I am happily knitting away on my newest project using Lush Worsted, from The Uncommon Thread. This yarn is a blend, 80% superwash merino, 10% cashmere and 10% nylon. It is also an example of Truth in Advertising. Lush is Lush.
I love everything about this yarn. It is so soft and luxurious, and feels so good that I want to knit all day long. Unlike Malabrigo Merino Worsted, that other famously soft wool, it is plied and has resilience and elasticity and bounce. I also imagine that it will not pill like Malabrigo (though that remains to be seen). The colour saturation is also fantastic.
This colour is called Pontus, which derives from the Greek word for sea, and it really carries in it all of the shades of a beautiful blue sea. (Pontus also described a part of the coastline of the Black Sea, now in Turkey, where the Amazons resided in Greek mythology.) The colour has movement and texture without too much variegation; it is rich with great depth but doesn’t pool. (Can you tell that I like this yarn?) The stitch definition is also wonderful, and this pattern, which combines a peaceful canvas of stockinette with a twisted stitch detail, shows up this stitch definition perfectly. The above photo captures the simple but lovely pattern detail that flows down the sides of this sweater. Also note the collar, in the top photo, where the twisted stitch pattern is reversible and can be buttoned up or left open. As mentioned in my last post, the pattern is the Livvy Pullover, designed by Tori Gurbisz. I am planning a number of modifications to the pattern, which I will blog about soon, but so far am knitting as written.
I started this one less than a week ago, and am powering through despite having to do some frogging. (I knit about four inches into the body, tried it on and decided that it was a bit too tight under the arms, so I ripped back to before the sleeve separation, and added four rows without raglan increases. I then foolishly decided to attempt a different cast-on method for the stitches under the arms. After a few rows, I realized that they didn’t look as neat as my usual method, so I ripped back again, which involved separating off the sleeves for a third time. When I tried it on again last night, I wished I had added 6 extra rows instead of 4, but I’m not frogging again.)
To sum up, this yarn is amazing. Lush IS lush. Resistance is futile. Despite the bitter cold this holiday weekend, I am happy. I would like to post more, but Lush is calling to me and my fingers are itching to knit. Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Happy Spring to you all!
The Exeter jacket has taken on the role of background knitting. This is the piece that I work on a bit here and there, when I have a quiet, peaceful moment and can concentrate on the pattern. There is an awful lot of knitting ahead and instead of powering through, I am allowing myself to get distracted along the way. I think I am now aiming to finish it sometime in the fall. Here is a progress shot; I have finished one sleeve and begun the next:
As Exeter chugs along in the background, I have any number of foreground pieces commanding my attention. First, there was the Arleen T-shirt which I finished and blogged about last weekend. Then, I decided to cast on a Haruni shawl. I bought the wool for this shawl, a skein of Wollmeise Pure 100% Merino Superwash, at Knit Nation 2010 in London. The colour is called “Granatapfel” (pomegranate). I bought it before I realized that I love variegated yarn much better in the skein than in the project. I have been knitting away on the shawl this week, but am still not sure if I like the way the colour looks. I think Haruni would be gorgeous in a very saturated pure shade. I am going to give it a try anyway and hope when it is blocked the colour will look more organic and not fractured.
Those of you who are familiar with the Haruni shawl will immediately notice that I am knitting the “plain” version of the shawl. Haruni, designed by Emily Ross, is a very popular pattern that has over the years developed two major offshoot versions, and within those three versions there are lots of smaller variations. I will blog about these once I get to the lace section, but for now, here is a teaser photo of the pattern:
copyright Emily Ross
The weather in England is ghastly this week. It may be spring but you can’t tell by looking out the window. There has been snow, power outages, ice, sleet, and also flooding and landslides. On Friday, we drove home in the freezing cold, to find the postman had left me a present. (Yarn in a plastic bag does not make for a good photo. I climbed up on a wet and frozen chair to get this photo, while holding a camera; my feet slipped and flew out from under me and only with luck did I manage to avoid breaking my neck. After all that trouble, I decided the photo stays.)
