My Knitting Life

I really wasn't trying to be mysterious about what I am knitting with Noro Transitions - just forgot to mention it in my last post.  It's the simple cover design from the new Noro pattern book by Jane Ellison.

A few days before Christmas, a package arrived at the shop with two new colorways of transitions, and I was smitten by the pink and green shades in Color 6.  Impulsively, I bought enough for a sweater, knowing that I already owned this pattern book at home.

In less than a week, I have completed the front and back and most of a sleeve, and, while no one does color like Noro, I am having some trouble with the yarn.  I wound all 8 skeins, and each skein contained a knot, of which I spoke about in my last post.  Each knot had an abrupt change in color, which I was trying to be mindful of with my winding technique.

The problem is that there are many wide color bands in a skein, so that you have to knit almost the whole skein to get see the color progression.  On top of that,  it matters which direction you wound the skein in, of course.  But when they toss in a knot, the progression is lost from that point on for that skein.

How do I know all this?  From knitting almost the whole sweater and drawing these little wisdoms after the fact, of course!

I did read this review of the yarn before I began, and although there are some useful bits there, I think that you would not come to this conclusion by knitting swatches, as the reviewer did.  You really need to knit big sections over several skeins to see what is happening.  My winding technique actually just muddied the waters because the progression was lost after the knot.  Each of the 8 skeins, then, did not contain a complete sequence of color changes.

Or maybe, just maybe, the knot is a design feature, ensuring that you don't get to become a control freak about the color changes, forcing you instead to just sit back and let it happen as it may.....

I'm going to go make a cup of tea and think about it for a while.

What's going on here?  These are two skeins of Noro Transitions.  As I was winding them, I was mezmerized by the dramatic color changes whizzing by on the ball winder.  In both skeins, I came to a knot, and, as usual, I broke the yarn at the knot and started a new ball.  The pre-knot yarn ended at the outside of the first ball.  The new post-knot yarn begins the center of a new second ball.

I was concerned about the dramatic color changes in a ball and I didn't want to mess with the way it was meant to flow, so I loosely re-knotted the outside of the preknot ball to the inside of the post-knot ball, so that when I am knitting I can continue the flow of color as it was intended on that ball.  Are ya with me?

Here's how it looks knitted up.

Williamsro is cozy and warm!~details in yesterday's post~

Williamsro.  A quirky little pattern.

My notes:

1.  Yarn Quantity:  Pattern called for 550 grams of Cash Iroha and I used just under that - 520 grams.  But with Blossom, the pattern called for 200 grams, and I used a bit under 340 grams.  I happened to notice that some of my skeins of Blossom were 40 grams and some 50 grams...strange.

2.  There are some oddities in the pattern.  The left front has one more stitch than the right front - could there be a reason?  I went ahead with it, but the reason never became apparent.

3.  The sequence of assembly is off.  The pattern never mentions seaming the sleeves!  I would change the sequence as follows:  1.  Knit back, fronts, sleeves.  2.  Seam shoulders.  3.  Add contrast to sleeves.  4.  Add contrast to fronts.  5.  Set in sleeves.  6.  Sew side and sleeve seams.  7.  Add contrast to neckband.  8.  Add contrast to bottom.  (This makes sense because  you try it on and add the bottom contrast to the length you desire, and if you are running short on contrast color you might be able to make it a little shorter.)

4.  Bind off all contrast edges in purl - it lays flatter.

5.  Blossom does have a soft striping, and I wondered if I should have tried to sequence the two strands held together to allow the stripes to come out better.

6.  Next time I work with contrasting yarns, I would swatch both to see how the knitted fabrics work together, especially with Noro.  Holding two skeins next to each other does not really give you a good sense of how they look together knitted up.  I was worried about this combination, but in the end, I am happy with them together.

Williamsro ~ Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton Book Two, Size 40"

Both yarns held double strand throughout, Size 13 Bamboo

Noro Cash Iroha, 13 skeins, Color 1, Lot D1

Blossom,  8 skeins, Color 8, Lot BNovember 28~December 11, 2005

(ps - I ripped and fixed all the pick-ups and am much happier with the result best seen in the first small pop-up on the left).  The sweater fits perfectly - it is really thick and warm, more like a jacket.)

In one week, I have knitted back, fronts and mostly two sleeves for Williamsro!  It is eating up the Cash Iroha, 12 skeins so far.  I can't wait to pick up the contrast color.

