Bag Ladies

Today was the day of the bag lady. Everyone came with bags of projects to go over.

Michelle finished her Not Just Plain Jane Mystery KAL, knit with Cascade Venezia (Worsted: 70% Merino, 30% Silk, 218 yards). 

She loved knitting it so much that she's cast on for Jane Elliot's Renaissance Shawl. I think it's safe to say she's become one of the die hard Not Just Plain Jane fans.

She's knitting it with Cephalopod Nautilace (Lace: 60% Silk, 40% Camel, 400 yards).  It's going to knit up spectacularly.

Michelle went stash diving and came up with five yarns that she needed patterns for.  She either can't remember what the initial pattern was or had a change of heart.We did some Ravelry searches to find new options.

Michelle had a skein of Madelinetosh sock yarn in stash too.  She's going to knit the Moebius Vivalou. It's designed by the same creator of Lazy Katy.

Michelle likes to throw me curve balls.  Right off the bat the pattern called for a half hitch cast on.  I had never heard of it!  A little digging later and I found out that the backwards loop cast on is also called the half hitch cast on.  Who knew?  Certainly not me.

I was fascinated to learn a different Moebius Cast On. I'm familiar with the cast on that can be viewed here.

 

The designer used the half hitch cast on a/k/a backwards loop cast on and then picked up stitches off the spine of the cast on.

Moebius' are knit from the center outwards.  

The first few rounds of knitting are very tight. Regardless, I think I may want to make this.  It calls for 400 yards of fingering weight yarn.  I just may have that in my stash and it's probably purple :)

Mary is taking the Destinations Top Down Sweater class with me at Westport Yarns. The yarn is Tahki Rosa (Aran: 100% cotton, 93 yards).

Elizabeth has been really zipping along on her Brioche Rib Cardigan. 
She attached to the body and has begun the yoke and raglan shaping. 

Linda stopped by for a little while, she's finishing up the bottom of her Knitting Pure & Simple # 9726 Neck Down Pullover Tunic - Women.  

While she was there we talked about a couple of books (Elizabeth, as promised...): Roses, Once We Were Brothers, and Me Before You. 

Back to Basics

Back to basics with my fab four projects. In January, I talked about working within four projects :

1 project from stash yarns. 
1 project that's been hibernating: frog or finish.
1 project with new yarn. 
1 project that is a design or class prep.   

1.  STASH YARN: I really got caught up with the Not Just Plain Jane Mystery KAL.  It was addicting.  Even though I finished it yesterday, I am contemplating knitting another one.  I know, right? When/if I do make it again, I will knit it with thinner yarn to make it smaller and use the Cascade Venezia Sport.  For a "Jane" pattern, it was not difficult. This isn't a picture of the finished "?". I forgot to have someone take a picture for me.  Tomorrow is another day.

I (mostly) like the yarn I used, Be Sweet Cotton Candy (Worsted: 100% Cotton, 130 yards). My gauge was just so loose with the cotton that I was on a #3 and it still wasn't really tight enough.  My "?" would've been a little smaller and I would've preferred that. I have to talk to Jane about giving this piece a real name.

New stash yarn project: Dreambird KAL. This pattern fascinates me, it's a technique called Swing Knitting. I'm just finishing the first feather and don't have the hang of it yet.  I'm knitting with Silk Garden Sock, (Sport: 40% Wool, 25% Silk, 25% Nylon (Polyamide), 10% Mohair, 328 yards) and Cascade Heritage Silk (Fingering: 85% Merino, 15% Silk, 437 yards).

 

2.  CLASS PROJECT:  #26 Cropped Jacket: I am enjoying knitting this, and it will be a class this fall at Westport Yarns. The yarn is Noro Silk Garden Sock.  It is worked by alternating two different colorways and employing the use of short rows.  I enjoy seeing the color contrast.  It's another "outside the box" type of pattern.

3. NEW YARN: Dowtown Cowl: This was an instant gratification knit.  I liked this as a summer scarf, the colors incorporate ones I can wear with colors I can't wear. The yarn is Trendsetter Orchidea (Aran: 42% cotton, 42% Acrylic, 16% Nylon, +/- 90 yards/skein). I like the pattern for it's simplicity and it is a good choice for variegated yarns.  Of course I knit it with a different weight yarn the pattern called for.

4. DESIGN PROJECT: I admit, I forgot about the hibernating project box.  I'll have to revisit it.  I'm designing a summer poncho for the store.  The yarn is Mirasol Nuna (Sport: 40% Silk, 40% Wool, 20% Bamboo, 191 yards).  I love knitting with this yarn.  it has great stitch definition and drapes beautifully.

But wait, there's more.  I cast on for a Linen Stitch Scarf.  After teaching 6 classes for this at Westport Yarns (there is a 7th class on the summer queue), I have yet to knit one for myself.

