowan book and I’m fairly certain the name of the pattern was “Betsy.”

If anyone knows more, please do tell. Thanks!

ETA: Thanks — it looks as if I need to track down Rowan #24, which, of course, I don’t have — if I did I might have made this sweater already! It’s also great to hear that it’s very wearable.

ETA2: Yes! Mama Stop Knitting was where I saw it — thank you. Here’s a photo.

betsy.jpg

September 5, 2007

From Sally — Silver Belle, Silver Belle

Filed under: Silver Belle — surly @ 4:15 pm

Whew. I finally finished the left yoke. My wrist wasn’t sure it was going to make it through the cables and seed stitch. (My wrist is rather delicate after the “hydraulic desk almost lost my hand episode” that we don’t talk about.) Anyway, I basted the whole thing together so Lucy could have a little modesty and I could see how it is shaping up.

This is a view of the back — you can see the gap where the middle cable panel will be continued. You can also see how I reversed the direction of the twist on the four-stitch cross cables so that the two halves of the back would mirror each other.

Another view of the back.

A side view. (Lucy is a little bustier than I am so I don’t think that the front will look shorter than the back on me. It is something I will keep in mind while blocking, however.)

A couple of views of the front. Again, I changed the twist of the cable on the left yoke.

There is a lot of finishing on this sweater. I still need to seam the sleeves, knit the back cable panel, sew in the yokes, knit the front bands, sew on the buttons, and pick up and knit the collar. I think I’ll work on something else tonight and save the finishing for tomorrow (not that I will have it finished in one day. I won’t.)

September 4, 2007

From Susan — Just One More Picture…

Filed under: Hemlock Ring,Knitting Tips — lv2knit @ 7:28 am

This picture shows the Hemlock after steaming.  It still does a little of the typical feather and fan ruffling, but it looks much better.

Hemlock012.jpg picture by lv2knit

I may need to make me one of these ;).

And in response to Bonnie and Thomasean: This isn’t a stupid question at all — I just thought it would be too complicated to describe, but here goes!!

When you look at k2tog [ssk] for instance, the sts that are actually crossed are from the row BELOW the action of knitting the 2 tog [ssk].  On the row when you k2tog or ssk, the crossed sts will appear right below the needle.  The st on the needle is a normal looking st.  If you worked a k2tog [ssk] and counted the first plain st above the “crossed” stitches and the row on the needle, you would be counting an extra row of plain knitting because the first st was “zero” — it was created when the sts were decreased.

With a yarnover, there is not a st on the row before because you are essentially creating a new st with the running thread between two sts.  On the row when you make a yarnover, all you see is a hole with the running thread carried over the needle.  The first row worked after a yarnover is the first real st created and so there is no “zero” row as described above.

Whew — my brain hurts!

September 3, 2007

From Susan — 1, 2, 3…….

Filed under: Knitting Tips — lv2knit @ 6:14 pm

As I have been working on Hemlock Number Deux, I was thinking about counting rows and what a pain it is for many knitters.  There are all sorts of devices for counting rows — from simple hash marks, to elaborate markers, clickers, etc.  Everyone seems to be searching for the perfect counter.  The problem with all the counters is that they rely on you, the knitter, to remember to mark, click, slide, remove, slip, etc. after every row.  Did I mark that already?  Did I slip it?  I can never remember if I marked the row or not.  So, what I rely on is the knitting to tell me where I am. 

I know many experienced knitters out there know this so please forgive me if this sounds like I’m singing to the choir ;).

It is not easy to read your knitting all the time (I do make notes for some things), but it is very helpful.  Sally and I have already described our “counting with waste yarn” method.  But I am not using that for the Hemlock.  Here is how I am counting the four plain knitting rounds on the Hemlock. 

CountRows.jpg picture by lv2knit

On the left hand side of the picture, you can see the k2tog and ssk.  There are four clear sts right above the decs.  When that number gets to four, the next round is a pattern round.  You do not count the stitch on the needle.  However, when you are counting from a yarnover, you DO count the stitch on the needle, as shown on the right side.  That’s it.  No hash marks, and my knitting tells me if I’ve done the number of rounds I need.  Cuz I am unreliable if I have to do the counting myself!!

September 1, 2007

From Susan — The Blob

Filed under: Hemlock Ring — lv2knit @ 4:21 pm

I’m sorry, but unblocked lace is b*tt ugly!!  It just is!  Look at this blob — would you want it as a gift?  Would you want to knit it for yourself?

Hemlock9-1-07002.jpg picture by lv2knit

Blocking is certainly a help!  I decided to try using the bed in our guest room as a blocking surface.  The idea of crawling around on my decrepit hands and knees wore me out.  It worked quite well for this relatively small piece:

Hemlock9-1-07005.jpg picture by lv2knit

And see how Lettie is overseeing the blocking process?

Hemlock9-1-07009.jpg picture by lv2knit

The knitted pillow is a former UFO that I made into a pillow.  It was a sweater that never got off the ground — it sat for years in a bag.  The back was at least 4 inches wider than the front, due to either my bad miscalculation (lots of cabling on the front, plain basketweave on the back — does the word “compensate” mean anything?) or a poorly written pattern.  It was so long ago I can’t remember.  I grafted the ribbing from the back of the sweater to the top of the front for symmetry and length, and used the back as the back of the pillow.  So I got a pillow out of the deal, which is more than I can say about my other UFOs ;).

I am going to give this Hemlock Ring to a dear muggle friend and make another immediately for another muggle friend.  We’ll see if after making two I have the stamina to make a third for me.  They are two people that really do appreciate handknits and so I have made special things for them in the past.

Now I’m off to wind a skein for the second Hemlock.  By my reckoning, since the first one took a week to knit, the second should take at least 3-4 weeks?  Months?  If I want it for Christmas, there is no time to waste!

PS — I had quite a bit of yarn left over.  You could easily make this larger with just the two skeins.

In response to Susanne: I blocked my Hemlock Ring to a full 48-50″ HOWEVER, when I unpinned it, it snapped back to about 44″.  It also looks a little wonky, not crisp like Brooklyn Tweed’s.  So, before I post finished pictures, I plan on repinning it and steaming the daylights out of it.  It may be a day or two before I feel motivated to repin the lil sucker! 

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