It started with a conversation...

It started with a conversation about a year ago while sitting at the table with friends Mary and Kathryn at Anoka Fiber Works.  We have the best conversations around the table while enjoying our tea.

The conversation involved knitting a sweater without a written pattern.  Not a new concept, but we thought about the process of creating a sweater, slowing down, and being mindful about our knitting.  Knitting in the Old Way by Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts (Interweave Press, 1985) was the perfect book for inspiration.   I used the garter stitch split hem from The Basic Blouse and The Basic Gansey for the rest of the sweater.   It was easy to look through my books and sketching ideas on my Boogie Board.  Choosing the yarn was another matter.  Keeping in mind the function of the sweater, Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool was the perfect choice for my camping/hiking/working sweater.  The price point of the yarn was great and using a couple of JoAnn, Etc coupons, the purchase was even more attractive.  Fisherman's Wool is 100% wool, it comes in eight-ounce/465-yard skeins, it is worsted weight, and hand-washable.  The skeins of Oatmeal Heather felt softer than the skeins of Brown Heather and the light-color skeins were the same dye lot.

Sweater design elements from one book and a stitch pattern from another book.  I searched through many stitch dictionaries before settling on a simple Ridged Rib.  The pattern is a multiple of 2 + 1 stitches and a four-row repeat.

I found some inspiration from some of the books in my personal library.  The book second from the bottom is the first knitting book I purchased after returning to Germany.  The Encyclopedia of Knitting, by Pam Dawson, Orbis Publishing Limited, London 1984, was (and is) one of my favorite reference books for knitting techniques.

My Gansey sweater in progress.  Two purl stitches at each side, the underarm gusset and the Ridged Rib stitching at the chest.  There will be Ridged Rib stitching on the sleeves at the upper arm above the elbow.

The underarm gusset stitches are on a holder.  The front and back are knit separately.  

The Lett Lopi Flock, my name for it, (Ápril) pullover is finished.  It was started before the Gansey sweater and the mindless knitting until the yoke was a good take-along project.  There were a few bumps when I started the sheep bodies' section.  I made some chart corrections (purl and color, not stitch count) and now I must wait for cooler weather to wear it, sigh...

Markers placed  every twelve stitches to keep the sheep in order.

I ended up frogging to the top of the brown zigzag and re-working that section of the yoke.

The blocked Flock, ready to wear.  

Weaving Wednesday hat

Weaving Wednesdays are becoming very productive.  I finished my first woven hat, a quick project.   Fingering weight yarn from my stash was the perfect choice for the warp, weft, and ribbed band.  I used the pattern in Weave Knit Wear for the measurements, approximately 30-inches long by 13-inches wide.  The weather was cold, wet, and windy last week and the hat was warm and lightweight.

Knit 2 purl 2 ribbing with matching yarn

Gathered top

New hat!

Before the vest projects, I had a scarf started on the loom.  The vest interested me more than another scarf, and the piece was ended and cut off.  It is the perfect length and width for another hat, which will be more like a beanie.  Once the band is knitted, I will decide whether to gather the top or shape the top with sewn seams.

Hat form I use for blocking and fitting.

Fitting the fabric.  I make sure to try the hat on before sewing the seam.

Machine sewn seam, seam allowance turned under and steamed, and then hand sewn.

I am working on sample knitting and the hat is on the back burner until tomorrow's weaving day.  Mary has a bag on her loom and Kathryn is making a top.  I am thinking about making yardage of fabric that can be cut and sewn into a top.  The last meeting of the weaving group at Anoka Fiber Works, one of the members brought in a book she no longer wanted.  Clothing From The Hands That Weave by Anita Luvera Mayer is an inspirational book featuring history, finished pieces, and patterns for garments.

A sampling of simple shapes used for garments from all over the world.

Coming Atttractions!

I am catching up my calendar and adding in the classes and events through August.  Another wave of Groupons is out and I also have some classes on the calendar that should appeal to new and experienced knitters alike.

