A New Candidate for Lady Eleanor's Shawl?

Dear Scarf Stylin' Shimmery Shim Shim Shimmies:

I started Dead Leaves in the Backyard on my flight out to visit my mom in California. I'm using Peruvian Tweed in Color #113 (you can't see in any picture online but there's a lot of dark brown and light blue in it and it is soooooooft). Since it was a 5.5 hour adventure I thought that sitting still for so long with a tray in front of me was the perfect time to take a crack at this hard pattern. I had to frog four times, but I think I'm beginning to get the hang of it. I am on row 11 and do not yet see a pattern but hope to eventually. Perhaps I'll make some major headway on the way back? I've printed 22 copies of the chart so that I can highlight my way through each row.

This trip for me has been all about relaxing and to relax I knit and shop for yarn. It's true, I have been to every LYS* I have possibly been able to visit, with more coming.

Since I've been missing my own personal favorite LYS I cruised to their website. Upon thinking about it, I have decided that Colinette yarns might make a fabulous Lady Eleanor Shawl of Wonders. Since each skein is hand painted and the colorways are so unique and marvelous I thought that maybe they would shift and turn marvelously, similar to how we've seen Noro yarns knit up in this pattern.

Take a look at some of the colorways. Graffiti seems like it would be really cool, as does Shimmer Five.

Now, since I have spent my yarn budget for the next few months out here in California, I cannot rush out and test this theory until perhaps November. So I implore anyone thinking about this pattern who wants to drop $100 on five skeins of yarn to knit it up and show me what you've got.

It's a thought.

Bevin
Jersey City, NJ (Currently Castro Valley, CA)
Totally Knitting

*Local Yarn Shoppe

ANOTHER Finished Misty

Here it is:


More and bigger pictures right here.

Meanwhile I'm once again making progress on the oft-abandoned Ruffles...

Responding to Comments:

After my last post with the picture of Misty doing a weird Ikat striping thing, Lisa B said she like the way the color was laying out. Don't you know the very next time I picked it up to work on it the striping went all random again?

Katya asked "Is that the yarn that the pattern calls for or something different?"

The answer to that question is no... and yes. The pattern calls for Jo Sharp Rare Comfort Kid Mohair Infusion in color #617. I used Queensland Collection Soft Moahir in color #617. So it's really a "different yarn" but they are identical, even down to the color numbers.

I am now being tempted by the Midwest Moonlight... maybe in Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere??

Anne from the high plains of Colorado
http://whitestarsams.blogspot.com/

Still Chugging Along

I had to put Backyard Leaves on hold for a while but I'm back to working on the second half again. I bought a magnetic board to help me keep track of the chart. It's great. I did most of this just tonight.


--Jessica

It's a What?

it's a Turtleneck Shrug!

Hello fellow ScarfStylers! My name is Tami and I've already completed a few scarves from my new favorite knitting pattern book. My latest is Teva's Turtleneck Shrug. I used Knit Picks Merino, color Hollyberry. I'm still working up the courage to wear it in public. I'm hoping we will all knit one and they will become the next big trend. I have pictures of my Ruffle scarf and Lady Eleanor on my blog if you want to see. I've gotten so much inspiration from this blog!

Tami
www.blueroseknits.blogspot.com

Misty Garden

I finally started my first project from this boo, Misty Garden by Jo Sharp:



I am using Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool.

Here is the continuing progress on my Color on Color. I highly recommend this pattern, it is so much fun to knit! 

Ruffled capelet without sleeves plus a knitted rose 

Ruffled capelet

I've finished my capelet and as planned didn't use all the yarn it called for although I made one of the little roses to pin on it. The rose is very boring to knit but turns to be fascinating when you start binding off: it just curls up into a rose and there's hardly anything else to do it to make it look like a flower. It's definitely something I'll do again and very good project when you need to make a present and run out of time and idea.

Interlocking Balloons is complete!

I finally finished interlocking balloons. I just love the knitpicks elegance yarn...it drapes so beautifully. I really like this pattern, and I am sure to do some of these for Christmas gifts...but I am being a selfish knitter and keeping this one for myself!


Which scarf to do next...

Unexpected Ikat!

I have been ignoring my Scarf Style projects - (hanging head in shame).

I have been obsessed first by the Wool Peddler's Shawl, then by the twin demons of the Fir Cone Square and the Iditarod.

But now that they are all complete, I'm back on track and I got back to knitting Misty Garden. Can you tell where I changed skeins?


Isn't that interesting how the green stripe is lining up almost perfectly along the center of the scarf? And the edges are coming out almost perfectly even in the darker rose color? I could not have done this so well if I had tried.

