Verdandi

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Deborah Cooke

You might remember that the three Norns have cameo appearances in my Dragon Diaries YA trilogy. While I was writing that series, I saw a trio of shawl patterns saluting the three Wyrd sisters, and knew I had to knit them. I’ve just finished the first one. It’s called Verdandi – she’s the sister in charge of what is. She’s the first sister to appear in my series of books and turns up in Flying Blind, where she was knitting snowdrifts.

Here’s the shawl:And here’s a detail shot of the tip:
The yarn is Fleece Artist Nyoni, which I love to bits, and I used 700m of it. I cast off in Knitpicks Palette in Bark because I ran out of the Nyoni. There are beads added to the hem, plus I made the shawl bigger by adding repeats of the charts. It’s 39″ down the spine of the shawl. I’m not sure how to measure the wings, but they’re big. The design is intended to evoke the leaves on the world tree Yggdrasil – here’s a link to the designer’s website page for this pattern.

I’m quite pleased with this shawl. The pattern was easy to follow, too.

What do you think?

Wingspan 2

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Deborah Cooke

I just finished another version of that Wingspan shawl. This one is in Noro Silk Garden Sock and used two balls:I had enough yarn to do ten triangles this time. And I figured out what I’d done wrong the last time – the pattern says to Slip 1, Knit 2 before placing the traveling marker after each work and turn. I only saw the K2, so my W&T’s on the first shawl are two stitches apart. They should be three stitches apart, as they are here. Doing it the other way made each triangle wider, but also made the shawl wider. This version is more like a scarf.

It does have beads at the base of each triangle, one on every fourth row on the second stitch in from the edge.

I like it a lot. What do you think?

Inspired by the Kleks Shawl

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Deborah Cooke

Last fall, I came across a wonderful lace yarn in my LYS. It was dyed to change colours once over the length of the yarn. The yarn is Knitwhits Freia Handpaints Freia Ombré Lace, and the colourway I chose – Grapevine – changes from purple through brown and green to chartreuse. I thought it would look great in a semi-circular shawl – crescents of colour – and was inspired by the Kleks Shawl. This is the Ravelry link for the Kleks.

I really like the look of this shawl, with its alternating bands of stockinette stitch and bramble stitch, but wanted a shawl that was a wedge out of a circle with a rounded neck – like the letter C. It’s clear from the projects shown on Ravelry that the Kleks doesn’t have that shape. I also was confused by the increase instructions in the shawl pattern (it’s easy to confuse me about such things) and noticed that many Ravellers had issues with the stitch counts.

So, I made a plan for some variations. This is how my shawl came out:

The colour is richer than that, but the flash did what it does. The crescent is about 18″ deep, so the full width is roughly 45″. It falls to my elbows and comes together nicely at the front. I love it!

Here’s how I knit this variation. You need a multiple of 4 for the bramble pattern, plus there are 3 stitches on each border. It made sense to me to cast on a multiple of 4 plus 6 stitches, then to always increase stitches in multiples of 4. If I can avoid counting stitches, I will!

(Actually, in order to make the lace pattern come out symmetrically, you need a multiple of 8 stitches plus 4, plus the borders, but I missed that bit. You might want to modify the counts if asymmetry troubles you.)

Here we go!

Collar:
Cast on 86 stitches.
Knit 1 row. Knit 5 more rows, slipping the first stitch on each row. (This gives a neater edge.)

First Stockinette Stitch Band – You’ll add 8 stitch markers in this band.
19 rows in total
Row 1 – Slip 1, K2, K8, M1, place marker, * K9, M1, place marker. Repeat from * six times. K to end. (94 stitches.)
Row 2 – Slip 1, K2, purl to last three stitches, K to end.
Row 3 – Slip 1, knit to end.
Row 4 – as Row 2.

Repeat this four row sequence four times, as follows:
Row 5, 9, 13 and 17 – Slip 1, K2, *K to marker, M1 before marker. Repeat from * seven times. K to end.

After each increase row, your counts will be as follows:
Row 5 (102 stitches)
Row 9 (110 stitches)
Row 13 (118 stitches)
Row 17 (126 stitches)

Remove the stitch markers anytime after Row 17. You’ll need them in different places for the next stockinette stitch band. End after Row 19, with the wrong side facing. (Yes, you knit the pattern stitch on the wrong side.)

First Lace Panel – 15 rows in total. This is one repeat more than the pattern specifies, which is why I have 15 rows instead of 11. Work in trinity stitch (or bramble stitch. Call it whichever) as specified in pattern, keeping three border stitches in garter stitch. There are no increases in this panel.

Second Stockinette Stitch Panel – This time, we’ll put 16 markers in the work.
19 rows in total.
Row 1 – Slip 1, K2, K7, M1, place marker, * Repeat from * fifteen times. K to end. (142 stitches.)
Row 2 – Slip 1, K2, purl to last three stitches, K to end.
Row 3 – Slip 1, knit to end.
Row 4 – as Row 2.

