Last night didn't quite get me to the neck ribbing, but I'm close. I'm very pleased with the result -- and my laborious trial-and-error arithmetic about the rate of the raglan decreases seems to have got it right. My husband thinks it looks too small for Fergus. I think we're OK.
Judith wrote yesterday encouraging me to do circular knitting on two circular needles. (I tried and failed with the Wallaby sleeves.) I have done it in the past, and am going to try again, with her encouragement. I may reach the sleeves of Mungo's Koigu sweater while we're in Kirkmichael this weekend. I'll take circulars and try. And when we get back, the Wallaby itself will probably get too small for its present needle as I get nearer the neck, so I'll try the system for that, too.
Meg Swansen "revisited" the EPS in four articles in Knitter's Magazine in (I think) 2000. I knit a sweater for son-in-law David (father of the Drake boys) from those articles. Instructions for knitting-on-two-circulars were included in part two, when we got to the sleeves, and I did it successfully then. When I knit Theo's Koigu sweater recently, I did the sleeves flat until they were big enough to reach around one circular needle. I'll put the relevant issue of Knitter's with the stuff to take to Kirkmichael.
Both Judith and Brigid wrote to say they share my enthusiasm for the "Maya" yarn mentioned yesterday. Brigid has actually got some and is knitting wrist warmers. I had a lovely email from Sydney, too. It seems extraordinary that anybody reads this Blog, let alone three people!
We're off to Kirkmichael today, back Monday, if life goes according to plan. The Blog should resume on Tuesday.
Friday, November 12, 2004
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Temptation Unresisted
I was wandering around John Lewis's yarn department yesterday, after an unsuccessful attempt at early Christmas shopping elsewhere in the store, and fell for this yarn. Even in the unsatisfactory glare of a flash photograph, I think you can see why. It's called "Maya" and the label is most unforthcoming, information-wise. It's pure wool and "handspun". No yardage.
I think November is the most dangerous of months for yielding to yarn-buying temptation.
I'm thinking ribwarmer. I knit one from Noro Kureyon a couple of years ago and I wear it fairly often -- oftener, probably, than most other things I've knit for myself. But the shoulders are rather butch, and I'd like to try again and see if I can narrow them. Meg Swansen did a "Woolgathering" on the ribwarmer pattern. and I think she even says something about that aspect of things. This could be the next Kirkmichael project -- I need easy, straightforward knitting there.
In fact, I might after all yield to the temptation to bring Mungo's Koigu sweater back to Edinburgh and see if I can finish it for him for Christmas. The Wallaby will be finished or as-near-as-dammit this evening (insh'Allah). I'm a little bit worried about giving Fergus his Wallaby for Christmas and having to tell his brother Mungo that his sweater isn't finished. I feel much happier about the size of the Wallaby now that it's got its top nearly on.
Picture of Wallaby promised for tomorrow, finished or not. We've postponed Kirkmichael until tomorrow, too.
No more news from London, which I trust is good news. Three of our previous 12 grandchildren were born with serious birth defects (to three different sets of parents) and I was braced for a further extension of our medical vocabulary, but it begins to look as if we may have got away with it this time.
I think November is the most dangerous of months for yielding to yarn-buying temptation.
I'm thinking ribwarmer. I knit one from Noro Kureyon a couple of years ago and I wear it fairly often -- oftener, probably, than most other things I've knit for myself. But the shoulders are rather butch, and I'd like to try again and see if I can narrow them. Meg Swansen did a "Woolgathering" on the ribwarmer pattern. and I think she even says something about that aspect of things. This could be the next Kirkmichael project -- I need easy, straightforward knitting there.
In fact, I might after all yield to the temptation to bring Mungo's Koigu sweater back to Edinburgh and see if I can finish it for him for Christmas. The Wallaby will be finished or as-near-as-dammit this evening (insh'Allah). I'm a little bit worried about giving Fergus his Wallaby for Christmas and having to tell his brother Mungo that his sweater isn't finished. I feel much happier about the size of the Wallaby now that it's got its top nearly on.
Picture of Wallaby promised for tomorrow, finished or not. We've postponed Kirkmichael until tomorrow, too.
