Ready for the sleeves!

The front and back are done to the bottom of the armhole. I am REALLY liking the way this looks. I'm so glad that I didn't give into my earlier fears 'cause this works!


The next step is to pick up the stitches around the armhole. Since I used the doubled cable for the saddles I need to plan based on that. I don't want to just repeat the same cables across the sleeve, so I've spent a lot of time "playing" with ideas. I finally went back to the idea of pulling cables from the center complex cable. And this time I used the center 20 stitches. I'm about to swatch this to make sure it is right, but here's a picture of what I anticipate:

There will be Irish moss stitch on both sides, just the way it will be added to fill out the body measurement.

I feel so liberated! I have the confidence to "play" with designs and make them mine.

Spring has finally sprung!!!

The snow finally left my backyard this week, and this is the result! It makes the wait worthwhile.

I love my mailman!

He brought me more books yesterday! And they're REALLY good!!! AND they came from the wonderful folks at Needle Arts Book Shop. Marsha provides wonderful service.

I've loved Elsebeth Lavold's books since I saw my first one. Her designs are beautiful, and I like the way she includes information on the design process. There are two sweaters in here I would make straight from the directions (something I don't often do!), but there are many ideas that may make their way into my own patterns.



I can honestly say I'm becoming a huge fan of Annie Maloney! When I got her first book (The Cable Knitting Handbook) I wrote to her and told her how much I was enjoying it. Her work is clearly charted and photographed. What fantastic inspiration! And, as I said in a previous post, my current sweater originated in one of her cables. She also gives a lot of information on the design process and how to make something your own.

All of these good things continue in this new book (new to my shelves, anyway!) The book covers lace, cable, and colorwork and how they can interrelate! She shows how you can take a design and make it new. Got to tell you that I'm hooked. Now if someone else would clean my house and do my laundry ...

Back to the loom!

Over a year ago I posted a drawdown graphic for a fabric I wanted to put on the loom. I called it "Bending" because it seemed to wave back and forth. Well, it was beamed last summer, and that's where it sat! Life DOES get in the way! A month ago I decided that it was ridiculous to not at least get this threaded, so out came the notes, and I was ready to begin.

An aside here: my loom is a 16 shaft AVL with a compu-dobby. If there isn't a connection between your computer and the compu-dobby, the loom doesn't work. There are no treadles in the usual sense of the word, only two that actually advance the dobby. So, imagine my shock and frustration when I flipped the switch and nothing happened! Nada!! Long story short, and after calls to AVL's tech service, it was decided the problem rested in the cord. Changed the cord, and the compu-dobby worked. However, it wouldn't work with a NEW cord. Mysteries ...

Threading the loom can be a very easy step when the loom is computer controlled. After I have my pattern as I want it, I save it, and then I create a new pattern just from the threading by using "tromp as writ" so that when I treadle the loom it actually only lifts the harness that needs to be threaded. No mistakes possible, as long as it has been entered properly.

The pattern as I originally planned it would have had several long floats, but I didn't think this would be a problem as the fabric will be used for a shawl. However, once weaving began I decided the floats were just too long. I went back into the program and tacked the long ones, making a much more stable fabric.

Information on the fabric: 20/2 wool - very high twist - sett at 30 epi. I'm weaving at approximately 24 ppi to allow for take up and some distortion. When it is finished I'm going to thread a few crystal beads onto each group of warp ends before twisting them to add a bit of glitze. And the twist will hold the beads in place.

Here's a picture of my loom:


The fabric as seen when looking across the loom:

And a close-up:

Sometimes it's necessary to trust yourself!

After I posted the sample swatch for my new sweater yesterday, I started to wonder if perhaps it comes across as being too heavy. So today I took the time to do some more swatching, and I've decided to stay with the original design. Nothing else said what I wanted it to! And I reminded myself that the sample swatch is only half of the front or back - not the whole thing. I went back and looked at the graphic that I had made of two whole repeats, and I still like it. Of course, any comments will be welcomed.


This is the design from shoulder edge to shoulder edge. The underarm area will be Irish moss stitch.

A new book and a new project

This book was mentioned on one of the lists I belong to, and I just had to have it. I ordered it from Needle Arts Bookshop in Canada, and it came in a timely manner. Not only is this packed with absolutely jaw-dropping cables, but there's a lot of theory presented as well.

Let me tell you about my "ah ha" moment when reading this. Annie explains how to extract simple cables from a complex cable. Now why didn't I think of that!!! So off I went. I found a cable that I really liked and then pulled four simple cables out of it. Some I liked in conjunction with the main cable, others I didn't. I mean, they were part of it but didn't work next to it. The ones I liked I changed a bit. Here's my sample swatch:


The complex cable is on the right. It's flanked by a small rope, a diamond and loop cable, another rope, and then two cables (inverted) that are the side cables in the main one. I've since made a couple of more changes, but they're minor.

The sweater is under construction. I'm making it top down, the shoulder saddles have been knitted and joined to the center back neck stitches. I have about an inch of the back knitted.

I wrote an e-mail to Annie to tell her how much I liked the book. She told me about another she published this year, and I've ordered it as well.

Knitting time is too short!

My Walsh is done!

Last summer I began the Walsh sweater from www.ClanArans.com. After having to rechart it because their directions didn't give the same picture, I began it in July. This one didn't get the amount of time that I had given to the FLAK since there were holidays involved here. But, it's now done, except for hitting the water. The yarn was prewashed (by me), so I'm not concerned about blocking it. I absolutely love it, and it fits like a dream.


I made a few changes from the pattern, not in the cable layout, but in the construction. First, this was knitted from the top down, just like the FLAK. Second, I did a decorative ribbing rather than just k2, p2. I continued the twisted baby cable into the ribbing around the neck, at the sleeve cuffs, and at the bottom.

Would I do another sweater from ClanAran? No. The yarn is nice, but not any better than what can be acquired elsewhere. The directions were a laugh. If I hadn't done the FLAK first, I would have been in trouble! There are some nice sweaters on the site, but with a book of cable patterns, anyone could chart them. This was a learning experience, and I'm happy I did it!

FLAK - revisited

It was finished, blocked, photographed, and worn. But it wasn't right!!! The sleeves were just too short, and it bothered me. There was too much time and effort put into that sweater to have something about it that I didn't like. So, how to lengthen the sleeves without having to pick out the last row. Got it! Do it just like the neck.

The neck on my FLAK was a strip of cable that was sewed in place. I did the same thing on the sleeve ends. Perfect!

It's been a while since I posted ...

My grandchildren were here this past week, and my older grandson wanted to see my blog. Oh my goodness, it's been ages since I posted!!! So I'm going to make a vow to try to remember because lots of stuff happens that I'd like to share, but ...

When we were x-c skiing in the Adirondacks at the end of January, one of our friends asked me if I could make her a hat like the baby hat I had been working on last year. At first I thought she wanted one for a grandkid or a doll, but, no, she wanted it sized up for herself. Oh, OK. And then I had an "ah ha" moment. Her husband is a wood worker. I said I'd do the hat for her if her husband would make me a dozen or so cable needles as I'm forever misplacing mine. Deal was done!

Here's the hat, and it's like the baby hat except it has more cables around the brim.


And here are my cable needles. Not only did he make the needles out of bamboo, but he made a box for me to keep them in! Nice man!!!