Icelandic knitting

The Nov/Dec 2011 issue of Piecework magazine is due to newstands the first of November. November? Wow. This year is just flying past.

I'm not sure what happened to October. It blew past me so fast. But what a month! The weather was just wonderful and such a relief. I thought for a moment that we weren't going to get much color, but right at the very end, and all at once, the beautiful colors of autumn were there. A balm.

Now. Back to Piecework. This issue is all about wool. There is an article about four rare breeds of sheep with projects to make from each different wool. And that cover pattern? The Icelandic Beret? Well that is an Evelyn A. Clark pattern! Even though I've never worn a beret in my life and really can't picture myself becoming a beret-wearer, you know I'm going to want to knit it. In fact, I already want to knit it. I would have to order the Icelandic wool if I do. Not a lot of thick Icelandic wool around here.

If you read Franklin Habit's blog, The Panopticon, then you've already seen his wonderful photos from his recent trip to Iceland and you've seen the lopapeysa (traditional Icelandic yoked sweater) he's knitting. According to Evelyn, in the article her pattern accompanies, sheep outnumber people 3:1 in Iceland.

sock sack

Remember me telling you that I made another Sock Sack? Well here it is.

I'm still scratching my head wondering why exactly I chose this particular Halloween fabric, but with one fat quarter it seemed just right to make another handy Sock Sack. Why not have a project bag for every holiday?

Once again I used Terry Atkinson's wonderful tutorial only changing it to add a lining. This makes a very handy small-project bag and I especially like having the outside zippered pocket.

Fussy Cutting

When I went to the quilt show a few weeks ago, I only bought one fat quarter of fabric from the vendors. It was a Halloween print and when I got home I kind of wondered why I had chosen that after all. Quilt fumes, I suppose.

A week or so ago I made a Sock Sack with it. I'll show you that one later. Scraps were still out on the table, [I know! Unbelievable, right!] so last week I quickly made a Little Thread Catcher [pdf link] to take to friend I was meeting for lunch. I even had to piece two scraps to get a block large enough to cut out the triangle.

So I was really, really down to scraps when I ran across this great tutorial for a Fussy Cut Zippered Pouch. In fact, poor Frank here was the only intact character left. I didn't pay too close attention to the sizes because I had to start out with a shorter zipper, but you can really play around with Amy's wonderful idea.

[see an even cuter Fussy Cut Halloween pouch here in the Flickr group]

Acero Stole

Pattern: Copper Queen Beaded Stole
13" x 60"
designed by Renee Leverington
included in "Successful Lace Knitting: Celebrating the work of Dorothy Reade"
book by Donna Druchunas

Yarn: Brooks Farm Acero
60% superwash wool / 20% silk / 20% viscose
in a lovely dark green: 9AC

Needles: Size 6 KnitPicks Options circular

I started this project back in mid-January and it spent much of that time in a ZipLoc bag just because I didn't enjoy the stitches. This should not be a reflection on the pattern. I like the pattern and think it was a good match for this yarn, but you've heard me say already that I grew very tired of all the 'through the back loop' knitting.

You'll notice the name of the pattern is Copper Queen Beaded Stole and the project in the book is knit in a beautiful rich copper color of J&S Shetland wool. It is also more of a true stole size of 21" x 85". I confess to never measuring gauge in lace projects and I knew from the cast on of only 61 stitches that mine was unlikely to be as wide, so I'm not sure mine can really be called a stole. It is more of an awkward scarf! And minus the beads as well! The design shows just a few beads in the end borders and then loops of seed beads between the end picots. I like how they look on the original but I probably won't be adding them to mine. I can just see me getting them caught in something.

I bought two skeins of this wonderful Acero yarn at the Brooks Farm booth at SAFF last October. I had used it once before for a gift and loved it. When I saw two lone skeins in their booth in my favorite dark green, I grabbed them. I love how the mix of fibers take the dye differently. My photo above isn't great, but you can see this better in my Oct. 2 post. The drape after blocking is wonderful.

There are several other designs in this book that I just love, so perhaps in time I'll feel ready to tackle another.

Pea Green with envy

but in a good way. : )

I don't have a picture to share, you'll just need to TRUST me and pop over right now and see photos of an incredible masterpiece of Schwalm embroidery. Oh, be still my heart!

The stitcher is Jana Krumrey. If she has a blog or website, I have not been able yet to locate it. I would truly love to see more photos of her work.

The birds are so beautiful I can hardly stand it and the edging is just breathtaking.

Wow.

