OhSewCrafty

New WIPs: Glashütte & Ribbon Trim Cardi

The SKC on Ravely chose cables as the theme for our first quarter KAL.  Though I voted for a different category (colorwork), cables are always a-ok with me!  It also fits in nicely with the stash reduction goal as I have many cables projects queued/stashed.

I always cast on a hat project on New Years Day, and the book "Weekend Hats" is full of gorgeous inspiration.  Casting on Glashütte required 3 tries, not because the pattern is hard but rather due to my stupidity.  Does that bode ill for 2012?  Well, I got it eventually, and learned something, so I guess that is a good omen.  I like doing tubular cast ons for ribbed edges; it's pretty and it's functional.  However, it doesn't work when you have an uneven number of knit and purl stitches.  You can fudge it but it won't look quite right.  The pattern is fun, if time consuming.  With so many cables, cabling without a cable needle is a big help.  As you can see, the hat is basically done, but I need to weave in ends and block.  The yarn is Julia (merino/tencel) from Dirty Water Dyeworks, acquired at Rhinebeck 2011.

The Ribbon Trim cardigan is something I've had queued forever.  So far, the back, right front, right sleeve are complete.  I love the deep ribbing, cozy collar, classic cables, snap front, and ribbon embellishment.  At M&J Trimming, I picked out a few ribbons as trim but now I'm not sure if they are quite what I want for this project.  The yarn is Berroco Ultra Alpaca light, and this will be a major stashbuster as it requires quite a lot of yardage.  I had a rough start with this project too.  I swatched with the suggested needle size, got gauge and liked the fabric.  Sounds good, eh?  Then I looked at the pattern and realized there is a ton of negative ease built into the sizes, so I cast on for one size larger, thinking it would give me a flattering but not frightful amount of negative ease.  So I began with the 38" size, but it was huge.  My swatch lied, and the sweater would hang on me like a tent.  So I frogged and started over the 34" size.  My gauge may be off, but I think it will stretch to fit with minimal negative ease.

2012 WIPocalypse

I found this great SAL organized by Measi via Christine's blog.  The SAL plays on the idea that the world will end in 2012 (honestly isn't there one of those apocaplytic rumors every year?) and before that sad event, our WIPs must see some attention.  Why I'm certainly not expecting the world to end in 2012, a little attention to WIPs is never a bad thing.  The focus of the WIPocalypse is stitching so I'm going to list most of my cross stitch projects.  

1.  Dimensions Tree Skirt- begun in 2003, all done except for the backstitching (which is extensive).  Enough said.

2.  Woodland Enchantress- started in 2007.  50% complete.  This a Dimensions Gold kit with significant portions of half cross stitch- I should be able to knock some of it out at least!

3.  Athena-started in 2009.  33% complete.  I love stitching Mirabilia designs, and I love stitching on hand dyed belfast linen.

4.  Royal Holiday- started in 2007.  20% complete.  I'd really love to have something "Christmas" to hang on on the walls that time of year- so I might as well work on the one already begun.

5.  Rose Fairy- started in 2009.  15% complete.  This is the least complete of all my cross stitch projects, also one of the smallest, even if it is stitched on 36 count fabric.  It deserves some attention.

6.  Twas the Night- started in 2002.  50% complete.  My oldest cross stitch WIP and an easy stitch.

And now for the knitting:

7.  Nespelem cardi- needs the zipper removed, collar unsewn, collar frogged, redone, and resewn.  I'm don't know why I wanted to modify this design... I should finish it for Spring.

8.  Bruyere henley- needs seaming.  This crazy boucle fabric would be cute for fall...

9.  Acorn lace cami- needs seaming and crochet finishing.  This was frogged, reknit a a few times and really deserves to see the light of day, hopefully by Spring/Summer.

10.  Carnaby skirt-needs lining, seaming, etc.  This will be warm and cute!  I should finish it now so I can wear it during winter.

Ten is a nice round number.  We'll leave it there!  I will share a current pic of project #1.  Prior to 2012, I had completed most of the back stitch/detail for the center and left sections.  Some dedicated stitching time allowed me to complete the left and center sections, and begin work on the right.  I finished the bottom garland extending to the stocking, "Sweets", the candy and hearts, most of the stocking, the blue gift, and "Friends".