Since it is the middle of three skeins to be used, and I'm assuming the third skein will go back to the same randomness the first had so I will have some symmetry (not that symmetry is always important...) I'm going to leave it as is.

Anne on the high plains of Colorado
http://whitestarsams.blogspot.com/

Ruffled capelet without sleeves

I've started and done the body of the capelet and have the ruffles left to do.



I'm using Bouton d'or Dandy whose tension is slightly tighter than the recommended one, 15/21 instead of 14/23, and consequently had to make a few changes to the pattern:

-I've decreased one sticth less for each group of BO stitches for the shoulders
-I've done 8cm instead of the recommended 14 for the collar as I thought 14cm was way too long and made me feel like I had a little sausage round my neck
-I've seamed the shoulders using matress stitch for a neat finish

Although my capelet is tighter because of the yarn I've used, I wonder how big the original model is and how many people it fits, as mine fits me perfectly and I usually wear XS tops.

I've bought 6 balls of Dandy, whose yardage is very close to the recommended yarn, and have 3 left before starting the ruflles. I wonder if I'll use it up but my guess is that I will have some left.

Vintage Velvet Begins.....

I have started my Vintage Velvet in Muench Touch Me, Toast colour, and it is HEAVENLY*
I am up to 2 balls so far and my gauge has changed a little from one ball to the next. There are a few loose stitches but I am hoping they will come out in the 'felting' wash.
While I can see that spending this much on a yarn can be off putting I HIGHLY reccommend that you save up. There REALLY is no substitute for this sexy loungey feel.
It is long enough to go round my neck now and feels FABULOUS so if you are mmmmming and aaaaaahhing about whether or not to use 'Touch Me' make sure you say YES and go for it*
It is a knitting experience like no other.... Please excuse the odd colour and bad quality of these photos, camera phone. I can't believe the long shot looks Blue instead of a yum Mushroom Brown.... I have posted the photos on my other blog KittyBaroque on the entry 20th March 2005 instead of here as I can't seem to get the pics to upload*
Enjoy....

I am finally working on the Ruffles pattern! I am making it out of lion brand microspun, which seems to work out really well for this pattern. I plan to make the scarf long as in the book, so I have a looong way to go.  

Flower Trellis Scarf

Dear Stylin' Scarf Makers of All Fiber Art Forms:

You may recall me from such posts as "I made ruffles just like every other girl in the universe" and "Has anyone else started the hardest intarsia project in the history of ever."

As some of you may know, it is the position of the Totally Knitting Universe that crochet is an Inferior Fiber Art (TM). It's true. Try to deny it.

This came about due to an unfortunate trip to AC Moore, which I will recount briefly for you at the present time.

Brian, the Boy Knitter of the Knitlist, Creator of Mandarin Moonlight and my best knitting pal/blogging partner and I went to our favorite AC Moore to check out their deals. When we first began knitting in earnest, we paid little attention to crochet, except to dismiss it in pattern books as items we would not complete because we didn't care to learn how. We hadn't passed any judgments. Our minds were open and blank as to what other people chose to do with their hands/idle time/yarn.

It was at this moment when we passed the craft table and a woman displaying her many wares was seated and eyeing us suspiciously. A group of other ladies stood off to the side. Brian and I "oohed" and "ahhed" at her creations, noting that they were crocheted but didn't mention it. We offered her the traditional kudos for a job well done and moved on to explore the next aisle.

These women apparently pegged us as knitters right away because they began talking loudly about how much they hated knitting. About how they just couldn't stand those needles clacking together. BLECH. They went on and on and Brian and I just looked at each other. It wasn't until we left that we were able to discuss it openly, and it was then and there that our position regarding crochet as "just flat knots" and "unable to make anything pretty" was born.

We have carried this prejudice with us for almost two months. However, surfing through Scarf Style and noting that many pretty things have been made using the fiber art of crochet, I decided to make an exception for only those projects. We were able to secure two seats via a two month long waitlist for a class at our favorite LYS*. Kevin, the Man Crocheter of Flying Fingers, is a crocheter and offers a class free of charge, provided you purchase supplies from their shoppe. A complete deal, if you ask me.

I went into the class after taking the Yarn Bus hoping to learn to read a crochet pattern so that I could begin my Flower Trellis Scarf from Scarf Style. With Kevin's help I have completed one third of the project. Not bad for five hours in a yarn store. I'm finding crochet not as fun as knitting but a pretty good instant gratification, and will continue to use crochet to enhance and improve knitted projects. As the Flower Trellis contains knitted flowers, this project falls under that ambit.


The pattern calls for a crocheted trellis, and with basic skills the trellis flows right from the hook. Here you can see the relative length of the scarf (it is crocheted lengthwise) modeled against the Official SpokesCat of the Totally Knitting Universe, Lily. Lily is completely attracted to the fiber I have used on this project.






