Spotlight: The Garden Delight Collection

May 20, 2013 in Elsebeth Lavold

Have I told you about my Asparagus Shawl? I think I’ve only mentioned it in passing.

Start of my Asparagus shawl

I started it in April and have found it to be good TV and travel knitting since it is mainly garter stitch.

The pattern is in the Elsebeth Lavold book “The Garden Delight Collection” and I’m using the Silky Wool yarn called for in the pattern.

The book includes two different sizes, one using 3 skeins and the other using 5 skeins.

Photo by Anders Rydell
Asparagus shawl, 3 skein version

I’m making this smaller version.

Photo by Anders Rydell
Asparagus shawl, 5 skein version

Doesn’t the larger version look cozy?

What you can’t really tell from the pictures is that this is a shaped shawl. It starts from the bottom like your average triangular shawl, but there is neck shaping with the two side continuing in a decreasing fashion.

I think this will make it very easy to wear since the shaping will help it stay put!

The motifs are meant to resemble Asparagus tips.

The name comes from the motif that runs up the sides and is meant to resemble asparagus tips.

Elsbeth says she designed the shawl when trying to add interest to a plain garter stitch shawl:

I discovered that the edging, my own invention, was both fun and satisfying to knit, and that’s really the essence of any craft, isn’t it—to arrive at an attractive and useable end result and at the same time get a lot of joy from the process itself.

In my opinion, she hit the nail on the head with this pattern. I can cruise along and just glance down for the motif.

I’m getting close to dividing for the two sides. I’m thinking I might have to knit them at the same time so when I’m finished I can start wearing my shawl right away!

The Garden Delight Collection

The Asparagus shawl is just one of 14 projects in this book. You can preview the rest of the book here. You can find the book on Ravelry here.

The theme of the book is “A collection of designs inspired by plant life and gardening, an activity that, just like knitting, gains pleasure from both the process and the end result.”

The designs use Silky Wool, Hempathy, and LinSilk yarns.

Photo by Anders Rydell,
Carota was the inspiration for the collection.

The first pattern designed for the book is Carota, which was inspired by purple carrots! I don’t think I’ve seen a purple carrot in person, but there is a picture of some in the book and the sweater design does indeed echo the vegetable.

Of course, if the purple and orange combination are a little too brave for you, Silky Wool is available in plenty of other colors for you to select a pleasing combination.

LinSilk

LinSilk is a new 50% Linen 30% Viscose 20% Silk blend with approximately 220 yards per 100g hank. The suggested gauge is 4.5 sts to 5 sts per inch. It is available in 12 colors.

Elsbeth says she quickly fell in love with the LinSilk samples when she was considering adding it to the Designer Choice line. She says it is great for garments in temperate zones and soft enough for garments for babies.

Add to the softness, sheen and a lovely drape the fact that is has an elasticity that makes it very agreeable to knit with, and you have the basic components behind my choice of this new favorite.

Photo by Anders Rydell
Calamint set, infant size

The Calamint pattern has a sweater, bonnet, and slipper set for babies ranging from 0 to 24 months old.

Photo by Anders Rydell
Calamint, child size

The sweater also has sizes for children 4 to 10 years old. That’s a lot of flexibility! If you have sisters who still think it’s fun to match you’ll be all set.

Photo By Anders Rydell
That’s Elsebeth Lavold herself!

For the big girls, consider the Woodruff sweater.

I like the wide neckline and the pretty lace collar on this one. The all over “flower” stitch will make this an interesting knit. Basic crochet skills are needed to work the edging.

Photo by Anders Rydell
Fava includes suggestions for adapting it for a woman.

There is one project for the man in your life in this collection. Fava (like the bean) is sized from S (43 1/4″ chest) to XL (50 3/4″ chest).

Ribbing combines with an interesting cable to create the texture on this attractive pullover. A modified drop shoulder reduces bulk under the arms.

If you don’t knit men sweaters, there are suggestions in the book for modifying the sleeves to fit a woman.

Hempathy

Hempathy is a popular 41% Cotton, 34% Hemp, 25% Modal blend with approximately 154 yards per 50g ball. There are six new colors this season.

Photo By Anders Rydell
Patch is sized from XS to XXL

Patch is a pretty T-Shirt style top knit using Hempathy. It is sized from XS (32 1/4″) to XXL (49 3/4″).

