Tittle Tattle Shawlette: Test Knit

Now that Zach is back home, I recruited him to help me take a whole bunch of pictures of finished projects.  Some of these are older finished projects that I finally have "Project Completed" pictures to share, while others are ones I've done in the past year or so.  At any rate, I now have a ton of knitting projects to finish writing up.  Expect a flurry of knitting posts coming your way (You have been warned!)

This first one is a test knit I finished up about a year and a half ago.  I do enjoy those test knits, and hope my schedule calms down enough to start picking them up again.  They are after all (a) fun, and (b) keep me on a schedule.  I'm trying to be good about knitting regularly and from my stash. Yarn diet!  Since the test knits all have a due date, I have to keep at it, you see.  No projects slipping into hibernation.  And that strategy does work - lots of finished test knit projects on my Ravelry page :)

 

This test knit is a shawlette pattern.  I know I've mentioned before that Zach laughs at me about that - I think he thinks that all I knit are cowls and shawls!

The yarn

A good classic, Lorna's Laces Shepherd's Sock.  This particular skein came from a Ravelry swap a few years ago and had been lurking in the stash, waiting for a project that would be worthy of it.  The colorway is Mountain Stream, but it reminds me of sunsets.  Whatever you call it, though, it's a beautiful combination of jewel tones.  I love how the bright blue just pops out with the garter stitch.  Just lovely.

Shepherd's Sock is one of those yarns that people gush about, and with good reason.  The colorways always are gorgeous, and it's soft and easy to work with - no splitting or anything obnoxious like that.  And from what I've read in comments, it wears beautifully too.  As a shawlette, this won't be getting hard wear, like it would if this was used in socks, but it's still nice to know that it won't be pilling immediately or anything like that.

The pattern

Tattle Tails Shawl by Jeannine Hoeffler.  I just keep calling it Tittle Tattle because I watch too many British mysteries.  A character in the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes series talked of 'tittle tattle,' and the phrasing stuck in my head in the character's voice.  So, on reading the name of this pattern, the voice came to my mind, and just stuck after that.  However, if you're looking it up on Ravelry, it's Tattle Tails, not Tittle Tattle :)

The pattern itself is a lovely little one-skein project, though you could make it larger if you wanted, I suppose.  With the pattern as-is and the amount of yarn I had, it's a good shawlette size - drapes across my shoulders, or wraps around my neck a time or two, but not really enough to bundle up in.  The tails are knit as you go along, which is rather fun, really.  The rest of the scarf is garter stitch, with just the increases along the sides.  It makes for a portable, relatively mindless project, but producing a lovely result.  Always a nice combination!

  

I added a big button at the end, for when I wear it all wrapped up around my neck.  I can button it in place, and it'll stay tucked up as I want it.  The button's a bright blue, about the same shade as the bright blue 'pops' in the yarn itself, so it's a flash of color itself.  You can see it a bit in the picture below (sorry it's dark; even with the shadows, though, you can see the blue of the button).

 

Raveled here.

Notes, Alterations, Etc.

For my skein (215 yds, an older skein - skeins now are 435 yds), I was able to fit 24 tails before beginning the end fringe.

It's a very easy pattern - all you really have to think about is keeping track of your rows to know when to make your next tail.  I found that tracking my stitch count at each tail helped.  You are increasing along the neck edge (the smooth side), then cast on for a tail at 10+ stitches from the previous tail.  You should end with 3+ stitches from the previous tail when you're done with that tail's bind-offs.  So, for you algebraically-inclined types:

x= stitch count
x+10 = stitch count when you’re ready to cast on for the next tail
x+3 = stitch count when you’re done with the cast off from that tail

With real numbers:

tail 1 ended with 4 stitches left (x = 4)
tail 2 was cast on at 14 stitches (x+10)
tail 2 post-bind-off was 7 stitches (x+3, new x=7)
tail 3 was cast on at 17 stitches (x+10)
tail 3 post-bind-off at 10 (x+3)
and so on… (13 stitches, then 16, 19, 22… hut hut HIKE!)

