Further Down the Rabbit Hole

Upon completion of the Danish Sea Shawl, I started seeing how small variables affected the outcome.  Changing up at the 1/3 point can do that for you, yanno?  On speaking with a customer at the shop that's larger than I am, we discussed how she sought a shawl that had more front-coverage than the typical flat-edged shawl.  All I could do was to (1) tell her I may have a solution, (2) offer her the Danish Sea Shawl, (3) doodle for her the full-Danish option, (5) ask her to come back after the 2nd shawl had been completed.

Almost side-by-side shots of both shawls being worn (by me) to follow. (At the smallest iteration of photo blogspot will allow me, they're still too wide to fit next to each other.  And I'm really not feeling a bout with PhotoShop at this time of night.  Maybe later... Problem fixed by tinkering with blog dimensions jan2011.)

For some reason, both shawls sit lower in the photo than they normally do.  Generally the blue shawl sits so that the edges are a 1/2 inch below the black band of my tank top.  With wear, the green shawl tries to climb up my shoulders so that there's a bit of a roll of fabric near the neckline.  It took a good tug outside both shoulders & then at the tip of the bottom to get it to sit perfectly like that.

Anyway, right off the bat, you can see that the neckline of the blue is more open than that of the green.  That comes from the accidental batch of slower increases at the center/beginning of the blue shawl.  The next shawl won't be quite as wide as that, but you get the idea of what I'm going for.  The stripes on the green shawl come from the alternation between yarns.  The single skein of CashSilk created the top triangle on the blue shawl.

In the last post, I referred to the green shawl as the "RealTree Camo Wind Armor".  If you've known a southern hunter within the last decade or so, you know what I'm referring to.  If you don't, "RealTree" is the brand name of a specific kind of camoflauge that uses a print that looks like, well, real trees.

It's not the awkward blotches of old school military forest camoflauge, but a more highly patterned print that ostensibly breaks up the visual field allowing blahblahblaBLAHblahblaaarg.  You get the point.  It's a name brand camoflauge that markets to humans, not to deer.  But it seems to be fairly effective against a background of Eleagnus bushes...

The "Wind Armor" part comes from the fact that the whole thing was knit with DK to worsted weight yarns held double on (mostly) a size 9 needle.  It's practically thick enough to stand up on it's own, and works well as a shield against the autumn wind generated by riding around the Lowcountry in a convertible.

Being a single, my spare bed isn't large enough for me to get a good single shot of the shawl spread out over a neutral background, so I offer you a slightly curled photo...

Here you can see how it curls up into a more heart-like outline.  The tie-cords were again crocheted chains braided together then knotted at the end.

Next up on the shawl docket will most likely be a brown shawl made of my mother's frogged Moebius.  She initially wanted something that looked like a fur, and the buttonholes *totally* wrecked the effect.  After trying on both the blue & the green, she OK'd a re-work of my first shawl for her.

Until then, I work on projects to send to Kitty.

In Shawl Insanity

So last winter, I went to visit Kitty & Arne in Eckernfoerde.  In the process, I birthed the Twin Monstrosities of Awesome that are my red leggings.  Because I needed something to wear for the cold, right?  I also took over a suitcase literally half-filled with an explosion of color in the form of warmth-giving expressions of Love.  (Which makes more sense if you know how awkward I am about showing affection.)

A few years ago, I came to the realization that my brain doesn't generate "Art" as most people perceive it.  In my head, Beauty has true value only if it has at least some form of Utility.  Sometimes the utility may lie simply in the mathematical acrobatics necessary to make it happen.  But if you can start with aiming at creation of a tool, start running up the hill of mental ninja skillz, and end with several examples of Woolen Math Gone Awesome?  It's deserving of a ::happydance::, to say the least.

So asking Kitty what sort of things would work well for her, she mentioned coming across some examples of traditional Danish tie shawls.  Lust auf Farben has some fantastic photos of them.  (Check out "STR 11" specifically.)  Those feature what looks like an I-cord edging & braided ties.