This top looks cool and breezy for when the summer weather arrives in earnest. For a daring look you can wear a contrasting color camisole underneath or be more subtle with a coordinating color. With 35 colors available, it should be easy to match your wardrobe.

Photo by Anders Rydell
Allium is knit using Hempathy

I’ve already added Allium to my Raverly queue. I like the combination of the lace at the shoulders and the peplum skirt.

This looks like a top that will be fun and challenging to knit as well as fun to wear. People will know you didn’t get this great top in a store!

Allium (which is the Latin name for Garlic) is sized from XS (28 1/4″) to L (34″) chest and is meant to be worn with 2 to 4 inches of negative ease.

These are just a few of the great patterns in The Garden Delight Collection. You can see the others here.

Hempathy in Magazines

Because I’m easily distracted, I thought I’d also point out that Hempathy recently appeared in two magazines!

Photo by Joe Hancock
Pattern from Interweave Knits Summer 2013

The Ladder Tank by Nancy Eiseman is in the Summer 2013 issue of Interweave Knits magazine.

Photo by Joe Hancock
Pattern from Interweave Knits Summer 2013

It takes 4 to 7 skeins of Hempathy, depending on which size you make. It is knit in one piece to the arm holes, which will save on finishing time.

Add the Ladder Tank to your Ravelry queue.

Photo courtesy of Creative Knitting Magazine
Pattern in Easy, Everyday Openwork & Lace

This very pretty twin set is in “Easy, Everyday Openwork & Lace” from Creative Knitting Magazine.

The Sapphira Cardigan and Tank Top was designed by Meghan Jones and is sized from S to 2X. You can see more pictures if you follow those links to the Ravelry pages.

I think this set is pretty and sophisticated. Together they’d be great for the office, while the tank alone will be a fun addition to the summer wardrobe.

What do you think? Would you add more veggies to your life by knitting from The Garden Delight Collection?

Tags: Hempathy, silk, silky wool, WIPs
1 Comment »

Off the Needles: Asta Neckwarmer

May 3, 2013 in Cowls, Elsebeth Lavold, Inspiration

Elsebeth Lavold’s Silky Wool is one of my favorite yarns.

This 45%Wool, 35%Silk, 20%Nylon blend has a suggested gauge of 5.5 sts per inch, so you can finish projects in a timely manner, but not be weighed down by a bulky yarn.

The fiber blend and relatively light weight make it a good yarn for wearing in most of the seasons.

It doesn’t hurt that it’s available in a wide range of colors, too.

A great option if you don’t want to fuss with a big scarf.

The Asta Neckwarmer is from The Small Things Matter Collection.

In the book it is a set along with wrist warmers, a cell phone pouch, and an eyeglass case. I made only the neck warmer, but might double back to the wrist warmers later on.

I like the little sawtooth edging.

You can make the entire set with one skein of Silky Wool! Or you can make multiples of one of the items and get a jump on your gift knitting.

The neckwarmer is considered an intermediate project because of the shaping involved. Oh, sure it looks like mild manner cowl in my pictures, but it actually hugs the top of your shoulders.

The shaping helps give it a nice fit.

Isn’t that clever?

As you can see, it’s mostly garter stitch, which made this a good travel project. I just had to stay alert for the saw tooth edging and by the time I had to work the button holes I was done.

It doesn’t look like much when it’s first finished.

In fact, because of the small size, this was a pretty quick project to knit. However it took me forever to sew on the buttons. When I finally did settle down to do the buttons it only took me half an hour. I can’t decide whether or not that was a long time. Either way I realized I shouldn’t have dragged my feet so long.

Asparagus Shawl

Having finished the Asta Neckwarmer I jumped right in to knitting the Asparagus Shawl from The Garden Delight Collection.

Asparagus shawl from The Garden Delight Collection.

There is a three skein version and a five skein version. I’m working on the smaller one.

Asparagus is a triangular shawl that has some shaping around the neck and shoulders. I’m looking forward to seeing the pattern develop.

Local Yarn Store Projects

I’m not the only one who loves Silky Wool. I’ve recently seen many pretty projects float by on Facebook.

Here’s a little round up for you to enjoy and be inspired by!

A great poncho at Port Hadlock Yarns, a local yarn store in Washington state.