Nature walk

Well it was rather foggy the other morning when I went out for my walk. I'll take foggy over steamy any day. Besides it made it feel quieter and certainly more October-like.

When I spotted this large and intricate spider web I decided to return home for my camera so you could see it, too.

I wondered how long it took the spider to make? People are always curious, aren't they, about how long the things we do take to make?

I generally don't have any idea. Time with stringplay is not to be measured. The rest of my day may be spent rushing to and fro trying to squeeze in just one more errand or chore, but not the stringplay.

I wonder if this spider used Emily Ocker's circular cast on? Probably not, but it is a handy thing to know!

Moonbeam steps down the silken ladder
Woven by Mrs. Spider
To ask her to spin him a net
To catch the stars.
......Hilda Conkling

October, how I love thee

Let me just start off this post by saying I am wearing long sleeves. LONG sleeves! We've only had two days of October so far and both have been just fabulous. Can all 31 be this wonderful? Oh, I hope so.

You've heard it said, I'm sure, that some people have a face made for radio? Well I happen to have arms made for long sleeves! And in a bit of perfect timing, my Lands' End long-sleeved tee shirts arrived in Friday's mail. So comfy and the fit is perfect.

That must be why my mood was good and I was able to pull out this long-neglected project with hopes of getting it, finally, off the needles. This is the one banished to ZipLoc Purgatory because of all the irksome stitches. The chart is full of k1 tbl (through the back loop) and K2tog tbl. This is the first project I've ever knit where I actually preferred knitting the wrong side over the right side.

I'm determined to finish it up before moving on to anything else. The body repeats are 36 rows long and I think I might be on the last one and can soon move on to the other end's edging.

Pattern is from this book which I asked Santa to bring because it included a design by Evelyn A. Clark. Why, oh, why I didn't choose that one to start out with I have NO idea. It too is peppered with those tbls, but at least it would be Evelyn. In fact, since this is a book of designs by various contributors all celebrating the work of Dorothy Reade, they all use these back loop stitches. Dorothy seemed fairly obsessed with them!

Summer Fries

Pattern: Summer Flies
a free pattern by Donna Griffin

Yarn: Sundara Sock in color Delphinium
100% (really yummy) merino - 350 yds.

Needles: Size 6 KnitPicks Options

This semi-circular shawl (or shawlette in my case since I used a fingering weight yarn instead of the worsted called for in the pattern) was nice to knit even though there are only written directions and you know I am a chart lover at heart. The yarn was dream to work and feels even better blocked. I know it will feel nice around the neck and I plan to wear it more as scarf than a shawlette.

Donna called her design "Summer Flies" after the way she says summer flies by. I just couldn't seem to call my FO that. In my world summer drags....on..and on....and on. Unlike others I have read who enjoy a little something on their shoulders on summer evenings or in overly cool a/c, I never seem to need anything like that. A summer shawl? I can barely tolerate earrings when it is in the 90s! Instead I went with a different verb. For me summer fries.

Happy Fall Y'all

Ruffles Have Picots

And you thought they had Ridges!

I am binding off a project that may or may not be a keeper.

Pat, blogless but oh, so productive, has made six (possibly more by now) Summer Flies shawls.
[I'd love to see them. I know they are all fantastic.]

Even though the pattern calls for worsted weight, I had seen several on Ravelry knit with finer yarn so I decided to cast on with some sock yarn. I wasn't too concerned with having a smaller size as I really wanted a scarf anyway. But I'm not sure how I'm going to handle ruffles - ruffles with picots! I'm not much of a ruffle person. I don't have anything against picots, however.

I quite liked them in that beaded picot edge:


and that picot edge is not the problem with the green stole that is still languishing
(instead it is those dreadful ktbls, remember?!)

and they are just right in tatting and in Hardanger:

Nope. It's that ruffle that is worrying me.
Perhaps it will block out a bit flatter. Fingers crossed.

Quilt Show

Another outstanding quilt show by the East Cobb Quilters' Guild. [If you pop over to that link, you'll see the quilt which was awarded Best of Show. Be sure to click to enlarge it to get a better idea of the amazing detail. ]

I stopped by to chat a moment with Kay who was in the guild's booth demonstrating on one of her (many) vintage treadle machines. This year she brought her Davis Vertical Feed. I didn't make a note of the year of manufacture. I seem to recall it as 1915 or maybe 1905, but my recall is always a bit sketchy!
[ETA: Kay says 1905.]

