KNIT LOUNGE

Quickie

A few months ago I gave a dear little old lady friend of mine a pair of hand knit socks. The woman almost lost her mind with delight. She wears them every night when she goes to sleep.

I have to pry them out of her hands to give them a wash on a regular basis and this is a difficult task indeed because she is a typical feisty Italian woman. 

When she told me that she was going to take them to the hospital for minor surgery on Monday, I just about croaked in horror.

They are not as pretty as they used to be and I don't want her telling anyone that I made them given their current condition. After all I have a reputation as a professional knitter to protect. 

I anxiously tried to dissuade her to no avail.

In that moment I decided that I needed whip up a pair in a flash and swap the old for the new when I take her to the hospital on Monday morning.   

Desperate times called for desperate measures. My pride reputation was in jepardy so I crossed the line and broke my self imposed yarn code -  Life is too short to knit with crap, and purchased twitch, twitch, a single ball of cheap icky L.B. Wool-Ease, to solve the problem. No special care required. It was the best I could do considering the exceedingly limited resourses in Key West and they will look decent when done. Oh yes, I was a knitter on the edge.

I cast on Friday evening and finished the pair on Saturday night while watching Star Trek Voyager re-runs. (Stonewall is on a serious bender.)  I intentionally skipped the Library Knit Group on Saturday afternoon least someone discover my scandalous behavior. 

 

OMG, my 111th pair of socks is made of fake wool! I'll never live this down. 

I'm still twitching and Stonewall is becoming concerned.

Would someone please pass the cashmere?

Unexpected

So the big gray blob was finished on July 30th and it went straight to the blocking board after a long warm bath.

I was not convinced before the blocking process and now I'm sure. This is a major bust. It does not fit properly despite my best efforts and the only thing I like is the yarn. 

Thankfully, my Inner Knitter suggested that Patrica B. might be interested in purchasing the piece before I began to rip it.

She is dear friend who is four inches taller than I am and is lean and agile like a gazelle. Everything looks great on her.

 

So I called Patricia and arranged for a meeting. And as expected it looks beautiful on her. Today she is is the happy owner of South Pole and the proceeds paid for Georgie!  

How unexpected, but everyone wins! 

Magic Collar

Wanna see my new magic collar?

Mommy made it for me.  It repels ticks and mosquitoes. I only wear it when I go outside.

 
It smells like Citronella and Lemongrass extract.

Mommy used Comfy Cotton and knit an I-Cord 16 inches long with size 5 needles,  then tied a square knot. On Sundays, she refreshes the collar with 3 drops of each extract.  She keeps it in a plastic baggie when I don't need it.

It works and Daddy says it's much better than picking ticks!

P.S. Mommy says, if you can find Citronella Mist, soak the collar in the liquid for 20 minutes, then wring out the excess and pour the rest of it back in the bottle. Let the collar dry completely on wax paper, away from pets and kids. Store it in a plastic bag when not in use, away from pets and kids. Repeat the process as needed. Or you can just spray your hands lightly and rub it on your puppy before you go outside.  

P.P.S. Ellie says, don't let your puppy eat the collar. It could give them a bad tummy ache or worse.

Roots

After a string of eight sweaters I think I'm done with that process for a while. I simply can't face another one and I really want to loose those annoying twenty pounds which will change the way things fit in the fall. 

With that it's time to return to my lace knitting roots. I feel the need to knit gauzey pretty things that do not require any fitting what so ever. 

I'm in lust with Horai but K3TGs can be rather beastly to work so I selected 100 % Baby Alpaca Lace which has a good bit of elasticity for digging into stitches and size 10 needles for good measure. 

 

And I know this will shock you but I just happen to have two hanks in a deep rich red in my stash! Life is good.

Obscene

It's official! I have lost my mind. Would you like to know what I did?

I spent an obscene amount of money for one single knitting pattern! Want to see what pushed me over the edge?

Georgie, from Kim Hargreaves.

 

Are you in a state of shock? So am I. 

The collar makes this positively fabulous in my humble opinion.

Can you imagine it fastened with this silver shawl pin?

Yes, I know I can copy this pattern fairly easily, but not enough people in Ravelry left me helpful photographic clues on how to do reproduce the simplistic design.

It's the hood/collar that is causing me such frustration. I just don't know how to manage it so I had to make a choice. 

Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Half

Being absolutely disgusted with one knitting project means that one can redirect ones attention to another project.

Thus, I knit the first sleeve for Pole this weekend. The upper arm was a breeze with round after round of lovely stockinette stitch.

 

When I arrived at the cuff I found that the Tuck stitch did not go as fast as I like because it is terribly fiddly and slows me down.  

Basically what you do is pick up a pearl bump eight rows below the stitch, on the inside of the sleeve, then pick it up and knit it with the current stitch.  

Will I do ever knit this stitch pattern again? Probably not. Though I do like the effect.

With the sleeve installed I am exactly half way through Pole and things are looking pretty good.

 

I can only hope it looks as good on me as it does on Zoe!

 

Tricky Bits

Taking things from concept to reality can be a real trick. I had to knit the first neckline three times before I got the stitch placement and details right. Reproducing the second one was a breeze.

Then it took a long time to sew the shoulder seams properly. That was a total hassle to say the least. But I only had two little seams to sew and they are done!

 

After that I carefully picked up stitches on either side directly above the slipped stitches that will create a tidy demarcation line for the side panels.

 From here on out the rest of the cape will be knit in the round and I can live with that. 

 

And of course, these newly made side panels will increase as I knit towards the bottom edge. 

Whew! The tricky bits are done and things should be easy peasy to the end. 

Oh dear Lord, did I just jinx myself?! 

Anthropologie Knits

Year after year Anthropologie consistently designs fabulous knit wear at breathtaking prices. For example this $98.00 cotton ivory cape, with a pretty fluted edge. I need to add this to my wardrobe right away. Its a good thing that I'm a knitter.   

 

The shape is simple enough and I think I can reproduce it reasonably well. Though I would prefer to have a stockinette body instead of the texture.  For the past few days I've been sketching ideas and developing a contruction plan.

On Sunday I tossed my stash about and I think I found the right wool for the project. 

Years ago I scored 10 balls of Debbie Bliss Prima, a bamboo merino blend at half price and it's been marinating ever since. The color is magnolia and has a beautiful sheen.

I did take the time to read the reviews in Ravelry and was rather leery of using this lovely yarn. 

Quite a few people reported excessive amounts of knots which translates to more joins than normal. A hassle but not impossible to manage. Now that I'm aware of the issues I won't become frustrated should it occur.

I worked a few swatches and settled on a size 8 needle and the resulting fabric has a nice fluid drape.

All I need to do is crunch a few numbers and then the knitting begins in a few days. I'm so excited.

Busy Knitter

I could hardly wait to cast on and get going on my own South Pole last Wednesday evening. The pattern is dead simple if you know how to short row.

Then its been miles and miles of stockinette for my knitting enjoyment. At this time I've used three  and half balls of the yummy City Tweed DK, which I am throughly enjoying. To be on the safe side I purchased twelve. The milage is turning out to be pretty good. I can get three pattern repeats out of each 123 yd ball.

Should my math be correct six balls should take me around the entire body thus leaving five and half for the sleeves. I think I'm in pretty good shape and I'll have a few balls left over for cowl or a scarf. 

Naturally I made a few modifications primarily because I tossed the recommended gauge out the window since I choose to use a lighter weight wool. The needle I selected is an eight and I am getting four SPI.

For the back rectangle I choose to knit it fourteen inches wide, for me narrow is better. Though I did knit the proper armhole depth at nine inches.

 

As for the width of the circular strip I made it a touch wider so that it fits more like a jacket and the bottom edge lands in the most flattering place on my lower body. 

 

George gave it a once over with a healthy steaming to reassure me that I am on the right track. Fingers crossed.

Ta Da

Well I did it and I knit the sweater in six days. I would have been done a day sooner but I enjoyed a day off to visit with friends.  

I think my mentors Elizabeth Zimmerman and Barbara Walker would be delighted that I took matters into my own hands and applied thier invaluable lessons to own my handy-work when I copied a sweater from sight.

 

I suppose it is not terribly humble to say that I am proud of my accomplishment but I am and the fit is perfection.

I can not wait until the fall to wear it.

Pole

I have had great lust in my heart for this sweater from Joji Locatelli from the first time my little eyes spied it in Ravelry.

The style is trendy and yet classic, which can be dressed up with slacks or casual when paired with demin.

I especially like the curvy shape that is well suited for gals like me. 