And if you want to make things really numerically fun (read: dorky), the number tail you are on is stitch count after the tail's bind-off minus 1 divided by 3

N = (x-1)/3

So, when you finish the tail with 61 stitches left, you will have 20 tails on your scarf

20 = (61-1)/3

I realize this might not help the majority of people who read this (there are a surprising number of knitters who are math-phobic), but it helped me keep the counts straight.

And of course, my helper:

And things are finally settling down. Maybe??

This year has been a crazy one, even by our standards.

There was the Big Move, of course, and finally graduating with my Master's.  A new niece was born in the summer.  These all would be enough to make any year pretty eventful.  But of course, things didn't stop there.

It has also been the Year of Broken Things.  In order:

• I broke my toe the week before we moved.  Not fun spending the first several months of our time in HI in a boot or walking shoe.  Besides being hot, it also meant being unable to hike or go to the beach (walking on sand is hard!!) or spend time just walking about playing tourist :(
• Two computers have died and been repaired (both thankfully within warranty, but one did die the DAY before we flew out from TX - I nearly cried)
• My car arrived in HI and immediately needed repairs
• The cat is starting to have some age-related problems (manageable, but still...). 
• And the stress caused my eyes to start showing their age.  Apparently I've always been far-sighted and just never needed glasses before, but the stress of this summer was the breaking point.  When I can't focus on the stitches on my knitting needles, that's not good.

And yes, this was all surrounding the move out to Hawaii and Zach being immediately posted to Korea for an extended temporary duty (he'll be back in Spring).

And all this has been in addition to the craziness outside in the world.  Several of my favorite actors have passed away this year, as well as a favorite children's author (Anna Dewdney, of Llama Llama fame), and of course the election with it's toxic build-up and post-election fall-out.  The world outside has been a pretty stressful place too.

I'm not trying to sound negative.  Lots of good has happened this year as well.  The move, graduation, new niece, new job (actually in my field!!).  I've had a bit of chance to explore, get involved, meet new people.  A chance to travel out to visit Zach in Korea too (still labeling pictures from that trip).

So, if anyone was wondering why I haven't been writing much this year, this is why.  Life has been quite a lot this year.  Every time I sat down to write here, I was either too tired to think coherently, or I'd been on my own too much and it felt like everything I was thinking was just pouring out, and it felt like I was oversharing.  It made it hard to find that balance where I was just comfortably writing. 

Hopefully 2017 will be a bit calmer and a bit saner, but still with some adventures to be had. 

Happy New Year everyone!

PS - one thing they don't tell you about moving to Hawaii is the extreme love of fireworks!  We had 6 hours of fireworks going off in the neighborhood yesterday!!  Not fireworks shows, just firecrackers in the neighborhood - and we live in a quiet neighborhood!  Started about 7-7:30ish as the sun went down, and was still going at least until 1:30am when I finally was tired enough to just pass out, despite the noise!  Scruffy and I BOTH slept in this morning - way too late for us.

Margret Shawl: Test Knit

Am catching up on some test knit feedback posts from projects over the past few months, and this one is another shawl (or as Zach says, "Another shawl?").  What can I say - shawlettes are one-skein projects (usually), a chance to play with pretty patterns without worrying too much about gauge, and I'm big on layering.  My office is veeeeery air conditioned, so I tend to have a cardigan at work even in the summer.  Shawls, scarves, and shawlettes are easy layering pieces that I can throw on in the office, but take off as I walk to my car in 90+ degrees in September.

Side note: ever gone shopping for a space heater in May in Texas?  You get some very crazy looks!

So, here you go, another test knit shawl:

 

The Yarn

The majority of the shawl is in Wollmeise "Pure" 100% Merino Superwash in Tiefer See.  I received this bit of loveliness in a Ravelry swap a couple years ago, and have been looking for a pattern that would do it justice.  Because look at it!!  Those gorgeous blues and greens!!   Sooooo pretty!  And it was a love to work with.  It's a pretty tight twist, so even with the dark colors, the stitch definition is very clear (you can see it in the pictures further below).  No splitting, and no color bleeding when I blocked it.  I can see why this yarn has such hard core fans!

   

For the trim, I used Knit Picks Stroll Sport in Winter Night.  It's a little splitty, but it's very soft and squishy.  No other complaints, really. 