The random loose threads are there because I "park" my threads.  Ideally I would like to finish this by Thanksgiving, so I can shop for fabric to finish it when Joann brings out their holiday collection.  I plan to sew the Aida to a nicer fabric, perhaps a velveteen, line or back it with something smooth, and trim the edge with gold cording maybe.

FO: Chambourcin

• Pattern by Ruth Garcia-Alcantud
• Yarn: Valley Yarns Charlemont, 1296 yds
• Size/Needles/Gauge: 34", 5.5 spi on US 5's
• Time to knit: 5 weeks in October, November 2011

I'm not sure what possessed me to cast on for another sock yarn hoodie so soon after knitting Laika, but Chambourcin was chosen for the SKC 2011Q4 KAL.  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

The pattern is fairly simple, with the waist shaping accomplished by changing needle size.  I used size 3,4,and 5 needles for this project.  It's important to keep track of where you are so the lace pattern matches up on the various pieces.  This is easy enough, just count the heart motifs and make notes.  The sweater is knit in pieces, which is my preference anyway (stability, fit, portability, etc).  I did make a few mods.  First I shortened the body length, just slightly, to avoid "big butt length".  Unfortunately, the front ended up a bit short because I couldn't figure out a way to fit in short row shaping neatly.  Then I lengthened the sleeves because I have long arms.  I actually reworked the sleeves completely, starting with the 34" size sleeve and making increases to a 11.8" width (my upper arms are 12").  I resloped the sleeve cap so my decreases would fit within the alloted row count.   Detailed instructions can be found in my Ravelry entry for this project.  The hood construction is smart and a bit different, but it turned out entirely too large for me, and looks quite strange when worn, without some rearranging.  If I had it to over again, I'd take about 4-6" off the length.  Yarn requirements aren't overly generous for this pattern; I used slightly more than the amount listed.

Valley Yarn Charlemont is a merino/nylon/silk blend.  The four ply yarn is soft, with wonderful sheen from the silk.  The color is spectacular, a saturated red-purple.  It's quite nice to knit, as the yarn slips easily through your fingers.  My issue was the yarn had a tendency to tangle on itself, weirdly enough, since it isn't sticky in any manner, but a few times I actually had to cut it since it was so badly knotted.  I had some issues winding it from the skein(s), so maybe that accounts for it.  I'm pleased with the finished fabric, but I can't say Charlemont is one of my favorites of the Valley Yarn line.  Overall, it seemed pretty similar to Knitpicks Gloss, which I used for Laika, and I prefer Gloss since it lacks any synthetic content and is actually more cost effective.  (Edit: Gloss is no longer the bargain it used to be after Knitpicks' rather drastic price increase on the Gloss line in early January.  I hope that Webs expands Charlemont's color selection.)

My favorite aspects of this project are the sleek fit, sumptous color, and flattering split neck.  I'm happy to have another sock yarn sweater in my wardrobe, as I find the weight to be quite practical.

2011 Wrapup

Well, I knitted over 27,000 yards in 2011.  Some of this yardage represents projects where the knitting is finished, but it's not yet in the wardrobe due to lack of seaming, etc.  Subtracting those, I am left with 36 projects.  And now for some fun statistics.... I knit more accessories this year, with the pie almost evenly split between garments and accessories.  Hats accounted for most of the accessories, for some reason I was really inspired to knit up toppers; a few were gifts.  Lots of lightweight yarn was used, with 37% of my projects made with sport, fingering, or laceweight.

The highlights of my crafting experience(s) in 2011 were all knitting and/or kitchen related, since I hardly got around to my other hobbies.  Sewing was limited to a box bag in January, which was novel and fun, and frantic men's shirt-making for Christmas, while cross stitching was only an old project, a tree skirt, which only got a bit of attention in December before I set it aside in favor of gift-crafting.  I started using my ice cream maker this year, and churned out some truly delightful treats.  In fact, I've pretty much spoiled myself for the commercial stuff.  My favorite was the mint chocolate chip made with fresh mint leaves, yum!  I also made a ton of candy and treats as Christmas gifts: caramels, truffles, sugared cranberries, marshmallows, hot chocolate mix, and cinnamon bread.  Lastly I also made an apple pie and sweet potato casserole for Christmas dinner.  Whew, that was a lot of work, but everything was well received and delicious if I do say so myself.

Knitting wise, a few of the highlights were knitting with a lovely pure silk yarn, Louisa Harding Mulberry, for my Samba top (left).  I loved working up my vintage-style short sleeve red sweater; the lace up front is a nice detail (center).  Alice was an interesting challenge, true knitted lace for the most part worked in a deep midnight blue for some cool gothic charm (right).

