I’m in Love

Mar 042012
 

Tomorrow we start our KAL – that is, both of us joining up with the Second Wave Piper’s Journey KAL by Paula of Knitting Pipeline. I may have let you down in the past KALs, but I promise I am up for this one! I was going to use the Alisha Richness of Martens Fingering from the Cookie A club, like you were, but know that I will want to make this shawl larger rather than smaller. Instead, I’ll use my Alisha Panalopy of Peacocks Fingering in Estuary. I’ll have extra yarn, and it will fit in with the ‘green’ prompt of Muggles Studies in HPKCHC for March. I’ll also be in season with St. Patty’s Day knitting. So it works for me. We cast on tomorrow!

Speaking of KALs in our past gone awry, I have been working on my Island Girls Leaves of Grass shawl. I am SO enjoying it, I just needed to get off to a good start. I’m doing it in between House Cup projects, and am enjoying knitting with Loft. Thanks to Knit Companion, it’s easy to pick up my place even to the exact stitch after putting it down for a few weeks. I just can’t say enough good things about this app. It has completely revolutionized my knitting life. I feel that I can knit anything, no matter how complicated, as it breaks the project down into doable parts.

My Harry Potter Owl Project is coming along nicely. I am over half way done with the colorwork. I am a Steeking Virgin, and I am really looking forward to that part! Once steeked, I’ll need to pick up the stitches all around it an knit a border. I need to get cranking on it. I’m happy with how its working up, and love knitting with the Jamieson’s Shetland. Nice honest work.

Along with my Owl project and Piper’s Journey, I will also be working on Romi Hill’s Katanya. I have no idea as to whether or not I’ll be able to finish it by the end of the month. I’ve been working non stop on it for the past several days, and am done with the solid stockinette portion. It has very subtle beading, and I am using my Wollmeise 100% Vamp. I am totally enchanted with the pattern – I mean head. over. heels. I can’t remember knitting anything I’ve loved as much as this shawl, and have just barely resisted casting on Pulelehua, because now I must knit all the large shawls Romi ever designed. I’ve decided. Each and every one. Though I’ve enjoyed her Muses and small shawls, the larger ones of the pins and lace club have me completely smitten.

I’m in love.

~Purled

Overserved

Feb 202012
 

As I’ve said previously, it all started with a gluten-free cookie full of processed sugar, and a cleanse gone wrong. I hit the Loop update, and rather than one or two batts, I ended up with seven. Eight if you count the sample Steph was so kind to send along.I believe I was overserved.

But who could blame me? Perhaps I haven’t mentioned it, not wanting to jinx it, but I was on the list to receive a Limited Edition Schacht Cherry Matchless. I was notified on the 10th by Susan of Halycon Yarns that my wheel was built the day before and was on it’s way to me. I was tracking it obsessively on the UPS site, refreshing the page at least every hour on my iPhone for days. I may or may not have contributed to the site going down for two days with my feverish checking to see it’s progress, or perhaps it was just a coincidence. I had read in the Ravelry forums that several had arrived a day early, and mine was scheduled to come while I was on the Vineyard. I ended up coming home a day early.

And here she is! Pictures really don’t do her justice. The cherry is warm and glowing, the surface of the wood soft as silk, the waves in the grain perfection. I’ve never spun with double drive before, and it makes me feel like the world’s greatest spinner. I spun some 50/50 merino silk from All Spun Up, which I had previously tried on my Sidekick, and had trouble with. On the Matchless, it glides smoothly through my fingers and ends up on the bottom with the perfect amount of twist. I am in love.

I had never really gotten the thing about naming your wheel, though I had named my Louet Victoria The Queen, because I secretly hated her. Now, I do get what it’s like to have affection for a “thing”, and I will name her eventually. It has yet to come to me.