I have chosen to work entirely in Alpaca, as it is "In like a Lion, out like an Alpaca" month at our LYS (this includes online sales, by the way). The trellis is in Tahki Yarns "Kerry" in color 5009, a worsted weight 50% Wool/Alpaca blend. I also have Kerry in Pink for some of the knitted roses and picked out a Blue Sky Alpaca sportweight in pink and a sportweight white with little sparkles (Alpine Meadows yarn in "Winter Wonderland") to provide smaller accent flowers using the same pattern proposed in the book but on smaller needles.

It is my hope to finish the project soon so that Macy, the Official Spokesdog of the Totally Knitting Universe, can feel all the more Parisian.



As some of you may remember, she has recently had her ovaries removed and is sort of sullen about the whole thing.



Hope this wasn't too image-intensive,

Bevin
Jersey City, NJ
Totally Knitting
Bevin & Brian in The New Yorker

**Local Yarn Shoppe

A little bit ago somebody wanted to see what the back of entrelac looked like. Here is the back of my Eleanor. It is not done in the ever popular Noro, but it still shows the "seams". I really like the backside of this work. Still working on it though, not quite finished! 

Sooner

I can't seem to comment on your scarf in the comment area. I really love the colour! I have yet to make anything out of the bamboo yarn and maybe a scarf it the item to try it on. I am worried about the addition to sleeves to this pattern...very worried!:)

Backyard leaves is complete! Here it is blocked and ready to wear, in a lovely shade of chocolate brown. A beautiful Birthday gift for my SIL. I must take a moment to say how much I love the Scarfstyle book. It is really expanding my knitting knowledge. I am challenged by the designs and I am learning new techniques. Thank you all for your help with charting...I feel I am a master at charting now!

Ene's Scarf - revisited

This message is calling out to the Fearless Knitter and anybody else that may be working on this pattern. I purchased the KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud for this project. The pattern calls for a size 6 needle and the yarn has no stated gauge on it. I tried a swatch on the 6's and it was very lacy, as in, lots of holes. I could go down in needle size and I could also use two strands of yarn. I have never used lace weight yarn before and I am trying to see what other people are doing with this. Help!! - Lisa

Here is my interlocking balloons progress...it's a challenging pattern only because of the long pattern repeat. It's hard to put down in the middle of the pattern. I love the knit picks elegance yarn...they have wonderful colours, it is very soft and has great stitch definition. Working on the second half to backyard leaves, moving very quickly! I blocked the first half and it is fabulous in brown.

Mandarin Moonlight

Hello Stylish Scarf Knitters!

I have very much enjoyed watching all of your progress on the various Scarves of Style you've been working on, even those of you who have been knitting sleeves. I have finally gotten around to beginning my first Scarf Style Project and I present for you now this lovely progress photo.



Many of you may recognize this as a scarf modeled on the pattern entitled Midwest Moonlight. My scarf is called Mandarin Moonlight because it is being knit from Southwest Trading Company's Bamboo in firey red. This yarn is actually made from bamboo, which as you know is native to China and a healthy snack for pandas. Also the Chinese are totally red communists. The name change seems inevitable when these facts are considered. I'm sure you all agree.

The bamboo fabric has an incredible drape and a great deal of stitch definition. It is a little brittle though and I had to learn not to knit to tightly with it or the yarn would snap. It has an interesting hand which is difficult to describe. I will make it available for fondling to any of you who wish to visit me in New Jersey.

Also in the photo you will see that my Mandarin Moonlight is totally being modeled by Macy, the Official Spokesdog of the Totally Knitting Universe*. See how happy she was yesterday when that photo was taken? Today she is having her ovaries out. The wheel is always turning, my friends. Always turning.

So far I have been following the pattern as written, but I am thinking of adding sleeves to my Mandarin Moonlight when I get a little farther along. I will post any alterations I make to the pattern in pursuit of adding sleeves to the knitalong blog.

Brian

*http://totallyknitting.blogspot.com

Narrow version of Lady Eleanor

I think somebody asked how to adapt Lady Eleanor pattern into more narrow scarf. I have put together a few suggestions how to achieve that which should work - see here:
http://www.knittersreview.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=31012

Teva's Turtleneck Shrug

First of all, I want to tell all of your Scarf Stylers that you are doing an awesome job. Everytime I check in here I expand the list of scarves I want to knit from this book. Lady Eleanor. Backyard Leaves. Forbes Forest. Wow.

I have my first finished object to contribute: Teva Durham's Turtleneck Shrug.



