Thursday, April 28, 2005

Ptooie!

Well, this scarf is bringing me into all sorts of new experiences. First KAL. First "blogpost'. And now...first spit splice!
Ball number one of Austerman Peru (baby alpaca/merino) knit up into nearly 20 inches of lacey leaves. My LYSO was appropriately encouraging and impressed when I took the work in to brag on it a bit today. :-)
She recommended "spit splice" above other joining methods, and since she spins, I decided to give it a go.
I untwisted, I separated plies, I (ahem) spit up a storm, rolled, twisted and yanked. And the splice was good, and the splice was strong. It held fast, and emerged not much thicker than the two ends it joined. And thusly were two miserable ends to weave in made to disappear from the face of the scarf.
Yay me!
Now that I know how much length one ball will knit into, I can see that the 2 balls I bought are not quite enough. I envision the scarf being draped all the way around the neck, with two long tails hanging down the chest.
And since I will have to order more yarn...why not get enough to make a matching beret?
Have I worked with circular needles or DPNs before, both of which the pattern calls for? Nope. Am I intimidated?
Nah-- I can spit splice!
I can't believe I've actually made 8 repeats out of this yarn! KSH turns out to be fine, but maybe my needle is too big, because the stitches look so loopy. Anyway, I really enjoy knitting it ;)

profile

Please tell me this looks right...

I took a picture of this on a navy blue blanket so you could see the stitches. I had to go out and buy these pricey lantern moon needles to be able to work with this stuff. Geez. This is my first repeat of the lace pattern in Rowan Kidsilk Haze.

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Ak! I accidentally posted something here instead of to my blog. I knew I'd do that eventually.

Not much progress on my scarf. Between work and the scarf my hands are killing me and I'm taking a break. oh well.

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Complete Branch!

Here it is - complete - blocked, dried and ready for wear. It is 66 inches long and 7 inches wide. I completed 27 repeats - had actually done 28 but decided that I didn't have a long enough end to weave in so ripped back on one repeat. It was done with 2 balls of Saucy Sport mercerized cotton in color # 558 Pistachio.

I notice it has a tendency to lengthen and narrow as soon as I picked it up. I did let it dry for more than 2 days and also used a number 1 knitting needle at each end to guard against the pulling in the middle. I think it would look good as a table scarf too and you can see my dining table modeling it here: Table Scarf

Oh and best of all (other than a few knitted bunnies I made this spring) this is the first knitted item I have finished in years! Now maybe I can start working on the pile of WIP that have been building up for the last 15 years.


Person Scarf Posted by Hello

Newbie here!

Hi! Corrina here - rincaro from knittyboards. I was a-hunting for the perfect thing to make my mom for Mother's Day (I know - I'm a later gator) and I decided to do this. So I went out, found a beautiful pale green rowan kidsilk haze at my lys and bought some size 8 bamboos. My mom used to knit, so I'm also gonna send the needles to her as a present. They are peace fleece ones with the pretty flowers painted on the balls on the end. So... I'm gonna spend some quality time with the pattern tonight, do some practice in some scrap yarn and then hopefully cast on tomorrow. Wish me luck!
I have made two other buttons for the knit along! I hope it is okay. Please no hotlinking.


bo1

bo2

niter

Row 7 stinks like BO

I have officially made progress on my Branching Out. Hooray! But even after 22 repeats, I'm still making mistakes here and there. I am very impressed with Psychedelic Knitter's feat of memorization. My brain does not have enough spare room to accommodate all those pesky ssk, yo, s1 k2 psso stitches.

Let's talk for a moment about row #7. Is anyone else completely insane on row 7? I have to focus-focus-focus with each and every row 7. And those times when I've tempted the goddesses and stopped maniacly reading the chart, I end up with the wrong stitch count. Row 7 is my nemesis and by the end of this project, I swear I will win this battle of wills.

Overall, I am enjoying by BO [although written like that, it appears all-too-close to the dreaded appreviation for Body Odor - eek!]. Not only am I learning a lot, but I'm getting lots of attention on public transportation. Non-knitters remark on how beautiful it is, and knitters remark on how difficult it must be. A project that can impress knitters and non-knitters alike -- now that's a project.

Stay tuned for pictures ... whenever I get off my tushie and post them. Happy SSKs everyone.

Another newbie ;)

Hi everyone, I just joined this KAL today, and this is my first ever KAL. I have to warn you though...I'm a real newbie at knitting lace, but I hope I can handle this one.
I'm going to use Rowan KSH in Heavenly for this project, though now I'm not so sure about this yarn selection anymore. I just cast on, and still on my first row...so be patient, since I'm sure this one will take a long time. Is there anyone else using this kind of yarn too? I think that I'll be in trouble....
Anyway, drop by my blog if you'd like.

Finished version 1!!