A customer at Port Hadlock Yarns made this great “Easy Folded Poncho”. Contact the store for more details. Find the pattern on Ravelry.

A poncho at Apple Yarns, a local yarn store in Washington state.

Apple Yarns did a wonderful striped version of the same poncho. Contact the store for more details about the colors. Stripes are a great option if you can select just one color to use!

Autumn Walking Scarf at The Colonial Yarn Shop, a local yarn store in Pennsylvania.

Speaking of a great use of color, this Autumn Walking Scarf by a Colonial Yarn Shop customer is just stunning! Contact the store for more details. Find the pattern on Ravelry.

They’ve been doing a class for this pattern so there are many pretty version on their Facebook page.

Zuzu’s Petals at The Ball & Skein, a local yarn store in Pennsylvania.

Zuzu’s Petals has been in my Ravelry favorites for a while. This lovely version from The Ball & Skein just makes me like it more. From what I understand, this is actually a cowl with a pointed edge. It looks like you’re wearing an artfully wrapped shawl, but you don’t have to fuss with it!

A great beaded cardigan at Needlework Unlimited, a local yarn store in Minnesota.

If neckwear isn’t your style, check out this great beaded cardigan from Needlework Unlimited. The beads are a nice way to highlight the simple lace pattern. Contact the store for more details.

What have you made with this beautiful yarn?

Tags: cowls, finished objects
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Off the Needles: Monika Hat

April 24, 2013 in Elsebeth Lavold, Hats

I finished my Monika hat just in time for the warm weather to arrive.

Taunting Spring by continuing to knit winter projects finally worked!

Why yes, that is a Color Affection I’m wearing.

The Monika hat is from the Elsebeth Lavold book “The Small Things Matter Collection“.

In the book the hat is knit using shades of blue and purple, but I decided it mix it up and use autumnal colors.

Monika set from Elsebeth Lavold The Small Things Matter Collection

The pattern calls for original Silky Wool yarn held doubled, but I was able to get gauge with Silky Wool XL.

I used colors #17 – Dark Chocolate, #18 – Sap Green, #20 – Toffee, #11 – Purple, and #16 – Tomato Red.

Short rows makes this side taller.

This was a fun and relatively quick knit. When I started it I was rotating it with other projects (as you do) but then I reached a point where I focused on it and it just flew along.

I posted a picture of it on Facebook and people were saying they’d made similar striped hats, but they couldn’t see the interesting shaping involved.

This hat is worked flat. Most knitters cringe at the thought of hats worked flat. It’s much easier to work it in the round and be done when you’re done rather than needing to seam it at the end.

As I was facing the prospect of seaming the hat I was considering how to convert it to knitting in the round. However, I realized the seam is a design element that shouldn’t be skipped.

On the side away from the seam (photo above) there are short rows to give that side of the hat height.

When you sew the seam you pull it tight to gather that side and make it shorter.

The seam gathers this side to make it shorter.

My short side can be shorter. When I was seaming the hat I thought I would be clever and use the tails from the colors changes to sew it shut, but that meant I couldn’t gather it as tightly as I probably should have.

I’m vaguely considering undoing it and sewing a new seam with a single strand of yarn so I can pull it snug.

The hat should probably also be blocked to smooth it out.

This is a good example of why you should read a pattern through completely before you start making changes. If I had converted it to working in the round then read the finishing directions I would have been pretty annoyed to realize what I’d done!

There might be a second, modified Monika hat in my future.

After I had seamed it, but before I attached the side band, my husband found it on the dining room table and started wearing it around the house. It fit him nicely and looked pretty good.

But it’s safely on my side of the coat rack now. We both agreed the side band makes it too feminine for him to borrow it!

In case you’re wondering…that is my Color Affection scarf I’m wearing. I used Ella Rae Lace Merino yarn. You can read more about it in this blog post.

Tags: finished objects, hats
1 Comment »

On the Needles: Jenna Top

April 20, 2013 in Elsebeth Lavold, Sweaters

Spring is in the air! Or at least it is for people who don’t live in the mountains, unlike myself.

Still, I know the weather will warm up eventually and I want to be prepared to greet it with a new top.

With that goal in mind I cast on the Jenna Top from Elsebeth Lavold’s “The Lazy Day Collection” book earlier in the month.

Jenna Top in the Lazy Days Collection book.

