It is rather monotonous work, though, so I add a few rows to Alice Starmore's Henry VIII for variation now and then. I love everything about this design!
Showing posts with label shawl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shawl. Show all posts
Tuesday, 3 September 2013
Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble...
Actually, I like the bubbly effect, so I'll try not to block it too hard once it's finished. (Unless I change my mind, that is.) Two thirds done!
It is rather monotonous work, though, so I add a few rows to Alice Starmore's Henry VIII for variation now and then. I love everything about this design!
It is rather monotonous work, though, so I add a few rows to Alice Starmore's Henry VIII for variation now and then. I love everything about this design!
Sunday, 1 September 2013
Brioche shawl: casting off
One third done - and then all the loose ends to take care of... Still, it's worth the trouble to make it look the way I have in mind. Hopefully, there is enough yarn left, but I think so!
Friday, 16 August 2013
Learning new tricks
At a knitting event a couple of weeks ago I was inspired to develop my brioche knitting skills. As I only knew the very basics of the technique, there was (and still is) a lot of room for improvement - and I had no idea what possibilities there are!
A workshop leader myself I couldn't participate in any classes, but when Nancy Marchant talked about brioche knitting and showed examples of what you can make with the technique I knew I had to try it. I’ve ordered her book Knitting Brioche, and while waiting for it to arrive I have taken her class at Craftsy. Highly recommended!
The shawl I’m making with two colours is based on a rectangular scarf pattern that is included in the Craftsy class. (Ravelry link here.) It is a fascinating technique in many ways, like the way you create patterns using increases and decreases.
When I knit lace shawls I like thinking of bricks of various shapes that build a shawl, and realized I could think in a similar way with these ”leaf bricks” constructing the shawl shape by adding leaves.
När jag var kursledare på Stickstämma 2013 i Jämtland för ett par veckor sedan kunde jag ju inte gå några kurser själv, men i programmet fanns fyra föredrag som alla kunde lyssna på. Bland annat pratade Nancy Marchant om patentstickning, och det var mycket inspirerande att se vad det går att göra med den tekniken! Jag lärde mig grunderna av farmor, men nu fick jag se många exempel på hur man kan arbeta med färger och skapa mönster med hjälp av ökningar och minskningar.
I väntan på hennes bok Knitting Brioche har jag lärt mig massor av Nancys nätbaserade kurs på Craftsy och börjat leka med en sjal. Bladet är från ett mönster som ingår i kursen, men jag ville se om jag kunde använda formen på ett annat sätt än i en halsduk. Det är roligt att passa ihop mönsterform och sjalform!
A workshop leader myself I couldn't participate in any classes, but when Nancy Marchant talked about brioche knitting and showed examples of what you can make with the technique I knew I had to try it. I’ve ordered her book Knitting Brioche, and while waiting for it to arrive I have taken her class at Craftsy. Highly recommended!
The shawl I’m making with two colours is based on a rectangular scarf pattern that is included in the Craftsy class. (Ravelry link here.) It is a fascinating technique in many ways, like the way you create patterns using increases and decreases.
When I knit lace shawls I like thinking of bricks of various shapes that build a shawl, and realized I could think in a similar way with these ”leaf bricks” constructing the shawl shape by adding leaves.
 |
| brioche shawl: wrong side |
I väntan på hennes bok Knitting Brioche har jag lärt mig massor av Nancys nätbaserade kurs på Craftsy och börjat leka med en sjal. Bladet är från ett mönster som ingår i kursen, men jag ville se om jag kunde använda formen på ett annat sätt än i en halsduk. Det är roligt att passa ihop mönsterform och sjalform!
Sunday, 30 September 2012
"Aberlady" sweater finished
About a week ago I finished my "Aberlady" sweater, but it took days (literally) for it to dry. This is one of my all-time favourite patterns, by my favourite designer Alice Starmore. A Flickr friend of mine suggested I rename this project "Aberlord" :-)
The photo above shows the pattern, but the photo below shows the colour of the yarn better, a light blueish grey of Rowan Creative Linen ("Foggy" 624). And in case you're wondering, yes, those are my lips. Kiss, kiss, dear readers!
I'm making "Water Lily" shawl progress. The photo in my previous post gives a better idea of the pattern, but in this one it is easier to see the shape I have in mind.
Check out Ylva's glorious cuffs! Twined knitting, magnificently decorated.
Nu har "Aberlady" äntligen torkat - det tog flera dagar, men det var det värt att vänta på. Jag tycker att garnet (Rowan creative linen) är som gjort för den här sortens mönster, hälften lin och hälften bomull. Den är lite svår att fotografera, bara: i den övre bilden ser man mönstret men den undre gör färgen mer rättvisa. Och ja, det är jag som är i den om ni undrar - puss på er!
