Oct 11, 2014
The last garter stitch rows (nearly 600 stitches each) of my Traveling Thorn are nearly over… thank goodness! It’s given me plenty of time to consider which sweaters I’d like to cast on next. How fast can I knit? So here’s my list of
7 Great Sweaters to Knit
Hell’s Kitchen by Josh Bennett
My daughter has a fabulous friend for whom I am very grateful. He’s truly knit worthy. I think he’d look great in Josh Bennet’s Hell’s Kitchen.
If I knit it in Rowan Revive, which is a recycled cotton and silk yarn, it would be ready for next spring without problem. Not sure of which color way I’d choose, although he’d look great in the same colors as the photo.
Window to my soul by Joji Locatelli
Don’t ask me how I came across this fingering weight short sleeve cardi designed by Joji Locatelli. Window to my soul works from the top down and combines some fun smocking stitch with brainless stockinette. It could transition from a concentration sweater to traveling project without much issue. I’ll knit this along with Doreen, using Prism Saki. Can’t wait to start swatching this!
Ragga Eiríksdóttir’s Iðunn
Ever since I heard Ragga Eiríksdóttir speak at the Slater Mill Knitter’s Guild, I’ve wanted to steek this lovely pattern. Unlike many knitters, I’m not afraid to cut my knitting. Isn’t that one of the wonderful things about knitting? If there’s a mistake, you just rip it out and start over. The stitches don’t disintegrate just by cutting them. It’s OK, really.
Once I learned that I could get Icelandic yarn grown in Massachusetts, the project somehow morphed into something somewhat unattainable. I could just cast on in worsted weight yarn, but….
Meryl Streep Chevron Lace Cardi by Ann Weaver
Redfern Cardigan by Ramona Gaynor
Norah Gaughn Lempster pullover
Sage Yarns in Falmouth is hosting Norah Gaughan in December, 2014. One of the classes she’ll teach is starting the Lempster sweater. OOO, I have not seen this yet. Another worsted weight sweater, I know. There’s not even any yarn in the stash for this. But wouldn’t it make a nice knit along?
Helene Rush Greenery from Twist Collective
Is it the photography? Is it the mitered squares and use of color? Is it because I love being on the water?
All I know is that I’d love to knit Greenery by Hélène Rush. The Twist Collective always has the best photography. I have some fab Martha’s Vineyard fiber farm yarns (yes, back from the days when the farm was in Massachusetts!) that would be fabulous for this sweater… except they are worsted weight yarns and the pattern calls for sport weight. I’ll mull this over while knitting the other sweaters, right?
So it looks like I’ll be knitting a lot this winter! In between commission work and corrections on my Master Knitter portfolio, I’d better hope for a lot of snow days!
Sep 16, 2014
I won’t have time. I may have time. Wow! I have a morning free.
Those of you who travel with non yarn loving family members know the dilemma: you head blissfully into a yarn store, content to browse for at least an hour. Even supportive and appreciative gift recipients can only handle so much yarn handling and pattern browsing. To truly enjoy a yarn shop sejour, send the friends and family away and soak it up yourself.
While planning a stopover in London with my hub earlier this month, I believed I might do my usual pilgrimage to Liberty (which was a bit disappointing this time… the fabric shopping is better in their online store!). With the London Fashion Week just days away, perhaps I missed the good stuff. I hoped to stop by Loop Knitting in Islington to pick up the newest issue of Pom Pom Quarterly. That seemed unlikely.
But serendipitous schedule scrambles allowed me to jump on the Tube on morning, knitting happily as the stations sped by. Once in Islington, I escaped the quickly moving escalator to find a cute little espresso truck. Good sign!
Loop’s little map did not have a scale identifying the actual distance from the station to the yarn shop, so I was surprised to find it not more than 200 yards away. The cozy little shop is spread on two floors, filled with foreign accented chatter, lovely shop samples and WHAT? – large selection of Quince and Co yarns. Fun offerings from Habu dotted the downstairs as well. Grrr.
Did I travel all of the way here to find yarns I already enjoy at home? Being Boston based, I know we have a fabulous LYS scene. I expected Debbie Bliss and Rowan yarns, UK standards available across the continents. But all of the way here for these quality materials I already knew? Has globalization hit the yarn scene, diluting the local characteristics of all yarn shops?
I found my Pom Pom Quarterly right away, but I felt like the spoiled little girl. Where were the UK indie yarns?
Whew! Upstairs, I found the cozy sofa, Jamieson spindrift (like smelling salts, I tell you) and a variety of hand dyed and small UK yarn providers.
