Cotton - Linen

My next project is a tank top, with a simple lace stitch. It is from the 50/50 cotton/linen from Elann last month. It will be my own pattern, so you will find it posted here in a week or two.

Sneek peek....

I am knitting on 4mm needles, so it is a fairly quick knit!

Yarn Diet

I have to confess. I have a serious weight problem.... my Stash is too HEAVY, and My wallet is too LIGHT. I have made a decision to start a strict yarn diet. I know, I have said this before, then Elann had a cashmere-merino on sale, or the Needle Emporium opened the "tent"... and I fall off the wagon.

This time I am going to be accountable to YOU. You can encourage me, and I hope help yourselves too. Let's all knit the stash, recycle old projects and create without shopping. Think how refreshing that will be, and the sense of pride of a frugal job well done. (and think of the free space in your storage units, that will welcome LOTS of new yarn when the diet is over and we are again lean, mean, knitting machines!

Here's my latest knitting project, done so fast I did not have time to photo and document! Love the 6mm quick knits. It was started on the friday of the long weekend, and finished today. That's 9 days. Lucky it was such a deal from Elann last month. JJ's handpainted Mohair. I used the pattern from JJ's enclosed with the purchase, but ran out as I was finishing the sleeves, so could not work the collar suggested. I had in my stash, a teal Debbie Bliss Alpaca-Silk, that knit on 4 mm needles, so picked up the collar with that and did a little stand up job, and to make it match better, I did some Icord loops sewn to the right side, opposite teal buttons. I think it looks rather smart. My new spring jacket.

Next: A cotton - Linen tank top, *** from my stash**** :)

Rosy Hoody

I have been neglectful of you lately... I have had so many distractions, what with the wedding plans and dresses, and visitors every weekend, and a bridal shower to throw... I know that my blogs have been pushed to the back-burner. My knitting posse have been my main support group through all this chaos, and I thank them for it! My dear Lois reminded me that the rose hoody had not been photographed and posted to the blog, and I put it to the top of the list and stitched the zipper and wrote the pattern and took the photos.... and here it is! Thanks Lois for the loving push!

Rosy Hoody – now in six sizes!

Yarn: 7 balls of Berroco Lustra (100gms-180m)

Needles:  4.0mm (US 6), 4.5mm (US 7)

2 large and several small markers

Zipper: 45 cm(18 inches)  Separating Zipper.... optional... you could use buttons and place button holes or loops opposite.

Gauge:  21 sts = 4 inches on 4.5mm needles in seed stitch ribbing test swatch*** after washing and lying to dry*** please do this to ensure size will be correct****

Finished size : 34[36,38,42,46,50] inches at the chest

Seed Stitch Ribbing:   Row one:    purl to marker, k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, p1, [Purl 4, k1,p1,k1,p1,k1,p1,k1,p1,] repeat in brackets until marker, purl to end

Row two:  knit to marker, [k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, p1, Knit 4]  repeat in brackets until last marker, knit to end.

This creates vertical bands of four stitch reverse-stocking stitch, and eight stitch seed stitch.

BACK:  With smaller needles cast on 80[86,92,102,112,122]sts.  Work in K1, P1 ribbing for 1.5 inches.  On the last row (wrong side) increase 8 stitches evenly across the ribbing. You have 88[94,100,110,120,130] sts on your needle.

Change to 4.5 mm needles.  Establish seed rib pattern...ROW ONE:    Purl 4[7,4,3,8,7] place large marker, seed stitch (k1,p1,repeat) across next 8 stitches, Purl 4, seed stitch across 8, repeat the purl stitches and seed stitches until 4[7,4,3,8,7] are left, place large marker, and finish with purl sts to end.

ROW TWO:  knit the outer band stitches(outside the markers) , seed stitch the 8 stitch bands, and knit the 4 stitch bands.  (placing small markers between the patterns can help until you get established.)

Repeat the two rows of seed stitch ribbing until body measures 14[15,15,16,16,17] inches from the start.

Underarm shaping: bind off 4 stitches at the start of next two rows.

Continue in the ribbing pattern as established, until the back is 22[23,23,24,25,26]inches.  Bind off all stitches.

Right Front:

Cast on 37[41,45,47,53,57]sts.  Work ribbing with smaller needles for 1.5 inches, increasing 3 in last row. You have 40[44,48,50.56.60] sts on your needle.   Change to larger needles and establish the pattern:  Seed stitch first 8 stitches, [seed stitch 8, purl 4] repeat until 8[0,4,6,0,4], place large marker if you have any stitches left, then purl to end.

Work in established seed stitch ribbing for 14[15,15,16,16,17] inches.  Bind of 4 on the next WRONG side row, (armhole shaping), then work even until front measures 19[20,20,21,21,22] inches.  With right side facing, bind off 8 stitches(neck edge).  Working in pattern, bind of one stitch at neck side 3[3,3,4,4,5] times more.  Work even until 22[23,23,24,25,26] inches long, then bind off all stitches.

Left Front:  Cast on 37[41,45,47,53,57] sts, rib for 1.5 inches, and increase 3 in last row. You have 40[44,48,50,56,60] Change to large needles and establish the pattern:  purl 8[0,4,6,0,4]sts.  Use large marker if you have sts on your needle, Seed stitch 8 [purl 4, seed stitch 8] repeat across...  (seed band will be at left edge on this side).  Work established pattern for 14[15,15,16,16,17] inches * end with right side facing you.  Bind of 4 sts at the start of next row (for armhole shaping). Work even until 19[20,20,21,21,22] inches, then start neckline with wrong side facing.  Bind off 8 (neck side only) . keep in pattern, bind of one stitch at neck side 3[3,3,4,4,5] times more.  Work even until 22[23,23,24,25,26] inches from start. Bind off all stitches.

