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 »

Stripe Study

May 2, 2013 in Louisa Harding, Sweaters, Tips, Uncategorized

Many knitters and crocheters do not like swatching.

They see it as a waste of time and yarn. Swatching delays their ability to get to the good part of actually starting a project.

There is often little the pro-swatching crowd can say to change their minds, but it doesn’t stop us from trying!

Swatching is usually done to ensure you’re knitting at the recommended pattern gauge. If your gauge is correct your finished project will be the correct size.

However, swatching can have other uses, such as testing out an unfamiliar technique or learning a new stitch pattern.

In this example, I used swatting to test out the colors I’m using for a striped top.

Meet Billy

Photo by Stephen Jessup.
Louisa Harding book #127, Mila

Billy is one of the patterns in Louisa Harding’s new Mila book. (Add Billy to your Ravelry queue.)

Mila is a new cotton blend yarn (91% Cotton, 9% Polyester Metallic). It comes in 109 yard (50 g) balls and has a recommended gauge of 4.5 sts on a US8 needle. You can see all 12 colors here. You can preview the rest of the book here.

When it was time to select my spring projects I knew I wanted to make something with Mila since cotton has a reputation of being hard to work with. Many people find it fatigues their hands.

I have not found that to be the case with Mila. The yarn’s chainette construction gives it spring and allows for smooth stitching.

When I was selecting my colors I’d only glanced through the book, but hadn’t settled on a project. I remembered many of the projects had striped versions and that seemed fun for the summer.

Louisa Harding Mila #9 – Venice

I started with blue, because it is one of my favorite colors. (You can really see the shiny bits in the blue ball.)

Louisa Harding Mila #1 – White

Then I selected white, because it goes with everything.

Louisa Harding Mila #6 – Tomato

Then I took orange, because I was feeling frisky that day and orange and blue are paired on the color wheel.

As you can see, Louisa shows Billy in two colorways.

Photo by Stephen Jessup.
Louisa Harding book #127, Mila

The red version has long sleeves, while the green and yellow version has short sleeves. (I’m making the short sleeved version.)

I would say the options shown in the book are gradient.

My three colors are far from gradient!

If I’d been buying the yarn at my local yarn store with the book in hand I probably would have followed the example in the book and made a gradient version. Probably in blue. As it was I had to get creative.

But getting creative is one of the best parts of knitting and crocheting! We can make our projects in the colors we want!

Balancing Stripes

Go team!

I remembered that dark colors are suppose to minimize the area they cover so blue would go at the bottom around my hips. White in the middle with orange at the top seemed logical, but I wasn’t sure.

I fished out my trusty copy of Maggie Rhigettie’s “Sweater Design in Plain English” and reread the section about colors influencing how we view a garment.

She says dark colors minimize and light colors draw the eye. Suddenly I wasn’t sure about having white around my waist!

The only way to be sure (and avoid knitting a sweater with which I wouldn’t be happy) was to swatch. I knit abbreviated versions of the stripe sequence to get an idea of how the colors would look together.

I started with orange in the middle, since it was the option I was most unsure about.

I don’t like it. Some people might prefer it (and that’s OK! ), but to me it a little too “sports team.”

Just right.

Happily, the white in the middle was in line with my vision of the sweater.

It was safe for me to proceed.

The other thing all the swatching confirmed was that my gauge was correct. I was very surprised when my first swatch with the suggested needle size was spot on. Usually I have to go down a needle size!

Side by side.

Have you worked a swatch for a reason other than to check your gauge?

Tags: tips, WIPs
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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
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42nd Street Mitts–Concept

March 16, 2013 in Ella Rae, Inspiration, Mitts

Last weekend was spent visiting family and involved a lot of crisscrossing of the territory from New Jersey to Long Island.

Happily, I wasn’t driving so I got a lot of car knitting done!

On one of our crossings we popped out of the Lincoln Tunnel and ended up on 42nd Street.

On a Saturday evening.

In the middle of a bunch of cars and tourists.

