Athena Dreams

The Sideways Spencer .:. Kind of a Cardigan

Well hello blog... how time does fly when life in undergoing some renovations. Tho I have been knitting all along, as you make have guessed, there hasn't been much showing and telling, and so without further adieu, I give you the Sideways Spencer.

Sideways Spencer

Interweave Knits Fall 2004

Yarn: Elann Peruvian Sierra Aran

Colour: Hyacinth

Designer: Annie Modesitt

Way back in January, I boldly announced that 2008 was to be the year of the Cardigan, and I think this could qualify as a cardigan, though, technically it is not full length, it still fulfills the requirements of: sleeves, button and a collar. An added bonus is that due to its lack of length, it knits up amazingly quickly, given that there is much use of a cable needle throughout the whole pattern.

I don't think I have ever used an Annie Modesitt pattern, and I am truly loving the writing and directions, it's a great all around piece of knitting [Does anyone out there have some favourite Annie Modesitt patterns? I'd like to try more of hers, so if you have recommendations, would love to hear them]. 

And now for some stitch details, isn't it beautiful!

A Few Things Here and There

How the time does fly when I have more work deadlines than I know what to do with. The knitting has been happening, but the photographing and writing have obviously not been happening, for what looks like close to a month now, so without further adieu...

Two more Koolhaas hats in Elann Superwash Chunky (on the road to getting some Christmas presents done sooo early). These were done in the Piquant Green paired with the Evergreen, and same Piquant Green with the Amaranth. I love this hat with a contrasting ribbing (as you can probably tell) and have had fun knitting these up.

And then onto greater and wrappier things: The Honeybee Stole from the lovely Anne, in Amethyst lace weight merino from the equally lovely Anne and her Wooly Wonka Fibers.

Now before I paste the photo in here, a little story that just popped up. I have been working on the stole for the last 3 or 4 nights and had looked at the image that came with the pattern a few times, and thought, hmmm, I don't seem to have the little "Bee" shapes happening in mine, and continued blithely on without listening for one second to THAT voice that I should learn to listen to a bit more, and a bit more closely.

When I took a photo a minute ago of what I had accomplished thus far, I then went back to the pattern on line to link to it for any of you who might want to try this at home, and in the full length photo of Anne wearing her gorgeous Beee stole, I realised, with some dismay, that I had started the whole dang thing on the second pattern repeat.

Yup, didn't listen to the voice... and am I ever sorry now... I have now spent the last 10 minutes looking at the pattern to see if there is anyway I can figure out how to knit the first pattern repeat "down" from where I am, without having it look upside down [delusional thoughts still prevailing] but knowing my limited math and engineering skills, that it could cause me more problems than it would solve. And now I am thinking that I will be starting again, ah well, another lesson and another note to self: Listen to the Voice!

At least I have that second pattern repeat down cold now...

Maybe I'll start another Koolhaas tonight, a blue and brown version.

[Later the same night . . . OK, I have read the whole, and I mean whole pattern and even e-mailed the designer herself, and all is well... how the hell did I miss the fact that the stole starts in the middle... apparently all my deadlines have made me feel tired-er than I thought]

A Little Just Because

The ubiquitous Koolhaas such a lovely knit she is. I really enjoyed the stitches and the rhythm of this hat. Knitted up in Jo Sharp Alpaca Silk Georgette, gauge for the alpaca silk is not the same as the pattern, so it made for a smaller, more delicate hat for a little 10 year old friend. How I love pink and grey together!

How a Lady Bug Can Teach a Lesson

Lady Bugs, as far as the eye can see . . . The body has been finished and I have spent much of the last week weaving in ends. I have to say it is not my strong suit, and neither is the colour changing and floating. I am a "thrower" as we are called, and a couple of times a year I try to knit the way my grandmother did with all that continental flair, but the klutz wins out and I end up pulling more stitches off the needle than actually knitting them.

Thanks to the diminutive size of this colour work sweater (it is a 1-1/2 year old size), I did not quite lose my mind, or my patience, but it nearly happened. All of this has made me re-think the joys of colour/stranded work. I know, I heard myself gasp as I typed this.

I have spent many an hour looking at the photos of all the phenomenally gorgeous colourwork sweaters over at Marina's cupboard, and have been so caught up in what the finished product looked like, that I guess I did not spend a great deal of time contemplating the actual work of a sweater like that. I have spent ages of time looking and re-looking through all my Norwegian knitting books, and again, made endless swatches, and have gotten no closer to actually casting on, until this little Lady Bug.

I have swatched ad nauseum, and made you all witnesses to my joy and euphoria about colour and the pairing of colours and the re-matching of colours, and talked of tones and depth of colour and all those things, and I believe I have come to understand that while I love colour with a deep and abiding passion, the actual knitting of multiple colours is just not my thing.

