Tag Archives: Alchemy Yarns of Transformation

Happy Happy Birthday PLUS

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

First I must thank all the people who kindly wrote notes, either in the comments section or via email, regarding my father. He is back home and we are hopeful that all will be well. For those who do not know he was rushed to the hospital last fall with a brain tumor. He went through surgery and chemotherapy/radiation therapy and it didn’t go away so another surgery. Realistically my dad won’t be around this upcoming holiday season but I sincerely hope that he will be and I am doing my best to spend as much time as possible with him now just in case. Every day is a blessing.

Enough depressing stuff: Happy Birthday Debbie! I know its Debbie’s birthday because we share a birthday and since she doesn’t have a blog or announce such things on the lists we both belong to send her well wishes here :^>

On the knitterly front I have been busy doing work stuff and taking pictures prior to sending stuff away. Other than the surprisingly pretty 9 Scarf-Vest already blogged about ad nauseum we knit 2 things for Classic Elite yarns:

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If you look real carefully you can see the slight jog that happens when you mattress stitch a striped thingie on the man’s sweater. I like to crochet together the seams on striped thingies but it does result in a slightly bulkier seam and my gauge was just a smidge tighter than called for. Not enough to correct by going up a needle size…. maybe 1/8th or so of a stich more per 4″. The scarf on the other hand was a bit looser than called for. Again not enough to correct via needle size and I decided a nice generous scarf was better than a mean little scarf. They didn’t complain and I pointed it out so feh.

I also finished the projects for Alchemy Yarns:

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You guys can keep your Buckets O’Chic I am planning on knitting myself tons of Mare’s magical hats. Actually they are calling them Oregon Coast Hats or something if you are gonna take my advice and knit this dreamy creation. Muy fun. Muy luxe. Muy muy.

I have noticed a few Oregon Coast Hats on Ravelry with the pattern being from a shop or personal pattern.  Mare Joy Smith designed this cap for her grandson and wrote up the pattern for Alchemy yarns of Transformation after I directed Gina, the master dyer, to the project.  I believe it was a free pattern with purchase of yarn.  I have only been looking because I am not sure I have my pattern anymore and was hoping it was available as a download but Alchemy is, alas, no more and it was not published in a book.

Ah I have been doing serious retail therapy. Bought myself some CP Chenille to make the flower washcloths that took the blogging community by storm ummm last year was it? And some Anne sock yarn which I will show you later. I also just purchased a complete set of Aeros, or at least up through a size 9, as a birthday gift from my husband to me. The fact that I have been mentioning the need for new needles and he handed me a cash gorged card last night with specific instructions to purchase them already makes it a gift right? Even tho I ordered them myself? I vote it a fabulous gift that cannot be topped. I hope Debbie’s man is treating her to some fibery goodness as well. And you alls as well. A great fibery day and knitterly evening for all!

Peanut Head

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

One of Zoe’s friends favorite slurs is ‘Peanut Head’ I am not sure what it means. You have a small head? If thats the case why not sesame seed head or poppy seed head or …. You would be better off mushed with jelly? Don’t mention hot tossed with noodles~ thats just ewww. And what does this have to do with knitting? Very little.

Sure I worked on scarves yesterday and even finished one. Here is scarf overview picture:

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Oh you thought I was a strong enough woman to put down the Alchemy and work on the 9 scarf vest? Peanut head

yarny fun you alls!

Scarfing Along

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

Well I worked on the second scarf for 9-scarf vest but I am not gonna show it to you since its the second bias strip and you will think I am trying to cheat by posting yesterdays picture, doctored up, and merely claim I finished two. I also started the Artyarns scarf. Has anybody done dbl knitting? I have done it where you knit or purl a stitch and then bring yarn forward as if to purl and slip next st so that you have to work to and fro to complete 1 round or row. This pattern has me knitting or purling every stitch with instructions to make sure such and such yarn is over or below the other. I am finding it fiddly. Is that how 2 color dbl knitting is done? Gonna spend some time in research mode. Especially since I made a mistake in bottom border pattern so had to rip back. Obviously I didn’t take that to the drs office with me this morning. Instead we worked on this:

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Japanese Lantern yarn is so wonderful you couldn’t possibly believe me no matter how much I raved. Really. Go buy a hank and play with it. This is a one hank scarf pattern and I notice the tag that came on yarn said 155 yds but the website said something like 80 yds? I want to knit a sweater for myself out of this stuff and mentioned it last night to Gina. She apparently hasn’t designed a garment in it for fear of it being cost prohibitive! Oh Nooooooooooooo Mr Bill. I mean I am not petite and I personally would knit this yarn more densely than the label calls for in st st** and guessing ~ not like I am swatching maniacly for a garment isntead of doing the scarf. I wonder how much I will have to knit to earn a sweater’s worth of this yarn?

TTFN knitbuds. You know the drill… go fondle yarn and spend some time knitting already!

** I like my fabrics kinda dense to begin with and often either knit really loosely for drape effect or firmly for body effect. Hardly ever at gauge specified.

 

A scarf update and more mail

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

So you thought I hadn’t posted today because I failed to meet my scarf/day goal? Silly mortal. Just kidding. The scarves for the vest are small~ 2.5″ wide by 14″ tall for the first one which I did finish last night quite easily. Here is a picture:

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I think its upside down in the picture but I didn’t feel like rotating it again after cutting out all the desktop and rotating once already. I don’t think I will be casting on for the second right away because I want to start the Artyarns one right off. The postal code was incorrect on the pkg and it took a full week to get to me plus its a simple 2 row pattern repeat which makes it good going to Drs tomorrow knitting. I wound the silk ribbon last night and ended up having to file my nails and ultra moisterize my hands. Vaseline and gloves. My hands are rough due to excema which was cleared up until the whole stomach flue fiasco. Stress makes me break out worse. The silk ribbon is narrow and reminds me of the very first sweater I ever knit from French Chic[if anybody has a copy….]which was Black and Blue Bernat Casino striped with a Spool of white silk ribbon for intarsia bits along one shoulder. I don’t knit much with cotton anymore but I do miss Casino. That particular scarf will take longer than a day to knit but I figure I can get underway long enough to know I am still getting gauge on project and then work a few inches every day while I try to keep up the scarf-a-day with the 9 scarf vest.

The benefit of posting late is we got mail! The ab fab Anmiryam read of my Maya love and took the ‘even partials” to heart and sent me this:

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Leftovers from French Market bag join the two partials I already had in stash shown on right[tangerine and chartreusey pea soup green] Come On folks. I happen to know that the French Market bag was big ol knitalong fodder and I am sure somebody else has partials they can send my way. Big Mwah to Anmiryam.

Also in the mail was some yarn from Alchemy for one of Mare’s Magical Hats and a scarf. I can hardly wait to Cast On for those and I challenge you all to resist this yarny goodness:

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And as if I don’t have enough work knitting lined up I just got a call from Classic Elite. I almost never say no to work so look for more yarny goodness by next Monday.

Yarny days and knitterly evenings y’all