Vintage Velvet, Finis

However many months, seven skeins, and 515 rows later, FINALLY, finally I finished the vintage velvet. There are some spots where the worming is pretty bad, but at least they look like tiny little lumps. I may try washing it again in hot, or even boiling, water. But the touch, my friends, the feel of that oh-so-soft chenille, that longs to be worn against the skin.


This picture was taken before washing. It looks quite nice as is, and I share everyone's fear of what the washing will do to it.




This was taken after the washing process. Yes, it looks like a drowned rat, and yes, I thought I'd ruined it. I could barely bring myself to take the pictures, and quickly threw it into the dryer.


These were taken after it came out of the dryer - not completely dry - and the results were astonishing. The beauty, the drape, the hand, I can't stop raving. And it felted enough that my few, um, minor, mistakes aren't really visible. Wow. Wow. I do wish I had waited until I had more experience under my belt before attempting this scarf - the yarn deserved better. But I can't regret it, too much, this is just amazing! I'll try for better pictures in the morning, I can't get quite enough light.

Lady Eleanor

This is MY Lady E in Southwest Trading Company "Karaoke", 10 skeins, sz 8 needle. I *love* this yarn, very soft texture, and gradually blended color changes. I have always preferred subtle colors, so when I saw this yarn, I knew it was the one for me.
I wetblocked and ironed it, for maximum softness and drape.
There are MANY more pictures on my blog!

Another Lady Eleonore

Hello everybody, I promised to show you my version of Lady Eleonore - here it is.

I used the yarn "Scala" from Junghans-Wolle, a blend of mohair and artificial fibres which is an unexpensive alternative to the Noro-Versions. The shawl is very light (650 gramms) and cosy. It measures about 1,90 m long and 55 cm wide (without tassels). My finishing is a little bit different to the pattern because I didn't want an even border with thin fringes - I wanted rectangles from the right beginning and up to the end and tassels. Here are some details:

It was a real pleasure to knit this pattern. I was addicted to knit one more rectangle, just one more, another one ...

But one thing made me a little bit nervous and that was the permanent turning when I had reached about 50 cm of the shawl-length. So I tried to knit back and forth from the right side of the shawl and it worked! That was great and made the knitting really comfortable.

If you want to have more instructions about knitting Lady E. without turning, come and have a look into my blog. I look forward to your comments.

Happy knitting and many greetings from Germany
Susanne

Um, Wensleydale IS dense, isn't it?

This is my second post on the GSW I'm knitting with Wensleydale. Yeah, they weren't a-kidding in the Halcyon catalog when they said it made a dense yarn....I already divided up the skeins for each triangle, and ran out on the first after the five skeins set aside, so I know I won't have enough for any of them. I've ordered another pound of the roving, and may need more; this will be the heaviest cloak in the world, but it'll be glorious. I'll just dye the remaining yarn purple and it'll go fine; meanwhile, I can knit each of the triangles as far as my current yarn will go, and spin and dye the roving when I get it. Thank God for my KnitPicks Options set!

Here are pics of Triangle 1 in stasis, and my progress on Triangle 2.

Ene - to gauge or not to gauge

Hello fellow knitters,

I am trying to knit a guage for Ene's, but the swatch looks loose and wabbly. I guess my question is do it suppose to look like this because it is lace weight or am I knitting too lose? This is my first lace project and I have never worked with yarn this thin. I am using Knitpicks Alpacloud Tide Pool heather.


So, is a guage necessary for lace knitting? All comments welcomed. Thanks

Decisions, Decisions...

Calling all soapboxes!

I need people to hold out for their favorite color - I am starting the Here and There Cables, which I just love, but I cannot for the life of me choose which color I want to continue the scarf in. Both colors match my coat well. The first is Reynolds Odyssey 404, lavender/sage, and the second is 408, the green mix featured in the book. (Sidetrack - it really bugs me how the photos in the book are so out of focus! I know it's artistic, but it isn't very helpful.)

I'd love to hear your thoughts, if you have any; I'm so bad at decisions like this! I love the brightness of the green, it really is a much more striking color; but I love the subtlety of the lavender so much...it's too bad it doesn't pop in the same way. You are welcome to come over to my blog for more pics at Xanga

I ran out, too

So close and yet so far. I have one row of chart 3 left, then all of chart 4. I had high hopes of finishing this weekend.

If anyone has any leftovers of Blackberry Ridge lace weight in cream, I'd be happy to take it off your hands in exchange for chocolate or something. I don't need much. I'd rather not have to buy a full skein if I need so little!

quick Backyard Leaves/blocking question

hey, yet another new member here(and maybe it's getting old, but thanks, Tipper ;D)...I'm almost finished with my first scarf from Scarf Style, Backyard Leaves(there is a pic of the first half in my blog, fyi) and I'm planning on blocking it, but currently I'm away at school and don't have all of the blocking resources I could use, so I'm waiting until I get home to block it, which will be later in March. still, I'd like to wear it/show it off a little bit now, even if in its puffy glory. the instructions say to block the item before sewing together, but I'm wondering if it's really that horrible to sew it together and block later(aside from the fact that it would be a lot longer). I'm a new knitter so I'm not so sure, so I thought it would be a good idea to ask. help me out and you'll have some leafy pics to look at in the near future ;) thanks

Thanks for the Invite

I need to get this book fast. Can't wait to join in!

