Oh Doh! I’b SICK!

28 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by Pearl in WIP

Tags

circular needles, colorwork, dog sweater, double points, fair isle knitting, flu, knitting in the round, nordic mittens, Scandinavian, stranded knitting

Everybody’s either got it or had it and now I’ve got it too. Coming in to the flu game somewhat late, I seem to have the fully mutated version, sore throat verging on laryngitis, fever, aches and pains, stuffy head and running nose. Rats*

I’ve been knitting (and little else) for the past few days, even though I should be preparing to start the new TV series on Wednesday. The knitting news, as usual, is good and bad. Good news: I’ve finished the first Andalus Mitten and the cuff for the second. I cannot believe how much faster these knit when a girl uses both hands. This is clearly the purpose for which hands were intended by the Fair Isle Gods. Honestly, I LOVE stranded knitting. I could do this all day, everyday, and therefore, I’m not all that upset that the first Lotus Mitten will now need to be frogged and re-knit due to tension problems. Once I’ve finished with these, I’d like very much to work Mary Ann Stephens’ heavenly “Riverside Cowl”. Feeling as I do today, there simply cannot be enough warm stuff to tuck around an aching, scratchy throat.

And the bad news: Teddy’s Dog-Gone Sweater is taking much longer than I anticipated. I tried it on him several times during the process (as needles would allow) and at the three-quarters-done point, decided NO! This will not be comfy for my dog. So, swallowing hard with my very sore throat, I frogged it.

Teddy’s breed-that-shall-not-be-named makes for an extremely powerful and broad chest. I’d knitted a gusset in the front that needed to be wider and longer. The original pattern called for buttons up the side. Knowing Teddy as I do, I’m sure he’d never stand still, anticipating a walk, while I buttoned up the side of his sweater. (I’ve already bought the perfect buttons and may just add them as a little decor once the sweater is finished.) Instead, I decided to knit a ribbed belly band in the round. The pattern was simple enough to knit during Downton (how ’bout that surprise twist last night!?!) so I managed to get all but the rump portion done. If he ever gets out from under the covers, I’ll try to put it on him

Epiphany!

23 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by Pearl in Color Work

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

colorwork, dog sweater, double points, drops big delight, fair isle, knitting in the round, nordic mittens, prince edward county, Scandinavian, stranded knitting

Now I’ve really got it! I’ve had a breakthrough. After my last posting, in true shut-the-gate-after-the-horses-are-loose fashion, I thought I’d scrounge around the net and watch some fair isle videos. What insight! What inspiration!

It seems a great secret has been heretofore withheld from me. There are knitters who knit with two colors at the same time, English with the main color, Continental style with the contrast yarn! I am proud to count myself among them. The results have been stunning. Absolutely no tension problems because I am tensioning to knit with my left, rather than just carry.

First hang-up was, of course, that I am not a Continental knitter. I’ve tried before (see “Doing the Continental”) but have never been able to catch on. This time I was doubly determined. Dreaming of the day when I could quit dropping one yarn and picking up the other, I forced myself, all thumbs, to knit left-handed. Looking like a child tangled in its sticky, squeaky first knitting project, I picked up a simple piece I currently have on the needles. The Irish Birthday Cardigan is an easy knit, a basic combination of knit, purl and twist stitches. I figured that, even if I dropped a few it would be simple enough to pick them back up again. When I say I forced myself, I mean I FORCED myself. When, after two or three hours (felt like a year) I squealed aloud with delight “I’m DOING it! I’m knitting with my left hand!” my sleeping (left-handed) fella groggily replied, “What? I do everything with my left hand.” This did not remove the wind from my sails, I’m happy to say! I knitted myself to sleep, Continentally

Having smugly said that…It is -8F in Prince Edward County today. This is the coldest weather I’ve experienced in over 12 years. I will not go outside. Now I realize that there was method to my recent stash-enrichment activities of late. My poor, hairless dog was forced to go out doors looking like this today, wearing one of my old sweaters.

It was embarrassing for both of us. I’m so glad I have this laying around, and in Teddy’s power colors too! I guess you know what I’m doing today.

