Tag Archives: pattern

Yarn isn’t working

Posted on by
1

I spent $$$ at my LYS on Friday on this gorgeous Cascade Ultra Pima in Heathered Pansy (3705) to knit the Eileen Shell featured in No Sheep for You.  It’s a substitute for the Louret Sales Euroflax Geneva (which is no longer available and would have been way above my price range).

The pattern calls for a worsted weight and I was advised by the salesperson that I could substitute the Cascade Ultra Pima for the Euroflax.  Gauge is 20 st x 24 rows on Size 2 (2.75mm) needles.  I’ve swatched this starting on Size 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and finally got the correct gauge on a size 7 needle.  This is supposed to be a very tight knit but it’s not happening.  The DK weight just isn’t a proper substitute.  I should have known but I just wasn’t thinking.  In the meantime I ordered some Comfy Worsted in Peony from Knit Picks just in case I need to change the yarn.

Questions abound.  Well, maybe only three questions…

  1. Do I use the size 7 needles since that is what gauge was?
  2. Do I figure out what size to knit using a smaller needle so I get the intended denseness?
  3. Do I go with the above mentioned yarn from Knit Picks and save the Cascade Ultra Pima for something else?

I’m not good at substituting.  But then I don’t think this was completely my fault.  The advice I received from the salesperson wasn’t exactly right IMHO.

Please help!

Periwinkle, Sky Blue, Aqua, Lime

 

In addition to the Heathered Pansy color I also bought  (from l to r) Periwinkle (3726), Sky Blue (3727), Aqua (3732), and Lime (3739).  Not sure what I’m going to knit with these but I loved the colors and the feel of the yarn.  With so much swatching I’ve done over then weekend I do not think will not get tired of this buttery softness.

Yarn lover’s delight

Posted on by
Reply

My LYS is having a sale starting today.  Check it out here.  I stopped in the store yesterday thinking the sale started then but I was wrong.  I did look around and picked out something yummy (Cascade Ultra Pima) to make a shell (Eileen) featured in No Sheep for You by Amy Singer.  This shell is knit with worsted weight linen (I’m using cotton) on size 0 2 and 1 needles!  That’s right size 0 2 and 1.  I don’t have size 0 but I will pick some up when I buy the yarn.  <edit I didn’t need the size 0 but bought some anyway thinking that’s what I needed.  Will return.>  The Bacardi cardigan from the same book is also on my list but I have a hard time spending that much money for yarn…even on myself!  The sales girl said she would kindly (though reluctantly) hold the Cascade yarn for me today so I want to take an early lunch and pick it up.   I will post pictures of my purchases.

In other news…I wimped out and drove my car to work.  I have a 19 mile drive to work instead of the motorcycle.  Since I have to run into town to pick up the above mentioned yarn, I didn’t want to put the extra miles on my car or use more gas.  Car = 25 mpg.  Motorcycle = 52 mpg.  The thermometer was what made me decide on four-wheels.  48 freaking degrees is just below my threshold for riding.  Plus traffic will be horrible when I go home.  Granted it’s not LA traffic but when you are not used to a lot of crazy people from DC and Baltimore rushing to get to the lake, or locals rushing to the shore, it can be pretty scary.  At least it can be for me.  I am so small town.

Be safe and have fun this weekend.  Happy (Early) Birthday America!

FO – Gallery

Posted on by
Reply

I have a small showing of finished objects on the “Finished Objects” page to the right.  Unfortunately I don’t have photos of all my knitting.  Usually I  gave it away before I realized I should have a picture of it.  

The very first sweater I made was for my daughter (when she was two) from left over yarn my grandmother used for a sweater for my brother!  I do have a photo of her wearing it and I may have to find it so I can post it here.  I didn’t have a pattern but since I was a fearless knitter (aka naive) I used some vintage pattern books also from my grandmother’s stash as a guide.  

The baby sweaters I have been making for the past several years are based on the Lutzing Sweater by Nancy Lutzling.   My favorite thing about this pattern is there are no seams to sew other than grafting four stitches under the arms and sewing on the buttons.  

This is pattern a great jumping off point for some of the other Raglan sleeve sweaters I make such as the eyelet sweaters I just completed.  

So these are just a few of the finished objects that I actually have photos of.  

Newborn size sweaters October 2008

UNOH Sweater October 2008

 Sorry this picture isn’t that great.  I took it at night and the flash wsn’t working.  I mailed it the next day and was lucky to remember to get the photo when I did.   Knitted for my best friend’s daughter’s baby.  Daughter works at UNOH = University of Nothern Ohio. 

WVU Sweater front March 2009

WVU Sweater back March 2009

Declutter and knitting

Posted on by
2

Having Mondays off is nice.  Much nicer than Fridays.  Anyway to take advantage of this extra day I have each week until Labor Day, I plan to do a declutter project that “should” take less than 15 minutes to complete.  The time limit doesn’t work for me.  The typical 15-minute job takes me all day.

Today’s target was the top of my dresser.  I could have written the entire Old Testament in the amount of dust!  Three hours later it is clean, clutter-free, and dustless.  I need to clean out the top drawer and find some jewelry storage containers so I can better sort what I have.  The current jewelry box has drawers with no compartments.  My earrings and pins co-mingle and create a hot mess.

I want a quick, easy, and cool knitting project for the summer.  I need to knit two baby sweaters but having just finished two sweaters, I really don’t want to do another one right now.  Not into hats or scarves or anything that requires me to make two.  Any suggestions?