Now, I could have just bought the pattern & sorted it out from there, right? ::ahem::  Yeah.  Right.  Instead, I had to sit down with a similar garter-stitch shawl at the shop, pore over the photos & links to every pattern that Ravelry offered up in return for "danish shawl", & then try to determine the best-fit method of getting what I wanted.  One month & over 2000 yards of project-specific yarn later, I have some Good Sh*t to show for it.

First came the Danish Sea Shawl (say *that* three times fast) in blues.  I had found 660 yards of run-of-the-mill blue variegated worsted wool for deal so obnoxiously good that I momentarily ignored the fact that I work for a yarn shop.  I mean, it's a test-drive, right?  That's going to be sent overseas, right?  I already knew I'd be keeping it out of the shop, since the yarn came from elsewhere, but on top of that, it was going to be almost half a mile of garter stitch.  Optimal set of circumstances for drunken/TV knitting.

Hand-winding said worsted wool, I realized that being cheap wool, it felt like... well, cheap wool.  But it's blue...  Rooting around in the wooden blue bin, I found not only a single skein of periwinkle Laines du Nord CashSilk (69 yeards), but later what appeared to be a skein & a half of sky-blue Rowan KidSilk Haze.  Looking back, these made up part of my original Ravatar, so they've been living in my house rent-free for at least 2 years now.  ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Beginning to Bust the Stash. 

As I powered through the end of the CashSilk, I found the KidSilk & started carrying it along.  When the good stuff ran out, I picked up the worsted wool in its place & kept going with the mohair.  At the point of that first picture, I began to realize that I wasn't increasing fast enough.  As it was, I'd end up with a flat-top shawl, & I needed a curly-tipped shawl.  Time to up the ante, and there's no point in turning back now: just start increasing more.

Spread out over 4+ circs to see the shape-in-progress

I had been increasing 4 times every 2nd row (1x on the edge, 2x in the center, 1x on the other edge, knit back even).  Kicking it into overdrive meant 6 times every 2nd row: (2x on the edge, 2x in the center, 2x on the far edge, knit back even).  Here in the 2nd picture, you can kind of see the kink where the super-increases start.

The back of my head encouraged me to put other markers in my work, so when I realized that I was about to run out of the first 220 yard skein of variegated blue yarn, I held along a strand of pale blue Ruca from Aracaunia.  That didn't use all of the scrap that I had, so I did it again at the end of my second skein of 220 yards.  Which is nice, because I have a good visual on where what will end where for later.  Notice the near-halving of the vertical length generated per skein.

As I was trucking along, I got BORED.  Wanting it to go faster, I started using larger & larger needles.  8 to 9 to 10 to 11.  Mostly one per skein.  And as I started to get toward the end, I got to worrying about the bind-off.  As it is, I'm a tight knitter, and my bind-offs are worse.  I've already had problems with a piece being unwearable because of the bind-off alone, so I needed a plan.

Picot edge bind off gave me the stretchiness I needed while giving a nice finished edge.  It sucked up all kinds of yarn, since it involved casting on 2 stitches, then binding off 4 stitches.

With the bitty bit of yarn leftover, I crocheted chains that were later braided together to make the ties.  The end results measure about 10" long, with the trailing tails braided as well on one side for additional length.

Getting a picture of me in my shawl without putting myself in the position of needing to do an hour or two of thorough cleaning is a fair task.  I've got to post on the RealTree Camo Wind Armor shawl, so I'll see what I can get together when that comes around.

September Shoulders in...

Suddenly, Dragon*Con looms again on the near horizon.  Knitting projects smile at the frenzied bouts of costume tinkering, churning into completion.

The shop founder (Gay) made it back from the mountains, so expect chaos at the shop over the next few days.  She's making decisions now as to what's going to be on sale over Labor Day weekend, so come in early to see what we've got to offer.  Brianna & Dana did a *fantastic* job of color coordinating the yarn.  The Koigu wall is particularly striking (though won't be included in the sale).

