Wool Free and Lovin' Knit

Milk run Shawl is Complete -- Another WIP off the needles!

I started this shawl last spring but then the hot weather forced me to set it aside for a few months. However, we had enough cooler nights over the past few weeks that  tempted me to pick it up and finish off the final ruffle.

 

Pattern:  Milk Run Shawl by Cat Wong  3-Ruffle Version 

Yarn:  Hokkaido, ArtFibers SF, in green (this yarn was reclaimed yarn after my mother frogged this for me because it grew too big)

Needles: 5mm circular needle (24 & 32")

This is a pretty simple pattern to knit (mostly garter stitch) but you do have to pay attention while knitting the ruffle .  I found that stitch markers were a big help for me there.  

I am pleased with how the shawl turned out and I love the size it is now but even if it grows it will just be a larger, drapier shawl. 

As soon as the daytime temperatures cool down I'll let you see how it looks when I'm wearing it.   Wonder if any of the local rags will publish my photo if I wear it to the local 7-11 on a milk run?  

As much as I'm looking forward to cooler fall days, I am enjoying this last little blast of summer.  But I'm definitely getting into fall-knit mode and getting all excited about dipping into more worsted weight yarns .   You too? 

 

 

Cowl Shell in Silk , complete at last

I may not have finished this top by the end of the Summer Games as planned, but I have, at long last, completed my silk version of the Cowl Shell.  It was definitely worthy of my persistence because this silk feels so luxurious against my skin!  It might be the softest thing I've ever worn. 

This pattern was written for drapey yarns and I do love how much softer the cowl neckline is in this version.  I'm tempted to knit up a whack of these in other colors, but then I remember that it took me about a month to finish this one and there are a lot of other things I'd still like to knit. 

A black and white image lets you imagine it in just about any color at all!

Here's all the specific details we knitters love to know!

Yarn:  BC Garn Jaipur Silk Fino purchased in Iceland several years ago. 

Needles: US #1 (2.25 mm)

Pattern: Cowl Shell by Myrna Batten

Modifications:

This English pattern is not written for laceweight yarn so  I started out trying to follow the modification notes of a Polish knitter on Ravelry but apparently Google Translator is not a knitter or not good at Polish.  Either way, it came up with something translated like this: "subtracted in 19 eyes, 33.49 and 71 in a row would add 87, 99,107,119 row".  Maybe you could figure that out, but I was at a total loss. 

So I appealed to the helpful folks on Ravelry's "Excuse Me?" group and a few people there were able to translate some of the more obscure phrases like, "subtracted in 19 eyes = k2tog in 19 places ".  I NEVER would have got that on my own.  It still wasn't "quite right" but I somehow figured things out from there. 

For those of you who read knitting patterns in English and might want to consider tackling this pattern in a laceweight yarn (size medium) here's my modificatons:

Cast on 248 stitches(124 front/back)

Follow pattern as written until you get to the decrease rounds.  (decrease on rows 19, 33, 49,79)

At Increase rounds (increase on rows 87, 99, 107,119)

To set up cowl shaping, pm after 17 stitches

I knit an extra .5" in length  before beginning the armhole (not sure if it was necessary but I was afraid of it not stretching enough to fit over my tummy). I bound off 7 stitches (instead of 6) at start of armhole. 

I added 1/2" to the length of the armhole because I was worried it would be too tight as written.  For me this is a comfortable fit. 

I knit 17 stitches for shoulder shaping. 

On the front, I knit 72 stitches before beginning short rows for cowl shaping. (this was a total guess but it looks okay) 

Other than that, I just followed the pattern as written and it all came out great in the wash.

This pattern  relies on the garment growing after washing so it was a bit nervewracking wondering how it would all turn out when the finished object fit very snuggly.  But silk does grow with washing so you just have to trust the process. 

 

 

The Only Thing This Hat Needed

Was the perfect newborn nephew to go with it. 

Our newest nephew arrived a few weeks early so the hat is  a little big for him (which is why it's all rolled up) but he couldn't be a more perfect size!  

Welcome to the family little one! 

Cowl Shell in Hempathy Complete!

Pattern: Cowl Shell by Mryna Batten

Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy (Blue Pine Green)

Modifications:  I added .5" to the length before armhole decrease and 2.5" to the length of the armhole itself  to compensate for the lack of growth in my yarn choice. I added 2 more increases (one stitch each side) for the cowl.  The folds of the cowl don't sag as much as a bamboo or silk yarn might do, but I'm happy enough with it. 

