Cast-On Monday: C-ATCH William

January 29, 2012remilyknits 2 Comments

On Friday night, I realized I really, really wanted to make my friend Julie an itty bitty knitted Scottie dog from “Knit Your Own Dog.” Her (real) Scottie, William, was up for a big agility title this weekend. I cast on late Friday, and after a busy day at agility on Saturday I knit for about 8 hours to finish. William earned his C-ATCH on Sunday — hooray! — and I was able to give Julie a mini-Scottie to celebrate the accomplishment. I’ll give more details in another post, but here’s a little preview:

FO Friday: Happy Green Fylleryd

January 27, 2012January 26, 2012remilyknits 4 Comments

I finished my Fylleryd!

Project: Happy Green Fylleryd

Pattern: Fylleryd

Designer: Mia Rinde

Available: FREE! on Ravelry

Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy in Happy Forest

I knit this fingering-weight shawlette as part of the January KAL in the Beginner Lace Knitters group on Ravelry. I keep tabs on each month’s KAL, and when I can — I join in! This is my first “nupps” project (I’m not counting my WIP Aeolian, because I haven’t gotten to the nupps yet), so I was extra excited to try something new. I’m pleased with how the nupps came out — and they weren’t that hard (people make things sound so difficult sometimes!).

I’m also extra excited, because this is some of the yarn I liberated in my January frogging festival. I am SO MUCH more happy with this new project — I will definitely be wearing my Happy Green Fylleryd, lots. Because I only had one skein, I had to be conservative … I did two repeats of the leaf chart, then three repeats of the blueberry chart. Judicious math and careful thought revealed I would not have enough for the edge, so I went back a few rows and made it TWO repeats of the blueberry chart, then the edge, then I added a crochet-lace cast-off (similar to how I finished the bottom edge of Red Seas).

As an aside, three cheers for my willing & adorable model! The shawl looks huge on a six year old :).

I made my nupps the old-fashioned way: k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1 into one st on the right side, then purl all seven together on the returning wrong-side row. I made a special effort to make the loops LOOSE because that seems to be key … it definitely worked for me.

Cast-On Monday: Wicked Abstract, Deep Water Echo, Mystery Archangel

January 23, 2012January 22, 2012remilyknits 4 Comments

Because sometimes I simply cannot help myself, this week I cast on for some shawls. Not one, not two, but THREE new projects. Ack.

First up: CEY’s popular Abstract with some gorgeous cashmere yarn I picked up at such a discount that I am ashamed to admit it in public. I have 136 grams of Wicked, and I am making the softest most beautiful-est shawl/scarf ever. It is completely spoiling me for all other yarns forever, because knitting with cashmere is like … well, like nothing else I’ve ever knit with. Yum. The work is humming right along — should be a quick project to finish.

Later in the week, I got really impatient waiting for the next clue on a mystery lace KAL to come out, so (logically) I cast on for a Echo Flower shawl using some Shadow Tonal in Deep Waters. I’d originally meant the yarn to be something else, but then changed my mind. So this doesn’t really count as a new project, right?

This did not cure my KAL waiting blues however, and after seeing so many gorgeous lace-weight projects go up on the KAL thread, I caved in and bought some Malabrigo Lace at the shop, and cast on last night, and finished the first clue. You can see where this is headed … I finished Clue 3 on the original mystery today, and I’m halfway through clue 2 on the lace-weight one. Help? Also: we will not discuss the four skeins of Tosh Light that are already destined for three different lace projects. Will not!

FO Friday: Sea Drift Toque

January 20, 2012January 9, 2012remilyknits 2 Comments

For Christmas, my in-laws gave me a copy of Weekend Hats. Swoon! I cast on and finished this sweet little hat in less than a week — I found the pattern absolutely addictive. My middlest son was kind enough to model for me … but I think this hat will be for ME, thank you very much :).

Project: Sea Drift Toque

Pattern: Drift Toque

Designer: Jocelyn Tunney

Available: in Weekend Hats ($15.30 on Amazon.com)

Yarn: Happy Feet DK in #52

This hat has a really cool construction! It’s worked sideways from a provisional cast on. The cables sidle back and forth using increases and decreases (hidden by the reverse stockinette), and the crown shaping is accomplished with short rows. I’m great at hiding short rows on the stockinette side — looks like I could use some practice hiding them on reverse stockinette too. At the end, the large graft is a bit of a bug-a-boo, but totally do-able. I only had to undo stitches once, and that was only 10 or so.

Get Thee Some Organizers

January 18, 2012January 17, 2012remilyknits 2 Comments

Ever since we moved into our house over a decade ago, I have used the “back counter” in our dining room/kitchen for crafts. For a long time, it was all-scrapbooking, all the time. Having everything “out” but also “out of the way” made all the difference with toddlers in the house — I could do a page or two, when I had time, and not have to constantly put things away. But, as the kids got older, and I got busy with dogs and knitting … I didn’t scrapbook nearly as much. I accumulated a pile of knitting by the living room couch. By then, my kids and the dogs knew better than to touch my stuff! But, last winter as we decided to get a new puppy … I knew the knitting had to move, or risk becoming puppy chew toys.