Of course, I couldn’t resist the Old Maiden Aunt sport weight alpaca, silk and wool combo… and I needed a pattern to use that precious shank. So I purchased the Juju’s Loops book, which had a lovely fingerless mitt and sweater pattern that I couldn’t resist.
Excellent souvenirs, I decided.
Back on the Camden Passage, I continued up the pedestrian street to admire shop windows.
Cafes, antique shops (all closed on a Tuesday morning), chocolate shops mingled to create an interesting little walk. I was glad to for time to wander into Loop.
Aug 24, 2014
Summer travels deserve a portable knitting project… one that fits tidily into a bag, isn’t too demanding and keeps you busy for the long haul. Thanks to the Common Cod Fiber Guild Knit a Long (KAL), my traveling project for summer 2014 is Bristol Ivy’s Thorn.
Thorn, an asymmetrical wrap designed by Bristol Ivy
Let me be honest: When the Cod announced the KAL, I surveyed my stash and found no good fingering weight yarn in 1000 yard quantities that fit the bill. Either they were earmarked for other projects or too variegated for a delightful result. So I thought I’d pass. Then one day in early July, a most appealing shank of lace weight silk from Claudia Hand Painted Yarns began calling my name at In Stitches.
With 1100 yards in one skein, I could complete Thorn
Thorn sails into Rhode Island Sound
By the time I wound that shank, it was nearly time for our sail down to Block Island. I rigged a color mesh yarn bag from Walker with a lanyard and a foam base, downloaded the pattern and cast on.
Sea worthy knitting!
Technically, Thorn is not a difficult pattern. It does, however, require one to count. I have learned that I do not always count correctly. Counting incorrectly means a lot of ripping or reverse knitting. Did you catch that I chose a finer yarn than the pattern uses? Oh, yes, knitting on size US 1 needles means those stitches are just that tinier when you reverse knit.
Learning from others in the KAL, I did place a nice bright green thread as a traveling marker. I often watch it shrink… the last big mistakes discovered a good 54 rows later. Sigh.
On weekend sails, car trips, any time I thought the light would be good enough, Thorn travels along. Sailing friends have watched it grow.
Thorn sailing out of Boston
Having finished section B2 this morning near Montreal, perhaps I’m in a Thorn -y groove?
Thorn, Section B2 finished near Montreal
At this point, I cannot recommend Thorn in lace weight yarn as a great traveling project. Off to check the hash tag #CCFGThornKAL to see what other yarns people are using.
What makes a good traveling project for you?
Apr 12, 2014
I remember when my Grandma finished this needlepoint bag. Perhaps I even remember the day when she and my mom bought the kit… or is it just a dream… after all, this was the 1970’s.
Last November, this bag was still in use, holding the knitting project Grandma kept in her closet. With her vision so dim, I’m not sure how she ever managed to knit that novelty yarn, all pink and fluffy. I worked a couple of rows and corrected a couple of slipped stitches to make knitting easier for her.
Grandma had downsized numerous times in the last 20 years. In the end, this was one of the things she still kept. So when I saw in the pile for potential charity donation after her death last month, I knew it belonged to me now.
Hand made memories, made to last.
Mar 14, 2014
Tada! Blocked, sewn and buttons, with a photo shoot planned for Monday, the last stitches of Dovuto have come together. It fits just fine, although remind me to put 5 buttonholes in the pattern if I ever publish it.
I am so ready to knit something different… oh yes, I have commission work waiting in the studio! And there’s the hat pattern, so back to work!
Jan 13, 2014
Fix it. Use it up, Wear it out. Make do. Do without!
This New England proverb chimed repeatedly last week, when I discovered the state of my warmest winter mittens.
It wasn’t just the “Polar Vortex” that made my hands cold last week.
Worn and loved, these mitts are made from Berocco Peruvia yarn and lined with alpaca. Created from Kerry’s Cozy Lined mitten pattern purchased at Dragonfly yarns in Janesville, WI. I knit them in 2008 and reknit the thumbs in 2011 (fyi, I knew that Peruvia was too loosely spun to make long wearing mittens, but the color matched my winter coat). Knitting a new pair isn’t an option now. Buying one? That seems frivolous!
For the time being, I’ll darn the exterior, but I don’t see myself creating a new lining until spring… maybe I’ll just knit a different pattern… so many cool things I could make. Wait! Stay focused, oh pursuer of Master Knitter Level 3.
My family has noted that mending jobs get done promptly, but their mending lingers on hangars at my studio door. Imagine that!
Ok, back to work!