This top has enchanted me since the book first came out. I love how the pretty lace at the collar and sleeves contrast with the simple stockinette stitch body.

That combination means it will be good TV knitting, but still have interesting parts to challenge my knitter’s brain.

There are actually two versions in the book. The short sleeved Jenna version and a long sleeved Jemma version.

Jemma is the long sleeved version.

I like the Jemma version, too, but for the summer I want a faster knit.

Both version use ViSilk yarn, a 90% Viscose, 10% Silk blend available in 18 colors.

ViSilk #13 – Gray Cyan

While I like both colors shown in the book, I decided to go with this nice icy blue since that is more in keeping with my wardrobe.

This yarn is so lovely to knit with!

It is silky soft flowing through my fingers and the fabric has lovely shine and drape.

The texture of the yarn shines in stockinette stitch.

As you can see, the yarn has intentional slubby bit of raw silk throughout. This adds extra interest to the simple stockinette stitch body, but doesn’t interfere with the lace.

I started my top just before I went on vacation so I had lots of time to knit in the car and in the evenings. I’m making great progress and am already above the armhole shaping on the back. I was happy to discover the is some waist shaping, which always makes a sweater more flattering when it has a lot of drape.

There is lace at the collar and on the sleeves

I must confess, I started with the lace inset at the collar! Sometimes it’s fun to start with the interesting parts.

You can see my swatch on the right in this picture. I missed with the US 6 needle recommended in the pattern, but I was spot on with a US 7 needle.

The loopy section in the middle of my swatch is a drop stitch row when I changed needle size. The slack from the elongated stitches helps keep the two sections from pulling on each other so you get a more accurate measurement. It’s easier than starting over with a new ball of yarn!

Even though there were snow flurries this morning the winter can’t last forever! This sweater isn’t going to knit itself so I’d better get back to stitching.

I hope you’re having a lovely (and maybe warm?) yarn-filled weekend.

Tags: WIPs
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Monika Hat Progress

April 1, 2013 in Elsebeth Lavold, Hats

You might be wondering how I decided to resolve my Monika hat color dilemma from over the weekend.

Shall I switch the orange stripe for the blue yarn?

To recap:
This is the Monika hat from the Elsebeth Lavold Book “The Small Things Matter Collection.”

I am using Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool XL yarn.

I had been happily chugging along, but decided that the orange yarn at the top was too close to the red-orange yarn below the purple. The blue was a contender to use instead.

A lot of good feed back was provided in the comments on the other blog post and on our Facebook page. There was a lot of support for my concern that the orange and red-orange are too similar.

Blue and orange were both cut from the team. The top is a dark green.

Many people liked the idea of adding the blue because the more colors the better!

Other people said to skip the blue because it was a cool color and the other colors are warm.

As a designer with training in color theory, I say stick with your warm colors. The color scheme you have running right now is Analogic. If you throw in Blue, it will become an off-kilter Triadic scheme, and you’ll have to get rid of all the orange.
This is science! Listen to science.–Nicole D

Some people started making wild suggestions about ripping the hat back further and placing the blue closer to the start. Those suggestions made me LOL.

But what made up my mind was a clever move by our Facebook fan Henrys Wigglebus.

A fan edited the picture to show the blue instead of orange.

They used a photo editing software to approximate what the blue yarn would look like in the hat.

Personally I didn’t like it.

Just need to seam it!

After considering all the advice, I decided to stick with the colors I already had that were working well together.

I ditched the orange and the blue and repeated the green, purple, and red instead. The pattern calls for five colors with colors three and four repeating at the top.

Since the hat is worked flat and seamed, there is a band that is knit separately and attached to hide the seam. I’m going to knit that band in the tan color so it has a second appearance.

I think this has been a good exercise in remembering that just because a pattern is shown in certain colors in the book doesn’t mean you can’t change them around!

Tags: hats, WIPs
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Monika Hat Dilemma

March 30, 2013 in Elsebeth Lavold, Hats, Sweaters

I’ve been quietly knitting the Monika Hat from Elsebeth Lavold’s book The Small Things Matter Collection. Add it to your Ravelry queue here.

Monika Set from The Small Things Matter Collection.

I’m not sure why I haven’t been showing you pictures. I guess because I’ve only been working on it occasionally so haven’t make a lot of progress.