Sjalen jag håller på med är ett nöje att sticka! Den kommer att bli v-formad, och så tänker jag mig någon typ av kant runt den.
The photo above shows the pattern, but the photo below shows the colour of the yarn better, a light blueish grey of Rowan Creative Linen ("Foggy" 624). And in case you're wondering, yes, those are my lips. Kiss, kiss, dear readers!
I'm making "Water Lily" shawl progress. The photo in my previous post gives a better idea of the pattern, but in this one it is easier to see the shape I have in mind.
.jpg) |
| "Water Lily" shawl |
Check out Ylva's glorious cuffs! Twined knitting, magnificently decorated.
Nu har "Aberlady" äntligen torkat - det tog flera dagar, men det var det värt att vänta på. Jag tycker att garnet (Rowan creative linen) är som gjort för den här sortens mönster, hälften lin och hälften bomull. Den är lite svår att fotografera, bara: i den övre bilden ser man mönstret men den undre gör färgen mer rättvisa. Och ja, det är jag som är i den om ni undrar - puss på er!
Sjalen jag håller på med är ett nöje att sticka! Den kommer att bli v-formad, och så tänker jag mig någon typ av kant runt den.
Saturday, 29 September 2012
Wedding shawl
Here is a colleague of mine on her wedding day a couple of weeks ago (haven't found any matching wallpaper of curtains for her to pose next to) in the shawl I was honoured to make for her. The shawl is greener in reality, which you can see in this post.
I've started knitting a pattern from a book I bought some time ago, "Water Lily" from The Haapsalu Shawl by Reimann & Edasi. This is a pattern that actually doesn't have any nupps in it - but I like it anyway ;-)
In the book it is used in a rectangular design, but I thought it would work well in a triangular shape. This shawl will be V-shaped, though: I've divided the triangle in halves and am knitting the first half in a way to make it slant outwards from the middle. It will be similar to this shawl, which I made a couple of years ago.
I've started knitting a pattern from a book I bought some time ago, "Water Lily" from The Haapsalu Shawl by Reimann & Edasi. This is a pattern that actually doesn't have any nupps in it - but I like it anyway ;-)
 |
| "Water Lily" shawl in progress |
In the book it is used in a rectangular design, but I thought it would work well in a triangular shape. This shawl will be V-shaped, though: I've divided the triangle in halves and am knitting the first half in a way to make it slant outwards from the middle. It will be similar to this shawl, which I made a couple of years ago.
Friday, 25 May 2012
Off the hook
When I knitted the "Haruni" shawl recently I skipped the crocheted bind-off, but for this shawl ("Springtime" design by Marianne Kinzel) I kept it. I think it's a nice finishing touch, sort of turning the leaves into more flowerlike shapes. There seemed to be enough yarn left to add similar (but smaller) chains along the top edge to, and fortunately there was: when I had finished there was 5½ metre (6 yards) left. Three balls of Rowan kidsilk haze makes it weigh 75 grams.
A major advantage with all those crocheted chains is that it makes blocking a lot easier. As this shawls consists of three triangles I folded it in three to make the sections identical.
Regarding the sweater I wrote about in my previous post: Dan suggested a few rows of the darkest shade first and then a sleeve cap. I thought about that too, but there would be a disadvantage: the short-row wraps in the other shades would show rather clearly against the dark. (They don't show much wrapped around the stitches picked up around the armhole, but sort of get buried.) I appreciate your suggestion, though! :)
Till den här sjalen valde jag att behålla originalets virkade avmaskning: jag tycker att det är ett elegant sätt att förvandla bladen till mer blomlika former. Det var tillräckligt med garn kvar för att göra en liknande avslutning längs den övre kanten, men det var lite nervöst när jag hade kommit halvvägs. Det gick i alla fall vägen, och det med 5½ meters garnmarginal! Det gick åt tre nystan Rowan kidsilk haze, så den väger 75 gram.
En fördel med den här avslutningen är att det är lättare att sträcka sjalen när det finns en massa små öglor till nålarna, tycker jag. Eftersom den här sjalen består av tre trianglar vek jag den tredubbel för att få delarna identiska.
A major advantage with all those crocheted chains is that it makes blocking a lot easier. As this shawls consists of three triangles I folded it in three to make the sections identical.
