You can't imagine how soft the Blue Sky Alpacas Brushed Suri is until it's knit up. Oh. My. Goodness. Like a cloud, my friends. But that bit of bamboo gives it strength. I've just started my seventh repeat of the traveling leaf lace pattern on Pam Allen's Reading-In-Bed Shrug (opens the PDF), and it is so soft and sweet, though the color has an underlying dustiness that keeps it from being saccharine.
BTW, have you heard the news about Interweave Knits? Eunny Jang is the new editor! How fantastic is that. If you haven't come across Eunny's blog, please check it out. She is an indefatigable knitter and amazing instructress. Congratulations, Eunny, and I look forward to great things in future issues.
12 March 2007
Cowls
They're going to be huge for fall, people. Check out Andrea's post on knitted cowls for fall. Of course, the color for fall is grey, but then the cowl can probably be another color.
I have my eye on some Malabrigo Super Bulky, perhaps. Damask or Tuscan Sky for color? Paris Night or Plata for grey? I heart Malabrigo - it's so soft. But there is a downside to the softness: It pills.
But maybe I should find a non-thick-and-thin yarn for this. What about Blizzard? Yarns in the Farms carries it (always a quality indicator), and it comes in a nice heathery grey. My first hats were from this, and I still wear mine, though it gets a little stretchy. Alpaca may not have the sproinginess I'm looking for. What? I say it's a word.
YITF also carries Misti Alpaca Chunky, which also comes in a dark, heathery grey, and is a heavy-worsted, plied yarn.
Blue Sky Alpacas has their bulky yarns, which come in lovely shades, including a grey fox in the naturals that I rather like. But, again, the alpaca may not be the right fiber for this project. And a multi-ply yarn might be helpful, too. I think the cowl should be somewhat crisp.
But I should probably hold off on any decisions until the Lobster Pot Yarns come in. Oops! Was I allowed to tell?
I have my eye on some Malabrigo Super Bulky, perhaps. Damask or Tuscan Sky for color? Paris Night or Plata for grey? I heart Malabrigo - it's so soft. But there is a downside to the softness: It pills.
But maybe I should find a non-thick-and-thin yarn for this. What about Blizzard? Yarns in the Farms carries it (always a quality indicator), and it comes in a nice heathery grey. My first hats were from this, and I still wear mine, though it gets a little stretchy. Alpaca may not have the sproinginess I'm looking for. What? I say it's a word.
YITF also carries Misti Alpaca Chunky, which also comes in a dark, heathery grey, and is a heavy-worsted, plied yarn.
Blue Sky Alpacas has their bulky yarns, which come in lovely shades, including a grey fox in the naturals that I rather like. But, again, the alpaca may not be the right fiber for this project. And a multi-ply yarn might be helpful, too. I think the cowl should be somewhat crisp.
But I should probably hold off on any decisions until the Lobster Pot Yarns come in. Oops! Was I allowed to tell?
09 March 2007
Shawl Decision (?)
Seeing The Daily Purl's Icarus is pushing me towards selecting this pattern for my first lace shawl. Now the debate becomes buy the back issue of Interweave Knits or the pattern from Miriam Felton directly. There's not a whole lot else in that issue of the magazine that's calling to me. The Fairy Net Blouse is pretty, but I may be Blue Sky Alpaca Silk'ed out by the time I finish the Mermaid Sweater. If I buy it directly from Miriam, I would be supporting her directly (she was already paid by the magazine directly, so she wouldn't get anything else out of my mag purchase), and it looks like she offers full pattern support in return. Guess I'm leaning towards direct purchase. But that will happen later.
Yes, btw, I do have a job and should get back to it!
Yes, btw, I do have a job and should get back to it!
B is for Brocade
I had thought of a sweater sort of like this some time ago and just found it on Jenna's blog. Hers is Kaffe Fassett's Brocade from Rowan 38, and it looks lovely. My idea is to do something more fitted and without the baroque motif centered squarely over the girls.
It used to be that the girls were ... robust, so that design would have been a bit much. Now, post-child, they are smaller. Note: Moms who have yet to wean their wee ones, when I say "smaller", I mean SMALLER. Most of the other things that happened to this ol' piece of clay pre- and post-natal I knew about, thanks to books, the 'net, and most importantly my fecund friends. But no one mentioned that I'd end up down a cup size from my pre-pregnancy self.
