Frazzled Knits

A really frilly scarf

I did my first demo at Michaels on Saturday. The store wasn't terribly busy, but I had a great time knitting and chatting with people.  I had a selection of projects laid out on my table and it was fun to see which people were attracted to which items:  the sock monkey, tiny baby booties, and Lion Brand Amazing shawl were all eye catchers to different people.  I was glad I brought them all!

The store manager had told me that they have a yarn they can barely keep in stock - Red Heart Boutique Sashay. It's the kind of yarn that you can make those popular ruffle scarves from.  Sure enough, a lady came into the store asking for it.  I told her to check by the till - it goes so quickly they don't even bother stocking it on the shelves, and just leave it in a basket by the checkout.

For some reason that lady asking about it was the last straw.  My curiosity was truly piqued.  I'm not really one for novelty yarns or ruffles, but I had to try it.  I bought a ball, looked up how to knit the scarf, and whipped one up.  I quickly learned that the knitting goes fast but is very, very hard on my wrists.  I did half yesterday and then finished it today.  It really works!

I confess I feel like a clown with it wrapped around my neck but it actually looks kind of nice peeking out of a jacket:

And left just hanging on the outside of a coat it's not too bad either:

The yarn is surprisingly cozy and soft and the ruffles are fun to play with. And now I finally know how to make one (and can help anyone who asks about them)!

• Pattern:  Smoky Swirls Scarf or Frilly Knit Scarf (same pattern)
• Needles: 5.5 mm (I used my Bryspun straights - they aren't to slippery)
• Yarn:  1 ball Red Heart Boutique Sashay in "Jive" (blue/teal)
• Size: 6 stitches wide
• Finished measurements:  59", unstretched
• Modifications:  None.  There was one knot in the yarn.  I just undid it and picked up the new end and started knitting 4"  into it, then tucked and sewed the two ends into the scarf just like you do at the start and finish.

P.S. This yarn also makes really pretty roses.

 

Quick Mobius Cowl

 

This cowl wasn't supposed to be so long and skinny.  I was quite disappointed when it came off the needles and was going to rip it out and re-do it, but then I discovered that if I wrapped it twice around my neck it was cozy and warm and perfect, like a well-wrapped scarf but without the annoying ends.

I think I'll pretend I made it like this on purpose.

P.S. It was a really quick knit - one evening, easy.  The bind-off took the longest. 

P.P.S. I've added a baking album in the left column of my blog - I'm trying to take photos and write notes for some of my baking experiments.  Check it out!

• Pattern:  Easy Mobius Cowl by Haley Waxberg
• Yarn: 71 grams Baby Me Boo (Baby alpaca, Merino, Bamboo)
• Needles: 6 mm
• Modifications:
  • Cast on 90 stitches using Cat Bordhi's mobius cast-on
  • Knit ridges as per pattern
  • Cast off using Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-off
• Notes: The bind-off really made the cast-off endge sloppy, but with the cowl wrapped twice around it doesn't matter much.  If I were to knit another, shorter one, I'd use a tighter bind-off that would give some structure to the edge.  I'd also knit two more sets of ridges, since there was a 1/4 skein left over.

 

Tea Cozy

I finished the tea cozy!  I love, love, love it.

Side one:

Side two:

I confess, it isn't lined yet.  It will be.  I promise..  Eventually... 

Details:

• Pattern: Tindur Tea Cozy from Istex Lopi Book 24
• Yarn:Istex Álafoss lopi in 8 colours:
  • 9965 Chartreuse Green Heather
  • 9966 Cypress Green Heather
  • 0052 Black Sheep Heather
  • 9959 Indigo Blue
  • 9958 Light Indigo Blue
  • 0051 White
  • 0047 Happy Red
  • 0017 Sunshine Yellow (used in embroidery only)
• Needles: 9 mm (circular & double points)
• Modifications:  Absolutely none.

P.S.  Later this evening, I lined it:

I used a cotton fabric remnant for the lining, and the outside of the flattened cozy as a template.  I traced around the cozy onto a double layer of the lining and then cut that out.  I sewed the two pieces together at the sides with a 3/8" seam, and then ironed the bottom hem up about 1cm all around.  To attach the lining to the cozy, I pinned it evenly into place around the bottom of the knitting and then used a whip stitch to handsew it into place.  It actually worked!

My only problem now is that this cozy fits in between my largest and smallest tea pots.  It would be perfect for my medium size teapot, but that pot broke some time ago!  Guess I'd better go teapot shopping.

Progress

I finished knitting the Tindur tea cozy from Istex Lopi book 24:

Before Fulling, 13" wide x 16.5" tall

 And I finished 3-plying my purple & blue BFL handspun:

First attempt at a 3-ply, Blue-Face Leicester

Today's plan:  Full the tea cozy, and be patient and let my 3-ply rest on the bobbin all day, even though I want to skein it up and wash it RIGHT NOW!