Regarding the sweater I wrote about in my previous post: Dan suggested a few rows of the darkest shade first and then a sleeve cap. I thought about that too, but there would be a disadvantage: the short-row wraps in the other shades would show rather clearly against the dark. (They don't show much wrapped around the stitches picked up around the armhole, but sort of get buried.) I appreciate your suggestion, though! :)
Till den här sjalen valde jag att behålla originalets virkade avmaskning: jag tycker att det är ett elegant sätt att förvandla bladen till mer blomlika former. Det var tillräckligt med garn kvar för att göra en liknande avslutning längs den övre kanten, men det var lite nervöst när jag hade kommit halvvägs. Det gick i alla fall vägen, och det med 5½ meters garnmarginal! Det gick åt tre nystan Rowan kidsilk haze, så den väger 75 gram.
En fördel med den här avslutningen är att det är lättare att sträcka sjalen när det finns en massa små öglor till nålarna, tycker jag. Eftersom den här sjalen består av tre trianglar vek jag den tredubbel för att få delarna identiska.
 |
| how to use an umbrella |
Thursday, 17 May 2012
"If there is a Cinderella looking for a steady fella..."
 |
| "Springtime" shawl 2010 |
I'm knitting the "Springtime" pattern from First Book of Modern Lace Knitting by Marianne Kinzel; I made it a couple of years ago and like then I will knit a shawl consisting of three triangles instead of the original square shape.
It's a pattern I enjoy knitting a lot, but something that makes it a bit tricky is the fact that the chart symbols differ from what I'm used to. For example, a blank square doesn't mean "knit stitch" but "no stitch".
Ron asked what bind-off method I chose for the shawl I just finished and wrote about in my previous post. First, I added an extra row on the right side to close the tips of the leaves (with a centred double decrease: slip two stitches together as if to knit, knit one, pass slipped stitches over) and then I did an ordinary bind-off with knit stitches on the wrong side but very loosely.
Buck Strong asked who it was for. Actually, that shawl found a new home at another colleague's! Who knows, some day I might try to gather the colleagues I've knitted thing for to have them perform some kind of knit walk :)
För ett par år sedan stickade jag en sjal efter mönstret "Springtime" av Marianne Kinzel. Det är egentligen en kvadratisk duk som består av fyra trianglar, så jag tog bort en triangel och stickade den fram och tillbaka i stället för runt. Det är ett roligt mönster, men lite svårt i och med att symbolerna inte är riktigt samma som jag är van vid. För att bara nämna en sak, så betyder inte en tom ruta "rät maska" utan "ingen maska".
Nu ska jag sticka om den i Rowan kidsilk haze till en kollega som gifter sig i höst och frågade om jag kunde sticka en sjal till bröllopet. Det var lätt att tacka ja till ett så hedrande uppdrag! (Hoppas att de har lika lätt att säga ja framför altaret, men det får man väl utgå från.) Jag fick låna en sko att ta med till garnaffären för att hitta en liknande färg, vilket var ett nytt och roligt inslag i stickprocessen!
Jag fick en fråga om hur jag avslutade sjalen jag skrev om i mitt förra inlägg (och som har fått ett hem hos en annan kollega - snart har jag stickat åt tillräckligt många för en catwalk). Först lade jag till ett extra varv på rätsidan för att sluta löven, detta med en dubbel hoptagning där man lyfter av två maskor tillsammans som för att sticka rätt, stickar nästa och sedan drar de lyfta maskorna över den. På så vis hamnar mittmaskan överst. Sedan gjorde jag en vanlig fast extra lös överdragsavmaskning med räta maskor på avigsidan.
Monday, 14 May 2012
"Haruni" shawl finished
This design by Emily Ross is really great, I think! The shape and patterns enhance each other, and the two patterns blend beautifully. It's fun to knit too, easy to learn, but with enough variation to keep it from getting monotonous.
I used about 2½ balls of Rowan kidsilk haze, which makes it weigh only some 60 grams even though it's about 150 cm wide and 60 cm deep.
 |
| blocking |
Christine: I agree, you couldn't get a yarn more opposite! Actually, my hands were rather sore after knitting a sweater and a cardigan with Harris wool, especially since I had a deadline and spent most of last weekend knitting with it. Well worth it, though. (And maybe the shawl can be used as a beard too!)
Som avslutning bestämde jag mig för en enkel men väldigt lös avmaskning i stället för den (fina, ska jag tillägga) virkade kanten. Delvis av lättja, men mest för att framhäva formen på kanten.
När jag sträckte sjalen vek jag den först på mitten för att få de två halvorna identiska i form och storlek, och sedan fuktade jag och sträckte om mitten för att bli av med "pressvecket".
