theraineysisters knitting and so much more

From Susan
Sally can be a sweet and generous lil thing as evidenced by the fact that she bought me a present at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.  That place is a tough go if you do not want to spend money — Sally resisted many of the temptations, but not this one. 

She bought me a necklace kit from Just Our Yarn and also got one for herself.  The kit is called “Just Your Necklace.”  I think it is a pretty recent addition to their line up as it does not show up on their website or on the website of its designer, Betsy Hershberg of StudioB Knits.

The kit provides everything you need except the knitting needles (I did substitute a different clasp). I used a US size 2 and 1. The base yarn is Aziza, which is tinier-than-laceweight tencel. The kit has generous lengths of the yarn wound on spools because it takes far less than a skein of two different colors, and includes two different sizes of beads.

Susan’s Necklace

From Sally
The kits were flying off the shelves at the Just Our Yarn booth. I had to grab two before the hoarders got them! Susan, as usual, finished hers ahead of me and has been patiently waiting to post until I managed to knit mine. I knit it one and a half times because I kept changing my mind about which color to have as the focus. Susan adds: I also knit parts of mine twice because it looked sloppy with the size 2 on the tubular part.

Sally’s Necklace

Lucy’s wondering if it makes her look naked and headless. Yes, Lucy, it does.
 
It’s a quick knit, but a little fussy in parts.

PS: Sally and I received a message from Betsy Hershberg, the designer of our beaded necklaces:

“I am the designer of this necklace and I’m so glad you both enjoyed knitting it!  And you both did a fabulous job – both with the knitting AND the picture taking.  Just wanted to let you know that the kits are now available (as of 6/8/10) on the Just Our Yarn website: www.justouryarn.com.  I admit that we didn’t anticipate the immediate popularity of the kit, but lots of gorgeous color ways are now available online. There is also a direct link to the kit on my website at www.studiobknits.com.  Thanks so much for the great post!  Much appreciated.”

Thanks, Betsy!!!

A Knitmare on Elm Street, that is!  When Surly and I were at Yarnover, Sally picked up a darling project bag at Darn.Knit.Anyway’s booth.  I wanted it…I wanted it bad.  But Sally snagged the really cute one, so I moped.  However, thanks to Google and Etsy, we found the maker of these creepy-funny project bags.  She is Laura from Slipped Stitch Studios and sells a lot of great items on Etsy.

As Laura describes this now out-of-stock Michael Miller fabric:

Do you enjoy horror and knitting? This bag has a bit of both!

Please be aware that this pattern includes some rather disturbing fiber-related images….

Fido gets your WIP, a shawl massacre!

Mr. Meowington unravels your cashmere- hundreds (of yards) slain!

Hubby couldn’t find chopsticks…so he uses your $40 artisan needles for lunch utensils!! THE HORROR!

….Not to mention, and I think we have all been there…picking up a supposedly “Quick and Easy Pattern” and expiring whilst casting on!

This funny pattern by Michael Miller is a “must-have” for any knitter with a wicked sense of humor!

So go ahead and show your knitter pride!

And let’s not forget the grumpy kid forced to wear ill-fitting handknits!

Our favorite image is of course the skeleton who dies in a vain attempt at knitting, so when I ordered my bag, I asked in the comments if the picture of Mr. Skeleton was complete and intact.  She answered within 3 seconds and said it was right there, front and center! 

I am extremely pleased with the bag.  It is very well made, fully lined,  with a number of small pockets inside. 

I also acquired some absolutely stunning yarn:

On the left from Briar Rose Fibers: Sea Pearl, laceweight,50% merino, 50% tencel, 800 yds/219 gms (I’m not sure what my color is because there is no color # given on the skein); purchased at Yarnover.

On the right from Artyarns: Silk Rhapsody, 50% silk, 50% kid mohair, 260 yds/100 gms, color #137 ( a gorgeous champagne!) — a gift from Surly purchased at Lila and Claudine’s.  This is the same yarn we both used for our Topsy Turvy Moebius.

I am sure Surly will have some nice things to share in the upcoming days!!

ETA from Surly: Yes, I will. In an upcoming post I’ll share the yarn I bought and my most recent knitmare finished object.

PS from Susan — we just got John’s official picture from the Birkie (I did not get any action shots):

Sally left today after a whirlwind weekend.  I mean, a crazy busy, out-of-control weekend!  Sally put up with all of my cranky moods and as she left said, “I’m your sister…I will just forget all about it.” That’s why I’m cryin’ in my brewski!   Miss my sis!