You asked about Knitting Resolutions. I am in awe of yours, though I have no doubt you’ll do just fine. I have a few. Every Wednesday is going to be WIP Wednesday. I will knit on my oldest WIP, and put them through a rotation. I have some lovely projects that I’ve abandoned – yes, Rock Island, I’m talking about you – and I want to get them finished. Now that I have Knit Companion, I feel like I can knit just about anything, even if the pattern is charted rather than written. What have I picked up lately? Leaves Of Grass, Rock Island, and as previously mentioned, I cast on Jared Flood’s Hemlock Ring Blanket, the yarn for which had been languishing in my stash since 2009. It feels pretty good!

What have you been working on?

~Purled

Knitting With Two Colors

Jan 152012
 

Thanks for the Bellybutton Cast On tutorial! It did allow me to start my Island Girl Leaves of Grass, which I’m using Loft for in the Fauna colorway. I’m on chart B now after a false start that left me with five petals instead of four. Don’t ask.

I have been using Knit Companion with this and other projects. You asked me to get back to you on how it is working. After taking the time to look at tutorials, I’m happy to say I’m sold!

One look at a chart and my eyes glaze over. Though I understand the legends and how to use one, my brain works better with written directions.  I’ve tried various methods to keep track, from low tech approaches  such as sticky notes moved row per row to higher tech methods such as Goodreader on my Ipad. Knit Companion has them all beat hands down, and finally I’m convinced that even an impatient dimwit like me can knit anything as long as I’m armed with a slew of stitchmarkers and a well set up project on my Ipad. There are plenty of video tutorials guiding you through setting up a project, which for complicated patterns, might take all of five minutes. Once set up, you can power through seamlessly from chart to chart, with a space at the bottom which can be hidden when you don’t need it, giving you notes on whatever chart you are working on.

Photo courtesy Kate Davies

I’ve spent some time setting up Rams and Yowes, by Kate Davies. I’m planning on doing this for my Owl project this term at HPHC. As the Owl is supposed to be something that “..reflects beauty, elegance, and most importantly, learning to persevere and that you are way more capable than you thought in some way.”, I thought Rams and Yowes would be perfect.

Though I’ve done colorwork before, it has left something to be desired. I knit two handed when doing it, and the tension of the yarn in my left hand isn’t always that even, and even after blocking, I’m not always pleased with the results. Along with that challenge, this blanket is knit in the round, and steeked – more new territory!

I found what appears to be the only US supplier of Jamieson & Smith Natural Shetland in Maryland – Yarns International. I contacted them on Thursday, and my yarn arrived on Saturday! The pattern calls for all 9 colors of Shetland Supreme. The designer says that it is probably the most perfect yarn for colorwork as the shetland blooms nicely while blocking to help with any irregularities in tension that can pop up with colorwork. The yarn is scrumptious looking, and completely dye free. All colors are made by hand sorting of fleece according to color in the wool store. How cool is that? I’ll be swatching today and getting my proposal together. I can’t wait to get going on this!

Fortunately for me, Knitting With Two Colors arrived just in time! It’s put out by Meg Swansen and Amy Detjen at Schoolhouse Press. It even came signed by both authors! It includes helpful tips such as steeking, dealing with tension issues in colorwork, and even walks you through how to design your own colorwork sweater using Elizabeth Zimmerman’s percentage system. You can be sure it will be within reach while working on Rams and Yowes!

All of this has been keeping me busy this weekend, and I’m looking forward to hearing all about Vogue Knitting Live! How was it?

~Purled

Superman with a Doily

Jan 062012
 

I’m winding down towards the end of my vacation right about now, and I’ve been extremely self indulgent during it. Most of my time was spent knitting or spinning or helping my Mom out with starting projects (she hates casting on)! I’m getting to know my Sidekick a bit more and have yet to ply on it, trying to be patient and finish a 4 oz top before doing so. I also have made some modest progress on Corinth, but much of my knitting time the past week has been spent on your swap project!

Wow, your Ashby is lovely. The codex blocked out very well, and it doesn’t seem to have much of a halo. By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you about your photos – do you use a tripod? Most of them are taken in natural light – what lens are you using? Your composition is great!