No more news from London, which I trust is good news. Three of our previous 12 grandchildren were born with serious birth defects (to three different sets of parents) and I was braced for a further extension of our medical vocabulary, but it begins to look as if we may have got away with it this time.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Miscellaneous
The Wallaby, to begin with, progresses well. Sleeves are attached and I'm zooming through the raglan shaping. I've now abandoned the Wallaby booklet and trusted myself entirely to EPS. There was a moment yesterday morning when I was forced to think, an unpleasant process. I knew roughly how many rounds there should be between armpit and neck; I knew how many stitches I needed to do away with. Decreasing at the four raglan points every second round would get me to the neck too quickly; every third round would be too slow; so it had to be a combination. I got it, I think, by trial and error. Is there some mathematical formula that would have helped?
Just as well. I then went to see our dentist about some rumbling pain and he x-rayed and said, out it must come. I spent the rest of the day capable of knitting, but definately not capable of thought. And we won't go to Kirkmichael today. Maybe tomorrow, maybe Friday.
Lace Knitting
Judith wrote to me about lace knitting, a propos yesterday's shawl. The yarn, I should have said, was Lorna's Laces "Helen's Lace" in a shade called "watercolor".
I didn't knit shawls for my first four grandchildren, the children of our own eldest child, Rachel. When the first pregnancy was announced in what might be called the second wave, I knit a hap shawl for him of Shetland jumper weight from a pattern in Madeleine Weston's "Traditional Sweater Book". An interesting construction method -- she has one knit the edging for two sides, pick up stitches and knit inwards decreasing at the mitred corners, and then make another similar piece, and finally knit the centre square back and forth, picking up stitches from the inward edges of the trapezoids at the end of every row. That leaves the final side of the square, and two corners, to be joined at the end. The pattern was basic "hap" -- feather-and-fan for the trapezoids, garter stitch in the centre. I had a lot of fun doing it. The baby was Oliver Drake, who died at six weeks. He was wrapped in the shawl for burial.
Next was his cousin Alistair Miles. I knit him another Weston hap. He's fine.
Then Oliver's mother got pregnant again and this time I pulled out all the stops, as I then thought, and knit one of Gladys Amedro's patterns in lace-weight yarn, from a leaflet I bought from Jamieson & Smith. Archie is fine too. Amedro's construction method is similar to Weston's, but she has you knit the entire edging first. At the end there's nothing to do except graft the final side of the centre square to the bottom edge of the fourth trapezoid. This is the way I like to do it, and the method I have used ever since.
From then on I knit a shawl for nearly everybody. When Alistair's younger sister was expected, I pulled out even more stops and knit a Christening dress and shawl in cobweb-weight yarn, based on the pattern in Amedro's book "Shetland Lace" but with alterations.
By then I was ready to embark on a little mild self-design. Sharon Miller's wonderful book "Heirloom Lace" came out at just the right time, and also I was fortunate enough to meet New Zealand's champion lace knitter, Margaret Stove.
Oliver and Archie's youngest brother, the inimitable Fergus, intended recipient of the Wallaby, got perhaps my best shawl design. Keep it simple, stupid.
The two Miles boys -- the two-day-old one and his brother Jamie, in the pictures above -- got shawls in which I was rather too ambitious, and didn't provide the zig-zag line which I'm now sure a trapezoid needs to held it together.
Much of this can be seen on my website, www.jeanmile.demon.co.uk. And my email address is jean@jeanmile.demon.co.uk. I might as well stick it in from time to time, until I figure out how to add an "email me" button.
Just as well. I then went to see our dentist about some rumbling pain and he x-rayed and said, out it must come. I spent the rest of the day capable of knitting, but definately not capable of thought. And we won't go to Kirkmichael today. Maybe tomorrow, maybe Friday.
Lace Knitting
Judith wrote to me about lace knitting, a propos yesterday's shawl. The yarn, I should have said, was Lorna's Laces "Helen's Lace" in a shade called "watercolor".
I didn't knit shawls for my first four grandchildren, the children of our own eldest child, Rachel. When the first pregnancy was announced in what might be called the second wave, I knit a hap shawl for him of Shetland jumper weight from a pattern in Madeleine Weston's "Traditional Sweater Book". An interesting construction method -- she has one knit the edging for two sides, pick up stitches and knit inwards decreasing at the mitred corners, and then make another similar piece, and finally knit the centre square back and forth, picking up stitches from the inward edges of the trapezoids at the end of every row. That leaves the final side of the square, and two corners, to be joined at the end. The pattern was basic "hap" -- feather-and-fan for the trapezoids, garter stitch in the centre. I had a lot of fun doing it. The baby was Oliver Drake, who died at six weeks. He was wrapped in the shawl for burial.
