Steeking a Bohus

I finally picked up and worked on the Rose Lace Collar Bohus and it will probably be finished today. I first finished the second sleeve (I had about 10 rounds remaining!) and hemmed both sleeves. Here is an unblocked view. I did a little colorwork on the sleeve cuff.
Then I hemmed the bottom edge.Now I had to cut the center front open. I started doing a crochet steek, but I didn't like it. It was bulky and I was struggling to manage the tiny hook (1.65 mm) and see the rows and sts where I had to pick up the loops. So I abandoned it in favor of a backstitched steek. I did 2 rows of back stitching on the sts that would have been united by the crochet.

If you number my steek sts as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 from left to right when facing the front, I wanted to cut the steek between sts 5 and 6. The crochet steek would have gone through the right leg of st 4 and the left leg of st 5 on the left of the steek, and the right leg of st 6 and the left leg of st 7 on the right of the steek. I backstitched down the right leg of st 4 and up the left leg of st 5 and repeated down the right leg of st 6 and the left leg of st 7. I hope this makes sense. If it doesn't, I can add a diagram.

Here is the stitched and cut steek on the right front of the garment.

It is easier to see on the reverse side as I used a matching color sewing thread. It would have been faster to machine st it but I would have to take out the machine, thread a bobbin, etc. So I decided to sew by hand. As the daylight hours waned, I had to rely on my daylight lamp + magnifier (something similar to this) to see the sts.Here is the reverse where you can see the two rows of pink stitching between my fingers. The steek edge curls to the inside just like with any other steek, that is why I had to hold it open. I picked up sts and knit a picot hem down the front edge and made it long enough to cover the cut edge. I prefer to bind off my sts and then do the hem, rather than securing live sts as one requires fewer sts to hold the hem down and it is less visible from the right side. It also makes a nice edge on the inside. Lastly, here is the view from the right side. You can see the finished edge on the left front and the raw, cut edge on the right front. No unraveling here. The Bohus yarn is very sticky and the stitching does a good job of securing it so it doesn't go anywhere. I suspect that it would have been stable even if I hadn't stabilized the edge. That is an experiment for a future Bohus.

Today I hope to finish the other front and block the jacket. I tried it on yesterday (yes, with cut and unfinished edges) and it looks exactly as I had envisioned it. I don't plan on putting buttons on. It will just be an open cardigan that I can add a pin to, if I wish to hold the fronts together.

A mixed bag of goodies...

both figuratively and literally. First the literal part. My Tour de Fleece prize arrived yesterday. I got a lovely spindle bag, a notions bag, a cute guy and 6 glazed donut soaps. So cute! I love goat's milk soap. In fact I only use locally made goat's milk soap from Clove Valley Soapworks on a daily basis. I will be stocking up at Rhinebeck although I can get it at other places locally also.

Now on to the figurative mixed bag of goodies!

First, a lovely blue skein of BFL that I just finished plying. It is a 2 ply from singles that were spun from the fold. The fiber is from Gale's Art, who will also be at Rhinebeck. It is very squooshy.

I also FINALLY finished spinning some white BFL I bought at Rhinebeck years ago when I got my Bosworth spindle. I have been rolling the singles into balls that I will ply some day. I am so sick of white that I need a break. Here is the spindle and all the little balls that have been wound off from it. The tiny ones on the lower left are the first ones I spun on it. The larger ones on top are more recent.

This is what I'm going to spin next on the spindle. Lovely Polwarth from Briar Rose that I got at Camp this summer. She will also be at Rhinebeck.

And last, but not least, is the Rose Lace Collar who may or may not make it to Rhinebeck this year. As you can see, the second sleeve is almost done. I have to do the colorwork, stitch up the hems, crochet the steeks, cut them and then do the bands. Progress is being made slowly but steadily but I don't do well with deadlines and I want to make sure this is right, so I don't want to rush it.

And that is the mixed bag of goodies for now... I won't be posting till after Rhinebeck unless I finish the Rose Lace Collar.

A match made in heaven

Plane journeys and knitting are a match made in heaven. I had a couple of really long flights with the associated airport waits last week. I started Taygete at the airport when I began my trip. I finished it yesterday. The really boring part - the garter st section - was done at airports and while I was flying. I walked up and down on a long layover, people-watching and knitting.

I am really happy with the result. The colors are beautiful. The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Pioneer and River. The River really brings out the colors in Pioneer.

Isn't that cool?