Let’s talk about Leaves of Grass. I did my usual magic loop cast on and ended up befuddled by too many needles and not enough stitches. I tried the first few rows several times, and it’s usually a no brainer for me. I’m thinking I need to find out about this belly button cast on. Now that yours is done, how are you feeling about having used Wollmeise for it? Did the repeat give you the size you hoped for? I do want to make my Island Girl version of it in Loft, but I need to get past the first few rows.

Harry Potter House Cup – I plan on finishing my Shipwreck for Muggles Studies – the requirement is that your project needs to have something to do with the sea, and the netting and pearls on the edging is perfect for it. I do love this shawl, though I am down to the mind numbing K2tog YO for 40 or so more rounds. I started this soon after the Loopy Ewe Spring Fling in 2010 and now that I’ve gotten over the hard parts, the House Cup gives me a good reason to pick it back up while watching some TV marathon or listening to a good book and get it done. I love everything about it – the yarn, the beading, and the pattern. I used 3 skeins of Skinny Bugga in Swift Long Winged Skinner and the feel of it is heavenly.

As for not wanting to look like Superman with a doily in your Leaves of Grass, I love the way she’s wearing Shipwreck here. The top turned down to reveal one of the patterns going across her shoulders, and the netting falling underneath. In the front, it makes a nice shawl collar – now that I think of it, maybe that’s where the name came from? Here’s another link about how to wear circular shawls by Principessa Grassa, who knitted up EZ’s Pi Shawl. The bullfighting look might be my favorite.

Any tips on getting Leaves of Grass off the ground and through the first pattern repeat? What are you doing for the House Cup?

 

My Brooklyntweed Knitting Life.

Jan 052012
 

Brooklyntweed is really keeping us busy! I feel like the Loft Collection just came out!

As for my ability to keep up with all these gorgeous patterns that are coming out….I’m not sure I’m doing too well. The eye is much bigger than my knitting time, that is for sure.

Wool People 1 didn’t really tempt me, although I almost fell for Levenwick by Gudrun Johnson.

I did make Bedford out of BTFall11, if you remember — it was my first experience with Shelter yarn. I have been wearing this sweater a bunch as it has (finally!!) gotten cold. This yarn does get considerably softer with each washing, and I think I’ve washed it 3 times so far. I know that sounds excessive but I wanted to see how this yarn holds up. The only downside is that the yarn doesn’t have the greatest memory ever, and the ribbing at the bottom of the sweater is stretching out a bit. The stitch definition is also getting a bit lost as we progress through the softening/aging of the garment. I am not saying that this is bad, especially for what was intended with this particular sweater.

I made Ashby out of BTFall11 as well, but used Sanguine Gryphon Codex for that. I can’t remember if we talked about that project much here, but it was a really quick knit, I think Codex is perfect for big squishy shawls, and this project on my Ravelry page (I think) has the most hearts on it so I think it looks good — photographed, anyway. Not sure if people like it because of the shawl or the yarn. It is, after all, knit in the Codex equivalent of Strawberry Crab which is a very popular color (but you know that from our tutorial on Gaia Lace!) Here it is:

You know how I was with Loft Collection. I love love love it. And I’m not done knitting from it. I just downloaded Spire by Leila Raabe. I really love her designs. (She also designed Ashby, above.) And I’ve got news. I DID finish my Leaves of Grass. Remember I was working on the edging the last time? Well. I got sick of it one night, stayed up until I was done and blocked it. Needless to say, I was up LATE.

I have got to say the finished product looks a lot more impressive than the required knitting. The repeats are pretty easy to memorize. (Once you GET to the repeats, Purled, this WAS supposed to be a KAL, remember? I was knitting the “city girl” version out of Wollmeise and you were knitting the “island girl” version out of Loft!?!?!?!?)

I have yet to wear it. But, I think I’m going to wear it to the Big Apple Knitters Guild’s yarn auction on Saturday. (I am hoping for lots of blog fodder there!) I will figure out a way to wear this somehow without looking like I’m playing Superman with a Doily. So stay tuned.