Sleeves:  With smaller needles, cast on 40[43,45,48,51,54]sts.  Work k1,p1 ribbing for 2 inches, and increase 6[5,5,6,5,6]sts across the last row. You have 46[48,50,54,56,60] stitches on your needle.

Change to larger needles, start the pattern:  Purl 7[8,9,11,12,14], place marker, seed stitch 8, purl 4, seed stitch 8, purl 4, seed stitch 8, place marker, purl 7[8,9,11,12,14]. There will be three bands of seed stitch running up the sleeve, and everything else will be reverse-stocking stitch (purls facing right side)

Working in this pattern, and adding new stitches as reverse stocking stitches:  Increase one stitch at each side on every sixth row.  Keep increasing until there are 80[82,84,84,92,94] stitches and the piece is 16[17,18,18,19,19] inches from start.  Bind off all stitches.   (make another sleeve).

Assemble the back to the fronts at the shoulder seam.   Pick up for the hoody:  22 stitches picked up from the right front neck, 34 across the back neck edge, and 22 down the left front neck.

Establish the pattern:  Work all stitches in seed stitch for 6 rows. Then (with back of the cardigan facing you ) seed stitch 8, knit 27[27,28,29,29,30] seed stitch 8 (center of hood) knit 27[27,28,29,29,30], seed stitch 8 (edge of hood)

Work the seed stitch bands and Stocking Stitch bands as established for an inch.  Increase row:  seed stitch 8, knit across to center band, increase ONE in the stitch BEFORE the band and ONE in the stitch AFTER the band, work to end.  Repeat this increase row every inch for  5 inches.   When the hood measures 7[7,8,8,9,9] inches start decrease row: work to two stitches before the center band, knit these two together, work band, knit next two together, work to end.  Do this row EVERY  fourth right side row 5 more times.   Work a wrong side, then cast off all the stitches up to the center band.  Put these 8 on a holder, and with new yarn, cast off the rest of the stitches on the other side.  Working ONLY the 8 seed stitches, continue in pattern until this section is 6[6,6,6.5,6.5,6.5] inches long.  Cast off all 8 stitches.

Sewing hood:  The small band is attached to the cast off edges to close the hood (see last photo)

Sew sweater: Insert the sleeve into the armhole space, then sew the underarm and side seams.

Hand sew the zipper to the inside edge. Do not stretch front seam as you sew.  OR attach buttons on one side and crochet loops on opposite side. 

Finished all the pieces!

All the pieces of the Vogue Cardigan are done and I will be seaming like crazy at my knitting night tonight. Not much to picture today, but tomorrow... if I can finish stitching and blocking, I should have a nice photo!
So the next project is on my mind and I was planning the jacket as I walked the golf course today. I want to make a nice and simple jacket from the hand dyed New Zealand Mohair. I have wound the skeins and am ready to start.
The quilt (from my other blog-------> ), is all completed through the center, and I am left with the borders only to finish. Worth a peak if you are a quilter (or sew at all). It is much easier than it looks, and the quilting is done in manageable pieces, so by the time the borders are added, the middle is ALL done and quilted!
Off to meet my Knitting Posse, and have a nice dinner and a few hours of gabbing and laughing and knitting.
Happiness!

Yarn in the Mail (again)

As promised, the mail order yarn that arrived last week! It was still in the box, and I did not even have time to unpack it, and touch it and dream of all the wonderful things that it could become! The first is a 50/50 cotton/linen. I had so much fun knitting the linen cardigan in the fall, I thought I may like the cotton mix. It definately feels more like cotton than linen, but I will know better after swatching it how it will handle. This one will be a tank top (if it knits smooth and not too stiff) or a lacy shawl or cover up if it is too thick for the top.... I will keep you posted.

The second yarn is hand dyed chunky mohair. 100 gram skeins with huge yardage, just three will make a light weight spring jacket. The middle skein seems a bit different dye lot than the other two, so I will have to work two balls at a time and alternate 4 rows of main dye colour and 2 rows of odd ball. This should work out fine for an overall similar dye effect to the whole coat.

The colours (by accident) match really well, so the tank top could be worn under the jacket and look really cool and co-ordinated! (not at all like me, but there's hope I guess!)

Relief!

I have had a major distraction from knitting and sewing over the last couple of weeks. Today I was hosting a bridal shower for my dear daughter, and there were lots of details and tasks and plans and emails... this afternoon it went over without a hitch. Robin's friends are so wonderful, and my friends are so special to me I cannot even put it into words. Thank you all (I know you read this!)
I am exhausted and happy, and spent the evening finishing the hem of the wedding dress. This too makes one more major task DONE. Tomorrow I knit and relax (after my Y workout and after a day of work....) life goes on.
I have some new yarn, some from Elann by way of Canada Post, and some from New Zealand by way of Jane, who traveled there in February. Photos and plans for the yarn will come soon, but for now I am tired and will sleep...
good night

Vogue Cardigan ....

Back is completely done (but not blocked yet), and the left front is about half done. The sleeves are knit at the same time, so it will come together quickly after the right front! There is a cool neckline that is knit as a pick-up-piece to pull it all together.