Maybe the slump is over?

I have been knitting away on my featherweight cardi. As you can see, I have made progress beyond the yoke and am about half-way down the body. It is a lovely knit, lightweight and soft, and since it is just stockinette, it is pretty mindless. The only thing I have to watch out for is that I don't miss one of the 3 strands as I knit.

I was going to put a lace border on and have been scanning my lace pattern books looking for an appropriate design. Unfortunately, nothing is calling to me right now so I may just stick with the stockinette and leave the lace for another version. I have lots of lace weight yarn and this pattern is a very easy one to wear as it is lightweight.

Today's topic, though is the follow-up on the other two books I recently purchased. Dover had a sale so I bought the two re-published Alice Starmore books and the new commemorative Knitter's Almanac. Now to compare and contrast the old and the new editions of these.

I had the UK version of the Fair Isle Knitting book. So the cover is a bit different from the US version. The left is my older hardbound copy and the right is the new paperback. The paper is glossy and nice in both editions. There is no new content as far as I can see. This is a great book to learn the techniques of Fair Isle knitting and also to get a compendium of fair-isle motifs to pick from.

The patterns for garments in the book call for 2-ply jumperweight. The older edition mentions Jamieson and Smith. The new one doesn't. The older edition mentions the shade # in J&S as well as the name. The new edition just mentions the name. So you will have to find a supplier who keeps the name along with the number if you want to source it.

At the back, there is a new About the Author section which has a bio of Alice Starmore and a list of her books. On the facing page are photographs of 3 of her later designs Mara, Marina and Oregon Autumn. Both the back and the front of each are photographed.

The last of the 3 (I did Aran Knitting last time) compare and contrasts is Knitter's Almanac. Both of these editions are currently available from both Dover and Schoolhouse Press.

As you can see, the new edition is much larger and is hardbound. The content is of course, unchanged but there are some goodies in it.

The first is a lovely reproduction of a Andrew Wyeth painting featuring the Maltese Hat. Andrew's wife is a knitter and an Elizabeth Zimmerman fan and this is a favorite.

There is a new introduction by Stephanie Pearl-McFee.

The garments have all been re-knitted and are photographed in color.

There is the mystery blanket...and some mittens for winter.

Confessions of a book addict

I thought I would show you some of the things that have been occupying my time lately. I grew the tomatoes and peppers above in pots on my patio and porch. The tomatoes are called Sungold cherries and they are the most amazing, sweet tomatoes. Eating them is like eating candy!
This gorgeous bowl of red cherry tomatoes came from the Community Supported Agriculture farm. Also, the lovely heirloom varieties below. They come in all colors of the rainbow. I didn't get any of the purple ones this year but there are green, yellow, orange and red tomatoes and each has its own unique flavor.
I am really enjoying the vine ripened tomatoes, peppers and greens. I love greens. I could spend my life eating just greens. The only thing I don't like is cleaning and cooking them. But one can't have everything that one wants.

Today I am going to do a comparison of the original and the new editions of Alice Starmore's Aran Knitting. I can't resist buying books. I bought the new edition published by Dover even though I had the original book. But it provides a good opportunity to see what has been updated in the years since the original version was published.

The books are approximately the same size. The new one is softcover whereas the original publication was hard bound. The new one is slightly smaller than the original.
Some of the photos are the same but many garments have been re-knitted and feature new photographs. Here is Irish Moss in the new edition (left) and in the original (right). The colors of the new garments are generally more vibrant and feature Alice Starmore's Hebridean 3-ply yarn. Some call for Bainin (which I believe is being reissued) and Scottish Fleet. You can see the newer versions of the patterns at Virtual Yarns. The new edition also includes an additional pattern as well as information about Alice Starmore's yarns.

I really like the new pattern. It isn't boxy and is very feminine. It is called Eala Bhan and Alice Starmore says that she originally knit it for herself. She includes the pattern to show that Aran patterns can be fitted precisely to the body. As you can see, this is one curvaceous garment!The instructions are a combination of written instructions and charts and cover 11 pages. This is because of the precise shaping instructions that are included and I think the end result is worth it. Of the many patterns in the book, this one immediately caught my attention. Now, maybe that is because the others are very familiar, but it might also be because the body skimming Eala Bhan will suit many real women. It doesn't hurt that it is knit in a color that I love. The yarn used is the 3-ply Hebridean yarn.Next, I will do a compare and contrast of Alice Starmore's Fair Isle Knitting and also one of the commemorative edition of Knitter's Almanac. The latter was brought out by Dover to celebrate Elizabeth Zimmermann's 100th birthday in August.

