Tag: laceknitting

Summer Top Knitting and Reading

Muqarnas knitting closeup raglan

This will be a quick update on my summer top knitting and also my summer reading.

Knitting

We will get to the knitting first.

I am excited that I have joined on the sleeves to the body on my Muqarnas. I am making good progress on the raglan decreases now.

Muqarnas knitting Classic Merino Bamboo yarn sleeves joined

When the sleeves are first knitted onto the body, for my size, you only decrease on the body sections for awhile. I am past that point now, and I am knitting all eight decreases every other round. It is going well, except for the head scratching at times. I have to figure for myself how to keep the lace going and still ensure the decreases are accomplished. The decreases aren’t charted, in other words. You have to assess on every decrease round to work it out.

Muqarnas knitting Classic Merino Bamboo yarn
Muqarnas knitting closeup raglan

I do like how it is looking so far. I steamed the body before I joined on the sleeves. You can tell where the new knitting above the joined sleeves is, by that front center marker, and the more crinkly stitches.

My favorite feature is the lace pattern that goes doubled up the side seams and is split into singles at the raglan decreases. I haven’t checked the gauge. I am waiting for the wet blocking and hoping for the best.

Reading

In my last post, I shared my June reads and my (then) current July reads.

  • Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen (reading for Jane Austen July) A re-read for me which I thoroughly enjoyed *****
  • Memorial Days – Geraldine Brooks (first read of this author, reading to fulfill a Kindle Challenge, borrowed in Libby) I liked this one enough that I picked up Horse to read in the near future ****
  • Complete Stories of Eudora Welty (about halfway through this book which is actually 5 published collections in one volume) Still dipping into this a few times a week.

Recently Finished and Currently Reading

  • Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Levin – So many people recommend this one, so I had to see what all the fuss was about. It was okay, but maybe just not for me. I am not into gaming, but the story was interesting most of the time. ***
  • Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster – This was good and a short read, which is perfect for summer. ****
  • Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash – I picked this up because of the cover and the summary. I am a sucker for a book with a title/art that is sea/ocean themed. It’s also WWII era historical fiction. Sign me up! I am still reading this and I am really enjoying it!

Shop Updates

Knitting Notions wood darning eggs
Knitting Notions wood darning eggs

We have some new Darning Eggs in the shop this week. We have been working on re-stocking the Walnut, Maple, and Hackberry. Production is currently on pause while Jerry is working on another project.

Do you remember in December 2023 when the tornado totaled my brand new trailer? We haven’t known what to do with it. The insurance paid us about half what we paid for it but didn’t salvage it. Last spring Jerry stripped it to this point. I jokingly referred to it as a “gorilla cage” which of course he must have broken out of.

gorilla cage trailer

We didn’t know for sure what to do with it at that point. So, there is sat for over a year. He finally decided to just strip it down to a flatbed frame and see what we can do with it. The tires are practically brand new. They alone are worth over $1000 to buy new. We hated to just junk it and keep the tires for my current trailer.

flatbed trailer 7x16
flatbed trailer 7x16 2

So, I have no idea what will come of this, but I’ll keep you posted.

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A Completed Sweater and New Knitting

Miss BB sweater front

My Miss BB Sweater is all finished! I also started a couple of new knitting projects.

Sweater

The seaming was problem free. All the pieces fit together as they should. I got it all done in a couple of sessions.

Miss BB sweater front
Miss BB sweater back

I went to Joann’s and got some buttons and grosgrain ribbon. I hand sewed in the ribbon to the inside of the button bands to stabilize them. It also adds more fabric for attaching the buttons. I am very fastidious when I sew in buttons, but they still fall off frequently. I hope this will help with that.

I am very happy with the finished sweater. The fit is roomy but not too oversized. This is going to be a nice outerwear garment for chilly days.

New Knitting

Now that my sweater is finished, I have cast on a new shawl/scarf. I showed you the yarn for the Veritas Shawl in May. It is Monologue by LMFA.

Now, you have probably noticed if you have been reading my blog for awhile, that I am a pretty experienced lace knitter, right? This pattern is intense. The set up and first chart (about 28-30 rows) took my most of last Sunday afternoon.

I spent a good deal of this Saturday and Sunday working on the set up for the next section. I am now at the point where all the elements are on the go. There are five parts to each row. There are edge stitches at the beginning and end of the rows. In between are three different stitch patterns. I feel like I have a handle on them now. When I was just starting them, it was constant chart checking.

Veritas Shawl 1
First full chart
Veritas Shawl 2
all sections begun

You can see here how I had to print out the pattern so I could easily have everything visible. This is my one complaint about the pattern. The formatting of the charts and row directions are all over the place. The information is there and correct but it isn’t very user friendly.

