FROM A PREVIOUS BLOG

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Grace’s Aran Is Complete 10-17-2008

The first time through the “chest motif” did not work…it splayed out and was pretty ugly when attached to the braided cable, even though the motif by itself was beautiful. Another time I will knit the whole central strip with the diamond motif.

The sweater, as photographed, is lying on the hot tub in our unit in Playa del Carmen at the Royal Haciendas. Beautiful area. Lots of rain at this season but lovely rain.

Sweater done, now on to socks for Caleb, and a Danish working shawl.

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t_Grace Aran done

The Chest Motif on Grace’s Sweater 10-5-08

Yesterday during General Conference I finished knitting up the sweater, including the chest motif and the neckline ribbing.  Alissa was kind enough to try it on so I could see what we had.

What we had was a big problem!  Well, several problems, actually.

  The neckline was too high.  At least I would have found it choking, if I were to wear it.

The chest motif splayed out way beyond the central braided cable.  It needs to come out.  I am hoping Grace will see this photo, or these photos if I get another one posted, and see the same thing I am seeing.  I think it will look much better to have the braided cable run all the way to the top.  Another time I will make something with the diamond motif, but probably running all the day up the sweater.

The raglan seam was too long….a full inch longer than Meg Swansen told me should be the maximum raglan length….to that needs to drop down, too.

So, one always learns something when knitting.  Or doing anything, I guess.  Sad, though, as I had hoped to finish and mail the sweater this week and it looks like that might not happen…Sorry, Grace!

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Yarn Store Visit ends in…Nothing  9-30-08

Can you believe it?!  I cannot.  Let me tell you what happened.

Yesterday I drove to Manchester to pick up Liz who was dropping off her rental car at the airport.  She had mentioned yarn stores when we talked about me picking her up, so, as any normal internet junky/knitting addict will do, I went to the net to see if there was a nice yarn store near Manchester. I had not checked that out before, though I did discover a nice fabric store called Martin’s House of Fabric or some such thing in Bedford…a very easy place to find.  Easy off exit 4 of 293, turn left at the end of the ramp.  Drive several blocks…about as long as it takes to think you are not going to find it, then there it is on the right.  Upstairs are lots of bridal and quilt fabrics as well as lovely fleece bolts.  I purchased a length of nice harvest-motifed fleece to make pants.  Perhaps I should say: pajama bottoms.  Since we are planning of dropping (well, it is already done!) the thermostat to 40 degrees for this winter, and then rely heavily on the wood stove, I thought some fleece pants might be in order.

Back to the yarn shop.  So, I found a store in Derry called The Yarn and Fiber Company.  At least I think that was it.  When Liz and I left the airport, we took the Perimeter Road then turned east on Route 28, drove about 7-8 miles and found the yarn store in a little plaza on the left across the highway from Applebees.  There is a nice Brooklyn Bagel shop nearly next door to the yarn shop in case you work up a hunger for lunch…open for breakfast and lunch, closing at 2 PM.

The Yarn and Fiber Company is a beautiful store with tons of glorious natural fibers and high end yarns.  Opal, Regia, Noro, their own hand-dyed…we even met the dyer, and many many more.  Lots of books, spinning wheels, even a sit, knit, and chat area which a lady was using.  We should have stopped to chat with her but were on a bit of a time crunch so we stuck to what we were doing.

Liz purchased a skein of probably Opal Cotton for a pair of socks that she is starting next week.  I looked and looked for a book on Fair Isle knitting that had a tam template in it as I have on hand five skeins of Jamieson yarn to use for a couple of tams. I want to see if I like knitting with colors but don’t want to start right out with a heavy-duty project like a sweater to cover my own nakedness.  Too much of a good thing….So, a tam seems like a great idea.

Well, though two different people helped and helped and searched everywhere,  there was not a book like that in the store.  Liz found a beautifully crafted sweater/jacket using Noro Silk Mountain yarn.  The jacket had raglan shaping with a sort of shawl collar/front band what appeared to be a ribbing five ribs wide, perhaps K2, P2.  It was apparently a pattern from the Noro catalog #20.  I think there must have been a number of good patterns in that booklet because, while we found Noro books from #15 up to about 23, there was no #20 in stock.  Perhaps we will find it somewhere else.  Maybe in Essential Knits in Grantham.  I shall call Kim and see if she has it!

So,  after being in the store a good forty-five minutes,  we left with only Liz’s sock skein.  I don’t think I have ever walked into a yarn store and come out empty-handed before!  Bob would say it was a good day!

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The First Felting Project  9-19-08

Last summer, May through June 2007, I had the blessing to spend a month with my 89-year-old  mother-in-law as she was fighting lymphoma with chemotherapy.  It turned out that I needed to stay with Mother Crossett every night instead of going home after the first night.   Early on I went to the library in town and was generously offered a library card in this  town which was an hour away from my own home.

In the first book which I borrowed from the library was a pattern for “My Constant Companion”.  I have since forgotten the name of the book and the name of the author,  though I think the designer was named Sharon.  She was very nice when I emailed her my thanks.  The url below shows a nice sample of this pattern.

http://www.knitkit.com/

My bag was knit with double strands of worsted weight Bartlettyarns that I purchased from Hilda Yates one fall and using size 15 circular needles, magic loop.  If you think that red pocket looks wonkley, it is!  I did not read the pattern correctly for that pocket at first and started knitting it garter stitch instead of stocking stitch.  Too bad, it really did matter, but now I have a bag with some extra hidey-holes in it where I can tuck small stuff that I don’t want anyone rummaging through the bag to be able to find immediately.  It really works!

Anyway, I love this bag and receive many kind comments, despite its flaws.  As far as I am concerned, its only real flaw is that it is so big I can put enough goods and chattels in it that it is almost impossible to lug around!

STARTING AGAIN IN BLOGDOM

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Today I received an email from the organizer of the local annual knitting retreat which was last weekend and which I did not attend due to a charitable emergency.  The message from Judith announced to me the beginning of the Knitting Olympics, which starts tonight.  I decided to participate.  I will knit the  Bearfoot Vest out of Mountain Colors Bearfoot held together with some Cascade 220 which was mis-spun into more like a DK weight yarn.

We shall see how it turns out…seventeen days not being a very long time when we have our temple week coming up next week.