Next was his cousin Alistair Miles. I knit him another Weston hap. He's fine.
Then Oliver's mother got pregnant again and this time I pulled out all the stops, as I then thought, and knit one of Gladys Amedro's patterns in lace-weight yarn, from a leaflet I bought from Jamieson & Smith. Archie is fine too. Amedro's construction method is similar to Weston's, but she has you knit the entire edging first. At the end there's nothing to do except graft the final side of the centre square to the bottom edge of the fourth trapezoid. This is the way I like to do it, and the method I have used ever since.
From then on I knit a shawl for nearly everybody. When Alistair's younger sister was expected, I pulled out even more stops and knit a Christening dress and shawl in cobweb-weight yarn, based on the pattern in Amedro's book "Shetland Lace" but with alterations.
By then I was ready to embark on a little mild self-design. Sharon Miller's wonderful book "Heirloom Lace" came out at just the right time, and also I was fortunate enough to meet New Zealand's champion lace knitter, Margaret Stove.
Oliver and Archie's youngest brother, the inimitable Fergus, intended recipient of the Wallaby, got perhaps my best shawl design. Keep it simple, stupid.
The two Miles boys -- the two-day-old one and his brother Jamie, in the pictures above -- got shawls in which I was rather too ambitious, and didn't provide the zig-zag line which I'm now sure a trapezoid needs to held it together.
Much of this can be seen on my website, www.jeanmile.demon.co.uk. And my email address is jean@jeanmile.demon.co.uk. I might as well stick it in from time to time, until I figure out how to add an "email me" button.
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
It's a Boy!
My 13th grandchild was born yesterday, a 7lb 11oz boy, younger brother to James. No pics yet, so today's illustration is the one this Blog started with, the shawl I knit for this child. It is my fourth attempt to design a Shetland shawl. Some have been more successful than others. Now I must tear myself away however briefly from the solipsistic delights of Blogging to post the shawl on my website, with explanatory notes.
I picked an edging from Sharon Miller's wonderful "Heirloom Knitting". Because the repeat didn't give me the length I wanted for the sides, I added a transition bit at each corner, simply repeating the first and last row of the edging pattern for a while. It looks a bit odd, but does the trick. Iy would have been better to have taken a few rows out of the edging pattern and knit the scallops (therefore) smaller but in a multiple of stitches that would have achieved what I wanted. That would have required too much thought.
The trapezoids have at their centres a swastika, not to express lunatic political opinions but because it is an ancient Hindu symbol of good fortune and the baby's mother is a Hindu. In the corners appear thistles to represent the baby's Scottish-born father, my son. Then there are sort of paisley-like teardrop things floating about. This is not entirely successful. Trapedoids, I am now convinced, need a zigzag line of some sort from one edge to the other, to pull them together. Another 13 grandchildren and I might begin to get somewhere with shawl design.
The centre square, which is fairly successful, I think, is meant to represent the London Transport symbol, a circle with a horizontal bar through it, to stand for the child's birthplace. London, I mean, not that he was born on a bus. It can be discerned with the eyes of faith.
Meanwhile, back at the Wallaby, I am in the process of attaching the sleeves. It looks small, but I think it is just bunching on the needles. I seem to be getting the gauge I'm aiming at -- seven stitches to the inch -- which gives the wanted circumference of 25 inches.
I picked an edging from Sharon Miller's wonderful "Heirloom Knitting". Because the repeat didn't give me the length I wanted for the sides, I added a transition bit at each corner, simply repeating the first and last row of the edging pattern for a while. It looks a bit odd, but does the trick. Iy would have been better to have taken a few rows out of the edging pattern and knit the scallops (therefore) smaller but in a multiple of stitches that would have achieved what I wanted. That would have required too much thought.
The trapezoids have at their centres a swastika, not to express lunatic political opinions but because it is an ancient Hindu symbol of good fortune and the baby's mother is a Hindu. In the corners appear thistles to represent the baby's Scottish-born father, my son. Then there are sort of paisley-like teardrop things floating about. This is not entirely successful. Trapedoids, I am now convinced, need a zigzag line of some sort from one edge to the other, to pull them together. Another 13 grandchildren and I might begin to get somewhere with shawl design.
