Tag Archives: Kate Davies

YOP#6 Week 6

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

YOP6_Banner_perfect_lines_slightly_larger_medium

 

Hurray!  I finished Kokkeluri.  Not much more to say about either the yarn or the pattern I haven’t said before…. tempted by the ‘blousy flower’ I had to cast these on.  I didn’t enjoy the knitting at all in part because it breaks the rules: maintaining color dominance in stranded knitting, and length of carries.  The non repetitive nature of the flower meant I was tied to my chart AND I should have strayed from my dpns to some other method of circular knitting.  I did enjoy the palm pattern, have done the braid before and always love it, and think I may prefer the i-cord cast off over the i-cord cast on.

I was surprised by how much I disliked the knitting.  I have knit neep head and enjoyed that process.  Usually if I like one thing a designer does I like everything.  Not because these designers don’t branch out of my comfort zone, they do, but because how they tend to think about and present the process works for me.

My husband and children both exclaim about how beautiful they are but my eyes zero in on the uneven knitting.  I don’t recall ever having such problems before so part of me blames the pattern although it could just be me and my rusty knitting skills.  Either way, I will rely on EZs comment on years and multiple washings curing such faults.

Anyway I finished these up Friday night.  I broke up the remaining bits into small nightly chunks.  Monday get to decrease section of mitten body, Tuesday finish decreasing mitten top, Wednesday do thumb, Thursday do i-cord finish, Friday weave in ends and soak.  The mittens are still damp and are being guarded by my mitten monster:

Mitten Monster guarding Kokkeluri while it dries

Mitten Monster guarding Kokkeluri while it dries

 

The mitten monster is also a sock monster and sweater monster and shawl monster.  He is a general all purposes blocking, drying guard.

I have cast on some socks for myself: My Cup of Tea designed by Robin Lynn.  The lotus pattern  used on front of socks remind me of dragon scales 🙂

 

yarny days and knitterly evenings

Elka

 

Musings

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner
Tinking
Tinking

 I undid 5 rows of border on my Stonington and took the time to photograph the lovely heathered yarn.  I honestly couldn’t be more pleased.

Taking my time to knit row upon row of garter and in no mood to rush.  That is also nice.  I do pull some yarn off the cone occasionally and look down to see the curly winding yarn path and think: like sands through the hourglass… Did I just date myself?  But it is just so lovely to knit and watch the rows of garter change direction in this shawl.

Another pleasant surprise: an announcement from Kate Davies about a new book on haps.  I LOVE haps.  So excited to see that coming out soon.  I have a hap kit from Heirloom Knitting that I undid years ago due to overthinking technique.  My friend Lorraine has knit the pattern twice!  Then there is Margaret Stuart’s version which is photographed as a large bed sized throw.  And many newer interpretations.

I am not sure if there is an official definition for a hap but I think of them as an everyday shawl.  I trust Kate will educate me thoroughly tho.  🙂

Neep

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

Neep crown decreases

Neep crown decreases

I believe I finished the knitting on this one in March of ’14 but stalled when it came to weaving in the zillionty ends.  Also I had somehow dropped a few stitches at end of decrease and didn’t notice until it was time to tuck the icord into cap.  Either way I obviously lost steam and only picked it up because it is starting to cool and I needed my pile of hats.  I have a serious love of tams/berets.

Such a lovely knit.   Really fun project all around.  Not sure how I feel about the i-cord cast on for general use.  Maybe I just need more practice with it but the first row seems very elongated and therefore heavy proportionally.  I am not taking a picture of that bit.  I am not displeased but that pick up looks clumsy to me.  I kinda looked at other projects on Ravelry and noticed the same thing on those so I guess I will practice, practice, practice and either chalk up that look to the actual technique or general knitterly inexperience with the method.

More pictures:

the row of leaves that make up crown

the row of leaves that make up crown

I like the colors Kate Davies picked.  The only one that stood out to me was the green.  I believe it is the only non heathered shade in the whole cap.  I know Jamieson & Smith has cut their shade range several times and maybe there were no heathered mid greens available?  It didn’t bother me enough to go digging in my stash of shetland yarns.  I love, love, love the yellow green.  Not a color I normally would pick for myself but I find those mustard greens appealing somehow.  This one is particularly gorgeous.  I stashed a few more hanks after my initial order came in.

a bit of corrugated ribbing and turnip bits

a bit of corrugated ribbing and turnip bits

 

mmmm shetland.  I need some more shetland knits.  Look how cozy it looks but still lightweight with gorgeous drape.

Coincidentally I wove in the last end and put it to block over a plate on November 1st.  The beginning of Wovember.  I have yet to participate in Wovember, nor do I intend to this year, but when I noticed I smiled.   Knits that make you happy during knitting, wearing and thinking of them….