Det är ett mönster jag rekommenderar varmt, inte särskilt svårt och med lagom variation. Mönstren och formen går så fint ihop också. Det gick åt ungefär 2½ nystan Rowan kidsilk haze, så den väger inte mer än ca 60 gram, trots att den är nästan 150 cm vid och drygt 60 cm djup.
Saturday, 12 May 2012
Goldilocks
In my previous post I mentioned I was knitting a sweater and a cardigan for a designer student and couldn't post photos of them.
They're finished, blocked, sent and accepted - but I can't publish photos of them for another few weeks. In short, both are fairly chunky, fisherman-style knitted with beautiful 4-ply wool from Harris.
Craving something light and airy I celebrated finishing them by casting on to make something completely different: reknitting "Haruni" by Emily Ross (Ravelry link). A couple of years ago I knitted it using Viva, a wool-silk blend; this time Rowan kidsilk haze, a mohair-silk blend.
Yesterday a colleague thought for a moment I was clutching a wig! :-)
Minor modifications (like last time):
Mina två beställningsarbeten som jag nämnde i förra inlägget är klara, ivägskickade och godkända - men jag kan inte publicera bilder på dem ännu.
Efter att ha stickat en tröja och en kofta i tjockt och ganska strävt (men mycket vackert) garn behövde jag något lätt, skirt och fluffigt som motvikt. Tre nystan Rowan kidsilk haze blev det, och jag håller på och stickar mönstret "Haruni" av Emily Ross för andra gången. Gårdagens höjdpunkt var en kollega som avslöjade att hon ett ögonblick tyckte att det såg ut som om jag satt och höll i en peruk!
They're finished, blocked, sent and accepted - but I can't publish photos of them for another few weeks. In short, both are fairly chunky, fisherman-style knitted with beautiful 4-ply wool from Harris.
Craving something light and airy I celebrated finishing them by casting on to make something completely different: reknitting "Haruni" by Emily Ross (Ravelry link). A couple of years ago I knitted it using Viva, a wool-silk blend; this time Rowan kidsilk haze, a mohair-silk blend.
Yesterday a colleague thought for a moment I was clutching a wig! :-)
Minor modifications (like last time):
- rows beginning and ending with stocking stitch (not garter stitch)
- stem in the middle three stitches wide (instead of one)
Mina två beställningsarbeten som jag nämnde i förra inlägget är klara, ivägskickade och godkända - men jag kan inte publicera bilder på dem ännu.
Efter att ha stickat en tröja och en kofta i tjockt och ganska strävt (men mycket vackert) garn behövde jag något lätt, skirt och fluffigt som motvikt. Tre nystan Rowan kidsilk haze blev det, och jag håller på och stickar mönstret "Haruni" av Emily Ross för andra gången. Gårdagens höjdpunkt var en kollega som avslöjade att hon ett ögonblick tyckte att det såg ut som om jag satt och höll i en peruk!
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Same but different
Recently I've been experimenting with shawl shapes. Going through my stash I found - among other things - three 50 gr balls of Rowan Scottish Tweed DK in different colours that I bought on a sale when the yarn was discontinued.
I've used it to test three variations of the same idea: same pattern, same needle size (4mm/US6), same amount of yarn.
The difference is that the white shawl consists of a single triangle, the green one of two triangles and the beige one of three.
The green and white shawls are both triangular, but the triangles are different in shape; also, unlike the white shawl the green one is knitted top down.
The beige shawl consists of three triangles and is knitted top down.
While I was at it I thought I'd knit another green shawl with a much thinner yarn for comparison. I used some "Viva" leftovers, a wool-silk blend from Wetterhoff. The pattern is identical and I used the same needles.
It's quite fascinating how different the pattern looks depending on the yarn; the Viva version is slightly bigger too.
Ganska länge har jag haft tre små nystan från Rowan som jag inte har vetat hur jag skulle använda. Så kom jag på att jag kunde göra minisjalar för att se likheter och skillnader mellan tre varianter av samma idé. Till alla tre har jag använt lika mycket garn, samma stickstorlek (4 mm) och samma mönster, men sjalarna består av en, två och tre trianglar.
Den vita och den gröna blir båda trekantiga, men den gröna blir bredare och inte lika djup. Den stickas också från nacken och ned, precis som den som består av tre trianglar.
När jag ändå var igång stickade jag en till grön sjal fast i ett annat, mycket tunnare garn. Mönstret är exakt likadant och jag använde samma stickor, men mönstret tar sig annorlunda ut och sjalen blev också lite större.