When your knitting time is limited, go for something quick so that you can see the results of your effort, but in really special fibers or a really fun stitch, so that each knitting session is packed to the maximum with fibery sensory goodness.  I used to think that stockinette was best for little bits of time here and there, but now I like a project that has something going on to make these short bursts of time fun and interesting.

Feel the love!

Yummy squishy cables and a sweater back completed in a few days.   It's Noro Cash Iroha - 40% silk, 30% lamb's wool, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon held double strand on size 13 needles.  Who knew cables could be so silly and fun and quick! 

This is just the perfect level of challenge for me right now.  Is anyone feeling the weight of the holidays bearing down?  Everyone trying to cram in their holiday events in these few short weekends that remain before the breatk?  Thanks goodness for simple, quick knits to sooth my stressed out soul each night when I get home.  Have a great weekend - stay calm!

The last time I was in the shop, the owner and I got down on the floor and started playing match-up with all the beautiful colors of Noro Cash Iroha and Noro Blossom, the two yarns specified for Williamsro, from Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton's Noro Collection Book 2.

There were salmons and sage-y greens and browns and bright blues and purples, but something drew me to this warm winter white combination.  This is not my usual type of cable project.  I practically feel like I am working up a novelty scarf, using size 13 needles with the yarns held double strand!  But the silk, lamb's wool and cashmere blend is pure luxury, and, hey, I deserve a vacation from that vest that is just creeping along at a snails pace!

The color game felt so fun and creative - it got me excited about knitting this one up - in a way that I am squeezing in bits of knitting where ever I am throughout the day.  I am trying to ignore that little voice that whispers "you really should finish the vest, mittens, sweater that you have already started...

To Grandmother's house we go...

Let's hope the 3 hours in the car results in some knitting progress because very little is getting done around here these days.  May you squeeze in a little knitting time for yourself this long weekend.  Happy Thanksgiving!

I get all warm and fuzzy about blogging when I get a project going, and I find others out there making, or have made the same thing, in different yarn, and they share their progress or finished result, and it get's me all motivated to keep going on mine.  Case in point - Skye Tweed Vest...

My STV (future Christmas gift for my husband) is in Rowan Harris Aran, Celtic Mix.  A dark mix of green and black,  with flecks of blue, gold red.  Kerstin's, also for her husband, is in a soft warm shade of Lamb's Pride called Brown Heather - nice halo, that one!  I loved Liz's because she made it for herself.  It looks so soft and warm, knit in Knit Picks Andean Treasure Baby Alpaca in Granite.  How happy will Elliphantom's dad be when he gets his at Christmas, in a coppery shade of the all-time classic, Cascade 220?  I loved that she only used 3 1/2 skeins of this classic yarn to make this timeless gift.  I can see that the vests in the lighter, smoother yarns definitely show off the cables better than my tweedy version, but I like mine too - its got its own charm.

I remember when I started blogging, I would come across information like this be amazed at the connection we have based on an interest in the same project.  Most of us may have little else in common, but we have chosen to make the same vest at the same time for an important person in our life (even ourself!).  Something about that vest appealed to each of us, and we chose to customize it by choosing our own yarn, making it a gift that we think would best fit and please the recipient.  By sharing that process in the blog, our own knitting knowledge and creativity take off.  Ok, enough chatter, off to get some knitting done... 

 

Last year I made you NaCraga

It's not that I love you any less

But this year I'm kind of busy

Would you be happy with a vest?

On the left, NaCraga, last year's Christmas gift for my husband.  On the right, Skye Tweed Vest, by Kathy Zimmerman, pattern from Spring 2005 IK.  I started the vest yesterday, and as I was knitting, I thought it would be fun to compare it to last year's gift progress at this time.  When I went to pull up the old photo of NaCraga, imagine my surprise to see that it had been photographed on the exact same day one year ago, November 12, 2004!  That must be good luck, right?

A few months back, a friend and I had the same idea - to make this vest for our husbands.  We both chose Lamb's Pride in a warm brown heathery shade.  For some reason, I just never cast on.  When I saw this Harris DK in color "Celtic Mix", a lighter weight version of the Harris Aran I used for John's Guernsey, I thought it might inspire me to start the vest.

The yarn label gives it a gauge of 20-22 stitches to 4 inches on a size 6 needle, which does not sound like DK weight, but when I did the gauge for the vest, I had to go down to 3's to get the required 20 stitches to 4 inches.  I've knit enough of the body to know that it should fit just fine. 

And as I'm knitting along, I'm thinking, hmm, what should I do with all that lovely Lamb's Pride....