My computer is now at Ben's computer desk, Grandma's desk is upstairs, my drawing table is in my new space, and now it is time to divide and conquer the tubs!  Ben's stuff vs my stuff.  Going through things is time-consuming, but necessary.  I am doing it a bit backwards, as I did not paint the ceiling first.  The walls are in good shape and I can live with the small divots in the ceiling where the stars were stuck. Today I will work on transferring what's left in Ben's closet to the other room and my art supplies to the new space.  This should be interesting...

27.02.13  I am making good progress on the transfer.  Having the paper bin, a trash can, and bin for charity knitting yarn has been helpful.  My goodness!  I found needles, markers, my extra scissors, and the ever-elusive tape measure and extra scissors!  Jim will be happy to know the lidded ottoman is empty!  At least four tubs are empty, too!  Yea--progress is a good thing.

I received some good news yesterday...one of my hat patterns will be featured in the new edition of 60 Quick Knits from America's Yarn Shops.  I will be making two baby-sized samples and should receive the yarn within a week.  (Picture me doing the happy dance!)

My classes coming up at Amazing Threads:

Felted Wooly Eggs--Easy Plus
Sundays, March 3 & 10
12-2 pm
$28 plus supplies

It's Your Choice (pick your own project)--Easy Plus
Wednesdays, March 13, 20 & 27
6-8 pm
$36 plus supplies

Countess Mitts--Easy Plus
Wednesdays, April 10, 17 & 24
6-8 pm
$42 plus supplies

Gaugeless Hat--Easy Plus
Mondays, May 6, 13 & 20
3-5 pm
$42 plus supplies

First Möbius--Easy Plus
Mondays, May 6, 13 & 20
6-8 pm
$40 plus pattern download or book, A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting, by Cat Bordhi

Take It From The Top Vest  (Pick a vest from Ann Budd's book, The Knitter's Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters--Easy Plus
Wednesdays, May 8, 15, 22 & 29
6-8 pm
$40 plus book

Urchin--Easy Plus

Wednesdays, May 22 & 29

3-5 pm

$28 plus pattern download and supplies

Take It From The Top Sweater  (Pick a cardigan or pullover from Ann Budd's book, The Knitter's Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters--Easy Plus
Tuesdays, June 4, 11 & 18
4-6 pm
$42 plus book

Hats, Mittens, or Slippers? (Accessories from Knit One Knit All, Elizabeth Zimmerman's Garter Stitch Designs)--Easy Plus to Intermediate

Fridays, June 14, 21 & 28

1-3 pm

$42 plus book

Felted Needle Cozies--Easy Plus

Thursdays, May 16 & 23

4-6 pm

$40 plus pattern download or book, A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting, by Cat Bordhi 

You can register for class by calling 763.391.7700 

or online at www.amazing-threads.com.

My current project is a fun hat in tweed yarn from Skacel--the Tayberry  Hat.  HiKoo's Kenzie yarn is a luscious blend of New Zeland merino wool, nylon, angora, alpaca, and silk noils.  The two-color star stitch is fun to knit and has interesting texture.  Best of all, only one color is worked at a time--two rows of the main color and two rows of the contrast color.  It looks like hounds tooth check.  Love it!  I hope Bobbi gets some of the yarn, as it feels wonderful, soft, and light in my hands and it is tweed!

Happy knitting! X

Sum-sum-summertime projects

On Tuesday, I took a rug hooking class taught by Paulette Wentzlaff of River Rock Wool.  This is something I wanted to do for years and it was fun.  We are working on a small project and it is amazing how the same project looks different when worked by a variety of students.  Now that I have the tools, the fiber stash may not end up as knitted projects!  The wool is soft and when I switched to the comfortable hook--I was really hooked!  I see sheepy projects in the future.

I just love doing this project.  The focus seems to be on graceful
lines rather than even loops!  It will be steam blocked, so I am
hopeful the imperfections will not be as noticeable.  It is fun to work!