Repeat this four row sequence four times, as follows:
Row 5, 9, 13 and 17 – Slip 1, K2, *K to marker, M1 before marker. Repeat from * fifteen times. K to end.

After each increase row, your counts will be as follows:
Row 5 (158 stitches)
Row 9 (174 stitches)
Row 13 (190 stitches)
Row 17 (206 stitches)

Remove the stitch markers anytime after Row 17. You’ll need them in different places for the next stockinette stitch band. End after Row 19, with the wrong side facing.

Second Lace Band – as first lace band.
15 rows total.

Third Stockinette Band
Following the same increase strategy, add 24 stitches to every increase row. You’ll end with 326 stitches.

Third Lace Band – as first lace band.
15 rows total.

Fourth Stockinette Band
Following the same increase strategy, add 36 stitches per increase row. I forgot to count the stitches after this one.

Fourth Lace Band – as first lace band.
15 rows total.

Border
In an ideal universe, I would have had enough yarn to mirror the 19 rows of stockinette stitch followed by 6 rows of garter stitch at the collar. I was running out of yarn, though, so had to adapt. I worked 3 rows of garter stitch after the last last panel, putting beads on the second row, on every second stitch. I didn’t have enough yarn left to cast off (there’s about a meter of it) so I knit a row with some Kidsilk Haze in BlackCurrant that was in my bits and ends, then cast off with that. For the cast off edge, I used a crochet hook – this is the cast-off from the Fiddlesticks Knitting Peacock Shawl, which I liked on it. *Work 3 stitches together, place bead, chain 5, repeat from * to end, work last chain into last stitch and bind off. (I was short one stitch at the end, but just worked 2 together before the last loop instead of 3.)

And that’s it! What do you think?

Wingspan 1

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Deborah Cooke

Here’s the knit I started before Christmas.

It’s from a free pattern called Wingspan. This is a really neat garter stitch shawlette – although mine came out a bit smaller than anticipated. I was only able to finish 6 wedges with my ball of Paton’s Lace, instead of the 8 that the pattern specifies. Either my gauge was way off, or the ball – which was from the mill ends – wasn’t a full ball.

I used a bit of a ball of a solid colour of Paton’s Lace for the 4 rows on the long edge, and put some beads in it to make it look less stark in contrast. This colourway is called Woodrose, and the ivory on the edge is called Vintage.

I’m quite pleased with it and am going to cast on another.

Cable Front Capelet

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Deborah Cooke

This is a project that I finished this fall – and started this fall, too. It went quickly because the yarn is so thick. In the winters, my back gets cold when I’m at my desk writing. I’ve knit vests and shawls and cardigans, but nothing has been just right. When I saw this cable front capelet in Vogue Knitting, I thought it might be just the thing. I already showed you the yarn and the knit back in this post.

Here’s the Ravelry link to the pattern. The designer is Sarah Hatton, who designs a lot for Rowan, too.

I substituted the yarn, using a new yarn that I found at Spinrite called Patons Delish. It has an interesting chain construction and is a wool/acrylic blend, with a gradual self-striping effect. Mine is the Kale colourway. They had mill ends on sale at Spinrite – 5 unlabelled skeins in a bag for $19.99 – so I decided to try it out. My capelet took 7.5 skeins.

And here it is:The green is much darker than it appears in this picture, even though I took this outside with no flash.

Modifications were minor. I didn’t want the cast-off edge at the top of the collar, so I knit 15 cm (instead of 7) and rolled the collar, seaming that edge to the inside. I haven’t added the five clasps to it – I might put one just at the base of the collar, if I can find one I like. I’m such a lazy toad that I didn’t even block it – I just seamed it up and started to wear it. It’s very warm and just perfect for writing – the elbow-length sleeves stay out of my way when I’m typing and having the front open keeps it from getting too hot. (It is a bad choice in the kitchen as the hems want to drag through everything, but that’s okay.)

This is one project that came out just right!

Cable Front Capelet in Delish

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Deborah Cooke

A bit late today with my knitting post. I was hoping to take pictures outside to show the colours better. Yesterday, it was drizzling so I waited. Today, it’s pouring, so you get inside pix.

This is a new yarn from Patons, called Delish. I saw it at Spinrite and was intrigued – it’s super bulky weight but has a chain construction. See?

This makes it light and squishy. Hmm.

I bought some of the green because I’d been wanting to make a poncho or capelet for the fall. The pattern I’m using is from Vogue Knitting, called Cable Front Capelet. Because it has raglan sleeves, I thought it might stay on – or stay put – better than a poncho. Here’s the Ravelry link to the pattern. Here’s the back:It’s not blocked yet and the flash did make it look darker, but you can see the graduating stripe that the yarn makes. The chain construction isn’t that evident in the finished knitting, and it feels so wonderfully soft. I’m quite happy with how it’s working out so far. It’s a fast knit, too – I might really be done in time for fall!