I don't crochet (yet) so I just picked up and knit 3 rows of stockinette around the armholes to give them a finished look.  

Final Thoughts:  This is a quick and mindless knit and I'm very pleased with the final product. It fits me well and I think it's fairly flattering.  I may knit  it again in a silk yarn.  

I would definitely wear this shell "as is" on a summer's day (though not quite as hot a day as this one) but I knit it mainly to have as a first layering piece in my wardrobe.  Now what I have to figure out is what I could knit to wear overtop of it.  Any suggestions?  

Second Time's a charm

My second attempt at a Log Cabin Blanket for my 2 year old nephew is now off the needles.  Here it is pre-washing/blocking and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.   It's knit with Nashua Creative Focus Worsted (silk) in every color I had in my stash and I think it makes a bright, cheery blankie for a toddler, don't you? 

I'm a bit addicted to the Log Cabin method of knitting blankets and suspect there will be more varieties to come.  For now, I have a few other WIP's crying for my attention so I'd better get back to them before I get hit with the urge to start something new. 

Dahlias and Denim Wristwarmers

(Dinner Plate Dahlias, "Otto's Thrill")

Well, the 13 window boxes that surround my roofdeck are planted.  I promise to show you pictures of all of them next month when the flowers have had a chance to fill out.  In the meantime, I'll show you the dahlias  along with a pair of wrist- warmers I've just finished in Rowan denim yarn?   

The wrist-warmers were a total impulse knit.  I was looking for something else and I happened upon a bag of Rowan denim left-overs from the Picnic Blanket I knit a few years ago.  The next thing I knew the yarn was on #4mm needles and then voila, I had a new pair of fingerless gloves.  

It was a great opportunity to practice the 2-color garter slip stitch pattern which is a new love of mine.

I knit them a little longer in each section to compensate for the shrinkage (which is less than an inch total on a piece this size) and then I tossed them in the washer and dryer. 

Trying to decide if I'll gift them or keep them for myself -- gotta say I'm leaning toward making them mine, all mine!

 

The Log Cabin Disaster

I've had my share of knitting disasters and I try to remind myself that the pain eases with time.  But this latest one is pretty disappointing. 

You remember the lovely log cabin blanket I started for my youngest nephew?  

(note the stunning bright yellow yarn)

I was using Nashua Creative Focus Worsted -- a combination of pre-dyed silk yarn along with the navy blue  yarn I had dyed myself.  I suspected that my navy yarn would bleed a bit so when I put it in the machine yesterday  I carefully inserted 4 sheets of Shout color-catchers just to be on the safe side. I used a cold water, handwash cycle. 

The navy color ran into the color catcher sheets to be sure -- but it also ran into all the other colors.  The lovely yellow stripes turned to the color of mud.

Is your heart sinking as you look at all that lovely knitting gone to ruin? Don't you just feel sick about it?  Oh, or is that just me?

To add insult to injury, I mustn't have picked up enough stitches along one of the very early rows or I knit the corner too tightly or something -- the blanket won't stretch out quite square -- it puckers a little on one side although it might relax when dried.  

Knitting this  blanket WAS fun.  Washing and blocking it?  Not so much.

What's Black and White and Too Cute all over?

My latest pair of stripy booties (50 Baby Bootees to Knit ).   

 

I got invited to another baby boy shower (is nobody having girls anymore?) so whipped up another pair of these stripy booties  which have become my go-to bootie pattern.  They not only look adorable, but they have a snug cuff that helps them stay on wiggly little toes .

This is a young, fashion savvy mom so I thought she might appreciate a black/white version.  I used a mercerized cotton dk (Tahki Classic for the white, RYC for the black). 

I'm thinking about knitting up a black and white hat to go with them -- what baby hat pattern do you think would be the best match for these shoes? 

Hand-dyed, Hand-knit baby sweater

I knit the 5 hour baby boy sweater for my upcoming nephew using the Nashua Creative Focus Silk Worsted yarn that I hand-dyed last summer.  It's a soft shade of turquoise and  I love how looks knitted up. 

Sadly this yarn has been discontinued.  Anyone have another brand of worsted weight silk you'd recommend?

Scalene Scarf modeled

I promised to show you the Scalene scarf after I had blocked it and figured out what to wear it with. 

It's a great match for this teal sweater set I have and I wore it to Good Friday service this morning.  

The linen is so soft now that it's beeen washed and drapes so nicely.