Blue Monday

21 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by Pearl in Color Work, The Mitten Tree

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

alpaca, baby cashmerino, color work, debbie bliss, double points, fair isle, knitting in the round, lotus mittens, mittens, nordic knitting, nordic mittens, patons yarns, Scandinavian, scandinavian knitting, stranded knitting

It’s Blue Monday, the saddest day of the year. Apparently, an evil confluence is formed by post-holiday blues, the receipt of holiday bills, failing New Year’s resolutions and nasty weather. Frankly, I hadn’t noticed. Like any other Monday, it’s a great day for a big cup of tea and a knit. Since I’ve got to be back in the city to start a new children’s TV series on the 30th, I’m really trying to maximize my KDD (Knitting During Daylight) time. Besides, how can anyone be sad when gazing at that adorable blue owl by Josie Kitten?

And speaking of New Year’s resolutions, I am forging ahead with my color-work goals. I’ve started another pair of Scandinavian mittens. As you may recall, I knit the Ruba’iyat Mittens last year; the pattern was fantastic, but my tension, sadly, was not. Certainly, I’d been holding my carried yarn too tightly. This was causing an uneven texture on the front of the fabric; one stitch was raised and the next fell back. So naturally, I loosened the tension in my left hand (I’m an English knitter). Same problem, slightly less so, just looser. Working with a lighter yarn, I found that the problem was not in my left hand at all but in my right. Tightening the tension in my working yarn, the right hand, has made a huge difference. And because I’m used to tensioning with my right, I’m able to get more even stitches generally.

Since receiving the gorgeous Philosopher’s Wool sweater kit at Christmas time, I’ve been determined to perfect my stranded knitting tension. I thought maybe a small stranded project in lighter yarn might be the ticket. I think it’s working! I’m getting a nice, smooth and even texture on the front of the fabric finally. In the “Lotus Mittens” pattern, Heather Desserud describes the carried yarn as a ‘float’ and somehow, that terminology made the technique clear to me.

So here are my Lotus Mittens. I’ve used (believe it or not) Paton’s Kroy Sock FX for the graded color and Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino for the off-white. Heather’s patterns are beautifully charted, clearly explained and an all-round joy to knit.

In fact, I am so enthused that I think I’ll knit her “La Joie du Printemps” pattern next. As the accent color, I picked up this lovely alpaca blend by Manos del Uruguay over the weekend. Can’t decide whether I’ll use the charcoal or the off-white as the MC but that’s OK…Blue Monday is a looooong day

Winter Garden, New Work and a Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On

17 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by Pearl in Patterns, WIP

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

alpaca, double points, Ella Rae Classic, embroidered, floral, garden, gray, knitting in the round, lace knitting, mittens, sewing, winter, worsted weight yarn

Yup, there’s a lot goin’ on. For starters, another new mitten pattern, “Winter Garden Mittens”, has just magically appeared on my Patterns page and will mysteriously appear shortly on Ravelry. That’s for one.

I have seven million more mittens <note the alliteration > grappling for position in my brain: thrummed mittens, creamsicle mittens, fair isle mittens, nordic mittens, chunky mittens…and on and on. I am seriously bustin’ my stash but that hasn’t slowed me down one bit. I suppose it isn’t surprising that I am close to mitten-meltdown right about now: I needed a cure.

While rifling through some hidden bags of yarn in search of more worsted weight, I came upon a single skein of Misti Alpaca Handpainted Lace. I remembered buying it from a lovely lady named Maxine in a little shop in Shelburne, Ontario. “Woolly’s”! Oh, how I love Alpaca. This started me thinking about the selflessness of my recent knitting, how I haven’t a thing to wear, how nice the shade of aqua would look…I guess you know where I’m going with this.

As if in a dream, I logged on to Ravelry, began the ‘scroll of shame’ (read: trolling Ravelry for patterns when you already have a million projects going) and came upon a thoroughly unsuitable pattern…unless you look at it sideways. And so begins the story of how another progress bar came to be added to my already over-burdened sidebar.

More to come.

