Noro Entrelac Scarf

Posted on October 11, 2023 by Deborah Cooke

My TV knitting has been an entrelac scarf in Noro Silver Thaw. I found three skeins of this yarn at the thrift store, and couldn’t just leave it there. (It’s Noro!)

Noro Silver Thaw is an aran-weight and a single ply yarn with a gratual colour change over the length of the yarn. (That’s a Ravelry link.) It’s also discontinued. This is colourway #11 which is not as bright as many Noro colourways. The Mister really liked it.

I’ve wanted to knit an entrelac scarf for a while. I found this free pattern on Ravelry. I used a 4.5MM needle instead of the 5mm recommended because I preferred the look of the finished fabric.

Here’s the scarf:

Entrelac Scarf knit in Noro Silver Thaw by Deborah Cooke

The finished size is 67″ x 9″ unblocked. I kind of like the texture of it as it is and don’t plan to block it. (It would get flatter, wider and longer if I did.)

This is great for a long thinner scarf and the Mister is happy with it. If I made one for myself, I’d add another square to the width of the scarf and probably make it shorter. I tend to fold the ends of my scarf over my chest beneath my coat.

Update on My Noro Mitred Jacket

Posted on July 19, 2023 by Deborah Cooke

I cast on this jacket, on the cover of the Noro Magazine, about two years ago – then stalled hard.

Here’s my first post about it.

Despite my doubts about the tightness of the foundation I-cord, I carried on.

Here’s the jacket so far, laid flat:

Mitered Jacket knit in Noro Ito by Deborah Cooke

I’m working to the left, which will be the left front when it mirrors the part on the right. The back is in the middle, those dips are for the sleeves, and that blue-green-pink square at the top of the mountain is the top of the center back.

The colours are pretty. I’m surprised that the colourway on each block wants to repeat itself – look at the pair on either side of the deep V for the sleeve on the right. There are two blue-green-pink squares right beside each other (although one is on the front and one on the back) then right above them pink-purple-pink, in a mirror image. That’s when I noticed this tendency so I made sure the next one didn’t mirror, by changing balls. I wanted the colour to look more random, but it isn’t. That I-cord is curling, but since it’s the foundation row, I’d need to frog everything to make it looser.

I have a suspicion that the cardigan is going to make me look like a hobbit. Here it is with the fronts folded in place. It’s bulky.

I decided to remove the wooden needle at the front – where I’ve picked up and knit the stitches for the next square – then give the work-in-progress a good soak. I don’t usually block a project that isn’t done, but I need to check what that hem is going to do. I also want to confirm the fit before carrying on. I could add another row of squares to the top to make it longer, for example, if it’s going to fall at a cropped length. It’s unlikely that I could find more yarn in the same colourway and dye lot, but the sleeves are striped – I could do alternating stripes of Ito and another solid Noro colourway. (Maybe a purple.)

To my relief, the soaking made the points in I-cord easier to stretch out flat. I didn’t pin them since this isn’t the final block, but I’m more confident that I’ll be able to convince them to do that. (If I made it again – ha! – I would use a larger needle for the I-cord.) The dimensions didn’t change much, so I’ll carry on. I’ll update you when there’s more to share.

I do really like this colourway…

Papillon Done

Posted on July 12, 2021 by Deborah Cooke

Papillon is a garter stitch short-row shawl worked in two colours, which I started in May. That link will take you to my first post. I used Noro Silk Garden Sock and a local black alpaca yarn from my stash. There’s a lot of counting with this one, and a lot of turning, but it’s a pretty easy knit otherwise. Here’s my finished shawl:

Papillon shawl knit in Noro Silk Garden Sock by Deborah Cooke

This is a big shawl! Mine probably feels more substantial because both yarns are a little heavier than a fingering weight, maybe closer to sport. It took all of the black that I had, and just over 2 balls of the Noro Silk Garden Sock.

This was an addictive knit, but then, it often works out that way for me with self-striping yarns.

I knit the shawl just as the directions instructed, but added some beads at the hem.