On the bright side (aside from the fact that I wasn’t driving) the heavy traffic gave us plenty of time to enjoy the sights, sounds, and (ahem) smells of The City.

One of the sights that caught my eye was a woman wearing a very cute pair of cream colored arm warmers. The arms was just ribbing, but there was a black snowflake motif at the wrist.

Concept sketch for 42nd Street Mitts

We were moving so slowly that I probably had time to take a picture, but I didn’t think of it.

Heck, we were moving so slowly that I probably had time to jump out of the car, chase her down, take several pictures, and get back to the car before they’d gone to far. But I didn’t because jumping out of the car would have stressed everyone out.

So I just have my memory and imagination to recreate them!

As you can see from my sketch (and my drawing skills leave a lot to be desired!) I’ve probably embellished them a little bit.

Swatching

Since I’m basically designing the arm warmers from scratch, some swatching is in order.

First motif option

After flipping through all my stitch dictionaries, I found the image of a snowflake motif that I liked on page 89 of The Ultimate Knitting Book from Vogue Knitting.

My swatch is quite pleasant, although not quite what I had in mind, and I thought I’d go for it. (I think the snowflake on the lady’s mitts was thinner. More a a line snowflake with dots around it.)

But as I settled down recreate the chart an issue presented itself.

My swatch didn’t look like the knitted sample in the book despite the fact that I’d followed the accompanying chart.

This required two charts.

First I recreated the chart that appears in the book and that matches my swatch.

Then I created a chart based on the knitted sample in the book.

Both motif options

As you can see, the centers are rather different. Both motifs are 15 sts wide, but the first one is 19 rows tall while the second is 15 rows tall.

This discrepancy is going to set my designing back, but that is one of the reasons we swatch.

My next step will be working a swatch of the second motif so I can have a better idea of which one I prefer.

Go For It

In the mean time, this is probably enough information for other experienced knitters to run with the idea. Everyone else will have to wait until I’ve knit at least one mitt so I have good numbers for you!

This is what I have so far:

Materials:

Yarn: Ella Rae Classic Wool (black and white or colors of your selection)

Needles: US7

Gauge: I’m calling it 5.5 sts/inch, but it’s unclear. I worked a 19 stitch swatch and it’s about 3 1/2″ wide.

I’m thinking a motif on both the top and the bottom of the wrist so the yarn travels around the mitt. I’m thinking 40 sts for the motif section.

40 sts at 5.5 sts/inch should give you a 7″ circumference, which will fit my wee wrists.

I’m planning arm warmers, so I want them to reach up my forearm, which would mean casting on 56 sts for a 10″ circumference. Then gradually decreasing down to 40.

Maybe. It’s a work in progress.

Tags: arm warmers, WIPs
1 Comment »

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 »

Spotlight: Ella Rae Lace Merino

September 7, 2012 in Ella Rae, shawl, Sweaters

Have I mentioned lately how much fun I’m having knitting my Color Affection shawl?

You’ll remember this shawl was designed by Veera Valimaki and is for sale on Ravelry.

I’m using Ella Rae Lace Merino yarn in colors #3-Grass Green, #139-Turquoise and Green, and #34-Medium Blue.

Isn’t it stunning? And, yes, it is as soft and squishy as it looks!

I have one repeat left of the short row section. Then I’m into the solid blue edging. Judging from the comments on Ravelry that is the point people start loosing their focus. I can understand that, considering the rows will be over 400 stitches long at that point!

But I’m not worried. I’ll put a good show on TV, or sit on the porch while the dogs are frolicking, and enjoy the process of knitting with this lovely 100% merino wool yarn.

Did you know there are three weights to the Lace Merino family? The original Lace Merino I’m using for my shawl is fingering weight. A worsted weight version was introduced last year. New for this fall is a chunky weight.

All three weights are wonderful for projects ranging from accessories to garments. Let me show you some project ideas.

