...And it Fit Just Right

I have been living in a fairy tale, you remember Goldilocks and the Three Bears, dontcha. First she sat in Daddy's chair and it was too big. Well, in our last installment, I shared my infatuation with the Aeolian Shawl in the new Spring Knitty. I immediately cast on that evening in Intentions yarn in the Peace colorway. I liked the color, the beads I had were working well. A ways in to the pattern I realized that it just was not going to have the drape or be as lacy as I wanted. The yarn is fingering weight.

First a trip to the frog pond to save the beads and then stash diving for a second trip. The second yarn is a cobweb weight from colourmart in an Admiral Blue. The same beads were lovely with the yarn and I cas on a second time. This time, the Chair was too Small!!! It was delicate and lacy but the pattern is not going to show to my liking.

Stash Diving # 3. This time I found the perfect yarn. It is an alpaca/silk blend: Fino from Alpaca with a Twist. It is a lovely weight and nice feeling yarn but it has languished in the stash because I wasn't as enthralled with the color when I got it home. However, with these beads, it has a little more life and is going to show the pattern off well. Finally, this Chair Fits Just Right!

Escape from Sleeve Hell

I had promised myself I would be monogamous to Emma. Even though it is bulky weight yarn and it is 85, I am going to finish this project. Really.

And then.....
Spring Knitty and the loveliness that is the Aeolian Shawl.
Still, I was OK, and then the temptress known as Kaklete on Ravelry and Plurk, announced a KAL. At this point, I was lost! I succumbed.

Yarn: Intentions Peace
Needles: KnitPicks Options - 4.
Beads - amethyst

I cannot find my teeny tiny crochet hook. It must be with the beading project that is in timeout in an undisclosed location. Meanwhile, I have been using a threaded quilting needle (size 12).
I thread a bead on the quilting needle, pass the thread through the loop on the knitting needle, then pass the thread back through the bead. I then drop the stitch from the knitting needle - pass it through the bead and place the stitch back on the needle. This is very tedious and is making this a very slow process. First thing I did this morning was to order crochet hooks from www.7beads.com - the beadwrangler.

Spring!

Two posts in one day! I know it is unusual but it is a glorious day!

My memories of spring when growing up in upstate NY were of snow, mud, snow, mud, some bulbs.... You get the idea. Here in the south, spring is glorious and seems to come overnight. Bam, you wake up to outrageous color and warmth. It is almost here, I can feel it in the warm wind and the quality of the light.

During lunch today I went to a local part and sat beneath the trees to knit. The color is not here, yet. But the warmth, the light and the birds are. I saw my first bluebird of the season. It was gathering fodder for a nest and flew into a tree. The Zoom on my camera is pitiful so you will have to settle for a sorry picture of a cardinal. As a kid, the bluebirds were plentiful and one of my favorite birds. Their numbers had been dwindling but seem to be growing again.

I wanted to show you my method of keeping track of this pattern. The directions are given in rows - not inches. The cable takes place every 12th row but the decreases and increases took place every 15 rows. As I often knit in grabbed moments of time, it is not always easy to keep track of rows. To make this easier, I have charted this one. It has proven to be much easier.

A Season Behind

I am always a season behind. Whether it is in my knitting or in my wardrobe. I ran to the mall this weekend and bought winter clothes on sale. It was 80 degrees outside. DH was driving and I was knitting on the way. A project new to the blog: Emma. This is a cabled cardigan from the Araucania Collection, Book 1, by Jenny Watson, knit in Araucania Nature Wool Chunky on size 10 needles. I had purchased the yarn last year with the plan to knit an Urban Aran Cardigan. When I brought out the pattern this week, it just didn't speak to me anymore. I think I have too many curves to wear such a linear pattern. This cardigan is just flying off the needles. I doubt I get to wear it this season but I am intent on finishing.

You can see that I began knitting using one skein at a time. The third skein was very light and I did not want to have such a large difference in the color block so I have started alternating skeins of yarn every other row. This does seem to work better with the kettle dyed yarn.