 

The Pattern

The pattern being tested was the Magret Shawl by Anna Nilsson, available for Ravelry download.  It's a crescent shawl worked from the bottom up, shaped with short rows.  The cable and eyelet pattern up the center panel is the same as on the lower border.

 

It's been a while since I started a shawl bottom-up, instead of nape-down.  Made the border seem extra long, but once I got through it and into the main body, it went very quickly.  It's not a mindless pattern, but you can see (sorta) in the left picture below, that the cable pattern is very repetitive, a nice honeycomb.  And being a one-stitch cable (love those!!), it made it very easy to follow.

 

The short row shaping was really fun, actually.  It's not the usual wrap-and-turn method.  The pattern called for German Short Rows.  If, like me, you haven't encountered these before, there are several good videos on YouTube, and a tutorial on Ravelry too.  For my knitting style, I found these a lot easier than the wrap-and-turn rows.  And they are much less visible on the finished fabric, as an added bonus.  Always fun to learn a new technique that you'll actually use again!

Notes, Alterations, Etc:

With my looser gauge, I ran out of the Wollmeise just before the end of the shawl.  Tragedy!  But never fear, I went stash diving and found a coordinating yarn to finish it out (the Knit Picks Stroll).  It's a slightly heavier weight (Sport) but still pretty close to the same gauge.  And anyway, I only needed a little bit more to finish the trip and do the i-cord edging.  Being a different color as well as a different gauge, it looks like I meant to use the different yarn as the trim.  ("It's not a mistake - it's a design element!").  It looks very nice, really, if I do say so myself.

 

The looser gauge also resulted in a shawl instead of a shawlette.  Yes, yes, basic math.  I still feel like I needed to point it out :)  It's still a very comfortable size, though, so no complaints from me.

As a final note, be sure you read through all directions, because frogging through short rows is a major pain in the tookus!!  There wasn't a problem in the pattern.  I had just rushed on ahead and misread the directions.  Ended up having to frog my first 2 repeats of Chart B because I missed the part that you are also decreasing when you turn the short row.   Was kicking myself hard on that one. So learn from my mistakes - read through all directions first!

Raveled here.

Semi-Required Kitty Picture:

A pair of finished knitting projects

Two scarves to chatter about here.  Both finished last year, one all the way back in January, and I'm only now getting around to posting on it.  The other was knocked out later in the year while I was sick and spending a lot of time on the couch.  Both are finally getting noted now.

The first one was begun as we were travelling at the holidays and I needed a mindless project during all those hours of driving.  This suited the need perfectly.  The pattern is But I'm Biased by Kate D'Ettore, available as a free Ravelry download or on her blog.  It's one of those lovely, uncomplicated patterns where you just keep knitting until you run out of yarn, and then Ta-Da: lovely scarf!  And with only two rows to memorize, it made for wonderful in-the-car knitting.

The yarn is Malabrigo Rios, color Candombe.  The color reminds me of woods and dusk and other lovely things, all blues and greens and purples with touches of brown and light blues.  As we all know, "mmmmm, Malabrigo!"  Yes, it is as wonderful to work with as it's reputed to be.  The resulting scarf is delightfully soft and squishy and warm.  I only bought one skein at the Yarn Crawl in Oct, planning a simple one-skein scarf for myself as a treat.  This worked perfectly.

It's raveled here.

A required Kitty Helping shot.  Anytime I'm blocking something, Scruffy will choose the moment I'm taking pictures to sit right on top!

The second project for today is the one knocked very quickly.  Being sick enough to not want to be active, but not so sick that I could just laze about and not move at all, I settled in on the couch with White Collar (seasons 1 and 2 are both on Netflix Instant Watch!) and this scarf.

The yarn is Hometown USA again, this time in the Lake Tahoe colorway.  We took a vacation up there a couple years ago, so I do have some connection to the name.  Between weather and stress and timing, though, it wasn't really my favorite trip, so nothing really sentimental.  Honestly, I just really loved the color :)  It's rich blue with tweedy hints of green and purple. 