Now Wool People 2. OMG! (I have a question, folks. When people say, “OMB” instead of “OMG”, what does the B stand for? Buddha? Brother? Bieber? I have no idea.) There are so many things I want to make. First of all, there’s Fuse, which you’ve already talked about. I have already purchased the pattern and the yarn for this — Shelter in Soot, which is an amazing charcoal grey. I’m really looking forward to knitting this, mostly because of the construction. Veronik Avery has done many sweaters with interesting construction and this looks to be another. I know you want to make this too, but out of a different yarn. The only advice I would have on yarn selection, and it’s a guess at this point, is that you will probably do better with a single ply or woolen spun yarn. I think if you use a heavier yarn, it will drape very differently, especially when the sweater is buttoned up. I will let you know, once I get somewhere close to a garment on knitting this.

I also LOVE the SpillyJane mittens (34th & 8th), the Amy Christoffers zippered cardi (Ash), and the beautiful shawls in there as well. Among others. All of it. I want to knit it all.

Speaking of mittens, it has been crazy cold here, and I didn’t have any mittens!!!! It has spurred me to finish up a squishy pair and a hat in the same yarn combination (I started these in September but hadn’t finished) and since I had yarn leftover, I am knitting a cowl (a smaller version of Array by Shibui Knits). Nothing like weather to get you going. For the first time in my life (I think?) I am going to have matching hat, cowl and mittens. Exciting, right? The yarn I’m using here is pretty standard — a grey alpaca silk by Debbie Bliss (I had originally knit a sweater out of this, frogged it, knit another with it, gave it away, and am now in accessory heaven with it) with Malabrigo Worsted in the Amoroso color way which is a happy red to pink variegation.

Tell us more about your new wheel. And where you got stuck on Leaves of Grass. And what you are doing for the Harry Potter House Cup!

~Twisted

WEBS (Part Deux)…and Chit Chat.

Jan 022012
 

Happy New Year! I hope 2012 will be a fantastic year for you! I rang in my new year by “running” a 4 mile fun race in Central Park with 7,000 of my closest friends. (Running in quotes because while I would have considered myself a runner about 5 years ago, I am now a jogger.) I actually was going to walk this race, but got caught up in the moment and actually jogged the thing. I won’t mention that the main reason why I started running it was that a guy dressed up as a Christmas Present passed me and there was NFW that I was going to finish the race after him. That just was not going to happen!!!

WEBS — I am so glad that meeting up at “America’s Yarn Store” worked out!!!!

And I am happy you got the cute little Sidekick. I am expecting lots and lots of beautiful handspun gifted to me and am starting to scour through my project queue to see which ones will be appropriate.

The WEBS trip was fun. I was there with 3 WEBS Newbies (well, in addition to you). One of the ladies even said, on the car ride up, “I’m just going to get out of the city and to do something with my friends.” Another one was more realistic…”If I don’t come out with a bushel of yarn out of WEBS, then that falls within the guidelines of my Yarn Diet”. We all walked in and none of us picked up shopping baskets. After many minutes of meandering, skeins of yarn just magically jumped into our hands (how did that happen??) and we were all reaching for baskets!

I walked away with a sweater quantity of WEBS’ store brand yarn, Valley Yarns Amherst in charcoal grey for a sweater I have promised my brother I would knit for him. I have been curious about this yarn since I made Sportster from the Twist Collective (remember? See This Post.) — Amherst is the yarn that the pattern called for. It seems nice, and priced fabulously at $3.99/skein with the WEBS bulk discount of 25% — can’t beat it.

(By the way, if you thought I was some sort of a yarn snob, the above paragraph should be proof positive that I’m not.)

I also got 2 skeins of Juniper Moon Farms Findley in Graphite. This is a 50% merino/50% silk lace and 800 yards a skein. It has a beautiful sheen because of the silk. I’m excited about this yarn. I also bought 3 skeins of Manos del Uruguay Lace in color L6411 (oh, so helpful, hence the photo to the left), which as you can hopefully see from the photo is a kettle dyed red goodness of baby alpaca, silk and cashmere. I have 1200 meters of this stuff which should be enough for a nice, large shawl.