You can just see them in the black border. (I like how they nestle in there and are a bit subtle.) You knit four rows of garter stitch before casting off, and I added the beads in the third row. They’re 2/0 beads and I used the crochet hook method, putting a bead on every fifth stitch. It took about 100 beads, which was just about all I had left of those. (I used them before, on another Noro shawl and these were left over. Hmm. Can I find it? This one! Noro spider web fichu. Ha!)

What do you think?

Noro Mitred Jacket

Posted on June 17, 2021 by Deborah Cooke

Remember when I showed you this?

It’s Noro magazine #17, the fall/winter 2020 edition. I bought it online just because of the jacket on the cover. It’s made of mitred squares and knit in Noro Ito.

The plan was to finish a few things before casting on, but I love knitting mitred squares so that resolution didn’t last too long. I ordered some Noro Ito, which comes in huge balls of 400m each, then cast on. That link will take you to the distributor’s site. The sample in the magazine is knit in colour #4 and I ordered colour #24.

The construction of this is so interesting. You make I-cord which runs along the hem from that front corner where the neck starts on the bodice all the way around to the other side. Then you pick up stitches to knit the first square, which is in the location of that beigey one on her right hip. You make the squares individually on the hem, all the way around to the one under her left hand. Then you make the in-between ones for the back, then for the two fronts.

Here’s my jacket in progress:

At this point, I’m wondering whether the i-cord should have been knitted on a larger needle since it’s tight at the lower points and wants to roll. Hmm.

I love mitred squares because they’re addictive knitting – in a self-striping yarn, they’re even more so. I can finish one or two squares easily each night while watching tv – although I had to write out the directions for the square again to get them right. Now I have it memorized.

I wish the schematic had more measurements, and that the gauge was for a square instead of rows in stockinette stitch. I was so excited to get going that I didn’t swatch so I’m hoping the size is coming out right.

What do you think?

The Faceless Bunny

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Deborah Cooke

I needed a quick project in April and made this bunny, then forgot to show it to you. The pattern is by Debbie Bliss – it’s included in the book Debbie Bliss: Noro Collection (that’s a Ravelry link). There’s also a bear, and both are knit in Noro Kureyon. (I bought this book to knit the sweater on the cover but have never done it. Hmm.)

You can also download the bunny pattern free (right now) at the Knitting Fever website, right here.

I knit mine in some discontinued yarn from my stash: it’s Louet Bonnie (that’s another Ravelry link), a bulky weight yarn with a wool base then a silk thread that is gradient-dyed. Here he is:

Stuffed bunny designed by Debbie Bliss and knit by Deborah Cooke in Louet Bonnie

Of course, you could knit the bunny in any weight yarn, just adjusting your needle size to make a nice tightly-knit fabric to keep the stuffing inside. I knit mine on 3.25 mm needles which is what the pattern specifies.

I had the idea that I’d knit a bunny friend and seam the second with the garter stitch side out, but that hasn’t happened and it might not. Like most toys, it’s a bit fiddly with lots of pieces to stuff and sew together, but the result is cuter than I expected.

Finishing Up the Cyochin

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Deborah Cooke

A few weeks ago, I showed you my wonderful new Felix cardigan in Noro Cyochin. I started with seven skeins of Cyochin and had a little over two left after finishing the sweater. I decided to use up the yarn on a hat and mitts.

I used my go-to hat pattern, First Snow, but added some ribbing and another repeat to the circumference. (That’s a Ravelry link for the pattern.) I also added an extra repeat to the length.

Then I used Tin Can Knit’s free mitten pattern, The World’s Simplest Mittens, and got two pairs of mittens out of the rest. (That’s another Ravelry link.)

The pompom is from Yarnspirations. It’s the Bernat one in Black Mink.

They look so nice in the sunshine on this winter day!

Iced in Noro Kochoran

Posted on May 15, 2020 by Deborah Cooke

I haven’t shown you any knitting lately because I’ve been working on this beast. It’s heavy wool on big needles but still a lot of knitting. Here’s the sweater: Iced by Carol Feller knit in Noro Kochoran by Deborah Cooke

The pattern is Iced, which is a free pattern from Knitty and a top-down cardigan. Here’s the page on Knitty where you can print the pattern and here’s the Ravelry page.