This will serve as a mindless knitting project.  I've had the yarn picked out for over a year, waiting with pattern and all, just waiting for the right moment.  That moment was Saturday night when we decided to go to the movies.  I needed something portable to knit before the movie started. This project would also fall under the stash yarn category.

Awww, they're holding paws. ;)

I know what you're working on.

Nope, that's not creepy at all! That's what Mary said to Linda (who she hasn't seen for a while). She's been following Linda's sweater progress on the blog.

Linda is working on the side vents of her sweater, Knitting Pure & Simple # 9726 Neck Down Pullover Tunic - Women.  

Marjolijn finished her Chain Lace Big Fat Scarf  that she crocheted with Trendsetter Tonalita (Aran: 52% Wool, 48% Acrylic, 100 yards). It is so soft and squishy.  The colors are fabulous.  To give it some extra length, she crocheted a border on each end.

She's going to cast on for Plymouth Pattern #2350, Child’s Striped Jacket.  She recently took a Continental Knitting class with me and plans on employing it in this pattern.  The sweater is all knit.

Irene worked on her Colinette Better than the Rest, Vests kit; she's making minor modifications as she goes along if she doesn't like a stitch.  She doesn't love how all the yarns have such different textures.  We assured her that it was lovely like a tapestry or painting.

Diane gave me quite a fix-it proposition today.  In the middle of one section of her Linen Stitch scarf, Koigu PPPM (Fingering: 100% merino, 175 yards). She had a series mis-stitches.  I used the lace size fixastitch tool; the mistakes ran two rows deep in the same section and required some serious tinking (unknitting).

Mary had her linen stitch scarf as well.  She had one mis-stitch, otherwise it was fine.  She's knitting with dk weight yarn versus fingering.

She has also begun knitting my Destinations Top Down Sweater.  She's taking a class with me at Westport Yarns. The yarn is Tahki Rosa (Aran: 100% cotton, 93 yards).

Busy, Busy, Busy

There were 9 consecutive days of beautiful weather and I wanted to be outside for everyone of them.  It was the nicest stretch of true spring weather that I can remember since I was a kid. 

 

Most of my knitting time was occupied with the Not Just Plain Jane Mystery Knit-a-long. I'm knitting it with Be Sweet Cotton Candy (Worsted: 100% Cotton, 130 yards). I was desperately knitting to keep up with the clues (which came out once a week). Now that the fourth and final clue is out, I've taken a break from my "?".  Word on the street is that it is a poncho of sorts.  I still haven't seen a finished version. 

Everything kind of went on hold (i.e. the blog) while I knitted up a storm to keep up. I have about 200 rows to go.  I'm going to pace myself now.

I started the #26 Cropped Jacket.  I don't like the picture they have up, so check out some of the finished projects here. The yarn is Noro Silk Garden Sock (Sport: 40% Wool, 25% Silk, 25% Nylon (Polyamide), 10% Mohair, 328 yards).  It's fun to knit.  The color effects is achieved by alternating a main color with a contrast color and using short rows.   It's really engaging.  This is going to be a class at Westport Yarns this fall.

 My Jane "?" project was by no means a tv/talk project. I decided to knit another one of my Destinations Top Down Pullover. The yarn is Tahki Rosa (Aran: 100% cotton, 93 yards).  I happened to try it on after binding off the body.  The women I was knitting with suggested I leave it as a sleeveless tee.  I think I will.  My mother was trying to figure out how to make it so I could add back the sleeves when the season changes.  (Where do you think I got my habit of never leaving well enough alone?)  That was a boon, to leave it sleeveless. It's like I have found time on my hands. 

Time to do a stash diving and find yarn for a new project.  I have a few ideas noodling around.

Yes, that's Harry sitting on Tucker while Tucker (oblivious as usual) continues to gnaw on a log, not a stick, a log.

If it's Wednesday, then tomorrow is Thursday

OK, so it's neither of those. It's Saturday and I'm running behind. Good intentions and all that. I named the post "It it's Wednesday, then tomorrow is Thursday" because among us there was a bit of confusion as to what day of the week it was.  Never mind the fact that we only meet on Wednesdays. That's a mere technicality.

Michelle finished the Opal Infinity Scarf that she knit with Araucania Nuble (Fingering: 75% Merino, 25% Silk, 240 yards). It is a mistake rib infinity scarf that you graft in ribbing.  That was an adventure Michelle will soon not forget.  She did a great job though.  You're looking at the grafted section.



She is making progress with her Not Just Plain Jane Mystery KAL project.  I think of all the yarns I've seen it knit with, the Cascade Venezia Worsted is my favorite (Worsted: 70% Merino, 30% Silk, 218 yards).



Her mindless project is a pair of toe up socks for her granddaughter.

Elizabeth was really making time with the Brioche Rib Cardigan until she happened to meausure it against her grandson.  It was 5" too small.  Elizabeth's gauge is tighter than the pattern.  She liked this texture better than knit looser. 