Ok, here's my first completed BO - the silk & wool version. Finished knitting it on Saturday, washed and blocked it on Sunday (out in the sunshine as it was such a beautiful day!)



I'm really pleased with the colour, but it's not as soft as I had hoped it would be after washing. Feels like cotton. Still, this is a spring pattern, so I guess it's appropriate.

Complete Posted by Hello



As you can see I didn't quite get rid of that kink!



 



Here's a close up.... I'm really pleased with the stitch definition.

Close Up Posted by Hello
This is intended for my mum - I hope she likes it (my parents are coming to visit this weekend) - I'm not sure she wears scarves very often.



 I really felt as though I'd got the pattern licked by the end, but never stopped counting my stitches! I've still got the kidsilk haze version on the go, which is driving me mad as I'm knitting it on metal (aluminium?) needles and it's slippery as hell. It's already come off the needles a couple of times, but thankfully I've managed to sort it out without having to frog. I think I might either switch to a circular needle, or get some bamboo straights, which I hope would grip the yarn better? Anyway, am having  a short break from the pattern by getting on with a cashmere Cozy!

New Participant

Hi Everyone, I am Karen.
I am going to be taking part in this knit-a-long too

I fell in love with this pattern when the latest knitty came out so now I have a good reason to make the time to knit it!!!!

I have to try and find some yarn now - unfortunately most of what is available in Malta is acryllic :(

Anyway, I blog regularly at http://karen.blog-city.com so feel free to say hi!

*hugs*

Karen

Monday, April 25, 2005

Sapling

I just started branching out (slowly) over the weekend. I am very excited about this project. My scarf will be made out of inca alpaca in this grapey color. The yarn has a lovely drape and very soft feel too it. I am very excited about getting to use my lovely alpaca yarn finally (first for alpaca for me) on my first lace project!

hush!

http://thewittyknit.typepad.com

Saturday, April 23, 2005

I refuse to give up!

So after 5 repeats, I frogged it all. I was just too annoyed w/ it. But I'm back to where I was before I frogged and this version looks so much better.

I don't know why I'm finding this pattern so difficult. I'm not new to lace, the stitches are all ones I'm comfortable with. I think it's because I keep trying to knit at work, where I'm distracted. So I'm purposely going very slowly to try to prevent mistakes or dropped stitches. At this rate, I should be finished sometime in 2007

new to blogging...

And this is my first KAL as well.
My Branching Out is in Austerman Peru, a 70% baby alpaca/30% merino mix. I bought 2 balls of it off Elann.com because it sounded so lux and it was on sale for $2.21 a ball! Now I wish I had boughten a whole lot more, because this is verrrry nice yarn.
After numerous trials on different needles to get the look I wanted, and a couple of rip-out and re-starts, I am on my way with 2 repeats done and error free. And a lifeline in place, just in case!
I am enjoying reading everyone's posts, and seeing the pictures is inspiring.
Janina in Red Deer

Progress...

I'm now up to 22 repeats in my Branching Out (in Silky Wool). It's getting really long, but I'm just now noticing that the yarn is close to gone! I'm wondering how much I'll be able to get out of it, it's quite exciting. I have the lace pattern totally memorized and am rarely messing up now, so it's going pretty fast and easy. I can't wait to finish!

branching-on-chair

branching-up-close
(Color's accurate on the second one)

Friday, April 22, 2005

All done1

Here it is:

Branching Out

I used Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Blocking the crescent...

I emailed the designer regarding the crescent issue...pulling up in the middle. She assured me that blocking takes care of this :)

I've been admittedly slacking...mostly because I keep frogging it due to mistakes. But, I really am hoping to complete it over the weekend. Wish me luck!

Hi.

Hi all. I'm brand new to this KAL. In fact, it's my first KAL. And like someone else on the list, this is my first lacy project too. Here's a picture from a few days ago.



I now have 9 repeats and the whole thing is 15" long and 5 1/2" wide! I'm using some random pale pink stash yarn on size 3 straight needles (yes, I changed from the size 3 Addis shown in the picture). I have no idea what the yarn is, but it's soft and seems to work fine with the pattern. It's not too often that I find a pattern that's appropriate for stash yarn, so I'm glad to be using it up. I'll probably make another one for my Mom and spend some time shopping around for the perfect yarn. Glad to meet you all and good luck!

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Hello! And progress...

Hi all! I just joined the KAL. I started my Branching Out yesterday, and I'm totally addicted! I've already done 14 repeats just by picking it up whenever I can. I have a picture here, but it's a pretty bad one because I only had my cameraphone to take it with. Still, it gives you an idea. I edited the photo so you can see what color it is. I'm using SIlky Wool in color 23, plum. A question on the yarn- has anyone noticed it is not a consistent thickness? I am wondering if I am pulling it too hard when I do k3togs, for instance, and stretching it out, or if it is just like that. I love the feel of the yarn, but for this pattern, I am not liking the way it knits up. Plus, all the little pieces of grass I have pulled out, not to mention all the random lint stuck on the yarn, are getting annoying.

branching

All finished!


