Another Shawl Completed



 The Seriously Simple Shawl (version 2) is finished!  Ta da!

Specifics:  31" deep, 70" wide

Yarn: Jamieson & Smith 2 ply Shetland Wool purchased in Lerwick, Scotland, held double while knitting; warm!

 

Armand Guillaumin (1841-1927), Impresssionist painter known for his intense colors, is most famous for his landscapes of Paris, Creuse, & Esterel areas.

Linking with WOWD!

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Just finished my second Fair Isle knitting project.  It is rams and sheep designs knitted into the fabric to make a dog's coat.

Fun facts about this project by Kate Davies, with the pattern cleverly termed A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing:

• Nine different colors of wool are knitted into the pattern
• Each of the nine colors is from a different type of sheep that are raised on the Shetland islands
• Learned how to knit in the traditional Fair Isle style this summer in Scotland
• I bought the kit while visiting Jamieson & Smith Wool Brokers over the summer in Lerwick
• It was so much fun to knit that I finished it in ten days

Although I made only one sweater, each of our dogs can wear it.  In order to lessen their jealous streaks, I'll be making a second sweater.  There is plenty of yarn left over in the kit.

Some modifications were made because our dogs are a bit smaller than the size given.

Our models:

Libby Sweatpea has her ears back and looks embarrassed, doesn't she?

 

 

Mercy has attitude, right?  She thought it was a bit warm to be modeling this coat in August, but what is a girl to do when she is being featured on the runway?

Royal Prince George: Christening Gown

Friend Mary who writes this blog passed along a few articles that may be of interest to fibre enthusiasts.  Here is one of interest from the Shetland Times about the royal baby's christening gown that Sandra Manson from Bressay was commissioned to knit: ARTICLE HERE

...a quote from the article:

The robe was made of Shetland supreme one-ply worsted spun yarn, which is the nearest to homespun it is possible to get. Although the full-length garment only took two weeks to make, it took six weeks to plan.

We met Sandra in Shetland two weeks ago; what a nice woman and talented knitter!

Then another on Shetland Woolens here from a blogger who knows her stuff.  Mary also found that article.

And to end on this note: I am knitting up a dog sweater with a kit purchased from Jamieson & Smith while in Lerwick, and loving knitting it.  It is made up with sheep and rams' horns in nine natural colors of the different sheep on Shetland.  And the name of the pattern is clever: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing by Kate Davies.  Here is the finished picture of what it will look like:

And here is where I've gotten so far:

Soysilk Fiber: a Cowl with Drape

When I opened up my package of soysilk yarn, I really did not know the makeup of this fiber.  From reading others' remarks about the cowl that looked good in the pictures on Ravelry, it was necessary to knit up this cowl shell with a yarn that had lots of drape.  Silk and silk blends were mentioned, but the designer of the Cowl Shell (Myrna Batten) used Oasis brand, a 100% soysilk fiber.

South West Trading Company says

SOYSILK® brand fiber is made from the residue of soybeans from tofu manufacturing.  This process is 100-percent natural and free of any petrochemicals, making it an extremely environmentally friendly product.  Soy is a completely renewable resource – coming from the earth and being wholly biodegradable.   As early as the 1940s, textile experts dreamed of a fiber made from soy.  (In fact, Henry Ford had a suit made of soy as an early prototype.)  SOYSILK® brand fiber offers superior moisture absorption and ventilation properties along with beautiful draping, softness and warmth.

It took two weeks to knit this up and I am very pleased with the cowl.  And it is environmentally green as it contains natural anti-bacterial agents which can restrain the growth of certain types of bacteria and is therefore considered a very sanitary fiber.

It has the softness and smoothness of cashmere but isn’t hazardous to the environment. The fiber also has the same moisture absorption as cotton but with better moisture transmission, making it more comfortable and sanitary (from here).

 

 

The soysilk fiber (actually 100% soy) drapes nicely.  Now I'm on to knitting up another one in this variegated color:

 



 

 This is on my Works in Progress for Wednesday.  Go here to see others' projects that Tami hosts!

 

 



Checking In with Finished Objects Friday

Since it is Friday and after 9 AM with nothing to show for the day yet except for having finished off refrigerator left overs for breakfast, I'll post on Finished Objects Friday at Tami's.  (I had the last of a batch of gazpacho and some chicken salad.)  Go on over there to see what others are doing.

This pattern by Tin Can Knits, published by Handmade in the UK, is VIVID, a blanket pattern.

It is written for three weights of yarn.  I used a sport weight and a sock weight yarn and made these as samples.

These samples will be used for coasters during the summer.  When cool weather rolls round again, it might be time to go ahead and knit up 20 squares in various colors and make a blanket from the squares.  It is a fun pattern and a square can be knit in a few hours.

And from the garden, our first bloom from our newly planted Rose of Sharon bush and hollyhocks:

 

 

Happy Friday!

Creature Comforts Knit Up

It has given me fits!

But IT is finished.  IT being the Creature Comforts Cardigan that over 600 Ravelry knitters have also completed.

This is the picture of the cardigan as shown by the creator of Madelintosh yarns, because I can't do as good a job of capturing the sweater as did their professional photographers.

 

Now here are a few of my pictures as the sweater progressed:

 

See how the oak leaf and acorns are being knit?  Pretty cool!  This pattern goes down the back of the cardigan.

The Sweater minus the sleeve cuff finished, but Too Big!

 Now it has been wet again and blocked to the appropriate size and Momma is Happy Again :o)

and my notes as it was being knit:

Love this hand dyed yarn; it s t r e t c h e s when blocked; it originally came out as 47” wide x 36.5” high, although it was knitted to 30.5 inches high as indicated in pattern.
Since it was too large, I machine dried the “blanket” for five minutes in the dryer, pressed the seams and came out with dimensions of 42” x 29.5 ” (see picture). 

