Tag cables

FO Friday: Firebird Rhea Silvia

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I finished, finally! 🙂 I give you … a very BRIGHTLY colored cowl/wrap:

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Project: Firebird Rhea Silvia

Pattern: Rhea Silvia

Designer: Sara Morris

Available: $6 on Ravelry

Yarn: A Hundred Ravens Iachos in “Midst Her Fires”

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Two skeins of Iachos ends up being not quite enough yarn for a Rhea Silvia.  If I’d read the pattern thoroughly, I would have know this. Instead, I got caught off guard … fortunately, I was able to bind off a row or three early on both edges, and it still looks pretty good.  Even with blocking, I’m finding the border flares more than I like.  If I make another Rhea Silvia, I’ll probably decrease more when transitioning from the cabled body to the border in order to limit/eliminate this flare.

That said, I’m delighted with the end product! Kate’s yarn shines (glows, even!) in this pattern. The striping and pooling of hand-dyed yarn can be SO much fun!  I’ve been wearing it doubled-up (see below) and getting lots of compliments.

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FO Friday: Two Cowls

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I bought two skeins of DK-weight yarn from A Hundred Ravens, and made two cowls!

Pretty yarn:
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I made the orangey-red skein of Danu into a Greyhaven cowl:

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Project: Maple Greyhaven

Pattern: Greyhaven

Designer: Robin Ulrich

Available: $4 on Ravelry

Yarn: A Hundred Ravens Danu (Maple)

I wanted a tighter cowl, so I cast on with only seven repeats of the main lace pattern.  My first try turned out too tight, so I frogged and cast on again with one extra repeat.  At this stitch count, the yarn pooled in a really beautiful way!  Happy accident.

For the pink-and-green skein of Danu, I decided on Trestle, somewhat modified:

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Project: Rose Trestle

 

Pattern: Trestle Neckwarmer

 

Designer: Virginia Catherall

 

Available: FREE on Ravelry

 

Yarn: A Hundred Ravens Danu (Briar Rose)

I eliminated the button on this pattern, and knit it in the round instead of flat.  I also reduced the number of repeats, going for a snugger fit.  Once again, too snug! I frogged, added a repeat, knit it again. I love the fit of the final version — it stays up around my neck if I’m cold, or I can fold it in half for a more decorative look.  The cables played nice with this vibrant colorway. Yay!

Danu is soft, soft, soft and held up to the frogging well, despite being a single-ply yarn.

FO Friday: Princess Wander’s Aran Cape

remilyknits 8 Comments

I made a cape! This does not make me a knitting superhero.

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Project: Princess Wander’s Aran Cape

Pattern: Wandering Aran Fields

Designer: Norah Gaughan

Available: in Wrap Style

Yarn: CEY Princess in peacock (3409)

This is a store sample for the Hub Mills Store.  Even though Princess has been discontinued (SOB!) we still have some in stock — come and get it, before it’s all gone! There is nothing quite so soft and lovely as this worsted-weight yarn. I will miss it when it’s gone entirely.  In the mean time, I got to knit this cabled cape — such fun!

The pattern is pretty straightforward: cast on the bottom edge, work cables until done, make button bands, then make more ribbing than you’d like to.  The shoulder decreases are cleverly hidden in the cables — very cool! The button bands are worked separately in the pattern, with smaller needles, although I noticed several knitters elected to work them as they went rather than deal with seaming.  Seaming doesn’t bother me, and I think it adds to the structure of the garment in many cases.

If you make this pattern, don’t make MY mistake.  I thought I knew what they wanted for 2×2 rib — I mean, 2×2 rib, right? How hard is that?  Well, I failed to take into account a totally appropriate one-stitch selvage (to make seaming those button bands easier), and ended up having to correct two inches of 2×2 rib that was off by one stitch.  Ugh.  Of course, I could have ripped it all out … but ribbing is my nemesis, and I just couldn’t face it.

I have improved my ribbing a great deal with this project, speaking of.  All it took was a little more attention paid to keep the working yarn on the needle tips when going from a knit to a purl — I was allowing the yarn to slip back a bit, adding too much slack at this crucial point and causing a loose left edge to knit columns.

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New Patterns Released: Twins and Entwined, Cabled Mug Cozies

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Announcing my two latest patterns: Twins and Entwined, two cabled mug cozies!  Both are available FREE on Ravelry, so go download a copy today.

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I designed this pair of patterns for my upcoming “Intro to Cabling” class at the Hub Mills Store. The class is two hours long and costs $20.  I’m offering it twice in the near future, on Saturday, April 21st, and Saturday, May 19th, from 10AM – noon.  “Twins” is the simpler of the two patterns, intended for the knitter who is totally new to cables.  “Entwined” is a bit more complex (though not as much as you might think!), meant for a knitter who has done a bit of cabling before, or an adventurous novice.

If you’d like to take my class, call (978) 408-2176 or email yarn@hubmillsstore.com to reserve a seat.

Both cozies take less than 50 yards of worsted-weight yarn, plus two buttons, and can be finished in a single day.  Both are also appropriate for learning how to cable without a cable needle — something I will also teach in class, because I think it makes cabling SO much quicker and easier.

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FO Friday: Wicked Abstract

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I finished this a while ago, yet all I can say when I think of it is, “oh, cashmere!”

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Project: Wicked Abstract

Pattern: Abstract

Designer: Tonia Barry

Available: $6 download from CEY’s website

Yarn: CEY Wicked

Abstract is a shawlette worked tip-to-tip, punctuated by cable rows.  After the body is finished, the ruffle is picked up from the long curved edge and worked in the same cable pattern.  I thought it was the perfect vehicle for my windfall cashmere. Let me tell you, cashmere is amazing to knit with, an experience bested only by wearing the FO around your neck!  I used up every single last bit (well, almost).  I try steam-blocking the ruffle, but it didn’t really set — I’m actually happy with the curl, so I may never block it properly.  (Don’t tell the knitting police!)
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FO Friday: Yggdrasil in Blue

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I finished this about a month ago, but I think it slid directly off my needles onto my lap. My Yggrasil lap blanket is so warm and cozy!

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Project: Yggrasil in Blue

Pattern: Yggdrasil Afghan

Designer: Lisa Jacobs

Available: FREE! at Interweave Knits

Yarn: Knit Picks  City Tweed HW in Dungarees

You might remember this blanket from my “Finish it or Frog it!” post back in January. I’d already made some progress then, because it was my “neglected project KAL” target for January.  I won’t say it was “easy” to finish, not exactly, but I did eventually get into the rhythm of the border cables.  I do not think I will ever do this pattern again, and although I admire the finished full-size Yggdrasil Afghans out there, I have reason to doubt the sanity of those who accomplish such a gargantuan knitting feat.

The pattern itself is well-written and clear. Plenty of good charts.  I think this might have been my first knitted-on border, back in the day.  I also have a niggling feeling I may have grabbed the wrong size needle when I re-booted this project … the “old” border (right edge, upper right corner) looks a wee bit tighter than the rest.  However, this is invisible when I’m using it, so I am doing my best to let the slight difference go. I am definitely not going back and fixing it, ooooh no.

I continue to love, love, love City Tweed.  What a wonderful soft yarn with gorgeous colors, and it shows cabling so nicely! And it’s so warm and cozy!

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FO Friday: Sea Drift Toque

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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 :).

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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

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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.

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

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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.

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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).

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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!

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