The yarn I used is Noro Kochoran, a discontinued bulky yarn that’s a blend of wool, angora and silk. I’ve had it in my stash for quite a while. (That’s the Ravelry page for the yarn, since it’s not on the distributor’s site anymore.) My colourway is #75. Here’s a shade card that I found online:

Noro Kochoran shade card #75 is third from the left. I also have #83 which is on the far right. It’s a really fuzzy yarn and was a bit of a splurge at the time. In the skein, it didn’t look so stripey, but (of course) it is. It shed a bit while I was knitting, but I hope it’s done with that.

I’ve been looking for a pattern for this yarn for quite a while, and was inspired by a Ravelry project of this sweater in this yarn. That knitter said that pattern and yarn were a perfect match, so away I went. On the needles, the tension looked a bit loose – it matched gauge for the pattern, but seemed too loose for the yarn. I knit a swatch and washed it and was much happier with it – the yarn fulled nicely when it was washed.

I did drop a needle size for the collar after knitting it on the specified needles and thinking it was too loose. I’m much happier with it now – even though it was three nights’ of knitting unraveled to redo it. I later unraveled the rows of garter stitch at the hem and reknit them on the smaller needles to match. I didn’t have 7mm needles small enough to do the same at the cuffs, so I knit their garter stitch cuffs on 6mm needles. I can tell the difference but I doubt anyone else will. Here’s the sweater with the fronts overlapped, which is how it would actually be worn. (I was just showing off my matchy-matchy! LOL) Iced by Carol Feller knit in Noro Kochoran by Deborah Cooke

The result is a very snuggly cardigan. It has that “bathrobe” look that shawl-collared cardigans so often have for me (maybe that’s because of the stripes) but I like it anyway. I haven’t put buttons on it yet and probably won’t.

Here’s my Ravelry project page.

Sonny vest by Sarah Hatton knitted in Colourscape Chunky by Deborah Cooke I used about 6 skeins of the Kochoran so there are 4 left. I realized that the yarn has exactly the same weight/yardage as Rowan Colourscape Chunky – woo hoo! – which gives me another pattern stash. I’ve made this vest for Mr. Math of the Rowan yarn – it’s called Sonny and was designed by Sarah Hatton – which took 490 yards, so I have enough of the Kochoran, maybe even to be matchy. (Fingers crossed.) I’ve now cast on this vest in the Kochoran.

Here’s my Ravelry project page for the vest at right. I think it’s going to look really good in this yarn.

Tithe in Noro

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Deborah Cooke

Here’s a cardigan I just finished in Noro yarn – this yarn is called Cyochin. It’s mostly wool with some mohair and some silk. Mine is colour 07. This pattern is called Tithe, which is a design by Jane Ellison. (The pattern link goes to Ravelry.)I’d originally bought the yarn to make this poncho, Iced Blackberry, and the fingerless mitts shown with it. As much as I like the look of the poncho, I realized I probably wouldn’t wear it much, so I hunted in my pattern stash for another choice. The Cyochin is aran weight, so any of the Noro patterns calling for aran (like Silk Garden) would work. I only had five skeins, though, so thought there wasn’t enough to make a long-sleeved sweater.

There might have been enough, after all – I still have a little bit left over, and this cardigan does have a big front collar. It’s staying knitted now, though!I really like this cardigan and the wool is gorgeous. The colourway and the little threads in the wool remind me of those yarns made of recycled saris and their jewel-tones. I made some modifications to the pattern, using seed stitch on the edges, reshaping the sleeve cap and (by mistake) making the sleeves a bit longer. It turns out they’re exactly the length that I push my sleeves UP to, so that’s perfect. I had thought about adding a button, but now that it’s done, I like it just the way it is. I’ll be wearing this one a lot.

What do you think?

