Birita Faroe Shawl

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

Birita is done! Huzzah. I am pretty sure I would have finished this sooner if I hadn’t been sure I would run out of yarn. To recap; this pattern calls for 2 balls {500 yds} of Icelandic Laceweight yarn. Including a fancy crochet border. I purchased 3 balls of the yarn well before 2018 {the shop closed in 2018!} and then an additional partial ball when it became clear I would not have enough yarn. I cast on this project in 2019 and completed my first ball of yarn @ row 30, my second ball @ row 65. Frogged the project and cast on again last month…. the third ball was completed @ row 110 and finished the other 100-ish rows with the fourth ball. All in all I used 995.2 yards with a scant 3 inch tail at cast on and 9 grams {49.2 yards} left of fourth partial ball. I neither crochet nor had enough yarn for the fancy scalloped border but if you want to do either a fringe or crochet border you will obviously need a 5th ball.

Currently my shawl is laid out on my bed drying. I didn’t pin it out with wires or anything. The yarn softened significantly although I did enjoy working with its scrunchy wool handle. It is thick and thin and I used spit splicing along the way. I was thinking of gifting this project to my mom but now that I am over the stress of finding a source for this yarn in this color I am super happy with the finished project.

I am participating in a secret swap-along for an online group I belong to and have cast on my next project which is another pair of Elegant Gauntlets from Sally Melville’s The Purl Stitch. I have knit this project numerous times as gifts and it is fairly quick and easy. There are errors in the pattern. Namely the sizing is due to gauge changes. XRX was using a chart method to depicting gauge, yarn, needles etc at the time. I think it was the beginning of using what was termed the Japanese method of pattern writing. XRX had a few articles on the graphic representation of not only the patterns schematic but also the information required to follow the pattern. On page 29 of the book we read:

The vitals column that accompanies every pattern is loaded with information, replacing a whole lot of words that can make knitting patterns look like no-fun text books…. Their most important function may be to make knitting a universal language.

As far as I recall, XRX and Knitter’s magazine was on the forefront of presenting patterns in this manner in the US.

There are two sizes S-M (L-XL) which corresponds to a circumference of 8 1/2 (10)”. The gauge is given as being 24 (28) per 4″ and the needles suggested are 2.75 for S-M and 3.25 for M-L. You can see the error in a couple of different ways. Usually one decreases the needle size if they want to increase the number of stitches but their chart shows the 24 sts being obtained with the smaller needles and the 28 sets being obtained with the larger needles. This is backwards. The second area an error stands out is in the gauge itself. If you cast on 60 stitches and are getting 24 sts per 4 inches you will get a finished circumference of 10 inches but that is the gauge required for the small size. And it follows that if you get the gauge required for the large size you will end up with the circumference for the smaller arm warmers. Many knitters at the time complained that the size small was too large and the large size was too small. The issue is not necessarily the sizing but more the transposition of numbers for gauge. If you have read reviews on sizing that kept you from knitting this project rest assured that all you need to do is switch the suggested gauge and cast on. It is honestly a lovely project and there were a couple of years where my coworkers asked me to make them ‘sock arms’

yarny days and knitterly evenings~ Elka

Birita Update #1

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

I started ball #3 last night and just completed lace charted row 72/94. I am hoping to finish the chart by end of the month. Right now it doesn’t look like much. The thick and thin nature of the Einband yarn has it looking sloppy. At least I hope it is the combination of yarn and unblocked lace that is keeping if from looking lovely. I am using bamboo needles so that, in combination with knitting rate goal, is keeping me from doing a wet block. The one bonus of doing lace with a thick and think yarn however is that when I spit splice the thicker than usual portion is similar to what the yarn does on it’s own.

I still am unable to visualize how this shawl will take shape. I know that the finished shape of the shawl is going to be… the infamous Angel Wings shape which supposedly helps the shawl stay on one’s shoulders. Personally I prefer rectangles to squares or triangular. Circles are not my favorite shape either to wear or block. But I have been itching to knit some lace and this one is more for curiosity than covetousness. I think my favorite shawls are Orenberg because I like the geometry but Shetland motifs are also really lovely. This one has the geometric shapes but is not a lot of openwork.