German Ruffles

Ok, now here is finally a pic of my started Ruffles scarf in the light yellow cotton blend yarn. I think if it would be ready soon it would be perfect for chilly spring days. It is so fun to knit!

Big Ene Problem. Boo.

First, a hello, and a thank you to Tipper for sending me the invitation!

Now, the business - I am very close to the end of Ene....and I am running out of yarn! I am about halfway through the last repeat of Chart 3, so I still I have half of that left and all of Chart 4, and this is what I am working with:



I am using the recommended Blackberry Ridge laceweight. (And do not know the dyelot - lesson learned...hopefully what I get will not be too drastically different.) I am baffled as to how this has happened. This is the first lace I have ever done - am I discovering that I am a loose lace knitter? Ususally my gauge is pretty spot-on, and I haven't wasted any of the yarn ripping out, etc.

I realize there's not much anyone can tell me that will really fix the problem. Maybe I just needed to share with people who would feel my pain :)

Help! Decreases in Wandering Aran Fields?

I'm going to make this capelet for my grandmother and the chart makes sense until I get to the decreases. The key just says "no stitch". So what do you do with that stitch from the previous row?

Thanks!

Starting Lady Eleanor!

I casted on for Lady Eleanor, Sunday and I'm in my second skien of Noro Silk Garden now! This is going to be for me, and I can't wait to finish it, but I really want to enjoy the knitting process too. So far it's been wonderful!!

Lora

Lora's Blog

Hear Ye, Hear Ye - Calling all Lady Eleanors!

I'm nearing the end of my beautiful Lady E (size 10's Noro Silk Garden #86, just started the 10th ball, 54 inches long) and was wondering how you all decided on the length – did you go by the pattern instructions and stop after the 36th row, or did you knit closer to 70 inches, the blocking length? Like many of you, I used a different needle size; by using the 10's I got a smaller gauge that what the pattern specifies, but I like the look. When I finished the last row of the pattern as written, the stole was only 42 inches long so I kept going.

One more question – if you blocked, how did you do it?

Thanks, everyone :)

Silk Garden Misty Garden

This is my third scarf from the book, a Misty Garden knit with three balls of Noro Silk Garden in colourway 74. (Check my albums at http://stashqueen.typepad.com for other projects.) My scarf looked short when knit, but lengthened nicely when blocked. This pattern looks impressive but is easy and quick to knit - no wonder it's so popular. I like it so much that I've already started another one with some lovely old Phildar yarn. (Blogger put the photo in the wrong place and won't let me change it, but you can figure out which is which!)

New Member with Turtleneck Shrug

Hello everybody, I'm new to the group and I'm very glad to be a part of such a great knitting community. Many thanks to Tipper for inviting me.

In november 2006 I knitted the Turtleneck Shrug which was my very favourite pattern out of the wonderful book Scarf Style. I used "Pashmina" from Lana Grossa in a warm shade of orange which was a pleasure to work with. In the front of the shrug I worked the decreases in every fourth row, in the back I didn't work any decreases because of my wide shoulders.

I like to wear this shrug in public. It is cosy and warm and: it is really a different garment.

Recently I finished Lady Eleonore, too. Pictures will follow in a few days.

If you like to have a look at my knitting blog then you may click here. I'm looking forward to your comments.

Keep on knitting! Greetings from Germany, Susanne

502 Errors

You may have noticed that Blogger/Google returns 502 error pages when you try posting. (According to the status page, this should be fixed, but it's not.) I know that you've probably noticed because people are posting the same post two or three or more times. If you encounter such an error, do NOT repost. Wait a few minutes and refresh the knit-along blog to see if your post is there. Likely, it will be.

I appreciate your assistance! It will save me time deleting duplicate posts (and possibly needing to delete comments in doing so). I get a 502 error every time I try deleting one, so it's not a quick process.

Triangle One Begun

Hello, I'm new and this is my first post - thanks, Tipper!

I have just started my first triangle of four in Catherine Lowe's Garter-Stitch Wrap from Scarf Style, using my own handspun, hand-dyed Wensleydale yarn. I love how the designer begins each triangle with a cast-on in the center of the base, which leads to a balanced shape through-out, and is a real showcase for a variegated yarn!

The pictures above are of the yarn I'm using (three colorways, though not all are in the pic, teal, aqua, and purple, all with bits of the others), and the first triangle WIP. It looks a little like a bat, I think.

Can't wait to see what happens next!

I loved my lady........but she left me!

Sorry about the stinky picture. I finished up the lady Eleanor fringe I posted a few days ago last night. I kept the fringe a bit shorter than called for, I like it better. I wound her around my neck and immediately started itching, had a headache and my eyes turned red (it was very unpleasant). So I guess I'm sending her off to my stepmother for her birthday which is, coincidentally, this saturday. I guess it was meant to be, it's going to be so painful to part with, it was going to be my first finished project I kept.

