theraineysisters knitting and so much more

March 11, 2007

From Susan — Underwhelmed

Filed under: Eris Cardigan — lv2knit @ 7:27 pm

I am definitely not enthralled by my cabled corners on Eris.  They started out okay — I was pleased with my short rows (after three tries!).  I used nonaKnits instructions, which are very nicely written and easy to follow.  Here is a picture of the back of my Japanese Short Rows:

JapaneseShortRows.jpg

Why is it so “hairy?”  I used thread instead of safety pins, because I couldn’t find enough pins.  Anyway, I was happy with the way the short row shaping ‘shaped up.’  I’m not so sure about the cabled corners.  The knitting seems coarse, like the yarn should be finer and knit to a tighter gauge.

ErisCableCorner.jpg

I still need to add my 5-stitch applied i-cord edging.  I prefer to do it afterward so it is smoother and I can adjust it to fit.  I found with the Rogue Hoodie that I preferred doing the i-cord edge after (click here for picture).  I also realized that I should have done the front corners first because the front edging needs to overlap the back and mine is set up wrong — oops.  Not to worry!  I’ll fudge with grafting.

I continued onward and completed the I-cord edging across the lower back hem:

ErisCableCornerwithI-Cord.jpg

And the hem as a whole — albeit, a bit washed out in color:

ErisCableCornerwithI-Cord002.jpg 

I’m still not sure what I think about this project.  The hem wants to roll in a funny way.  I did a light steam before I picked up my edge sts but it still rolls.  I hope that wet blocking solves the problem — wet blocking certainly cures a lot of what ails my knitting 😉 ! 

PS — I completed the shirt-tail hem shaping on the right front and then tried the lil puppy on — I realized that in an effort to de-emphasize my tummy, I am now emphasizing my fat ass hips!!  Ruh roh! 🙁

 

March 10, 2007

From Susan — My Brain is “Clogged”

Filed under: Uncategorized — lv2knit @ 12:42 am

I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of comments about my lil clogs.  They really are a nice, very practical project and would make great gifts. 

I finished the second one today and felted it right away.  Melanie  commented that she thought I was stupid brave to felt one clog at a time.  When I started felting the second one, I myself had “second” thoughts!  How will I get them to match???  They kind of do…..

FeltedClogsfelted011.jpg

These are an extremely quick knit — you could make a pair in one day.  I used my bread and butter yarn: Cascade 220.  I love it for felting, and agree with Wendy O’C about the lack o’fuzz. 

Here is another case of

From now on, I will read directions. Really. I will.

I neglected to read the fine print in the pattern.  Just looking at the clogs, it seemed to me that it would take more of the lime green than the fuschia — au contraire, my friend!  The opposite is true!  But I bought 2 green and 1 fuschia mistakenly and did not figure it out until I got to the part in the pattern where it said to start the second sole.  Ruh roh!  The soles are double thick.  Anyway, it took me 4 skeins because I needed to buy another fuschia.  Here again, had I not felted the singleton, I could have done some fudging, but since I had to match the two, it became a fairly expensive pair of clogs!  Next time I will know better.

Thanks for all the great comments. 

PS — Don’t forget to sign up for the contest!

PSS — In response to your questions:

Michelle asked about the Cascade 220 — I buy it at my LYS.  It’s about $7 a skein for 220 yds (hence, the name ;)).  I don’t really bother with on-line for that because it’s so readily available.  The pattern is from Fiber Trends AC-33x.  It is also available everywhere.  There’s even a class set up at my LYS for this very pattern. 

And look at how gorgeous these can be:

FeltedClogsatStatefair.jpg

The picture’s not great, but these were in the State Fair last summer next to my socks, which is why I have a picture.  They are so beautiful!  Sorry that I can’t give you the knitter’s name.  So, you can go wild with these and really make them special.  I don’t think I’m up for that right now, but I am thinking ahead to Christmas and may make a pair or two for relatives.

 

March 8, 2007

From Susan — It’s MY Turn!

Filed under: Uncategorized — lv2knit @ 8:50 am

Yes, I know — everyone LOVES Sally’s Feather and Fan Shawl and everyone LOVES Sally’s Bohus and everyone LOVES Sally’s Berry Cluster Pullover — Sally, Sally, Sally (geez, she’s finished a lot of stuff lately!).  I’ve been feeling a little neglected of late — I haven’t finished anything in MONTHS.  So, I embarked on a “quick knit” project, just to feel the juice of getting something done.  And I did finish something.

Well, I finished one of a pair of items.  And it is really impressive.  I KNOW it’s impressive because when I showed my family, they stared in slack-jawed wonder, completely speechless .  Honest — no one said a word!  My thoughtful husband suggested that I finish the first one completely before wasting investing my time on the second.  I’m taking his advice.  I hope I haven’t built it up too much — you know, oversold it!  Click here to see the item before felting. 

