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The weekend is coming. I've got Flyingdales well underway. Flyingdales will be my third design by Lisa Lloyd and my third sweater in Blackwater Abbey Yarn.
I'm dreaming about what to do with 7 skeins of Harris Aran in cream. It's on the bulky side, at 16 stitches to 4 inches. I've swatched for Inishmore, Marilyn, among others, and was unable to get gauge. The tightest I could manage was 19 stitches on a size 4 needle. Any ideas?
Happy Weekend!
Last night in class, one of the students asked me how to know how to pick out a good level project for her skill level. Above all, I try to share my love of knitting with my students, and I have learned the importance of the right match of challenge and skill in a project. I have seen (and experienced first-hand) the frustration that comes with a project that is too difficult, and the boredom with ones that are too easy. So here's how I try to explain it to them...
Think of knitting projects as several different factors along an easy to difficult continuum:
Easy Difficult
<------------------------------------------------------------------------>
Stitchwork <Garter---------Stockinette--------Ribbing---------Cables-----------Lace>
Shaping <None (scarf/blanket)--Some(Sweater/Shawl/Hat)--Lots(Socks/Mittens)>
Technique <Flat----------------Circular--------------------DPNs-------------Combined>
So, take a look at the project that you want to start and see where it falls on the above continuum and ask yourself if it makes sense as a next step. I always have plenty of knitted samples with me, socks, hats, sweaters, lace, etc. and we play around looking at them in the above context.
I think of this approach as my interpretation of project ratings in magazines and pattern books and knitting books geared toward learning, such as The Knit Stitch. It's not really original, but works well in a class setting when you've got a mixed level of abilities and a whiteboard to play with. It's not meant to be an absolute definition, either - some people might find lace easier than cables - but it is a great place to start discussion.
So....
"John's Guernsey", as a project falls right about...
Stitchwork <Garter---------------HERE--------------------------------Lace>
Shaping <None----------------------HERE--------------------------Lots>
Technique <Flat----------------------------------------HERE---Combined>
Hope your current project is in just the right spot for learning and fun!
My sky comes with a boy on a swing. He was out there at 7 a.m.! Honestly, where do they get their energy? And some lovely handspun from June. Profits for Hurricane Relief, thanks June!
My LYS launced a simple Hurricaine Relief idea. The shop owner placed a big bin of Encore Chunky in the front of the store - help yourself to two balls and make a baby blanket for the babies and children in our adopted town. She wrote out a simple basketweave pattern - for a 2'x3' blanket, 60 stitches on size 10 needles. One blanket takes about 2-3 evenings - they are big enough to cover an infant, but also just the right size to comfort the bigger ones. Some of my students are making them and the basketweave has been great learning for them to recognize the knits and purls. My blanket, above, was adapted from an old Leisure Arts booklet, over 61 stitches.
Maddy is making this red one. She started with 4 stitches, K2, YO, knit to the end, repeat every row until you use one ball. Join the second ball, K1, K2TOG, YO, K2TOG, knit to the end, repeat every row. This is her first experience with increases and decreases. At the end of the first ball, she thought she could make it across, but she ran out. So, on her own, she knitted back - another first!
There are already about 10 blankets in the store - basketweave, garter with a crochet edge, log cabin, crochet lace, ripples, garter stripes and so on. It's all the best about knitting - creativity, learning, giving.
PS - Thanks to those who asked for details on the green sweater - I am very close to finishing and will post details in the next couple days...
I have taken many little side trips since starting this sweater. Gone way off the one-project wagon. But the time has come to get serious and close the deal here. Although the knitting has not been difficult with this sweater, I hesitate to recommend it for beginnners, because of the stash of needles you need. Some of those are short circulars which I substituted for DPNs, but still!
Still loving the yarn, and the charming simplicity of this design, and its seamlessness. Have a great week!
Looking out the window just now, this is what I see. Maddy, right, is having a chat on the front lawn with her friend, Kendall. Maddy really trusts Kendall. I wonder what they are talking about?
Oh, and something else about Kendall...she knits.
Have a great weekend!
After finishing Heirloom on Monday, I decided to whip this up. Kidding! The knitting was done by my LYS owner. Isn't it sweet? She finished it last January, and it sat in a bag, languishing in the back of her closet since then. As I was admiring the Jaeger pattern book (JB04), she told me about the sweater in need of finishing. We agreed that I would seam it up for her, and she would give me the pattern book. I think this is how people worked things out in "the olden days".
Finishing someone else's work felt like such a priviledge. Here was someone willing to hand over their hours of handiwork to me - this made me want to be meticulous with my seaming. At least at the outset. Once I start seaming, I just want it to be over, quite honestly.
It also gave me a "preview" of a sweater from that book and in that yarn. I liked the Merino DK, but I think the hearts and stitch detail would have looked crisper in cotton as it is shown on the cover of the book. I would love to try any sweater in the book. My baby knitting, however, has gotten a bit out of hand of late. Of the 4 baby items I have finished recently, only one had an intended recipient.
Heirloom was a joy to knit! I worked the whole sweater on one 32" Addi, all cuffs and neckband were 10 rows. I counted the X's and O's in the pattern photo, worked that many, and was pleased to get the exact pattern measurement for length. The middle photo shows the sweater with a notebook for scale.
Lisa thought of so many clever details in this design. For example, when you work the hat, the pattern says to decrease 8 stitches evenly around - just the number of the cables, so you can decrease in each cable and not have to figure out the number of stitches in between the decreases. All cables were a variation of the C4F or C4B - it's hard to explain, but you could always tell which row you were on by what was happening with the braided cable. And there are the lovely details like the saddle shoulders and crochet button loops.
I must admit I am tempted to put this away for a grandchild who may come in well over a decade! I decided that would be bad luck, so it will be gifted later this week to the friend it was intended for, and her new baby, Michael William.
This: Hurricane Relief
My town has adopted a town devasted by Katrina! Pass Christian, Mississippi, a small town on the Gulf Coast took Katrina head on. Donations of new clothes, cleaning supplies, personal care items can be donated at the town gym - the first truck leaves this morning! Here are some neat Relief ideas that we are doing locally that you might want to adopt on your own:
That: Grist
If you are still interested in this topic, do read Sylvia's comment to my post yesterday. Similarly, I received another account of an item knitted up twice in two wool yarns, Lambs Pride Bulky and Lopi. Same needle was used, same gauge achieved. The LP is much denser and required more yarn!
Although I don't spin, I can see that my knitting knowledge would be so enriched by what I would learn if I did. I'm so happy this discussion took place this past week. Gave me something to muse over all week as I went about my activities. Grist and the Hurricane. Have a peaceful, safe weekend, all!
