LONG TIME

Back of Ready for Adventure

Whew! It's been a long time since my last post. The problem hasn't been for lack of knitting projects, but for lack of time. I also had wanted to be able to post at least one completed pattern.

First, I finished this baby sweater set for a one-year old. I'm getting close to completing the pattern, but ... well, it does take time.

Ready for Adventure
 

As you can see, each piece is different. The back is blocks of color. The front are two colors, and the sleeves are stripes and blocks. The body is about 23 inches around and 11 1/4 inches long. The sleeves are 7 inches long (to the underarm) and the wrist is 4 inches around. I used three balls of Classic Yarns Cashsoft 4-ply, 50 grams, 197 yards each: one of each color. and used size 3 needles. Gauge is 18 stitches for 3 inches and 17 rows for 2 inches. The front is angled past the middle where a big button goes and then almost straight to the neck edge. The edging is a simple seed stitch over 3 stitches.

I've also begun a sweater for my dear husband. I was thrilled to get Interweave's special "The Unofficial Harry Potter Knits" edition and poured through it for patterns. They are so lovely and I really wanted to knit the Sorcerer's Sweater for him, but I had already purchased yarn and it was a worsted, which would not work. So I went to work looking for a cable pattern that might be as magical. I found one in Continuous Cables. Unfortunately Melissa Leapman did not give it a name, but Hadan thought it looked like an atom. And since he's a chemistry teacher, that seemed perfect. I made a couple of modifications on the outer edge and bottom edge. 

I completed the front and back recently, but have not yet blocked it. The side is done using a wrapped stitch, and I have a twisted stitch as the border, and there are three six-stitch cables running up the middle to the atom. I'm using size 7 needles for the ribbing and size 8 for the body.

The yarn is Knit Picks Full Circle, a worsted weight, made with recycled fibers, 220 yards per skein. Color is Blue Moon.

The back is knit without the atom. I've started the sleeves, which will continue with the wrapped stitch on the sides, but just one cable running up the side, with the twisted stitch running alongside the edge.

My goal is to finish the sweater by this weekend. 

Let the knitting commence!

Reah Janise

 

MULTI FUN SOCKS

So here's the deal. After knitting socks for the last, hmm, dozen years, I have lots of small balls of leftover sock yarn. Some are enough to make one sock, but definitely not another two.

So when I finished the last shawl and while I was working out the pattern for the next thing--a baby sweater--I picked up three leftovers, two multi-color and one simply red. and started a pair of socks. To let the color be the pattern, I stayed with a simple rib stitch.

And here they are!

Having fun,

Reah Janise

SHAWL TIME

Last year I started knitting triangular shawlettes and absolutely adored working them. Then I came across a crescent shawl, where you start on the longest outside edge row and work your way smaller. I keep doing modifications to the original design (Annis shawl), and just this week completed another shawl that simply thrilled me.

Because of the way lace works up, you almost have to go on faith as to how the finished piece will look. I'd used a white sock yarn with  size 5 needles. I've seen some patterns using beads. Since I've never used beads before, it seemed like a good time to try, so I worked a sample to see how it would work. I got 36 crystal beads and used 30 of them.

By the way, when working with beads you have to string them on your skein before beginning a piece. This can make it a bit awkward because you are always having to shift them down the yarn until you are ready to place them.

I'd decided on replacing the stockinette portion of the Annis shawl with a trellis lace pattern (6 stitch pattern over 4 rows). I thought it would be open enough and also allow for relatively easy decreasing. The decreases were sometimes a bit tricky, and because of it I am not putting up the pattern.

Rather than nupps, which are worked over two rows, I experimented with bobbles.

The other change I made was to use a picot bind off. Cast on two stitches onto the left hand needle. Bind off four stitches. Place the remaining stitch onto the left needle. Repeat. This bind off takes time, but is well worth the lovely edging.

cheers,

Reah Janise

NORO SOCK HUGS

OK, so two of my knitting friends LOVE Noro yarns. I've watched them knitting scarves and bags and just having a delightful time with this kicky yarn.

Well, recently a friend was diagnosed with a difficult illness. I wanted to do something to let her know that I cared--something more than flowers or a card. Since she lives across the country, I wanted it to be something lasting that would remind her she was loved.
So when I was picking up an order from Knit + Stitch = Bliss in Bethesda, I bought a skein of Noro Taiyo sock yarn. This friend loves fun socks and few yarns are as fun as Noro. One reason is that each sock comes out different because that's just how the yarn colors come through.

I used an overall cable pattern, interlacing the cables--like little hugs. Will post the pattern shortly.

XO,
Reah Janise

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