I guess it's a good thing I only took up knitting just before getting pregnant. If I had a bunch of sweaters that now were too big, I'd be quite peeved. As it is some exciting bra shopping (exciting because the petite cheri was with me and took her shirt off, too) has salved my ego somewhat. I always wanted to be a "B".
So, back to Brocade. I'm not quite ready to plunge into colorwork (and have far too many projects in the queue at the moment) but will be someday. When I first saw Jenna's sweater, I contemplated knitting it in the round, but that really wouldn't be possible. I envision the motif (whatever it ends up being) wrapping around the sweater from front to back, perhaps even twining up the neck. This would make shaping the sweater a little more challenging, though doable. My new idea is to knit the body in one piece, only flat, which would ensure there wouldn't be any jogs on the side that has the motif. My skillz continue to improve with each project but I'd rather not have to rely on my seaming technique there. I'd seam it up on the "blank" side.
I would have to work out how to do the armholes, but I definitely think this can be done.
BTW, did you see the picture of the inside of Jenna's sweater? Amazing.
It used to be that the girls were ... robust, so that design would have been a bit much. Now, post-child, they are smaller. Note: Moms who have yet to wean their wee ones, when I say "smaller", I mean SMALLER. Most of the other things that happened to this ol' piece of clay pre- and post-natal I knew about, thanks to books, the 'net, and most importantly my fecund friends. But no one mentioned that I'd end up down a cup size from my pre-pregnancy self.
I guess it's a good thing I only took up knitting just before getting pregnant. If I had a bunch of sweaters that now were too big, I'd be quite peeved. As it is some exciting bra shopping (exciting because the petite cheri was with me and took her shirt off, too) has salved my ego somewhat. I always wanted to be a "B".
So, back to Brocade. I'm not quite ready to plunge into colorwork (and have far too many projects in the queue at the moment) but will be someday. When I first saw Jenna's sweater, I contemplated knitting it in the round, but that really wouldn't be possible. I envision the motif (whatever it ends up being) wrapping around the sweater from front to back, perhaps even twining up the neck. This would make shaping the sweater a little more challenging, though doable. My new idea is to knit the body in one piece, only flat, which would ensure there wouldn't be any jogs on the side that has the motif. My skillz continue to improve with each project but I'd rather not have to rely on my seaming technique there. I'd seam it up on the "blank" side.
I would have to work out how to do the armholes, but I definitely think this can be done.
BTW, did you see the picture of the inside of Jenna's sweater? Amazing.
More Capecho Mods
What I've gleaned from the Craftster forum:
Knit at least one size smaller
Knit on a smaller needle, perhaps even finer yarn
Eliminate one (#7, though I think eliminating #4 might work) to four (#1, 9, 7, 8) pentagons
The pentagons are easier than you think
Getting gauge is no help (Vogue Knitting, who do you think you are publishing a pattern like this?!?)
The pentagons stretch more once they're together
Sooo, the Sylvan Spirit is DK. If I did it on US5s, it might just work.
Sooo, the Sylvan Spirit is DK. If I did it on US5s, it might just work.
The Knitting Life
Cara mentioned today that she and a friend felt sorry for people who don't knit. And I must agree. Looking back, lo these many (three) years, I try to remember what I used to do with my time B.K. (Before Knitting, of course), and it seems I wasted a lot of time. Not wasted per se but did not do things as efficiently as possible, since I'm doing most of the same stuff plus knitting and raising a toddler and living in a big house far away from my job. Okay, so my life is radically different from what it was when I learned to knit in our tiny apartment in Boston's South End. But I still think of all the knitting I could have done.
By the way, massive thanks to Emily for teaching me to knit in the first place. She is such a dear friend, and she was so patient with me. I think it took half the day to learn how to cast on. For some reason I did not get it. It's all come together, now, and I even know more than one way to cast on (though I still favor Long-Tail). Thank you, Emily, for helping me start on this path.
