Weaving - Bending Pattern Shawl

The loom is calling, and I thought I'd share the pattern that I'm going to weave. In the picture the weft threads are black, but this will be a white on white project. I'm hoping that when the light reflects from the weave structure it will appear as though it's rippling. Oh, I'm using a very fine worsted wool, and it will be sett at 30 epi.

The final design element will come with the twisted fringes which will have tiny crystals threaded and then twisted in. I think it will be elegant.

Now to wind the warp!

The stitches are on the needles ...

... and the sleeves are underway. I picked up both sleeves before doing anything else. Once started on the first sleeve, three rows in, I discovered a mistake in the woven section. Ugh! I tried just to ladder back, but there were too many stitches involved. So I tinked for two rows, fixed the problem, and I'm on my way. DH sat patiently while I used some language I wouldn't want my grandtads to hear!

FLAK - It's time for the sleeves!

The (Knitting) Olympics are over, done, gone, and it's time to go back to FLAK. I've muddled over this for the past couple of days while I knitted on Ragna. I didn't want to do the whole sleeve in double seed stitch (my filler stitch) with just the center cable carried from the saddle. I thought about introducing a new cable, just for the sleeves, but decided it wouldn't work with the others. There's such harmony in this sweater that I didn't want to do anything to destroy it.

So finally I've come to the following conclusions: I will do double seed from the pick up stitches to whatever depth will match the underarm stitches I will need to add. Then I will begin the cables. I think that will work well as it will make a transition, and the cables won't bump up against the sweater body. I noticed several Alice Starmore sweaters that do something similar. (And if Alice does it, it must be OK!)

I decided to use the cables that flank the weave in the body and add a horseshoe on each side. If I need more when I figure out the total number I'll deal with it. Here's a picture of my 4x6 knitting card:


As I've done before I'll do both sides at the same time. When I pick up stitches today I'll pick them up on both sides so that they're the same. Then I'll knit the double seed, first on one side, then on the other. I think I'm going to do the sleeves in the round, so I'll just have to make lots of notes, use lots of pin markers - anything to make it easy on the second.

My big design problem right now is the ribbed cuffs. I think I'll extend the baby honeycombs and use the twisted braid, also. I have a little time before I have to make THAT decision!

My loom is crying for me, as is my spinning wheel. After I get the sleeves started I can knit in the evening and weave during the day. I have a project planned, I just need to make the warp. More on that later.

KO and Clapotis - Final picture

Well, dear friends, it's done! Washed, blocked, dried, photographed - done! And I've even included a close-up.

I took down my original pics, redid them, and the color is now true, at least for the clapotis (it's amazing what you can do in Photoshop!). I really like the way the stripes go diagonally across the back. I got tired of knitting it, but I'm glad I did it! I might even make another one. Now that I've done it, I think the white that I started and called sleazy might really be OK for a scarf.

KO - My Clapotis is done!

I crossed the finish line last evening. All of the ends are mended in, also. Now I just need to do a quick wash and block, and I'll be able to post a "formal" picture. However, last night I was so excited to be done with this that I stretched it out on the couch to see what it looked like. Himself, Mr. Poco, decided that he had to test it. First of all he decided he looked beautiful with it draped over him.

Then he thought he'd help me wash it. Wanted a taste of mink, too!

Finally, he just went goofy 'cause I was laughing at him.

Poco and Munchkin

When I posted the picture of Poco and my FLAK sweater, several people asked me about Poco. Munchkin said she felt slighted, so here's a picture of both of them. I never thought I'd live long enough to see them like this!!!

Munchkin is a female cat, 17 years old. When she was six I decided she needed a kitten around to keep her young. She let me know that I hadn't consulted with her about that decision when we brought Poco home. Poco is a male, is now 11 years old, and from kittenhood has been very "full" of himself. They just didn't get along at all until about five or so years ago. Since then they've been slowly closing the boundaries. He'll still tease her, and she'll hiss and spit. But they romp and play, and they will occasionally get his close. More often they're about two feet apart on the couch. Or one will be helping me knit by trying to be on my lap while the other one lays nearby.

KO - Knitting Olympics (not knocked out)

This has been an interesting project! Finally underway, and then I realized I wasn't going to have enough yarn! The way the instructions are written it seems that the yarn should have some weight. As it's gone along, though, I think it's "supposed" to be flimsy so that it will drape! Ah well, this will be more like a small shawl. Had to laugh when one of my friends looked at it and said "looks like you've just dropped a few stitches"! I had to explain to her that it's SUPPOSED to look that way!

As is evident in the photo I've resorted to striping in order to make it large enough. I sat with my yarns and figured how many stripes I can get from the available extra yarn. I think it will work (she says with crossed fingers!).

Last night, instead of knitting, I had an evening out with my spinning buddies. Took the knitting along (not the wheel) but spent the evening winding yarn balls. Not wasted effort anyway! My poor spinning wheel is starting to moan at me. It wants work. Maybe after the Olympics, or, if I get real busy, as soon as this "event" is concluded.

I bought some medium gray felt yesterday for background in my pictures. That's it at the top. What I REALLY like about it is that the colors are accurate!!! Yes!

Knitting Olympics Clapotis - Tink, tink, tink ...

What can I say except ... It wasn't meant to be! I had planned to use handspun, it had screamed "ME, ME, ME", and it just didn't work. Too fine, too dark (hard to see), and not enough of it. Its neighbor on the shelf said "Hey, how 'bout me!" That wasn't to be, either. Again, too fine, but also too scratchy. So off to the sewing room where the knitting yarn lives. Ah, Ha! There's one in basic white, lots of it, feels good, not too fine.