The pattern is the Icon Scarf by Elizabeth Nields, published in the Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2010.  The Icon Scarf.  Dorky little me, however, kept reading it in my head as the Ionic scarf.  I don't know if it's too many years of Latin or too many years in science labs, but Ionic just stuck in my head for this one.  As a result, I refer to this as the Column Scarf.  It's leaning toward the Latin 'Ionic' reference, and the long, thin scarf just seems to fit a column, so I think it works :)  The pattern is pretty easy to memorize, but the cable twist row does get a little fiddly.  Not that it's an impossible, physics-defying sort of knitting move, but it does take a little to get the hang of two cable needles going in opposite directions.  At least it did for me.  

The two pictures below each have their purpose:  show the colors (left) and the pattern (right).

 

Other than that, I wouldn't make this in acrylic again.  It did open up a little with blocking, but a natural fiber would have opened up more, to show off the laciness inside the cable. Yes, I do know that.  Yes, I used the acrylic yarn anyway.  Still, I am pretty satisfied with the final project, and I knocked it out in a weekend, so who can complain?  :)

It's raveled here.

And in case you were wondering, yes, I'm writing about scarves in Texas in May, where it is in the low 90s this week.  

A Test Knit for NaKniSweMo

Yes, yes, November is NaKniSweMo (National Knit a Sweater in a Month).  But as we know, I'm still playing catchup with some of my project reporting.  At any rate, this sweater was knit in November, even if I'm writing about it in February.  It was a test knit that corresponded perfectly to NaKniSweMo.   Perfect timing!  Ta-da:  motivation!  I was definitely going to finish NaKniSweMo this time!

 

 My project is raveled here.  And yes, it was a test knit, so this is a photo-heavy post.  I always try to take lots of notes and lots of pictures on test knits, hoping to be as helpful as possible to the designer and to anyone working on the pattern later.

The Yarn:

 Jaeger Matchmaker Merino DK.  It's a discontinued yarn, or else I'd have linked to the yarn company webpage.  If you're looking for something similar, Jimmy Beans Wool has a search for comparable yarns.  I liked it.  One of those yarns that you wonder "why on earth did they discontinue it?" but there are lots of those about.  It's a little scratchy, but not irritatingly so, and my skin's pretty sensitive.  It's wool, so one does expect a little bit of that texture.  This just isn't an 'extra fine' merino.  I had a whole bag of it from a lot sale I'd stumbled on a few years ago.  One of those cases of 'love the yarn; love the color; love the sale price; the project will come to me.'  Well, a project came to me!

 

The Pattern:

The Thekla Cardigan is available for sale online through Ravelry.  According to the description on it's Ravelry page:

The Thekla Cardigan is a top-down seamless construction, that can be tried on for fit as you go. The cardigan is quite stretchy and therefore designed with negative ease. It features 3/4 length sleeves. The button band and buttonhole band are knit after finishing the body and sleeves by picking up stitches from the side seams.

I like that it's a lighter weight yarn, and with negative ease.  Makes it a little more form-fitting and thus a little less casual than some of my other cardigans.  And the button band gives you a chance to showcase some fun buttons if you want :)  I found some nice patterned brass ones that look very pretty with the burgundy.

You can see the 2 stitch patterns in the picture below.  The ribbing makes it a very stretchy fabric, so it can be quite clingy. 

In addition to the ribbing, the waist shaping brings it  Not a boxy sweater at all!

 

Notes, Alterations or Adjustments:

• I used US3 needles to reach gauge.  This gave me the proper stitch count, but made my rows a little short.  
• I couldn't find 1" buttons (either 7/8" or 1 1/8" buttons) so between the shorter rows and the bigger buttons, my front panels are 9 garter ridges (17 rows, plus bind off), instead of 9 rows. I needed the wider button bands to support the larger buttons.

• Also with the wider front panels, I put in 2 rows of crochet chain stitch, instead of only one.  The big buttons needed the extra support, and I hate it when shirts and cardigans pucker at the front.
• One final note about the button bands.  The pattern shows a contrasting yarn used as the button bands. I just used the same burgundy.  (a) I like it, (b) I have lots of it, and (c) I didn't have any yarn that contrasted well with the burgundy.
• I made the body about an inch or so longer. This makes the hemline hit my hips at a much more comfortable point for me, less riding up. 

