More Finished Objects: Shawls

I've been busy knitting and, therefore, not blogging. Since my last post, I've completed four shawls: A Little Jazz, Peruvian Central, another A Little Jazz, and a test knit I can't talk about yet. I've also knit a sweater for my oldest grand-nephew and a jacket. This post is about the shawls.

A Little Jazz, designed by Samantha Roshak, can be worn as a shawlette or a scarf. The first one I knit was a Christmas gift. This one was knit in Dream in Color Starry in a unknown colorway (possibly Honeymoon). It's a pretty rose color. (As always, click on any photo to enlarge.)

A Little Jazz is an easy, fairly fast knit---all garter stitch. It is con- structed with "no-wrap" short rows. Although I knit it as the pattern stated, I think it would be as easy or easier to end each short row with a wrapped stitch. I started the shawlette on 20 October and finished on 10 November, and it was not my main knitting project during that time. This shawlette used 446 yards of yarn, a few yards less than the full skein.

Next up, and another blip in my "race to the finish" (an attempt to finish a number of projects that have been languishing on the needles for a while), was a test knit. The Peruvian Central Shawl is crescent-shaped shawl with a garter-stitch body. Mine was knit in Alchemy Juniper in the Autumn Ecstasy colorway and used two skeins of yarn.

I wanted this shawl to be usable as a scarf or shawlette because I knew the recipient would most likely wear it as a scarf. For that reason, I blocked it in a rather unusual way, as shown in the photo to the right. The photo was taken at night, under artificial light, which washed out the color. The resulting shawl had a 60-inch wingspan and was 13 inches deep, and the recipient loved it!

I started Peruvian Central on 21 November and finished on 26 November, so it, too, was a fast kniit.

The third shawl was another A Little Jazz, this one for me. I call it A Little Jazz II. This one was knit with Fiesta Baby Boom in the Spring Chill colorway. I cannot get a good photograph of the yarn color variations, so this photo is the one on the front of the pattern.

Based on the size of the first A Little Jazz, which was knit on a US5 needle, I knit A Little Jazz II on a US6, since I am 7 or 8 inches taller than the recipient of the pink A Little Jazz.  A Little Jazz II used 438.5 yards of the 440-yard skein, and I was holding my breath during the the last half of the bind-off, hoping I would not run out of yarn. This shawlette is not as deep as the pink one: 9.5 inches compared to 10.5 inches for the first one. I started A Little Jazz II on 10 November and finished on 10 December, and it was not my primary, or even my secondary, knitting project during that time. It's a great carry-with-you-and-knit-anywhere project.

I'll post about the final shawl, a lovely lace confection, when the pattern has been published.

What have you been knitting?

Susannah

October Finished Objects!

I finished other three knitted objects in October, in addition to the Sabrina Shawl, which I blogged about last time. One of the FOs (finished objects) started as a shawlette, but ended up being a shawl; the other was a fun, I-can't-resist scarf; the final one was my it-seems-like-it's-taking-forever Girasole.

The shawl-shawlette I call the Shoulder Shawlette or Lorna's Shawlette, because it was designed by Lorna Miser as a practice piece for her Grandma Helen's Lace Shawl. Lorna did a workshop at my LYS (local yarn store) in mid-June. Before the workshop, everyone had to knit the body of the shawlette. How to knit the lace edging and crochet and bead the edging  were the subject of the workshop. (As always, click on any photo to enlarge.)

Since this was supposed to be a small practice piece, I chose a skein of yarn I didn't particularly like, due to green (which was, initially, the main color I saw). As I was knitting the body of the shawlette, however, all the lovely purples and greys appeared, making the shawlette a lot more interesting. During the workshop, I got most of the lace edging done. After the workshop, those gorgeous colors haunted---or, perhaps, taunted---me. Was this shawlette going to remain a small practice piece, or was I going to do more with it?

After two months, I finally decided: the shawlette was going to become a shawl. To make that transformation, I had to rip out the lace edging I'd knit, knit a larger shawl body, then reknit the lace edging. I did two pattern repetitions of the lace edging---and ran out of yarn near the end of the next to last row.