She has reconciled herself with taking it out.  Now that she really understands the Brioche stitch, she doesn't mind as much.  Her only question is why she didn't measure it against him earlier.

On another note, look how beautifully her sleeve increases are.  Even though the sleeves are knit on the smaller gauge, she is going to leave them until it's time to knit the yoke.  If they don't fit nicely into the body, then she'll take them out.  Otherwise, she'll forge ahead.

Irene swatched twice, once with a #11 needle (top) and once with a #10.5 needle (bottom).  She much prefers the #10.5 swatch.  Thus she was swatched and ready to begin her Colinette Better than the Rest, Vests kit.

Linda only has a couple more inches till she finishes the body of her Knitting Pure & Simple # 9726 Neck Down Pullover Tunic - Women.  I think she has found her knitting niche, mindless stockinette.  It has been a good go to project for it's simplicity.

She was fascinated by the concept of the Mystery KAL.  Although Elizabeth likened us to Lemmings, Linda thought it was like going on a cross country trip with only part of the map at a time.  That's a pretty fair assessment.

It's also why the blog has been relatively silent for the past couple of weeks.  I've been doing my damnedest  to stay current as each new part of the project comes out.  The fourth (and final) piece came today.  Now that the pressure is off to be caught up before more parts arrive, I think I can settle down to my normal (harried) pace.

You could be a brioche savant.

Elizabeth brought her Brioche Rib Cardigan. Since her grandson never sees her working on it, he has been asking about it. This is the type of project that requires your full, undivided attention.  We all know this can be a tall order in a busy household.  When I saw Elizabeth last, she had just started the sleeve.  She had to factor in a double increase which were giving her a really hard time. Lining up the brioche stitches is tricky.

Hearing us talk about barks, burps, and sl one "yaddies", Lois exclaimed " I know what I'm never doing!" Then she added, "Unless it turns out that I'm a brioche savant".  You may have had to be there.  That was very funny.

Lois is working on All Wrapped up, a summer capelet design of mine knit with Berroco Versa (Bulky: 50% Acrylic, 50% Cotton, 81 yards).

Irene joined us for the first time today.  She brought a Colinette kit she bought years ago: Better than the Rest, Vests kit. It included 5 different yarns of Colinette in the colorway, Jay. She swatched with each type of yarn to get a feel for them.  Even though there are four different vest designs, she's going to modify it to her liking.  She's going to knit primarily in stockinette and have the bottom of the vest have a rolled edge. 

Barbara finished knitting the cabled front of her Cabled Pullover. She's knitting the sleeves two at a time.

She shared a sad yarn tale. She knit a swatch with Ella Rae Classic Superwash and decided to wash it (in warm water) and dried it. It shrunk a full inch in height.  When she looked the yarn up on Ravelry she found there were other complaints of the same issue.  I hate when that happens.

The Mystery Unfolds....

***************Spoiler Alert**************

This post contains pictures of the first part of the Not Just Plain Jane Mystery KAL. So if you don't want to know, turn back now!

I'm knitting with Be Sweet Cotton Candy (Worsted: 100% Cotton, 130 yards).  I love my color. No real surprise there.

I began knitting with gusto when the first part of the pattern arrived.  It was addicting as most Not Just Plain Jane patterns are. However, as I began to see the size and stitch definition of the other knitters at Westport Yarns, I began to have my doubts.

My first glimmer of doubt came when I saw Michelle's KAL.  She's knitting with Cascade Venezia Worsted (Worsted: 70% Merino, 30% Silk, 218 yards).  Her stitch definition is much crisper than mine.  Also, she is making the large and it was the same size as mine - I'm doing the small/medium.

When I started the project, I went down one needle size to a #5 figuring that would suffice.  The more I saw of other people's KAL's, the more misgivings I had.  Did that stop me from knitting onward?  No, of course not.  That would make sense.  It was only till the last 10 (out of 147) rows were in sight that I thought to cast on with a smaller needle and see if I liked it better.

You see, I don't want it to be ginormous.  I won't wear it then.  I went down to a #3 and knit about 20 rows last night.  Immediately I could see an improvement.  Here was the challenge before me. The next part of the pattern comes out tomorrow.  I did not want to be behind the proverbial 8 ball as I've offered to help out with the pattern when Jane can't be at the store.

I did the row math, I had 80 rows to do today.   I worked 20 rows at a time, taking breaks.  On the last 10 rows (again) I felt like I was trudging uphill in a blinding snowstorm.  Ok, so it wasn't that bad.  I was just tired.  The funny thing about doing it again was that it did seem to go faster.  I knew what all the stitches were going to look like.

 

The piece on the #3 needle is 1-2" narrower and shorter.  

The moral of the story is, sometimes you should listen to the little voices in your head. But only sometimes.