Pioneer never appealed to me till I put it next to River and now I love it.

There is the finished shawl as it might be worn. It is too warm here to model it right now.

I think it is back to the RLC after this. I don't have any other trips planned so I can finish it. I don't understand is why, no matter when I start a Bohus, I always end up with the sweater bulk in my lap in the summer time. I must really be bad at planning my Bohus knits.

Deadline Fail!

I wanted to finish the Rose Lace Collar by the end of April but I didn't make it. I have one sleeve almost complete. Now I have to stop to finish up a couple of other projects with deadlines before I get back to this.

You can see the sleeve here. I have a few more rounds to do before I bind off.

I added a little color detail from the yoke on the cuff. Otherwise I thought a plain pink sleeve was a little bland - both for knitting and for wearing.

Lastly, here is the finished Navajo-plied skein. I am pretty pleased with it. It looks like a real yarn and although a bit thick and thin, it is far more even than the previous one. I think this could be a nice hat or cowl.

First skeins

I have a couple of first skeins to show off. First the oogly one - the colors are ugly, the yarn is ugly and I just don't like it at all. This was spun up from miscellaneous fiber which included the first and the last of my first bobbins. This picture shows some of the better and the worse parts. The black and red isn't bad - it is composed of the last singles I spun. The grey/taupe and red are the worst parts. The red is among the first stuff I was spinning when I was struggling to draft. The gray is the same Shetland top I am currently spinning but it is just awfully drafted - big blobby bits. The two singles I plied together were spun on the Hansen - the black and the taupe - and the Tina, the red and the gray.

On the whole, I am not disappointed as it shows the progress I have made. But not something that I would show off with pride.

This is the second skein. Also miscellaneous fibers but plied using Navajo plying. The singles are more consistent although all of them weren't spun by me. The teal and purple were on the Hansen bobbin when I got it. The rest of the colors are my singles. This is not bad. It is pretty consistent yarn and I could make something like a cowl with it. I plied it on the Hansen. I am enjoying spinning on the Tina and plying on the Hansen.

Not bad, eh? I could show off this skein.

Lastly, some progress on the RLC. Sleeves are started and making progress, albeit slowly.

Wish me luck on finishing the two sleeves by the end of the month. I have to stop then and work on a couple of things that have deadlines. It would be nice to have completed the knitting and just have the finishing left to go when I have to stop.

Accomplishments!

I have a number of things to talk about this week. I didn't post last week because I was traveling. Also, I had nothing to say. This week is different.

Let's start with a surprise. I got a surprise gift from a friend/colleague in Germany. Two balls of lovely sock yarn. The colors are nice and spring-like and they made my week. What a thoughtful gift.

Next, I finished the body of the RLC last night. I bound off the hem. It is meant to be a short cardigan/jacket. Next it is on to the sleeves which should be more interesting since there is at least some shaping.

Here is a close-up of the picot hem I am doing. It will be on the sleeve cuffs, the neck and the bottom band. I think it is in keeping with the feminine colors.

Lastly, I just finished plying my first handspun yarn. You can see the mess I started with - the gray and the red. The brown is much later spinning and you can see how much nicer it is. The beginning of this skein is a mess. The ends (inside the bobbin) is much nicer. But it is a huge accomplishment and the red yarn really showed how much progress I have made since I started. Much more even both in spin and in grist.

This is my kate set-up. I still have half a bobbin of singles from the Hansen. I think I will practice Navajo-plying with it. The empty bobbin is from the Tina. That was where the red yarn was. The Hansen is a breeze to ply on! However, I found that it is hard to start and stop plying, and my hands did get tired. I will have to work on how to put down the plying half way to take a break.

All in all, a good week for accomplishments but not a great one for energy. I was very tired this week and it is only now that I am recovering my usual energy level. I was a bit nervous trying to ply for the first time when I was tired. But I think now I can do it even in the evening. It is much more mindless than spinning.

A love story

Many, many moons ago, I saw some Shetland top and fell in love. I wanted to spin that top so badly, I decided to learn how to spin. I bought a wheel (Little Gem) and didn't love it. I sold it and bought a lovely Tina II. I loved the wheel but didn't love the spinning. It was too much like work, and not enough like fun. But that top - sitting in my guest bedroom - was still calling to me. So I persevered, and struggled, and finally tried a Hansen mSpinner, and it was so easy. I played. I spun up all the miscellaneous fiber I could find as practice. I filled a bobbin. It was easy.