Nevis Sweater and Entrelac Bag

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Deborah Cooke

I recently finished a sweater knit in Noro yarn. I’m trying to both stash-down this year, and also to finish what I start (instead of having dozens of projects on the go). Also, it’s really cold this winter, so a new warm sweater seemed just the thing – with the weather to inspire me to finish. I remembered that I had a bag of Noro Hitsuji, a bulky single ply wool, which seemed to be the perfect choice. I used an older Rowan pattern by Kim Hargreaves called Nevis – it’s in a pattern book called A Season’s Tale. It reminds me of Mary Maxim sweaters, but with more of a trim fit. Knit in the self-striping Noro, I think it’s fun.

Here it is:I did make some modifications to the pattern. The waist shaping is supposed to be done at the side seams, but I moved it into the body of the sweater. I positioned the decreases like darts in a tailored shirt, halfway between the centre and the side seam. I lucked out on the matches of the colours: I began both fronts and the back at the same point in the variegation, knowing that the fronts would match (so long as there were no knots). The back matches at the top and the bottom – it’s really twice the width of one front, which makes sense even though I didn’t think of that in advance. I figured the sleeves were about the same width as the fronts but longer, so started earlier in the variegation – I guessed, then decided blue cuffs would be nice. The matches worked out surprisingly well.

The front button band is supposed to be knitted afterward in its entirety. I wanted the hems to match so cast on an extra six stitches for each front. When it was time to start the stockinette stitch for the body, I put those six stitches on a safety pin. When I knit the button bands, I just matched the colour in the yarn and carried on. In the pattern, the buttoms were placed higher without one at the hem – I respaced them because I thought it looked as if one had been lost. I found some buttons with fun swirls on them which I like a lot.

The Hitsuji was a bit stiff while knitting and almost like a pencil roving for spinning. It softened up very well when soaked for blocking (like most Noro yarns). The finished sweater is very warm, which is just about perfect when it’s 20 degrees below zero outside.

Here’s the link to my Ravelry project page, if you’re interested in more detail.

Now, I had a bag of 10 balls of Hitsuji and this sweater only used 6.5 of them (although I did break into three more, seeking matches.) I was determined to not send the rest back to the stash, but to use it up. I also had a pair of black leather handles in my stash, bought for a purse that I didn’t like knitting so frogged. So, I decided to knit an entrelac tote bag and felt it, using up the Hitsuji and also some black roving from the stash.

Here’s the bag before felting:And here it is afterward, still in need of a lining:The black felted much faster than the Noro, so I’m thinking I’ll stop felting now. Here’s the project page for the entrelac bag on Ravelry.

What do you think?

Striped Cropped Cardigan

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Deborah Cooke

Well, I finally finished the reknitting of the sleeves on my stripey Noro cardigan. As you might remember, I had to reknit the sleeves. While that might have gone fairly quickly, there was a necessary period of mourning – I had to chuck it in the corner and sulk about the frogging and reknitting for a few weeks before I could actually do it.

Finally, I’d brooded enough and just did it.

This week, I’ve been seaming it up and even though that’s not quite done, I’ll show it to you today.

I’m still not entirely thrilled about the sleeves, which is why I haven’t finished the seaming. (It also hasn’t been blocked yet.) Where it changes from dark blue to light blue at the top of the sleeves, there are a number of decreases to shape the sleeves. Now that it’s assembled, I’m wondering if there are too many too soon. On the other hand, if I decrease more slowly, I could end up with a lot of fabric (like a dolman sleeve) around the underarm and that bulk wouldn’t be welcome. I’ll have to baste the sleeves and try it on to be sure.

Fingers crossed that it looks good, because I really don’t want to knit the sleeves again.

What do you think?

Alive & Knitting

Knitting and other tangled webs we weave

Tag Archives: Noro

Noro Entrelac Scarf

Update on My Noro Mitred Jacket

Papillon Done

Noro Mitred Jacket

The Faceless Bunny

Finishing Up the Cyochin

Iced in Noro Kochoran

Tithe in Noro

Nevis Sweater and Entrelac Bag

Striped Cropped Cardigan