Shetland Triangle in Linen Finished

My Shetland Triangle is finished! Once I got the hang of the lace pattern, it was a fun knit. It uses the Fir Stitch which causes bubbles in the fabric. It’s important to soak your finished shawl for at least twenty minutes to soften the knitting so that it can be flattened.  Since I had used linen which was less flexible, I let my shawl soak longer.

Here’s a shot of the shawl pinned and drying.

Back side of Evelyn Clark's Shetland Triangle - Fir Stitches Bubble

Shetland Triangle by Evelyn Clark in Wrap Style Finished

Mason Dixon Knitting – Brooklyn Bound

I bought the first Mason Dixon Knitting book as the reward for finishing a consulting project. I was enticed by its approach to knitting items for everyday use as well as the After Dark Nightie and Housecoat.

 

One of my knitting friends sent me their new book, Knitting Outside the Lines, last month when it first appeared. There are a number of projects that I’ve been eying.

 

Being a late arrival at Mason- Dixon knits and the owner of their new book, I wanted to catch up with them on one of their New York area readings. Since I wasn’t able to make the Manhattan venues, I decided to venture across the river to Brooklyn and was pleasantly surprised. The walk from the depths of the subway to the auditorium at the Brooklyn Museum was trimmed with beauty from the decorations in the subway to the greenery of Prospect Park to the Arch at Grand Army Plaza to the library.

Eastern Parkway Subway Stop for Brooklyn Public Library is a Cultural Experience

 

Subway Art at Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn - Creative Inspiration

I dressed for the occasion in my After Dark Nightie. Due to the weather, I wore it as a jumper with a long sleeve black shirt underneath it. Both Kay and Ann were impressed and graciously signed both of my books. They had never seen anyone were it in public!

 

In addition to the usual trunk show of knitted objects from the book, they had a slideshow that documented their journey. Powerpoint even helps knitting authors! Their talk gave insight into their inspiration for the book as well as behind the scenes looks at its creation. It was well worth the trip!

 

Mason Dixon Knits in the Flesh at the Brooklyn Public Library

 

 

Mason Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines Samples on Display in Brooklyn

NY Sheep & Wool Festival – Rhinebeck Bound

For the New York Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY, our friends Kathy and Bill invited us to spend the weekend at their cabin in the Catskills. While Kathy introduced me to Sheep & Wool Festivals five years ago, this was our first Rhinebeck adventure in four years.

Cabin in the Catskills

Catskills Cabin in the Woods

A sheep and wool festival means serious stash enhancement with yarns that are difficult to purchase at retail. Despite my overflowing stash containing over a year’s worth of yarn, I still wanted more. We arrived around mid-afternoon which enabled us to snag a great parking spot near the back of the fair grounds. We also got to see some of the dog trails which I had never seen before (too much yarn and too little time! I have my priorities.)

Back Entrance to NY Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck

Alpacas enjoying the NY Wool Festival

October Sunlight on Felted Hats at Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool Festival

Horse Drawn Train at Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool Festival

Lace knitting has captured my imagination this year. Maybe it’s the mathematical increases and offseting decreases that create amazing patterns. Whatever the reason, I focused my shopping on yarn for future lace projects and I found wonderful yarns to add to my stash. Top on my list was some true Shetland Lace from Jamison and Smith, the purveyors of the true article. I bought two skeins (870 yards) for a bargain $20.00! In addition, I bought a hank of Icelandic lace weight in a natural beige, which the hubster liked. It was a generouse 2,400 yards for $24.00. Lace weights definately help you stay within a budget!

Near the front of one of the barns was low priced wool from a variety of sheep bred in Maine. I bought a cone of sport weight in a wonderful turquoise containing 1,750 yards for $18.00. (While the yarn was a bit course, the finished garments were softer. I thought that it would make a nice jacket sweater.)

Lastly, I indulged in a qivuit blend, the most luxurious of fibers. It comes from the wild musk ox in Alaska and makes cashmere seem reasonably priced! I bought one skein with 436 yards of a plum lace weight. In addition, we purchased some New York state dessert wines and a pair of ear muffs.

It was a great weekend to be in the country where the leaves were colored glorious reds and yellows. The fall sunlight was ever so bright. We went into a nearby town to check out some local galleries and to have brunch.

Halloween Spirit in the Catskills

Surprise Birthday Present – Evelyn Clark’s Shetland Triangle

One of the members of our Saturday Knitting Group at The Point is an avid fan of lace shawls. She tends to use luscious wools that many of us drool over. As a gift, she had knit Evelyn Clark’s Shetland Triangle from Interweave’s Wrap Style in a lavender cashmere. The clincher for me was the fact that she knitted it in a week!

 

Since I have a friend’s copy of the book lingering on my shelf on a long term lend, I thought that this would make a great present. I need a present and have some wonderful moss green linen that I bought on Memorial Day at Purl by the Sea. It’s Berroco’s NaturLin which is 45% linen and 55% rayon. I have 5 hanks or 575 yards, slightly more than the pattern calls for.

