Days of Wine and, er, Wine

As I look over my knitting for 2010, I'm struck by a couple of major color themes that emerged.

First was the blue theme, with Milkshake and Carefree both in shades of blue. Then there was the Bluebell scarf in deep silver-shot blue, Swallowtail shawl in lovely azure. Added the Undulating Rib socks to the mix of azures. Seguéed to the teal of Twist, and the marine blue plus ivory that is the Toggle Knot Cable sweater. Which led to an ivory Wilson hat, tied to the pale beige of a Shetland shawl and the cream of a kitchen towel. Oh sure I got side-tracked along the way, with a pink Shetland Triangle shawl and a bunch of colorful baby accessories, not to mention a blanket for DD#2.

But the days of wine and wine are upon us. Perhaps they started with Evenstar and the Hugs & Kisses scarf, both in the same deep shade of burgundy wine. Now here's Peggy, in a claret color I could drink.

The recipient is happy with Peggy's fit and claims it is her warmest sweater (no doubt the alpaca in the yarn is part of the reason):

I'm still plodding away on wine-dark Maidenhair. Making this is an odyssey in itself: 55 repeats of 55 rows of 235 stitches. No wonder I feel inebriated when I work on it. To finish off the year, how about Norah Gaughan's Silures in port-red yarn?

The yarn is Rowan Magpie Aran, color, Ruby. The vest is DH's belated birthday gift (hey, I can only knit so quickly). If we were to sample wines to match these yarns, we'd have port, claret, Burgundy, Zinfandel, maybe even Beaujolais or Côtes du Provence. I could drink to that!

Speaking of DH, he will have his hernia repair done one week from tomorrow. It will be same-day surgery but not laparoscopic surgery (hernia too big for that procedure). All positive prayers, thoughts, and wishes greatly appreciated.

Spinning a Yarn

Remember this pretty little spindle I bought last month at Rhinebeck? I used it on the Cotswold roving to make this:

Yeah, go ahead and laugh; I know it's quite pathetic. In fact, I intend to save these ~200 yards of handspun madness as a reminder that we all start out as rank amateurs (and I don't think spinners start out any ranker than this). I suspected that besides my non-existent spinning skills, my pretty spindle wasn't really up to snuff, at least for a beginner. Ravelry spinners recommended several name-brands to me, and so I bought a Kundert spindle in walnut and maple:

It came with the tie-dyed roving you see wrapped around it. I took it for its maiden spin to the spinning guild meeting yesterday. I was the lone person using a hand spindle; everyone else had wheels: Louets, Schachts, Ashfords, you name it, it was there. One wheel in particular was made of gorgeous chestnut-colored wood, with leaves carved around the wheel. It was quite a thing of beauty. Naturally, everyone told me how hard it was to spindle, how easy it was to use a wheel, and how everyone present started with a hand spindle. Two lovely ladies helped me used my Kundert spindle. One, V, took my pretty painted one for a spin and determined that it was not balanced well-enough for me to use (she of course could make a lace-weight yarn out of my BFL roving like that spindle were a $300 Golding!). So I guess I'll use it as a hand-supported spindle, or stick it in a basket as decoration. My Kundert, which weighs 1.3 ounces, V though was too light for a beginner (yikes! and it came as part of a learn to spin kit!!). However, if I draft well (I still really suck at drafting), I should be able to use it. Bonus: I can use it as a top or bottom whorl. Ha- I actually think I like it as a bottom whorl more.

I also bought the cheap $9 lucet:

It's made of walnut, so for $9 I think I really got a bargain. I haven't used it yet; I've been waxing it since it came unfinished. When I like the gloss, I'll start cranking out cord.

On the knitting front, Peggy is about 97% done. I have about 5 rows left on the 2nd sleeve. The body is made up, waiting for the sleeves.

My hairdresser is expecting a wee one on Valentine's Day, so I'm making some bibs. Here's the first, modeled by Betsy:

This is a pattern from the Down Cloverlaine website (link on the sidebar) called Baby Ripples; I modified it a bit. I may make another in the same Peaches and Crème Fiesta yarn.

DD#1 still has lots of stuff at our house that I keep threatening to make disappear. The other week she realized that the dressy hat she insisted I make her when she was in college is still at my house. Now she wants it again (I don't think she wore it once while she was at college, to be honest).

Nice, isn't it? Made of Tahki Sable that is 70% Merino wool and 30% angora, it's sooo soft. The pattern is the cover hat by Nicky Epstein on the Vogue Knitting Winter 94/95 issue, only I made it shorter, in one color, and left off the snowflake and reindeer embroidery. (In case you have that issue and were wondering.)

Later this week DH and I go to Atlanta, GA, where my scientific society is having its annual meeting. I'll be speaking next Sunday about my cancer research. Might take a project along for the plane; can't decide. Flying is such a hassle and TSA is somewhat capricious.

