Another Wedding-Related Present Finished!

Sister's Grey Ribbon Lace Shawl

Another wedding-related gift is finished just under the one year deadline. It’s the grey  ribbon lace scarf turned shawl which is a gift for my sister who was my matron of honor. My sister liked my red and purple  Koigu Lace Ribbon scarf  so I made the scarf 99 stitches wide for a shawl width. 

The Ribbon Lace Shawl is made from  the wonderfully soft angora and silk blend in a pale grey that I bought at Knitty City. This grey yarn was the perfect color to coordinate with my champagne colored dress’s silver-colored beading and embroidery. Unfortunately, when I bought it, I didn’t realize that the hairs would get caught on the dress.

This piece is a work of true sisterly love since it was the fourth version of this scarf that I made. 

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

Mitered Top in Green Cotton with Slubs

 

Vogue Knitting Summer 2009

At first glance, Norah Gaughan’s Mitered Top with its metallic edging in the Summer 2009 Vogue Knitting didn’t catch my attention. Yet once I looked through the magazine and realized that it was designed by Norah Gaughan and understood the shaping, I was hooked.

The top starts from a square and uses decreases as a design element to shape the bottom portion of the top. Other than the 4 centered double decreases, one at each corner, it’s relatively straight forward stocking knit and 1×1 rib. The shaping is enhanced with a wide band of ribbing at the waist. It’s a wonderful pattern that can work for a variety of body types.

At first I was surprised at how few people had queued and started the top relative to other items in the magazine. In part, this is attributable to the fact that Norah Gaughan  uses unusual and unique shapes to create pieces that look great. These shapes can be difficult for many knitters to envision. For example, this pattern didn’t tell knitters what the width at the bottom of the top was. I had to back into it using the number of stitches and stitch gauge.

Further, many knitters tend not to change fibers and for this type of top, it uses a lot of fiber.

It took using a variety of knitting handbooks to figure out how to do the double stitch decrease so that it created a raised stitch. Once I got past that, it’s been easy knitting.

Yarn Swap Swag-Green 100% Cotton with Slubs

 

Bottom of Green Mitered Tank Top

I give a tip of my hat to my friend Georgia who brought this lush green cotton from her stash. Using my yard meter, which has never prevent to be error free, it has about 110 yards per ball or 990 yards in total. It’s got a slub which is helpful give that my stitches are uneven. 

My only concern is that the top will be a bit snug around the waist but I figure that I can increase the front slightly. 

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

Gail Lace Shawl in Carnation Pink Cashmere

Carnation Pink Cashmere Lace Weight from Silk City Fibers

One of my close friends had a milestone birthday last year. Since it was close to our wedding, I promised her a hand knit lace shawl within a year. I taped a piece of the lace weight cashmere to my card. It’s carnation pink just like the color of the Crayola Crayon. 

 

I have spent a lot of time looking through my lace knitting books, the web and Ravelry for ideas. Earlier this week, I was inspired by a photo of the Gail aka Nightsong Shawl on Ravelry. Further, it’s a free knitting pattern which takes about 450 yards to make. Since my yarn, bought as a mill end at Silk City Fibers, is too thin to measure, I am guessing based on comparison with the ball of Lacy Alpaca by Classic Elite.

The shawls on Ravelry are beautiful although there are a few comments on the pattern. It is an interesting triangle in that it doesn’t have a plain stitch running down the center of the spine. The one difficulty I encountered was the fact that there are a couple of rows where there is a double yarn over. Of course, had I read the instructions all the way through, I would have realized that I needed to use a knit and purl combination on the reverse side. Despite a few mis-starts, it’s relatively easy to follow and I am making slow progress due to the delicate nature of the yarn.

 

Nightsong Lace Shawl in Carnation Pink Cashmere Lace Weight

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

Memorial Day Means Montauk & Yarn

Montauk-The End

As beach-loving New Yorkers, My husband and I have ready access to numerous beaches including famous beaches within the city’s boundaries and those along the southern coast of Long Island and the eastern edge of New Jersey. Given our penchant for relatively empty beaches, an oxymoron in New York City in the summer, we like to take a day trip to the land’s end otherwise known as Montauk. Of course, the three hour plus train trip isn’t everyone’s idea of heaven but I bring knitting and my husband brings reading.

 

The beaches are wonderful with their sparse dunes and bent over wind bent trees. We were among the hardy souls who braved the windy weather on Memorial Day. We nestled just below the dunes to be sheltered from the wind which  was too much for our umbrella. We needed to wrap up with hoods to keep the flying sand out of our hair.  The sands buried our blanket so completely that if we hadn’t be laying on it, we would have never found it.

Dunes at Montauk Beach

Montauk Beach - Deserted due to wind

By mid-afternoon, we were ready for a visit to Purl By the Sea. Purl By the Sea is a wonderful local yarn store run by Nora Franzetti  who is also a real estate agent in Montauk. The store is packed with a great selection of yarns from the budget conscious Lamb’s Pride to small producers. There’s a large table in the middle of the store that her husband built. It always has a great of friendly women crowded around with lots of food, chocolate and laughter. My husband who was nestled in the spouse’s rocker said that he felt good listening to the laughter. 