The centre square, which is fairly successful, I think, is meant to represent the London Transport symbol, a circle with a horizontal bar through it, to stand for the child's birthplace. London, I mean, not that he was born on a bus. It can be discerned with the eyes of faith.
Meanwhile, back at the Wallaby, I am in the process of attaching the sleeves. It looks small, but I think it is just bunching on the needles. I seem to be getting the gauge I'm aiming at -- seven stitches to the inch -- which gives the wanted circumference of 25 inches.
Monday, November 08, 2004
My Audience
My sister -- Theo's mother; see yesterday -- and my friend Selma both read my Blog yesterday! Selma sent a comment via the comment facility. I still don't know for sure whether my replies to comments (I've had but few, and have replied to all) are sent on. I suspect not. I need an "email me" button.
The second Wallaby sleeve progresses. We're going to Kirkmichael on Wednesday, I think. I hope to have body and sleeves joined before we leave.
I found myself toying with the idea yesterday of knitting other Christmas presents, besides Fergus's wallaby. If I bring Mungo's Koigu sweater (like Theo's but smaller) back from Kirkmichael, I could probably have it finished in time. I bought a slipper-sock kit from Claudia of Countrywool when I was at Camp Stitches in '99. That would knit up quickly and make a nice present for someone....
But I have stamped on these ideas. I hate knitting to deadlines. Sometimes it's necessary -- babies get born, for instance, and need a shawl then and not when they are walking and talking. I knit a lot of things for people and when I finish the things, I give them to the people. Let's keep it that way. The Knitlist at this time of year gets fuller and fuller of messages from people who are frantically knitting presents. The dark is depressing enough without that.
Chinese cashmere
On a brighter note, my sister says that both she and her husband will be passing through London on their way to Mozambique in early '05 and would be glad -- well, willing, at any rate -- to bring yarn. I saw in the paper yesterday that the Chinese may soon be forced to re-value their currency, so maybe I had better go ahead and order the yarn. Selma says she's seen it, and it's good.
The second Wallaby sleeve progresses. We're going to Kirkmichael on Wednesday, I think. I hope to have body and sleeves joined before we leave.
I found myself toying with the idea yesterday of knitting other Christmas presents, besides Fergus's wallaby. If I bring Mungo's Koigu sweater (like Theo's but smaller) back from Kirkmichael, I could probably have it finished in time. I bought a slipper-sock kit from Claudia of Countrywool when I was at Camp Stitches in '99. That would knit up quickly and make a nice present for someone....
But I have stamped on these ideas. I hate knitting to deadlines. Sometimes it's necessary -- babies get born, for instance, and need a shawl then and not when they are walking and talking. I knit a lot of things for people and when I finish the things, I give them to the people. Let's keep it that way. The Knitlist at this time of year gets fuller and fuller of messages from people who are frantically knitting presents. The dark is depressing enough without that.
Chinese cashmere
On a brighter note, my sister says that both she and her husband will be passing through London on their way to Mozambique in early '05 and would be glad -- well, willing, at any rate -- to bring yarn. I saw in the paper yesterday that the Chinese may soon be forced to re-value their currency, so maybe I had better go ahead and order the yarn. Selma says she's seen it, and it's good.
Sunday, November 07, 2004
Theo's Koigu sweater
Here it is! in a picture fresh from the ether. Theo has been working for Senator Kerry, setting the stage for rallies before the candidate arrived. In particular, he was in charge of arrangements for the press. After Tuesday's sad outcome, he spent a couple of days with his parents in CT before moving on with life -- I don't yet know whither. I had sent the sweater ahead to be waiting for him there.
The size looks good. Sleeves could even have been shorter. I hope the horizontal welts don't look too silly. It's hard to tell from the photograph.
Meanwhile back at the ranch I finished the first Wallaby sleeve last night and started the second. We'll be going to Kirkmichael in a couple of days, so progress will be arrested.
My Yarn Score
One of the things I do is keep track, in an Excel spreadsheet, of Yarn In and Yarn Out. It's a meaningless statistic -- the yarn for the recent Striped Fringe scarf, for instance, consisted of seven skeins of Louet Gems Merino. When the scarf was finished, I had seven oddballs. Score 7 in, 0 out, although the yarn was promptly and virtuously knitted.