Did you notice the details on the sleeves? I'm looking foward to knitting those.

Pole has a unique construction method which will keep my little mind stimulated while working miles of Stockinette stitch but not so complex that I can't read and knit simultaneously.

 

I selected City Tweed in Orca which is a gorgeous graphite gray tweed that should give the jacket a more interesting appearance.

 

I'm so in love with the richness of the color and the toffee colored flecks. It makes me swoon.

And the best part is that it will be warm and cozy for Richmond VA  in December.

Knit in Sleeves

Barbara Walker was the first knitter to document this stunningly simple method of knitting in a sleeve from the top down and I always use it.

It's definitely worth the time to learn. No lumps, bumps, or seaming and no complicated math.  The best part is that it fits every single time without fail. 

If you boiled down the technique you would see that it is very similar to turning a heel on  a sock or working creasant shaped shawl like Annis.  

I'm not going to write a tutorial but I will give you a brief pictorial.

Pick up the stitches around the armsyce.

  

Work back and forth from the center down to the underarm.

 
 Just keep knitting in the round decreasing as you go. 

 
Before you know it you have a perfect sleeve.

Take a closer look at the faux seam.

  

Is'nt that brilliant? 

Copy Cat

So I find this fabby sweater in Ravelry and the pattern is from 2003. 

 

The chances of locating the gem would be a hassle and not worth the effort when I could be knitting or reading or both this past weekend.

On Thursday I spent a bit of time studying the notes and pictures in Ravelry. I felt confident that I could recreate it without the pattern.

The original calls for each section to be knit independently and from the bottom up. Yuck.

Why do people continue write patterns this way? This is terrible for new knitters who have not developed the skills or patience for finishing work and advanced knitters don't want to be bothered with seaming. I would be the later. I have better things to do with my time.... I digress. 

A plan began to form in my wee little brain. 

I'm going to work it from the top down and use short row shaping to give the boat neck a graceful curve whilst giving my neck a little more comfort.  

 

As for the cables I don't care for the asymmetrical placement on the original. It would bother me to no end so mine are going to be symmetrical and retain the triangular shape.  

The back and lower body will be done in a 8x2 rib.

When all is said and done I'll only have two little seams to graft at the shoulders. That I can live with. And look, it's done already and took 10 minutes of time.

 

Once the front and back are done, I'll begin working in the round.

The sleeves will be "set in" similar to a short row heel and I'll carry on with the 8 x 2 rib. 

Well the plan seems to be working and the first sleeve cap is in. 

Blush

No, dear reader, this is not what you think it is but it does bear a strong resemblance to it's older sister Breakwater.

 

I became quite enamored with the Linen Stitch detail on the collar whilst working on my Crimson Breakwater. Then inspiration hit me upside the head. OUCH! It has no choice since I'm so thick headed that it has to take agressive measures to get my attention. I digress.

It would be just fabby to have another top with similar details in a material that is more appropriate for the near tropical weather conditions that I must endure during my incarceration in Key West.

I dipped into my extensive Comfy Cotton Stash and selected a sport weight in Flamingo pink.

As I began to knit the collar, ideas began to take shape in my head. Linen stitch for the collar, sleeve and bottom bands, and the rest in simple Stockinette. Short sleeves would be a must. The upper body would be fashioned with negative ease to create a more shapely silouette. 

 

Just past the bust line I would add a wide band in the Linen stitch pattern, giving the top an Empire waist. Then I'd finish by fashioning a flattering A line shape in Stockinette then add one last section of Linen Stitch before binding off.

I love it!!!!!  The fit is positively divine and it came together exactly as I envisioned it. 

 

Breakwater

Last September Judi came to Knit Group and asked me to teach her everything I knew about Knitting.  She has some crazy notion in her head that I am a Master Knitter and I can't convince her otherwise.   

 I laughed and with a warm smile told her I don't know that much but I'll do my best.

Anyway, I took a liking to her right away and hoped we would become good friends. We did and every Saturday afternoon we eat lunch together before we go to Knit Group at the Library. 

Her progress is coming along well and she has decided that it was time to learn the fine art of Sweater Knitting.

Breakwater is a simple top down Stockinette Raglan with beautifuly understated details at the neck, cuff and hem. Both of us admired the classic design and felt that this would be great starting point for Judi's new adventure in knitting.