At that point I ~~had to admit~~ realized my scrapbooking had been gathering dust for the better part of a year. As much as it pained me, I packed it all up and put it away in my bedroom. I transferred all the yarn and knitting to the empty counter … where it has been growing and breeding for the last year. I tidied up a bit for Christmas, but it was still a mess — anytime I wanted to poke through “yarn assigned to projects” I had to dig through baskets of loose balls and some Ziploc-ed yarn + patterns. I wanted to be able to see everything that was downstairs, without such a struggle.

I’d been doing some online browsing, and I looked at some things while out for Christmas shopping, but nothing really screamed “ME” until I was out late last night to pick up “5 lbs of dirt and 5 lbs of sand, and also pans to put it in” for a school project. At Wal*Mart I found cheap turkey pans (yay!), but I saw something I hadn’t seen before, and decided to take it home. Then, at Home Depot I saw Martha Stewart’s take on fabric cubes & cubbies, and was smitten. I took those home too. Then I stayed up until after midnight, putting together the two shelves and putting everything away. I really like my new knitting area though, so it was worth it!

As far as I can tell, the Canopy Shoe Organizer is available only at Wal*Mart, and only in stores (which explains why I hadn’t seen it before). It is LOVELY. The canvas boxes are held taut over a metal frame — only 8 screws to put it together. It protects my yarn** from dust and light, yet I can still see it all! Bonus points for not being made of plastic or cardboard.

The Martha Stewart Living Stackable 6-Cube Organizer seems much more readily available. I’d seen items like it (by Closetmaid, etc.) but the details on this were just a tiny bit nicer. I also liked the colors the fabric cubes came in. It took a lot longer to put together, but luckily I enjoy IKEA-style directions. I put it together while listening to This American Life, which was talking about a reporter who visited factories in China where little girls (12 years old, and younger) lived and worked in conditions not dissimilar to 1900-ish New York City, except on a much grander scale.

I put sweater-quantities of yarn in the fabric cubes. I know what they are, and I don’t need to see them all the time. For now I’m using the empty shelves for other stuff that was cluttering up the counter (empty project backs, my bag of swatches, yarn that needs to go back upstairs, etc.).

**Here is where I say, this is not (nearly) all of my yarn — this is just yarn that has been assigned to upcoming projects, and needs to hang out downstairs. There is more yarn upstairs.

Cast-On Monday: Minotaur Obsession

January 16, 2012January 15, 2012remilyknits Leave a comment

I have been “good” this week, working hard on my “neglected project KAL” target (a lap-size Yggdrasil, now about 95% done!) and a sample for one of my designs (to-be-published in the Fall/Winter 2012 collection from Classic Elite). I also finished up a pair of socks, and rewarded myself by knitting on my Flyllerd only when I had completed at least one repeat of both the blanket and the sample. Both of those projects are definitely “penance knitting” right now.

So, last night, I was feeling cast-on-itis coming on, and I headed it off by starting a project (stay with me here!) that would be quick to knit and use yarn I already had. I have a few odd balls of discontinued or otherwise unwanted cashmere (YUM!) that I bought on deep discount at Classic Elite. I assigned projects to most of the skeins a while back, so all I had to do was browse my queue and select one that I felt like working on. I chose Obsession, which is a bulky-weight yarn comprised of many (six?) skinny two-ply yarns held together. It’s pretty! I’m making a Minotaur Cowl with it. I love mobius cowls, and this pattern will allow me to keep knitting until the yarn is all gone, then bind-off sort of as an afterthought with the loops on the needles. (I think that will work, anyway.)

Can I just say, knitting with cashmere is DIVINE.

FO Friday: Vermont Juneberry

January 13, 2012January 5, 2012remilyknits 4 Comments

I finished my Juneberry!

Project: Vermont Juneberry

Pattern: Juneberry Triangle

Designer: Jared Flood

Available: $6.50 on Ravelry

Yarn: The Shearer’s Yarn in Quoddy Blue

I bought this yarn at a farmstand in Vermont, on my way back from an agility trial. What I have, is what I have … so I was excited when I calculated yardage, and found I had enough to make a Juneberry — a pattern I’ve had queued for a while now.

You can, therefore, appreciate the depths of my horror when I realized (as I began working the edging) that I had nowhere NEAR enough yarn to finish the pattern as written. I modified, measured, knit, ripped, and repeated until I had an edging that preserved some flavor of the original, but used the right amount of yarn. Even so, I finished on fumes — the tiny ball below is all I had left! Phew.

I’m satisfied with my modded edging … I had to loose the big lacy holes, but I’m ok with my faggoted substitution. I was able to keep the bobbled swoops, and lost 1 of the 3 lace holes along the outside edge.

I really enjoyed this knit, and will likely make it again, this time with enough yarn on hand to complete the full edging! It’s fun to knit lace with worsted-weight yarn — over and done very quickly.