So, knitting has kept me free of the devil's workshop and warmed up many loved ones since 2003. And it has certainly helped me through my current travails. I was knitting one of Mini's Muppetheads when Spenser returned from his sojourn in the woods. And I made my husband a pair of Bearfoot Mountain Colors socks for his return from rehab. And I've knit the bottom of the Mermaid Sweater how many times in the last month? But when I messed up, I ripped and started again.
For me knitting is as much process as it is product. The yarn winding through your fingers. The stitches stacking up so nicely. Or the yarnovers and k2togs suddenly turning into something other than a jumbled mess. And when you finish, you get something. And you get to begin again on another yarny adventure.
And then there are the people you meet when you knit. From colleagues who take time out of their busy schedules once a week to sit down and lunch and knit and get to know one another to the super fabulous women at my LYS/Knit Night to the amazing folks out in the blogosphere. The projects we conquer, and the yarn stashes we amass, and the things we go through, and the support we offer one another, unconditionally, are amazing.
When I attended the Family Wellness Weekend, we had an Al-Anon meeting come to us, which was helpful to get a feel for what such meetings are like. But about halfway through I had a little revelation: "These people should take up knitting!" Now, I know this was simplistic and self-serving, but I really did, once again, feel the healing power of knitting, particularly in a group.
I only made it to one Knit Night while my husband was away, due to travel, lack of babysitting, and, of course, sheer exhaustion. But that one KN I attended was balm for my soul. For two hours I was enveloped in that warm, kind, woolly friendship that comes out of a great knitting group. Not everyone knew what was going on in my life, and that was fine. The ones who did gave me a hug and let me get down to the knitting at hand. And for a little while I was able to think about something other than the state of my life, to neatly stack up some stitches, and to decide that knitting up Blue Sky Alpaca Silk on US8s was going to leave nothing to the imagination, which gave those sitting near me a chuckle. I do prefer some modesty, creatures under three feet tall in the loo with me every time to the contrary.
Thank goodness for knitting and knitters. My life is all the richer for them.
By the way, massive thanks to Emily for teaching me to knit in the first place. She is such a dear friend, and she was so patient with me. I think it took half the day to learn how to cast on. For some reason I did not get it. It's all come together, now, and I even know more than one way to cast on (though I still favor Long-Tail). Thank you, Emily, for helping me start on this path.
So, knitting has kept me free of the devil's workshop and warmed up many loved ones since 2003. And it has certainly helped me through my current travails. I was knitting one of Mini's Muppetheads when Spenser returned from his sojourn in the woods. And I made my husband a pair of Bearfoot Mountain Colors socks for his return from rehab. And I've knit the bottom of the Mermaid Sweater how many times in the last month? But when I messed up, I ripped and started again.
For me knitting is as much process as it is product. The yarn winding through your fingers. The stitches stacking up so nicely. Or the yarnovers and k2togs suddenly turning into something other than a jumbled mess. And when you finish, you get something. And you get to begin again on another yarny adventure.
And then there are the people you meet when you knit. From colleagues who take time out of their busy schedules once a week to sit down and lunch and knit and get to know one another to the super fabulous women at my LYS/Knit Night to the amazing folks out in the blogosphere. The projects we conquer, and the yarn stashes we amass, and the things we go through, and the support we offer one another, unconditionally, are amazing.
When I attended the Family Wellness Weekend, we had an Al-Anon meeting come to us, which was helpful to get a feel for what such meetings are like. But about halfway through I had a little revelation: "These people should take up knitting!" Now, I know this was simplistic and self-serving, but I really did, once again, feel the healing power of knitting, particularly in a group.
I only made it to one Knit Night while my husband was away, due to travel, lack of babysitting, and, of course, sheer exhaustion. But that one KN I attended was balm for my soul. For two hours I was enveloped in that warm, kind, woolly friendship that comes out of a great knitting group. Not everyone knew what was going on in my life, and that was fine. The ones who did gave me a hug and let me get down to the knitting at hand. And for a little while I was able to think about something other than the state of my life, to neatly stack up some stitches, and to decide that knitting up Blue Sky Alpaca Silk on US8s was going to leave nothing to the imagination, which gave those sitting near me a chuckle. I do prefer some modesty, creatures under three feet tall in the loo with me every time to the contrary.
Thank goodness for knitting and knitters. My life is all the richer for them.
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