The Davis Vertical Feed machine has no feed dogs, but instead the needle bar and presser foot moves the fabric forward with each stitch. Interesting to watch. But then Kay is always interesting!

I didn't take nearly as many photos as I did at the previous show, but there was some truly amazing work on display. This year there seemed to be a number of quilts interpreting photos of people or places.

I was particularly taken by this one entitled 'Caleb' by Julia Byrne which won a 2nd place ribbon in the Original Design category.

Wow.




I really liked the clever use of batik fabrics in this one, "Koi Pond", by Melinda Rushing of Atlanta.

I love the large quilting stitches and quilting designs, as well as the colors.






And now, what about this one!

Entitled "Ricordi Della Tuscana or Memories of Tuscany", an original design by Beth Leonard of Roswell. Beth took first place in the Original Design category.

Look at those glasses of wine! So realistic. And that depth of field.

Can you imagine being able to do this? It is always a treat to get out and get to see such wonderful stitching.

Hats off to those hardworking volunteers in ECQG who manage to pull off such great exhibits every other year while still managing to create such beautiful work.

Exhibit Bag

Whew! August is Over. The start of September brought such welcome relief from the relentless heat. Temperatures are rising back up this week, but at least now the early mornings and late evenings are nicer and one lives in hope of fall.

The one thing September always brings is festivals and exhibits. Every other year there are two in my area that I make plans to see. The first is the East Cobb Quilt Guild Quilt Show. That will be this coming weekend. Later this month I'll head back over for the Magnolia Sampler Guild Exhibit.

Now you don't want to be hindered by lugging around a heavy purse at these things, but you still want to have your camera and a little cash for goodies. To celebrate National Sewing Month - also in September -the Moda Fabrics and their designers are having a Blog Hop and each day, Sept. 6 - Oct. 2, a different designer will have a blog post and project.

To kick off this Blog Hop, Sandy Gervais had a little project for a bag. As she explained, it will hold your digital camera in the center section and has a flap-covered pocket on one side for cash and the other for credit cards.

You know I hopped right on that one! You can find the daily schedule here, or it seems each blogger is also introducing the next one.

I know. You're thinking, "but where do you put your M&Ms?" Granted it won't hold a large bag, but you could combine your cash and plastic and keep a small bag in the other side. That's what I'll be doing.

How Do You Speak to an Angel?

How do you speak to an angel

I’m completely in the dark
When you know that you’ve just met an angel
Is there a proper remark?

We were alone for a moment
Why was I lost in a cloud ?
Do you speak to an angel in a whisper ,
Or do you just say I love you out loud?

Pattern: Angel Lace Shawl
by the One, the Only Evelyn A. Clark

Yarn: Classic Elite - Mountain Top Vail

70% alpaca / 30% bamboo

236 yd/50 gr. - 2 skeins color 6403 - Steel

Needle: Size 5 KnitPicks Options

Now you know I love me a good Evelyn A. Clark knit. She never disappoints. This is my third time to knit this pattern and I'm sure not my last. This may very well be my favorite of her triangular patterns that I have tried so far. I have yet to knit some of her older, larger designs, though. This one, in particular, is a very soothing repeat to knit.

And the yarn? Oh, my it was a treat, too. This Mountain Top line by Classic Elite is a natural, undyed line of yarns with Vail being the fingering weight. Classic Elite says it is luxury that won't cost you a fortune. Very soft. Nice drape. I think I'll try this again, too.

I added one smoky glass bead at each point of the edging. Not too much bling. In fact, you hardly notice, but I think it adds just the right touch.

"How Do You Speak To An Angel"

Jule Styne - 1952

Labor Day

Hope you've had a good one.
It was COOLER and RAINY today!
What a relief.

The Sock Map

Way back in early June, just as this summer was cranking up to HIGH, I started a pair of socks.

It was my second time to knit the pattern, ZigZag Socks, from the Vogue Knitting Ultimate Sock Book. This is a very nice pattern with an interesting, but simple, wavy lace design that really works up fairly quickly.

So why am I only just now at the cuff of sock #2?
Turns out this wool on small dpns just wasn't that pleasant to knit in really HOT weather.

It is still hot, but while I'm pondering on the next project, it seemed like a good idea to start the second sock.

Luckily I had The Sock Map; my little notebook where I employ my "Patented Hatch-mark System" to keep track of pattern repeats and any special details. For the second sock, I just follow right along, making my hatch marks in the opposite direction. That little box shows where I stopped for the heel flap and where to resume for gusset decreases. There's a little note further down that reminds me that I did one row plain before the toe decreases.