Catastrophe! I had chosen this yarn for this project because I had only a single skein. I dug through my stash, looking for more Kureyon Sock yarn, and finally found a skein that had a similar purple and a green that was close in color to the original skein. I'm delighted with the final result, shown above.

This was my first beaded shawl, my first crocheted anything in 20 years, and my first significant redesign of someone else's pattern. The shawl was knit with Noro Kureyon Sock in the S188 colorway, with the final row and crocheted edging in Kureyon Sock S219. I used 527 yards, and the shawl is 64 inch by 26 inch, excluding the crocheted edging.

I started the shawlette on 13 June, worked on it through 15 June, then set it aside. On 24 September, I picked it up again, increased the size, etc., and finished the shawl on 12 October.

My second finished object in October was a fun, I-can't-resist scarf. The yarn is net, with loops at one edge through which one "knits." I saw someone at my LYS starting one, and it looked fun. It would have been more fun for an English knitter; I'm a Continental knitter, and I had to "knit English" for this project. Even so, it took me only a couple hours to complete the scarf.

The scarf was knit with Filatura di Crosa's Moda yarn in colorway 18. The pattern can be found on the Filatura di Crosa website, under Moda Scarf or Ruffled Spiral Scarf (its official name). I started this scarf on 12 October and finished on 17 October. It requires one skein of Moda, which is about 16.5 yards, and the resulting scarf is about 54 inches long. I did not block my scarf.

My third finished object in October was a Girasole Shawl. This shawl's pattern was designed by Jared Flood.  I started my Girasole last year, worked on it fairly steadily for about three months, then set it aside while I tried to decide on an alternate edging. (Do you see a pattern emerging here?) I haven't blocked the Girasole yet, so I'll blog about it in a few days when it's ready for viewing.

What have you been knitting? As you can see, I'm been trying to finish up some older projects before starting new ones.

Susannah

February: Two FOs and an Almost Finished One

February is a short month, which I usually think is good, since it is the depths of winter, but this month I could have used a few more days. I did knit a pair of socks---and most of a second pair---and have continued sporadically working on a shawl.

The first pair of socks was Wendy Johnson's Riding on the Metro Socks, from her book, Socks from the Toe Up. The socks were knit in Dream in Color Smooshy (my favorite sock yarn) in the Visual Purple (VS180) colorway. (As always, click on any photo to enlarge.) I had to modify the socks to fit my narrow feet, so instead of having parallel "columns" of stitches on the sides, my socks have only one column. They were fun to knit, although the pattern didn't make my "top five" list of Ms. Johnson's sock patterns. I started the socks on 01 February and finished on 25 February.

The second pair of socks, Ms. Johnson's Sportweight Socks with Gusset Heel, were knit with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport yarn, in the Lakeview (504) colorway. The socks are an easy, fast knit. This pair, like the previous pair, is knee length. I started these socks of 24 February, although I didn't knit past the toe increases until I'd finished the previous pair. I finished these socks on 05 March. Technically, that makes them February-March socks, but I'm counting them for February, since I was unable to take a good photo of them until this morning.

I am also plugging away on my third shawl of 2011. There is no pattern to speak of, only the center and edge increases. The absence of a pattern makes the shawl a good project to carry around and knit on, but it's also rather boring. The shawl is about two-thirds complete.

I have not  yet blocked the first two shawls (Multnomah and Gaia), which I knit in January. I could not block the shawls when I finished them because I still had pins in my foot from surgery right before Christmas. But the pins have been out for nearly a month, and this week is Spring Break, so the shawls will be blocked this week.

After finishing the Sportweight Socks on 05 March, I started my March socks on 06 March. More about the March socks in a future post.

What are you knitting this month?

Susannah

More December Finished Objects!

I'd better post photos of the rest of the knitting projects I finished in December. (Particularly since I completed my first FO for 2011 yesterday.)

The first item, the Frosting Shawlette by Erica Jackofsky (a.k.a. Fiddle Knits), was knit in July and August (27 July--11 August), but not blocked until the weekend before Christmas. The shawlette, which was a fun, fairly fast, and easy project, was still one from which I learned something new. I had never encountered bird's-eye lace before, but as you can see from the photo, the border of the shawlette is all bird's-eye lace. (As always, click on any photo to enlarge.)

