Knitting Battlemaidens

Gladys Amedro's Sheelagh Shawl

This week I finished yet another baby sweater and matching hat - the sweater had been languishing unseamed and without buttons in my to-do pile for months.  Now, with most of the half-finished projects cleared out of the basket, I was ready to tackle the next beast - making a Shetland lace shawl for the eventual baptism of the bun in my oven this fall.

I looked through several pattern books before I found the right piece; here are the books I consulted, which, though they didn't contain the winning shawl, did have lots of helpful advice:

• Sharon Miller, Heirloom Knitting
• Meg Swanson, A Gathering of Lace
• Martha Waterman, Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls

There are plenty of other books out there containing sample lace stitch patterns, but since this is my first project I wanted toa full pattern with lots of guidance.  Maybe after this one I'll be brave enough to try putting together my own mix of patterns.

So the Sheelagh shawl I picked is from the now out-of-print and hard-to-find Gladys Amedro's Shetland Lace.  The book contains both shawl patterns and basic stitch patterns, all written in the traditional Shetland knitting abbreviations (e.g., T = k2tog or ssk, c = YO).  I prefer to work from charts, so I not only had to translate the Scottish symbols into English/American, I also had to plot everything onto charts.  It's not the most user-friendly book in the world, but I actually enjoy charting because it forces me to read a pattern all the way through before starting and helps me puzzle through the structure of a new pattern better than if I just started knitting from a chart someone else made.   I made all my charts in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, which I'll post here if I can figure out how to do it.

One tricky part of that charting project was that Shetlanders apparently use the symbol T for both k2tog and ssk decreases, leaving it to the expert knitter to figure out which way the stitches should slant.  I had to refer to a few other books to learn what to do for the Print o' the Wave pattern.

I ordered a bag (ten 25g balls) of Jamieson's Cobweb Shetland 1-ply wool, undyed cream color, from Schoolhouse Press.  I had never seen this type of yarn before in any local stores and was surprised by just how thin it really is - it is like knitting with heavy sewing thread.  It appears to have been slightly starched before being wound into balls, because it feels a bit stiff - this is a great benefit because it keeps the knitting from collapsing into a mass of fluff, and helps you feel like you're holding something more substantial than a thin thread.  Working with it does take some getting used to, because you must hold the knitting loosely.

So, with all that preparation done, I finally cast on for the Sheelagh Shawl this week.  The pattern requires that you first knit a loooooooong strip of border, and then pick up stitches to knit the shawl's innards in the round.  The pattern calls for a basic pointy edge plus a repeat of Print o' the Wave, so it works out to about 34-37 sts per row.  A full repeat gives four waves plus three  pointy edges, 48 rows total.  And I have to do 40 of those!  So far I have, um, two repeats done.  Let's see - baby is due end of July, and I have 126 days to go before he arrives.  If I average a repeat per day, that will take 40 days, then I still have to do the monstrously huge center of the shawl.  Perhaps I need to pick up my speed and try to get two repeats done per day.  I think I'll set a goal of being done with the border by the end of April; that will give me May, June, and July to finish the rest of it.  Now I just have to figure out how to block this thing when it's done - should I get my husband to make me a frame like this?

"IT" continued....

Now, for the long awaited continuation of my gansey saga. 

Even though my heart wasn't in it, I went ahead and bought an enormous quantity of "Jacob" Black Water Abbey yarn.  As I hastily wound every single skein into balls, then cast on for the bottom welt, I finally realized what was bothering me.  This yarn is the exact same color as my brother-in-law's hair.  I personally try to avoid dressing humans in large garments composed of animal hair in the same shade as the hair on their heads because I believe that there is the potential of them looking like a  sasquatch.  I've knitted men's sweaters before and I just can't commit to a project of this size if I know that during the knitting of it, I will have the little voice of doubt and worry nagging at me.  Back to the drawing board.