Upcoming Classes: Self-Ruffling Yarn, Mobius Cowls, and Open Knit Night

January 11, 2012January 10, 2012remilyknits Leave a comment

Lately I’ve been teaching more and more knitting classes. I taught a “first lace project” class at the Andover Bookstore using my Kudzu pattern — thus turned out to be a bit more ambitious than I intended, but my students rose to the occasion admirably. Then I designed my Steek This Coffee Cozy pattern for a “first steeking project” class at the Bookstore. I had a better idea what was achievable in a short class, and my students both finished the project in class — great fun! After that I taught two series of “Magic Loop Sock Knitting” classes, which were popular and went really well. I even had some repeat students! What I heard from all my students is that what they really wanted was a regular knit-with-a-teacher night, so they could come work on whatever they wanted, and ask me questions or get help with trouble spots. So, we decided to try it out. We started right before the holiday season, so attendance has been a bit irregular. We’ll give it a month or so more to see if enough people come often enough to make it work.

Open Knit Night at the Andover Bookstore

Every Tuesday, 6 – 8 PM (No reservations necessary!)

Knit with a teacher (me!) ready to answer questions and help with problems. I have experience with almost all knitting techniques, including colorwork, Fair Isle, lace, chart reading, cables, intarsia, entrelac, seaming sweaters, socks, and more. I welcome all knitters, whether you are just starting out on your very first project, or you are a knitter with years of experience and want to discuss the finer points of finishing.

Bring: your works-in-progress, or buy supplies right here at the store.

Cost: $15 per class, or $60 for a six-class punch card (good for one year).

I’m also teaching classes at the Hub Mills Store in Billerica, MA, on Saturdays, about once a month. This is a new location for the store, but it’s been around a long time as has a wonderful group of regular customers. I’ve been working in the shop since last fall, and it’s been wonderful to meet so many dedicated knitters. I can’t wait to have a few as students! I’m starting out with two different specialty classes. I decided to offer a “try it” class for self-ruffling fibers. Many knitters are drawn to the sample scarves made with these unusual yarns, but don’t know where to start on making one. This class will lower that learning curve with hands-on work with sample yarns. I’m also offering my Mobius Knitting class, which I taught last summer at the Granite State Knit-In XX. I designed my Clewe and Minotaur cowls specifically for this class, which explores two different ways to get started with mobius knitting.

Self-Ruffling “Try It” Class

10-12 AM on Saturday Jan 21 or Saturday Mar 17

Try out all our “self-ruffling” fibers in this two-hour class. Bodega, Improv,
Cha-Cha, and Flamenco make impressive-looking and quick-to-knit scarves
with just one skein. Each uses slightly different techniques — learn about the
differences and try out each fiber to see which you like best.

Bring: US#9 circular needles, any length

Cost: $20 (includes a 10% student discount on materials)

Register: call (978) 408-2176 or visit the store

Mobius Knitting Class

10-12 AM on Saturday Feb 18 or Saturday Mar 31

The möbius shape-a loop, with a half-twist-drapes nicely when worn. It’s a great shape for neck-warmers, cowls, wraps, and collars. Also, because there is only one continuous edge, a person can knit a knitted möbius item from the center outwards on circular needles without turning the work.

In this class, learn two different methods to start a mobius knitting project: first, using a foundation strip, and then, using a true mobius cast-on.

Homework: before coming to class, knit a foundation strip (directions sent after registration)

Bring: two balls of bulky-weight yarn, two US#10 circular needles, 40″ or 47″

Cost: $20 (includes a 10% student discount on materials)

Register: call (978) 408-2176 or visit the store

CO Monday: Sea Drift Toque, Happy Green Fyllyrd, Jan 2012 Mystery Lace KAL

January 9, 2012January 8, 2012remilyknits Leave a comment

There is nothing like a big UFO purge and Ravelry Queue clean-up to make me really want to cast on something new! 🙂

First up: a Drift Toque from my Christmas copy of Weekend Hats. I’m using some stashed Happy Feet DK — the color is gorgeous, and a little hard to capture with my camera. I love the up-down cables and the sideways short-row construction. I opted to use the called-for needle size (instead of going down a size, which I usually do, thanks to my loose knitting habits). I have a huge head, and thought this might be enough to make the hat the right size for me. Alas, it looks like it might be coming out a touch small … but, I think I can add an extra “wedge” of hat + short rows and make it fit.

Next, I’m doing a Fyllyrd as part of the January KAL in the Beginning Lace Knitters group. I’m using my newly liberated Dream-in-Color Smooshy in the “Happy Forest” colorway. I have already used as much yarn as I frogged … SO the right decision. I just finished the first nupps repeat, and I am really enjoying it. If it looks like a neat pattern, join in the fun! This is an open KAL that will be running all month (and, usually, afterwards as people finish up).

I am using my other skein of DIC Smooshy (“Dusky Aurora”) for a different KAL (this one closed yesterday, so it’s too late to join in). SusannaIC’s January Mystery KAL features nupps, beads, and a cast-on of 300+ stitches. Fun times!