UPDATE

The cozy has been felted.  Oops, I mean fulled (forgive me, true felters!):

 

After fulling, size 13" wide x 12.5" high

 

It took about 25 minutes in my front-loader.  Hot cycle, with 2 pairs of old jeans, about 3 Tbsp of Eucalan and a shot of Dawn dish detergent for more suds.  My front-loader doesn't lock until later in its cycle, so I can keep resetting the dial to keep it in its initial, tumbling, wash phase.  I take my project out every 10 minutes to check on it, and if it needs more time I reset the dial to "heavy load" and it keeps tumbling. 

I have learned to set a very loud kitchen timer for the 10 minutes so I don't forget about the project, because if the washer starts to drain, it locks and my project is stuck until the end.  Ask me how I learned that!  I always make sure to remove my project before the first draining and rinsing cycle starts.

The lopi is very, very hairy once felted (I mean fulled!), so I see why the pattern calls for lining it.  I am a terrible, terrible seamstress, but I will see what I can do.  Perhaps DH will help me.  He's far better at measuring, cutting & sewing than I am.

I also have to embroider red and yellow flowers to the lower part of the "mountain".  I'll post again once that is done.  But first, the project must dry.  Thanks to our dry climate and forced-air furnace, it shouldn't take very long.

A cabled keyhole scarf

I am slowly gearing up to teach knitting classes at the local Michaels store, and wanted to get a few samples done so when I sit there on a Saturday to drum up interest with a demo, I have something to show! 

The first thing I've tried is this cabled keyhole scarf:

It uses 1 ball of Patons Classic Wool and knits up fairly quickly on 4.5mm needles.  I got so into the cables that I almost forgot it was a keyhole scarf - the thing was almost finished before I remembered to divide the knitting for the slit.  It all worked out okay in the end, and it's a nice sized scarf for tucking under a coat.

• Pattern: "Discover Cables" Keyhole Scarf from Michaels class materials
• Yarn: Patons Classic Wool in Aran Tweed, 1 ball
• Needles: 4.5 mm straights, and a cable needle (I like the hooked, U-shaped style)
• Modifications:
  • Crossed my cables every 8 rows instead of 10 (I thought they looked a little lazy crossed every 10)
  • Divided for the keyhole at the far end of the scarf instead of the beginning.

I think my next sample will be a baby item from the "Discover Baby" class projects.  The choices are a garter stitch baby jacket, blanket, or booties.  I'll probably try the jacket and booties - they really are very cute.

And my yarn from Iceland arrived!  I have everything I need to finally make the Tindur tea cozy from Istex book 24.  I have wanted to make this thing for years now, and finally bit the bullet and ordered all eight colours of lopi (8!) from the Nordic Store a few weeks ago.  Stay tuned for more details on that, once I find a suitable circular needle and get started.

Retreat

I spent the weekend at a knitting retreat. Every fall I go to a country lodge for a yoga weekend but the yoga is so time-consuming and intense that I never really have time to enjoy the building and the grounds and just relax.  Every time I leave I wish I could spend an extra day just lazing around the place. 

So I made a little query on Ravelry to see if anyone would be interested in joining me out there to do just that.  The next thing I knew I had nine other people signed up for a low-pressure, freeform, fibre retreat weekend.  And it was perfect!

I brought my spinning wheel and about a bazillion knitting projects (I couldn't decide on what to bring so I just brought it all - the dangers of having a car all to oneself!), and drove out of the city on Friday afternoon.  We set up in the Lodge's great room:

The knitters were a combination of people I knew and people I had never met, and they were all wonderful women with whom I was happy to spend two days chatting, knitting, walking and spinning.

I knit a lopi sweater for my Icelandic doll:

I took her out in the snow for a little photo shoot:

I finished spinning my purple and blue Blue Faced Leicester from Olds last summer:

I photographed some hoar frost:

I worked a little on a toe-up sock that I found in the knitting basket in my room, started on a wool/mohair mitten, did a little drop-spindling, and ate many, many desserts. 

I don't get away by myself enough, and for me, a weekend like this was the right way to do it.  I owe all the women who joined me a huge thank you for going along with the idea and making the event organizing so easy.  I've only been back a day and I'm wondering how much time should respectably pass before we do it all over again!

Back to Basics

I've been working on the swatches for my Craft Yarn Council knitting instructor certification:

 

It's been kind of fun to get back to the basic stitches!  These samples are straight off the needles, unblocked, and they look a little rough.  I hope to get them looking a lot nicer with some blocking!

They are:

• Garter stitch: Knit every row.
• Garter stitch: Purl every row.
• Stockinette stitch:  Knit 1 row, Purl 1 row. Repeat.
• Seed stitch:  Cast on an even # of stitchs, *K1, P1* across row 1, *P1, K1* across row 2.  Repeat.