I knit it with three skeins of Cascade 220 in color #9339, which is blue with flecks of green. It is the perfect San Francisco accessory, as it provides a little extra warmth on breezy days without being too hot. Like Karen said earlier, it really extends your t-shirt wardrobe. Despite the skepticism I heard while making it, I have received several compliments. I also want to say that Teva is a great designer. I made another of her patterns, the Leaf Cravat, and was amazed by how the design worked out. I can't wait for her book to come out later this spring.

Knit on,

Nicole/Big Sister

Started back yard leaves, this chart is also easy...but I still have to watch it as I go. I hope the second half goes as quickly as this first half!

Finished Forbes Forest! I love this pattern and will definitely do another. This was my first chart and after the first ball I finally got it! You can just read the fabric as you go...no need to watch the chart. Now for the blocking!

Ruffles still alive

Hi!

Like many other knitters, i'm very happy knitting ruffles, but it takes time!! I only knit it while taking the metro to work on the morning. I'm used to it, and perhaps not so rushed to finish it : it is so easy to knit, the result is so magic!!



have fun,
Sophie (Paris)

Here are sections 1-9 on my Color on Color. I am using the Paternayan yarn the pattern calls for on size 6 needles. This project is a lot of fun because it is so completely different than anything I have ever worked on! 

Both Backyard Leaves finished!

I've finished my second Backyard Leaves scarf, and I'm very happy with how this one turned out, too. I still needed to glance at the chart once in a while, but I found that after making a total of 60 repeats between the two scarves, I could almost knit without it. Here's a picture of the two scarves, side by side:

The first one is antique rose, and the second one is raspberry. I think these scarves look great in non-green!

What's next? I really, really love the way Lady Eleanor looks knit up in Noro. Amelie's and verlit's are particularly gorgeous. The only thing is that I have no use for a shawl... Has anyone modified the Lady Eleanor pattern for a scarf, let's say no wider than 10 inches?

grumperina
my blog
my knitting webpage

Ruffle finished

Not my idea to use the Noro yarn (can't take credit of another Scarf Style KAL'er) But I'm really happy with the result. It took most of 3 balls and did soften some after washing. This is a birthday gift for my aunt and I know she'll really like it :-)

-Amber

Lady Eleanor finished!

There it is - finished and blocked. I used the same colorway as Cristina and I am sooo pleased with the result. I had a difficult time with making fringe on my first Lady Eleanor. Since I made that one from much finer yarn I decided to crochet the fringe and it looked fine.
With Noro I thought the result might not be so nice and at the same time with these bright, "strong" colors the fringe from single yarn strand made in the same way as it is in the book looked a bit...thin.
So I changed it completely and instead of romantic Lady Eleanor fringe I added kind of funny "joker" fringe instead. What do you think?


Here is the detail of the fringe:

Ruffles...this is taking foooorrevvvverrrrrrr......

I'm in the process of knitting up RUFFLES...and having a heck of a time staying focused on it. I love the design and feel of the Classic Elite yarn...but I'm going to have to go ahead and set it aside to mess around with Lady Eleanor. Wait. The pattern, not the person. Did I sound like a pervert, or what?


...and the Lady will be having...Noro Kureyon #134.


I've posted more pics on my blog so feel free to pay me a little visit:)

Share your creations with (more of) the world!

Amazon.com is now offering folks the ability to post pictures associated with books. To post your Scarf Style pictures, visit the Scarf Style page. Click on "Share your own customer images" under the book's picture.

*

I've finally started another scarf from the book, this time the ubiquitous Ruffles. I'm tempted to call it "Downward Spiral," as that's how it makes me feel (sort of). Its light lilac shade (I'm using Rowan Calmer) doesn't really lend itself well to that name, however. It's a little disheartening to work on something that takes so much time, as I'm a faaaast knitter. It's the knitting backwards that's killin' me. But, of course, flipping and purling those little rows would drive me a bit nutty, too. The pattern is genius; I think I just don't have the patience for it! (It would certainly help if I had the proper needles; everything's either too sticky or too slippery.) I shall press on, however, as I love the yarn and watching the spirals grow.


My progress after one evening; I'm now up to about 8 inches of Ruffle.

Hello, everyone! Thanks for letting me join you ...

I've just started my first scarf from this book (had to get through Clapotis first!). I'm making Ruffles (isn't everyone?), in Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece ... I'll post a picture after I get a new battery for my digital camera.

I've loved looking at all your pictures -- so much beautiful work, you've inspired me to try so many more scarves than I originally planned! I'm looking forward to exploring these patterns along with you all.

Finished Misty in silk and merino blend. I actually like it in this type of yarn...I have seen that it also looks beautiful in the comfort kid mohair that the pattern has called for. I most likely will do it again in that type of a yarn! Almost done the forbes forest...love the pattern, and surprisingly easy to knit! I will post the completed picture this week.