In a real slump

No knitting going on here. I finished the silk sweater up to the armholes. Now I have to split the sleeves from the body and start knitting the body. It is just sitting there.

I have wanted to update the blog for the past couple of weeks but somehow, even that seems uninteresting when I have nothing to show you. I played with the blog format a little, hoping that will enliven it.

I just passed the 3rd year anniversary of the blog. That seems such an achievement! I am motivated to continue but given that I am knitting so little, I wonder what I'll post about.

Lastly, my yarn store is closing and I will be using this blog to communicate about my classes. I am planning to continue teaching from my house because I love it so much. But first, I have to get my knitting mojo on.

Silk: it is what's for summer

I have always been a lace or sock knitter in the summer months when I am rational. When I am irrational, I have knit heavy sweaters and bulky shawls and almost died in the process. This summer, I am enjoying the process of knitting with very fine silk. It is light and easy on the hands, and doesn't add any heat to one's body.

You probably saw the cone of silk when I was asking for opinions on what to knit for Camp. The swatch on the right is the one I knit before Camp that gave me a slightly smaller gauge than the pattern called for. The one on the left is the one I knit after, with 1 size bigger needle. Now the number of rows and stitches are not the same in the two swatches so they aren't comparable by observation.

Swatch on the right was on 4 mm needles:

• 36 sts = 5.5 - 5.75 inches (depending on how I pat it out) - not quite 6 spi
• 42 rows = 5 inches - not quite 9 rpi

Swatch on the left was on 4.5 mm needles:

• 30 sts = 5.5 inches - more than 6 spi
• 54 rows = 7 inches - way more than 9 rpi

Pattern gauge:

• 24 sts = 4 inches - 6 spi
• 36 rows = 4 inches - 9 rpi

I liked the fabric I got with the 4 mm needles so I am going with that and making adjustments as needed to the garment so it fits. I will also measure the gauge after I have knit a bit of the garment to see if my gauge is different. It is slow going as there are a lot of sts but I am enjoying the process and in no hurry to finish it.

In this photo you can see the top of the shoulder and the front to the left, and the rest of the cardi bunched up on the right. I wanted to show you the raglan line treatment that I am doing. I am not following the pattern on this as I love this particular raglan line. I may also add some lace to the bottom to lengthen it but that is a decision for later. The color is lovely, the yarn is beautiful, it is relatively easy knitting and very relaxing for the summer.

Tutorial: Cup holders

Since I haven't done much knitting this week, I thought I would give you some ideas. If you have been knitting socks as long as I have, you end up with socks that have holes in them. Even if you darn them, eventually the sock fabric is so thin that you have to either re-knit the thin part or toss it out. But there are usually other parts that are in perfect shape and it is a waste to throw the whole sock out. Today, we will reincarnate sock legs into cup holders. They make quick gifts and you can make one to fit every cup you will ever use and keep them in your purse, your backpack, your tote, your car, etc. Each pair of socks makes at least 2 cup holders.
Here is one of my dearly-beloved socks. The sole is really worn thin.
I snipped a thread right where the heel began. This is where the thin part is. My socks wear at the heel and the ball of the foot. Then I unraveled a row of sts. This is a top-down sock so unraveling is easy. If it is knit toe-up, wait for the next tutorial because the sock won't unravel properly in this direction. Here you can see where I cut and separated the good part from the worn part.
Next, measure your cup and mark that distance on your sock leg, starting at the cuff. Unravel the yarn to about 1" shorter than that mark. Wind up your yarn into a small ball so you have it to knit from. If you can't do this, or your sock leg is too short, find some yarn of a similar weight that will look good with your sock and use it.

Now knit 1" of ribbing in either your unraveled yarn or the matching yarn. Don't worry about kinks in the unraveled yarn. They will go away when you wash the cup holder. Bind off loosely in rib and ta-da! you have a cup holder. Here is the pair I made from those socks. They fit a Starbucks Grande and a Venti cup.
If you don't have worn out socks, do not despair. Just take some left over sock yarn and knit yourself a sock leg without a foot and you have a cup holder.