I've used it to test three variations of the same idea: same pattern, same needle size (4mm/US6), same amount of yarn.
The difference is that the white shawl consists of a single triangle, the green one of two triangles and the beige one of three.
The green and white shawls are both triangular, but the triangles are different in shape; also, unlike the white shawl the green one is knitted top down.
The beige shawl consists of three triangles and is knitted top down.
While I was at it I thought I'd knit another green shawl with a much thinner yarn for comparison. I used some "Viva" leftovers, a wool-silk blend from Wetterhoff. The pattern is identical and I used the same needles.
It's quite fascinating how different the pattern looks depending on the yarn; the Viva version is slightly bigger too.
Ganska länge har jag haft tre små nystan från Rowan som jag inte har vetat hur jag skulle använda. Så kom jag på att jag kunde göra minisjalar för att se likheter och skillnader mellan tre varianter av samma idé. Till alla tre har jag använt lika mycket garn, samma stickstorlek (4 mm) och samma mönster, men sjalarna består av en, två och tre trianglar.
Den vita och den gröna blir båda trekantiga, men den gröna blir bredare och inte lika djup. Den stickas också från nacken och ned, precis som den som består av tre trianglar.
När jag ändå var igång stickade jag en till grön sjal fast i ett annat, mycket tunnare garn. Mönstret är exakt likadant och jag använde samma stickor, men mönstret tar sig annorlunda ut och sjalen blev också lite större.
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Lace knitting
Here's my new lace project, "Bressay Hap Wrap" by Sharon Miller, a free pattern from Rowan. The yarn is also from Rowan, a blend of merino and alpaca called Fine Lace and I got it from Wincent in Stockholm. Thanks, Eva!
Speaking of lace knitting, as mentioned in a previous post I will be leading a couple of workshops with GarnGalleriet in Uppsala. The dates are settled, October 16 (all day) and 29 (afternoon). For more information, write to info@garngalleriet.se
(It feels rather silly writing this in English - as if anyone would even consider travelling from another country for a workshop - but changing languages in the middle of a blog post would also feel silly!)
But first a twined knitting workshop at Litet Nystan to warm up! I'm having fun preparing material and sort of relearning the techniques (studying what my fingers to more or less automatically by now) to be able to explain them well.
Speaking of lace knitting, as mentioned in a previous post I will be leading a couple of workshops with GarnGalleriet in Uppsala. The dates are settled, October 16 (all day) and 29 (afternoon). For more information, write to info@garngalleriet.se
(It feels rather silly writing this in English - as if anyone would even consider travelling from another country for a workshop - but changing languages in the middle of a blog post would also feel silly!)
But first a twined knitting workshop at Litet Nystan to warm up! I'm having fun preparing material and sort of relearning the techniques (studying what my fingers to more or less automatically by now) to be able to explain them well.
 |
| "Bressay Hap Wrap" by Sharon Miller |
Friday, 18 March 2011
Shawl shape
Today I thought I'd share my ideas for the shape of my current shawl project. I want a V shape made up of three equally big sections: the middle/bottom one filled with stars, and the wings with grids similar to the centre of the previous Estonian shawl I made.
You can see a tiny sketch of the shape in the centre of the photo, and in the upper right corner is the start of the grid pattern. The shawl will be framed with a knitted-on border, but I haven't made up my mind about what kind of pattern to use. No need to decide yet, though...
Christine has passed on an award to me, a Stylish award, which is very flattering. Thank you! I'm supposed to write seven things about myself. That will require some thinking, so I'm saving that for next post. In the meantime, I suggest you check out her blog and the other bloggers she nominated.
Last, I'm going to answer a couple of questions in comments on a previous post:
Ron asked about the yarn. It's "Viva" from Wetterhoff in Finland, easily my favourite yarn for knitting lace. It's a glorious wool-silk blend (70-30%) and 100 grams is enough for a big shawl. It drapes beautifully thanks to the silk, and it has a sheen that enhances lace patterns. I just counted my "Viva" projects on Ravelry: this is my tenth since I first discovered more or less exactly two years ago. For most of them I've used 4 mm needles (US 6), but after some swatching I decided 3½ mm (US 4) worked best to make Estonian nupp patterns.
Ann asked about the edge. I simply slip the first stitch, as if to knit on the right side and as if to purl on the wrong side. I find this makes it easy to pick up stitches for a knitted-on border, and at the same time it looks nice enough in case I don't have enough yarn for a border and the shawl has to be naked. (Shock horror!)
Ron also asked about the green shawl I mentinoned in a previous post. It hasn't found an owner yet, but I have a friend's friend in mind. I understand she'd be interested in having one, and I believe it would be a great colour for her.
