SUMMER PULLOVER TIME!

Climbing Mountains Lace Pullover

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I started on a summer lace pullover. A few years earlier, I'd knit a lace cardigan with white cotton yarn. My mother liked it so much that I gave her mine and then knit another for me. The cotton yarn was a worsted weight, so a little bulky.

Then last summer I knit my first triangle shawl using Wolle's Color Changing Cotton yarn. Her four-stranded cotton yarn was light, like a fingering or sock yarn, and I started thinking that it would make an ideal summer lace sweater, something to toss on over a tank top. I emailed her to see if she had any single-color yarns and ended up purchasing skeins in the color granite.

Summer is here and so despite lots of project ideas as gifts for people, I decided to tackle a project for myself. I found a lace pattern, called mountain peaks from the knittingfool.com website. I also use this website for determining how many skeins are needed for a project. I made a slight variation to the pattern.

It seemed that a drop shoulder pattern with a boat neck would be the easiest (no worry over figuring out lace decreases).

And now both sweater and pattern are done. And this is the first pattern where I've included sizes. Here's the link for the PDF on Scribd and another on Ravelry.

Enjoy!

Reah Janise

KNIT IN PUBLIC DAY

Connie and Reah Janise knitting in public

Today was the start of the Worldwide Knit in Public week. Co-knitter Connie and I set up camp at the Solitude Wool stall at our local farmers market and then moved on to--how could we be so lucky?--a blues festival!

Solitude Wool is local and their wool is lovely. They carry yarns that felt excellently, so I bought some about a month ago and knit a felted bag, using their pattern. The handles for the bag are a specialty item sold only at Uniquities Yarn Shop in Vienna, Virginia. Although I had to wait a month for the handles, I am thrilled with the finished product.

Ta Da!

I brought it with me to show to Gretchen at Solitude Wool. It's inaugural public display, but I'm definitely going to be using this bag for a long time.

Thanks to Connie and Gretchen for snapping the photos.

cheers,

Reah Janise

STRING THEORY SHAWL

The last time I checked in, I'd just spent a lovely day dyeing yarn using Kool-Aid. At the time, I'd also just completed another crescent shawl (becoming a favorite shape of mine). The shawl was a another variation of the Annis shawl. I added three rows of additional lace to make it a deeper shawl.

String Theory Crescent Shawl

Two skeins of String Theory DK Viola were used. Because this is hand-dyed yarn, the skeins--from the same dye lot--have enough variation that you should not just go from one hank to another. So every other row, I switched from one ball to another. This made for a blended pattern.

 



Crescent Shawl

And now I have begun a summer lace cotton sweater. Last year I'd made my first triangle shawl from Wolle's Color Changing Cotton yarn. Her four-stranded cotton seemed like it would make an ideal summer lace sweater, one to toss on over a tank top. I bought skeins last year in the color granite and have finally gotten up the courage to start the project.

 

Here's a sample of the lace pattern, called mountains. What I like is that it combines purl stitches on the front, kind of in between "mountains." The sweater will have a boat-neck, so construction is relatively simple.

 

Cheers,

Reah Janise