I am really happy with how it looks now that is starting to look like something. While I was on the first chart, it was hard to tell what I was knitting.

Another New Project

While I was in Joann’s getting the stuff for the sweater, I picked up some yarn I saw on sale. I never do this but I had just been thinking how I haven’t made a summer sweater in ages. I also have not knit with linen and would like to try some. I saw this cotton/linen blend and couldn’t resist.

I went looking for some pattern ideas. I love Anne Hanson’s designs and looked there first. I found a few options but decided on Summershine Top. I did some swatching since this yarn is new to me. I used US 6 and then again on US 4. The gauge and fabric were better on the US 4’s.

patons linen swatches
Summershine Top sleeve linen

Since I was unsure how gauge might change on the project, I decided to start with a sleeve and after washing it I will check gauge again.

I am also thinking that I will make a second garment using my Organic Cotton Sport for a booth sample. I will probably cast on a sleeve in that yarn as soon as I complete the cotton/linen one. I can knit them concurrently. I should have two sleeves completed by next time. I will also be sharing a new product on the website!

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Flames and Lace and the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival

I have published my pattern for the shawl. I named it Flames and Lace because there were a lot of other designs already that were using my initial idea, Candle Flames. I have it on the website and on Ravelry for $6.

Flames and Lace Stole Knitting Pattern

I did get it written in time for the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival last weekend. I even wore it in the booth and got many compliments on it. We also have a new batch of Yarn Boxes in some woods we have been out of for a time. We have Mahogany, Oak, and Cherry for $60 and Walnut for $65. They were very popular in the booth!

I am currently in Ohio for the Wool Gathering festival at Young’s Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs. I will be getting the booth ready tomorrow. This festival is all outdoors in big tents. We usually have pretty nice weather so I hope that holds true this year too. The market opens on Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 10-4.

I have a few hours of downtime this afternoon and hope to get a bit of knitting done on Saltarello. Here’s how it is looking at this point.

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Time to Head Back Out on the Fiber Market Trail

Southern Comforts Fiber Market

Wells kids, it’s time to head back out on the fiber market trail. Break time is coming to an end and I am off to Charlotte, NC for the Southern Comforts Fiber Market. Click the link for more details. I am looking forward to using my new trailer. I have taken it for a few spins just to check on the brake adjustments and such. Restocking the booth between market days is going to be much easier with all the room to spare. It’s all stocked and ready to hitch up today. I will be driving on Wednesday, setting up on Thursday, and market days are Friday and Saturday.

Oh! I forgot to tell you, we found a new owner for the old black trailer. Hopefully, someone will fix her up and get some more use out of her for many more years.

Knitting

I am glad to be feeling myself again today because I was feeling under the weather for 3-4 days. So much so in fact, that I wasn’t up to knitting. I would pick it up and realize I just didn’t have the energy. I wasn’t severely ill, it was just a low grade fever that hung on for days and a couple days of lower GI discomforts, but knitting a lace edging was a bit taxing. After countless cups of various herbal and medicinal teas, and quite a few bowls of chicken soup, I am grateful that I was feeling better by Sunday. I wanted a least a few days to get back on my feed before hitting the road.

Before I got sick, I had started and completed one of the repeats of the lace edging on my shawl design. I decided 3 skeins would be a decent size. I had 20g of yarn left and the edging should only use 17g, so I should be good. I didn’t touch it again until yesterday. When I picked it back up, I worked 3 repeats in one sitting. There are only 18 repeats across and each is 12 rows. The end is in sight! I am excited to see how it looks when it’s blocked.

Work Shop News

Just a day or so before I was briefly out of commission, we decided it was a good time to make a visit to our lumber supplier. The plan had been to work on more Shawl/Hair Sticks for awhile and get more lumber in the fall. We had bought a few new boards of exotics last month at Woodcraft for these. We revised that plan, however, and decided it was better to go ahead and start a batch of Yarn Boxes first. We had completed a small batch in June to fill out the inventory some, but one wood is already sold out. Time to make more boxes. Who remembers the old Dunkin Donuts commercial? You know the one? “It’s time to make the donuts”, says the sleepy guy who is rising in the middle of the night to get the dough started. That’s what I thought of just now. LOL

While I was trying to get healthy again, Jerry has been busy cutting, sorting, jointing, and planing wood. We bought some walnut, cherry, and white oak. We haven’t made any cherry boxes for quite a few years, and while we use oak quite frequently, it is usually red oak. At this point in the process, they are now all planed to the proper thickness and ready to be marked out for cutting down to the dimensions needed for the sides, tops and bottoms. Then the joinery cuts are made and they get assembled and glued together. There are dozens more steps after that to get to the finished product. These are probably the most labor intensive, as far as number of processing steps, of anything we make.