Nautical Knits

Minquiers Breton Sailor's Shirt by St. James of Normandy


Nautical knits appeal to me. The crisp stripes in contrasting colors, usually some shade of blue plus white or écru, the flattering bateau neckline, easy fit, and perhaps interesting textured stitches, ribbing or cables are all design elements I like. I've made a few in my day, and wear them nearly year-round. To me they go beyond spring or resort wear; they are seasonless and timeless.

Here's my interpretation on a Martin Storey nautical knit. I used the flattering fit, bateau neck, and general dimensions to turn a striped sailor top into an evening sweater made of sparkly Filatura di Crosa Sera.

I still like the original, especially the red bobbles along the ribbing; I may make it yet.

This Cornelia Tuttle design was published in Vogue Knitting way back in 1987.

It needed bulky yarn; I chose Schoeller and Stahl Merino Stretch in Midnight (deepest navy) and Cream. It's actually light enough to be worn into May where I live, and the stretch in the Merino a nice body, clings without being too obvious.

Kristen Spurkland turned blue and white into black and taupe for Vogue Knitting in 2002.
A novel twisted stitch that begins in the ribbing creates a rope-like plait. The taupe is Classic Elite Avignon (sadly, discontinued) and the black yarn is Lion Microspun. I wear this nearly year-round; it's good for warding off frigid air conditioning in summer; with a cotton turtleneck underneath, it's good for winter.

Though I haven't made this one yet, AS' Mystic has long intrigued me. I keep thinking I should make it more fitted, use one anchor motif in the center flanked by ropes and braids on either side. I'd like to use a DK-weight cotton-wool blend in a lovely shade of blue. We'll see.

I should have kept this cutie-pie gem I made for DD#1 (also worn by DD#2), found in VK Spring/Summer Special 1991.
I didn't make the matching beret, being that both Ds preferred baseball caps. I made it in Bernat Berella in a pretty aqua, rather than the specified yarn, Gloucester.

And speaking of Gloucester, we come to my current nautical knit, one I made previously of blue and cream Gloucester. This is Michele Rose Orne's toggle knot cable pull, also found in VK Spring/Summer Special 1991. I brought it along on a business trip to Switzerland so I could finish the sleeves and wear it. On the train from Grindelwald to Geneva, I finished the last stitch. I wore it to my conference, sightseeing to Annecy, France, and on the plane home. Wore it so much that I wore it out. Now I'm remaking it out of another cabled mercerized cotton, Reynolds Saucy in Natural and Denim, great buy from WEBS.

Look at how well the knot pops out. I love dimensional cables. Saucy is a bit thinner than Gloucester, almost DK-weight. It'll be more fitted, which is what I want. I'll make it longer, instead of a crop-top. I'll make J-sleeves, rather than dropped shoulders. Just by decreasing 5 or 6 sts at the beginning of 4 rows is enough to take a lot of bulk away from the armholes. Will I keep the round neck or make it into the bateau neckline I so love? For that, stay tuned: I have yet to decide.

Scotch on the Rocks with a Twist

That's Twist, completed and modeled by DD#1 (still in her scrubs, she's so excited to finally get it).

But wait... what's that sneaking in for a petting?

Why, it's Auchentoshan on the Rocks, CGC, aka Rocky. Not one to be left out of the action, the Twist photo shoot turned into this:

and then this:


and finally this:

(he wouldn't sit still for a nice pose).

A Knitting Storey

There's a marvelous knitting designer out there. Named Martin Storey (that's him wearing his design, Morris). Perhaps you've seen his fantabulous designs for Rowan yarns, perhaps you saw them for the now-defunct Jaeger yarn line. Wherever you saw them, did you swoon over their perfection for today?

I did. I bought his books for Rowan featuring Soft Lux (soft, soft, soft), and his summer book from a couple of years ago.


And one of his Jaeger Handknits books.


I made Milkshake from the Rowan summer book. Why? Because the shaping, the neckline, the proportions were perfect, darling. I made that sweater out of Filatura di Crosa yarn (itself wondrous to work with and wear), and wore it to several weddings to rave reviews. As in, "No, you did not make that yourself; it looks professionally done!" Exclaimed several times in loud voices. I was kvelling (Yiddish for swelling with pride), I tell you.

