Ranunculus

 07.07.2022

Recently I was thinking about adding another sweater (something lightweight) to my pick-a-sweater class at beWoolen.  I asked Michelle and we thought about it for a bit and then she mentioned the Ranunculus sweater, by Midori Hirose.  It has been consistently on the "Hot Right Now, designs with the most visits in 24 hours.  At the time the project count was over 12,000 and as of this morning, the count is up to 13,625. Wow!  Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn was the perfect choice, because I pictured the sweater in a neutral color to show off the design.  The size you knit depends upon the yarn (lace to worsted weight) and needles used for the amount of transparency of the knitted fabric.  At Shepherd's Harvest in May, I saw no fewer than four people wearing their Ranunculus sweaters.  It is a popular knitting project.  

When knitting a class/shop sample I take time to study the pattern before casting on any stitches.  Ravelry is a helpful tool for checking out other projects.  Given the huge number of projects, I narrowed down the search to helpful projects and projects with notes.  Casting on for the swatch, I thought about the fabric (lightweight, but not transparent), neckline (not too snug or loose), sleeves (three-quarter), length, (cropped) and fit (positive ease).  

Deck knitting on a nice day.

Using the Doocot as a template for for width and length.  

After blocking, the fit is perfect and the yarn bloomed beautifully.

Hearing the howl

It is time for Grey Wolf NYLT (National Youth Leadership Training) week two.  This year all four weeks have ten patrols.  The team building for staff begins in January at monthly staff developments through April, preparing camp during work weekend and then pre-course right before we head up the hill to course.  Working with the dedicated youth and adults is always a pleasure.  Here are a few photos from last year.  We were very fortunate to have good weather and fingers are crossed for this year!

Down the hill during pre-course mama turtle lays her eggs.  We mark the spot in the hopes the eggs will not be disturbed.  

After the opening campfire the staff and participants head to cracker barrel.

The syllabi

Gery is our mascot

On the fibery side of life the Jacob fleece is spinning up nicely and I finished a vest for the shop.  The Rowan Cotton Lustre is beautiful knitting yarn.  It has lovely drape, color and is so soft.

Grayscale

Sample spinning 

I call all of this eye surgery spinning

Suitopi is a simple classic by Sarah Hatton for Rowan

Ariana

I took the top to the shop yesterday and Deb took a photo for me.  I tried doing one on my own at home, but it wasn't working out.  I have a big smile because I really love this project.  It was fun to knit and looks really good.  Rowan Felted Tweed is the perfect yarn and the charcoal color grew on me.  I want to make one for myself.

Detail of the lace and front gathering.

Happy knitter!

FO!

I finished the Ariana Shell and it is now drying.  The Rowan Felted Tweed DK was the perfect choice.  I made it larger, as I prefer it as a vest instead of a shell.  I am wet-blocking the sweater which made the fabric easier to measure and smooth into shape.  Maybe it will be dry tomorrow and I can take it to the shop.

The lace border is a nice finish to this project.  I enjoyed knitting it.
(After looking at this photo I smoothed out the left side to match the right.) 

The lace yoke was knitted flat and then grafted together.
Above that you can see the four-row seed stitch neck band.

My next tasks are to get more patterns on Ravelry, finish Monkey Jacobus  II, start Christmas cards, and then get some small projects finished.
Thanksgiving will be just the three of us this year.  Nice and cozy.  I did not buy the turkey yet and hope to find a small one.  Last week there were none smaller than 11 pounds!  That is a LOT of turkey.  My last class of the month is today and that gives me time to tidy up the house and decorate.

Project Ariana

This is the latest sweater sample for the shop.  I bought the pattern from the Ewetopia booth at Shepherd's Harvest this year and it is a lovely top (Ariana Shell).  I want it to fit like a vest, so I'm working on the 38".  I have to block the lace and I want to see how long it is before picking up the stitches for the body.  I substituted Rowan Felted Tweed DK for the original yarn.  The lace was a breeze to knit even though the instructions are written, normally I prefer charts.

The lace yoke is a 16-row lace pattern.

Rowan Felted Tweed DK in charcoal is the perfect yarn choice for the project.

FO!

The Silken Straw Sweater is finished.  The I-cord edging was not as fiddly as I heard.  It is just a matter of carefully picking up all the threads.  I did not use the I-cord instructions in the pattern because having to pull the slipped stitch over was not as easy as knitting the slipped stitch and the edge stitch together through the back loop--and with larger needles.  The silk has no give and it is far too easy to make the edging tight.  I blocked it Blue Sky style--beating it with a ruler when damp, shaping and pinning to size, and leaving it to air dry.
There was a slight setback with Jane's Tunic...I used the larger needle for the body...luckily I reread the pattern!  I am back on track and it will be a quick project compared to the silk sweater.

The Silken Straw Sweater turned out just beautiful.  

Taking a break at Caribou and knitting.

One for me and one for a sample.

I am finished with the large project for Blue Sky Alpacas.  Sorry I cannot show it, however, I have a couple of quick projects to show.  I could not resist the lone hank of Noro  Furisode in this colorway.  It was a quick knit compared to the projects I have worked on lately.  It is good to get a project finished quickly!  The Urchin is a great little hat and one of my favorite patterns.  Angel helped pick out the yarn for the sample.  Typically I prefer a thick and thin textured yarn for the hat, but this light and lofty single was perfect!  It took about a skein and a half.

The Bandana Cowl from Purl Soho.

A shop sample for Amazing Threads--Urchin, by Ysolda Teague.