That is what it will look like when it’s done. It’s knit flat an seamed. There are short rows to give it the height on one side and the band is knit separately. I think it’s going to be really cute when it’s done.

My dilemma is the colors I selected.

Monika hat progress

This is my progress so far. You can see I sent with an autumnal theme. I’m using a dark brown as my main color between the welts. I was really pleased with how it was turning out until I hit that orange stripe at the top.

I admit the orange yarn has been giving me pause all along. I think there just isn’t enough difference between it and the red/orange yarn below the purple.

The pattern calls for colors three (red/orange) and four (purple) to repeat again in reverse order.

Since it’s too late to put the orange in a different spot (the hat is working up quickly, but I still don’t want to loose all that work), I’m thinking of changing it out.

Shall I switch the orange stripe for the blue yarn?

This steel blue is the leading candidate. Really the only way I’ll know for sure is to rip the orange out and knit the welt with the blue. It’s just 6 little rows so it shouldn’t be too bad.

What do you think?

Silky Wool XL

The pattern for the Monika Hat and Bag actually calls for the original Silky Wool yarn held doubled. However, when I had that little bout of “startitis” at the beginning of March I swatched using Silky Wool XL and was able to get gauge.

Silky Wool XL is an 80% Wool, 20% Silk blend that is available in 28 colors. Each 50 gram ball has approximately 104 yards. It will work on needles ranging from US7 to US10 with suggested gauges of 3.75 to 4.5 sts per inch.

Silky Wool XL is lovely to knit and crochet with because of the nice crunchy feel the silk content gives the yarn. The lovely colors are made more interesting from the tweedy bits in the yarn. It is a complex yarn!

While I’m making a hat, this yarn is wonderful for sweaters and other larger garments.

Florence from The Past Into The Present Collection.

The Florence hooded cape is from the book The Past Into The Present Collection. Add it to your Ravelry queue here.

It makes my heart go pitter-patter. The lovely cable detail combined with the cropped length and the practical hood make this garment a stand out in my book.

Harare from The City(e)scapes Collection.

For something a little more mainstream, consider the Harare cardigan from The City(e)scapes Collection. Add it to your Ravelry queue here.

This will be a great transition piece as we move into spring, and will also make a great cover up when the summer nights turn cool.

The like the wide collar and the simple cable on this cardigan.

Melbourne from The City(e)scapes Collection.

For the man in your life, check out the Melbourne cardigan from the same book. Add it to your Ravelry queue here.

Look at all the wonderful details on this cardigan! A fun cable pattern to knit, generous pockets, and an eye catching shawl collar. This cardigan will be a great addition to his wardrobe…or maybe your own.

Oda from The Come Closer Collection.

For something a little heartier consider the Oda jacket from The Come Close Collection. Add it to your Ravelry queue here.

That wonderfully generous collar will help keep you warm. And the rib and cable pattern will help ensure a comfortable fit. Add some fabulous buttons and you’re ready to go.

I’ve highlighted just a few projects using Silky Wool XL. You can see more on the left hand side of the Silky Wool XL page on our main website.

Check for the yarn and the books at your local yarn store.

What have you made using this yummy yarn?

Tags: WIPs
7 Comments »

Startitis

February 17, 2013 in Cowls, Elsebeth Lavold, Hats, Juniper Moon Farm Yarns, Mirasol, miscellaneous, shawl

I had a small case of “startitis” over the weekend.

You’ve had the feeling even if you haven’t heard the name before. It’s that overwhelming urge to cast on or start as many projects as you can.

I was busy swatching over the weekend.

It can be caused by a desire to start a new project without know what you want to make. Trips to a local yarn store or fiber festival can also trigger from the sight of all the pretty yarn.

Finishing (or getting close to the end of) a long term or complicated project can be a cause. And cabin fever (Knitting Fever? hahaha) brought on by cold winters days can contribute.

As you can see, startitis is a wide ranging ailment.

I find it’s often best to give into it, especially the cause is not being sure what project to start. If you do a bunch of swatching one project is bound to rise to the top.

Something Small?

My bout of startitis was brought on by finishing a complicated cowl and needing a new project.

Asta set from Elsebeth Lavold The Small Things Matter Collection

Originally I thought maybe I wanted a small and quick project for some instant gratification after my big project.

The lovely magenta yarn at the 6 or 7 o’clock position in the first picture is a cake of Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool.