But the score for 2004 is so far extremely good -- a Dr Who scarf in January knocked off a lot of oddballs, but even more important, I gave a substantial amount away.
In the best of years, grim November is a time when one is severely tempted to buy (unnecessary) yarn. This year is worse than usual, because one needs urgent cheering up after Kerry's defeat. But the spreadsheet is some curb to temptation. Whether or not a sufficient one, remains to be seen.
The size looks good. Sleeves could even have been shorter. I hope the horizontal welts don't look too silly. It's hard to tell from the photograph.
Meanwhile back at the ranch I finished the first Wallaby sleeve last night and started the second. We'll be going to Kirkmichael in a couple of days, so progress will be arrested.
My Yarn Score
One of the things I do is keep track, in an Excel spreadsheet, of Yarn In and Yarn Out. It's a meaningless statistic -- the yarn for the recent Striped Fringe scarf, for instance, consisted of seven skeins of Louet Gems Merino. When the scarf was finished, I had seven oddballs. Score 7 in, 0 out, although the yarn was promptly and virtuously knitted.
But the score for 2004 is so far extremely good -- a Dr Who scarf in January knocked off a lot of oddballs, but even more important, I gave a substantial amount away.
In the best of years, grim November is a time when one is severely tempted to buy (unnecessary) yarn. This year is worse than usual, because one needs urgent cheering up after Kerry's defeat. But the spreadsheet is some curb to temptation. Whether or not a sufficient one, remains to be seen.
Saturday, November 06, 2004
Wallaby Progress
The first sleeve is nearly finished -- I think I'll go for 8" as specified in the Wallaby booklet, after all. I won't break the yarn, though, so adjustment will still be possible until sleeves and body are joined. The Wallaby leaflet said to do all the increases at once after the ribbing, rather than taper the sleeve -- better for the shape of a child's arm, they claim. It looks a bit odd.
I've been thinking of some retail therapy to cheer myself up after the US presidential election. Googling on "Rowan 4-ply soft" produced a nice website here in Britain with a much better range of colours than is available in the local John Lewis. And my sister says she and her husband are thinking of going back to Mozambique, where they have been working for several years -- that might mean that they will be passing through London from Connecticut in February and could bring me some yarn (obviating customs duties). www.handknitting.com has got some very tempting Chinese cashmere in a wonderful range of colours -- each order is dyed-to-order, and it takes a whole week.
Last week's issue of the Economist magazine, in a series of articles about IT, quotes someone called Soetsu Yanagi (new to me) who published a book in 1972 called "The Unknown Craftsman": "Man is most free when his tools are proportionate to his needs." I'm not sure I could explain what that means, but it strikes a chord. A couple of knitting needles, a ball of yarn. Similarly, to grow my vegetables, not many tools are needed, each utterly proportionate to the job in hand.
I've been thinking of some retail therapy to cheer myself up after the US presidential election. Googling on "Rowan 4-ply soft" produced a nice website here in Britain with a much better range of colours than is available in the local John Lewis. And my sister says she and her husband are thinking of going back to Mozambique, where they have been working for several years -- that might mean that they will be passing through London from Connecticut in February and could bring me some yarn (obviating customs duties). www.handknitting.com has got some very tempting Chinese cashmere in a wonderful range of colours -- each order is dyed-to-order, and it takes a whole week.
Last week's issue of the Economist magazine, in a series of articles about IT, quotes someone called Soetsu Yanagi (new to me) who published a book in 1972 called "The Unknown Craftsman": "Man is most free when his tools are proportionate to his needs." I'm not sure I could explain what that means, but it strikes a chord. A couple of knitting needles, a ball of yarn. Similarly, to grow my vegetables, not many tools are needed, each utterly proportionate to the job in hand.
Friday, November 05, 2004
On We Go
I started the first Wallaby sleeve last night. It is more or less visible in the picture, coming in from the left. I put those pieces of cardboard in the kangaroo pouch to demonstrate that it is really there.
I began the sleeve using the two-circular-needle method of knitting small numbers of stitches in the round. I've done it before, but last night I got myself (and the knitting) in a twist, and happily reverted -- after a bit of ripping out -- to using sock needles.