“Supermarket Sweep” at the LYS

14 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by Pearl in Yarns

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

alpaca, chunky yarn, debbie bliss, drops big delight, impulse shopping, Jo sharp, knitting, mohair, nordic mittens, romni wools, tweed, worsted weight yarn

That’s how it was on a balmy Saturday evening in Toronto. We’d planned a very fast, grab-and-go trip to the city this past weekend, knowing we’d get a late start leaving the country. I figured I could just about squeeze in Romni Wool trip with friend Tracey. Turns out ‘squeeze’ is the right word. I was sure they were open ’til 7. Wrong. We arrived at 5:58; the shop closed at 6:00. How much damage can a girl do in 2 minutes? Plenty!

Though I’m sure I didn’t lose any weight racing around the yarn store, this kind of merry chase is my new favorite athletic activity. I’m usually very thoughtful and careful at the yarn store. It’s a balancing act. Beautiful yarn must be had but budgets must be balanced. It is a rare occurrence when I whimsically purchase yarns with no purpose. Therein lies the beauty of the “Supermarket Sweep” theory of yarn shopping…there is no time to think, no time to consult lists, no time to calculate yardage. LYS Sweeping is driven purely by inspiration and immediate response.

Of course, any knitter roams the world with certain ideas, those little color, pattern and texture bugs that live latently in the brain. For a long time, I’ve had an idea for a color block stem-and-leaf design. Shazam! There was the leaf-green Jo Sharp Alpaca Kid Lustre. I’ve been a little obsessed with deep aqua/purple-y/blue-y colorways. Bing! There was the Drops Big Delight in “Atlantis”. And deep in my stash was a single skein of Universal Deluxe Chunky Tweed in Mango just waiting for the perfect accent yarn. Bang! Debbie Bliss Angel in “Magenta”. (Then, of course, I had to add a little somethin’somethin’ for a pair of Nordic Mittens I’ve been dying to make.) Kismet.

Just goes to show you that there’s value in that load of lemons…make 2 minutes worth of lemonade

Rag-Top Mittens

11 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by Pearl in The Mitten Tree, Yarns

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

cream, double points, ella rae, free pattern, knitting in the round, mitten pattern, mittens, prince edward county, rag wool, romni wools, rowan, worsted weight yarn

Making mittens is addictive. My house is a mess. My hair is a mess. We are having hot dogs for dinner. BUT we have very warm hands. It is important to look on the bright side.

Making patterns is addictive too! I have a new one on my Pattern page today, the Rag-Top Mittens. I like them because they are a graceful shape, a little Nordic in feel and so quick and easy to knit, I can make them for all of my friends They’ve got an extra strand knitted into the fingertips and thumb for extra warmth and I discovered some great new yarns in the process.

Usually, my go-to worsted yarn is Cascade 220. I’m always amazed and inspired by the awesome range of colors. Though I still visit Romni Wool in the old neighborhood with alarming regularity, my move to the country means I have a new LYS. I’m sure most knitters who live in country towns are not half as lucky as me; my new shop is the Rose Haven Farm Store. (Oh-la-la!) As it happens, Rose Haven does not carry Cascade. Instead, I got turned on to Ella Rae Classic. Happy accident! Love it! I creates great stitch definition (can’t wait to try it on cables) and has a lovely, soft sculptural quality. The #09 Cream shade that I used is beautifully lustrous, however, I found most of the solids rather flat. Having said that, the heathers are heavenly. I picked up a gray/rose heather that I am currently using for my thrumming project and I’m finding the color rich and enigmatic.

I’ve had a life-long lust for rag yarns but have often found them a little coarse and scratchy. I spied a last skein of Rowan Purelife British Sheep Breeds Undyed DK in the sale bin and grabbed it. It is an incredibly soft and delicate yarn and because it is undyed, the shadings are tender and subtle. I immediately got online to see if I could find some more, imagining myself sporting a cleverly cabled pullover, the kind you wear every day. As usual, my imagination got ahead of me. I couldn’t find a single skein. Ravelers who possessed the ‘golden fleece’ were not parting with it at any price. Can it be that it is discontinued?? Perish the thought.

Next up: thrumming!

Simply Striped!

09 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by Pearl in The Mitten Tree

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

colorwork, free pattern, knitting in the round, knitting stripes, knitting stripes in the round, mittens, stash buster, stripes, the mitten tree, worsted weight yarn

This New Year, I resolved a couple of things: To learn more about color work and to post more patterns (not necessarily in that order). Well…so far so good! I’ve just posted my Simply Striped Mittens pattern to my patterns page. Since stripes are part of my color work resolution, I’ve experimented with some tips and tricks for knitting them.