You just need one hank to make all three pieces of the Asta set from The Small Things Matter Collection.

But I just finished a cowl, did I want to make another one?

Hats!

The cowl abandoned (although the cuffs were still in play), I decided to focus on my need for a new hat.

As a knitter, I obviously can’t just go to the store to buy one. Instead I spent time thumbing through my pattern books and poking around on Ravelry looking for ideas. (Both those activities can also trigger startitis.)

Monika set from Elsebeth Lavold The Small Things Matter Collection

Right there an another page of The Small Things Matter Collection is the Monika hat and bag.

Look at those stripes! I won’t even have to settle on one color.

The pattern calls for holding Silky Wool doubled, but I had a sneaky suspicion that Silky Wool XL might be the correct gauge by itself.

Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool XL for the Monika hat.

It took a couple tries, but I achieved gauge on US 6 needles. Victory is mine! I started by using the suggested needle size for the pattern (US7) and swatched with regular Silky Wool held doubled as the pattern required and a single strand of Silky Wool XL side by side.

That allowed me to see that the fabric with the XL would be the same (or very similar) to the fabric at the same gauge as the regular Silky Wool. We’ll see what happens since I’ve been too clever for my own good in the past.

Maybe a shawl?

Of course, I couldn’t stop there. Having finished one big project maybe another large project was the way to go.

Gable Wrap Pattern is free on our website.

That purple ball of Juniper Moon Farm Findley (#4 – Renaissance) in the middle of the picture has been taunting me for a while now. That ball and it’s twin want to be the Gable Wrap, which is a free pattern on our website.

I still need to swatch for this one. It is knit using the “Indian Cross-Stitch,” which I’ve never knit before. Swatching will allow me to both check my gauge and become familiar with the stitch before starting the shawl.

The only problem is the suggested needle is US5 and I’m not sure where mine is (we will ignore the implications of one or two active projects that these missing needles imply). I might not end up using US 5 needles to knit this shawl, but I always like to start with the suggested needles when I start swatching. One day I’ll get lucky!

WIPs to fall back on

Fortunately, when I got tired of all the swatching and actually wanted to knit something I had a, ahem, few works in progress to fall back on.

Progress on my Loreto Cowl from Mirasol book #23.

Lately I’ve been trying to pay attention to my Loreto Cowl from Mirasol Book #23.

I love the cables on this cowl. It looks complicated, but once you get the rhythm of the cables it’s pretty straight forward.

I’m using three shades of Kutama, a 50% Alpaca, 50% Highland Wool blend, hoping to achieve a shaded look.

This is a great pattern that is fun to knit, but sometimes I need a break from all those cables!

Blown Away

I took a break from all my swatching and planning to take my yarn outside for pictures. I thought the natural light would show the colors better, but it was late in the afternoon and getting a bit dark.

And then a gust of wind started blowing my yarn off the table and down the hill!

Good thing Samson was there to catch them.

Which seemed like a sign that it was time to collect my toys and go back inside.

I hope your weekend knitting and crocheting was a little more productive.

Tags: WIPs
2 Comments »

Elsebeth Lavold Workshops March 2013

February 15, 2013 in Elsebeth Lavold, miscellaneous

Knitwear designer Elsebeth Lavold will be doing a short tour in Minnesota and Wisconsin in March.

Elsebeth is best known for her fabulous cable designs, many of which are based on Viking Age artifacts she has studied.

In her first book, “Viking Patterns for Knitting,” she explains the process she went through to interpret the designs on armor and stones into knitting patterns. In addition to several patterns, the book is full of interesting cables.

Since then she has designed 25 more pattern book for all seasons full of lovely designs that incorporate cables, lace, and plainer elements.

And that isn’t even mentioning her many lovely yarns!

She doesn’t visit the states very often, so if you are in the area of one of these events and you like knitting cables you should totally look into attending.

Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minnesota Knitter’s Guild March 4th

www.knitters.org

Basic Viking Knits

The focus is on the basic techniques needed to knit the wonderful Viking Patterns. Join Elsebeth as she focuses on the technical aspects of knitting Viking patterns and leads you to understand the grammar of cable patterns. How to read and understand charts. Learn how to cable without a cable needle. Analyze Viking Interlace ornamentation and start designing your own cable patterns

Design with Cables

How to use the Viking Patterns in your own projects – designing with cables. Basic garments shapes and calculation, cable and motif placement. Details such as cuffs and collars and some finishing techniques will be discussed.