Edited to add: I just learnt a new word I could relate to instantly, namely shawlcoholic! Liisa's pun sjalkoholist is even better in Swedish, but I think it works in English too.
You can see a tiny sketch of the shape in the centre of the photo, and in the upper right corner is the start of the grid pattern. The shawl will be framed with a knitted-on border, but I haven't made up my mind about what kind of pattern to use. No need to decide yet, though...
Christine has passed on an award to me, a Stylish award, which is very flattering. Thank you! I'm supposed to write seven things about myself. That will require some thinking, so I'm saving that for next post. In the meantime, I suggest you check out her blog and the other bloggers she nominated.
Last, I'm going to answer a couple of questions in comments on a previous post:
Ron asked about the yarn. It's "Viva" from Wetterhoff in Finland, easily my favourite yarn for knitting lace. It's a glorious wool-silk blend (70-30%) and 100 grams is enough for a big shawl. It drapes beautifully thanks to the silk, and it has a sheen that enhances lace patterns. I just counted my "Viva" projects on Ravelry: this is my tenth since I first discovered more or less exactly two years ago. For most of them I've used 4 mm needles (US 6), but after some swatching I decided 3½ mm (US 4) worked best to make Estonian nupp patterns.
Ann asked about the edge. I simply slip the first stitch, as if to knit on the right side and as if to purl on the wrong side. I find this makes it easy to pick up stitches for a knitted-on border, and at the same time it looks nice enough in case I don't have enough yarn for a border and the shawl has to be naked. (Shock horror!)
Ron also asked about the green shawl I mentinoned in a previous post. It hasn't found an owner yet, but I have a friend's friend in mind. I understand she'd be interested in having one, and I believe it would be a great colour for her.
Edited to add: I just learnt a new word I could relate to instantly, namely shawlcoholic! Liisa's pun sjalkoholist is even better in Swedish, but I think it works in English too.
Monday, 14 March 2011
To rip or not to rip
My intention was to write a post about whether I should rip 2½ rows to add a nupp I forgot to make, but it's too late now. Instead, I'm going to write about why I did :)
1. I never liked mistakes in my knitting, and even though I've grown more tolerant over the years I don't want to keep major flaws. A nupp missing makes a mutilated star.
2. For a while I toyed with the idea of making a "nupp prosthesis" - it could be a good challenge trying to make one afterwards and get it to blend in with the others. On the other hand it might not work, and I was too eager to make progress to start nupp swatching.
3. An hour or so spent ripping out and reknitting a few rows (even if they're rather long) is far less time than years or possibly a lifetime source of irritation I didn't correct a mistake I discovered fairly quickly. I know myself: one of my sweaters has an ugly flaw that I told myself might disappear during blocking... Instead it stood out even more clearly!
4. I tried telling myself a nupp missing is a scandalously ridiculous thing to think about considering the recent disasters in Japan and New Zealand, what's happening in Libya and other countries etc etc... Still, it's as if I just can't help following my knitting instincts.
Ann and Ron: I will get back with answers to your questions!
1. I never liked mistakes in my knitting, and even though I've grown more tolerant over the years I don't want to keep major flaws. A nupp missing makes a mutilated star.
2. For a while I toyed with the idea of making a "nupp prosthesis" - it could be a good challenge trying to make one afterwards and get it to blend in with the others. On the other hand it might not work, and I was too eager to make progress to start nupp swatching.
3. An hour or so spent ripping out and reknitting a few rows (even if they're rather long) is far less time than years or possibly a lifetime source of irritation I didn't correct a mistake I discovered fairly quickly. I know myself: one of my sweaters has an ugly flaw that I told myself might disappear during blocking... Instead it stood out even more clearly!
4. I tried telling myself a nupp missing is a scandalously ridiculous thing to think about considering the recent disasters in Japan and New Zealand, what's happening in Libya and other countries etc etc... Still, it's as if I just can't help following my knitting instincts.
Ann and Ron: I will get back with answers to your questions!
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
Estonian shawl finished
This is how my knitted-on edge turned out. Not sure how far my yarn would last I decided to knit a pattern that could be cast off practically any time; this one consists of two different pattern rows and two plain rows.
There was more yarn than I expected, so I ended with a few pattern rows with extra increases for more pronounced points. I'm pleased with the edge (I wanted something airy to balance the fairly compact main pattern) although I think the original design is prettier.
That goes for the whole shawl, by the way, even though I'm happy with my modifications - and even happier that I've left my old fear of experimenting and taking liberties with patterns behind. I've learnt a lot (and still do) from following instructions, but it's nice not to have to depend on them all the time.