The Kollage Yarn KAL is coming along well, with progress steadily being made.  September's model has also been completed & is hanging over the register if you want a closer look!

Triumph came in completing the Featherweight Cardigan by knitbot.  Because I cannot seem to work a pattern as written, I chose to work it in Malabrigo Sock yarn, using 3 skeins of Lettuce (#37).

Only one catch in the process, and that was when I didn't pay attention as I was picking the sleeves back up.  The first tour through, the sleeves were *huge*, at least 13 stitches too big.  So after a bit of letting the project think about what it had done, I frogged back & reworked the sleeves.  Huge improvement & lots of happiness abounding...

The Not-So-Featherweight sweater hangs at the shop near the buttons if you'd like to see how it turned out..

August also saw me starting the Vest vest for Mother's mother.  Using a handful of measurements taken earlier in the summer, I'm using Noro Kureyon to work a modified version of the Dineh Blanket Vest from "Folk Vests" put out by Interweave Press.

The fair-isle has been ditched, as it would only detract from the color play of the Noro.  And I've decided to work the pattern in reverse from the front to the back to make it assuredly symmetrical on the fronts.  If the back gets a bit off, it's not as big of a deal...

Here's a look at the first photo taken:

Kollage Knit Kit KAL with the shop

Part of the funding for my projects previously posted comes from working with Knit on Wentworth Street downtown.  Apart from teaching classes & working the occasional shift, I spend a good amount of time at the shop with Gay & her new partner Fay.

Recently, I was elected in absentia to be the lead on the shop's newest project.  On Wednesdays, we will be doing a Knit-A-Long with Kollage Yarns.

The store has ordered several kits in a variety of colors and will be giving them out on a first-come-first-served basis.  The related classes will be held on Wednesday mornings from 10-12noon and Wednesday evenings from 5-7pm.

August's project is a Cable Hat & Cowl done in a new yarn called Glisten... 70% alpaca, 20% silk, and 5% bling (a.k.a. Estillina).

Get in touch with the shop to join in.  It's a great way to get a head-start on Christmas projects, as well as a way to test-drive some new techniques!

A Plethora of Projects

Still sorting out posting of patterns.  One or two free ones will go up here, but I haven't yet sorted out how to post a pdf for proper presentation for Ravelry.  But that can wait.

In the mean time, I've been sorting out a number of projects.

A bit more progress on the Viney Vine, though no where near what I want it to be. More leaves need to happen, but in the interim, I've found a few other small projects to keep me occupied.  So the vine slumbers in waiting...

Our regular Wednes- day night Stitch 'N' Bitch did Market Bags through the month of May as a group project.  I did one for the shop, then one for a cousin getting married this weekend...  Good stuff.



The shop's Summer Chevrons got finished!  A single skein of Araucania's Ruca turned into 4 strips of the scarf.  And my final photo got selected for the project's main Ravelry picture!!

Then came the short row circles.  I found a single sheet pattern by Sarah James that gave instructions for a circular potholder.  After the first strict following of the pattern, I turned to a few modifications.  The original double-layered blue interpretation was done of Katia Tobago.


Subsequent iterations were done in Cascade's Pima Silk: a single layer with a single crochet border topped by the picot edging from the top "Intolerable Cruelty" from Romantic Handknits.

 With the completion of the Marriage Market Bag (the brown & coral seen above), as well as another potholder and two washcloths, I found myself staring down the barrel of a pant-load of coral colored pima cotton.  With a size D crochet hook at hand and lingering echoes of the Crochet Coral Reef dancing in my head.  

After a bit of searching for the original paper behind the mathe- matics and an intriguing post on a foundation single crochet method by futuregirl's craft blog, I started out on an exploratory adventure.  And ended up with:

 Finally, the awakened project that has been filling in the cracks of consciousness of late.  More fishies.  MOAR FISHIES.

Over a year ago, I began making tessel- ating fishes created by Knitting Arrow.  A few bouts of hibernation later & I find myself compelled to use up various bits of ends & tails.  The count is now up to 59 of the approximate 200 needed to make a reasonably sized afghan...

