The body of my Delsbo

Finally, the body of this sweater jacket is done. One sleeve is cut and picked up. The gauge is different for the solid color sleeves which I am not stranding so I figured out how many stitches I needed, picked up every round on the body side of the sleeve and adjusted the number on the first round. It goes quickly, especially after the 2 years the body took.

Louet Victoria Traveling Spinning Wheel for sale

For Sale: an almost new OAK Louet Victoria Traveling Spinning wheel that was lightly used at SOAR 2010. The wheel folds up into its own black travel bag with room for the 3 bobbins and Kate as well as an extra high-speed lace flyer with 3 additional bobbins, included. The whole thing, packed up, weighs about 6.75 pounds. Comes with .5 lb Corriedale from New Zealand and orifice hook. I just don't need 3 wheels! $700, shipping to US included.
ninaelsohn@gmail.com

Knitting while retired is very productive

Recently finished items proliferate when there's lost of time to knit. Top picture is of a lacy rib cardigan I designed using Joan Schrouder's top-down-picked-up sleeves. The yarn is Cash Vero by Cascade and nice to knit with. It doesn't knit plain in stockinette as smoothly as I would have liked resulting in the rib pattern.

The second idem is another cardigan I designed myself, knit out of a silk/wool dk weight from Blackberry Ridge in Wisconsin. It stretches considerably when worn, and I'm going to try to get it back to it's original size and shape by washing.

Third picture down is one of a pair of footlets from a Curious Creek kit, knit as a sample for Carolina Homespun. The last two are a pair of "Thumb Only Work Mitts" also a kit, from Kathryn Alexander, and also a sample.

On the needles:
1. top down cable v-neck for Jim, Dream in Color Classy color Nightwatch
2. socks for Ken, Koigu
3. mittens with hidden fingers, in Malabrigo silk/wool for a rapidly approaching birthday gift
4. Shetland Garden Shawl (design by Sivia Harding), for me, in golden lace weight merino

Well, it's been over a year since my last post. I now have the leisure time to start keeping track of my knitting once again. First, some photos of recent completed projects. Daughter Anna, in the Swing Jacket from Vermont Fiber, Debbie Bliss Cashmerino in black. She's pleased with it, but doesn't have much of an opportunity to wear it now that she's moved to New Orleans for law school at Loyola.

Mariposa Shawl

The Mariposa Shawl is done, in plenty of time to wear to the wedding as planned on June 10. The pattern is by Merrily Parker for South West Trading Co., designed to be knit in their Bamboo yarn. I was just browsing (note: not shopping) at Yarns on First in Napa, CA when a sample of this shawl, in bright red, previously draped over the counter found itself on my shoulders. The sample was done in SWTC OPTIM wool. Since I couldn't have the sample and liked the purple color better the yarn and (free-with-yarn-purchase) pattern came home with me. Size 6 needles, a chart and magnetic board, 5 and a little bit of the 6th ball and 8 weeks later I had the shawl done.



Here it is on the needles - looking more blue than it really is. The pattern is a combination of frosted flowers and pebble stitch. It is my first attempt at lace knitting -patterning on both sides. The P 2 tog. through the back loop was a bit awkward at first but became easier and easier. The rhythm of the pattern was easy to learn.



I blocked it out before adding the crochet border called for in the pattern. It doesn't seem to curl and I don't think it needs the additional length. The back is knit in a parallelogram shape and finished at the top with ribbing. Then you pickup and knit sideways on both of the sides, one of which has a tube for the other side to fit through, which keeps the whole thing on your shoulders.


I am very pleased with the yarn which was lovely to work with, the pattern which was a bit skimpy on directions but understandable after a moment of panic resolved with a phone call to the shop, and the finished object. I might even consider doing this again, in black.

Knitting with Meg Swansen

Knitting Camp with Meg Swansen was a transformative experience. Not only was I knitting with true masters - Meg, Joyce Williams and Amy Detjen - but there were 19 other obsessed knitters there as well. As for the location being "in the middle of nowhere" to quote Meg, it made absolutely no difference. The only time we left the building was to visit Schoolhouse Press to try on garments knitted by Meg and Elizabeth Zimmermann and to shop. Food was brought in for most meals. Some knitters also had breakfast at Meg's sister's restaurant with residents of Msarshfield. At the hotel there was great lighting and seating, lots of help before and after class from Amy and Joyce, and inspiration from the samples brought in for demonstration. The other knitters provided inspiration as well - show and tell was scattered throughout the four days and ranged from beginners projects all the way through intricate lace and color work. I wish I had been quicker with the camera - but picking up the camera meant having to put down my needles, something I was loathe to do. We saw demonstrations of 3 ways of working 2 colors in a row. We practiced Kitchner grafting on samples knitted by EZ. We crocheted and cut steeks. We floated a pattern around a spiral yoke. We practiced knitting back backwards and purling back backwards (something I have not mastered.) We compared unspun Icelandic wool and Shetland 2-ply and wool spun for Ganseys. We talked about I-cord in numerous applications and practiced several. I can't wait to go back for more.