Was it the mohair? Any suggestions of another yarn? I really loved the way the Noro Silk Garden #88 knit up and the colors.

Horse Country Yarns

Off Center Argyle: finished!

I recently completed "Off Center Argyle" from Wrap Style, it was very fun to knit and I hope to actually wear it; if only to walk the dogs or run to the store. The colors (and texture) didn't photograph as well as I'd hoped. The colors blend together in a much more subtle and harmonious way, in person.

Pattern: Off Center Argyle from "Wrap Style"
Needle: US size 7
Yarn: Ella Rae Classic

More details and my notes about the project are available on my Minnie knits blog!

Ene's scarf

This is my version of Ene's scarf, which I knit for my granny:I used a little more than 3 balls of Regia Silk #2.

New feature: Labeling Posts

I'm excited about Blogger's new post-labeling feature. It's one of those things that come in handy when you're looking for specific information in a blog, and now we have it at our fingertips.

You'll notice that when you compose a post that there's an option to add labels. If you click the "show all" button, you can see all of the active labels; simply click on the labels that you wish to apply to your post.

I am currently creating labels, as well as labeling old posts with the appropriate labels. Please do not create labels outside of those that are listed. In order to sort posts accurately, already-existing labels should be used. If you have suggestions for a label that does not exist yet, please email me.

I may not catch all of the posts that need to be labeled, as it is time-consuming to read the posts with non-specific titles. If you would like to add labels to your old posts, please do so! It will help others find information more quickly and enable them to see your work.

Turtleneck Shrug

Pattern: Turtleneck Shrug
Yarn: 7 hanks Elsebeth Lavold Angora in Aubergine
Needles: Denise Interchangeables Size 6 16 inch
Started: 9/16/06
Finished: 2/11/07
This yarn is super soft, and the pattern was easy to knit. However, my turned out to be a mock neck rather than a turtleneck, as I ran out of yarn. It's ok. I still think it's cute, and definitely warm. And, I'm glad I finally finished it.

Wrapped in Tradition

I just joined (thanks, Tipper!) and I was wondering if anyone has knitted the Wrapped in Tradition poncho from Wrap Style. I plan on making it for my sister's wedding gift. I checked the archives and I didn't see where anyone had made this one yet. If anyone has, what have your experiences been with it? Any ideas for yarn substitutions? I am trying to avoid the mohair since it will be hard to rip back if I have too (and with these stitch patterns, I foresee having to a lot). Any suggestions would be appreciated!

I love my Lady!

It turned out so soft and I love the colors. It's Noro Silk Garden color #88, I finished the body at 9.5 balls of yarn, I just have to crochet and make the fringe.

It was so much fun to knit and I even learned how to knit backwards so I didn't have to turn my work almost at all 2/3 of the way through it. It moved MUCH faster that way. This was my first Entrelac project and the first knitted project I've ever kept for myself. I can't wait to wear it. I have the yarn ready for another Backyard Leaves, Misty Garden, and Shetland Triangle. I just can't get ahead of myself.

I'm wondering about the crocheting, is it necessary or is it just to give it a finished look with the knotted fringe? I haven't really been able to see any close ups online of the fringe with the crocheted edge.

Thanks!

Briana

Horse County Yarns

Lady Eleanor Preview

Hi everyone! I have been working on Lady Eleanor for a few weeks now. Here

is a little preview. This is after three skeins of Noro Silk Garden in color #37. I had a little panic attack for a while because I knew the 8 skeins I bought wouldn't be enough, and after knitting this far I found out my color had been discontinued!! After calling around to 7 different stores, I found one that had a few skeins left, so I ran over and got the last two I needed. As of this morning, I am on my 6th skein. I'm hoping if I knit all weekend I might be able to finish by Valentines Day so I can wear it on my big date with my hubby. I'll let you know if I make it!

Misty Garden

My feeble attempts at Backyard Leaves notwithstanding (I will succeed, I will succeed), here is my version of Misty Garden still on the needles. The yarn is a beautiful Handpainted Mohair Wool DK Wt that I bought on eBay from vendor "phydaugh" of Endicott, NY in her "Evergreen Evening" colorway. The yarn is wonderfully soft and easy to work with. The color is much better in person than my picture shows.

Progress

I've been working on Ene since September. This is my first big lace project and it's going pretty well, after I started it over three times. I thought I knew how to read a lace chart, but eventually figured out that sometimes you read right to left and sometimes you read left to right! I don't get much time to work on it because I can't have any distractions while working on it. I love the way it's turning out, though, and am looking forward to finishing it someday!

Jenny

Backyard Leaves Scarf

Yarn: Galway Irish Worsted Knitting Wool, 2 balls

While the scarf came out just fine, I think this wool was a bit too stiff (and a bit too scratchy for my liking). If knit again, I'd use merino wool as the pattern calls for.

Starting the scarf was tricky, but after the first repeat you'll be sailing.

I finished it by steam blocking it with a damp towel. You can see a comparison of the blocked and unblocked halves here.

I'm planning on doing Forbes Forest for my next Scarf Style project.