Then I went back to the Tina. Remember, I loved her. I wanted to have the same fun with her. It was a bit of a struggle. She was petulant, sulky, and moody because I had neglected her for the Hansen. She didn't want to spin, she squeaked, she dithered. But I lavished attention on her. I oiled her, I adjusted her bands, I fussed and fawned over her.

Remember this photo from the beginning of the Tour de Fleece last year?
It is OK, not the greatest yarn. Looks more like a mess, but it is yarn.
Here is the result of yesterday's spinning. The braid is done and the singles are resting , waiting be plied with the miscellaneous singles spun on the Hansen. I don't have high hopes for this yarn. It is my experiment and I'll be happy if it is usable. If not, it was good practice.
This is a dyed BFL I bought at Rhinebeck two years ago. It has a lovely sheen which you can see in the photo with the flash.

So Tina and I are a couple again and I will start spinning the Shetland top on her today. Again, it may not be the best yarn, but it will be fine, and I'll have something to show for it. There is always more of that Shetland when I want more.

In the mean time, here is the RLC. I have made good progress on the body. Of course, it seems endless. But I love knitting it because the yarn is so luscious. Also, it is pretty mindless so I can pick it up and put it down any time. 5 mins here and 30 mins there add up.
Signed,
Hopelessly in love

Been busy knitting

I didn't post last week because I was busy knitting and I didn't have much progress to show for it. When you go round-and-round below the yoke, it looks much the same regardless of how much knitting you have done. But I was able to divide for the sleeves and body during the week so now you can see how much I have done.

The stripe down the center is my steek. That will be cut up the front to make the opening for the cardigan. This is the boring part of the knitting. I get to go around and around on lots of stitches with no shaping or anything to break up the boredom. The sleeves are more fun because there is at least some shaping to do. But I am putting on podcasts or TV and knitting away.

I hope to show you a few more inches of body next week. I had set myself a goal of finishing this by the end of March. I won't make that but I really want to get this done and move on to other knitting that I want to get done.

I think I'm getting this drafting thing

I have spun up all my miscellaneous fiber, i.e. fiber that has an uncertain provenance in my memory. I have one last braid of some dark brown to spin up. Can you believe that I went from an empty bobbin to a half full one in a little over a week? I was struggling to spin on the Tina when I was not completely fresh in mind and body. It felt discombobulating if I was the least bit tired. This, on the other hand, is something I am able to do for a few minutes a day and work on improving my drafting. I have been watching Rita Buchanan and Patzy Z draft and experimenting with my hands.

I also have been working on the RLC. The short rows are done and I am now committed to knitting in the round for a long time. I love, love, love the Bohus yarn in my fingers. It is so wonderful and the fabric it creates is immensely satisfying.

Madrona 2011

I didn't post last week because I was at the Madrona Fiber Arts Retreat in Tacoma, Washington. I love going there, not only because it is more specialized than some of the other fiber retreats, but also because many of my friends gather there. We all stay in the same hotel so it is easy to interact and hang out. The classes are also different from the ones offered at the NY Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck , New York.

I made excellent progress on my Rose Lace Collar. The yoke is done and I am now on the plain stockinette part.

I love the colors in this yoke. So muted, and yet so interesting.

My first class was from Janine Bajus on designing fair-isle yoke sweaters. I love Janine's approach to color in fair-isle. She is a wonderful teacher. I made a little American Girl doll sweater. I am not happy with the colors. I will post a picture one of these days. I have put away most of the stuff that came back from Madrona so it isn't readily available to photograph.

I also took Susanna Hanson's Bohus class. Yes, I know I have made a lot of Bohus sweaters, but the class covers the history of Bohus Stickning, and Susanna brings the vintage sweaters that she collected. She is also a great teacher. Very organized and methodical. I have updated the blog page so my photos of the vintage sweaters are a slideshow. There are too many photos to post on the page directly. If you want to see the whole album, it is here.

Lastly, I took a knitted and beaded beads class from Betsy Hershberg. Here are the beads we made in class.

The left two are knitted coverings on wooden beads. The right hand one is a soft bead made entirely of yarn and beads. We have instructions for a few more that we didn't get to in class. I plan to make these on my own. This class has given me lots of ideas that I want to play with. I wish I had more time in the day!