Since I already thrown a large amount of money into this project, I decided irrationally I had nothing to loose and ordered a staggering number of Jamieson's Aran in "Loden."  This is some beautiful yarn.  It has that crisp, resilient Shetland hand that reminds me of Velcro.  So I cast on for the lower welt and everything is going smoothly.  I was making great time, doing at least a skein an evening.  I was going to actually make a deadline!  but then I hit the patterned yoke.  Oops, I hadn't planned this out, but how hard could it be?  Just throw in some rope cables and a few geometric designs, and you're good.   So after several days of charting and no knitting, I came up with an okay design.  Then I started knitting it and realized that such a dark yarn needed a very simple bold pattern to show up at all.   Chart, knit, frog and repeat.  And so on until Christmas eve when I finally found a pattern that worked.  I ended up giving him an IOU (not the first I've given) and an apology.  Luckily, he's one of my biggest knitting fans and seems to understand that art takes time.

But now it's June and I haven't knit on it since January.  It seems that every time I work on it, I feel guilty about not finishing it, and after a few weeks of behavioral training, I started avoiding the thing.  I haven't given up on it completely, though.  A few months back I started on the IK "Greek Pullover," which needed a size 9 needle, and I bought a new one rather than pull the needle out of the gansey and admit defeat.  I'm hoping that when the cold weather returns (what am I saying?  It's the middle of June and I'm still wearing wool socks and sweaters here in sunny Western WA!) I'll feel like knitting on something heavy and woolen again.  On the up side, I have a sweater's worth of BWA that would look great on me.  Up for a rogue-along, S?

M.

Gauge and Errata for Knitpicks Kimono Styled Sweater

I Googled to see if any other bloggers had any wisdom to share before I dive into my new sweater project.   Sous le soliel noted that there were some pattern errors, so I checked Knitpicks'  pattern errata page and was glad to see that it clarified some of the gauge and cable problems. 

Definitely Maybe Knits has a nice write-up of her pattern modifications, which I might try.  Here's another lovely version in green, with some pattern notes about the cable problems.

I'm a bit chuffed with my bad self - doing a gauge swatch, checking with other knitters to learn from their experience.  Have I finally moved beyond my "dive into it, screw it up, and fix it in a panic" mode?

S

How can I slow down this groove?

M,

After doing basically no knitting for months, I am now back to my old M.O., having way too many projects going at once.  I just finished a third Knitty Trellis baby sweater for a friend's baby - I think I have that pattern memorized, and all the recipients have loved them.  A great, quick knit for a much-appreciated baby gift, and using KnitPicks' undyed Wool of the Andes means it is inexpensive to boot.

On to the new projects...A few days ago I went to Main Street Yarn to get some Rowan for the Moss Stitch Tunic and Hat from Debbie Bliss's Great Knits for Kids, but I was not paying attention and bought 25g balls of fingering weight, instead of the 50g balls of DK weight that are called for in the pattern.

Isn't it cute?  I think it makes this baby model look like a gnome.  Too adorable.  Anyway, so then I had an excuse to go to Weaving Works (having that place located a mere two blocks away from my office is going to be a problem - it's like having a crack dealer for a neighbor) to get the correct yarn.  While I was there, a skein of Colinette Jitterbug sock yarn in Mist jumped into my basket without my knowledge or consent.  I immediately started knitting the free sock pattern on the ball band, which has now disappeared (I suspect the cats, but I can't prove it), so I think I might rip back the few rows I've already done and instead try one of the patterns in Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. 