I am now to the armholes. Rather than steek and continue in the round, I have begun knitting back and forth. I am still alternating skeins but now it is every two rows. It still seems to be working.

I wore the Shawl Collared Vest on Friday. I enjoyed the silk/wool blend. I think vests are going to be very useful in this new job. However, the button loops just don't work well. I think I will insert a zipper before next winter. This was a good knit. The DVD was very helpful and I learned many useful techniques. This was the first time I cut steeks and also knit a an i-cord bindoff to join the shoulders. If I knit it again I think I will make it a little shorter.

Vestuary

I put aside LaDiva. I am done to the last 4 rows of the edging. I knew that I was not going to have the opportunity to block it for a week of two and I am rather disappointed with the struggled between the short, strong color repeats of the yarn and the lace pattern. Besides, I had signed up for Vest-uary and here it is the middle of February and I had not cast on.

I remedied that situation on Wednesday. I have always wanted to try an Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern. This seemed like the perfect opportunity. May I introduce you to the shawl-collared vest. This is from Handknitting by Meg Swanson. It will be my first time to steek. To make the process a little more comforting, I purchased the accompanying DvD from Schoolhouse Press. The DvD takes all the mystery out of the knit!

The yarn is Seta Lana from Elann in the Rosewood colorway. The yarn is 50% wool and 50% silk in a single ply bulky weight. I am using size 10 Knit Picks Options. I am wondering if maybe I should have moved upt to 10.5s and the fabric is rather dense but the gauge is right on. It has been a quick knit and I hope to be able to finish by the end of Vestuary-February.

I updated the Knit Meter with the yardage from LaDiva. I can't believe I have already knit 2.3 miles this year!!! I have not included any of the yarn from this vest. It is a very different way of monitoring knitting progress and I have gotten a kick out of seeing the mileage pile up.

LaDiva upstages all, again

I have been involved in monogamous knitting. This is so unusual for me. Good News: Icarus has been a very quick knit. I should have a shawl in under two weeks. Bad news: the yarn just must be the show. This was fine in chart 1. Once i got in to the lace charts you will see that the yarn dominates and the pattern does not show. I know that blocking creates all sorts of magic but I don't expect it with this knit. It is a disappointment. Having scored some of the illusive Wollmeise lace, I really was expecting great things. Only the most simple of patterns would be appropriate with this yarn. I am not willing to start over. I am going to complete the shawl and put it on the back of my chair at work.

Audition

I auditioned La Diva for the role as Icarus. She seems much better suited to this pattern. The short, strong color changes do no cooperate well with lacy patterns.

Yarn: Woolmeise Lace.
Colorway: Franz with chicken Pox
Needles: 3.5mm
Pattern: Icarus

Role Change for La Diva

Making a list and sharing it does help. somewhat.
I have finished the Chevvies for my red-headed stepdaughter.
The last piece of the Ziggys is almost finished and then I will sew them up. DD will be home this weekend so they must be done so they can be delivered.

Meanwhile I did cast on for something new. All the other projects on the list involved mostly seaming up. I wanted to have something to knit on before work and during lunch. I cast on for Nightsongs using the Wollmeise lace I had snagged. I struggled with the pattern. rows 1-37 are charted and then you add a stitch to each side of the front side row and continue in the pattern. I just could not get my mind around it without charting so I drew the chart out in Excel, printed several pages and cut them out and used rubber cement to create the full chart.
This really made a difference. I think after awhile the pattern will become intuitive and the chart would not be needed, however, the Wollmeise just did not want to be a Nightsongs! The color changes are too strong and too short to cooperate with this pattern. It wants to be "THE SHOW". I am thinking the Diva would rather be an Icarus. Will try that today to see if she is any happier in that role. (Don't ask me how I got a double exposure in the photo. It would be impossible to replicate if I ever wanted to make it happen again - it was not intentional!)