It is a matter of preference whether you like the cup holder to cover the entire cup (as above) or leave some space at the top and bottom (as below). The lid will cover the lip of the cup but sometimes I like to take the lid off and drink. If you are like me, you will prefer the holder to be slightly smaller than the cup. The cup holder below fits a number of different cup sizes.You can practice a new stitch pattern (as I did) or make it plain with some ribbing. Your cup holder will keep the drink warm (or cold) and prevent condensation with cold drinks.

You can also make ones that fit your water bottle to keep the condensation from dripping onto things.

Use your new eco-friendly (recycle, reuse) cup holder and water bottle cover in good health!

A quick mindless knit

A few weeks ago, I asked for votes on what to knit at Camp. The votes were mostly for the silk cardigan. I swatched but I didn't get gauge so I have to swatch a bit more to determine if I like the fabric I got, or if the fabric at the specified gauge is better.

Therefore, I started knitting the shawl at Camp. I didn't have to worry about gauge and the fabric was garter stitch. Easy peasy. The pattern I wanted to knit was the Weaver's Wool mini-shawl in an older Schaefer yarn called Judith. Here are the two colorways I had leftover from other projects.

I finished the shawl on Friday and washed and blocked it yesterday. I started with the lighter colorway, knitted 6" with just it. Then I started alternating the lighter and the darker colorway - 2 rows of each - till the lighter one ran out. After that I just kept knitting the darker one till it ran out. I had a bigger ball of the darker one in addition to the smal ball I show above. I am quite pleased with the way it turned out.
Here it is, as it would be worn, from the back.

From the front, with the ends just hanging there...

I crossed the fronts here, as they might be if tied or pinned...

This is the shawl laid flat to show the coloring and the shape. I love the way the colors have worked out.

I want to welcome the folks who stopped lurking and started commenting. I love hearing your thoughts and comments. Please keep it up! For those who weren't at Camp, I hope you enjoyed the virtual tour that I sent you on - on other folks' blogs grin

Camp and my contest entry

I did not take any pictures at Camp this year. I realized this only after I came back and unpacked my camera. I didn't even take it out of my backpack! I have no idea why. So I am going to point you at some other blogs that have pictures.
knitaddict, feralknitter and fibernating are just three that have pictures I like.

I am going to show you my contest entry instead. The theme was Elizabeth Zimmermann's 100 year anniversary. I designed and knit a commemorative scarf in Joslyn Fiber Farm's Shine. This is a 50/50 wool/silk lace weight wool. I believe the base is the same as Zephyr Wool/silk but dyed by Joslyn. Rumor has it that she is closing down her business but here is her site. She is a great dyer so if she is closing down, it will be a loss. I bought this yarn at my very first Knitting Camp (2005?). I picked patterns from a Schoolhouse Press book - the company that Elizabeth Zimmermann founded. I called the scarf Peaks and Valleys because that is what I think life is all about. The patterns are from the Second Barbara Walker Treasury.

This is the center of the scarf. I knit it up from both ends and grafted it in the center. This pattern is one of the peaks.

These are the valleys which separate the peaks from each other. You can see the rivers running through them.
More peaks...
The two ends were in garter stitch, Elizabeth Zimmermann's favorite stitch. I wrote KNIT ON on one scarf end, and
EZ 8 9 1910 (her birth date) on the other.
Here is the blocked scarf draped artfully on the couch. It is very soft and lovely. I used the leftovers from Stor Rund Dug to complete it and I have tons of yarn left over.
I think I came in 6th or 7th from the top. You will probably see the winning entry on one of the other blogs. It definitely deserved it.

Lace weight knitting is lovely for the summer because it is light and portable and not very bulky on one's lap. Of course, I had to start a shawl in sport/DK weight at Camp and it is exactly the opposite of desirable summer knitting - bulky and hot. I didn't do the featherweight cardigan because I didn't get gauge on my swatch and I want to swatch some more before I decide if I like the fabric I got in this swatch so I will rework the numbers, or if I like the fabric I get with the specified gauge.