My modifications in short:
1. Variation star motif used. It's bigger, so I made this shawl five stars wide instead of seven.
2. Garter-stitch border skipped.
3. Centre "grid" pattern resized to blend with the stars, and I added different groups of nupps to it.
4. Edge knitted on instead of made separately and sewn on. (Which keeps this from being a real Haapsalu shawl, but I guess it's safe to call it Haapsalu-ish!)
The finished shawl measures ca 115x105 cm (45x41 in).
There was more yarn than I expected, so I ended with a few pattern rows with extra increases for more pronounced points. I'm pleased with the edge (I wanted something airy to balance the fairly compact main pattern) although I think the original design is prettier.
That goes for the whole shawl, by the way, even though I'm happy with my modifications - and even happier that I've left my old fear of experimenting and taking liberties with patterns behind. I've learnt a lot (and still do) from following instructions, but it's nice not to have to depend on them all the time.
My modifications in short:1. Variation star motif used. It's bigger, so I made this shawl five stars wide instead of seven.
2. Garter-stitch border skipped.
3. Centre "grid" pattern resized to blend with the stars, and I added different groups of nupps to it.
4. Edge knitted on instead of made separately and sewn on. (Which keeps this from being a real Haapsalu shawl, but I guess it's safe to call it Haapsalu-ish!)
The finished shawl measures ca 115x105 cm (45x41 in).
Monday, 3 January 2011
Living on the edge
Here's my first attempt at a border around the Estonian shawl. I really like the one in the original design (easy to see in the shawl knitted by Flickr's annalore) but knitting it separately and then sewing it on - no thanks. So, I decided to pick up stitches around the shawl and then knit the border pattern upside-down instead - and resize the pattern to match my number of stitches. (Anything to avoid sewing.)
Unfortunately, knitting a pattern with nupps in the round didn't work,at least not for me: no matter how I try one of the stitches next to a nupp becomes enormous, looking like a big hole. I thought about knitting this section back and forth instead, but finally decided to try something completely different instead. What I've done so far looks promising, but I haven't knitted enough for good pictures yet. Will get back!
Frogging the edge at least gave me an opportunity to take a picture of the shawl. I'm quite excited about it and wonder how big the finished shawl will be. Unblocked and without a border it's about 70 cm (27½ in) wide. I've knitted lace shawls with this yarn before and they grew considerably during blocking.
This one may not grow quite as much, though, since I'm using slightly thinner needles (3½ mm/ US 4) and I don't know if the nupps will make a difference.
Here are some basic notes how I knitted the baby cardigan:
- I cast on ca 90 stitches.
- After getting the desired width I knitted about 1/3 of the stitches with a separate thread (for the sleeve) and then went on as before.
- When the back was wide enough I did the same thing for the second sleeve and then went on to knit the second front.
- Strand removed and stitches picked up around the armholes; sleeves knitted in the round to desired length.
- Shoulder joins sewn together.
- Buttons sewn on and loops crocheted.
- Strings crocheted to be able to tie the two fronts together on the inside.
Happy new year, everyone!
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Proving myself wrong
In a previous post I mentioned that I'm not very fond of bobbles. Well, seeing this shawl by Rod on Flickr reminded me of my natural white Viva and the fact that I've only knitted a swatch or two testing a couple of patterns in Nancy Bush's book Knitted Lace of Estonia.
This is half a star, the Crown Prince pattern. I like it very much that the bobbles are fairly flat; the combination of them and the lace holes of roughly the same size is very appealing too, in my opinion.
Here's a photo of the shawl, made by Knitting Soo on Flickr. It's very pretty, but I can't help thinking about possible modifications... A frame consisting of rows of holes instead of garter stitch, for example.
Getting the tension right for the bobbles was a bit tricky, but didn't take very long after all. I've had more trouble with the tension in the stocking-stitch areas: for example, getting the loops for a bobble (a "nupp" in Estonian) loose enough tends to rub off on the surrounding stitches - and purling all the loops making a single stitch tends to make me purl the surrounding stitches too tight.
I enjoy knitting this kind of pattern a lot, primarily because it's something I haven't done before. (A tiny swatch about a year ago hardly counts.) Also, dear old wool-silk blend Viva is a delight to work with, and the sheen of it makes the bobbles almost look like pearls in daylight. Not captured in this photo due to severe lack of daylight.
This is half a star, the Crown Prince pattern. I like it very much that the bobbles are fairly flat; the combination of them and the lace holes of roughly the same size is very appealing too, in my opinion.