Other faves include Lizette (right), basically a feat of pattern modification.  The pattern as written would have looked terrible on me, but I measured, sketched, calculated, and made it work!  Skelf (center) was really fun to knit, almost like magic as you work on the WS while the pattern emerges on the RS.  I picked out the buttons at Webs, and finished it the night before Rhinebeck, that was a super fun weekend!  Salina (right) was not so much fun to knit (not a fan of the yarn), but the FO is just so wearable.  I really do love Kim Hargreaves' aesthetic.

Lastly, I'll share a few special accessories.  The Glorious Cabled Mitts (right) were my first project on size zero needles, and I actually knit them twice (second time was a gift for my sister).   The Orchid Thief shawl (center) was fun and challenging in a way, as the pattern is a bit cryptic, plus the yarn, Stricken Smitten Shimmer Glimmer, is truly lovely.  The Gwynedd hat (right) is fun to wear, a bright punch of green with whimsical style.  It kept me on the edge of my seat, as it used all but a few inches of one skein.

In 2012, I will repeat one of my goals from last year: sew and cross stitch more.  I really want to finish the tree skirt, which I began a long time ago (2002, maybe?) and have it under the tree for Christmas 2012.  As for sewing, I'd like to make some more clothes.  I've rediscovered the fun of wearing dresses and I'd love to have more in my closet.  Also, I'd like to sew knits.  From what I've heard, this is easy, but I learned to sew on wovens, so that is my comfort zone.  As far as knitting, I am truly committed to stashdown.  I'll just state it publicly: I have over 200,000 yards of yarn, which is kind of ridiculous.  I need to use what I have and stop buying so much.  My offical goal is to stashdown 10,000 yards but 20,000 would be nice.  On a physical wellness front, I want to stay active.  I discovered yoga in 2011; its myriad physical and mental/spiritual benefits.  One of my resolutions is to keep and develop my practice.

New WIP: Red Red Wine

Here's my new project from the Tahki Modern Romance booklet.  There are several lovely patterns in this publication and I'm happy that I finally got to cast one on.  It's a fairly easy pattern, reverse stockinette with some cabling and texture for interest.  The pattern has some errata- according to the picture, the small (4 st) cable should cross once every 4 rows, not once per 8 rows like the big cable.  So, it's an 8 row repeat, I'm crossing the small cable on rows 1 & 5, and the large cable on row 5.  I started with one purl row on the WS for nice foundation row.  After finishing the back piece (pictured below), I casted on a sleeve and planned to make it slightly shorter (19" vs 20") to avoid hands being swallowed.  I'll shorten the section below the pleat.   Unfortunately I experienced a setback when the sleeve wip, which was entire ball of yarn knitted up, disappeared on the DC metro (subway).  I was quite upset as with that gone, I don't have enough yarn to finish.  Thankfully, a kind knitter on Ravelry came to the rescue with a few skeins from her stash.  I am so grateful!

 

The yarn is Elann Limited Edition Finesse, a wool/tencel blend.  It's very soft with a subtle sheen, knits up into a smooth, drapey fabric.  The color, "Glazed Apple", is a perfect blue-based red. 

FO: Salina

• Pattern by Kim Hargreaves, from "Rowan Vintage Knits"
• Yarn: Fibranatura Oak, in "Wood", 1124 yds
• Size/Needles/Gauge: S (35"), 5.75 spi on US 4's, US 3's for hems
• Time to knit: 4 weeks in October/November among other projects

This pattern has long resided on my queue; I was keen to work up the brown yarn, aging in the stash for two years, into a sweater for fall.   

The pattern is fine, written in a clear and pithy manner that I appreciate and is typical of Ms. Hargreaves.  I only made a few small modifications.  First, I did short row shaping for the shouders, and joined shoulder seams via 3 needle bind off.  Also, I did short row bust shaping on the front piece only (4 wraps and turns each side).  Finally, I reworked the collar because the back collar wasn't tall enough to fold over nicely as the front does.  So, I raised the back collar by doing short rows.  Beginning 5 st outside the shoulder seams (ie, closer to the front edges), I worked 10 short rows (5 w&t each side) on the back stitches only.  In this manner, the back collar is double-high and folds nicely.  More detailed instructions can be found in my Ravelry notes for this project.  It's not really a mod, but I worked the collar on size 4 needle since that's how the lower part of the (front) collar is worked. 