Click here for a picture of the FO — needs one more run through though, I think.  I’m sure you’ll agree that this is a classy, timeless and very practical project — to be enjoyed for years to come.   Take that, Surly! 😉

 

Response to question: the “wonderment” was pre-felting!

March 7, 2007

From Susan — Another Trip to Oregon

Filed under: Oregon Cardigan — lv2knit @ 12:19 pm

Thanks to all for your congratulatory comments and best wishes AND for registering for the contest.  We will have another reminder next week, but have also provided a link in the upper right hand corner to sign up for the fabulous prize drawings.

Now, back to knitting!

A few days ago, Charm asked for some progress pics of my second sleeve.  I regret that I am unable to comply BECAUSE THE SECOND SLEEVE IS DONE!!!!  No more inch-by-inch pictures as it moves along at a glacial pace!  I worked on it the entire Snow Day (last Friday) and finished all but the ribbing, which I completed last Saturday morning.  I knitted until my arms and shoulders screamed!  Owie! 🙁

Here is Oregon with TWO SLEEVES!

Oregonwith2sleeves.jpg

Now what, you might ask?  I was thinking that I should just motor along and keep going, but I am so sick and tired of this project, I need to back off for a while.  I will return to it soon, but I just can’t make myself do it today!  I have a small, quick project in mind and if I can get the pattern today, I will start immediately!! 

Eris is going well, also.  I am a smidge away from starting the shirt-tail shaping.  I’ll talk more about our changes to the pattern once that is underway.

In answer to Alison — I am very embarrassed to admit this, but I do not do my two-color fair isle knitting with both hands.  I am a thrower (not a picker) and therefore carry my yarn in my right hand.  I drop the yarn and pick up the second color.  I can do two-handed knitting, but with fair isle I have found that I cannot spread out the just-knit sts as easily (to prevent puckering) AND hold the yarn in both hands at the same time — or chew gum for that matter! ;) 

March 6, 2007

From Susan & Sally — Happy Bloggiversary!!

Filed under: Back Story,Contest — lv2knit @ 9:59 am

To us! 

Yes, March 20 — two weeks from today — marks the One Year Bloggiversary of The Rainey Sisters.  It has been a fun year for us, tracking each other’s progress and sharing our knitting adventures and misadventures with all of you in the knitting community. 

To celebrate this milestone and thank our loyal readers for their ongoing support, we are having a contest, with PRIZES!!!  Some pretty fabulous prizes, actually, all of which relate to the blogging we have done during the past year.

The Prizes:

Prize Number 1

PoemsofColor.jpg

A copy of Poems of Color by Wendy Keele.  We’re sorry we cannot provide the yarn to make your own gorgeous Bohus, but this book will inspire and inform!  Even if you never knit a Bohus, this book is a fun read.

Prize Number 2

LaceTam006.jpg

A copy of Susan’s “Lace Tam and Scarf” pattern, with 2 skeins of Rowan Silk Wool DK — enough to make the tam:

SilkWoolDKVelvet.jpg

The color is called Velvet (the picture is very true).  The yarn is 50% Merino and 50% Silk; gauge = 5.5 sts per inch; very soft and lustrous.

Grand Prize:

BerryClusterPullover.jpg

12 skeins of Tahki Jolie in color #5016 (mint).  Sally has generously donated the yarn to make the Berry Cluster Pullover as featured in Nicky Epstein’s Knitting on the Edge.  Twelve skeins will make the largest pattern size, in the yarn used in the book.  Pearls and book not included! 

How to enter:
Send an email to theraineysisters@msn.com and put “Contest” in the subject line.  Share something you like about our blog.  Three winnners will be selected at random. 

Deadline:
Enter by 12 midnight, Eastern Time, on March 19.  Winners’ names will be drawn and announced on March 20. 

Thank you so much for being here with us this first year.  We embarked on “The Rainey Sisters” without knowing how much fun it would be and how much we would enjoy sharing our knitting lives with all of you.  We want to say thank you, and please keep reading!

 

March 5, 2007

From Sally — Final Pictures of Feather and Fan

Filed under: Feather and Fan Shawl — surly @ 8:42 pm

I should have put on heels and a swirly dress to show off the shawl post-blocking, but I didn’t. Here are a few final photographs of the grey behemoth.