Hekla sweater from Knitting Along the Viking Trail Exhibit. Patter in The Second Viking Knits Collection

Hekla sweater from Knitting Along the Viking Trail Exhibit. Pattern in The Second Viking Knits Collection

Mendota Heights, Minnesota

3kittensneedlearts March 6th

www.3kittensneedlearts.com

Village at Mendota Heights

750 Main Street Suite 112

Mendota Heights, MN 55118

Knitting Viking Patterns

Join Elsebeth as she focuses on the technical aspects of knitting Viking patterns and leads you to understand the grammar of cable patterns and into the adventure of designing your own cable patterns. How to read and understand charts. Learn how to cable without a cable needle.

Runes

In Viking times, runes were associated with magic and special powers. Get started on knitting your own power emblem – select a short word from a list. We touch on choosing runes with the correct sound value, spacing and placement on your project.

Sigtuna hat from Knitting Along the Viking Trail Exhibit

Wisconsin

Madison, Wisconsin

Madison Knitter’s Guild

www.madisonknittersguild.org

Knit-In March 8 – 9th, Lecture and workshops

Happy Home Pillow from Knitting Along the Viking Trail Exhibit

Horicon, Wisconsin

The Knitty Gritty Shop March 10th

http://knittygrittyshop.com/

Oak Grove Homestead Farms, LLC

W5346 State Road 33

Horicon, WI 53032

Book Signing

Basic Viking Knits

Happiness Sign or St. John’s Cross, blanket detail

Verona, Wisconsin

The Sow’s Ear, Verona March 11th

www.knitandsip.com

125 S. Main St., Verona, WI 53593

Design with Cables

Hope you can make it to one or more of these rare events!

Tags: cables
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Baby Booties and a Book Review

December 28, 2012 in Elsebeth Lavold, Socks

The New Born Baby Hat I knit for my friends earlier in the week took so little yarn that I had more than half the ball of Elsebeth Lavold Favorite Wool I used left over.

So I knit a second hat (my cousin is due to have a baby in early January).

A little hat for a little head

I still had quite a bit of the yarn left so I thought I’d push my luck and try to make a pair of baby booties as well.

I wasn’t feeling very creative and decided to use an existing pattern where someone else had already done the hard work of designing the booties.

Happily, I remembered the was a small and simple pattern in the back of “Knitting in Plain English” by Maggie Righetti.

Little Frankenstein booties!

The pattern in the book calls for a seed stitch edge to match the sweater and bonnet patterns that are also in the book, but I made a garter stitch edge instead to match my hat.

Aren’t they fun little Frankenstein booties?

They knit up very quickly and don’t take much yarn at all. However, I did use the rest of my ball of yarn and was starting to get nervous on the second booty.

Considering I got two little hats and a pair of booties out of the one ball of Favorite Wool I think I did a pretty good job of using it up!

The three patterns in the book are learning patterns, which means they are simple for an experienced knitter but offer challenges to improve your skills for a beginner or even intermediate knitters.

The booties are good practice for knitting in the round, but not really instructive for learning socks since they don’t have the same construction as regular sock would.

There was only one tricky part in the pattern. When you are done knitting the booty, the pattern says to turn in inside out and work a three needle bind off to close the bottom.

Turn it inside out, what?

I sat there for a minute looking at what you see here and tried to figure out how I would get my long double pointed needles through that little bitty sole without loosing all my stitches.

I actually started to slide the project toward one end of the needles thinking that would make it easier to swing them through.

Luckily, before I got to far with that effort, my common sense returned and I realized I was approaching the project from the wrong end.

Push the booty, not the needles.

I didn’t have to push the needles through the booty. I had to push the booty through the needles! Sometimes the solution is too simple.

A quick bind off and I was done.

Of course, the three needle bind off creates a ridge on the inside of the booty, but these aren’t really walking socks. If you want to avoid the ridge I don’t see why you can’t Kitchener stitch the bottom shut instead.

Knitting in Plain English

This is a good book to have in your library. You should pick up a copy the next time you’re at your local yarn store.

It’s probably more helpful for a beginner knitter as it provides a lot of basic information, but even as an experienced knitter (I only bought my copy last year) I picked up some tips and useful information.