It has been years since I’ve knit anything with stripes in the round, so as I plugged blithely along, I naturally encountered a bug or two. For starters, I found that my stripes did not line up nicely at the join, even though I worked the color change at the beginning of the round. Secondly, as I was carrying the main color up through the stripe, I found a little ridge was created. Here are some solutions to these and other pesky stripe questions.

1) To make jog-free stripes, knit the first stitch of your color change with the new and old color together. Knit the rest of the round with just the new color. When you get back around to the first stitch, pull up the old color very snugly and knit that first stitch (both colors together) with the new color. To ensure nice even tension, tug a little on the old yarn to make sure it’s snug after it’s been knitted.

2) To avoid a ridge when carrying the MC up through the stripe, I found a couple of things helped. Rather than carrying the non-working yarn as if for fair isle, I found I could just ‘trap’ the carried yarn between the working yarn and the work. That worked pretty well but while I was weaving in ends after the mittens were knitted, I discovered an even better way. I found it better not to carry the MC at all, rather to let the non-working yarn just lay behind the stripe. Then, while weaving in ends, I found I could simply weave over the MC strand to hold it in place. For more information on carrying yarn behind stripes, check out this great post at Pearl Bee.

In the process of writing the mitten pattern, I came upon a couple of good old-fashioned common sense tips for making perfect color changes:

1) Make your color changes in an inconspicuous area. The Simply Striped Mittens pattern has directions for a right and left mitten so that the color changes occur along the outside of the hand where they are almost impossible to see.

2) Tension while changing colors is oh-so important. Nothing gives away a color change like loose or sloppy stitches.

For my next trick, I am working on another Mitten Tree pattern, the Rag-Top Mitten. If my resolutions are to be kept I’ll have to post it tomorrow or Friday!

The Mitten Tree

03 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by Pearl in The Mitten Tree

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

alpaca, bare tree, basic mittens, cables, cascade, colorful, colorwork, double points, etsy, fair isle, inspiration, knitting in the round, mitten tree, mittens, new years resolution, nordic mittens, snowy tree, stripes, techniques, wool, worsted weight yarn

Once upon a time, I saw an image of a bare, wintery tree festooned with many, many mittens. Whether it was in print or online (can’t remember), this image has clearly made an imprint on my psychology. While I was photographing the church for an earlier post, I had a vision of our maple tree, leaf-less and snowy, sporting a colorful array of mittens that is nothing short of miraculous. Now I gotta do it.

Wool Mittens from Stoney Creek Knitters on Etsy

I have always loved making mittens and, because my Mother was a knitter, have always had a lovely arsenal of them. As a child I could wear a different pair every day, depending on the weather and my disposition. Even in New Orleans I wore mittens, such is the smooshy joy I get from wearing them. Mittens offer a veritable buffet of creative options, don’t take much yarn and knit up quick so you’re never bored. What an excellent way to control the stash!

Two-Toned Mittens by Gris Handknits on Etsy

I’ve done a little research, scoured the web and put together a bunch of inspiration photos. I’ll be able to experiment and stretch my wings a little, technique-wise.

Here is my first-in-a-very-long-time bash at knitting stripes. I learned a thing or two which I am incorporating into “The Pattern”. This “Pattern”, (complete with tips for knitting stripes), in keeping with New Years Resolution #1: I will not procrastinate about writing “The Pattern”, shall be available on my “Patterns” page and my Ravelry page as soon as I have finished writing it

Light Grey Mittens by Milla Bella on Etsy

As it happens, many of my Southern friends are either moving home to the north, visiting the north or homesick for the north while my northern friends live…well…in the north. Either way, who couldn’t use another pair? Once my mitten tree is complete, I thought I’d let my friends ‘pick’ them! What’s left will be donated to New Circles, a charitable organization that distributes warm clothing to New Canadians, those poor souls who have reached our frigid shores somehow unprepared.

Oh Yes I Did!