 

I am amazed at how fast it’s knitting up! The pattern is a relatively simple repeat that has five different changes for the first few stitches. Since it’s a shawl, I didn’t make a swatch since if it blocks out larger, it won’t make a difference. I’m using a size 4 needle which is two sizes down from the label.

 

The pattern has 100 rows but my knitting seems to be using less yarn so that I’ve knitted about 70 rows with one ball of linen. I plan to keep knitting until I have used about 3 skeins and then I will finish it off.

 

Berroco NaturLin From Purl By the Sea

 

Yarn Harlot in Park Slope Brooklyn

To celebrate her newest book, Free Range Knitter, the Yarn Harlot made a stop at the Barnes & Noble in Park Slope, Brooklyn.  Before committing to the expedition, I consulted both Google maps and HopStop to determine how complicated the journey might be.  To understand a Manhattan-based knitter’s conundrum regarding whether or not to make the trek out to the outer borough known as Kings County, it’s important to consider that anywhere outside their home base is a long trip. (Never mind that it can be a mere short hop across one of the rivers that border our wonderful island.)

After much internal debate, I decided to make the trip. Knowing that the Yarn Harlot can attract a sizeable audience, I left early to get a seat. Arriving a half hour early, I managed to get the last seat (although several others appeared before the reading.)

 

Yarn Harlot in Barnes & Noble in Park Slope (aka Brooklyn)

 

Stephanie was amusing as usual and the audience was full of knitters who used the time to make progress on their respective projects, many of which were socks. I worked on my shawl.

Wedding Present Number Two – Lace Ribbon Scarf Becomes A Shawl

I gave my sister the light grey lace weight wool that I had initially intended to make my wedding shawl from. It is 70% angora and 30% silk fingering weight by Catherine Van Laake’s Loom in Essence Atelier. I have 830 yards which should be sufficient for a rectangular lace shawl that’s at least 60 inches long.

 

I had brought the wool from Knitty City’s sale bin since it was the perfect color to go with my wedding dress. Unfortunately, when I brought my swatch back to Knitty City to get some knitting help, I was told that the angora wouldn’t be good with my highly beaded wedding dress.

 

Angora & Silk Lace Weight Yarn from Knitty City

 My sister was thrilled with the idea of a knitted present. She is the recipient of numerous knitted gifts.

Having spent hours pouring through my books on lace shawls, I had found a stitch that I thought would make an interesting piece. When I showed it to my sister, she preferred the scarf that I was wearing (my Koigu Lace Ribbon Scarf).

 

Therefore, I used Veronik Avery’s pattern as the basis. Based on my wedding shawl, I knew that I needed about 100 stitches and added a garter stitch border. I used 97 stitches including a 4 stitch garter border (with 8 rows at the beginning and end. I am using Addi Lace needles size 3. I could probalby have used larger needles.

I showed my sister one set of 24 rows so that she could approve the shawl.

 

Ribbon Lace Scarf Expanded to Shawl Width

 

 Hopefully, I will get it done before the end of the year. It’s great since the light grey is not only neutral but also one of the in colors this season.

Happy Birthday – Sister’s Birthday Vest

For my sister’s birthday, I decided to make her something special. Since I didn’t allow myself very much planning time, I was lucky that I had some wonderful Kyoto from my trip last September to ArtFibers with partner in knitting Amanda.  Even better is the fact that this luscious blend of 75% silk and 20% mohair was in a deep royal purple which happens to be this year’s “it” fashion color!

 

Given that my sister’s wardrobe is peppered with grey and black outfits (despite living in suburban Los Angeles, no one’s informed her wardrobe to give up the always stylish New York black!). This will make a great background for my fitted vest.

 

Of course, my sister thinks that I’m a mind reader. When I asked her for her measurements to ensure that the vest was a perfect fit, she told me her bra and pants size. With these only marginally helpful guidelines, I decided to aim for something that fit me and hopefully was a svelte fit for her. Since I only had 605 yards of yarn, I decided to made a plain tank top like vest with 6 rows of garter stitch edging to prevent rolling.

 

Having made many vests and tank tops, I made a small swatch and used that as a guide. Given Kyoto’s delicate nature, I tried not to have multiple starts as I do with many of my projects.

 

During the knitting I prayed that my sizing would be correct. With size 7 needles, it went fast since much of what I have been making has been on size 2 and 3 needles.

 

In total it took about a week to make and I was surprised to discover that it fit me perfectly.

 

Since my sister was in town for her birthday, I lent her my apartment. I decorated it with hokey pop-up birthday decorations. I left the vest in a gold bag along with two champagne flutes. In the frig, I left a bottle of champagne and a chocolate cake with candles taped to the top.

 

Purple Kyoto Yarn From ArtFibers in San Francisco

 

P.S. Sorry that I didn’t take a photo of the finished vest.