After the machine drying for five minutes it turned out too small! So NOW I am re-blocking it with a 32” length. 

The leaf and acorn close up is NOT the color of the yarn! My computer did that.
I pulled from two separate balls of yarn because of the hand dye effect and was afraid of pooling colors. Even doing so, I still have one complete skein of yarn untouched and two small sized balls of wound yarn left over. 

After reading others’ notes about the size of the arms, I made the armhole 11 inches around. It happened to work out that I picked up 60 stitches, which the pattern called for. I did use size 6 DPNs for the cuffs instead of the called for 7’s. The snugness is just right below the elbow. 

Other than trying to get the right length and width for my body, it was an enjoyable knit. I might do this pattern again, having learned the ins and outs of the wool and how much to stretch it when wet.

Linking up with Finished Objects Friday and Tami.

Tote Bags - Easy!

Thanks to Abbi, I came across her tutorial on how to make a simple double sided tote bag.  How serendipitous that just yesterday I purchased two fat quarters of fabric to make such a tote!

Here are the fabric pieces.

 

This is Mrs. Pfaff.  She came home yesterday after cleaning and repairs at her spa: Adams Vacuum & Sewing Machine Sales and Repair.

 

Mrs. Pfaff says to hurry up and get her settled into her cabinet home so she can get back to work.

 

And also for Works in Progress Wednesday, I am starting my second repeat on the Creature Comforts Cardigan. 

 

 



Visit others' blogs at Tami's for WIP Wednesday.

Musicians of Bremen & Knitting

Do you recall the Grimm Brothers' fairytale of  "The Musicians of Bremen"?  Need a refresher on the story?  Go here to read yourself a little bedtime story if you are so inclined.

Found this novelty and placed it in the bath to give visitors a laugh, or else wonder what in the world this was doing on top of the toilet!

 

According to most renditions of the Musicians of Bremen story, there was a cock, a hound, a cat and a donkey.  So a bit of literary license was taken by the crafter who put together the animals doing service as the musicians.  You could say there were several morals to the story, but I'll go with the one that speaks of not letting your imagination get away with the facts of the situation.

 



These alstroemeria are beauties that last two weeks if you regularly change their water.  The hub brought them home from the grocery store the other day.  He did a good job!

This ground cover is coming up in the back right now.  Aren't the little blue flowers pretty?  And grape hyacinths too!

 One of our first daffodils:

 

 

And finally, I finished that cowl called Leafy Wreath Cowl (pattern found here on Ravelry).

 

Looks like I was asking the husband a question, or scolding him.  Anyway, here is a close up of the cowl:

It hides a multitude of sins on that double chin!  It was a bit of a challenge knitting this up (cables and lace), but it feels soft on the skin and is warm to boot.  Yarn is by Quince & Co.  Details here.

A Knitted Sweater for Baby

There is a niece in the family who is ALL THINGS BRONCO. 

Not only is she a Bronco fan, but she is also in her third trimester of pregnancy with a BOY.

Bronco colors of orange and blue are pretty common in Colorado, home of the Broncos, but not so much elsewhere.  You would not think it so difficult to find orange and blue yarn, but it was.  I found some sock yarn from the Stray Cat Etsy store and it came in a cute orange box with a cat on it.
 

That baby boy, Jackson, will need a sweater next winter, so this pattern was the one chosen; got busy knitting with that self striping yarn from Stray Cat in New Zealand.

Accessories include grosgrain ribbon and buttons in coordinating colors:

Using the ribbon both behind the buttons on the button band and behind the button holes makes the knitted fabric more sturdy, stabilizing the buttons.

 This video explains in detail how to apply the ribbon.  It is on Vimeo, courtesy of Jasmin and Gigi of the Knitmore Girls.

Visual Featurette- Grosgrain Ribbon Tutorial from Jasmin & Gigi on Vimeo.

The top buttons, the ones that you actually see when looking at the garment buttoned up, are orange.

And the buttons on the bottom of the orange buttons, making the top buttons more secure, are blue:

 

 

Finished!

 

 

Enjoy, Baby Jackson, due June 5!

 

Linking to Finished Objects Friday.  And linking to Fiber Arts Friday.

 

What is Happening Today

1.  Corneal abrasion two weeks ago on Libby Sweetpea's right eye with emergency call visit.  Not healed yesterday, so 2nd vet visit.  A plastic lens on the eye to hold in strong antibiotics with an Elizabethan Collar of Shame that has to be worn for four days.  But OUCH, out came the plastic lens in the middle of the night, and a 3rd visit to the vet again this afternoon for another lens stain and abrasion.

2.  A baby sweater being knitted up for Jackie who is in her third trimester with Jackson.  Jackie is a huge Denver Broncos  football fan, and I am sure she will be ensuring Baby Jackson will be also. This is almost finished:

Orange and blue buttons, of course, with a contrasting grosgrain ribbon to back the buttons.  The self striping sock yarn came all the way from New Zealand, hand dyed by Stray Cats.  The shipping was costly, but where else have you ever seen orange and blue sock yarn?  The pattern is Beyond Puerperium, by Kelly Brooker and is an ingenious little knit.

3.  An outdoor decades old rocker that needs a re-finish.  Sanded and ready for new stain:

The stain mix: an ounce of oil paint, a scant cup of turpentine, a scant quarter cup of boiled linseed oil.  Stay tuned.  A previous post here explains it all.  Also this post gives a true recipe for wood stain.

4. Chicken Tikki Masala for dinner. The hub will grill the chicken and likely make the recipe if I can convince him that I am still refinishing that rocker.  (He does NOT like painting.)

Linking up with  Tami at Work in Progress Wednesday