Patterns written up

The internet went down at my house for about a week.  While in the throes of figuring out why & how to fix, I was left with quite a bit of interweb downtime.  After the second or third day of poking through my hard drive, some of the patterns I had started transcribing were resurrected.  With a bit of fiddling & bitching, I got them completed.

Plans are to upload some to Ravelry, some for free, some for sale.  Now, to sort out how to save the files in question to make everything kosher...

Completing the Color Shift

The Summer Shiver Shelter slinks along in my bag these days, having progressed leaps & bounds since last I posted.  From the meager inch or two past cast-on:

• the back has grown down to the armholes
• the fronts have been picked up & worked down
• fronts & back have been joined
• another 2 inches of below-armhole knitting has been done.

I'm not tired of seed stitch.  Yet.  I promise.  Once the bra-line level has been achieved, I'll sort out exactly what kind of stitch pattern I'll want below the (probable) eyelet band for ribbon-threading.  The likelihood of the original chevron pattern is minimal. 

Perhaps a series of doubling block sizes?  As seed stitch, the pattern is squares that are 1x1.  So maybe work a basket weave pattern below of 2x2, then 4x4, up to maybe 16x16?  It'd work well with minor tinkering of stitch numbers to get a 256(!) or 240...  Something to think about.

Anyway, coming from the first official try-on, the amount of ease is fairly good, as far as I can tell.  The armholes could stand to be 1.5 to 2 inches higher than they are, but that's not going to get fixed at this point.  Maybe it will, since the ends are already cut, so the fronts won't have the Potential Tangle Factor they did previously.

On the Shop Front, the owner asked that I sort out a felted bag using one or two skeins of Cascade 220.  She handed me a picture of something similar to what she wanted & off I went.  Mine has an optional squiggle-yarn addition, and some 2x2 basket weave blocks to lend a light amount of texture to the base & the top of the bag.

Knitting on mine has been completed, even a bit of picking & poking to get the squiggles to poke mostly to the outside.  Now, to felt at the nearest opportunity & take it back to the shop.

Also for the shop, I've been working on a summer scarf out of this season's Vogue Knitting: the Chevron Scarf (#24).  Worked in a variegated pastel of Araucania's Ruca, which is a DK weight yarn made out of sugar cane fiber.

The pattern has you knitting the scarf in long strips of chevrons of 300+ stitches on a row, so each row takes ages & ages to complete.  The satisfaction of completing one strip can't be adequately described... ^_^

Starting & Stopping

Note to self:
Get your hands on a scale before starting another Clapotis.

To the right there is how close to (and yet how far from) I came to being able to complete the Sunshine Shawl by eye-balling how much yarn I had left to complete.  ::sigh::

The plan for the next go:

• Weigh ball of yarn. (whole total)
• Knit until I get to the end of the beginning.
• Weigh ball of yarn. (whole total - end of beginning = that corner amount)
• Knit through the straight stretch, weighing ball of yarn as I go along.
• When weight of ball of yarn = that corner amount + 1 gram, start decreasing on both sides.

Idea being that in the end, I'll have one gram of yarn leftover for doodles after the fact or ass-covering in case my measurements are off.  Margins of error can be quite flexible.

Two skeins of Malabrigo sock yarn await this treatment for me, and I only have the single skeins, so there's no way to go back & buy another skein of yarn to complete like I did for the Sunshine Shawl above.  Because if I had two skeins of each, I'd want to make a two-skein Clapotis.

As it is, the Sunshine Yellow remainder sits balled, waiting for new instruction.  At this point, it may become flowers.  Or perhaps an infant wardrobe something.  No telling.  It lurks in quiet patience until called.

On the other side of the color wheel, a Summer Shiver Shelter begins in purple intensity.  I'm working the vest called Jane from Wendy Bernard's Custom Knits. 

After an hour or two of angsting over start-up, I went ahead & cast on.  "Why the angst?" you ask?  A number of reasons, involving gauge, yarn & fit.

