Labour Day - productive day!

What a busy and great day it has been. I began with an early tee time with my family. We all played fairly well in the cool, breezy morning. After a lunch at the club, I strapped myself into the sewing machine and plowed my way through alterations... three golf shirts taken in, black pants hemmed, elastic added to jeans that were then shortened, a white capris made a size slimmer, a top and a dress shortened, and one of my new pants hemmed and finished!


Then I took a break and started watching the last day of the golf tournament while knitting more of the cape back. A perfect day so far, and now I am putting a lasagne in the oven, and considering opening a bottle of wine... mmmm.


Hope your long weekend was a good one too :)

Lower Back

I have made my way 20 inches up the back of the cape! I started with a seed stitch band, then launched into straight stocking stitch knit. Full steam ahead, as I work to the full 55 inch length. I love how lightweight this fabric feels.
Meanwhile, I had some fun with Aspen. We played with bubbles (left over from the surprise anniversary party our kids had for us). When I say we played, I meant that I blew bubbles and Aspen nervously ran away from them! She will attack fingers, anything plastic or shiny, or even larger birds, but she is afraid of bubbles.


"help me please!"

The Math

Here is the cleaned up sketch. The first had so much numbers and equations and cross outs and illegible writing, that I did a second one for the blog. This is how the pattern begins. I start with the basic measurements, and using the gauge from the swatch, I plugged the sts per inch into the pattern measurements to find the number of stitches needed to create the dimensions I want.
Thus the back has been cast on at 90 stitches, and I am starting with seed stitch for the bottom band.

The yarn is here!

The box arrived, with 24 balls of yarn and a long new Addi cable in 7 mm. I could not wait and cast on my swatch stitches... here it is almost done and ready for wetting and blocking and measuring!!

The lightning shawl is done! It was really quick in Noro Aya. I think five bands is enough for a good shoulder wrap. Great pattern, thanks Frankie Brown!

Merino Mohair V-Neck

If you have ever purchased hand dyed yarns, you will notice that they usually suggest using two skeins at a time and alternate skeins every two rows to create an even colour fabric. I picked up four skeins of Merino Angel when I was in Nova Scotia in June. The colours of the skeins were similar, but definitely different. This sweater uses two skeins at a time and decided to “colour block” them… Half of the front is one skein and the other half another, then when the blocks were approximately square, I switched the sides, and used the same skeins on the other half. I repeated once more before the piece was full length. The close up photo at the bottom shows the place where the colours change. It is subtle, but I like the effect and it is a much more even way of mixing odd colours.

Yarn: Fleece Artist Merino Angel

Needles: 4mm (US 6)

Gauge:17 sts and 24 rows = 4 inches

Finished size: 40 inches (designed to be a bit loose and oversized for me)

Pattern (optional) if you have hand dyed yarns, place a marker at the center of row, and use one ball of yarn on one side, then another for the other side, twisting the yarns around each other as you cross from one side to the other (intarsia). When each block is approx. square, change the side that each ball is used. Repeat when square again. If your yarn is one colour don’t do this, it won’t show anyway. You could also use solid and completely different colours for more dramatic effect!

Back: Cast on 81 sts, work in knit one, purl one ribbing for 5 rows, then increase 11 sts across the next row in ribbing.

Change to stocking stitch (knit right side, purl wrong side) and work even until 19 inches from the start.

Armhole: Cast off 4 sts at the start of next two rows. Continue even from there until piece measures 29 inches from the start. Cast off all stitches.

Front: Work same as back until armhole.

Armhole: Cast off 4 stitches at start of next two rows. Next row (divide for Vneck): Work 39 sts, join second ball of yarn, cast off 6 sts, work remaining 39 sts with second ball of yarn.

Continue to work upper fronts, decreasing one stitch at each neck edge every 4^th row 15 times (working both sides at the same time with separate yarn balls.) Finish to 29 inches with no further decreases, then cast off both shoulders.

Sleeves: Cast on 45 sts, work ribbing for 6 rows, then in stocking stitch, increase one st at each side, very 4^th row until 86 sts are on the needles. Continue even until 19 inches long, then cast off all stitches.

Sew shoulder seams.

Neck finish: with small circular needles, pick up approx.. 100 stitches around the neck edge starting at the bottom of the v **** leave the 6 cast off stitches at the bottom of the V untouched... Work up the left side of the V, across the back of the neck and down the right side. Turn and work back up the right side in K1,P1 ribbing (do not join and work around the circle!) Work total of 6 rows of ribbing, then cast off loosely in ribbing. Sew the ends of the ribbing down to the 6 cst off sts.

Sew the sleeves into the armhole opening. Then sew the sleeve and side seams.

enjoy

The Cape - Inspiration

The inspiration for the newest knitting project... Red Riding Hood. Capes are big this year and I want to make a BIG dramatic cape with a generous hood to wear over business suits OR funky casual clothes. This will be for my sister, who wears dramatic clothing SO well.

The yarn is on the way. A perfect chunky (but lightweight) mohair from Elann in the WINE colour (order 24 balls if you want to knit this with me!). The idea is that it has substance but not weight, important because the length of this cape in a chunky merino, would tend to stretch under the weight and drag on the ground. I believe the mohair will float around the body without stretching out of shape!

Finished the First Shawlette

I found this pattern a couple of weeks ago... The Holden Shawlette by Mindy Wilkes. I had a beautiful alpaca-cashmere lace weight from a couple of months ago, and thought it may be perfect.....

Well here it is. A perfect little shoulder wrap or just a nice neck wrap. Really light and pretty. I skipped the last repeat of the lace pattern, due to running out of yarn, but I think it still works because I got the picot edge in.

Tomorrow I order the huge lot of yarn for the huge new project !!! Can't wait!!!