I could see creating a 2-colour knit, but the 3, 4, 5, and 6 and up colours, I think I just need to take a big deep breathe, make a good long and capital lettered Note to Self, maybe even take a step back and ponder. (I am remembering the sock yarn overpurchase after the thrill of the heel, and want to learn some lessons, rather than repeat mistakes.)

So this weekend is the steaming, and the "cutting" and the sewing together of the Lady Bug, and once finished will be studied and discussed, with me, myself and i. I keep reminding myself that we try things and learn whether we are suited for any of the things we try, or, sadly, if we are not. The verdict is not in, so to speak, but me thinks the writing is on the wall, or at best the colour is on the wall. More to come!

Stash Delusions: An Illustrated Confession

I have often read on other knitting blogs about the shame and the gluttony of the overstash, and truly never thought very much about it. Never thought it would apply to me, never thought it did apply to me.

This past two weeks however, have shown me a much different story. . . Our landlord has been fixing the ceilings in a few places that leaked this past winter, oh and the winter before (another longer more infuriating story, but onward) and one of the places is in the living room. I had to pack up and move all the loose bits and pieces, baskets and etc out of the area, so he could plaster and paint.

The baskets, how they have accumulated, the shelves, how they have filled, and this does not include the 2 uber-large tupperware containers that are packed full of sealed plastic bags, that sit on shelves in the storage loft.

I recently "stash-busted" (the word does make me giggle) a bunch of sock yarn and some other purchases made and never used through one of the wonderfully multi-dimensional and handy groups at Ravelry. I think I need to do a bit more. . .

All the sock yarn purchased after the first rush of joy upon finishing my first pair of socks. Yeah, well, I made 3 more pairs, started another 2 pairs (they still languish in one of those baskets, 1+ years after starting them). The Lesson: No over-purchasing during the early euphoria of learning something new. I think it was that contact high after turning my second heel successfully that led me down the path of over consuming sock yarn. The high died quickly, leaving not so much a headache, as a plethora of sock yarn; ne'er to be used, a small dent in the check book, and a husband's one-raised eyebrow, as he inquires if perhaps our abode is zoned for a commercial business.

And then there was my felting period. There was that one year where I made umpteen felted bags, and thought perhaps it would become my new calling. I think it was a brief calling. The calling was there, but paled in the face of Anne Hanson's lace, oh and the fingerless mitts (which I could use much of the sock yarn for, but I fear I could never make that many fingerless mitts, since Anne hasn't posted any new patterns for me to make 6X over, and truthfully, since this is my own brand of mania, I think I burned myself out on the mitts this past holiday season).

Bits and pieces, yarns to swatch, yarns to test, yarns to check out (this is just a very small glimpse into the swatch and test skeins, it's actually more frightening). What does one do with onesies of 4-5 skeins, in different colours, all purchased to swatch and knit little colour testing squares? I haven't a clue, but I can't bring myself to throw away the outcasts. Do you throw away your partially used one skeins? Seems somehow blasphemous. What do you all do with them?

I have thought about afghans, but all these odds and ends are different weights, different gauges, and very different fibres. Hmmm. Must be something to be done with all of this.

Ideas?

Ladybug, Ladybug

Isn't there a rhyme that starts with Ladybug, Ladybug? I thought that there was, but then that's as far as I got with it... so on to the topic: the Marihøne, or Ladybug sweater from Dale's Soft Treasures for Little Ones.

Sleeves are finished and now it's on to the body... this little lovely is for my niece who turns one in April - I can't remember the date, but as this is the first time having to remember her birthday, I'll get it straight after this year.

It's a sweet little pattern, and so perfect because her big brother has called her Ladybug since she was in her mum's tummy. I opted not to use the Baby Ull, the colours were a little too crayon-y and bright, and my sister in law is much more fond of earth-y colours, and so I chose RYC Cashsoft 4 ply. The gauge is not quite spot on, but the sweater will be a tiny bit big, which will just mean that it will still fit her next fall.

The RYC is beautiful, and I chose some similar/same colours as what I used for her Apple Tree Baby Blanket that was made from the RYC Cashsoft Aran. Funny how the colours do not carry through between all the different weights of the Cashsoft. I had wanted the Aubergine colour from her blanket, in the 4-ply, and it didn't exist, so we went for a more blue/purple.

Now, does anyone have good instructions for a pom-pom for the hat?

Tree Jacket

Now, not technically a cardigan, it is called a "jacket", though I have no idea why, since it's a pullover. I chalk that up to one of the mysteries of designing, and naming creations.