This is five skeins of Lush Worsted in Pontus by The Uncommon Thread. I have been reading about this company for some time and wanted to try their yarn. The Uncommon Thread is a local (UK) environmentally-aware company that hand-dyes in small batches. They source British breed yarns from small flocks, which are also spun locally, thus cutting back on “wool miles”. When I was able to put in a pre-order for this wool, I leapt at the chance. I must say that I am extremely enamored of it. This is a luxury buy; it is not cheap in sweater quantities. But the colour is gorgeous, and the feel of this yarn is indescribably lush. I cannot put it down. It is the most lovely wool to knit with that I have had on my needles in a long time. It is a blend; 80% superwash merino, 10% cashmere, and 10% nylon. The colour is hard to capture, but here is an attempt:
What do I plan to make with it, you may ask? This is destined to be a Livvy pullover, designed by Tori Gurbisz. Here is a photo of the pattern:
copyright LachesisandCo
My original plan was to wait until fall to start knitting this, because it is now the end of March and I should start some spring knitting. But, as this is the view out my back window right now:
I am not getting a spring-like vibe. Thus, I decided to cast on yet another distractor from my Exeter jacket. (In fact, this is only a partial explanation. The truth is, this yarn is FANTASTIC. I must knit with it. NOW.) Here is the collar:
I have a feeling both the Exeter and the Haruni will be shoved aside this week, while Livvy takes the foreground. Luckily, I foresee a lot of knitting in my immediate future. The university will be closed for 5 days over Easter. During this same period, the train station in my city is being closed for repairs, and the weather is due to remain cold and snowy. This may be a recipe for misery for thousands of holiday-makers during Spring Break, but we knitters can find joy in being housebound.
In this recent post, called “Goodbye, Levenwick”, I showed photos of my poor, departed Levenwick cardigan. Despite my love for the pattern, it didn’t fit, it looked sloppy, the fabric bunched and I never wore it. When I discovered a moth hole in it, I took my scissors and started to rip. Well, it’s Goodbye Levenwick….Hello Arleen:
Arleen is a simple T-shirt pattern designed by Dona Knits (Ravelry link here). I was in the mood for a fast, simple knit and this fit the bill. I didn’t even have to knit a gauge swatch since it has the same gauge as Levenwick, so as soon as I finished ripping, I cast on and started knitting.
Arleen is a top-down raglan, knit in the round. I made three small modifications. FIrst, I didn’t like the way the pattern makes the raglan increases (with a kfb, kbf), so I used M1, k1, slip marker, k1, m1. This makes a much neater raglan, at least for me. Second, the pattern says to start waist decreases at 7 inches after the sleeve separation. I don’t know about you, but I am considerably higher waisted than that; I started the waist decreases at 4″. Then, I made an extra set of waist decreases, offset by an extra set of hip increases. This makes a lovely, shapely sweater, that is not too fitted.
This T-shirt took me 12 days from start to finish, including blocking. I am sure there are knitters out there who could whip it out in a couple of days. If you are looking for something fast, cute and comfortable, this definitely fits the bill. (Another plus, the pattern is available for free.)
However, the very best thing about this sweater is that it perfectly matches my Stripe Study Shawl:
This shawl was the topic of my very first blog post in October 2011. It was desiged by the talented Veera Välimäki. I knit it with two skeins of Wollweise “Pure” 100% Merino Superwash. I don’t seem to have recorded the colour of the brown, but the blue is called “Aquarius” and is an astoundingly good match for the Cascade 220 in colour 2433 with which I knit Arleen.
I think I will get a lot more use out of this than I did out of Levenwick. In fact, since I finished it, I keep thinking of making another one, say in black, and maybe a red one, and fuschia would look good, perhaps emerald, oh I know, rust, or navy, maybe charcoal……..
Today an icy wind blew across the UK, bringing snow flurries and gale winds and cold. Leah bounded down the stairs this morning wearing not one, but two, hand knits. Be still, my knitter’s heart!