Fibranatura Oak is 50 merino/30 silk/20 linen, with excellent yardage (175 yds/50g).  It's a nice blend of fibers; the fabric works up lightweight yet warm, drapey yet slighty crisp, with a nice heathered/tweedy look.  The problem was copious loosely spun white threads (linen?) that were sticking out of the yarn and created a hairy looking fabric if I didn't remove them.  By the end of the project, my pointer fingertip was hurt, from all the pinching and pulling of loose threads.  The project also took much longer than it should have, since I had to "clean up" each length of yarn before knitting it.  At least the yarn is "stashbusted" and I certainly won't buy it again.  Buttons are dull brass metal from Joann.

My favorite aspects of this top are the nice lightweight, and jaunty vintage style.  I am eyeing several other pattern from "Rowan Vintage Knits" and I'm happy I finally got a chance to knit from this lovely book.

FO: Live Oak

• Pattern by Rosemary Hill, Knitscene Fall 2011
• Yarn: Wild Hare Platinum Sock (wool/nylon), ~300 yds
• Needles/Size/Gauge: 4.5 spi on US 5's, size as written
• Time to knit: 5 days in September 2011

This quick project was an attempt to negate the "damage" from the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival on September 24th.  It was a fun knit, and while my shawlette came out a bit small, it's practical as a scarf.

The pattern is well written and simple.  Only the first few rows were a bit tricky, to establish the increases.  I did my increases through the back loop to minimize the openness, and symmetrically across the center "axis".  The lace is easy and fun, and the stretchy lace bind off, while a bit slow, creates a wonderfully stretchy edge.  K2, sl 2 sts back on left needle, k2tog through back loops (tbl), *k1, sl 2 sts back on left needle, k2tog tbl; rep from * to end. Fasten off last st.  I will definitely use that technique for lace in the future.

At the Shenandoah Fiber Festival, I searched for fingering weight yarn in a warm fall color, and I found it at Wild Hare's booth.  I'd never seen her work before and she has many lovely semisolids.  The yarn has a nice firm twist and would be ideal for socks, I imagine.  I love the brownish red color, named "Braveheart"; it reminds me of red maple leaves in autumn.  Perhaps Platinum sock is a bit thinner than the Madelinetosh used in the original pattern; I managed to block it to size as specified, but it shrunk up a bit with use.  I did a quick "mini" reblock (ironing with steam) for these photos.

The last photo above is how I typically wear this, wrapped around my neck as a scarf.  It's lightweight yet warm with a delightful ruffly edge.  Check out my next post for a writeup of the sweater I'm wearing! 

 

FO: Verity

• Pattern: by Ysolda Teague
• Yarn: Tahki Savoy (silk/merino) #8 Olive, 186 yds
• Size/Needles/Gauge: Medium/ 4.5 spi on US 7's
• Time to knit: 3 days in September 2011

I casted this on because everything else was in the "finishing" stage and I wasn't in the mood for another big sweater project.

The pattern is very easy and well written, and fully charted.  The hat is knit top-down, which I enjoy since most of my hat patterns are bottom-up.  The top part of the hat knits up very quickly with not much attention.  The linen stitch band is another story.  I am not fond of linen stitch.  Really, I pretty much hate any stitch pattern that compresses row gauge so badly.  So the band involves about 195 rows of linen stitch worked back and forth over 12 stitches as you join it with the bottom round of the hat body.  Smart technique, but awfully tedious.  I recommend a nice long movie or two and perhaps a glass of wine.  Linen stitch does create a nice stable band and it's pretty, I suppose.

Tahki Savoy is 52 silk/ 48 merino; it's soft with a gorgeous sheen and saturated color.  The yarn is plied with a plump round construction and good firm twist.  The knitting experience is easy by touch alone and the yarn slips through your fingers.   It's not dissimilar to Berroco Palace, that I used for my Peaks Island.  I got the yarn about a year ago, at a LYS' going-out-of-business sale, sadly, but at least it was 50% off.  The silver shank button with a detailed flower design was a spare from Peaks Island.

I'm happy with this hat; it was a quick little project and I love the jaunty style.  Last season's KAL allowed me to work through some of my Ysolda pattern stash, which is great!