My burst of activity doesn't stop there, oh, no.  Many balls of Elegance (baby alpaca/silk blend) in a light grey color (Ash, #23538) arrived by mail yesterday for the Knitpicks Kimono-Styled Sweater.  After my last gauge malfunction on my Aran sweater, I gave in and did a gauge swatch last night, which is sort of a first for me (I usually just start the pattern on the needles and measure it there - awful and ineffective, I know).  Before washing and blocking it seemed like I was getting too many stitches to the inch, so I bumped up a needle size and made a second swatch.  They are both almost dry and I'm about to go measure them.  I'm excited to figure out what needle to use, not just because it means I can start the cool cable pattern that makes up the bottom half of the sweater, but because I can use my new circular needles (Options from Knitpicks).  Yes, I broke down and got a set - I have no willpower when I see shiny things.  I'm so far behind the times that these needles have been reviewed many times already, so I won't say much about them except I love them!  I think they work great and I like the organizer system.  It had an interior zipped pocket so I moved my scissors, row counters, stitch markers, etc., into there, and now I have a self-contained organizer that holds both needles and notions. 

Also got you a little knitting treat, M, which I'll pop in the mail after I get back from camping in the boondocks this weekend.  Thank goodness you taught me how to knit, or else there's no way in hell I would be excited by a 10-hour round trip car drive to Eastern Washington.  I'm gladd my husband prefers to drive, leaving me free to knit and/or elbow him every five minutes so he can look at the fascinating bird, small mammal, plant, or building outside my car window. 

S

"IT"

In one of the Yarn Harlot's books, she describes the five phases of holiday knitting, followed by "IT," a complete nervous breakdown on Christmas eve and morning.  Well, every year I descend through all phases, and more.  What the Harlot does not describe is the post-holiday knitting.  Where you've spent so much on the yarn, and the recipient is a big enough knitting fan, and a close enough relative, that you give an IOU and try to finish before next August.  And yes, there are stages.

It started for me this year in early fall when I decided to knit my brother-in-law a gansey.  Being a craftsperson himself (carpentry), he's one of my biggest knitting fans.  I decided that in return for his fiber enthusiasm over the years, he deserved a not just any gansey, but a custom design, complete with knit initials.  In an Aran weight (I'm not so delusional about holiday knitting to entertain the thought of guernsey yarn for more than a moment).  I envisioned this all in the perfect color: a rich, complex mix of olive and forest green that I assigned the name "hemlock" in my head.   So the search for the hemlock yarn began.  I ordered samples and color cards.  I swatched.  The yarn choices were narrowed down.

Black Water Abbey had a nice forest green, not quite olive-y for my vision, but I loved the rustic feel of the yarn.  It was the same feel as my Fair Isle cap in Jamieson and Smith.  That hat has been worn daily for over four winters and looks brand new.  That baby sheds rain and snow like you wouldn't believe.  And the fact that's BWA is from Ireland (like my and my brother-in-law's ancestors) was a plus.

Harrisville Designs Highland has a color named "hemlock," a tad yellower than I wanted, and "cypress," a little bluer than desired, but both very nice.  The yarn is great, but a little softer and thinner than what I was thinking.

Peace Fleece also has a "hemlock" and I ordered a small skein.  The color was decided to be too bright of a green, but my husband feel in love with it and now wants a sweater.  Also they had a nice brown and gray.

And then enters Jamieson's Heather Aran.  "Pine" is beautiful, but I thought the frequency of sweater use for this individual would  be inversely  proportionatal to  how bright the green is.  So I bought a skein of "loden," one of the darkest greens I've ever seen.  I decided this was the yarn.  The hand was perfect, just like the BWA but slightly softer and bulkier.   It was made in Scotland (like ganseys).  The green was not exactly what I had envisioned, but a very good choice for a finicky guy.  And then I calculated skeins and price.  Uh oh.  That's more than we generally spend on Christmas presents, not to mention the hours knitting.  By now it was almost November.  So I compromised.  I bought the BWA,  in a natural brown.

To be continued......

M.

Take me to your leader

I usually hate cutesy knitting code words but there's one that resonates with me: UFOs - unfinished objects.  I have a host of these alien life forms cluttering my house, so instead of hiding my shame I'm going to admit to all my half-finished projects so I can be motivated to complete as many of them as I can by the end of the year!