What do you think? Have you tried any new yarns lately?

Lady’s Circular Cape

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Deborah Cooke

And here it is!This is the Lady’s Circular Cape from Victorian Lace Today, finally finished and blocked.

I blocked this a bit too hard at the time, and later was disappointed that it came out so flat. The illustration in the book showed the finished shawl having some ripples in the main body of it and since I’d used the specified yarn, I wanted the same effect.

I spritzed it down with water and left it in mound to dry. I did that again, letting it relax into the shape it wanted to take, and think that this is a happy compromise between blocked and not.

This was the first pattern from VLT in which I ran out of yarn, despite using the specified yarn and having the specified quantity.

I’m thinking of adding a line of crocheted chain stitch around the collar. It seems a bit fragile to me there, given the fullness and weight of the shawl. I think that if I did it in the same yarn and chose the location well, it would never show and it would ensure there was no damage in wear. I’m probably over-engineering it, but I would like to wear it with a pin at the neck (which is comparatively heavy) and also the neck is a bit bigger than expected. Got to think a bit on that.

Lace Jacket by Brooke Nico 2

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Deborah Cooke

I seem to be knitting a lot of projects lately that have knitted borders. Or maybe the borders just take so long to knit that they feel like endless projects. Not sure. At any rate, here’s another one.This is the lace jacket by Brooke Nico from Vogue Knitting fall 2010. I cast it on last fall in Kidsilk Haze, then put it aside for a while. I’ve been charging away on it lately – mostly because it’s so astonishingly pretty – and am now knitting the border. The jacket is constructed as a circle – well, actually, a pentagon – with a border all around the outside of the circle. You leave stitches on holders in two wedges of the pentagon, then go back and make sleeves there. I still have to do that bit. The red stitches toward the centre are those saved stitches.

But look at this border. On one hand, I think it’s really too wide for the circle and that maybe I should have substituted a narrower lace border. On the other, well, it’s just so pretty that I can’t stop knitting it. I’m incredulous that I’m knitting something so lovely.

What do you think?

Kidsilk Haze Circular Cape and Calienté

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Deborah Cooke

This past week, I’ve been plotting like crazy, which also means I’ve been knitting like crazy. Here’s what I’ve accomplished.

First off, I’ve been plugging along, knitting the border on that Lady’s Circular Cape in KidSilk Haze. The pattern is in Victorian Lace Today. I was making good progress on this last winter, until I realized that I was going to run out of yarn. I had two balls left when I started the border and didn’t get to the halfway point with the first one. Ooops. Naturally, this yarn had been aging in my stash so there was no more to be found in the same dye lot. I ordered a ball from the same vendor and it was really different – it looked like a different yarn, as well as being a different colour. I finally found a decent match in the old stock at my LYS – she said she thought Rowan must have changed mills for KSH, because she had also noticed that the newer stock looked different. (It’s shinier, as if it has more silk.)

So, with that solved, I’ve gotten back to it. Here’s a peek:

What you’re seeing here is the part of the shawl that has the border knitted on already. The neck is at the bottom of this shot, and you can see (at the pink thread) where I began to attach the border at the centre back of the neck. It then goes down one front and along the hem. There are 13 scallops in the entire shawl – you can see 4 here. I have 5 more to go, then up the other side and back to the centre back neck. Exactly one ball of KSH – 225m of knitting – to go.

The issue with this border is that I can’t knit it while I’m watching television. I have to pay attention. So, since we’ve been watching DVD’s of the first season of House, I’ve been knitting something else. Also Kidsilk Haze – but this is the new KSH Stripe.

This is my pattern, Caliente, which is free on Ravelry. I made it narrower than the pattern specifies, increasing only to four diamonds in width. I’m thinking this is about halfway, but am not yet sure how I’ll know when to start the decreases for the other end. I’ll likely guess, and if I’m wrong, I’ll be frogging KSH. Ick. I’d better make it a good guess!

Annis Shawl

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Deborah Cooke

A while ago, I was seduced by some Madeline Tosh Merino Fingering yarn, in the Vanilla Bean colourway. I hunted through my queue of patterns and cast on Annis, which is a free pattern from Knitty.

Here’s the result:Annis is a curved shawlette, and the shape is intended to keep it on your shoulders.

Here’s a detail of the border – of course, I added some gold matte beads:I like this piece. It was a pretty quick knit, although it came out a bit smaller than expected. I must have 100m of the ball of yarn left over – if I made one of these again, I think I’d knit some more rows after the lace border and before the shaping. I did add six rows of garter stitch before casting off.

So – shawl or scarf? What do you think?

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