Parting Comments

Thanks for the comments on my new office. I am really enjoying having my own space. As a matter of fact I am writing this post from there. I got a couple better desk lamps and a desk stuff organizer. I have a comfy chair, which I am in now, for work like this. I am, however, realizing that the kitchen chair as a desk chair is going to have to go. It’s not inviting to sit in for any task longer than, say packing an order. So, I am in the market for a suitable replacement. Maybe I’ll have found one by my next post. We’ll see. See you soon!

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We are Wrapping Up the Summer Break Time

Yarn Dyeing

It’s the end of July and that means we are wrapping up the summer break time. The yarn is all dyed, labeled and in it’s storage bins. About 2/3 of the yarn is in the trailer and the remainder is stowed in the work room as back up to restock the trailer during the late summer and fall show season.

Yarn Bowls

In addition to yarn dyeing, we have some new Yarn Bowls in the works. We will be bringing a selection of these to the festivals and adding them to the website. There are a large variety of woods and sizes, so the best way to see them is in person. The woods used include oak, cherry, walnut, and mahogany. We ended up with so many different sizes that we will have a range of prices to fit most budgets and uses. They will vary from $40 to $70.

Fiber Festivals

I will be heading off to Charlotte, NC on August 9th for the Southern Comforts Fiber Market. The festival will be at the Oasis Shriner’s Auditorium on August 11-12, 2023. We have a full schedule after that, so hopefully you can make it out to one. I would love to see you!

Knitting

I have been working on my new shawl design when I can. I would love to have this finished and ready for displaying in the booth soon. You may recall that I am using my Classic Merino Bamboo yarn for this shawl. The pattern will be forth coming as soon as I decide on a stopping point.

At this point I could work one more repeat of the lace pattern and still have enough yarn left for the edging. I am currently on the the third skein. The shawl measures around 65″ long unblocked. If I add another section and the edging, it will add around 7″. That’s 72″ before blocking. I think I may want it about a foot longer. That’s my indecision at this point. Do I stop at a 3 skein project? Or continue on and use some of a 4th skein?

Is bigger better in this case? ;-)

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What a Week

It has been a full week around here. We finished the yarn dyeing on Monday. That day we dyed greys and teals. It was a half days work.

220 skeins

After we were all cleaned up for the day we got a text from the Ford dealership where we were looking into getting a new truck for me since my beloved 2014 F 150 has 120,000 miles on it now and Jerry wanted me to get a new one. The sales guy had one with the specs we wanted but it had some transportation damage that needed repaired. We went out and took a look and agreed on our terms for the purchase. From there it as a few days wait for the repairs to be completed.

In the mean time my mother, who had rapidly declining health and was in a nursing home took a down turn on Wednesday. We went out there and sat with her for awhile but she was totally unconscious. She passed away later that night. We knew it was coming and most of the arrangements were already taken care of. In a way it was a relief and probably was to her as well since her quality of life was reduced so much in the last two years. I am hopeful she is reunited with my Dad and happy for the first time in I can’t remember when.

Anyway, so around this time I got a contact from the alpaca mill I do dyeing work for that they had work for me. That was delivered to me on Thursday. We also got the call that the truck was ready so we went and finished that purchase. So I have a new ride.

We got the fiber order dyed today and can now get back to work getting all the yarn labeled.

Oh, I almost forgot! I am so close to finished the Midlothian shawl. I haven’t had much knitting time this week but as soon as I can devote a couple hours to do the picot bind off, it’s done. Maybe by my next post I will have a finished project to show you.

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Two Things

Good morning! Over the weekend I bound off and blocked my Debussy Shawl. I wore it this morning too while I had my quiet time with my coffee and reading. It was still a bit chilly this morning but we are in for some warmer, brighter days this week. Spring is coming soon!

I ended up doing only one extra repeat of chart 5 for a total of 8. The medium size has 7 and the large has 10. I weighed my remaining yarn between the end of the 7th repeat and the end of the 8th. I found that I used 35g for that repeat. I determined I would need at least 25-30g to do the final edge chart and at that time had 51g, so clearly there was not enough yarn to do anymore repeats of chart 5. I proceeded with the 18 rows of chart 6 and I have 21g left over.

I measured it this morning after being off the blocking pins for a little while. The long side, which is the diagonal edge is about 69″ and the shortest side is 41″. The measurement down from the top (longest edge) to the point, if you were wearing it like a triangle shawl is about 30″. So all that means it is pretty close to the largest size in Dee’s pattern even without the other two repeats. It’s a nice size but not huge.

I got straight to work on my gansey design after finishing the shawl. I decided to use my Classic Merino Superwash Sport yarn. I then decided that the Earl Grey would make a nice color that I hoped would show off the stitch patterns well. I know that traditionally ganseys were made with dark blue yarn and I did consider using my Midnight Blue, but I could see it in the Earl Grey in my head and went for it. I dyed 10 skeins, figuring I will probably use at least 6 for the 42″ sweater I am planning.