There were also good reminders about how to do some techniques better and to not get stressed out over your knitting.

As with any book not everyone will find it universally appealing. Personally, I like Righetti’s writing style. She’s been in the business for a while and it was interesting to see her contrast how things were done when she first started compared to how they are done these days.

For instance, she says when she first started out knitters were more likely to make up their own patterns on the fly. Or the staff at the yarn store would design simple sweaters to a customers specifications.

These days we have access to so many patterns that service is no longer necessary. Actually, there are a few specialty stores that will still do custom designs, but I think it’s fairly costly.

Along those lines, I’ve seen information in the Knitting Fever archives about a primitive computer system local yarn stores could purchase that would produce custom patterns. Of course, these days you can purchase a software program that you can use in the comfort of your own home.

Lacking the special software, you can also fall back on “The Knitting Architect” on our website, which walks you through the basics of sweater design. I would also recommend Righetti’s “Sweater Design in Plain English” if customizing sweaters is something you want to pursue.

Whoops! I just wandered far from my topic, didn’t I? Since we’re wandering, which reference books would you recommend?

Look! A set!

Tags: baby, books
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Newborn Baby Hat

December 24, 2012 in Elsebeth Lavold, Free, Hats

A few days ago my friends sent me a picture of their new baby wearing the hat I had knit for their first baby three years ago.

Three years! They’d kept my hat safe for future use.

I was so flattered and excited that I had to knit them another one right away. They are in a New England state so they’ll need winter wear for him. Isn’t it great when our gifts are used and appreciated?

Personally, when I knit or crochet a gift I want to see it used. None of this “It’s too special and will wear out” nonsense for me! If you wear it out I can make you another one.

A little hat for a little head

This little hat took 14 grams of Elsebeth Lavold Favorite Wool yarn. Really, I weighed it. Since Favorite Wool comes in 50 gram balls you’ll be able to make a couple hats, or maybe matching socks or mittens, from one ball.

Newborn Baby Hat

Size: About 14″ circumference. About 3 3/4″ tall

Materials:

Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Favorite Wool (100% Peruvian Wool), less than one ball

Needles: US8 Double pointed needles or size needed to obtain gauge

Gauge: 4 sts x 4 rows = 1″ in garter stitch in the round.

Abbreviations:

CO-Cast on
Dec-Decrease
K-Knit
K2tog-Knit two stitches together
P-Purl
P2tog-purl two stitches together
St(s)-Stitch(es)

NOTE: This hat is worked in Garter Stitch in the round. You have to alternate knit and purl rounds.

The Pattern:

CO 48 sts.

Join to work in the round being careful not to twist stitches. Place marker for beginning of round. Distribute sts evenly on four needles (12 sts each needle).

Beginning with a knit round, work in garter stitch in the round (knit one round, purl one round) for 16 rounds or about 2″ from cast on edge.

Decrease round: *K2tog, k4. Repeat from * around

Work 4 rounds even in garter stitch

Decrease round: *P2tog, P3. Repeat from * around

Work 3 rounds even in garter stitch.

Decrease round: *P2tog, P2. Repeat from * around

Work 2 rounds even in garter stitch.

Decrease round: *K2tog, K1. Repeat from * around.

Work 1 row even in garter stitch.

Decrease round: K2tog around (8 sts remain)

Leave a reasonable tail (6″ or so) and cut yarn. Use a darning needle to draw tail through remaining sts. Remove knitting needles and pull tail tight to close top.

Weave in ends.

No babies were around to model for me.

Lacking a baby to use a a model, I put the hat on this canister of bread crumbs to try to give you an idea of the size. Almost all of us have breadcrumbs in the house, right? My use of this particular brand of breadcrumbs does not constitute an official endorsement (haha).

Of course babies have round tops.

Here’s a picture of the top. Of course, unlike bread crumbs, babies have round tops, which will be much more flattering to the hat!

I used Favorite Wool color #26-Prussian Blue because my friends have a new baby boy. I like primary and strong colors for babies. I think they are a nice change of pace from the usual pastels used for baby garments.

Just a few of the great colors available.

Favorite Wool is available in 34 colors, including some pastels, so you can be more traditional if you want.

I hope you enjoy making this little hat. If you do make one, share a picture on our Facebook wall. I’d love to see it.

Tags: baby, free pattern, hats
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