A close up of the cable detail (which I did every three pattern repeats):

A shot of it folded in half around the shoulders:

A twirling shot:

On another note:

I should have put on heels and a swirly dress to show off the shawl post-blocking, but I didn’t. Here are a few final photographs of the grey behemoth. A close up of the cable detail (which I did every three pattern repeats): A shot of it folded in half around the shoulders: A twirling shot: On another note: A few months ago, I wrote about the new Knit Picks needle sets. (You can see my post on them here.) I was quite happy with them, but after an incident last night I thought I should issue a brief warning/update. Having finished the grey shawl, I wanted to cast on a new one to have on the needles. I decided to use one of that set and laboriously cast on 624 stitches. As I was knitting the first row, the needle came apart. You screw the cord to the needle, and sometimes the needle will come unscrewed. That wasn’t the problem last night, though. Instead, the cord actually pulled out of the metal piece that you use to screw the cord into the appropriate needle tip. Because of the type of cast on I was using and the fact that the yarn was 100% silk, my entire cast on was lost. I’m sure Knit Picks will replace the cord for me, but right now I’m not sure I even want them to. I’m trying to make the lost hours of casting on into a positive: I wasn’t that happy with the cast on specified by the pattern so I am going to use a different one AND I think I will switch to an Addi Natura (bamboo) needle because the yarn is so slippery. I rarely knit with bamboo or wood, but in this case I think it’s a good idea. Sadly, I don’t own a needle in the right size and length, so I am temporarily stymied. Back to Eris I go.

From Susan — How Embarrassing!!

Filed under: Back Story — lv2knit @ 7:12 am

OR, how “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” bit me in the a**. 

I stopped in my LYS yesterday and a couple of newbie knitters were in front of me at the register when I checked out.  They were saying things like, “I had no idea I would spend this much!  What will my husband say?” 

Well, of course I had to chime in (rather tongue-in-cheek): “Don’t tell him.  What business is it of his anyway?  My husband and I have a ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy about this kind of thing.”  Blah, blah, blah.

As I got in my car, I noticed that my phone was flashing — indicating a missed call.  I picked up the phone and my husband was on the phone trying to talk to me.  The upshot was, I had accidentally called him (at work no less!) and he was overhearing the whole conversation!  He was asking me why I kept saying, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and, “Where are you — why did you call me and not talk to me??”  It was pretty hilarious!

Lest you think my husband is a jerk from whom I have to hide my knitting expenditures, he’s not — he couldn’t care less.  He is a very sweet and supportive man, and treats me way too well if you ask me!  But it was too ironic and funny!

March 3, 2007

From Sally — The Feather & Fan Shawl Is Blocked and Drying

Filed under: Feather and Fan Shawl — Sally @ 6:00 pm

Whew. That was a lot of pinning. A lot. It’s probably already dry — I had to keep spraying it just to be able to finish blocking. But I am leaving it pinned for a few more hours lest I suffer the nightmare of “springing back.” Here are some photos of it being blocked.

I stood on a chair to try to get a better shot, but I couldn’t get the entire shawl in the photograph.

Here is a close up.

In answer to Susan’s question: it’s about 63 inches in diameter.

From Sally — The Feather & Fan Shawl Is Finished (almost)

Filed under: Feather and Fan Shawl — Sally @ 12:28 pm

The crocheted edge is finished and the shawl is happily soaking in a tub of lavender-scented Eucalan — just waiting to be blocked. Here are a few photos of the almost finished shawl.

This one was taken when I had cast off somewhere between a third and half of the stitches:

Here it is in all of its pre-blocking glory:

And here are two skeins of a beautiful hand-dyed 100% silk laceweight yarn from Sundara — my next shawl. The color is a bit darker and deeper than it looks here and because it’s silk there is more sheen as well. It’s really what I call “Kate Spade” red. Click here to see the color a bit better.

March 2, 2007

From Susan — Winter Wonderland!!

Filed under: Back Story — lv2knit @ 9:47 am

Remember this from December 31, 2006?

Outdoors002.jpg

Now it looks like this!

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I LOVE IT!!!  The snow is so deep that it’s over our dog’s back — she’s a large Yellow Lab.  She “swims” through the yard to do her thing.

Debbie Downer (aka, my husband) went off to work, so we are alone to have the kind of fun described by the commenters of yesterday.  I had already told my youngest that it would not be all fun and games if we had a Snow Day — that she would have to shovel out her room, etc.  But it did bother me that John did not let them savor the moment, ever so briefly!

I am going to be knitting, eating, drinking copious amounts of coffee, talking to Surly on the phone, watching TV (either live, or movies) and doing some fun things with the girls.  And I plan on running through the snowbanks like a young girl, flopping into the snow and getting thoroughly doused. 

On the knitting front: I have been working on Oregon and will probably finish the second sleeve this weekend.  I still cannot figure out how Marina finishes two sleeves in less than a week!  I am at the point where I am doing my decreases every 3 rounds instead of every 5, so it is getting smaller much faster.  Once you get to the Large Leaf Border, it seems to go faster, too, because it becomes more interesting — then there is the ribbing :(.  And the front bands.  And the neckband…..aaaaaaaaaarrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!

Re: Eris — this is what I pick up when I need a break from Oregon.  It has been progressing slowly and will speed up once Oregon is finis!! 

I must knit!  TTFN

PS — by 11 am youngest daughter had shoveled her room — now we need to do a mountain of laundry!!

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