On the topic of blocking Sharon Miller has just released a book on blocking called Dressings Matters and you can find it on her Etsy shop. It should show up on front page but it is also under the ‘Patterns’ tab. I purchased my copy upon release and, at the time, she had 4 different listings but currently there are only two-the book and ebook bundle or ebook on its own. I realized, when I purchased it, that I haven’t knit a single pattern of hers although I have been purchasing them from her since the beginning. I own copy #109/250 of the original Princess release. Sharon signed and dated it 2002 which is the copyright date of the design. Even if I don’t knit any of the patterns I am happy to support lace designers. There are a few Shetland lace designers who fall into the I buy the patterns but haven’t knit them.

I had to actually weigh the purchase this time as we are at the beginning of a Discardian Season. I also have another planned purchase for this week. My husband, who caught me being aghast that I book set I had my eyes on was having the remainders released during Discardia, told me to go ahead and not feel badly about the purchase. I have been waiting since May for the remainders to be offered to general public. Fingers crossed my ninja fingers manage to snag a set. Currently I am considering a stash down for Q4 to make up for the book purchases. I also ordered some yarn, prior to Discardia starting, for a gift swap I am doing.

yarny days and knitterly evenings~Elka

Birita Again

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

I started a new job last fall/winter and really enjoy it. One of the many things I appreciate is that it is remote so I have freed up 2 hours of my day due to lack of commute. This gives me more time for leisure pursuits and in the effort to maintain some work/life balance I have picked up my knitting. As witnessed by the finally finished 2 years later pair of socks I posted earlier this week.

I still have most of my yarn in bins and boxes from my move since I wasn’t knitting but now that I am I am trying to sort through things and organize. There is still the cubby system acting as a divider wall for my office but right now there are more books than yarn housed within the Kallex. And I think I won’t be adding any more yarn to it until I clear out a cube but who knows how I will feel about this a month from now. Anyway one of the boxes I opened had the lovely teal Istex Einband aka Istex Looband aka Schoolhouse Press Icelandic Laceweight. 2 balls and a huge nostpinned looking ball that was made up of my ripped up Birita Faroe Shawl I had given up on way back in October of 2019. Basically I had 4 balls worth of yarn for a pattern that calls for 2-tho my blog post lets me know I didn’t believe I had enough.

I honestly cannot think of anything else I want to knit with this yarn. It is a rustic thick and thin single ply with a pleasing woolly hand. A bit scratchy to be honest–more so than Lopi or Plotulopi aka Schoolhouse Press’ Unspun Icelandic. So I spent some time thinking about this pattern. We start off with 479 stitches, decrease 4 stitches EOR throughout charted portion {which I hadn’t completed}, then do some additional shaping going forward. The instructions end with row 197 then repeat a couple of rows until you are down to 10 stitches. Which I assume happens shortly thereafter. Also, upon closer inspection of completed shawls on Ravelry, it appears as if the plain garter section is significantly less deep than the charted lace portion which ends on row 97. Even tho there are at least 100 rows over and beyond the lace portion-which will be opened up via blocking and therefore deeper- the fact that we are ending with 10 stitches instead of 479 means the 2 balls worth of yarn I have not yet touched might just be enough to cover the garter stitch portion of pattern.

As of the 17th, I am playing Yarn Chicken.

yarny days and knitterly evenings~ Elka

Retro Rib Socks

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

Retro Rib Socks designed by Evelyn Clark from Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave completed! I used a beautiful yarn called Merino Cashmere Sock by Squoosh Fiberarts in the color Dewberry. As usual my camera overexposes my deep moody colors. You can find her yarns on Etsy but I see a notification that she is closing shop. Very sad to see her stop dying yarns and fibers. She does have some of the dewberry color in her beefcake base.

The pattern itself was easy. I had cast on these socks in Sept of 2021. Since then I have moved and most of my yarns and partial projects are still packed up in bins! However I came across this and saw the one sock just past heal turning this month and decided to complete the pair. Once I started on them again I was done within a week. The stitch pattern is easily memorizable and because of the regular purl bumps I was able to keep track of how much I had knit on the first sock for when I started the second-over 2 years later. A combination of knits, purls and twisted knit stitch columns for a super cushy ribbed texture.

yarny days and knitterly evenings~elka