First up...the Pomatomus socks.  I had the second one nearly done today, but then I realized that I had somehow worked an entire pattern repeat out of the pattern and therefore shrunk the foot part down to 6-year-old size.  Had to rip out a lot, unfortunately.  But this second one is going more quickly and should be done by week's end.  Here's more about working this lace pattern.

Next, the neverending Aran sweater.  Just need to finish the neck shaping and another sleeve.  I WILL get this done before 2007 if it kills me!

Oh, yeah, my first shawl.  I forgot I had this tucked away in the basket.  It started going faster once I memorized the pattern, but that was months ago.  Will have to get serious about it.

Here's a hat that I started long, long ago.  It's made from some leftover Brown Sheep worsted and the yarn that M dyed and spun for my birthday back in April.  I think this one is do-able before the end of the year.

I have an unfelted Booga Bag sitting around.  It was on hold temporarily while we had our washer and drying cluttering up the hallway during our bathroom/laundry room renovations.  Now that I'm back in business with my wash machine, I can finally felt this sucker!  It's probably going to be a Christmas gift for a niece, but I'm not sure.

Two unfinished baby sweaters.  Another Trellis that is partway done, and a spunky yellow number from Dale of Norway (Dalegarn Designs for Baby book 162).

 

That little ring of yellow sweater will eventually look like this:

And then there are the not-even-started-yet-objects.   I won't depress myself by posting photos of abandoned yarn and patterns!

S

Some half-hearted sock progress and the obligatory cat photo

Well, the socks are coming along slowly...here's a bit of progress below.  I hope to get to the heel tonight, if I can find some time to devote to them.  So far I have been keeping them in the car and doing one row at a time whenever I can.  Not the best way to get something done in a hurry!

I was thinking about holding up the sock with my backyard in the background (like the Yarn Harlot and her sock photos), but the view outside would scare folks away from moving to Seattle!  Ever since daylight savings time kicked in, it's been dark and rainy around here.  Can't wait for May, when I'll finally see the sun again!

I'm feeling sort of uninspired about my knitting lately.  I have half-a-dozen unfinished projects strewn around the house and I can't seem to find the time to finish anything.  I should be better about making use of those snippets of downtime (riding the bus, sitting in a car, waiting for dinner to arrive at a restaurant!) to get something done. 

One of my colleagues brings her knitting to meetings at work...but I don't think I have enough seniority to try that! 

If you're feeling as cold and dreary today as I am, check this out:

The world's cutest cats have created a little tent to keep themselves warm!  Makes me want to take a nap.  This weather is perfect for hibernation...just wake me up next spring.

S.

Inspiration strikes!

I was just poking around the internet (and it's moving slow tonight...I wish I had Senator Stevens nearby to help figure out why all the tubes are backed up) and I found my next project -- Shedir, a cabled chemo hat designed by my fellow Seattleite, Jenna Adorno.  My aunt is fighting lung and breast cancer and just lost her hair, so I better get moving on this new project!

S

Secret Pal 9

Well, I signed up for Secret Pal 9.  It was very fun doing this last round - I really enjoyed spoiling my pal (who is up in Vancouver, Canada).  She doesn't know who I am yet so I can't say anything here, but her last package is on its way and she'll finally figure out my secret identity.   Bwa ha ha ha ha! 

I finished a ribbon scarf the other day, but haven't busted out the camera yet for its photo shoot.  I'm also making another Booga Bag for my sister-in-law for Christmas, and promise take pictures of the grommet intstallation to post here.  Otherwise I'm just trying to plod away on my gigantic Aran sweater and the silk kimono shawl, the two never-ending projects.   They are in that boring phase where I can't see any progress, even though I know they're getting closer to the finish line.   I should make some socks or something easy and quick, maybe with the sock yarn my Secret Pal sent me.

S

Disaster strikes

I left the new baby sweater (the tiny Aran) on the coffee table last night.  The cats found it and turned it into a kitty toy.  It's beyond salvage.  Back to the drawing board. 

S