While waiting for wool to arrive that I had ordered for 2 of the cardigans on my list for 2008, I found the Classic AL from Elsebeth Lavold that I had ordered from Webs a month or so ago, when it was on sale (it's still on sale, and a few great colours are left). It is a beautiful dusky shade of violet, that she calls Desert Night. [I love a designer who takes the time to name her colours.] And it was the perfect gauge for the Tree Jacket pattern that I had just bought on line from Zephyr style. It was kismet, it was meant to be, that, and I had finished Morning Glory, and was awaiting the arrival of cardigan wool, and that meant the hands were empty.

This is my first time using the Classic AL, and it is really and truely lovely, running through my fingers and around the needles like soft and fuzzy ribbons. Soft and airy, and all around beautiful.

I am almost finished with the body, another 2 inches or so to go, and then come the sleeves. This is my first top down, one piece sweater, and it seems to be going pretty well so far. The directions are really clear and easy to follow, and I love their notes about the pros and cons of waist shaping and openwork stitches. Great pattern, it gets many stars.

The Meeting and the Glory

This weekend I introduced the two halves of Morning Glory. I finished the second half a few weeks ago, but since there has been no sun, I put off their first encounter so that it could be documented. It was tentative at first. They didn't recognize each other, they weren't sure, and, truth be told, they were shy.

Time, as they say, does a myriad of wonderful things, and once they had had a chance to really look at each other, and have a chat, there was some chemistry, some spark, some unnameable thing that they saw in each other, and recognized as familiar.

So now that the introductions have been made, and the two have begun the celebration of a life long partnership, let the kitchener-ing begin (could that word, kitchener, be any less lyrical?). I'm having some practice on some heavier yarn, just to get warmed up... now that the these two Glories have met and approve of each other, I really must join them in a beautiful and tidy way.

Blue Skies Indeed

7 days of sun after 22 straight days of rain . . . getting out in the sun was the highest thing on the list this week. But I came in for a break and found some different Blue Skys . . . kind of a pricey set of needles, so then the question becomes: is the needle tin (plus the needles of course) worth the cost . . . hmmm, to be pondered.

A Swatching Good Time

Many swatches have now been made for the Dale Cardigan, for which there is no name, other than #3 in Dale Book #138. I think I shall refer to it as the Dale Leafy Border Cardigan. There, now that makes me happier, there is something that feels sad to me about un-named objects, they somehow don't feel cared for enough.

So here's a little reminder photo of the cardigan.

Now, before I unveil the swatches, parenthetically I need to say that the light here has been grey, if not down right twilight at 2pm, for more than a week now. I got photos taken this afternoon, by taking them outside - the wind was cooperating today, and the rain was falling straight down, instead of at the 45 degree angle it has been falling at - so out to the porch with the big roof overhang we went.

Elann Peruvian Pure Alpaca Fina in Loganberry below, Deep Purple above with Cafe au Lait in pattern

Elann Peruvian Pure Alpaca Fina in Walnut below, Chestnut above, with Smoky Grape in pattern

Elann Peruvian Pure Alpaca Fina in Loganberry below, Chestnut above, with Smoky Grape in pattern

The Alpaca is truly lovely, but I am not getting gauge. It says it is 24 sts to 4" on #2 or #3 needles, but it's more like 28.5 sts on #3s, and to go up to a #4 will make the fabric too loose, and floppy. I tried knitting more tightly and then more loosely on a couple of different needle sizes, but I don't think I can make it happen. The fabric it creates is really best on a #2, and in that case I will be at about 30+ sts per 4" and given that I don't have the best math skills, and that seems quite a jump in gauge from the original pattern, I don't think I will try to do any conversions. I want a fabric that is going to drape and move, but this may be too light.

I want to save the swatches though and write down in my notebook, because I think the Alpaca would be lovely for something, just not this cardigan

So, I moved on to another yarn that was marked 6 sts per 1". Telemark. And some very different colours for me...

Knit Picks Telemark in Garnet Heather below, Flame Heather above and Brass Heather in pattern.

This swatch did not get blocked for it's photo op, so excuse the bumpiness... The gauge is spot on. The fabric is a bit more stiff than I'd like it - it's very tight - but the Tiur that the pattern calls for knits up much the same way. The Tiur I find a bit too scratchy, and I was surprised to find that the Telemark was much softer and still feels like a good solid wool.

So, there's my swatching story so far. I am not sure that I want to start test swatching a ton more yarns, but I will of course take suggestions if any of you have any... And, would love to hear sounds from you more experienced stranded knitters: should the fabric be on the more "stiff" side with not much drape or can I get a bit drapey?

It's back to the Morning Glory.... about 1 more pattern repeat and I am done with the second half!