Fingering Weight

The fingering weight version has a recommended gauge of 6.5 sts per inch on a US4 needle and comes with approximately 460 yards per 100 gram hank.

This fun ruffled scarf is in Book #114-Lace Merino & Latte. It takes two skeins of Lace Merino yarn.

This pretty, garter stitch shrug is a free pattern on our main website. It takes between 5 to 7 hanks of Lace Merino and has finished bust measurements to fit from 35″ to 53″. It should be suitable for an advanced beginner.

You can see more project ideas and all the colors for the original Lace Merino yarn on this page.

Worsted Weight

The worsted weight of Lace Merino is a good option when you don’t want a bulky project but the thought of knitting on small needles doesn’t appeal to you.

This version has a recommended gauge of 4.5 sts per inch on a US7 needle and comes with approximately 230 yards per 100 gram hank.

This sweet, garter stitch cardigan is in book #113-Lace Merino Worsted. It takes from 2 to 4 hanks, depending on the size you make.

This Long Ribbed Vest is also in book #113. It takes from 6 to 8 hanks of Lace Merino Worsted.

This Long Textured Cardigan is another free pattern on our website. It has 3 sizes ranging from a 31″ to a 47″ finished bust. There is minimum shaping involved, but the pattern stitch will keep you awake.

Chunky Weight

The new Lace Merino Chunky has a suggested gauge of 3.5 sts per inch on a US 10 needle and comes with approximately 132 yards per 100 gram hank.

This is the choice for projects that will work up quickly. But you won’t have to sacrifice looks and comfort.

This Men’s Vest is in the new Lace Merino Chunky booklet that will be out later this fall. The booklet includes patterns for women and unisex accessories.

Our fans are wasting no time getting their needles into the new Lace Merino Chunky.

Johanna Jacket designed by Kate Oates

Trish from Yarn Gallery, a local yarn store in Pennsylvania, sent us this picture of the Johanna Jacket they knit using Lace Merino Chunky. Contact the store to find out about those great buttons and which color yarn they used.

Westport Yarns, a local yarn store in Connecticut, recently held a beginning weaving class. Their staff member Pam used Lace Merino Chunky for her project. Aren’t the colors stunning?

Her scarf looks pretty good for a first attempt! Makes me think some Lace Merino might finally inspire me to figure out how to use my own loom.

But first I think I’ll finish my Color Affection shawl.

What types of projects have you make with the Lace Merino family? Have you tried to weave with it, too?

Tags: children, mens, WIPs, womens
2 Comments »

Stripes!

August 27, 2012 in Ella Rae, shawl, Tips

My Color Affection shawl has pushed all other projects to the sidelines.

But isn’t that always the way after you cast on a new project?

It was easy to feel like I was making fast progress since you start by casting on a small number of stitches and increasing. Anytime I can see a project growing (or shrinking) it makes me feel like I’m getting somewhere.

Then there was the extra motivation of wanting to reach the first set of stripes.

Ooooh, pretty

The green yarn is Ella Rae Lace Merino in color #3-Grass Green. The multicolored ball is #139-Turquoise, Green.

The Grass Green skein is considered a semi-solid color. I think you can see the subtle shading in the fabric in both these pictures. It really adds visual interest to the project.

Can you see the shading in the green?

I’m pleased with how the variegated yarn is working up so far. I admit I was concerned that the green sections of color #139 would blend in with the Grass Green yarn and create strange blotchy spots.

As you can see, that is not the case.

The color changes in #139 are short and rapid, as opposed to the color changes in a Noro yarn, which are very long.

Usually when you knit with a hand dyed or hand painted yarn the recommendation is to blend the colors by alternating two different balls. To accomplish that you would knit two rows with one ball then the next two rows with the second ball. The rows are short enough that you can carry the yarn not in use up the side without having to cut it.

Alternating rows helps smooth out the color changes and minimize any pooling that might take place. However, some people like the patterns that develop from using a single ball at a time so you should play around with a new yarn and see which method you prefer.

