Archive for ‘April, 2007’

Treeline Striped Sleeve

on April 5, 2007

The Treeline Striped Cardigan pattern calls for Manos del Uruguay and Rowan Kidsilk Haze held together, but since I had the Araucania Nature Wool already and a soft single isn’t that great of an idea for use in a sweater that I’m going to be wearing, rough beast that I am, the Nature Wool won out. A few skeins of Kidsilk Haze in Villain (eBayed) and I was in business.

treeline striped cardigan

This yarn combination adds up to much more than I ever imagined it would. The weight of the sturdy wool fabric can be felt hiding under this mist of slippery soft mohair and silk, but can’t quite be touched. I am IN LOVE. Last night, after I got the sleeve done up to about the elbow, I tried it on and petted it until Mr. HelloYarn had stared at me so long that I started to get embarrassed. This is, by far, the softest sweater I’ve ever knit. What a treat!

treeline striped cardigan

My bewbs are a bit bigger than the M/L could stretch to cover, and my gauge is 4.5 sts. per inch instead of 4, so there’s been a little bit of math, but things are progressing nicely. There will be waist shaping calculation, too, when I get there, but nothing complicated.

Too bad it’s bound to be warm out by the time I get this done, even if I crank it out in a week!

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The Walker Treasury Project

on April 4, 2007

Have you seen it? So cool! The deal is, it’s an attempt to illustrate Barbara Walker’s stitch pattern treasuries with full color photos in a searchable database. If you have the books and want a better view and maybe a little opinion on a certain stitch, you can look it up online. People have to knit all the swatches and take the photos, so if you think it sounds great, go join up!

I donated a swatch of Chain Link Cables from The Fourth Treasury of Knitting Patterns.

Left to Right: Left Wave Chain, Right Cross Chain, Left Cross Chain, Right Wave Chain
Yarn: Cascade 220
Wraps Per Inch: 14 wpi
Needles: Size 7 US (4.5 mm)
Gauge: 5.25 sts. per inch in stockinette
Pattern: 9 stitch cable crossed every 8th row
Stitch Count Repeat: Multiple of 9 stitches
Book: A Fourth Treasury of Knitting Patterns
Page:213
Difficult Techniques: Requires 2 cable needles.

It’s the one I used in Mr. HelloYarn’s gansey and my favorite cable EVER.

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Actual Spinning

on April 3, 2007

And my first Project Spectrum post all in one. I’d never looked at the rules before because I was sure there was much more to it, but nope. There is no pressure, and so far, I just let it guide me when I wasn’t sure what color to use for something. (Hot pink Cascade 220 swatch coming tomorrow!)

I’ve been dyeing just a bit extra of all the fibers I make for the shop lately. Usually, I dye an extra ounce per 8 oz., because the ends of the top get all crummy from swishing around in the water and I have to toss them. Lately I’ve just tacked on an extra ounce and now have 4 oz. bags of each dyelot set aside for myself. I mean, I’m doing all the labor, but somehow having all those pretty bags of fiber after a shop update feels like someone’s giving me presents. This is the first spun up, color selected by Project Spectrum:

4 oz./ 229 yards
worsted 2 ply
ratio: 1:10.5 spin and ply
spun from Cosmos Merino wool top

The Opinionated Knitter arrived in the post yesterday and I’m thinking a Baby Surprise Jacket from this and some of this and this spun in the same way. I don’t even know any babies, but whatever, that thing is so cute. This photo hardly shows the sweater at all, but seriously.

Also finished is poor poor Emily’s superwash Merino yarn.

superwash Merino wool
worsted weight 2 ply
10.4 oz./ 574 yards
ratio: 1:10.5 spin and ply
For Emily, the master of swaps. Emily sent me gorgeous tea/coffee bowls ages ago in exchange.

Thanks for the lovely comments on the pulse warmers. Don’t be afraid of the gauge! I knit one per evening and did the button bands/ finishing the third. It’s not too terrible- like knitting socks.

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