I have found ever since I knit sweaters for my children when they really were children, that knitting patterns always make children's sleeves too long. I said this to my sister-in-law many decades ago, and she said that her children had arms of normal length. But I think I'm right, and it's not that my children and now grandchildren have unusually stumpy arms. Look at patterns for children's sweaters and notice how often the youthful model is wearing the sleeves rolled up.
Fine in a studio picture, a real nuisance in real life, especially for a small child, whereas an inch or so of bare wrist never did anyone any harm. The Wallaby pattern specifies 8" for the sleeves of the smallest size. Vicky Square's "Knitting Great Classics" shows a full 10 1/2" on the Child, Small size. I'll do about 7" I think. We'll see when we get there.
I began the sleeve using the two-circular-needle method of knitting small numbers of stitches in the round. I've done it before, but last night I got myself (and the knitting) in a twist, and happily reverted -- after a bit of ripping out -- to using sock needles.
I have found ever since I knit sweaters for my children when they really were children, that knitting patterns always make children's sleeves too long. I said this to my sister-in-law many decades ago, and she said that her children had arms of normal length. But I think I'm right, and it's not that my children and now grandchildren have unusually stumpy arms. Look at patterns for children's sweaters and notice how often the youthful model is wearing the sleeves rolled up.
Fine in a studio picture, a real nuisance in real life, especially for a small child, whereas an inch or so of bare wrist never did anyone any harm. The Wallaby pattern specifies 8" for the sleeves of the smallest size. Vicky Square's "Knitting Great Classics" shows a full 10 1/2" on the Child, Small size. I'll do about 7" I think. We'll see when we get there.
Thursday, November 04, 2004
The Next Day
Here is what is meant to be a cheerful picture, with no knitting in sight.
The boys are the three surviving sons of my daughter and son-in-law who live in Thessaloniki. Their elder brother Oliver died at six weeks.
Earlier this year, David and Helen were thinking of buying a weekend house somewhere in the country. The photograph shows a near-derelict possibility being explored. In a roomful of left-behind books, Archie, the eldest, behind, is clearly reading one. He speaks and reads Greek with the amazing facility children have. Mungo, in the foreground, is equally clearly not. Fergus, on the right, thinks he is.
Fergus, for whom the Wallaby is currently being knit, was two in March (not long before this picture was taken). He wears nappies and hasn't much in the way of vocabulary but, as this picture suggests, he simply assumes that he is a Boy like everybody else. The effect is enchanting.
Mungo is the one for whom the current Kirkmichael project is being knit, a striped Koigu sweater like Theo's.
I got the kangaroo pouch for Fergus's sweater attached last night. Pictures are just going to show orange-on-orange, I am afraid, but I'll attempt another one tomorrow. Tonight I'll start a sleeve.
The boys are the three surviving sons of my daughter and son-in-law who live in Thessaloniki. Their elder brother Oliver died at six weeks.
Earlier this year, David and Helen were thinking of buying a weekend house somewhere in the country. The photograph shows a near-derelict possibility being explored. In a roomful of left-behind books, Archie, the eldest, behind, is clearly reading one. He speaks and reads Greek with the amazing facility children have. Mungo, in the foreground, is equally clearly not. Fergus, on the right, thinks he is.
Fergus, for whom the Wallaby is currently being knit, was two in March (not long before this picture was taken). He wears nappies and hasn't much in the way of vocabulary but, as this picture suggests, he simply assumes that he is a Boy like everybody else. The effect is enchanting.
Mungo is the one for whom the current Kirkmichael project is being knit, a striped Koigu sweater like Theo's.
I got the kangaroo pouch for Fergus's sweater attached last night. Pictures are just going to show orange-on-orange, I am afraid, but I'll attempt another one tomorrow. Tonight I'll start a sleeve.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
First Day of the Rest of Our Lives
I'm tired and depressed and there's not much to say, but I wanted to say something while it's still today and not tomorrow. As I vaguely remember it, Aristotle thought that democracy was not a very good system, but that it was better, on balance, than the alternatives. I went into my corner grocer shop late yesterday to buy a newspaper. Mr Hussain was eating a sandwich -- breaking his Ramadan fast, presumably, since the sun had set. He saw my Kerry tee-shirt and more or less pursued me out of the shop crying "We support you! We support you!"
I've finished the kangaroo pouch on Fergus's Wallaby and fused it to the body of the sweater. Only a couple more rows until the armpits.