For some reason, I can't seem to do projects in the recommended yarn, much less with the recommended gauge.  And just when I think I've got everything figured out, it turns out I've misjudged the fit.

Case in point: Prevailing Karma.  While I was able to manage the exact yarn recommended for that project (see the hot pink tank a few posts below), I didn't trust the recommended gauge.  Especially since the lighting in the book's photo showed a bit more see-through-edness than I liked.  So I went down a few needle sizes, measured my gauge, determined the size needed to fit my measurements, and started plugging along.  Only to find out three skeins in that I hadn't accounted for enough negative ease. -_-

Maybe it was because my math was off, but I don't think so.  That's actually a problem I've had with a few of the projects from this book: NEGATIVE EASE.  I make things to my measurements, when the author seems to think that everyone will work their project 2 or more sizes down from their measurements to get the fit shown in the book.  ::angst::  At least this time, she explained the inclusion of negative ease on the project. 

This time, instead of working the vest in the recommended worsted-weight wool on size 8 needles, I'm holding together two strands of laceweight over size 6 needles.  Which, depending on how the fabric is held comes out to either 26 stitches over 4 inches, or the recommended 18 stitches over 4 inches.  ::Angst::  At least this involves seed stitch instead of the ribbing involved in the Slinky Ribs debacle...

The yarns in question are JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk 2/18 (left skein) and laceweight Madelinetosh superwash wool in Wood Violet (right skein).  I'm working the largest size to get the smallest, which may end up either 3, 6 or 9 inches smaller than my measurements.  Which is OK? because it's supposed to hang open anyway?  ::ANGST::

Imma just go through & start working on it.  If it closes, it closes, if it doesn't, it doesn't.  But I'm not going to do the Chevron stitch.  Just so you know.  I'm going to try to sort out a good fractal square pattern bleeding out of the seed stitch.  We'll see.

Trying to stay on top of things...

Starting a Clapotis (from Knitty) for a friend as a gift.  Working it in sock weight yarn instead of the recommended worsted/aran weight: Lace Merino by Ella Rae in this intense shade of yellow gold. Working it on size 6 needles.

I didn't increase as many times as I was supposed to, so there's about 15 fewer on my needle than were called for.  I had already dropped 3 columns when I actually figured this out, so it'll remain that stitch count.

My guide for charting was found through Ravelry.  This link goes directly to the Excel file.  It's from the blog Some Bunny's Love.  Any fault was mine in keeping track of my own numbers. 

New pictures taken of the brown silk skirt, now that the elastic has been sewn in. Fits well.

I've started work on the top to go with it.  I started out with the same number of stitches cast on, with decreases in the purl sections loosely based on what was intended for the skirt.

Coming up to the waist of the top now & not sure I like it.  Correction.  I like it, it's just not what was in my head.  It doesn't fit as closely as the skirt.  The hem/bottom edge/tail will be rather low. 

Completed work on the Cabled Lab Vest of Perpetual Hibernation last Thursday, FTMFW.  It only took 18 months to complete, 15 months of which were straight up sitting-ignored-in-a-drawer time.  Two to knit, one to actually make & sew on the tabs under the buttons to minimize strain on individual strands of yarn when buttoned.

The recipient's dimensions have changed slightly in the interim, but not enough to make it unwearable.  Completion is just in time for use in the air conditioned halls of summer.  Also: one for one with instance of the Sweater Curse working for me.  It wasn't the knitting that did it, but this will definitely make me more wary about what to create for potential SOs.

Best part of completion? Now I can use the overages for myself without the risk of nagging guilt.  No idea what I'm going to do, as yet, but the prospect of now-guilt-free yarn on hand is wonderful.

Finally: the beginnings of the More Righteous Vine.  Complete with woody woolen vine & tinkered leaf patterns.  No ends woven in as yet, but the plan is to leaf up the entire thing in various sizes, thicknesses & greens.

