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FO Friday: Red Devonian

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Project: Red Devonian

Pattern: Devonian

Designer: Laura Kanemori

Available: $6 on Ravelry, or $16 for “The Sock Report vol 1” (16 total patterns)

Yarn: Malabrigo Sock in “Tiziano Red”

 

I’m making 5 pairs of socks for my mom, of which this is the first finished pair.  She chose the yarn to match outfits she already has, and I’m choosing the patterns. I have had Devonian in my queue for a while — so pretty! It suits a tonal colorway perfectly. I did change the “start of round” in the leg so that the holes would be paired (instead of offset by a round) and the sk2p would take place at the beginning of the round (instead of spread over two rounds). Also, I used a sewn bind off instead of Jenny’s etc. Other that that — these are exactly as written.

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FO Friday: Parseval in the Clover

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A minor miracle occurred in my home town this week …. I finished a sweater, for me!

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Project: Parseval in the Clover

Pattern: Parseval

Designer: Melissa Wehrle

Available: $6 on Ravelry

Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss DK in “Clover”

I started this project in January 2012, and I’m sorry to say it was only the anniversary of the start date that goosed me into finished the project.  It fits great (especially after a slightly-more-vigorous washing, which plumped up the cowl neck and cables), and I love the color. I don’t love millions of miles of 4×1 ribbing (even in the round), but thanks to shame and Final Fantasy XIII, I did plow through it.  (I knit during the frequent and endless cut scenes.)

Speaking of ribbing, this project helped me conquer, once and for all, my ribbing “problem.”  Like many people, the leftmost knit stitch was too loose compared to it’s fellows, making the ribbing look crappy (that’s a technical knitting term, meaning “not as good as one would like”).  I discovered, via introspection, that I was shoving the whole needle through that stitch, rather than knitting on the tips as I usually do.  I don’t really know why.  But, focusing on the tips, plus a little judicious cinching-up when I forgot, made for acceptable ribbing throughout this project.

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Cast-on Monday: Mezair Prototype (AATG #3), Circlet for S.

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I asked my friend’s daughter (who is three) if she would like a knitted crown.  Via facebook, naturally.

Me: S, would you like a crown? If so, please tell me what color(s) you like, and how big around your head is.

S. (with help from her mom): S. says, yes, pink, and 19.5 inches. (She acknowledges that she could accept purple maybe if you don’t have any pink yarn handy.) Thanks!

So, I am making a Very Pink Circlet.  It’s a quick knit, very satisfying — great design.

In other news, I have designed and cast on for the third shawlette in the Airs Above the Ground series.  This one is very, very pretty so far! Beads make everything better, don’t you think?

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FO Friday: William Morris Hat

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Project: William Morris Mojitos

Pattern: riffing on Rubbish Mojitos

Designer: Woolly Wormhead

Available: £3.00 GBP on Ravelry

Yarn: Tosh Light in “William Morris”

Some time ago, this skein of yarn followed me home:

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It tried to be a lot of things, but nothing worked.  Eventually, I riffed on a pattern by Woolly Wormhead and made a hat … it’s not a perfect hat, but it’s warm and soft, and perfectly serviceable :).

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CO Monday: Knitters Gone Wild

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I bought new yarn on Sunday, and started making stuff right away!

With my skein of A Hundred Raves Danu in “Briar Rose,” I’m making a Trestle Cowl (changed to working in the round, rather than flat):

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With my skein of A Hundred Raves Danu in “Maple,” I’m making a Greyhaven cowl — but fewer repeats and taller (for warmth).

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I also cast on for pair of socks 2 of 5 for my mom — purple Alpaca Sox in the Gush pattern:

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FO Friday: Mosaic Bucket Hat

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Project: Mosaic Bucket

Pattern: A Better Bucket

Designer: Amy Swenson

Available: FREE! on Ravelry

Yarn: my handspun from Falkland Wool Handpainted Roving by Edgewood Garden Studio

This hat is made from my very own handspun.  I was aiming for singles that could be plied into worsted on the hi speed whorl (16:1), and plied at 14.1. The colorful yarn needed something plain to be … this bucket hat is PERFECT.  It has a turned-hem brim that helps the brim stand out.  It is the tiniest bit too deep for my head, so I’ve been wearing it with the brim flipped up on one side and pinned in place with my favorite shawl pin.

