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January 21, 2007
Nupps without tears, seams without fear
A productive week. First I finished off the Swallowtail Shawl for Mother's Xmas present. Thanks ever-so to reader Ruth, I was able to complete the last eight or so rows, and blocked on Wednesday. The blocking worked its usual miracle and, I must say, I think the finished object is stunning. I take no credit for it – the effect is down to Handmaiden's Seasilk yarn (colour 'Sangria'), and Evelyn Clark's beautiful design.
The 'jewel' at the point of the shawl is my biggest error: a rather sweet beaded stitchmarker, a memento of my absent-mindedness, knitted in to the shawl. My hands just did not want to take the wire cutters to it - so it can remain, until Mother finds it annoying and snips it out herself.
Earlier on in the progress of the shawl, when working the Lily-of-the-Valley chart, I was given cause to again acknowledge that I am not one to struggle to execute 'P5togs' and the like. Life is too short to walk, eyes open, into such a vale of tears. My method for working the nupps was as follows: K into front, back, front, back of stitch. Return all 4 sts to L needle. K 2 tog twice. Lift the first of these sts over the second and off R needle. Nupp complete. The attentive among you may note that this creates a four- rather than five-stitch nupp, but this is easy to work and not, I believe, to the detriment of the appearance.
Yesterday I girded my loins to tackle Dad's cardigan. Armed with your words of caution, wisdom gleaned from past experience, and expressions of concern, I swatched, readying to experiment with feed dogs, tension, and scissors. While knitting, a comment niggled the back of my mind. I looked long and hard at the offending seams. Jaws had said, "If it doesn't create too much bulk… you could also split the old seam open after you've put the new one in, and spread the excess away from the new seam, and do some sort of internal reinforcement."
The original seams were carefully opened, and re-mattress-stitched to the correct measurements. At that point I could have zig-zag stitched on the machine and cut away the excess - but it seemed quicker, easier, even neater to steam and press the new seam open, and catch the excess down against the inside of the body pieces with a few discrete stitches. Maybe it was the coward's route, but my first adventure in sewing and cutting fabric knit by my own fair hand awaits another day.
I am pleased with the result, and delighted to be rid at last of this albatross. I'm also very much looking forward to seeing dear Dad cuddled up inside it, in time for the cold snap predicted for this week. If I'm very kind, and his mood is very good, he may even deign to model it for a Fashionable Life photo shoot.
Posted by Anna at 09:01 PM | Comments (46)
January 10, 2007
You run to catch up to the sun
I'm afraid we'll all have to get used to scarcer postings around here for the time being. I'm in a veritable knitting frenzy, but it's mostly all shhh super-secret, projects which, though I hate it, must remain concealed. I hope you'll be patient and stick around for the eventual unveilings. I'll try and fit in blog-friendly projects in between times, to keep the beast fed.
Christmas is long enough passed that I can talk about it again (it feels like months ago already). I promised to show some of the gift knits, so here's the run down. Many are still unfinished. Sigh.
The youngest siblings got (from L to R) a stripy cashmerino scarf, and two berets. One is the tweed beret from winter 2006 IK, and the other is Kate Gilbert's from an earlier IK, which I made back in February. All were very well received - the only really difficult part was persuading the twins to stop fighting each other long enough to take their picture. Fourteen. It's a delightful age. And they're still fairly evenly matched in size and strength.
This lovely cardigan is the cover design from Debbie Bliss Simply Soft, and it knit up very quickly in DB Cashmerino Chunky. Not quickly enough to be finished in time for my sister's birthday on Christmas Eve, but enough to buy another bundle, in yellow, for a short swingy jacket with big black buttons.
My step-mother seemed pleased with her Flummery socks, and well, we all remember the saga of Dad's present, the cardigan, which I hope will be much improved with new side seams. Thank you so much for all your words of encouragement and advice - I'll be putting them to use this weekend.
This is a Shedir hat, for my step-father, in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted. He so loves the Here and There cable scarf I made for him last year, I thought something in the same yarn would be a good idea. Honestly, I doubt he will wear the hat as much as he does the scarf, because he already has a quite dashing sheepskin flighter-pilot-type hat, but being bald, there's always room for another layer when it's especially cold. This will be finished in time for his skiing trip this February.
My brother, being a cyclist, would make good use of a neck-warmer, I reasoned. Being a psychologist and a magician, he would appreciate the questionmark fairisle pattern I designed, specially for him. But in his typically frank manner he told me that the jacket he has keeps him quite warm and, questioned further admitted that he doubted he would use a neckwarmer. So of course I could not continue (luckily, I had knitted less than half an inch). It's troubling that I can't think of anything to make for him instead: I can't bring myself to make him socks when I know what a battering they would take.
Finally, the piece which is breaking my heart. In December, I went with Mum to Stash Yarns to pick out some sock yarn for her present. Connoisseur that she is, she immediately picked up a skein of Handmaiden Sea Silk in Sangria (hot orange red with shots of bright pink, coral, yellow), and asked so nicely if she could please have a small scarf made with this instead? The yardage was exactly right for the Swallowtail Shawl in IK Fall 2006 and I made great progress. By Christmas, I had completed all but the last edging chart.
Then, festivities packed up and over with, I picked up the shawl, ready to knit the last chart and cast off. Disaster. I have turned the house upside down and inside out and my copy of the magazine is not to be found. I must turn to you once again. [Thank you Ruth for coming to my assistance!]
Lastly, since I'm posting let me just show you this: it's le Slouch by Wendy. A quick fix of chic: less than an evening's work, less than a full ball of Rowan Scottish Tweed Aran. I was mildly disconcerted to notice that I was wearing the exact same style as an elderly lady cursing loudly to herself in the aisle of a nearby convenience store - but that didn't last long. After all, what is life without a little crazy. Mine has certainly not been without.
It's so difficult to take a photo of oneself in a hat, but really, I just love this one. I'm not usually a 'hat person', but I've been wearing this pretty much non-stop, and getting lots of compliments on it. "Nice hat, Anna". I'm thinking of making another one in blue.
Good knitting, until next time.
Posted by Anna at 01:53 PM | Comments (55)
January 01, 2007
Well. 2007 already
Well Christmas blew threw like a hurricane and was gone again. Months of preparation, and it's all over in a flash. I never even showed you my gift knitting - luckily, however, most of it is still unfinished so maybe I can give you a rundown on Wednesday.
I'd like to do a roundup of 2006's knitting too, but for now I need to ask your advice.
Months and months ago, back in April it must have been, I started this cardigan for Dad. I finished it, and tried it on him, and various adjustments needed to be made. It was too wide around the neck, too long in the sleeves. (Do not ask me why - I took meticulous measurements from a favourite cardigan). Much unpicking of ribbing, unzipping of seams, reknitting, ripping, re-reknitting, tears and tantrums later, and the cardigan was tried on for (I hope) the last time on Christmas day. The neck and sleeves all fit much better, but either Dad has shrunk around the middle or the jacket I took measurements has considerably less 'give' that this knitted one, and it is rather too voluminous. Also it needs two more buttons - but that I can manage.
Now my question is this: I lack the emotional strength to rip and reknit the whole body, for the sake of a couple of inches. If this were your predicament, would you machine sew the sideseams, with something resembling an overlocking stitch, and trim away the excess? This would be my first attempt at machine sewing something handknitted. Is this a recipe for disaster? Would a seasoned steeker attack the adjustment without so much as a second thought?
In case it is pertinent, the yarn is Rowan Yorkshire Tweed Aran.
All love and good wishes for 2007,
Anna
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Posted by Anna at 07:04 PM | Comments (48)