theraineysisters knitting and so much more

It feels like I haven’t done much on my Hanne Falkenberg Ballerina (color #13) — I’ve just been kind of chipping away at it slowly but surely.  Here is the updated progress report.  I’m almost to the side “seam.”  I have probably 10 ridges and then I’ll start the right sleeve.  It is such slow knitting.  You’re on very small needles and doing nothing but garter.  I did haul it with me to work today and actually got to knit on my lunch break.  I have not been able to knit at work for awhile — and I need that down time to regroup! 

Here is a detail shot of the back right shoulder shaping:

It is all short rows all of the time.  The technique is the yarnover short row — a Hanne trademark.  They work pretty well for the way it is designed, though not as well when working the short rows from the top down, as I do with my sleeve variation and for the center back gusset of the Mermaid Jacket.  I’ll show pictures of my sleeve detail when I get to that point.

Thursday Knitting Group was quite fun tonight.  I did not get home until 9pm.  Woo hoo — wild social life!

 

Every once in a while there’s a sweater pattern that I just fall in love with and must knit. It may take me a long time, but I will eventually get around to it. One of those patterns is from an old Vogue Knitting. Here is the photograph that appeared in the magazine.

It was designed by Lily Chin, which surprised me. It doesn’t look like one of her designs to me — whatever that means. The yarn it called for — Edina Ronay Silk & Wool from Rowan/Westminster — is no longer available. I had to find a substitute. I’m knitting it out of Joseph Galler’s Extra Fine Pashmina in the color Musk (a beautiful soft brown with gray undertones). It’s gorgeous and wonderful to knit with. It will also be one of the most expensive sweaters I’ve ever knit.

I’ve finished the back and am just about to cross the fronts. It’s a tricky pattern, and I have made a few small changes to it. For example, as you can see from the photograph below it has Dolman sleeves. (It’s a horrible picture; sorry.)

The pattern has you cast on 6 stitches or so multiple times to get the curve and length of the sleeve. Instead, I cast on all of the stitches using a provisional cast on, and then added them in using short rows. Instead of binding them off in sets as the pattern instructed, I used short row shaping at the top of the sleeve as well. In other words, the stitches along the top and bottom of each sleeve are still “live.”

That means that when I finish the front, I will join the bottom edges of each sleeve using a three-needle bind off. At the top of the sleeves, I think I will graft instead for an even more invisible look.

This is a project that I started a long time ago and set aside for some reason I don’t even remember now. But I will finish it because I still love the pattern and the yarn.

I finished the ST cardigan.  With a notable exception — it is naked.  No buttons.  I bought buttons as planned on Friday, but after seeing the finished product, they just don’t go.  For those of you who finish a cardigan from time to time, you already know that finding the right buttons is nearly impossible.  Even for a simple little project like this one. 

The other thing I did not do is block it.  I would have said last week that I ALWAYS block the individual pieces of a garment before sewing it together.  But, it did not seem worth the effort on this one, given the rustic texture of the knitting.  I normally would not “show off” my knitting when the sts are so uneven, but I’ll blame it on the nubby yarn and lack of blocking!  I may wet block it after I figure out the button situation. 

After putting it together, it fits perfectly.  So, I am pleased!

Here are some detail pictures:

This is a not great picture of the bottom edge of the button band.  I picked up the first st right into the cast on edge so that the bottom edge of the band would be even with the hem of the sweater.

Here is a close up of the side seam:

The great thing about even st ribbing (2×2, 4×4) is that it works great for mattress st seams.

This is the back neck. 

The neck shapings did not affect the change I made from set in sleeve to raglan.  The button patrol is now on duty. 

(Knitted in Rowan’s Summer Tweed)