Ribbing and just a few rows of a new pattern and yet I’m excited to show you the progress I made on a new project this week. A cable tunic with scooped neck from Kim Hargreaves’ Touching Elegance Collection using Rowan Kid Classic. What caught my eye in this pattern were the cables (cables like none I’ve knit before). Paging through A Treasury of Knitting Patterns I found they’re called Staghorn cables. Cushioning these wide, elegant panels are Trinity stitches. The knitting has been intense and satisfying, probably because I’m doing something interesting on every row. (Trinity stitches are worked on the wrong side.) Both of these stitches are commonly used in Aran knitting and although I’m not knitting a Fisherman’s sweater, someday I’d like to knit a sweater with fisherman’s ropes and lucky honeycomb stitches.

Posted by brooke at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Go over to Put Your Flare On and watch a great utube animated short.

(And if you haven't already, check out Kate Gilbert's link to another utube knit video.)

Posted by brooke at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It was one of those busy weeks where hardly a stitch was knit but knitting was always on my mind. What will I knit for Zimmermania? I wanted to knit the Loden Green Aran as my first project for this knit along but need a bit more time to find the perfect yarn. (And digest whether or not I can handle steeks.) Late Friday evening I remembered seeing a great hat, the Watch Cap, in The Opinionated Knitter using a stitch that Elizabeth Zimmerman calls Prime Rib (also known as brioche stitch). In Knitting Without Tears, she says that the stitch is often mistaken for Fisherman’s Rib, but that Prime Rib makes a much “richer and fruitier rib”. I’m casting on for the Watch Cap using the Manos del Uruguay on the right (it’s more golden than yellow in person) and size 9 needles. The pattern is in both books mentioned above.

Posted by brooke at 11:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Pattern: Anna Socks by Nina Chakkour, Rowan 40
Yarn: 3 balls of Rowan 4 ply soft (didn’t use the entire third ball)
Colour: Espresso
Needles: 3,25 mm and 3,0 mm lantern moon dpns
Gauge: 28 sts and 36 rows over patt using 3,25 mm needles
Started: 9.4.06
Finished: 9.15.06

Notes:
The leg
I tried the sock on as I knit and went down a needle size an inch or two below my calf. (I knit the leg for 27 cm and then switched.) I knit the ankle and foot of the socks using smaller needles and am happy with the fit. I thought about doing some calf decreases using the HJS Studio Shaping Knee Socks tutorial – entered in all my measurements but decided not to add shaping.

The heel
The last line of Shape Heel says to break the yarn and leave stitches on a holder. I didn’t break the yarn because the next step is to knit across these stitches and then pick up along the row-edge heel stitches. I wasn’t satisfied with the way I picked up the stitches on the second sock and pulled them out. And then something happened that I was not expecting - the edge of the heel flap started to unravel. I think I experienced a moment of knitting insanity when those stitches escaped. I quickly picked them up and then continued knitting the gusset. (Maybe they came out because earlier, when I knit the heel flap, I slipped the last stitch on every row.)

I decided to wait to cast on a new project and finish these socks. (Odd because I almost always cast on a new project after finishing one sock. Guess it was enjoyable knitting. I also realized that although socks are not my favorite garment to knit, I do like knitting lace socks!) I knit these while listening to Brenda Dayne's Cast On adventures in natural dyeing. What's your favorite knitting podcast?

Posted by brooke at 10:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)

Rowan Kid Classic, colour Crushed Velvet

The swatch for Victoria is now drying. The kit came wrapped in stripped brown paper stamped Royal Mail. Inside, a box filled with gorgeous yarn, pattern and a pretty little card (and a rep from Kim Hargreaves emailed me to make sure it “arrived safely”). This weekend I hope to start this project, continue to read a new book and take a walk or two outside.

Hope you all have a great weekend filled with good knitting!

Posted by brooke at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Thanks for your knitting expertise regarding increases. I used M1 left increases and then started the lace pattern on the next row. After knitting a few rounds I found that Veronique was right – the increases are practically invisible in the ribbing. There were four increases in the same row and I made them all lean left. (I may do paired increases as suggested by Julia and Siow Chin for the second sock. Not so much for looks I guess, but for the feel of things being balanced.)

I’ve been working on my must-knit list for the fall:

Sweaters
Aran Cardigan, Knitting Nature
Asymmetrical Cardigan, Knitting Nature I was going to knit the hex coat but now I want to knit this pretty, textured cardi.
Juno, Rowan 40

Vests/Tunics/Tanks
Victoria, Kim Hargreaves My next project.
Sizzle, Wendy Bernard

Socks
Anna socks, Rowan 40 in progress
Canyon Hiking socks, Julia Trice for Knit Café knee highs with calf shaping

Home
Log Cabin blanket, Mason Dixon Knitting I just got this book and I can’t believe how much I love it. I’m sure you’ve seen the gorgeous blankets knit by Cara and Terhi. I may even knit a dish or face cloth after seeing some over at Spitting Yarn.

Baby, Lace and Accessories – tbd.

What’s at the top of your must-knit list?

Posted by brooke at 06:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

Need your knitting help.
I’m increasing the amount of stitches I have on the needles on the last rib row for the anna socks using M1. Do you always knit into the back of the horizontal loop when it is in ribbing? For example, if I M1 between two purls or M1 between a knit and a purl-do I do anything different? Is there more than one way to make one?

Posted by brooke at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Pattern: hydrangea socks, petals collection
Yarn: Sundara Yarn
Needles: 2.75mm
Gauge: 18 sts/2 inches in pattern
Started: 8.25.06
Completed: 9.2.06
Notes: Second sock/gusset, I lost track of the decrease rounds and didn’t count the stitches before I knit the foot of the sock. When I got to the toe decreases I realized that I had two extra stitches. I don’t think it made a huge difference, but I still wish I had checked the number of stitches on the needles before continuing the foot.

Yarn for my next pair of socks, Rowan 4ply soft in espresso.

ETA: I’m in the habit of buying one extra ball of yarn for all my projects. Sorry I didn’t realize I threw in that extra ball when taking a picture of the Rowan yarn above. The pattern requires 4 balls and uses needles US3.

Posted by brooke at 01:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)