Joyce, Meg, and me


Amy and me


Kate in the Sweater Room at Schoolhouse Press


Trying on EZ's Pi R Squared shawl in the Sweater Room. Which led, of course, to the purchase of Jameson & Smith 2-ply Shetland jumper weight to make my own with insertions of lace patterns from Hazel Carter's booklet.

Other purchases included Satakieli to make my own color way of Amy's Faux Argyle in Sweaters from Camp. And a video of knitting information with both Elizabeth and Meg. And books by Meg , Joyce (Latvian Dreams), Hazel Carter and Wendy Keele (Poems of Color) about the Bohus knitting.

I learned to have confidence in my ability as a knitter to do whatever I wanted with my knitting. After all it's just yarn and needles and I can manage them.

Shopping with Carol in Wisconsin

Shopping with Carol in Wisconsin - what an experience! Dinner that first night was with some folks from the Midwest Masters at a truly Wisonsin restaurant. Fried cheese curds, anyone? Then Carol and I sat and knitted while getting to meet Carol and Denny's daughter Kelley and SIL Dan and their two lovely girls and exuberant puppy. The next day it was on to shopping. Between the four shops we saw on our way from Appleton to Madison and the four shops and Blackberry Ridge Mill in and around Madison we hit 9 yarn-acquisition stops in 32 hours. No, we didn't buy something at each stop. No pictures at Iris in Appleton - but we both bought yarn for the lacy shawl collared sweater in the current Knitters. Both had to be ordered, so no pictures. I also got 6 balls of Rowan Linen Drape - couldn't resist the sale corner - but it's not enough to do anything with. I'll have to do a search for more but since it's been discontinued this might be a challenge. Then out to Yarns by Design in Neenah. They were almost cleaned out by the Midwest Masters shoppers but I managed two buys - Lorna's Laces sport in Mindshaft, a color way I've not seen and 900 yds. of Dream in Color sock wt. in Beach Fog (even if I didn't love the color given where I live that was a must buy). A shawl? A baby blanket?

Then off to The Knitting Room in Fond du Lac - we both bought the new Filatura Di Crosa book for summer. And I scored another batch of yarn with insufficient yardage - a mystery blend that looks like a Monet painting.


Then off to Prairie Junction in Sun Prairie, where we were told we missed the sale by one day (why tell us that?) where Carol found more of the mystery Monet and now I have enough to do a long sleeve something. Carol got caught up in some Silk Garden for a shawl pattern.

Then on to New Glarus where we met up with Ruth and some cows:



While Ruth drove, Carol and I got to browse through the pattern books Ruth had stacked up for us. I got Vermont Fiber's twin set http://www.vermontfiberdesigns.com/patterns/women/107.php

Off to shop some more - first at Sow's Ear in Verona where I me Amy (not Detjen), also going to Meg's. Had a nice sit down in rocking chairs to knit a while.


Then off to a shop in a house (the name escapes me) where Carol and I had a tussle over a skein of merino lace weight Cherry Tree Hill in "Green Mountain Meadows".


I promptly ripped out the shawl I had just started, to cast on with this beauty. 2400 yards - enough to share if Carol's still interested!

Lakeside Fibers in Madison was the nicest place to sit and visit - with a large coffee shop in the back, lots of natural light, and a deck. Carol scored a lovely basket (furniture, not yarn) and I resisted more Dream in Color.



Our final stop was Blackberry Ridge. I resisted the Hazel Carter patterns - how could I explain a christening gown?- but didn't resist some wool/silk sport wt for the Lady of the Forrest in English Garden and some all wool sport wt. for a Vermont Fiber pattern from among the books Ruth stocked in her car for us to check out, while she drove us all over southern Wisconsin.

Finally, dinner at The Dining Room in Monticello was scrumptious and Ruth's treat. We ordered a lovely 2003 Merlot from Duckhorn which paired nicely with the quail stuffed with chorizo. We got to say a brief hello and thank you to Ruth's daughter Jane. After a farewell to Ruth I had to reorganize my luggage to fit all the yarn. And I still hadn't been to SchoolHouse Press!

Here is some of my new stash: starting at the top and working clockwise:
lace weight Cherry Tree Hill, Rowan Linen Drape, sock weight Dream in Color, Blackberry Ridge English Garden silk/wool, and Blackberry Ridge sport wt. Burgundy.



Then on Thursday morning I left Carol and Denny for Marshfield and Meg at my next adventure.