New WIPs: Salina + Chambourcin

 

I started Salina amidst struggling with Vent d'est Vent d'ouest as I wanted a stockinette project to work on during Rhinebeck weekend.  Also, I was keen on the warm brown color for fall.  Unfortunately, the yarn is very annoying.  Fibranatura Oak is a wool/silk/linen blend.  It's nice and lightweight, with a tweedy aspect and soft, drapey as well.  I'm not sure if I got an off batch, but the yarn has copious partially unspun "hairs" poking out.  They look like guard hairs, but are not at all itchy (short linen fibers, I suppose).  I could leave them as is, but I feel that it makes the fabric look sloppy with white bits sticking out, so I'm pulling them out as I go.  This is quite a cumbersome process, and I would not buy the yarn again. 

 

Chambourcin was cast on as I figured it was time for another KAL project and besides, I bought yarn for it Rhinebeck weekend (at Webs).  Valley Charlemont is a nice yarn, wonderful hand and feel, but unfortunately it doesn't always play nicely.  Winding at least one of the skeins was a nightmare, even with a swift, and my first skein (which wound easily, btw), doesn't behave well in the center pull "cake".  I've spent quite a bit of time untangling the "yarn barf" and even had to cut it a few times.

 

 

Obviously I am having yarn issues!  At least two upcoming projects (gifts) involve yarns I've used before, so no surprises there, hopefully.  Speaking of holiday knitting, I really want to knit a Christmas sweater for myself.  My gift projects are of small scale, so this should be possible.  The stipulations: it must be something "fancy/festive" and it must be knit in red, green, or white yarn (what I consider to be "Christmas colors").  Here are my options: yarn photos are mine, pattern photo copyright belongs to respective designers and/or publications.  Clockwise from top left: Red Red Wine by Vladimir Teriokhin & Elann LE Finesse, #20 Cable/Rib Cardigan by Gayle Bunn & Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed, Batik Pullover by Hitomi Shida & Fleece Artist Nyoni, Coraline by Ysolda and Elann Woodland Cashmere, Puff Sleeve Top by Vladimira Cmorej & Knitpicks Gloss DK, lastly Kendal by Marie Wallin & KP Gloss DK.

FO: Vent d'est Vent d'ouest

• Pattern by Marie Adeline Boyer, available free via Ravelry
• Yarn: Jade Sapphire Cashmere Silk in "Plum Rose", 342 yards
• Size/Needles/Gauge: 18" tall as written, 6.0 spi on US 5's
• Time to knit: 8 days in October 2011 (after 2 false starts...)

So, this cowl is a gift for my friend Sarah.  She bought the yarn, I knit it.  I tried and failed, tried again and failed again, but eventually prevailed!  The pattern is fine, simple with clear charts.  My difficulties were not the fault of the pattern.  The first time I managed to twist my cast-on row.  The second time I realized it was looking rather loose, so I decided to measure gauge and I was getting 5.0 rather than 6.0 spi.  I hadn't swatched because gauge didn't seem very critical for a cowl.  Well, it's critical when the piece is coming out huge....  The third time was the charm.  I cast on in the car en route to Webs the day before Rhinebeck, and managed to finish in about a week with a lot of dedication.  The pattern is fairly intricate and my WIP attracted a lot of attention (from men, weirdly enough) as I knitted in public.  This is true lace, worked on every single round.  The repeat is 24 rows and I did not find it condusive to memorization.  You start with 168 stitches and decrease down to 132, but the cowl is 18" tall.  Personally I feel that is a bit excessive for a cowl, and it is a lot of knitting.  I'm not crazy about cowls; I prefer something that fits snugger about the neck, but at least this is tall enough to cover most of one's head.  I really hope Sarah likes it.  

The yarn is quite luxe, 55% silk and 45% cashmere.  It is sublimely soft, drapey and has a nice sheen from the silk.  The cashmere content lends it quite a bit of warmth even considering the lightweight- the cowl weighs only 47g.  The yarn is ideal for lace, I suppose, but it is rather delicate.  It's very thin, you get 400 yds in 55g.  Once I managed to break it just by pulling from my center-pull ball.  Hopefully the cowl will hold up.  I have another skein of this in my stash, bought long ago.  I had planned a lace scarf for it and I do believe that will be an optimal use.  

To be honest, I found this somewhat of a tedious knit.  My two false starts due to my own stupidity did not help, either.  But it is a gift, it is lovely and soft and warm and I hope my friend likes it!