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The Roving:

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The Yarn:

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Knit With Me: Feb 16th, 2013

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I’ve been a little lazy about scheduling classes on my Saturdays at the Hub Mills Store.  But, last weekend, I had a pair of customers who both really wanted to take an open-ended class — they want to work on THEIR projects, but with help from an experienced knitter.  I planned a “Knit With a Teacher” class on the spot, and both signed up. For now I am limiting enrollment to six knitters — I want to make sure I’ll be able to help everyone without long waits.  If you are in the area, please join us! Here is the blurb:

Knit With a Teacher: Rachel Henry

or, “Oh My! What Have I Done?”

Sat, Feb 16th / 10 am to noon — $20

Solve a problem, ask for advice, learn something new! Expert knitter Rachel Henry leads this two-hour workshop focusing on your projects and knitting skills. Possible topics include planning projects, finishing techniques, fixing mistakes, color work, lace, reading charts, steeks, mobius knitting, Magic Loop, cables, and more. Curious about Continental or Portuguese knitting methods? Need help rescuing a project? Determined to knit your first pair of socks? You are the boss of your knitting! Bring your works-in-progress, your questions, and dream projects. We’ll have a great time knitting together.

Students receive a 10% discount on purchases on the day of class. Please call to reserve your place — class is limited to 6 knitters. (978) 408-2176

CO Monday: AATG #2

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This week I cast on for the second shawl in the “Airs Above The Ground” series.  This one is a half-circle with a notch for the neck, like Broken. I’m using the Styx skein from A Hundred Ravens:

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The skein is dip-dyed in bright pink and a rich purpley black, so naturally it will pool and flash and stripe as the stitch count varies.  This is always a concern with using hand-dyed yarn that has a strong color difference … but in this case the pattern is working up well.  I’m using a simple and bold lace pattern, so that it doesn’t fight with the yarn — so far so good!

FO Friday: Inspira Libertia Woola

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Here’s a bandwagon I’m glad I hopped on:

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Project: Inspira Libertia Woola

Pattern: Inspira Cowl (“steampunk” variant)

Designer: celerstalk

Available: FREE! on Ravelry

Yarn: CEY Liberty Wool Print in Rainforest (MC) and Berry Brambles (CC)

It seems like everyone is making one of these, these days — and Liberty Wool is just such a perfect yarn for this simple-yet-colorful project! I’m a loose knitter, so I went down a needle size … I think I could have gone down one more, and still come out great.  The finished fabric on my cowl is soft and drapey — I’ve seen others that were much more corrugated and stand-up-on-there-own-ish.

Each time the ribs swapped places, I knit the whole round — to avoid funny purl-bump color changes.  I also stopped 12 rows early, most because I was running out of yarn … but it was also quite big enough.  This project was a joy to knit.

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New Pattern Release: Love Lane Cardi

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Introducing my latest pattern: Love Lane!

Pattern: Love Lane

Designer: Rachel Henry (that’s me!)

Available: booklet #9219 “Maple Hill Farm” (from Classic Elite Yarns)

Yarn: CEY Provence in two colors; 3 hanks of the main color (2640 “Gunmetal Grey”) and 2 hanks of the contrast color (2682 “Asparagus”) (using 100-gram hanks)

Of Note: The pattern references Provence as coming in 50-gram hanks, which is a new put-up.  For clarity, here are my yardage calculations for all sizes:

Sizes XS (S, M, L, 1X, 2X)

Main Color: 475(535, 615, 695, 780, 860) yards
Contrast Color: 335(360, 385, 420, 460, 495) yards

Design/Skills Needed:

This tailored cropped cardigan features a scoop neck and set-in sleeves. Textured bands in a contrasting color adorn the waist and cuffs.  All hems are turned for a professional finished look.

All pieces are worked flat from the bottom up and then seamed. The turned hems are tacked in place, and then the collar and button bands are picked up and knit.  Special instructions are given for the curve of the neckband to prevent flaring.