This week is all about preparing for the Wood Badge course coming up.  I am practicing my presentations, thinking about what I have to pack, etc.  This will be my first time as a staffer.  Having been on staff for Grey Wolf last summer helps my level of confidence a bit.  Deep breaths!  I know it will be an intensely busy week, but I will be sure to take a small project along.

Woody Bear is giving me tips for being a good Troop Guide.

New classes are on the schedule for the summer and I am making progress on my projects.  Some slower than others, but progress nonetheless.

A cute baby cardigan--Concentric Stripes, easy and quick knitting.

Working my way through the rainbow of Kauni colors.

A little progress on Eala Bahn.

There are a couple (more) books in my library.  I found Vintage Modern Knits at Half Price Books.  I do not feel guilty, as I regularly sift through my library and clear out books.  It is difficult, but if there is not room on the shelf then something has to go.
Knit One Knit All was a book under my radar.  The patterns are by Elizabeth Zimmerman and all garter stitch.  I think the garter stitch hat is quite nice and the little cabled cardigan is perfect for  a fun topper.  Oh, there are plenty of other patterns.  If there are at least three patterns in a book that appeal to me I can justify the purchase.

A floppy hat and cabled cardigan are just two of the patterns
I want to knit in the future.

Books and such

I ordered a couple of books and they came yesterday!  One is by Jade Starmore, and the other is from Rowan.  Lots of lovely projects to knit and wonderful inspiration.
The past couple of weeks have been interesting in terms of weather.  We were lucky to dodge the damaging winds that hit above and below us.  Recently, there were some amazing cloud formations and I could not resist taking photos until the sun set.

Looking west

Right now I am making a simple, neck-down, short-sleeved cardigan for summer.  You would think that I could knock it out in just a few days, but for some reason (inattention?) I had to keep frogging it.  Now I am on the right track and ready to work the sleeves.  To add a new skein, I did a Russian join, which worked nicely.  I whipped the  end of the yarn on either end so the threads are not noticeable.  In the meantime, it is time to decide what project to do next.  I believe I found a good pattern for the Shepherd's Choice yarn.  Other possibilities for the stash are Amaryllis or Wild Saffron from the Purelife Autumn book.   In the stash:  18 skeins of Kathmandu Aran Tweed and 14 skeins of Classic Elite Skye Tweed.  I will have to check yardage--especially with the Aranmor near disaster!

Autumn knitting

The weather is perfect for Autumn knitting. First of all, the leaves are changing and there's a distinct feeling in the air when I'm out and about. It probably helps that the big box craft stores have had all their Halloween decorations up since August! Anyway, I couldn't resist the felted pumpkins. Marie Mayhew was at the shop a couple of weeks ago and I used birthday money to get some patterns and yarn. Herr Kurbis is happy. He visited my class yesterday and will probably be a regular visitor. I felted my Einstein coat for the third and last time. It finally fits! It was just too much coat for my frame (even though I made a small). It'll be very warm and has a nice fuzz to it. I stuck the Manos vest in with the coat to felt it, also. It was way too big and felted down to my size. I didn't unbutton it (oops), and had to cut off the buttons, smooth, and pin the front edges--it blocked perfectly! I got new buttons and I think they're just the right touch for the vest. My birthday present from the shop was a gift certificate and new pattern book. I'm making the vest (#4). The NORO Collection Book 3, by Jenny Watson has really nice, clean-lined, classic patterns. Another book came in yesterday by the same designer--Book 1, Catwalk--AND a sample sweater (size M) for the shop--design 15 from Book 3. It is SOOO cute! Carol let me open it and I promptly tried it on. I'll have to reconfigure my queue! I'm almost done with the back of St. Brigid. I keep measuring and it seems to be the correct size. Kathy and I compared our projects. It's amazing how different the same pattern looks with different yarn. I'll be happy to be finished with the back and I think the front will go much faster. I want to finish this one so I can wear it!!!