I bought this Betsy Hershberg kit before I took the class. It makes this lariat necklace from Knitters magazine. I bought it because it was the last kit with the gray yarn I wanted. The others were much brighter and I felt the colors would limit the opportunities to wear it. I think this could be a weekend project one of these days.

I bought a few more odds and ends but my biggest purchase was this lovely Hansen mini-spinner in purpleheart and maple. I have been spinning a little every day on it. I love it because I can really focus on my drafting skills without worrying about treadling and speed.

I also love the orifice threader I got with it. It is made of mono-filament and it much easier to use than a hook. I am busy spinning up odds and ends of roving that I've collected for practice.

This little ear-light is something that I'm looking forward to using when I'm in the car or in the plane, and the light isn't great. There is also a useful folding Ott light on my shopping list.

That is all for now... Back to spinning and knitting

Delicioso!

Progress is slow but sure on the Rose Lace Collar. I thought I'd have more done but I had a few busy weekday evenings and didn't get to knit. I hope to do a few more rounds today. I had to undo a 312 st round because I mixed up the colors as I was knitting. I somehow misinterpreted the chart and used the wrong colors so I had to undo and redo it. Oh well. Twice as much fun!

I wore the silk featherweight cardi to the yarn store yesterday and had a few pictures taken. This is the nicely blocked version. It really does look nice and it is a lot warmer than I anticipated.

The front.

The back

And the front again, with the front panels laying nicely. I was styled for this photo!

What is the common element among these two projects? The lovely yarn!

Progress!

Last week was an excellent knitting week. I was able to knit a lot and I was motivated to knit a lot!

First of all, the Swedish Heartwarmer Shawl: I was able to finish a lot of the plain stockinette. I have about 25% left to do. It is difficult to photograph because it is scrunched up on a relatively small needle and it curls up. The fabric is very dense and I like it. It will make a nice warm shawl. I wonder how the colorwork will look in such a fabric. The blue is a little deeper than the photo indicates and I love the very subtle shading of the different colors.

Next up is the Rose Lace Collar Bohus: I am about on round 10. There are 63 rounds but the st count also goes up as you work through the chart. So there is quite a bit left to do. But it goes fast once I sit down and start to work on it. There is a nice rhythm to each round. The problem I have is that once I start, I don't like to put it down and pick it up. I like to sit down and work on it for an hour or more and that sort of time is not as easy to come by. But it is so much fun!

Here's a close-up of what I've done so far. I started with a provisional CO as I prefer to work the neck later. I've done it both ways and I like this way better. I haven't decided yet on how I want to finish the neck.

This is what the knitting looks like. The markers are for the steek. I am going to make a jacket, I think. But all that is for later. Right now I am just happily knitting away.

I decided that my attraction (or lack thereof) to what I'm knitting is very dependent on the yarn and the fabric. Both of these yarns/fabrics make me happy. I love the feel of the yarn in my hands and I love the fabric I'm getting.

Next week I hope to show you the completed yoke. But maybe not! Wish me luck!

New beginnings

I took some pictures of the scarf at different angles to try to show the pattern in a more detailed way. I am trying to get more artistic with my photography. Bear with me as I learn. I blocked the scarf last weekend and it became really soft and fluffy.

That is the side with the solid color on the front. The darker parts is the reverse side where the variegated color is the front.

This shows the two sides at the same time. I think it will look very nice when worn. I made it quite long so it can be wrapped and tied in various ways.

Here it is draped over the sofa. I was trying to get the pattern to show on the variegated side and I think I succeeded in this photo. In most of the others, it looks like a blended color with no distinction between the front and the back side. This scarf would look much better in two coordinating solid colors, I think. Or a variegated that contrasts with the solid rather than one that matches, like this one.

I spent last Sunday winding yarn and putting together project bags for the next two projects. They represent quite a contrast in color. This is the yarn for the Rose Lace Collar Bohus. It is a very wintry and subtle mix of hues. I cast on and have knitted 3 rounds so far. I started with a provisional cast-on so I can come back and finish the neck later. I haven't quite decided how I want to finish this. It will be a cardigan. I have a steek in the center front so I can do the colorwork in the round.

The other project is the Swedish Heartwarmer shawl and the colors for this are vibrant and strong. I have also started this as it is a fairly mindless knit in the beginning and I can work on it when I'm tired or traveling.

Both these sets of colors are inspiring me and I am knitting a lot more than I have been in the past 6 months. It is a little strange for me to start two different projects at the same time but I think these are very complementary in terms of their life cycles.