• I added a few extra stitches in the bust.  I didn't want things pulling too much.  Still not enough to be up to the next size, but just a little bit more room to stretch.  The stitches were then decreased as I started the ribbing in about the same spacing as the later decreases at the waist.  Not very noticeable at all in the finished project.  The nice thing about top-down sweaters - very easy to customize for the top-heavy builds!  
• I made the sleeves slightly shorter. My arms are on the shorter side, and the sleeve length as given was not comfortable for me. I always end up pushing 3/4 sleeves up to my elbows anyway.  So, once I saw where the sleeves would reach on me, I tinked back and stopped the sleeves right over the elbow instead. Still followed the cuff directions, only a little sooner. I think I'm actually going to change the sleeves yet again, though.  With it being a wool sweater, and living in Texas and all, it's a pretty warm sweater.  The elbow-length sleeves aren't warm enough for a sweater body that's as warm as this one - does that make sense?  Instead, I think I'm going to extend the sleeves down to be full-length sleeves.

Overall:

I definitely like this pattern. It's nice and form-fitting, so less of a boxy, casual, bumming around type sweater.  And as I grow up, I need those in my wardrobe too.  It's an easy pattern to get into one's hands, so it goes pretty quickly.  I did knit the whole thing in about a month, after all.  So... comfy, cute, quick knit (as sweaters go) - what's not to like?  :)

And of course, a required kitty picture.  I think every craft project I've made since we got him (certainly every knitting project) has Scruffy investigating/approving/sitting on whatever it is I'm trying to photograph!  And as his face says "Yeah? So? I'm the kitty!"

Oh How Pinteresting Wednesday: Some Necklaces

Another week, another Wednesday!

This week is a crafty post, showcasing a couple of necklaces using Pinterest pictures as inspiration.  Only one of the inspiration posts had instructions, mind you, so it's mostly just my takes on the original pieces.

First up, a button choker, from a post in Art Bead Scene.  The original post was about using buttons in one's jewelry projects, so check it out.  There are some fun ideas in there, beyond the Wild Horse Choker that was the inspiration for my necklace (the choker is named for the design on the button, a running horse, in case you're curious).  It's a very simple necklace, just a shank button with leather cording.  I found a large flower button that I liked at Hobby Lobby, so combined with some black leather lacing... Ta-da!   A nice neutral casual choker!

The hardest part was the knotting, so that it would slide enough to be adjustable but not slide out.  Just took a few tries to get the knot the right tension.  I also chose to omit the decorative bead at the knot.  No particular reason; I simply didn't have a bead that matched the brass/antique gold-ish button well enough :)  Sorry that the picture below is blurry...

The second piece is based on one in an etsy store, the Moving Waters Necklace by SC Designs Distinctive Artisian Jewelry.  The inspiration piece is all blues and pearls and sterling silver, while mine is more earth-tone jades and black.  Still, the basic idea of the one-sided beading and the beaded drop from a center ring carried through.  I like this one a lot, as those greens and neutrals coordinate with a lot in my closet :)

 

This is one of my mid-length necklaces, though the drop does make it a little longer.  Here it is being worn, so you have a sense of scale (Again, sorry it's a little blurry; I'm not great at the self-shots).

The last necklace has a pair of inspiration posts.  The first place I saw it was the simple News In Style post.  Yes, there are instructions there, but just the one pictures.  The second place I saw this style necklace was a post at Blue Cricket Design.  I used the instructions at Blue Cricket design a lot more, as they are more detailed and give a lot more helpful advice.  However, I didn't find usable chain at our hardware stores.  The style of chain they had was a different sort of link (or much heavier gauge), and just would not work for this project.  So, instead, I used a colored chain from Hobby Lobby.  The ribbon coordinates with flecks of color on the chain.  A very simple project, and I'm pretty please with the final results, as is Scruffy.

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week: Day 7

I made it!

 

Day seven: 3rd April. Your knitting and crochet time.

Write about your typical crafting time. When it is that you are likely to craft – alone or in more social environments, when watching TV or whilst taking bus journeys. What items do you like to surround yourself with whilst you twirl your hook like a majorette’s baton or work those needles like a skilled set of samurai swords. Do you always have snacks to hand, or are you a strictly ‘no crumbs near my yarn!’ kind of knitter.