Happy Knits!

yarny days and knitterly evenings

Belated Weekend Report

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

These weekend reports would be more interesting if I had weekday reports I guess.  Back when I started doing them I was blogging nearly every day except for Sat and Sun so the Mon was a ketchup sort of post.  Oh well I will be pleased if I manage to blog twice a month.  Hey so I was actually thinking of going all old school and keeping a knitting diary.  On paper!  And then figured blogs were old school enough ever since Ravelry became the fabulous database that it is.  Really it is such an invaluable tool for discovering new patterns and getting notes.  Much more encompassing than following a dozen or so blogs ever could be.  But I do miss getting to know bloggers so the platform not really being widespread makes me a bit sad.  Hence me trying to be old school.

Anyway I had a very productive week and day.  I finished Rock Island on Thursday and immediately wound my yarn for Neep Heid by the fabulous Kate Davies.  I blocked Rock Island on Friday and unpinned it Saturday in time to take it to the Greater St Louis Knitters Guild meeting but didn’t because I wasn’t sure I would stay the full 2 hours for show and share.  I might take it next month to show off.  You, lucky readers, get to see tons of pictures.  Anyway I worked on my Neep Heid during guild meeting and finished the actual knitting yesterday.  I took it with me to the middle child’s dental appointment and was horrified, while weaving in the zillion and one ends to find some stitches just hanging out.  I have no clue how that happened.  AND I cast on for some Endpaper Mitts.

So are you ready for lots of pictures?  First the Neep Heid mess shots {innards and outer}:

Neep Heid innards

Neep Heid innards

 

the innards.  I could have tried splicing the colors but that seemed rather tight with sometimes no stitches between the last color and new one.  I also could have just carried the colors up along the inside but I wanted to try and eliminate the jog without doing all that knit in row below first stitch stuff.  The hat is gorgeous and I am hoping my innards end up looking presentable in the end

just a few stitches hanging out....

just a few stitches hanging out….

I have no clue how this possibly could have happened.  I mean I had the proper number of stitches at end for my i-cord and everything.  Best I can figure is that somehow I pulled out the tail through the stitches on inside but I haven’t messed with the top portion yet.  I plan on undoing my i-cord and tinking back however many rows it takes me to get to where that is.  I think we are at the last 2 rows of chart?  I haven’t looked too closely yet because I was so traumatized when I noticed it.  After having turned the hat inside and out several times over and being on the road no less.  But see how pretty it is otherwise?  Yeah baby.

Rock Island draped over TV for black backdrop.

Rock Island draped over TV for black backdrop.

For some reason the holes look kinda big on the left.  Oi.  They aren’t in person.  Note the lovely gate for adorable grandson in background.

Rock Island folded over itself

Rock Island folded over itself

I love this.  I, as usual, suffer from blocking fail.  I didn’t bother to measure out the distance between points and used wires.  The poor shawl was practically dry before I was finished laying it out.  I adore how the yarn, Classic Elite’s Silky Lace, gives it a slight heathered look.  The silk took the dye differently than the alpaca and if you are able to blow this up you an see the glorious little glints of silkiness in there.  It gives it a nice rustic look.  LOVE

obligatory over a lamp shot to further illustrate gauziness

obligatory over a lamp shot to further illustrate gauziness

 

caption says it all.  While knitting I did note that the centered decrease was looser on the right side than on the left side.  I either took this picture from WS of shawl OR I overcompensated during blocking.  Thankfully EZ has proven to be correct when she wrote that time is a great stitch leveler.  I expect this to look stellar after a couple of washings. ^;..;^  YaY

slightly crumpled Rock Island

slightly crumpled Rock Island

Gah it is so pretty.  Also despite being disappointed by how little yarn the project took I am so happy I went with alpaca.  It totally stretched out to a satisfactory size without my putting any real stress on it.  Huzzah for stretchy alpaca and its amazing lack of bounce back.  More love for my yarn choice.

Rock Island over the wheel

Rock Island over the wheel

Another favorite shot.  I am always trying to be a better photographer of knits and yarns.  Not trying to the point of taking classes or anything but you know~ trying to be interesting and clear.  Even through double layers it is still sheer.

artsy wrought iron Rock Island shot taken outside

artsy wrought iron Rock Island shot taken outside

see aiming for interesting….

So a few details are in order?  The pattern was a gift but I purchased the yarn used in sample in April ’11 for my birthday pressie to self.  The yarn called for is Lorna’s Laces Helens Lace and comes in 1250 yd hanks.  Very generous considering I only used 528 yds of the lovely Classic Elite Silky Lace yarn.  I am most pleased that I changed the yarn.  The alpaca fills in the holes a wee bit and the whole shawl is less crunchy than Helens Lace would have been.  Mind you I like Helen’s Lace as much as the next person and really like the color pictured as well.

 

yarny days and knitterly evenings