Here's a photo of the shawl, made by Knitting Soo on Flickr. It's very pretty, but I can't help thinking about possible modifications... A frame consisting of rows of holes instead of garter stitch, for example.
Getting the tension right for the bobbles was a bit tricky, but didn't take very long after all. I've had more trouble with the tension in the stocking-stitch areas: for example, getting the loops for a bobble (a "nupp" in Estonian) loose enough tends to rub off on the surrounding stitches - and purling all the loops making a single stitch tends to make me purl the surrounding stitches too tight.
I enjoy knitting this kind of pattern a lot, primarily because it's something I haven't done before. (A tiny swatch about a year ago hardly counts.) Also, dear old wool-silk blend Viva is a delight to work with, and the sheen of it makes the bobbles almost look like pearls in daylight. Not captured in this photo due to severe lack of daylight.
Saturday, 3 July 2010
Springtime shawl: dry
Here's a photo that shows the pattern better than the one in my previous post, where the shawl is folded in half on a blue towel. All I need now is an owner! :-D
6 July:
Rats! I accidentally deleted a new comment I was about to open. My apologies to whoever wrote it!
Friday, 2 July 2010
Blocking the Springtime shawl
I've folded the shawl in half to make it easier to block; not only out of a lack of space, but mainly to make sure the two halves become identical in size and shape.
It's a method I've tried before and I think it's far easier than measuring and rearranging the shawl and all the needles. When it's dry I'm going to dampen the middle of the back and reblock that part to avoid a crease.
Blocking has made it grow considerably in size, from each of the three triangles measuring 46x100 cm (18x39½ in) to 75x120 cm (29½x42 in). In this photo you can also see how much yarn I ended up not using - a close call!
Actually, I had to change my plans and skip the border along the top, realizing there wouldn't be enough yarn after all. Chart C (the big squares without leaves) was far more yarn-consuming than I expected. I had taken it into account how much many more repeats there would be, but hadn't studied the charts closely enough to discover how many more stitches there are in some rows. For example, a repeat consists of 24 stitches in one row, but 32 in another. That makes quite a difference when a row consists of 18 repeats!
This is my first attempt at a crocheted bind-off; I think it suits the pattern very well and it wasn't difficult, so I'm more than likely to do it again. After some experimenting I decided a chain of five stitches would be enough; the pattern has nine, but considering how little yarn I have left it was definitely a good decision to make them shorter.
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
The joy of blocking
I love blocking shawls! This time the total width grew by some 38 cm (15 in).
Tomorrow I've got two knitting-related activities to celebrate the first day of my summer holidays: having lunch with Anna to give her this shawl and see how it looks on her, and in the evening meeting up with my knitting & sewing group from work.
I did manage to knit in public on Saturday, joining other members of group Uppmaskan at the train station in Uppsala.
Unfortunately, I could only stay for some 20 minutes, between the opening of an art show where a cousin of mine is represented, and a colleague's birthday party. Toil and moil...
Saturday, 20 February 2010
"Leaves dancing" shawl finished
Comparing the difference before and after blocking is always fascinating, especially when it comes to lace knitting. In this picture you can see the main pattern fairly clearly, but the bottom border looks all crumbled.
Nothing like the points in this picture:
Modifications
1. Three sections instead of one to get a crescent(-ish) rather than a triangular shape.
2. Rows 29-56 knitted three times instead of twice, since I used thinner yarn and needles than the instructions call for. It was easy adding rows and repeats to the design. (But I ended up with almost 700 stitches!)
3. At the very end I added six rows, continuing the pattern in the last section to close the points.
4. I skipped the crocheted edge, partly because I preferred the idea of knitted points at the very edge, partly because I was simply too lazy to try to understand the instructions. Charts with explanations in German was ok, but written instructions with abbreviations proved too much when I was eager to finish the shawl. Here's a picture of the original edge.
4. Stitches picked up along the hypotenuse (or what would have been the hypotenuse if I had knitted the original triangular shape) to add a border. I think it helps making a shawl look finished.
Measurements
Width top: 155 cm/61 in.
Width bottom: 390 (3x130) cm/154 in.
Lenght back: 70 cm (27½in)
Length diagonal between each section: 95 cm (37½ in)
The yarn, Viva (a wool-silk blend) from Finnish Wetterhoff, is wonderful: beautiful and a delight to work with. There's a lot of surplus dye in it, though, and it bled a lot when I washed the shawl. I rinsed the shawl at least fifteen times.
I like it that winter doesn't keep people from using their bikes!
Edited to add: here's a link to the shawl pattern.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)