 

I thought it would be fun if the both of us knit the same sweater concurrently which would permit me to teach at we progress.  

Typically I can knit a sweater in a week but this time I'm letting Judi set the pace. This weekend we separated the body from the sleeves.  

This will take a while to finish but I'm not in that much of a hurry since I'm using an Alpaca Silk blend. If I'm lucky I might be able to wear it once or twice in January.

Finito

Mother's Day weekend was prime knitting time for me.

Friday evening I casted on for Mondo and plowed through the half the body.

Saturday I finished the body added the back and then ripped the back.  A test fit revealed that the body needed to be longer.  So I added one more repeat and re-knit the back again.

Sunday I knit the first half of the front then grafted the seam. Did a test fit. The arm was too deep by one inch. Ripped back the front and back by one inch and re-grafted.  Second test fit was perfect.

Monday I had my fill of knitting scandalous and cleaned the house instead.

Tuesday I finished the front, sewed in tails and called it done. I love it. The cotton feels so good against my skin. Mission accomplished.

Now for the details. I converted it to a bottom up and choose to knit the body in one piece instead of two then omitted the ribbing at the bottom. Comfy cotton does not curl so I took advantage that fact. 

And there you have it. A charcoal top that fits me perfectly. Life is good.

 

 Zoe said the Mother of Pearl shield pendant is a great choice. I agree.  

 
Thanks Sydney!

Mondo

Ever since I discovered machine washable Comfy cotton from Knit Picks, I've been dreaming of knitting my entire summer wardrobe in it to sustain me for the ten long months of endless sweltering heat.

Lord knows I might melt into a puddle down here but I'm determined to look fabulous in the process. 

First up is Mondo from Chic Knits. I'm envisioning a dark charcoal gray color in a worsted weight similar to this.

 

Don't you think it will look fantastic paired with ice white linen trousers?

This will be a welcome visual relief to the vivid candy colors that are so prominent here.  

Should the yarn be in my post box today, you can be sure that I will working on it tonight.  

Fushia

A few weeks ago, a member of my Knit group was happily culling her yarn stash and I found myself with 3 hanks of Thick and Think Cotton, which is discontinued, in a fierce fushia color. I was madly in love and thought this would make a great tank top.  

 

 

I  modeled it after a commercialy knit tank top that I have and added a reversible feature. One side has a U shaped neck line and the other a V.  I can wear it with either neckline in the front. How cool is that?!!

 

Should I?

 
..... .Yes, I think I will. And you dear reader will be subjected to trival bits of Key West life with my knitting adventures on "The Rock" thrown in for good measure. By the way, "The Rock" is a  nickname that the locals have loving bestowed on this particular Key.  

 However, I  tend to think of Key West as Alcatraz with the crappiest K-Mart on the planet. Now don't get me wrong. I'm thankful to have one but the customer service leaves something to be desired. When the rare occasion comes around and I am forced to make a return to the customer service desk, I always bring my Kindle because its going to take forever. Anyone who lives here will confirm that. I can read three or four chapters before the hassle begins. Fun times. I digress.

Now, I suppose  a proper introduction of sorts is in order. In 2004 I taught myself to knit and found my niche. I became enthralled with sock knitting  ever since, learned that sweater knitting is not as bad as it used to be, and have became quite passionate about lace knitting. You should see my wardrobe and my stash.

Four years ago I lived in Arizona with my beloved husband, Mr. Stonewall Jackson and our only son, Tech Boy. One day we decided to pack up our stuff, sell the house  and return to his roots in Florida and we landed in Stuart for a while. After a year of looking for work as a Network Administrator,  Stonewall landed an excellent government job in Key West FL.  

At first the thought of moving to balmy Key West caused me great anxiety since I'm a perpetual knitter. So what on earth was I going to do in the Southernmost part of the United States. Well the answer came quickly enough, shawls keep your shoulders from developing frost bite from the non stop frigid Air Conditioning and cotton tops since finding small clothing sizes here is next to impossible. And on occasion I escape Alcatraz and fly home to Richmond in the winter months so I can enjoy wearing a newly made hand knit sweater and a pair of socks.

After living here for a few years I've been blessed to make a wack of great friends who knit. I supposed life down here is pretty good after all. 

So join me every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for endless idiotic dribble on the Southernmost Point in the good old USA.

In the meantime Knit on, dear friends, knit on!