Now, this Jaeger book has 15 designs and all of them are winners. When was the last time that happened? The sizing runs from extra-petite to, shall we say, suitable for the quite well-endowed. The yarns are no longer available, BUT they are standard DK-weight yarns, running 22 stitches to 4 inches so finding suitable substitutes should not be a challenge. DD#2 took one look at the book and wanted every last one. Though I love her dearly, truly, 15 sweaters were just not happening. Plus DD#2 told me she needed a cardi more than a pullover, and she'll never wear a sleeveless shell even as an underlayer (she prefers thin camis). After long thought, this design won:

Peggy, it's called. Cables on every right side row. To be made in DD#2's favorite color, Burgundy (of Jaeger Shetland, a blend of soft wool and alpaca). It's worsted weight to be sure, but I'm making it in the smallest size so it'll be more like a jacket than a light cardi. DD#2 goes to college in Maryland; this will be her go-to outerwear for most of fall and all of spring.
Did I say cables on every right side row? Did I say that most patterns in this book feature either cables or lace motifs? Did I say that the patterns are not charted? This is 2010, you'd think that charts are now de rigueur. Guess who charted Peggy (the things we do for our kids)?



Note that not only are cables running throughout the garment, the cables are on a background of stockinette stitch, rather than purl stitch. You can't tell from the stock photo but trust me, that's the way it is. The cables at least in Shetland don't pop out quite as much from stockinette as they might from purl. Yet the subtle appearance is part of its charm. I suspect that the Jaeger yarns specified in the book, Trinity and Aqua, are crisper than Shetland, and the cables would have more definition worked in either yarn. Still, this will be one warm jacket when it's completed, and that's the important feature.

Mr. Storey, I'll keep knitting your patterns but I'll also keep wishing you'll start charting them. Morris is calling me to be knitted, but I must have charts for those cables.

Saturday is the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. Have an easy fast to those who are fasting. May we be sealed in the Book of Good Life for the coming year.

A Bounty of Books

The New Year holiday was a welcome break from intense work activity. Synagogue services were inspiring, lunch with friends was delicious and fun. USPS worked through it as usual, bringing me some wonderful "presents" in the form of books, one of which I'd been awaiting since May.

First book I cracked open (post-holiday) was Sweater Quest: My Year of Knitting Dangerously by Adrienne Martini. In case you don't know, the 2 books are related by virtue of the fact that Martini wrote about how she spent a year knitting a design by the author of the second book. The design is Mary Tudor, and it was published in the out of print Tudor Roses, which I am lucky enough to own. I followed Martini's adventures along with Tudor Roses open at my side. I could appreciate the art and the craft of the design, the intricacy of the colors, the beauty of the finished product. Martini included no pictures, which several people on Amazon commented about in their reviews. The book entertained me for the most part until the end: the sweater did not fit Martini. How she didn't know this a priori boggles my mind: the schematics are right there, in black and white. Now, I've been known to resize a sweater (not drastically, mind). Often, going up a needle size or 2 can be enough (often, not always). In the case of designs by AS, who might specify a size 5 (3.75 mm) needle for bainin (Aran-weight wool from Ireland) to make a sweater waterproof, going up a needle size will not only make it larger but may give it better drape. If you don't need a waterproof sweater, why not make it to suit you? I was left, well, cold upon reading that Martini balled up Mary Tudor, stuck it in the closet, and declared that she's a process knitter. Well, so am I (that's my excuse for my kntter's ADD and I'm sticking to it), but I still make sweaters that fit folks (most of the time- I'm only human after all). And I look at schematics before picking out yarn and needles to see if size needs adjusting. The ending did not satisfy me as a reader or as a knitter.

A case in point about resizing a sweater is ongoing due to the second book I received, the long-awaited (since May) reprint of AS' Aran Knitting. We'll get to it in a moment. I have the first edition, and now the second. I do not regret owning both. The photography in the second is mostly updated, so you get more beautiful shots of sweaters (in new colorways) set against beautiful scenery. There's an retrospective introduction, with a couple of fantastic (in the sense of fantasy) claims made. And then there's the new design: Eala Bhan, which means fair or white swan.

To say it is gorgeous is to understate its elegance, its perfection (I couldn't get scans of the sides and back of the sweater to show you; trust me on this). BUT its largest size is like Mary Tudor, which is a tad too small for me. Oh it'll fit if I wanted it to be a blouse. But I need a dressy cardi for Sabbath winter eves. when I have the thermostat cranked down. I'm making the lovely White Lies Designs Collette for DD#2 in ivory wool (as soon as I'm caught up with other knitting); I don't think the Mom and Daughter thing will go over too well. Eala Bhan will suit quite nicely if I can get the size to work for me. My plan now as I mull it over is to make the largest size 10% larger by using a DK-weight yarn in place of the light sport-weight specified in the book. That'll give me the ease I need and I should be able to knit the pattern as written. A bit longer won't bother me, and I know I want the sleeves shorter than they are on the model. As befits a fair white swan, I'll look for a lovely ivory or winter white color.

Meanwhile, I finished the body to Twist and am currently blocking it.