The Frosting Shawlette was knit in Frog Creek Fibers Verdant yarn, in the Cinnamon Toast colorway. I liked this yarn a lot; unfortunately, the dyers are on an indefinite hiatus. This shawlette was my Christmas gift to my son's girlfriend.

The next finished object, another shawl, was also started in the summer. I designed this shawl to be knit with one skein of yarn, and started knitting it in mid-August. I knit on it for three days, then set it aside, and didn't pick it up again until the day after Christmas, and finished it in three days. When I picked it up again, I ripped out several rows and changed the pattern---unfortunately, not for the better. But it was my first triangular shawl design, and I learned several things from it, so in that respect, it was a success. This shawl was knit in Great Adirondack Silky Sock, in the Grenada colorway. Since this shawl was an experiment, I made it for myself.

My third finished object in December was a Lacy Karius shawl that I'd started in the summer. It, too, sat for a long time---in this case because I found knitting it very boring. It was knit with Socks That Rock lightweight yarn in the Bejewelled colorway. I had never knit with this yarn before, and although I liked it, it was thicker than I expected---closer to sport-weight than fingering. (Or, to use the Yarn Council's terms, more fine than superfine.) The colors are glorious; the pattern, as the second photo shows, not very exciting at all.

My final finished object for 2010 was the pair of socks I knit in December. These socks are Wendy Johnson's Basic Gusset Heel Socks. I knit them using Opal Antonia aus Tirol yarn, colorway 2802. I started the socks on 04 December, finished the knitting on 30 December, then wove in the ends and blocked the socks on 31 December. Since I wasn't sure I would finish the socks before or after Christmas, I made them for myself. : )

Did you end the year with a knitting blitz? I had hoped to finish a few more things, but...

Susannah

Finished Objects!

I have finished several projects this month---three shawls and my July pair of socks.

The first object finished was a scarf/shawlette. The pattern is called Baktus. It's a simple, easy knit---all garter stitch---and it is knit from one side to the other. Mine was knit with two skeins of Crystal Palace Mini Mochi yarn in the Tropical Ginger colorway. I started this scarf on 29 June and finished on 11 July. This scarf will be a Christmas present for my youngest sister or one of my nieces. Once I have all my Christmas knitting done, I will decide who gets what item. (As always click on any photo to enlarge.)

The second object finished was a lace scarf for which I test knit the pattern. The pattern is called Easy Bamboo Lace Scarf, and it is by Michelle Miller (a.k.a. Fickleknitter). My scarf is made out of Monkeypal Superwash Sock yarn, in the Purple People Eater colorway. It was a fast, fun, and easy knit. I started on 08 July and finished on 15 July, despite several restarts attempting to get gauge. The photo at left, taken while the scarf was still on the block board, shows the pattern better; the photo on the right shows the color variation and the "big picture."

My third finished object was a shawl. (Are you noticing a trend here?) The pattern is Reflection Shawl by Ruth Greenwald. It is knit with Fleece Artist BFL Sock yarn in a colorway dyed for a sock yarn club I belong to. (BFL is Blue-Faced Leicester.) This was the first time I'd used a yarn with a BFL base, and I liked it. This shawl was also a fast knit. I started on 17 July, restarted (because I thought my cast-on was too tight) late (nearly midnight) on 18 July, and finished on 24 July. This shawl was knit from the neck down---but started with only 11 stitches (the center panel and two stitches on either side of it). As I neared the end of the pattern, I had plenty of yarn left, so after determining how many yards it took to knit a row, and how many yards of yarn I had left, I added ten rows of eyelet alternating with garter stitch ridges before the final rows of eyelet and garter stitch. This shawl is my younger sister's Christmas present. When I opened the package and saw the yarn, my first thought was "Linda yarn." Her favorite color is yellow.