I immediately rushed her out the door to take photos. In the freezing cold. Even before breakfast. (My family are amazingly tolerant of my blogging demands.) She is wearing the lovely February scarf which I just finished knitting last week. I had actually fretted that I finished it too late in the season to get any wear this winter, but the weather accomodated me.
She is also wearing the wonderfully cozy ‘owls’ sweater, designed by Kate Davies. I made this sweater for Leah four years ago this month, in March 2009, when she was 14 years old. It has been worn countless times. Leah has grown since I made it, and it is now a bit snug and the sleeves are a good 3 inches too short, but she still says it’s the best thing to wear on a cold day. Go ahead cold, do your worst!
I have been trying to decide for some time which of my knits to feature in my next Wearability Wednesday post. In the WW series, I re-visit a garment I’ve knitted and examine it in terms of wearability. I try to address the questions: Do I actually wear it? If so, how do I style it? What do I wear it with? Do I dress it up or down? If it doesn’t get worn, then why not? What doesn’t work about it? Is it a fit issue, or just a poor choice in garment style?
I finally decided to focus this week on Levenwick, a design by Gudrun Johnston for Brooklyn Tweed; published in BT’s Wool People, vol. 1. Here is the pattern photo for Levenwick:
copyright Jared Flood/Brooklyn Tweed
I instantly loved this pattern (though I hate the headscarf). I was certainly not the only one. Levenwick has proved to be very popular. Interestingly, when I look at my blog statistics, one of the most frequently used search terms is Levenwick; a lot of knitters are clearly interested in the pattern. (Levenwick is also the name of a small village in Shetland, but I imagine most of those searching for it are looking for the cardigan. Maybe that’s knitting-centric of me?)
I knit Levenwick in September and October of 2011. I used Cascade 220 in a very pretty teal. I have written a number of posts about Levenwick, which can be found here (this will link to all the Levenwick posts, including this one, scroll down to read the older ones). Here is one of the photos we took when it was first finished:
Emma took this photo, and I really like it. I love the way it looks against the peeling wall and I especially love the contraposition of the teal and the rust. You can see that the Cascade looks great, the stitches beautiful and uniform. But you can also see that the fit is not good. The whole area around the shoulders and yoke is awful and the fabric bunches. You can imagine, with Emma in charge of the photo, that this is as good as Levenwick ever looked on me. This photo is the result of Emma adjusting and pulling and re-adjusting, and me not moving. As soon as I move, even the slightest bit, the bunching looks worse.
Knowing what I do now about the fit issues I had with Levenwick, I can see some of it in the pattern photo. Though not as pronounced as mine, you can see the fabric bubbling under the model’s chin. I still think the pattern is lovely, and many knitters have made great-fitting versions of Levenwick. However, try as I might, I found my version of this cardigan to be pretty unwearable.
Now, when I wasn’t holding completely still and pulling the sweater into place just so, the poor fit became even more pronounced:
The above photo was taken in the stands at the Olympics (a fabulous day watching the rowing). You can see how happy I was to be there. You can also see that this sweater doesn’t fit at all. It just doesn’t.
Here’s another photo, from the same day, taken from a different angle (and yes, that is me, knitting at the Olympcs – Score!):
Let’s face facts: it doesn’t fit. I tried to wear it, I really did. I tried it buttoned all the way up. I tried just buttoning the top buttons. I tried just buttoning the bottom buttons. I tried leaving it open (a real no-no). I am usually good at knitting a garment that will fit properly. One of the problems with the fit is that the pattern starts by knitting a long strip of lace for the collar and then picks up stitches and knits down. The collar, however, is really too wide, so no amount of adjusting the pattern as you knit is going to make it fit. The only way I could have gotten a better fit was to rip the whole thing out and start over with a much narrower strip of lace. In addition, the raglan sleeve increases just didn’t work out at all. This could result from my gauge rather than the pattern; my stitch gauge was spot on but my row gauge was off. Raglan decreases are one of those areas where the right row gauge is essential.