I still have 1x1 ribbing to complete.  I had hoped to make all my samples from the same colour of yarn, but I won't have enough of this light blue and I can't find any more.  Will have to switch to a beige or some other light colour.

Sorry for the boring post, but I have absolutely nothing else to report!

Two matching sleeves

I stayed up last night until I'd fixed the sleeves so they both matched
(it was really bothering me):

 Again, the one on the right looks wider, but that's just because it was blocked long ago. In fact one of the reasons this sweater has hibernated so long was because I hated how much the fabric widened once I got it wet and I was obsessing about what to do about it.  I no longer care.  I just want to use up this yarn and get the sweater finished and if ends up a baggy sweater, oh well!  

I'll use these sleeves as a swatch and cast on the front or back next.

P.S. This photo is a truer colour than yesterday's.  It's the "denim" colourway of Mission Falls and it's a lovely dark teal.

Just... sigh.

This is why a knitter really shouldn't take long breaks in the middle of a complicated sweater project:

I couldn't bear the thought of making another hat attempt for DH so soon after the latest failure, and I didn't have anything else on the needles, so I decided to pick up the ol' Gathering Intentions sweater that I've been picking away at for the past three years. 

The second sleeve was almost done, and I thought what the heck, I'll finish the darned thing!

I knew as I was knitting it last night and this morning that there would be almost no chance of it matching the first sleeve, but I kept at it nonetheless.  And I was right, darnit.  They do NOT match.

At first glance it might seem that the width is the issue, but they're actually fine in that department - one was blocked long ago, and one was not.  The problem lies in the top-of-sleeve shaping and the fact that the left one is much longer than the other one. I was very careful this second time to follow the instructions, so I think the problem is that I screwed up on the first one. 

I will have to rip it back and do it again!

Meanwhile, I wonder:

1. Will this sweater ever be finished?
2. Is there any hope of all its parts being the same gauge when I tend to leave a year or two between them?
3. Why do I keep knitting on this thing?

I actually know the answer to #3.  I like the yarn and I like the cables.  It's kind of fun to knit, when I get around to it.  I may even stick with it long enough this time to fix the first sleeve cap and maybe even cast on the back.

Thunderstorm Hat #1

I finished a hat for DH today:

He chose this yarn himself when we were at Pudding Yarn in Calgary a few weeks ago.  It's Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light, in the Thunderstorm colourway.  It is very handsome yarn, and was rather expensive, and I really wanted to make him something that would look great on him.  He's a tall, slender man and he has a long, narrow face.  I've knit him a lot of hats, but they aren't the most flattering styles.  I was determined to change that with this one. 

I figure that he needs something with a nice wide band and a fairly short crown.  This is my first attempt.  It's the "Little Things" hat by Veera Välimäki.  To man it up a bit, I've left off the buttons and the i-cord at the top.  I also made it quite a bit bigger than the pattern stated, as DH is very large-brained (is that nicer than saying he has a big head?). 

While I am waiting for him to get home from work so we can see if this really looks great on him or if it's headed to the frog pond, I give you the stats:

• Pattern: Little Things hat by Veera Välimäki
• Yarn: 50 grams of Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in the Thunderstorm colourway
• Needles: 3 mm  for the garter stitch band, 3.5 mm  for the stockinette crown
• Size: To fit a 24" head
• Modifications:
  • Knit the garter stitch band until it was 54cm long
  • Picked up 148 stitches around the band (37 per needle)
  • Used a circular needle for the straight stockinette portion of the crown rather than dpns right away.
  • No i-cord on top.
  • No buttons at the side seam, though I may consider some black ones.
• 
  Notes:
  • This is the second hat in a row I've knit with paired K2tog, SSK decreases at the quarter points of the crown.  The Patons Basic Beanie has the same thing.  Pairing the decreases like that leaves a sizable ladder between them that I'm not too sure of, but I went with it anyway.  Is this kind of shaping the latest trend, or what?  If someone knows, please fill me in.
  • I'm not sure the garter stitch band will be wide enough. Before blocking, it's 2.5 inches wide. It looks wider in the all the photos on Ravelry. Maybe I should have added more stitches there too. Oh well, too late on that one!

If this one doesn't do the trick, I'm going to try a hat with so much 2x2 ribbing that he can double or triple roll it to make a wide, wide band, with stockinette on the crown to break up the vertical lines.  It'll be really boring to knit, but what the heck -- he's worth it.

UPDATE:  Aaaaand.... it looks terrible.  The right horizontal lines, but the fabric is too thin, especially the garter stitch band.  He just needs more width around his forehead and temples.  Truthfully, I think a bulky ribbed hat that can be cuffed should be perfect.  I should probably double the yarn.  On to my next attempt...