I am also glad you met some of the ladies from my Knitting Group. The 3 hour drive to and from WEBS from NYC flew in fits of laughter and stories. They are a really interesting group, and I have had fun getting to know them in the last couple of months. The one that said she was only coming along for the ride? She thought that we should have a quarterly trip up to WEBS! And the one that thought something less than a bushel is a yarn diet? She only came away with a couple of skeins! And the other one, the one that did not make any declarations of note (she did mutter on the ride up that she really didn’t need any more yarn) got a few beautiful skeins of Swans Island Fingering which I think is ear marked for the New Veera Valimaki shawl that is going to come out in February (it’s offered as a kit from the Plucky Knitter currently but pattern to be released to the public in February, I think). So I would say that was a successful trip!

As for my knitting, I anticipated a massive case of Startitis — but it has not yet happened. I have only cast on for the (I think) swap gift for you. It’s still early days and I may change my mind, but I think this is going to be it. I mean, I really like it so far so if you don’t, just send it back to me. (That’s sort of my litmus test for whether a project is “good” or not.) I’m not quite sure how I’m going to tie this to the “Winter Wonderland” theme we’re supposed to have since it’s definitely not being made out of ice blue or white mohair (that’s what comes to mind when I hear Winter Wonderland) nor does it have any snowflake color work on it (…yet, although I can certainly change that at any point here!).

I was, however, trying very very hard to make my Leaves of Grass shawl a 2011 project. But, it was not to be. I was really close….I finished knitting the body of the shawl on 12/29. And I have been pretty monogamous to that shawl since. And I’m still working on the edging. There were 576 stitches on the circumference, and each edging lace repeat binds off 8 stitches. Get the picture? Yes. I am in Edging Hell. My goal is that the next post I put up has blocking photos of this shawl in it. We shall see.

~Twisted.

P.S. OOPS. I totally forgot. I want to make sure to set the record straight on how you came about YOUR ACQUISITION OF GAIA LACE. Or perhaps I will just let you come clean about who told you about Dragonfly Fibers and her Gaia Lace base.

P.P.S. As you know, Sanguine Gryphon has split to Verdant Gryphon and Cephalopod Yarns. Both have started activities on Facebook, Twitter and Ravelry. News for you. Cephalopod is going to carry a lace that is a reformulation of Gaia Lace with baby camel hair. It’s not going to be offered initially but Sarah has said that she will add it. It’s going to be called Nautilace. And, as Sarah/Baltimore Studio for SG was the dyer for Strawberry Crab and Montauk Monster (she has said these two colors will be standard colorways for her — YAY), you can anticipate me being less Gollum-like with my Strawberry Crab Gaia Lace and I will very likely be casting on a project with that yarn in the next month or so. (No, still not for sale).

 

 

Eye of the Tiger

Nov 142011
 

I finished Romi Hill’s Buttonwillow yesterday. I used Madelinetosh Sock in the Betine colorway. I broke into skein number 3 with three rows left to go.

I loved knitting it, and like you, were I to make another, I’d make it more triangular. The more shawls I make, the more I realize that what I like to wear is either a good solid triangle or better yet, a rectangular wrap. The crescent shape of Buttonwillow is pretty, and by doing a total of 24 repeats of Chart A rather than the 16 called for, it made the arms realllly long.

I gave it a good soak and used blocking wires then sprayed it with the Romi’s cornstarch water formula to help set the block. I knit it up using my US 4 Signatures, so you know what that means…

My needles are free to cast on Leaves of Grass!

After seeing your calculations from yesterday in figuring out how to enlarge the Pi shawl, it’s perfectly clear you’re the brains in this operation. Trying to figure it out on my own made my head hurt. After reading though, from what I understand, I can repeat chart B twice and go from there?  Now – is there any way to find out how much more yarn this will take? I have a total of eight skeins. The shawl as written calls for five. I am just about to wind up a skein of the Loft I purchased for it.

But, just so you don’t think I’ve fallen off the redemption wagon, I do intend on finishing my sister’s shawl first. Only 20 rows of yarn over k2 togethers to go!

Eye of the tiger…..

Want to Modify Leaves of Grass? 3.14159265…..