Here she is...

I used one skein of Silky Wool in cream and size 7 Brittany birch needles. I managed 28 pattern repeats, and I might have been able to squeak out one more but I was afraid of running out of yarn. It's 47 inches long and 4 1/2 inches wide. Won't this scarf look great with a jeans jacket? She's blocked and ready for my Mom's birthday next week. Now that my needles are free, I'll be starting another one in blue!

tami
blueroseknits

Word of advice

Do not have a couple of beers on a Sunday afternoon and try to knit this pattern. Believe me - you will live to regret it. Spent yesterday evening tinking back 10 rows to where I went wrong. :)

On a good note though I am half way finished - Which isn't bad considering that I am doing this and a Clapotis at the same time.

Sunday, April 17, 2005

Finally . . . I've made progress!


Hi everyone! I finally got going on this. I've started at least 8 times already but I finally was able to get through 2 repeats this weekend. I'm using Peruvian Baby Silk. It has been hard getting used to this yarn as it is so fine but I am really enjoying this pattern and everyone's scarves are just lovely! ~Dawn Posted by Hello

Saturday, April 16, 2005

Hi all! Just joined.. Everyone's scarves look beautiful. I love everyones' color choices.

Well. I'm a bit behind. Last night I was about two repeats in when I dropped a stitch and was at work and too frustrated to fix it. So I frogged. Oh well. Good practice of the pattern I suppose. But ugh. Now I'm back where I was when I frogged. I'll try to post a pic later

I'm using Rowan 4-ply cotton in Marine w/ size 6 needles. I think I'm going to steal someone else's idea (on Craftster I think) and use it for a table runner since the last thing I need is another scarf.

I love love love this pattern though. I think I'll probably make another one in some of my Kidsilk Haze

Quick Update pic

I've gotten up to 20 repeats and hope to finish at about 27 tonight. Since we're leaving for San Diego tomorrow and I won't have time to update the completion before I go, here's a quick shot to tide you all over until I get back.

more branching out

Enjoy!

Friday, April 15, 2005


Almost done!

Hi everyone! I started "branching out" just a few hours after the new Knitty went live! I had a lonely ball of cream colored Silky Wool in my stash just waiting for this pattern. I've finished 20 repeats, 6 more to go. I'm making this one for my Mom's birthday so I can't post about it on my blog. I was happy to find this KAL so I could share it! I have a two more balls of Silky Wool in light blue, so I'm sure I will be making more of these in the future.

Tami
blueroseknits

Thursday, April 14, 2005

Yarn has arrived! :)

I finally received my yarn. I'm making Branching Out using the Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool in Sage. I also ordered another skein of the yarn in Blue for a present for a family member. I'm pretty excited about making this scarf. I've gotten several lace patterns, but they all seem a bit above my head, so I'm hoping this works out and helps me erm, branch out of plain ol' purling/knitting/stockinette. :)

(I'm currently without a digital camera, so pictures will show up after I have the film in my camera developed!)

By the way - I never introduced myself. I'm Manda (knitpsycho on the knittyboards!), and i'm 24. I live in Dallas, and I've been knitting for almost a year. I was taught by my mom when I first picked up the needles, but forgot how to do it after setting it down for a few months. I picked it up back in September and self-taught myself from there. :D

I'm Branching Out, too!

Thanks to Lu, who pinged me about this KAL, I'm here now as well. Glad to see I'm not the only one who's wild about this pattern. I initially started this in a merino laceweight and although I like the yarn (variegated blues, pinks, lavendar) because it reminded me of spring, it seemed to delicate and small, so I restarted in an dk weight alpaca in sea greeen. I'm liking that much better and added 9 more repeats last night (after this picture). I'll post a more current picture soon, but for now, here's the 2 side by side for comparison.
2 tries at branching out

Here's a slightly blocked closeup, so you can see how nicely this yarn shows off the pattern when the it's opened up just a little.

alpaca branching out

I love the way the handpainted yarn reflects color in this pattern. Can't wait to see progress on everyone else's.

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

The drawing board, and my acquaintance with it.

Sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do; I wasn't happy with the way my original brown version was going, and since I was less than five repeats in still, I frogged the entire thing and I've started over in a creamy buff shade of the same yarn.

It's a tough thing, but I feel good about it. :-)

Leafin' Along

Here's a pic of my progress as of two days ago...really loving that pattern. I'm working on it exclusively, cause I just can't put it down.



