theraineysisters knitting and so much more

Heidi left a question a couple of days ago about the sweater that is often seen on Lettie as a backdrop (I hate to have Lettie naked, just hangin’ out for the world to see).  I emailed her, but thought I would also share the information here. 

This is the sweater in question:

It is a very nice, very wearable sweater.  It is an Adrienne Vittadini design from the following source:

This is from their Fall 2002 book.  The picture on the left is on the cover and is very recognizable.  Carmela is cashmere and held double for this sweater — Sally made it in this very yarn and it is gorgeous.  I could not get enough money for my kids, so I opted instead for Debbie Bliss Alpaca and Silk in Color 10, which is a salmony orange. 

Front neck details:

The back is plain — I added the same wishbone shaping without yarnovers because I wanted to dress it up.  I substituted lifted increases for the yarnovers:

I hope this information was helpful, Heidi, and I hope you can find the pattern.  There are so many on-line sources out there, it should be available somewhere.

Sally, if you have time, maybe you could share a picture of your sweater, though I know you are quite busy the next couple of days!!

I just received a very special gift from a very special blog-friend: Romi of Designs by Romi sent me this stunning copper shawl pin.  I absolutely LOVE it:

And here it is on Peacock:

Romi’s designs have been featured in various knitting magazines.  Plus, she just signed a deal with Interweave Press to write a book on knitting and crocheting jewelry with wire and beads — very impressive.  She is truly talented and obviously very generous.  Thank you from the bottom of my overwhelmed heart!!  I will wear my pin proudly and often!

 

I feel almost sorry for the rest of you and a bit hesitant to share yesterday’s knitting adventure. Be forewarned, Maties: this post will make you green with boat-knitting envy ;)!

Here are the anxious knitters, waiting impatiently for the Betsy Northrup to dock at the Lilydale Yacht Club. Usually the Betsy sets sail from Harriet Island in St. Paul on its Mississippi excursions.

Here comes Betsy!!

The Betsy is not a real paddleboat as many of the excursion boats are, but really a decked out barge. Ugh the Tug, a lil tugboat, pushes the Betsy along (they don’t “tug” they push from behind):

The weather was picture perfect: 80’s, sunny, light breeze. You could not ask for a better day. We boarded Betsy and were greeted by the friendly new owners and staff of 3 Kittens Needle Arts. Here we are perusing our gift bags and getting registered.

And a picture NOT of the back of Mary’s head!

After a rousing welcome, Cis (far left) from 3 Kittens introduced Berta Karapetyan (2nd from right below) and we had a fashion show of most of the garments from Runway Knits:

The above picture was taken after the show — I couldn’t drool and take pictures at the same time! After that, we bought books and yarn, and hung around enjoying the Kruise.

We got to go through Lock 1 of the mighty Miss. Here we are entering the Lock, which has about a 40 foot drop:

Now we’re leaving:

Looking back:

And looking forward:

This is my beautiful city! The heart of Minneapolis and St. Paul is this river. We live on the river and my husband works on the river, so we are true river rats.

Many of us enjoyed the balmy open air of the upper deck, where you could choose to be in the shade or catch a few rays:

Or you could sit in air conditioned comfort to knit and visit — or shop for jewelry or pottery from several vendors on board.

The Kruise ended at 5 pm, an hour longer than planned, but we did not complain!! Except for one person perhaps who was expecting dinner guests!! When asked if we would like this to be an annual event, there was a roar of approval. Sign me up now!!

It was a perfect day. 100% fun was had by all!!

Thank you for the nice comments about the Diamond Fantasy Shawl.  I am really enjoying it and it is not too much “laceness” to take along. 

One of my best friends is having a birthday tomorrow — here is the card I am giving her:

Inside: …but we’re still pretty hot!!

I about choked when I saw this in the store — can you guess which one I am??  2funny4words!

Sally and I were just conversing about stashes and how yarn can morph into something less than desireable over time (“What was I thinking?”).  There are classics that we could never part with and others that do not improve with time.  Stash clean up, Aisle 10! 😉