Tips: Last year we had a topic asking about the actual location of where you knit or craft, this is similar but not the same. Try and concentrate on all of the little aspects that make up your knitting time. Maybe you always head for for your Flaming Lips CD when taking on simple knitting but prefer a bit of Brahms when tackling more intricate work, or maybe you enjoy knitting with audiobooks or complete silence. Perhaps your crochet time is never complete without a cuddle from Tiddles the cat.

Knitting time for me falls in one of 3 places - at home, Knit Nights, and while traveling.  Each has their own subtle differences, of course, allowing for differences in location and company.  So I'll break them down here.

Wherever - the Essentials.  Not really the Environment, so much, but definitely a part of my Knitting Time:

• A tote bag of project and supplies.
• I have a large pouch of my accessories that travel along as well - stitch markers, tape measure, needle gauge, pencil, etc.

At Home:

• A movie going, or a TV show - almost always.  I'm slowly getting into audiobooks, but as I've mentioned before, I'm a visual person, so I zone in and out of my listening.  When I have an audiobook going, it's gotta be a story I know very well or a book I've read before.  That way there are no surprises when I focus away from the story and come back - "Wait, who is this character again?  What just happened?"  The more complicated the pattern I'm working on, the more familiar the story needs to be, so I can tune it out and count stitches without losing the plot.
• Nestled into the couch or easy chair, TV table at the ready for my supplies.  I like having a table at the ready to set cable needles and the pattern and similar essentials
• Defense measure take to protect my project from Scruffy.  He likes sitting in my lap during a project, but he also likes chewing on the yarn, the needles, the needle cable for circulars, the row counter, the stitch markers... anything dangling close to his nose as he occupies the lap - which is pretty much everything but the worked piece.  So, I have to be prepared!

At Knit Nights - usually at a friend's place or at Starbucks (closest we have to a cafe here):

• A drink of some sort.  At Starbucks, obviously something coffee or tea related (my favorites are the Mocha and Caramel Light Frappucinos when it's hot, and Vanilla Chai Lattes or Skinny Caramel Macchiato when it's cold).  At my friend's place, usually a White Russian.  She makes great ones!  No complicated patterns on White Russian Night, though ;)

On the Go - This is usually in the car or the airport.  I just don't take the bus or subway in the areas where I live (not available!)

• Just the tote bag of essentials.  If I'm knitting while traveling, Zach (or someone else, but usually him) is driving, so I just chatter instead of listening to something.

And such is my knitting!  Always need the project and accessories, obviously, but I rarely knit while it's quiet,  needing either chatter or a movie/audiobook going.  And I don't have qualms about food or drink near the knitting.  I do try to keep it neat, though - a mild "no crumbs" rule.  And depending on the project, it might be stricter.  I Do, for example, worked in white cotton, did have a pretty strict no food rule :)

And such is my Knitting Environment!

Friday Feline!

 

Tired kitty face-plant on the sofa!  Just in case you needed something fuzzy and funny today :)

Still a classic

"War On String May Be Unwinnable, Says Cat General."

This is one of my absolute favorite Onion headlines of, well, let's face it, of all time. We use it all the time as Scruffy charges around the house attaching his archnemesis, Boot Lace. And now I find it's available on a magnet!! Awesome, simply awesome!!

Happiness is...

sunshine and a purple bucket!

I is for...

Inspection Committee!

I used to have a very thorough inspection process before I began projects. Joey insisted that he have approval and disapproval rights for yarn being used. As you know, bunnies are full of disapproval, so it was a very strict process indeed.

Honestly, though, it never was an intentional thing. I just find it very funny that the bunny was very curious about whatever yarn I had laid out. Because if he was out and about while I was sorting yarn, he would come over and investigate. In reality, I think he smelled the cedar sachets that I keep in the yarn tubs, but it's more fun to think that he was inspecting my choices. :)

Scruffy has his part in the inspection process as well, though he seems to be more interested once the yarn is no longer in skeins. He really doesn't pay attention to the yarn if it's not "on the loose" and thus a threat to the household. He is interested in the yarn once it is in projects, too. Of course, it's a running joke in the house that he cannot actually sit just on the floor, but has to sit ON something on the floor. My projects spread out as I take pictures are a perfect example of something to sit on.