Chevron Rib Tank Grows Sleeves

On the way home from dinner with friends, we walked past Eileen Fisher. In the window, there was  a ribbed long sleeve sweater in the new gold and brick red colors of fall.  The ribs met at an angle across the front.

This inspired me to make a long sleeve sweater with ribs using the purple Twinkle Toes yarn that I had bought at Tess Yarns. I decided to use Ann Budd’s Chevron Rib Tank as the basis for the front and back. (Note: For the tank, the back is just straight ribs.) I would then add long sleeves since I wanted a winter sweater.

Before starting, I did check out Ravelry which is a great source for discovering how other knitters adapt exisitng patterns. The comments had to do with where the bottom point fell relative to the crouch area.

I swatched and tested the pattern.  Based on my swatch, I wound up knitting with size 2 needles.  In the process, I realized that it was a difficult pattern to estimate since without knitting a sizable portion of the front (or back) it was hard to estimate how deep the point of the V would go.

Ribbon Lace Scarf – First Wedding Gift Done

Instead of buying members of our wedding gifts, I gave my sister who was my matron of honor, my mother and two other friends balls of fiber wrapped in small pink pouch. Each package contained a note stating what it would become when knitted. I thought that this gave the gifts a personal touch.

 

For my friend Allison who along with her husband was a great help with various details, I gave a ball of white silk from Sarah’s Yarns. Initially, I had intended to knit the top of my wedding dress with it. But given my loose stitches and the haze of the fiber, I decided against using it. The silk is a dream to have near your body and is great for dying.

 

Having seen Veronik Avery’s Ribbon Lace Scarf, I decided that I had to try the pattern. This is unusual for me since I tend to find scarves boring. This pattern is anything but boring. It makes a great travel project since it’s really only a few different iterations of lace that can easily be memorized.

 

It blocked out well and larger than I expected! My friend Allison was thrilled with it (and I hope will actually wear it.)

 

P.S. I apologize since I didn’t snap a shot of it before I gave it to her.

Leaf Lace Kimono Finished

I was enticed to knit this pattern based on commentary in Knitting Daily and Ravelry.

  

Despite my swatching before starting, the actual piece and the measurements that I expected it to be were significantly different. In large part, I attribute this to the lace and how it blossomed. Also, the pattern is meant to be loose which is not how I wear my tops.

 

I am a major fan of using stitch markers for each pace repeat when knitting lace to keep track of your progress. For this lace pattern, the markers needed to be moved one stitch every fifth row which is annoying and extra work.

 

Instead of using ribbon for ties, I made a chain stitch tie. I considered making i-cords but they’re boring and I thought that I might not have enough yarn left.

 

If I hadn’t started this project on my honeymoon, I would give it away. It’s one of the few projects that I’ve made that I haven’t liked once I finished it.

 

Unfortunately, all I have is photos of the piece as it dries on the blocking wires. At some point, I will need to get photos of my completed items. Unlike many of my knitting friends, I don’t mind sewing the pieces together. Although I must admit that unsually shaped garments like this can be a challenge.

 

Interweave Summer 2008 Leaf Lace Kimono Stitch Detail

Leaf Lace Kimono Front and Back on Blocking Wires

Jean Moss Saffron Tunic in Beige Cotton

Knitting a wool sweater during the summer  is difficult, even if it’s August and stores are starting to show the next season’s rich colors. It’s still too hot to think about heavier fibers and, if you knit on the beach as I do, using wools and other winter fibers makes your hands sweat (sorry to bring this point up!) Therefore, for my next sweater project, I decided to make a cotton sweater which has the great advantage of being easy to cope with in the heat from knitting perspective and can span multiple seasons as a finished product.

For this project, I decided to adapt (my knitting friends would say that I rarely knit a project as it’s written!) the Saffron Tunic from Jean Moss’ Sculptured Knits.  The pattern is great since the stitch looks like it’s made of cables but in fact it’s a fairly easy lace pattern. The  major change that I made to the pattern was to make it work for my measurements since it’s really a girl/teenager pattern.

I am using the new Jaeger Sienna in beige that I bought at our Webs Detour last month.  As with many of my projects, I have to start knitting the body and check my gauge despite swatching! This sweater was no different. Often, this translates having to rip precious work.

Philadelphia Yarn Adventure-Rosie’s Yarn Cellar & Loop Yarns

My friend Amanda and I use our speaking engagements as an excuse for knitting and scouting out new shops. Our talks at the TS2 in Philadelphia was no exception!

 

You must understand that the journey itself is an excuse to get knitting done in planes, trains, and automobiles. Before leaving, it helps to plan your knitting so that you have travel friendly supplies that pass TSA scrutiny and an extra project in case you get stumped or bored. I always use circular needles in bamboo or plastic for plane travel. 

 

Since I was meeting Amanda by way of Omaha, I had started work on the Saffron Tunic, a pattern from Jean Moss’s Sculptured Knits. As written, the pattern is for a girl but the measurements could easily be adapted to fit me. Since the pattern called for another type of Jaeger cotton, I thought that it would be a perfect project for the Jaeger Sienna that I bought at Webs.  

 

I had researched Philadelphia yarns stores online. I was enticed by the book offering and the Wednesday knitting circle at Rosie’s Yarn Cellar off of Rittenhouse Square. The store beckons from its slightly below street level entrance way. The display of Koigu in the main room was enticing but I was lured into their backroom which was filled with books. It was my first exposure to such a selection of Japanese knitting books. I found Heirloom Knitting, a book that I wanted. It’s subtitled A Shetland Lace Knitter’s Pattern and Workbook.

 

Rosie’s Yarn Cellar – Street View in Philadelphia

 

 

Rosie’s Yarn Cellar’s Quirky Door Sign

 

Rosie’s Yarn Cellar displays its woolly offering

 Amanda and I took out our knitting to join the growing circle but I must admit that there was a chill in the air despite being the end of July. One of the members was knitting a scarf out of cat hair (I kid you not!) for a neighbor. The collective opinion was that memories of the cat had to be better than the yarn!

 

After our talk on Thursday, we packed our bags and grabbed a taxi to Loop Yarns, where the staff was much friendlier. The yarn in Loop is attractively displayed and there are a set of couches in addition to the work table. Like Purl Soho, it has a sister store focused on quilting next door. Although I was enticed by the Smooshy name, I bought two skeins of Koigu in pinks and purples to make a Lace Ribbon Scarf.

Light blue and white Loop Yarns Sign

 

 

Colorfully displayed skiens at Loop Yarns

Loop Yarns provides a wonderfully airy place to knit and think

Loop Yarns offers Smooshy Sock Yarns

Loop Yarns gives you a wonderful project bag with every purchase

Despite the rush hour crowd, we managed to add some more knitting time on the Amtrack train north.