I so enjoyed watching this little spoof, I decided to share it with you all.  (Advent starts this coming Sunday!)

And, just so you know, I LOVE chant — but that’s not what this is.  I guess I love a wholesome laugh even more. 

This got put on hold while doing “work” knitting, but today I got back to it and actually finished it — hurray!

This mini-sweater is the Sampler, from Beth Brown-Reinsel’s book, Knitting Ganseys.  It uses all the techniques of a traditional gansey, but on a smaller, quicker scale.

Ganseys, also called Guernseys (after the island in the English Channel) and Fisherman’s Sweaters, are native to the coasts of Scotland and England, and are related to the Irish Arans.

I used 2 yarns, because I split them between this and my proposal-swatches for the summer Cast On issue.  Deadline for those swatches to be received in Ohio is next Monday, 1 December, so I’m glad to have the swatches done and the proposals *mostly* written up.

One thing I learned from my first submission, recently photographed and edited, was that I wished I’d kept more notes on the original swatches, as to gauge and technique decisions.  I hope to rectify that this time; I’ve written down notes that I’ll KEEP.  I may even video myself handling the swatches, pointing features out to my-future-self, like, “see how I joined up these 2 pieces with ssk. . . .  I slipped these stitches (or not) after turning the short row. . . .  the slant on these decreases matches the edge better than these, see?”

I expect the selection committee will meet in the first week of December, and then let all the designers know what we’ll be spending the next 5 – 6 weeks working on.  Judging by last time, the competed model(s) and pattern(s) would be due by mid February.  It would be smart for me to proceed as if they will choose my proposals, and get started on the details of math and other paperwork in the meantime, maybe even more swatching/prototyping.  I can’t start the actual model-knitting, because they *send* designers the yarn they want used for the magazine, and it’s not always the same as in the swatch.  (More lessons from last time!)  I find the pressure can be pretty intense (!) in those weeks between selection and delivery, so the more I can get done ahead of time the better!!  (Enough on that — this is my day off!)

As far as using either Venezia (wool/silk by Cascade) or Touche (cotton/rayon by Berroco) for future ganseys, I now think that I’d rather use a nice, round, bouncy, toothy wool.  These yarns both flatten out, the strands separating along the needle as I knit, because they’re so smooth and non-grabby.

(I’m listening to the Wicked Tinkers (they classify themselves as Tribal Celtic) while writing — they can certainly perk a girl up and get her out of her mopey head!)

What an emotionally exhausting few days it’s been.  Got news on Monday that Jim Thomson, founder of “my” beloved Bagpipe School, had died while attending Highland Games in Tucson.  I knew him, but not well.  It was a very sad thing for many of my piping friends; he taught many of them, and all for free — to ensure the spread of the tradition.  The School will go on, but his absence will be keenly felt.  I volunteered to read the Scriptures, as the funeral was held at my church where I’m a “lector” (reader) — it’s what *I* could do.  I choked up on the “death and pain and sorrow will be no more” part.

Here is some video footage I took at the wake — of course there was piping! — held at a different church across town.  Pipe Major is the dear Michael Donelson; dancer is Megan McPherson.  (Maybe back to knitting news later in the week.)

Ohhh, what a headache I have today!  I was just having a nice conversation last night, and *crunch* went my neck.  Whatever got stuck (this happens to me often) is pinching some nerve(s) and giving me pain.  Perhaps I should move up my next chiropractor appointment. . . .

Anyway, I do have some successful knitting to report!

Front, color 106

Side, colors 106 and 111

Using Wisdom Yarns’ “Skye” bulky wool, I made 2 caps with earflaps for Monday’s toddler shower.  Some friends of ours are adopting 2 Haitian orphans and expect to be able to pick them up soon — perhaps as early as next week.  One of their grown daughters is hosting the toddler shower.  I checked before casting on as to whether the mom-to-be preferred wool or acrylic, and she wanted wool (hurray!), so I made these.  Only took 2 days per cap!

For flap placement, I used a rule of thumb from I-don’t-recall-where-I-read-it (I did the math from someone’s cap pattern in a book):  front and back are 3:1 and sides are 2:2.  In this case, 1 or 2 or 3 groups of 8 stitches each; BO 8, k16, BO24, k16.  Again used my own Top-down Square-Top Cap pattern (Ravelry links: child, adult) for the hat crown and sides.  I enjoyed making these, and hope the children will be kept warm by them — Flagstaff has got to be MUCH colder than Haiti!

I’m also moving forward on my submission for Cast On’s summer issue, but it’s still under wraps.

Found an interesting new blog today — actually she has 2: one on wordpress (Shifting Stitches link) and one on blogger (Curious Knitter link), both by Jeny Staiman.

And here’s a technique I’ve been trying out with good success lately:  a variation on cabling without a cable-needle, by Kathleen Cubley of Knitting Daily.  Link to Knitting Daily page with video.

Direct link to YouTube.  .

KAL = Knit-along;  ILL = Inter-library Loan.  No, we’re not sick (hurray!  Thank you, Lord).

The Schoolhouse Press knitalong (link here) has moved from Iceland to the Faroe Islands, and from lace scarf to footlets.  I began with a 2-color version, but switched over to solids to be quicker.

I have finished the blue footlet, edging it with gray, and began a gray foot to edge with blue (DS’s school colors).  I also plan to embroider an owl (mascot) on each toe.

His feet are bigger than mine. . . .

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I love to borrow knitting books!  When my libray doesn’t own a particular title, I can place an inter-library loan request for free.  If they can find it, and the other library agrees, they get it for me.   Recent titles include Hip Knit Hats by Cathy Carron, and Iris Schreier’s Reversible Knits.  From the former, I knit this “rose” embellishment (about palm-size).

From the latter, I hope to try some cables.

Here’s another top-down cap, this time in Wisdom Yarn’s “Skye” bulky and using Judy’s Magic Cast-on.  The yarn color-changes even look good inside out!

Most of my other knitting has been swatching for submissions to Cast On for next summer.

(I don’t want to show those yet.)

Sometimes this process is exhilarating, sometimes it’s plain frantic.  It can be rewarding! Level II of the Master Knitter program prepared me for this quite well, I’m finding.

Next is a pair of toddler hats for our friends who are adopting.

Oh, and the sweater I designed for my friend Bess to knit for our pastor is done, in time for the cold weather.  The yarn is a bit busy, so I only added a little cabling.  Simultaneous set-in sleeves — fun!!

(Sorry, the photos are both a bit blurry.)

Before we get to the knitting, I’d like to show you my DDs in their new favorite hang-out.

And, just how high is that? 

They’ve gotten a few scrapes and scratches, but declare the tree to be “awesome”!

On to the knitting.

As you may recall, I finished the vest for Cast On’s spring 2010 issue, just in time to join a knitalong hosted by Schoolhouse Press.  The first design was a neck-scarf in the Icelandic style.

In the beginning, you can see the pink diamond shapes, above the green provisional cast-on.

But as you go along, the decreases fold the piece up the middle and in at the sides, making the diamonds look like grid squares.

When the 2 sides collapse together at top-center, you carefully decrease/graft the final stitches together, and then pick up the cast-on to begin the border.

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The border gets pretty frilly toward the end.

I switched to a contrasting color midway through.

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The Kidsilk Haze yarn knit up like a cloud on 4.5 mm needles (US size 7).

The scarf is light and, I think, oh so lovely!  Thank you Marilyn van Keppel and Meg Swansen and all at Schoolhouse Press!

Isn’t that a lovely, drapery, wispy thing?!

I’m planning to give it to my SIL for Christmas.  She loves pink.

While I was working on the scarf, I finished a 3-color spiral cap. I used my basic pattern (Ravelry link), but changed the cast-on to Judy’s Magic and began the other 2 colors right away.  I like that better  (– need to update the pattern soon!)

3-Greens Cap

Once that was done, and once I finished the scarf, I went a bit nuts starting Too Many Things.

I got hold of myself!

The green and white circlet to the left, I’ve pulled off the needles and laid aside for later.  (a cap to match the “Peek through the Windows” Cast On vest)

The gold lace cap, with the 2 green possible-yarns, I’ve returned to the get-around-to-it stack.  (I hope to write up the pattern.)

The blue is in that same stack.  (potential swatch for potential sweater)

The dark multi has progressed to half a hat, and moving quickly.  This is the first I’ve used Wisdom Yarns’ “Skye” bulky; it feels pretty good.

The dark Lamb’s Pride is way-way to the back of my mind, for one-day some-day nice color.

The pink is another Cast On submission in-the-making that I don’t want to show yet. . . .  The Cascade “Venezia” suits it well, I think.

Meanwhile, the second project in the Schoolhouse Press knitalong was posted on Wednesday this week.  Faroese footlets/slippers.

Another design in a Scandinavian style by Marilyn van Keppel:  first Iceland, now the Faroe Islands!  One more to go after this: modular footies (begins 2 November, 2009).

(link to the KAL)

I’m finding more slow going than the lace, and not as much chatter in the Yahoo group.

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Today, I’ve done some knitterly playing around.  Two swatches.

One, of some stitch patterns used by designers in the book, 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders.

The lower pattern was a simple lattice, but the upper pattern involved twisted-st garter stitch, an ususual bind-off that I had to see to understand, and columns of dropped stitches.  Here’s a series of photos to show the process.

Every 4th stitch left live on needle during BO

Pull needle out of remaining stitches

Drop down the freed-up stitches, one at a time.

All stitch-columns now dropped. See the ladders.

Blocking

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Widens out substantially!

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In the second swatch of the day, I tried to adapt the neck-scarf’s lace pattern-stitch to a rectangle.  After several false starts, I figured that out to my satisfaction, and added on Marilyn van Keppel’s border at the top.  Perhaps this idea could become a sister-scarf to the triangle.  (I wonder how my other SIL feels about pink/purple?  She usually wears black and other “strong” colors. . . .)

Busy, busy!

I also posted some new videos to YouTube.  One on washing woolen handknits, especially intended for “my” pipers with special socks, and one (in 2 parts) demonstrating a tubular bind off for circular 2×2 ribbing.  (I’ll post the former here — not sure if it’ll link or embed.)

Day 8

I finished the figuring for multiple child-sizes.

My brain finally found a “groove” on Friday midday; when I tried to get back to it in the evening, the “groove” was gone and I found the struggle SO frustrating.  Estimating fit is the area of knitting with which I am least comfortable.

What remains for this vest pattern project is only finalizing the schematic.  DH drew me one using Mathematica (don’t ask me how. . . .); I need to add inches and centimeters for the blocked vest in each size.

I started with widths, adding/subtracting whole multiples of the slip-stitch pattern symmetrically about the center-front and center-back.  I can add/subtract neck-width (increments of 8 stitches for front, plus 8 for back), shoulder-width (8 sts front and 8 back), and armhole width (4 sts each side).  Those are sizable width-changes, so I only altered one area each time I sized up or down.  For instance, going from 8/9 (model size) to 6/7, I kept the same neck and underarms, but narrowed the shoulders; from 8/9 up to 10, I widened the armholes.  It all worked out into 5 sizes:  18 months/2 years to 10 years.  Only 3 sizes are required by the publisher.

Lengthwise, I can add/subtract whole (4 rows/rounds) pattern-repeats below the underarm to add overall body-length, between underarm and neck-front (armhole depth), and along sides of the neck (neck-drop).

Having finished the vest knitting, I was able to join in on a knit-along hosted by Schoolhouse Press.

The design was created by Marilyn van Keppel, translator of nordic-language Faroese and Icelandic knitting books, especially patterns with lace.

I’m using Kidsilk Haze on US size 7 (4.5 mm) needles.  It’s knitting up like a cloud and I’m really enjoying this “neck scarf”.  (Green yarn is provisional cast-on; copper pins mark center column.)

It’s not the first time I’ve started a lace project; the last one I frogged and did not enjoy at all.  This time is different.  Perhaps it’s the timing, or perhaps it’s that this yarn is not slippery and “out of control”-feeling.  Either way, when I think knitting, this is currently the project I want most to pick up.

I do also have a relatively mindless hat on the needles.  (Lace takes lots of concentration.)

3 strands of related greens: one furry, one multi, one heather; round & round like a barber-pole, begun from a sock-type “Judy’s Magic CO” of 6 or 8 stitches at the top.  Very soft.

Eventually, I’ll get back to the red baby hat, the entrelac shawl, the gansey sampler, et al, but right now these are sufficient for me.

As of last night, the knitting part of this project is (finally) finished!  Hurray!!!

Pre-blocking, with ruler for scale (and helper)

Currently, the vest is drying from immersion-blocking (i.e., I washed it in the sink).  The green yarn bled horribly — not noticeable with swatch, so I hadn’t expected it — but so far it seems to be drying OK, with no staining of the cream yarn.

Blocking, with ruler

Everything is nice and flat and even.

Perhaps you will notice that it has stretched vertically somewhat with wetting.

Here is the unblocked version on my model (and eventual recipient, I hope).  A little wide, but I think the blocking will improve this.

Unblocked vest on model, with yo-yo

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Now . . . to whip the written pattern into shape — a non-trivial task! (I dreamt of final exams and term papers last night!  Poor dream-me couldn’t figure out what forgotten class(es) they might be for!)

[FYI: "grading" is where you cook up numbers for several other sizes.]

I’ve completed the back and front, and joined them up (twice now — ahem — all part of “the design process”!).  Hurray!

(Do you have a helper like this?  I know Jean does. . . .)

Next, I went to pick up stitches around the neck opening, to add on the neckband, and discovered I had some more choices to make.

(I thought I’d figured this out already, but. . .) I see at least 2 ways to go from here, depending on when I bind off the neck sts and where I pick up the band sts.

The slip-stitch pattern has a single garter-stitch ridge of green between each rank of “windows”.  How many ridges do I want at neck-front?

I could have 2 ridges:

2 ridges

Or, I could have 1.5 (I don’t like the row of stockinette stitch — interrupts the flow):

1 1/2 ridges

Or, I could have a single ridge:

1 ridge

I don’t have the original swatch anymore, to examine and see what I did then.  I think I had 2 ridges.

Now, I’m thinking to go with the single ridge.

I still have enough (I think) time to do it that way, and then change it if I don’t like how it looks.

After the pick-up ridge(s), I’ll do one repeat of the border pattern, to echo the bottom edge.