I worked up a stockinette swatch on size 4US needles and got a gauge of 5.5 stitches and 8.5 rows per inch. I used a remnant of Emerald for the plain swatch while waiting for the grey to dry. I spent some time perusing and selecting a stitch pattern arrangement. I graphed a portion for swatching and used the grey for that. I ended up making a minor change after knitting a few rows. Maybe you can see in the swatch that the ribbing between the double moss at the left side and the chevron in the middle. I changed that vertical column to seed stitch so it wouldn’t recede so much.

I like how the elements look next to each other. I began knitting the bottom welt last night. I am using size 3US needles for the garter welts and will do that for the definition ridges in the body and sleeves as well. I am doing the bottom welts separate for front and back and will join to work in the round leaving them separate but with a slight overlap at the side seam point. I did go with the channel island cast on for it. It’s a bit fiddly at first but not difficult once you get the rhythm down and it looks nice. I knit a 2″ long welt because I don’t like a welt that flips up.

Okay, that’s it for now. I should get the second welt done today and have it on the circular needles working the main body very soon. I am excited!

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Favorite Socks

I just love these socks! They are so comfy and warm. The fit is perfect and they are definitely my new favorite pair of hand knit socks. I’m not sure if it’s the pattern or the yarn. I’ll probably be making this pattern again though. It as fast, interesting and easy.

I have been wearing my hand knit socks a lot this winter. I tend to wear them only when I am home for the winter since it’s hard to properly wash hand knit socks while traveling. I just save them up for the week and then just throw them in the sink with some shampoo to soak for awhile. When they have finished their bath I toss them in the washing machine for a rinse and spin cycle and lay them out to dry on the dryer or a table in the work room. Easy enough at home but more challenging in a hotel room. :-)

I have only one project left going at this point. I’m plugging away on my DeBussy shawl and have switched over to a longer needle. I have completed 4 of the chart repeats and joined on the second skein. I will see where I am on yarn supply and size when I complete the minimum of 7 repeats. I am thinking I would like it on the large side and I would rather use as much of the yarn as possible, so I may be going for the 10 repeats if I can.

I haven’t forgotten that gansey I want to start, so that may be happening soon now that I have only the one thing going.

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Startitis

I have been stash diving this week and it appears that I have a bad case of startitis. This is a rare affliction for me. I am typically project monogamous. The other notable change is that none of these are booth samples. I know! It’s been awhile since I just knit some stuff on a whim, and it’s pretty fun actually.

So here’s what’s on my needles at the moment. Riveting, I know. :-)

First up is Debussy, which I have knit before as a booth sample in my DK weight Merino yarn but this one is just for fun in some Cestari Wool/Cotton blend that has been in my stash for about 10 years. It’s slightly rustic looking which I think will make a nice all-season wrap.

Next up is a pair of socks. It’s been too long since I made any socks and I wanted a variety to switch back and forth on. I decided to make a pair of Gridiron Socks, in another long marinating yarn. The story behind this yarn and the one in my other project below goes back to 2009. I was in a online group, I think it was on Ravelry originally, with a handful of other hand dyers. We decided to do a collaboration yarn club. I think we called it Fiber Baristas? Anyway, we each were dyeing up a unique colorway for one of the installments and agreed to send a skein to each other as well. It was fun and I am finally getting around to using a couple of mine.

This last project is a cowl pattern my second daughter wrote for me using my Classic Merino Superwash Sock yarn about 10-12 years ago I think. It’s called Spiral Effect Cowl and I have made it a couple times before as a booth sample in that yarn. This one is made using another indie dyed yarn from the above club though. The cat (Mimi) is a bonus today. :-)

Oh, and I almost forgot! I finished my third booth sample I was knitting over the weekend before the stash dive. I think I will save that for another post after I can get a chance to get some better pictures maybe. Here’s sneak peek though.

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Presenting…

Honeydew Lace Square all blocked and posing for the glamour shots.

This color is very hard to photograph because it really is a bit of a chameleon which changes due to light source. It is the Classic Merino Superwash Sock in Lavender. As I mentioned last time I used 4 skeins with 5g leftover using US4 needles.

Here is the original lace weight version along with the new version for fingering weight. I spent all of Saturday afternoon and into the evening editing and updating the pattern to include the new fingering weight instructions. I also made some corrections to the border charts and stitch counts for that section. The updated pattern is listed on the website and on Ravelry. If you already own the digital pattern, you will have gotten an update pushed to you. If you bought a print version at a festival and would like the update via email, please let me know and I am happy to send along the PDF. Contact me at knittingnotions@gmail.com.

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