No, your eyes do not deceive you. The pieces are wrong-side up, so I could flatten the edges. I love Magpie but its one drawback is that it's so tightly plied it curls like the very devil when knit in stockinette stitch. I now regret not having knitted the body in one piece, but what's done is done. Pattern says to block before adding the hood. DD#1 is now vacillating about whether she wants sleeves or not (please, not! there's so much other knitting I have to get to!).

And I have yet to take a photo of the new project for DD#2, but that's its own story (and therein lies a clue).

Vive les Fillets Provençaux!

So what do you think of when you hear the word Provence? Fields of lavender lazily buzzed by bees? Sun-drenched medieval hill towns baking under a blazing sun? Rubbing elbows with the glitterati along the Riviera and the Côte d'Azur? Madam Will You Talk? If you're a knitting fanatic, chances are you think of a trio of yarns by Classic Elite: Provence, Avignon, and Mistral.

Provence is still in production, a wonderful DK-weight mercerized cotton that comes in 205 yard hanks. The color range is fantastic.

I used Provence to make the tulip-bordered rose top by Norah Gaughan I blogged about the other day. In the 10 years since I made the top, I can report that it's holding its shape well.

Avignon alas is no more; it was a DK-weight silk-cotton blend that knitted like a dream; I used it here in beige:

The black is a Lion Brand microfiber yarn. The yarn is quite matte (the silk is Tussah silk) and was wonderful to knit with and to wear. I wish I had bought a ton more Avignon when I had the chance.

And Mistral: Mistral alas also is no more. A DK-weight plied blend of 85% pima cotton and 15% alpaca, it has a soft sheen.

I have 20 hanks of Mistral in this intriguing taupey-plummy color. Every so often I take out some hanks and fondle them. Yesterday, the Mistral began preying on my mind. It was telling me it would so much better for my new Pattern Times Two LS top than the Jaeger Ascot, even if it's not ivory. To get the Mistral to shut up, I wound a hank and knitted a swatch:

And got gauge right away. So I casted on the required stitches for the back to see the entire pattern:

Mistral is right. It's much better suited for this pattern than the cabled Ascot yarn. It gives the little framed leaf motif nicer, crisper definition than Ascot does. And it knits like a dream- it really glides along on my Addi Natura needles (I was afraid it would be sticky on them, but no). This will be a lovely dressy top in a color no one knows the name of.

One problem remains: Back to the drawing board for an ivory top.

You'd think I had enough

of vests this past winter to keep from making yet another. But I look at it this way: the more vests DH has to rotate, the less often I'll need to do surgery on them. Or so I hope. Here's a nifty pattern I found in a book I just bought:

The pattern is called Silures and the book is Norah Gaughan's Collection for Men. Silures were a tribe living in ancient Wales at the time Rome invaded. What's Welsh about the vest, I have no idea. The book has a nice set of sweaters, hats, scarves, and this vest. More than one design could be worn by women too. I envision this vest made of Ruby Magpie Aran:

DH will look stunning in it, simply stunning.

Buying this book reminded me how much I like Norah Gaughan's designs. I've made quite a few, going back over 20 years.


From Vogue Knitting Spring Special 1991. I wish now I hadn't given the actual sweater away for this one; I made it out of the Rowan wool called for, in a lovely rose color. It was so warm.


This little top from 1989 was designed for Classic Elite (pattern #222). I made it out of CE Willough, a silk/cotton blend. Great spring top over a cami.


From Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2000. I made it out of CE Provence and will wear it this weekend, when the temperature will soar into the upper 70's. Classy with pearl grey.


Vest in my favorite color of all. The pattern is Classic Elite #369 from 1989, the yarn is CE Tapestry. The drape of the neckline is fantastic. I love this vest.


Made this for DD#1 when she went to college. Pattern is Classic Elite #442, yarn feels like CE Tapestry. Believe it or not, she doesn't want it any longer, now that she's a married lady. You must see the lace detail on the hem:



From Knitter's 46, Spring 1997. I made it as you see it in the magazine, using the suggested yarn, Reynolds Rio. Unfortunately, Rio pilled like crazy. Within months of making it (wearing it once a week), it looked like a pile of fuzz balls. Away it went. That was before I knew to check online reviews of yarn. I know better now. However, I miss this sweater.

So the other day I casted on to make it again. Now I'm using an ivory yarn by Jaeger (yes, replacing the two ivory sweaters that wore out over the winter), in a viscose-elastic blend.


Leafing through my old Vogue Knitting issues, I found literally dozens of great Norah Gaughan designs I would knit. Such as this one:

And this one for my hoodie-obsessed daughters:

And this one for me (do you get the feeling I like cables with ribs?):


Meanwhile, I've enough on the needles and in my Ravelry queue to keep me out of trouble. For a bit anyway.