We began at precisely 2pm, the official Knitting Olympics starting time. Tink, frog, tink, frog ... By dinner time we had really just begun. By the end of the Opening Ceremony I was at the following point.

And I didn't like it! It felt sleezy, and, since I've never made one of these, I didn't know whether it would work.

On the Clapotis blog someone had posted that rather than all the markers, she had used purl stitches. Now if you've never seen the pattern a knit stitch will eventually be dropped at each one of the markers. The person who provided the wonderful info had used a purl stitch to be dropped and no markers. Yesterday I found some other yarn, a blend of wool and sheared mink (!), and began a new project. After knitting all afternoon and evening here is where I'll begin today.

Knitting Olympics - Clapotis

I changed my mind on what I wanted to do in the Knitting Olympics. I had never heard of the Clapotis, and it's intriguing. I have some handspun that positively screamed at me to be used. Pictures will come soon.

FLAK - The front is done

The front is done! I even tried it on to see if I was correct in my measuring. I made the front neck lower than the 1/2 saddle + 2" that were in the directions. I can't stand to have anything too far up my neck. I guess you could call it "short neck syndrome"!

My fur baby, Poco, approved. Now I have to pick the cat hairs off. Ugh!

It's time to move on to the Knitting Olympics for the next 16 days!

Cold Nose? Knit a nose mitten!

When I saw this in the paper this morning it immediately made me remember that I had knit a "nose mitten" for a family member about ten years ago. I immediately went to my files (i.e., stacks of papers in the sewing room!) to see if I could find the pattern. I did find my changes, but not the pattern. OK, Google it! There's one on Knitty , not what I remember, but close. Next I had to find a picture of what I had made. That wasn't as easy, but an hour and half later here it is.


This was wonderful, but I made it even better by adding some sunglasses that I had found in a thrift shop. What isn't readily apparent is the "drip" at the end of the nose. This was a crystal I sewed on.


You know, if you can't laugh, life is poor! She loved it and did wear it!

FLAK - Front after five increases, both sides at same time

I can't stand to do something two times when I can do it all at once. By knitting both fronts at the same time, you know that they will be at the same point in the pattern when you get to your goal. I'm doing a crew neck sweater, so I won't have to worry whether one side is the same as the other!

I've placed a marker on each side at the point where I began the increases. It makes for easy counting. I also have a marker on the back (not shown here) that shows the point in the pattern that indicates 2", the amount suggested for the neck drop. Visual aids - can't beat them!!!

It's finally winter - again!

I realize that it's been a weird winter over most of the country, but by this time we should be at least knee deep in snow in Upstate New York. Not true! Yesterday we got about an inch, and it really is a big deal. Even the birds think so! (I love to take bird pictures!!!)

Ragna - Tabs into Sweater

The tabs didn't seem to take any time at all, but knitting across the whole sweater back is a bit more costly, time-wise!

I've made quite a few changes already in this pattern. First of all, I'm using sz 7 needles in order to make the sweater smaller. My tabs are closer to 4" than the 6" indicated in the pattern, and my selvage stitches became 1/1 L braids rather than reverse stockinette. I began with the purl stitches and didn't like it, so I laddered and twisted. Really like it much better. To me it looks finished. My width is now around 21" rather than 23". Finished length will be 24" rather than 27.5".

This will still be a BIG sweater, but I don't think it will swallow me alive like the original pattern size would. Time will tell. But I like the way the fabric feels, and it's a lot of fun to knit. When I first saw the patterning I thought it might be complicated, but you're only working the same pattern four times, and there are only 40 sts per panel.

Knitting Olympics

OK, I've gone and done it! I'm now committed, as if I wouldn't be knitting during the Olympics, anyway! I've decided to do the hat that goes with Ragna. That should take a few hours. Then we'll see where we go.

Ragna sweater from Lavold's Viking Pattern Book

I really, really REALLY have to admit to being obsessed! When I got this book it became my "must" reading. I immediately started charting the designs, and I decided I had to do this sweater. The only problem is that it's a "one size fits all", and I am very small. In the sizing notes she says that it can be made smaller by going down a needle size, which is what I did. I'm using Lion Brand's Fisherman Wool and a size 7 needle.

It's kind of hard to see in the picture, but the bottom of the sweater has tabs rather than ribbing, and after the tabs you continue the pattern with them joined to form the body. Clear as mud? Anyway, in order to resize it for me I've made the tabs 4" rather than the 6" suggested in the pattern. I'll also cut down on the body length.

I decided to knit the four front tabs one after the other and keep them on the same cable. It allows for mistake-checking!

Here's a close-up of the pattern. This will continue as four bands up the body of the sweater. I think it's wonderful!

Color Wheel Sweater - Handspun

Getting ready for our ski trip involved digging in the sweater chest to find those I needed to take with me. When I did that I found a sweater I made several years ago and which had slipped my mind. I thought I'd share it.

The sweater is entirely handspun. This is a detail of the sleeve edge.


Then here is a detail of the ribbing and of the yoke ...................................













The color wheel itself was hand blended from the primaries, spun and knitted. I used to teach a workshop on the Color Wheel, and this shows the results.


The sweater is pretty heavy, so I don't wear it often. But it was my first experiment with using cable combinations on an otherwise unremarkable sweater (except for the color wheel!). I liked the way the circles picked up the shape of the color wheel.

Too much fun!

Note to me: STOP! You're having entirely too much fun!

Yesterday afternoon I spent three hours entering charts from my new Viking book into AranPaint2. Last night I started a sweater. I think I'm obsessed!