31 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by Pearl in Uncategorized

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

etsy, happy new year, knitting, love, new years, ravelry, sewing, thanks

5 Mile Fireworks

I did it! 6:03 pm., Monday, December 31, 2012. I knit 5.01 miles!

For perspective, that’s over 88 football fields and, at an average of 3.5 stitches per inch of yarn….1,111,017.6 stitches! I can’t say I enjoyed every one of them but…pretty close!

As 2012 disappears into the sunset, I hope you’ll give me a minute or two to be maudlin. I’d like to say thanks for all the support and inspiration I’ve received this year. Though it certainly hasn’t been the easiest year ever, it was totally redeemed by the people who graced it.

Huge thanks to the best adopted family ever…Mumsie, Aunt Pat and Uncle Ron, Tracy and Mac. Love you guys! And friends who took me in, sight unseen…Shawn and Tracey and the magnificent Booker Robinson. And big, huge love to forever-friends Arlene, Attila and the ever-lovely Magda.

Thanks also to my far-away friends…Jeanne and Jeff and their amazing brood (now that they’re potty-trained, grown-up, college-educated and have their own apartments, I really wish they were mine). To Heather Graef, sewing away and creating AH-mazing handbags on her boat in Sausalito. Big smooshy hugs to Garret who is so incredibly focused and unflaggingly supportive, knitting his way through Ohio. Thanks to Tallulah in frosty Alberta for her wit, creativity and natural skepticism. Thank you, my dear friends Pam and Sebastian at Blanchard Farms in Columbia, Mississippi: There is nothing better than just watchin’ you two LIVE! Thank you, thank you to all my wonderful friends in New Orleans who never grow old, never grow up and never give in. (Thank you, Curtis, for the writing mentorship And thanks to all my fellow bloggers, particularly the lovely family that makes up Loaves and Stitches.

I am deeply gratefully for the wonderful people whose life’s work has been spent in conceiving, creating and maintaining sites like Etsy and Ravelry. God Bless You.

Mostly, thank you, Carl for putting up with the tangled yarn, sharp sticks and sewing machines, swearing, pajama-wearing and bad hair. I love you (and you still owe me 5 bucks because of the peanut butter…double-or-nothin’ because you got well over 90% on your inspector’s exam

To quote something I just heard on TV…”the minute the clock strikes twelve, we all get a fresh start. I don’t know about you, but I could sure use it.”

Happy New Year, y’all!

.32 Miles to Go and Still Snowing

29 Saturday Dec 2012

Posted by Pearl in WIP

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

alpaca, blocking, cables, cowl, edging, knitmeter, lace, prince edward county, snow, vogue knitting, work in progress

That is correct! .32 miles to knit and I break the 5 mile mark on my KnitMeter! I’m still not sure I’ll make it, but we are in the home stretch. I must confess, I’m a little nervous I’ll finish at like, 4.98 miles or something. Never been much good at math.

The Punta Merisoft cowl, hat and mittens that started out as Two Drunkards wound up as seeded rib, thanks to the talented “Smariek Knits“. I’ve left the cables on the mittens, but frankly, those crazy-complicated twisty lines were giving me seizures. In fact, I found that the cables did not give the cowl or the hat enough of the slouchy stretch that I wanted. Though I have knitted each of these pieces at least twice, I’ve taken the high road and only logged the mileage once Man, they are taking FOR-ever to dry.

Cashmere Gloves

Bet I can finish these cute little cashmere gloves today! This is a great vintage pattern with really pretty results and are surprisingly easy to knit. There is a lovely, leaf-like edging that I am sure I’ll knit again.

I had this crazy idea that I would actually leave the house today but…

…crazy right? You can’t see it but just beyond the trees is a road. Sadly, it is still untouched by a snow plow.

About an hour ago, I was attempting to do the math…miles vs. hours. The equation looks something like this: .32 miles/61.75 hours. I figured I should reserve some of the hours for sleeping and eating. I thought about it and began to lament. No way I was getting the Birthday Cardi done. It looked like I’d make 4.86. Carl asked “What can you knock out real quick?” Well! What a question!

I’ve been wanting these fingerless gloves from Vogue Knitting for quite some time. I’m thinking I could knit ‘em up quick with the Drops Alpaca unravelled from the Bower Cardigan I’ll never finish. One step forward, two steps back.