We did have a lot of fun in between all of the nervous break downs and speeding tickets! 

Thursday, April 15
I picked Surly up at the airport and made a quick stop at The Yarnery.  Sally bought yarn.

Then we went to my knitting group.  Beth shared her beautiful Boxes Drape Vest from Swing-Swagger-Drape so we could try it on and admire it yet again…everyone wants one! 

Here’s mine so far:

Boxes Drape Vest in Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted, Color #709 Hermosa

Friday, April 16
We tried to cram a week into one day!  We went to Lila and Claudine’s as our first stop.

L&C is a fantastic shop — you really need to get there just to see it.  They describe it as Alice going down the rabbit hole and it is the truth.  Plus, the people are super nice.  We hung out with Kirsten and other notables and had a great time.  Sally bought yarn.

Then off to Darn.Knit.Anyway in Stillwater, MN.  Again, a great shop with wonderful staff.  Susan bought yarn (but it doesn’t count because it was just an extra skein for my Boxes vest 🙂 )!! 

We needed to pick up stuff for Yarnover and then we stopped by Hopkins High School to do some set up.

Saturday, April 17
YARNOVER ARRIVES!!  Up before dawn and off to the races!  Great day.  Everything went very well.  We saw a lot of knitting friends, both old and new.  We both bought yarn.

That evening we were able to dine with knitting royalty.  We sat next to Jared Flood, Beth Brown-Reinsel, Cookie A., and Romi Hill.  Let me just say that Jared is adorable…absolutely adorable!  I also got to schmooz a little with Meg Swansen — I shared some of the rave reviews I had heard about her classes.  She was thrilled and so humble!  It was a wonderful way to end the day.

Sunday, April 18
We spent the day with family…but somehow managed to find another knitting store!  We visited the lovely Tangled Skein  in St. Peter and resisted the urge to buy more yarn.  I know.  It’s hard to believe!

Monday, April 19
We returned the rental stuff for Yarnover, had a great breakfast and then hit a couple more yarn shops: Borealis must have the best selection of sock yarn in the city.  And then back to the Yarnery.  Sally bought yarn. 

If you happen to be keeping score, Surly bought WAY more yarn than I did. 

Surly will be landing here in the Twin Cities this afternoon — yay!  She is going to be my sidekick at this year’s MKG Yarnover Event (I am on the planning committee). 

We have a very busy weekend planned — stop and say hi if you see us at Hopkins HS on Saturday!!

As you may have noticed over the years, my knitting tends to the conservative, traditional, whatever boring word you want to choose!  But I got inspired by this cute little sweater and decided to go wild!  It is the Kaleidoscope Yoke by Kate Himmelberg in the book Simple Style. 

The design calls for yarn that comes in both a multi-color version and coordinating solid.  I chose a yarn that was heavier than called for, Mochi Plus Intense Rainbow and Intense Red:

Kaleidoscope Yoke by Kate Himmelberg

I knit a smaller size to get the larger size I needed.  The VERY simple construction allows for size adaptation easily. 

The yarn is soft and pretty, but did not knit up very smoothly/evenly.  When knitting stockinette in the round, you should end up with very nice, even knitting.  This was very rough looking and desperately in need of blocking.  I wetblocked it and it grew to ginormous (sp?) proportions.  H-U-G-E!!!  Eeeeek!

So, I decided to do the unthinkable: I put it in the dryer!  And it worked.  It brought it down to the original size again.  The rough knitting is still there but at least it fits!

There are two things I would have done differently: first, I would have knit the entire thing on a US 7 instead of an 8.  I think the knitting would have looked much better.  Secondly, I would have switched to the solid red earlier so the multi-colored section ended above the boobs instead of under — more like the picture.  The color transition occurs right before you start the sleeves, which for most “larger” people or those who do not want tight armholes, means the stripes are under the bustline.  Too late for me, but maybe not for you!

Also, I did do some sleeve shaping.  The pattern has you pick up for the sleeves and just keep on knitting.  They looked way too baggy for my taste.  I ended the shaping a couple of inches above the wrist to get a little bit of flair.

Kaleidoscope Yoke by Kate Himmelberg

Overall Grade: B+
Yarn: A for color and softness, D for knitting quality
Pattern: Very easy and cute, with some changes
Fit: A (!)
Yarn Required: Multi = 6, Solid = 8
Needles: US 8 (should have used 7’s)

All in all, I am happy with this one — quick knit project (2 weeks).