Nov 132011
 

I don’t know for sure if Elizabeth Zimmerman invented the Pi shawl, but I think she may have. As with many things she did with her knitting, it is ingenious.

I first encountered the Pi Shawl in Knitter’s Almanac (it’s been reprinted, my copy is old), which may be the best $6.95 I have ever spent in my life. I think the new edition is a bigger format and hard cover — mine is a small paperbacked book that lived somewhere near my knitting bag for about 20 years. You can get your very own copy, as well as all her other books, her daughter Meg Swansen’s books, and the great DVDs (I highly recommend the Knitting Glossary DVD) at Schoolhouse Press.

Pi Shawl construction is based on the mathematical relationship that the circumference of the circle has with its radius. You work a consecutively doubling section of “plain” rows (3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 96, 192, etc., etc.) sandwiched between a row where you do a double increase around the circumference. (Circumference = 2*pi*r).

Leaves of Grass is based on this construction. So, since the designer has given you the right number of repeats through the 48 row section (that is chart C), the only place where you can “make the shawl bigger” is chart D and beyond if you wish. There is nothing preventing you from starting the section after the end of chart C per the instructions, and after the increases, in whatever pattern you choose, as long as you contain it in a 96 row section. You definitely have room to make chart D bigger (by 36 rows, actually), before you need to do another doubling increase section.

Some options for you: You can repeat chart B again after the increases for a total of 48 rows, do the double increases, then do 96 rows of chart C, do increases then start of chart D and go on that for as big as you want to make the shawl (up to 192 rows).

I am not sure if this is clear but I don’t know how much more I can say without giving away the Leaves of Grass pattern and you know how I feel about design copyright!

I, too, would love to have this shawl be about 60-65” in diameter and am considering pattern alteration. I am only halfway through chart C, so I have time to decide what I’m going to do. Having looked at the shawl sitting on my lap so far though, I think I would prefer to make the last section bigger, and, if necessary, do another set of double increases and do another set of the same chart. I really love the edging on this so I do not want to alter that.

I have been booking along on Leave of Grass – it is a fun pattern to knit, and I have always thought Wollmeise is really easy to knit. I do think this will look stunning in Loft, and am wondering whether I should knit this as a throw in Shelter!

~Twisted

 

 

An Attempt at Redemption

Nov 122011
 

I expect to see my shawless sister this weekend, so guess what’s been released from the UFO bin? You got it – Hanami. I’ve done some knitting on it since the  wedding and have one more chart to go.

I really haven’t been all that casual about not finishing it – it’s been hanging over my head for the past year. One of the reasons I’ve not picked it right back up is that trying to find your place in lacework which has been sitting around can be daunting. However, thanks to my Vogue Knitting App, I’ve still got my placed saved in the chart I’m working on. I end up using this for a row counter, and the nice thing about the app is that you can store multiple projects with a last row finished on it. This feature is only useful of course, if you tend to have several things you’ve let slide given a well deserved holiday to. Getting started back up was not that difficult after all. My plan is to finish this, blocked and all, to give to her this weekend. And her Ellington socks? Christmas prezzie 2011.

Buttonwillow is off the needles and I’m planning on blocking it today. I’m waiting on my Lisa Sousa 50/50 merino silk Petal in the Electra Colorway for Romi’s Muse number 4 – Melpomene. I hear the color is astounding, so I’m anxious to get my hands on it!

Speaking of color that is astounding, the Loft for my Leaves of Grass has arrived. Fauna is best seen in person, it’s a rich gold/green/ochre. I’m usually not an earth tone fan, but this is really spectacular! I purchased 3 additional skeins to the 5 called for, intending to enlarge it. However, that has proved challenging if not impossible since it’s a Pi and not a spiral shawl, unless I just add additional rows of the last chart on to it. I’m not wild about the idea as I love the inner patterns much more than the edging. The shawl is 53 inches across and at that size, likely to keep falling off my shoulders. The waif-like model in the pattern shot appears to be holding on to it for dear life – and she’s a tiny thing.

Any ideas?

~Purled

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