Since I’m already striping #139 with the Grass Green it isn’t necessary for me to worry about alternating yarns in my Color Affection shawl.

I’ve only just started the first stripe section. I can’t wait to reach the next section, which includes the short rows and using all three colors.

Did you make a lot of progress on your weekend projects?

Tags: Color Affection, WIPs
4 Comments »

Color Affection Bandwagon

August 25, 2012 in Ella Rae, Elsebeth Lavold, Noro, shawl

Color Affection is a shawl pattern designed by Veera Välimäki. It is a striped, asymmetrical, garter stitch shawl that employs short rows to create its unique shape.

On Ravelry there are 5,477 projects and 7,539 queues listed.

I feel like I keep seeing it everywhere, and each one seems more beautiful than the next! I could no longer resist jumping on the bandwagon.

Yarn Tree Studio use Elsebeth Lavold Sikly Wool.

This version was made by Yarn Tree Studio, a local yarn store in North Carolina. They used Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool for their version. This 45%Wool, 35%Silk, 20% Nylon blend is available in a wide range of solid colors. The slight tweedy texture of the yarn adds extra interest.

Island Yarn Company made one using Noro Taiyo Sock Yarn

Island Yarn Company, a local yarn store in Massachusetts, used Noro Taiyo Sock Yarn for their shawl. The long color changes of this 50% Cotton, 17% Wool, 17% Nylon, 16% Silk blend add an interesting dimension to the look of the finished shawl.

Sedona Knit Wits made one using 4 color of Lace Merino

Sedona Knit Wits, a local yarn store in Arizona, made theirs larger by adding a fourth color. They used Ella Rae Lace Merino for their shawl, which is the same yarn I selected.

Lace Merino is a fingering weight, 100% Superwash Merino Wool with approximately 460 yards per hank. Plenty of yardage to meet the pattern requirements. This yarn is available in a wide range of both semi-solid and variegated colors, which can make it a little tough to decide just which colors to use!

#32 - Crimson, #139-Turq, Green, #34-Med. blue

Since blue is one of my favorite colors, I decided to use that as my starting point and selected #34-Medium Blue to start narrowing my options.

I thought it would be interesting to include one of the variegated colors both to see how it behaved in the pattern and to tie the three colors together, so I selected #139-Turqoise, Green because some of it’s blues echoed #34.

Then it was matter of selecting a third shade. First I picked #32-Crimson because I thought it matched some of the pink bits in #139.

#32 - Crimson, #139-Turq, Green, #3-Grass Green

My friend suggested picking up the greens in the multi colored skein and selected #3-Grass Green.

Although the blue was my starting skein, I thought I do my due diligence and try a pink, multi, green combination first. It was nice, but wasn’t speaking to me.

#34-Med. Blue, #139-Turq, Green, #3-Grass Green

Then I did the blue, multi, green combination and knew I had a winner. The colors were pleasing to my eyes and the pink in #139 would add extra instance.

With my colors selected, I dove in. My right arm got a bit of a work out winding all three skeins consecutively, but it was worth it to do it now so I won’t be stalled when I reach the color changes in the pattern.

12 rows in!

It seems most people work from light to dark as the sample shawls in the pattern show. Following the trend, I cast on with the green yarn.

I’m already 12 rows in, whoo-hoo! I might have confused my M1L and M1R a few times and I might have grabbed an incorrect strand here and there when working them, but I don’t think anyone will notice when I wearing it.

At least, no one besides my husband should be close enough to me to notice and he doesn’t knit. (haha!)

I can already tell the Ella Rae Lace Merino was a great choice for this shawl pattern. In addition to being soft, it has a lot of spring and life as I’m knitting. This makes it easy to manipulate the knit fabric as I’m twisting and turning it to work all those increases.

The green will be my companion for a while longer before I reach the first set of stripes. Then the real fun will begin!

Have you made the Color Affection shawl? Was it easy for you to select colors?

Tags: Color Affection, shawl, WIPs
7 Comments »

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