Then I hit some sort of knitting surge and had to finish it, so here is blocking... boy is it long. I ran out of pins, and board space. =)



Here's a washed out closeup of the stitch pattern (thanks camera phone.) Many thanks to Susan for such a great pattern, lots of fun and a quick knit. I used US 8 Addi's and Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in Moss that was lying in my stash. Is it coincidence I had the perfect color waiting? I think not! It was just waiting for this pattern to come along...this will be a gift...once I've figured out who it's for! =) LOL

Now I think I can confidently say, "I can read a pattern," and maybe, just maybe, pick up that Flower Basket Shawl again. *maybe* =)

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

November leaves... LATE November


Branching Out - 1
Originally uploaded by Tavie.
Lousy picture-- the yarn is a lighter shade of brown than the picture shows. I do wish I'd chosen another colour, but it's a gift for my aunt and she expressly requested the neutral tones that my baby alpaca's in. (Brown, cream, grey, tan.)

Next one I make is gonna be in Plassard Flore, soft yellow, all for me...

6 repeats done!

Well, I think I finally got it. I got through 4 more repeats for a total of 6 repeats. Even though I still have to concentrate more than usual - I didn't make any bad mistakes this evening. The color is a little funky here, I couldn't get my camera to capture the true color - but this is about as close as it came.


6 repeats - 11 inches Posted by Hello

Arching

I'm glad to see mine isn't the only one that "humps" up in the middle at the bottom (beginning) of the piece. I suppose this will be corrected in blocking?

Tiny Progress

Hi everyone,

tiny progress
This is the tiny amount of progress I've made. I had to wait for the yarn to finish drying. I overdyed a skein of Alpaca Cloud in Peppermint with a really nice blue, to come up with this soft medium blue, that has little purple flecks in it. This is a present for Mother's Day. My mom has silver hair, so I think this will look smashing on her. I've only done 1.5 repeats, I've been really busy of late, but I hope to get down to business on it tonight.

I obviously can't count!

I started Branching last night with Reynolds Saucy Sport Yarn in "Pistachio" (100% mercerized cotton) for the second time. The first time I couldn't get through 4 rows and end with the correct number of stitches.

Last night I got thru 2 and 1/2 repeats and was feeling pretty good. So I brought it to work with me thinking that I could get a little more done on my breaks. Obviously work is not the place to do this as I started row 9 and realized I was already down to 25 stitches! So back I go frogging everything I did on my break.

Oh well - it's good practice right? Will post a picture this evening.

Ok, I hope this works - I've installed Hello to download pictures to the blog. If this has worked you can see a picture of version 2 which I started last night. This is a 40% silk/60% wool yarn I bought on ebay a few months ago. It's 4 strands, and after a few goes at getting the right tension I'm using 6.5mms. The yarn hasn't been treated after spinning so it's really stiff - a bit like knitting with string - but hopefully will soften up when I wash it. Posted by Hello

Monday, April 11, 2005

here is mine so far :) Posted by Hello
I'm using Misti Alpaca Lace

Falling behind!!

Wow April, you're doing well.

I cast on last night with Rowan Kid silk haze. Not such a good idea perhaps as my previous WIP was an ultra chunky sweater on 9mms!! It feels like I'm knitting with cobwebs!

I've never knitted anything so fine before, and have only ever done 1 lace pattern previously ( a scarf in Noro Korchoran). I got as far as the 5th row of the pattern and found I'd lost a stitch somewhere so frogged and started again. Now I'm just at the stage where I've finished the first 5 rows of garter sticth.

I'm thinking I'm going to start another one tonight with some silk/wool yarn from my stash which will be thicker than the Rowan. I wanted to make the Rowan for my sis in law who needs some TLC (her mum has just been diagnosed with lung cancer), but I don't want to make a pig's ear of it so figure if I do the silk/wool mix one first I'll get used to the pattern and might then feel more confident to do another with the Rowan yarn.

This is my first KAL - it's great to know your all out there if I need help!!

Made a Button

Hope nobody minds, but I made a button for the knitalong.

here it is:

(Please no hotlinks)

Three Repeats In

Hello all! I started yesterday and have gotten three repeats in:


The yarn is wool, close to worsted weight, from a GoodWill sweater that I frogged a while back. Using #8 needles.

Hole-y moly

This is my first knit-along, very exciting. I'm hoping being part of the group will keep me motivated...

I started it with a fingering weight Indiecita baby alpaca yarn in brown. I have four different shades of baby alpaca given to me as a gift by my mom, who visited Peru a few months ago and got bags and bags for me... I'm just hoping I chose the right colour. I don't want it to look like dead leaves. (Or do I?)

I had to frog once because I started with size 6's and it was way too small-- I don't want a "skinny scarf". So I tried again with size 9's. Very airy and "lace-like" knitting fingering weight with size 9's! I like the effect.

I'll post pictures as soon as I can wrangle the digital camera away from greedy family members...

Friday, April 08, 2005

First pic of WIP

Here it is, I casted last night:

Branching Out