Playing catch-up

Coachella from Knitty's Summer 2007 edition.
< -------------
Done in a coppery shade of NaturLin by Berroco.  Swatched until I got a gauge I liked, then sorted out the numbers I'd need to get the fit I wanted.

Ended up working the numbers for an XL to get the S needed.  Finished in January.

Three skeins of the dark amber shade left over.  Haven't decided what to do with them yet...




Then there was Karma from Wendy Bernard's Custom Knits.
                                ----------------- >
Done in Louet's Euroflax worsted.  I ended up knitting this top at least twice, due to the frogging on having realized that I had about 3 too many pattern repeats in the peplum.  Eh bien.  Definitely worth it in the end.

Decided to make the straps braided I-cord.  That was a good idea.  Finished in mid-February.

One skein of Berry Red left that has languished for a while...

Next came the silk skirt.  A magic math pattern sorted out on the fly, mostly based on what skirts I had done before & how I wanted this to be different.

Done in Mulberry by Louisa Harding with a twisted rib for the body & dropped stitch ladders going up the back of a short-rowed tail.


Fold-over casing for elastic waist band to keep it up.  Finished knitting in mid-March-ish, sewed elastic in about a month later.

Just started working on the top to go with it.  Going for a matched set, don't you know?


Also about this time, I was sent out with a handful of skeins of Sublime's Bamboo & Pearl DK yarn in a canary yellow to make an eyelet shrug called Mimi.  That yarn is worth punching someone over.  Seriously delightful stuff to flow through your fingers, and feels like a dream knit up.

And there was the Tantric Twist Top made of two skeins of Ella Rae Lace Merino (sock yarn).  Which works, but has no good pictures of it.  It works well as a vest & will work admirably as a close top as well, or at least will once I've got appropriate fasteners for the front & back.

Then for fun & stuff came a "summer scarf" called Laguna from Knitting in the Sun by Kristi Porter.

Quick knit, done holding two strands of Grace Silk & Wool by Louisa Harding.  I like the idea, but not the execution.

I tinkered with the pattern as I went along (as is my wont) and ended up developing rules for a More Righteous Vine.  Because this close-but-not-quite stuff doesn't really cut it for me.

Now working with that 100% linen skein of Berry Red worsted weight yarn from Louet.  Trying to sort out a drop-ladder 'kini/sunning top.  There'll be three or four knits of this puppy before it's all over.  Already done it twice... ^_^

And doing the Mulberry top to go with the skirt.

And a better-er vine scarf.

Hmm... the benefits of being slack: posting a season's worth of stuff in one go makes me feel so accomplished.  Eh bien.

Back in the Saddle Again

That's right, back from Scandinavia.  Two weeks spent with friends on the extreme southern edge of Scandinavia's official geographic boundary, namely the northern shore of Eckernförde, Germany.  The third week spent bombing around Denmark & Norway, riding the rails by myself & soaking up the cold weather.  And my camera got lost on New Year's Eve in Oslo.  ((ANGST))


But all is good.  The Felted Haversack never actually became a haversack, carried instead by the jumbo wooden knitting needles my mother gave me years ago.  


The unexpected shape given by variances in fair-isle carries worked well, and the firm, squoosh-able softness of the packed bag made for a great cushion, pillow, & seat.  


It handily carried a week's worth of winter's clothing, as well as several guidebooks and a few projects' worth of yarn to keep me occupied on the train rides.  An all-around WIN in the success department.

One project was started on the plane over to Hamburg and finished several days into my arrival.  My "Legendary Vest Enchanted with +15% Frost Resistance" functioned just as planned as well.  Knit with two skeins of Misti Alpaca Tonos Chunky held together with 3 skeins of Louisa Harding Mulberry, I achieved a valuable layer of warmth.

Nearing the end of the project, I realized that the Mulberry wouldn't quite go far enough, so the back shoulders have no silk in them.  From the armholes up to the back of the neck, it's just the chunky alpaca.



On the first wash, it shrunk a bit lengthwise, but not so much as to be unwearable.  I may be able to block it back into shape on the next washing...