I went into John Lewis today -- when submerged in gloom, buy yarn, is a good rule of life -- to see if Rowan 4-Ply Soft still exists and if so in what colours. It does! The range is fairly limited, but not bad. I'm thinking of another EPS, in wide stripes of two colours to the armpits, and then the sleeves and yoke knit wrist-to-wrist in narrower stripes of the same colours. Somewhere in the Zimmermann opus is a sweater constructed like this, except that the top bit in her case is cabled. My feelings of success as Fergus's Wallaby progresses persuade me that I can knit anything, and don't even have to bother much with swatching. I didn't buy any yarn today, but ideas are germinating.
I've finished the kangaroo pouch on Fergus's Wallaby and fused it to the body of the sweater. Only a couple more rows until the armpits.
I went into John Lewis today -- when submerged in gloom, buy yarn, is a good rule of life -- to see if Rowan 4-Ply Soft still exists and if so in what colours. It does! The range is fairly limited, but not bad. I'm thinking of another EPS, in wide stripes of two colours to the armpits, and then the sleeves and yoke knit wrist-to-wrist in narrower stripes of the same colours. Somewhere in the Zimmermann opus is a sweater constructed like this, except that the top bit in her case is cabled. My feelings of success as Fergus's Wallaby progresses persuade me that I can knit anything, and don't even have to bother much with swatching. I didn't buy any yarn today, but ideas are germinating.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Back Again
We had a happy but strenuous weekend with our friends -- no blogging. But I kept knitting, at least a little bit. The result appears (I hope) above. I am nearly finished with the Wallaby pouch. I should polish that off this evening, and resume knitting the body. I have decided to press ahead with this little sweater and get it finished before resuming the Fair Isle jacket. Fergus can have it for a Christmas present.
On stitch numbers: I picked up 76 for the pouch. It went well, with that row of purl bumps. Adjusting by percentage didn't seem to work, for reasons too tedious to explain, so I found a size in the Wallaby pattern leaflet which had 76 stitches in the pouch (adult 34" chest, it was) and followed those instructions. It's working OK, I think. The pouch will reach nearly to the armholes but that seems a reasonable arrangement for a two-year-old.
I love, love, love the yarn. The next time I am in a yarn shop I will see if Rowan 4-ply soft is to be had in less alarming colours. Maybe yet another EPS sweater, for myself, striped in two colours... I think what I really love, is merino wool, which this is. I've done a lot of knitting with merino yarn this year -- a couple of Koigu projects, and two in Louet Gems Merino.
I-think-I-read-somewhere that the merino sheep doesn't live happily in Britain, although it's hard to see why. It can't be the cold, because Morehouse Farm, famous for merino, is in New York State, which is colder even than Perthshire. Maybe the damp.
Good news: Theo's Koigu sweater has reached Connecticut safely. Theo himself with be with Senator Kerry for the victory party (or the wake) in Boston tonight, and will then go see his parents. So we should have a picture here soon. My sister, Theo's mother, said in an email yesterday that the sweater fits Theo's father, who is built on the same lines, so I think all is well.
On stitch numbers: I picked up 76 for the pouch. It went well, with that row of purl bumps. Adjusting by percentage didn't seem to work, for reasons too tedious to explain, so I found a size in the Wallaby pattern leaflet which had 76 stitches in the pouch (adult 34" chest, it was) and followed those instructions. It's working OK, I think. The pouch will reach nearly to the armholes but that seems a reasonable arrangement for a two-year-old.
I love, love, love the yarn. The next time I am in a yarn shop I will see if Rowan 4-ply soft is to be had in less alarming colours. Maybe yet another EPS sweater, for myself, striped in two colours... I think what I really love, is merino wool, which this is. I've done a lot of knitting with merino yarn this year -- a couple of Koigu projects, and two in Louet Gems Merino.
I-think-I-read-somewhere that the merino sheep doesn't live happily in Britain, although it's hard to see why. It can't be the cold, because Morehouse Farm, famous for merino, is in New York State, which is colder even than Perthshire. Maybe the damp.
Good news: Theo's Koigu sweater has reached Connecticut safely. Theo himself with be with Senator Kerry for the victory party (or the wake) in Boston tonight, and will then go see his parents. So we should have a picture here soon. My sister, Theo's mother, said in an email yesterday that the sweater fits Theo's father, who is built on the same lines, so I think all is well.
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