Cotton Color Selection at Purl by the Sea

Yarns burst out to greet knitters at Purl by the Sea

Manos deep color hangs over the knitting table at Purl by the Sea

I bought some aqua colored Tahki cotton to make the Medallion top from the cover of Vogue Knitting Summer 2009. (Since I had 4 1/2 balls of white in my stash from a yarn swap, I only bought 5 balls. due to the fact that  the women tried to talk me into another color, I think that there will be more if I run out.) I plan to make it on my vacation in June.

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

Vogue Knitting Summer 2009 – Cover Inspiration

The cover pattern on the Summer 2009  issue of Vogue Knitting has me intrigued. After my first foray into lace knitting in the round, Amanda suggested that I try the Medallion piece since it uses circular lace. After reading through the related instructions, I discovered that it’s an amazing piece that uses a variety of stitches to make the outer border. The different stitches compensate for the difference in the circumference rather than growing by adding more stitches each row. I am planning to make the vest in a combination of two tones so that I can use some white Tahki cotton that’s in my stash.

I stopped using Vogue patterns since they tended to be very simplistic designs but, to my pleasant surprise, this issue has several patterns that I can’t wait to knit. 

As with any pattern I knit these days, I always check out the comments on Ravelry. This medallion top has almost 100 projects already. I also found out that (no surprise here!) there are corrections to the pattern. 

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

Webs Tent Sale Means Yarn Adventure

Webs is every knitters’ idea of heaven with a wide variety of yarns and brands including a great selection of related tools like knitting needles and looms. In addition to the quantity discount, they have a warehouse filled with discounted items and cones of fiber. For me, it’s a treasure hunt. Being fortunate to have a fiber-friendly husband, I tend to make an annual pilgrimage as part of a trip further north during the summer.  

Webs 2009 Annual Tent Sale

This year, my friend Amanda persuaded me to join her for the  Webs’ Annual Tent Sale. She didn’t have to work very hard to convince me to meet her for a girls weekend of yarn-related road trips and knitting.  Since Amanda got to last year’s sale mid-afternoon by which point the merchandise was well picked over, we left at the crack of dawn to get to the sale early. Webs had taken over a nearby parking lot and there was lots of activity under the tent. There were so many people that we had to wait to get containers to collect the items we wanted.  The people at the tables were at least three people deep debating the virtues of the various fibers and brands. In addition to yarn there were carryalls and needles (which were a bargain at $1 and $2 a pair!). Fortunately, it was cloudy which kept the heat down. 

At one point, I spied a couple of cartons with a big crowd. It turned out to be free fiber! I got some wonderful white cotton with fushia rayon wrapped around it as well as some rust and baby blue ribbon. It was the idea of free that drove me since I stopped knitting with ribbon ages ago. I went through the various tables at least three times before making my decisions. The bags of Noro for $49.95 kept drawing me over. There was an especially wonderful turquoise, green and yellow blend. Amanda persuaded me that I still had a bag of Noro Silver Thaw from two years ago so…No Noro for me! The tent line took about a half hour. Part of the problem was that there were several yarns that were mismarked in the computer system. 

Then we went inside where Amanda was on a mission for some Cascade 220 for a special project as well as some sock yarn for a friend who had to work. Not one to pass up the opportunity to drool over Web’s inventory, I meandered through the warehouse. There were some wonderful treasures but I restrained myself and waited on line. Inside, there were four separate check out lines that snaked through the store! It took another hour to get checked out inside.  

4 Check Out Lines Inside Webs - Where's my knitting?

Outside, there were some local purveyors of fiber and animals. It’s like a mini-fiber festival.  

Naturally dyed wool

 

Local fiber merchants at Webs Tent Sale

 

Alpacas at Webs Tent Sale

We left with some great yarn buys and our stashes happily enhanced!  As Amanda pointed out we extended our lives by increasing our stash. Between keeping us calmer and augmenting our SABLE, buying yarn is a great life insurance policy.

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

Wedding Sweater-Klimt Vest Needs Sleeves

Wedding Sweater Sleeve from Jean Moss Klimt Vest

One of the problems with using a vest pattern to make a sweater is that you need to reassess the armholes to ensure that they work for a sweater and that you’re on your own for knitting the sleeves. This is the challenge that I face with Jean Moss’ Klimt Vest. 

To help me, I used Interweave’s Handy Book of Patterns. It’s a great resource for those of you who enjoy modifying and creating sweaters that have your own personal touches. Since I have been adapting sweater patterns to fit me, I have a good idea of how they work. I am particularly fond of set in sleeves which  have a good fit and give a more tailored look. 

For the Klimt Vest, I used the chart on the set in sleeve pattern to develop the armhole on the back. I will use this pattern of decreases on the front of the sweater and will have matching decreases for the sleeve.