On Saturday morning, I finished knitting Leah’s February scarf and blocked it. Afterwards, I decided to grab my Levenwick and take some more photos in preparation for writing this post. This is what I found:
A moth hole! Holey moley! (Pun intended.) Now, I could probably fix this. But, I rationalized, why fix the hole when I’m not going to wear the sweater? And before you could say “Goodbye, Levenwick” I had the scissors out and started cutting.
This sweater took a very long time to frog. Because of the way it’s constructed, frogging was not straightforward. I put on my headphones and listened to an audiobook (Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold; very enjoyable start to the Vorkosigan series) and spent hours steadily ripping it out. (Frogging, by the way, is the highly technical term we knitters use to denote ripping out your knitting. I have been told it’s because you “Rip it! Rip it!” – which sounds like the English word for what frogs say.)
I no sooner finished frogging, then I grabbed some needles and started to knit. I didn’t even take the time to steam out the kinks in the yarn. (The knitting thus looks pretty uneven but I am fairly certain it will steam out when I block it.) And what, you may ask, am I knitting? Well, you will have to stay tuned to this spot to find out.
Yes, February is done and gone. This includes the lovely February scarf, just off my needles:
I love this scarf! I can’t remember the last time I knit a scarf; they can be rather tedious and I don’t have the patience for them. In fact, despite its beauty, I really only decided to knit this because I had five skeins of Quince & Co Osprey sitting in my stash. Not enough for a sweater, too much for a hat and mittens. And yet, I think it’s fabulous, and didn’t ever get to the stage where I wanted to strangle myself with it.
The pattern is by Beth Weaver for Quince & Co; you can find it here. As I’ve mentioned previously, the pattern calls for six skeins of wool. My finished dimensions pre-blocking were 7.5″x90″; it bloomed quite a bit with a wet blocking however, to 9″x102″. The pattern, with six skeins, is 126″ long, but I think this one is plenty long enough, especially for Leah (she’s 5’5″).
I had some issues with the blocking. Before blocking the cables are very thick and chunky; the texture is fantastic, with lots of shadow and movement. The blocking flattened them a little bit, so to my eye the scarf loses a bit of its architectural quality. I’m probably being excessively picky, however. The top photo is pre-blocking, the one below is post-blocking:
Blocking, however, did have a lot of benefits. First, the scarf is considerably softer post-blocking and thus more wearable. It has gained over a foot in length and is eaiser to toss around and wrap multiple times. It actually feels lighter, though of course it weighs just the same. More importantly, pre-blocking the edges showed a strong tendency to roll, which the blocking has hopefully cured.
I should add that I didn’t do any stretching while blocking. On the contrary, the yarn bloomed so much when wet, that the block was mostly an exercise in moderation. I let the scarf soak for a good 15 minutes to make sure that it was completely saturated. Then I very carefully spilled off the water, without squeezing or stretching the scarf. I laid it out on a towel on top of a tiled floor, put another towel on top, and then with bare feet, walked on it until both towels were soaked. Then, I carefully picked it up and laid it out on a fresh towel, making sure it didn’t get stretched, covered it with another fresh towel and repeated the procedure. (This bit is fun; I always imagine I’m Lucy Ricardo squishing grapes to make wine.) I then laid it out on a layer of towels across the living room carpet (lots of towels because it’s very long) and pinned the edges down. I’m not sure it even needs pinning; but I did it just to make sure that the two stitches along the edge in reverse stockinette didn’t roll. You could use blocking wires; I used about 200 pins instead.
This scarf will keep you toasty warm, no matter how cold your February is. You don’t even need to wear a hat:
I highly recommend both pattern and yarn. I have used this yarn before and know from experience that it wears well and washes well and resists pilling. It starts off soft and stays soft. The pattern is simple but arresting, and because of the thick wool and easy cables, it will fly off your needles.
