Have you seen this hat? It's retailing for $100. Amazing.
[Somehow this item didn't get published in January...]
12 March 2007
Softness
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.
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.
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.
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