My fourth---and final---finished object this month was my July pair of socks. These are Wendy Johnson's Serpentine Socks from Socks From the Toe Up. My socks are knit with Colinette Jitterbug, a wonderful sportweight sock yarn that I had never used before, in the Blue Parrot colorway. Although at first glance the pattern appears to be cables, there is nary a cable to be found. The movement of the stitches is accomplished by strategically placed yarn overs and knit two togethers or yarn overs and slip-slip-knits. The bottom photo shows the pattern and the color variation in the yarn. These socks were another fast, fun knit. I started my socks on 01 July, knit regularly on them until the heels were turned on 06 July, then got distracted by shawls, etc., and barely touched them again until the end of last week. I finished my socks on 27 July.

As you can see, I knit until I was almost out of yarn, resulting in knee socks. The socks hadn't been blocked yet when this picture was taken, which is why I'm modelling them instead of my sock blockers doing the modelling.

Although I hoped to finish a few projects that have been languishing on the needles for a while, I wasn't able to do that. But I have been working on the sleeves of my great-niece's sweater-tunic.

I've been wanting to start a sweater. I've knit the gauge swatch, and since the sweater is an Aran with a lot of different cables, I'm knitting a swatch cap, so I'll know the gauge for each of the cables. Before I can start the sweater, though, I have to finish the one of the Adult Surprise Jackets, since my two US8 size long circular needles are being used on the ASJs.

The wedding stole I'm test knitting is coming along. I'm about halfway through the third pattern repetition.

What are you knitting this summer?

Susannah

New Projects, Old Projects, Languishing-on-the-Needles Projects

I have some FOs (finished objects) to show you as soon as the second one comes off the blocking board. These finished objects are not socks.

Are you amazed? Astounded? Flabbergasted?

I am even a bit surprised. In fact, the pair of July socks that had its heels turned on 06 July is still a couple inches short of a leg. And, if that weren't enough, the third June pair of socks, which had one heel flap knit on 05 July, is still waiting for the other heel flap to be knit (and the legs).

So what have I been knitting? Scarves and shawls.

The two finished objects are both scarves. And I have three other scarves/shawls on the needles.

Why three more? A hard one, an easy (i.e., almost mindless) one, and one that requires thought and stitch counting but not to the exclusion of everything else.

One of the shawls, a wedding stole, is knit in cobweb lace. I have not knit with cobweb lace since I was a kid. On this project, I got off to a rough start. There was an error in the pattern directions, which I did not realize until after I had knit the first row and still had four stitches on the needle. Ripped out, restarted, got through the first row just fine...and somehow lost a stitch---a yarn-over---when I purled back. Ripped and restarted (again).  The third time, I added two rows of stockinette stitch at the bottom of the pattern. Since I always cast on to a larger needle, I was having a hard time starting the lace pattern and changing from one needle to  a smaller one, so I gave myself the two rows of stockinette to change needles and to establish the border, and to set two markers in open sections of the pattern.

The markers made a big difference. Instead of counting from the beginning, I only had to count 36-40 stitches. I could count stitches in each section as I knit them and when I reached the marker, to ensure I hadn't dropped a stitch or lost a yarn-over or, on the back side, inadvertently purled a yarn-over together with the next stitch.

After about 10 rows, I decided that the yarn needed a larger needle. But I'm test knitting this pattern for the designer, who wants to know the gauge I get with a US3 needle, so I had to change the yarn, since I couldn't change the needle.

With the second yarn (the cobweb lace) and with the pattern error in the first row corrected, and with two stockinette rows at the beginning and two markers in open sections of the pattern, I haven't had to tink back more than 40 stitches. (And I've only had to do that once.)  But I can only knit four rows at a time, then I have to do something else for a while.

The stole coming along, but s-l-o-w-l-y. The pattern is 113 stitches wide, with 36 rows. The stole requires ten pattern repetitions. I'm ready to knit row 19 in the first pattern repetition.

More on the other scarves/shawls later. This month I'm also determined to finish some projects that have been languishing on the needles for months: the two Adult Surprise Jackets (one is called Coat of Many Colors) and my oldest grandniece's sweater-tunic. Watch the progress bars on the left (in the "On the Needles" section) to see if---and how quickly---I follow through.

Once I get those finished, there's another project, called Purple Jacket, that hasn't been touched for about a year. Partly that was due to my gauge change, partly to a lack of time, and partly because the sections of the project still to be knit aren't as interesting as the initial section.

What are you knitting? Have you made any knitting resolutions this summer?

Susannah