In terms of determining the number of stitches to cast on and increase to the widest part of the sleeve, I use the book’s charts for the number of stitches per inch and the intended wearer’s size. Since the people I knit for tend to have long arms, I generally work out the sleeve increases so that they happen at regular intervals that make sense for the wearer. I have had sweater patterns that wind up with weird upper arms since the pattern states keep knitting for longer sleeves. In reality, you need to keep increasing at a slower rate so that you don’t get little bat wings. 

Sleeve Cap Detail for Klimt Vest Wedding Sweater

Since the Klimt Vest has intense patterning across the front and back, which changes on both the knit and purl sides of the knitting, I decided to use one repeat of the pattern after the mosaic ribbing and to continue the sleeve using the mosaic ribbing. This simplified the knitting for the sleeve since I didn’t have to worry about maintaining a complex pattern as it changed on both sides of the sleeve. 

Wedding Sweater Wrist Detail from Klimt Vest

I love the way that this sweater is turning out. Since I need to finish it before our one year anniversary, I am bit concerned about the fact that it is taking longer than an average sweater to knit.

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

Knitted Gifts-Spreading the Love

Many of my knitting friends are always making items that are presents for their friends, family and charity. It seems to be a way to offer their love and support. Therefore when my friend Amanda invited me to join her for her annual Webs Tent Sale pilgrimage, I wanted to make her something special to show my appreciation. As a fellow knitter who makes a variety of items with complex stitches, beading and vibrant colors, she knits wonderful shawls, sweaters, hats and handbags. Deciding what to make was a challenge. Since we were headed to Webs, the yarn mecca, bringing her some special yarn wouldn’t do. 

After much consideration and research on Ravelry, I decided to make her some hand knit washcloths. It was an idea right out of Mason Dixon Knits. It is a favorite book of mine since it opens up possibilities for projects that I might not otherwise consider such as knitted home goods. 

In fact, the first of the items that I made Amanda was the Warshrag from Mason Dixon knits. Since Amanda is a big fan of Good and Plenty, I made it in pale pine and black Rowan cotton. I think that it’s a hoot. This pattern is a great way to use two different color yarns and makes a thick material.

Good and Plenty Warshrag in Rowan Cotton

For the second washcloth, I used the 1911 lace star pattern. I have been enticed with circular lace patterns of late and wanted to try one on a small scale. Inspired by Brooklyn Tweeds’ Hemlock Ring, I want to make a round lace shawl using one of these old patterns with a fingering weight yarn.  Since purples and lavenders are among Amanda’s favorite colors, I used some lavender cotton from my stash.

1911 Star Doily -Knit in Lavender Cotton

Interestingly, I did fine starting the knitting and went full steam ahead until about row 21. My missteps included not using stitch markers to keep track of the repeats, not using the chart to help track the stitch increases, and not switching to a circular needle sooner. As a result, it took me a frustrating week of ripping and re-knitting but the result was worth it! I finished at Amanda’s house so she decided to block it herself. It’s a great first circular lace pattern (as long as you avoid my challenges!)

Ties that Bind: Hand Knit Scarf’s Guest Appearance on Grey’s Anatomy

Knitting Needles

 

We recently watched the Elevator Love Letter episode of Grey’s Anatomy where Izzie is operated on for brain cancer.  Interwoven into her story is a Crayola green scarf that she’s seen knitting. Her knitting, which is a plain garter stitch scarf, keeps her grounded while those around her come to grips with her situation. Her last words before her surgery are to give the scarf to Bailey, her mentor.As a knitter, I could appreciate this meditative process. 

It’s a poignant episode where various members of the cast examine their feelings about Izzie. The scarf becomes a metaphor for the ties that bind us together through our relationships each other. 

As knitters, isn’t that a part of why we’re drawn to our craft? Isn’t that why we come together to knit? And why we give gifts of our work as a symbol of our love and caring?

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

G is for Green

Naturally Green

G can stand for a lot of things when it comes to knitting. When I recently took an honest (really!) accounting of the contents of my stash, that G stood for green (and I am not talking about the money invested in my stash either!)

As a Manhattanite, black is my favorite color. Like most New York women, I have at least one black version of every item of clothing. I think that my wedding dress was an exception. 

But when it comes to my stash, there is very little black fiber present. In large part this is due to the fact that it can be challenging knitting with black as I discovered with the Shetland Scarf. When I buy yarn,  I am drawn to the combination of the color and the fiber. Most frequently, I find myself drawn to the wine and purplish reds. 

Therefore I was very surprised to find lots of green in my stash. Maybe it’s the influence of the blue -greens that line the windows of the boutiques on Fifth Avenue but lately, I find myself drawn to the color green. Most of these acquisitions come from yarn swaps.

 

Light green baby yarn with great yardage!

Green cotton with slubs - Destined to become summer top

Green cotton and wool combination

Mint Julep Blend of Wool, Cotton and Silk- Small Producer

In addition, I’ve knit 3 green sweaters: a Classic Ribbed Pullover in Forest Green for my nephew, the Origami Cardi in Antique Green and the Lace Top in Olive Green.

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief