Off the needles

 

Like I said I just love pastels a cotton and bamboo blend called Illusion from Lang Yarns. The pattern is After the Rain that I have knit several times. And it goes in the washer and the dryer!!  Our days are cooling a little here. —Ann—

Off the needles

 I finished this a couple weeks ago, a Petite Knits pattern with a round yoke. I used a hand dyed fingering weight yarn and a strand of mohair and silk. I had two skeins of pastel blue with yellow, white a pink and two skeins of slightly variegated light blue.  The mostly blue I used for all the ribbing. The upper yoke is the pastel multi colored yarn the I alternated the two yarns for the rest of the sweater and sleeves because I knew I would run out of the multi colored yarn.  I should have bought 3 skeins instead of 2.  It’s soft and cozy.

I knit this little sweater for a girlfriend’s granddaughter I bought the yarn in Ireland last summer. One big ball of fingering yarn is almost enough for a size 2 or 3 sweater hence the white ribbing. I paired this with a strand of mohair and silk.  I will be like wearing a hug from grandma.

—Ann—

Waiting

Waiting for kids to come home…….waiting for the bread machine to finish mixing…….

Waiting for peace on earth and goodwill to all……

Merry Christmas—Ann—
 

Off the needles!!

 

Finished. This is the fastest I have ever knit an adult size sweater but when I’m using #10 needles it does go fast. I washed it twice because the first time it didn’t shrink in length the way my swatch did which was a scant half inch of a 4 inch swatch. So I threw it in the dryer for 5 minutes then 5 more minutes. The sleeves are still too long but I can fold up the cuffs. Maybe next time it’s washed it will shrink a little more. Always guessing with what the yarn will do. —Ann—

Extra yarn

I packed extra yarn for the week at the river, I might have packed too much. The yellow bag had my projects to work on while hubby drives. It is a 4 hour drive to the river. And the brown and blue bag…..well I don’t want to run out of things to do.  I may have packed too much just in case I finish the 3 sweaters……I have yarn for stocking caps, I’ll let the girls pick which yarn they want for the pink pom poms, I’m going to use the white with the kid haze for the ribbing then one of the pink yarns in a mosaic pattern, more on that when I get to it. I brought a ball of the green yarn from Ireland so I could start swatching.  I plan on reading lots of books to the little girls too and a couple for me. —Ann—

On the needles

 

Little sweaters for the little girls I’m using Cobasi yarn which is cotton, bamboo and silk it is spun so it has some stretch to it and feels wonderful and machine wash for the busy mom. I have to take turns working on them so I will finish them at the same time or close. Can’t pick favorites you know. 

This is the exact same sweater and yarn I knit last spring. Why am I knitting the exact same sweater? Because I gave the first one to a cousin in Ireland, the one with the two little kids in the fused appliqué a few posts ago. She was so wonderful to us. And I needed to make some room in my bag for new Irish yarn. Why are all those markers hanging on the sleeve? I was spending too much time counting my decrease rows and I couldn’t remember from one day to the next how many I had completed. Im still counting but at least it’s quicker. —Ann—

A little steam

 

A little steam fixes everything with wool. The collar and hems lay flat now rather than curling. The only seams I actually had to sew were on the cuffs. The knitting took a right angle turn when I finished knitting in the round—cast on 13 stitches and knit the cuff as you knit around knitting 2 together or 3 together as you knit to the sleeve. It wasn’t as complicated as that sounds. Now I need to go someplace chilly so I can wear it. —Ann—

Off the needles

 All those loose ends to sew into the knit. That’s what happens when I knit with 2 strands of fingering yarn.  I wanted the yarns to blend together not stripes. I used 526 grams of yarn out of 800+  grams of yarn. I had 5 full balls 3 were a medium blue that I bought for another project and didn’t like. Perfect for this sweater and 2 other balls intended for socks. There are seeds left for another sweater or socks. The ends are sewn in and buttons attached. I wish my buttons were a little bigger but where am I going to find buttons now that JoAnnes is gone. So sad. The pattern is Chanel Blues by Hinterm Stein a different type of construction for me rather than the usual top down raglan sleeves. The collar band was knit first with short rows so it curves to fit the neck then stitches were picked up to knit each side of the front and while attaching the shoulder to the back.  The sides were joined after the sleeve openings were shaped. Then the sleeve stitches were picked up to knit the sleeve caps first with short rows then knit in the round. The only seams to sew were the beginning and end of the cuff.  Just follow the directions row by row.  I have knit other sweaters by this designer and am always pleased with the fit.  It just needs some steam on the front band and hem.

This is going to be my go to sweater. I can dress it up or down to fit the occasion. 2025 is half gone. Seize the rest of the day and year. —Ann—

Progress on my sweater

 Will I ever get cross wise and length wise gauge right?!?? Re knit the sleeve again. How many decrease rows do I need to get in the next 4 1/2 inches? These sleeves will look good on an orangutan! Do some math, rip the sleeve back to the bottom of the arm pit and do a decrease row every 5 th row instead of 8 th. So far so good. A few really hot days a good day to stay in in the AC and knit, a few windy days a good day to stay in and knit, a rainy day a good day to stay in and knit.  Do I need much of an excuse to knit??—Ann—

Chanel sweater

 

My hands need to be busy in the evening in front of the tv especially when there is a flaw in the male DNA that keeps their finger on the remote changing channels every few minutes. I started this Chanel sweater designed by Hinterm Stein I think it will be a sweater I can pair with just about everything in my wardrobe. I’m using leftover sock yarn ok not all leftovers 3 balls of blue that was meant for another project and a couple full balls intended for socks. I can always buy more for socks, they just all blended together so nicely. The construction is different than I have ever knit,  it is still knit from the top down but no seaming. Just follow the pattern line by line and it all makes sense. Another gloomy day here I hope it rains some more but it’s a good day to knit and sip coffee. —Ann—

Off the needles

 Before blocking specifically washing in the washing machine 

and after drying in the dryer.  The yarn is Berroco remix light I love this yarn because it comes out of the washer and dryer looking fabulous and gets softer and softer. The pattern is Derecho by Allison Green for Berroco. I hope it shrinks a little more next time through the wash. —Ann—

A finish!

Finished but not quite perfect, the sleeves are too long I rolled the cuffs up but after wearing it the cuffs look stretched out so into the washer and dryer one more time before I rip back the cuffs and decrease a few stitches and reknit on smaller needles.  It’s an easy fix. Still enjoying unbelievably delightfully warmer temps in the prairie. —Ann—

P.S. the pink sweater was ripped again, I would put it away until fall but by then I will have forgotten what the problems are and have to rip to the beginning and start over. Winter could be back. 

Cold days for knitting

 These cold cold days I have been knitting and reading.  We went out the the river the weekend before last so I knit on the blue sweater 4 hours up and 4 hours home.  I just finished one sleeve and now the other I want to get it done to wear to the Summit basketball tournament in March I wear the colors but I don't wear words.  In between I have knit a few rows of the pink yarn from Ireland.  I like the fit better now.  That knits fast on #9 needles.  So knit a little, read a little, knit a little, read a little, sometimes a lot....my socks and my mug are color coordinated.  Hope you are staying warm --Ann--

Not loving it

 It’s not finished until I love and I’m definitely not loving it. I tried knitting the pattern a size smaller because my gauge was bigger 14 stitches over 4 inches instead of 16.  There is too much fabric across the chest and over the armpits.  I have 10 inches of positive ease which means it’s 10 inches bigger in the bust than I am. I spent hours online looking at patterns again and finally found one that I like. Point and click and a few minutes later I’m reading the pattern. I’m going to ripped back to 3 1/2 inches from the center of the neck, it took me 12 minutes to rip sweater and wind the yarn . Instead of raglan increases every other round I will increase every 3rd round. That’s the plan and it’s too warm to wear this sweater anyway. It’s only February there is still time for a good snowstorm. While I was stewing about the pink sweater I started another and so far so good.

A yarn and a pattern I have used before. Clickhttps://straythreads-straythreads.blogspot.com/2024/05/its-not-done-until-i-love-it.html Knitting is just tv time my hands need to be busy . —Ann—

Mindless knitting

 After knitting and finishing the elephant and giraffe and not getting my yarn from Ireland into the go bag which might not have fit in the car…….i needed some mindless knitting socks of course. Socks for the little girls the pastel are too big for this year but next year. So I knit a smaller pair. One little girl thinks hand knit socks are itchy.  The blue and yellow are for me. Happy New Year. Ann

 

 

yarn for the go bag

Freshly wound yarn for the go bag for the next week.   I have been knitting like a mad woman to finish  dolls clothes for Christmas and two sweaters for nieces.  One was done and I gave it to her Thanksgiving time.  I just finished the other and can now start something for me!!  My yarn from Ireland. I told my nieces, the two who went to Ireland with us that if they bought the yarn I would knit them each a sweater but they missed the upstairs floor in the one shop that had the packages of yarn in every color.  The other tourist shops had odd bits of yarn and never enough of the color they wanted.  They are both at the age of enjoying the power surges so an Aran weight sweater would be peeled of at regular intervals. The offer was still on when we returned so I suggested Berocco remix light for a nice 3 season sweater they both chose yellow just like mine.  My fingers are just itching to get started but I need to finish one more little dance wrap.  --Ann--

For the Dollie’s

I have been knitting like crazy more doll clothes for the little girls.  The pink and turquoise match their sweaters click. I got doll clothes for my Dollie’s for Christmas when I was little. My mom sewed them and many matched the clothes she sewed for me. I still have them but really didn’t feel like finding the box they are in and then I would have noticed they are probably wrinkled and would have needed washing and ironing and well one thing is going to lead to another…..I had such a wonderful childhood I only had two dolls. 

Merry Christmas

Ann

Santa‘s elf has been busy

 This elf has been busy………..just one more ballet wrap to knit and a giraffe tail……these were a challenge to knit mostly because knitting instructions are not standardized and the designer wrote a book with patterns for 12 animals the designer knew exactly how to assemble and finish the animals but did not explain it thoroughly enough for me, a few more pictures would have been nice.  Everything was knit flat and seamed if I had read the instructions more thoroughly I never would have purchased the book.  When I did go through the instructions line by line I decided I could knit most everything in the round thanks to what I learned from the bears and dolls I knit a couple years ago. They did turn out really cute!! Seven more sleeps before we meet the little girls.

Merry Christmas Ann

Posing together

That’s as good as it gets for them posing together.  Now we just need October weather to arrive so they can wear their new sweaters. Miss M was really not unhappy here it was just the picture that wasn’t a blur, she can change expressions so fast.  Miss O was also captured in a brief pause in the fading evening light.  Cooler days are coming and I knit hugs into every stitch.  —Ann—

 

Sweaters

 

I’m working on sweaters for the little girls. The yarn did not come from Ireland, I love knitting wool but this Berroco Remix Light is more practical for little girls.  It’s machine wash and dry!! Madeline is always a card in front of the camera. Olivia was not interested that day.  The pattern is Harvester by Elyssa Samatha Taylor, super easy front and back are the same no shoulder shaping so they won’t ever put it on backwards. And I just knit stockinette instead of garter stitch in the sleeves. Ann