Almost Picovoli

I love the Picovoli design by Grumperina. The fitted shaping, the picot edges and the open neckline all appeal. This was a pattern that seemed to be a good choice to try and convert to a knitting machine pattern. My machine knitting mentor, Joan Frost, has a computer programme to design patterns for the knitting machine. If you have measurements, a tension swatch, and a diagramme of what you are trying to knit, she can ask the computer to produce a pattern. So, using a lovely variegated bamboo, I have been working on this machine version of Picovoli. It is close to being done; it needs to be sewn together and then the neck edging attached. We had to make some changes; the hand knitted version is knit top down, in the round, with no seams. This machine version was knit in four pieces, bottom up. I think the final result will be quite similar to the orginal.

Learning how to read the machine knitting instructions is another thing, however. I read the instructions as: decrease one stitch every row for twenty nine rows. The instructions actually mean: decrease one stitch every twenty nine rows one time... That makes a fairly significant difference in the shaping of the garment... Sigh...

The drape of the bamboo is wonderful and I am anxious to finish up and try this on!

Lace is done!

52,576 stitches. And probably another couple of thousand tinked and reknit. I never thought I could finish this as quickly as I did. Though the pattern isn't all that hard once you get it memorized, I found I was able to insert a number of unnecessary yarnovers, and skip a few here and there. It's that darn concentration aspect. I kept struggling with the diamond lace, particularly at the top and bottom borders, because it's hard to keep the diamonds straight - are you ending one pattern repeat, or in the middle of it? Is it yarnover, knit two together, or knit two together, yarnover? I finally realized that a lot of knitters wouldn't struggle with this as much as me, because most people would be sensible and use stitch markers. I disdain them. I can tell where I am in the pattern!! Why should I use stitch markers? I can count! Yes, and I can also make a lot of mistakes. Lifelines? Not for me! Did I mention I can also be an idiot?

Nevertheless, the stole is now done, complete, ready for delivery. The blocking has almost broken my back, but it is done! One word of advice to any fellow lace knitters - take off any jewelry and watches when blocking. One little catch and you've got a great big loop to deal with.

Now to enjoy summer sun and relax by the pool...

I'm knitting as fast as I can

While I have done some lace knitting in a variety of projects, this is my first big lace project. The most difficult part of lace knitting is keeping track of where you are in your pattern - at least until you get enough done so that you can read your knitting. Mistakes are more challenging in lace than any other project. A simple yarn over missed is easy enough to correct, but many of the errors require you tink back carefully. My worst mistake so far in this one is that I dropped a stitch. I noticed it immediately and picked it up again - or so I thought - until I had knitted another row and discovered big strands of unattached yarn. Had to rip back about eight rows for that one. This is a shawl/scarf I am knitting for a colleague's wedding. She is being married in a Sikh temple, hence the red colour. I know that lace doesn't really look like anything until the blocking has been done, but I keep suffering pangs of doubt that this one will come out alright when it has been blocked... Some yarn overs seem so much bigger than others. Hard to keep even tension. Anyway, it is growing quite quickly, so I should be able to tell fairly soon if it will work out.



Stewart's ribbed sweater - almost done! The knitting is complete, and like an idiot I tried to sew it together without blocking it first. So now I have to take apart what I have done so far and block it before carrying on. I love the colour and the way it looks so far, though!

I'm on a roll!

Finished this baby sweater two days ago and am very pleased with the way it hangs and how the collar sits. I was quite concerned about it right up until I got the buttons on, as the fabric didn't seem to have enough body to lie nicely. I also did several bits over as I really wasn't satisfied with some parts, so it took longer to finish than it otherwise might. I was frustrated while knitting a few times, and didn't think I would ever want to knit this again, but now that it is complete, I really like the finished look, so might be tempted. The pattern shows a bit of contrast trim around the edge of the collar. I didn't like the colour combination (pastel pink, baby blue, both with black trim) so decided to leave off a contrast. However, I might like it better if the contrast was picked up in more than just the one spot, and if the colours were better suited.

I also finished the Guess Who? gloves except for working in the ends - which might take a bit of doing... In any case, my goal is to get the two big sweaters (Stewart's Denim ribbed sweater and Kerry's 50th birthday sweater) that I have in the works completed before beginning anything else. (Can I do it???)

Guess who? Great gloves!

A couple of almost finished gloves - thanks to a great workshop by Holli Yeoh in Vancouver on April 12. The workshop was relaxing and interesting and a good time was had by all - but most important, it showed me how to use up some of these little odds and ends of yarn that I have left over! These gloves are too small for me, but will be happy with a friend's daughter. I was intrigued by the way the yarn patterned in the ring finger - look - on one hand, the tan spirals up the finger - but on the other - it falls into vertical stripes! Must have messed with my tension as I worked. I have never seen vertical stripes like this before...

This is the little Debbie Bliss classic baby sweater appeared in Vogue Knitting a couple of seasons ago. I love the Sirdar Baby Bamboo - how soft it is and how easy to work with. I hope to have this completed within a day or two.

Good news, bad news.

OK, both parts of this little project are complete, the yellow lemon stain is out of the body of the sweater and the whole thing looks very sweet. What could go wrong? Well, I didn't follow the advice of several very intelligent friends - I left the buttons on the sweater while I was soaking it in Amaze to clear off the yellow tinge. Of course, the lovely pink highlighter colour washed completely off the pink buttons, and I am left with white. I am debating whether to take the buttons off, recolour them, and then spray them with a plastic coating, or to leave them on the sweater in white. They don't look bad as white, but I just like the way the pink buttons looked on it.

I struggled with the bonnet. The pattern had a square-type back to the crown - you knit like a upside down T shape, then seam the two edges to the sides of the bonnet. That's fine, but when I put the four rows of garter stitch around the bottom, the neck edge looked too big to me. I decided to try the crown as many of the old style patterns are written - with a series of decreases across the back of the head to end with a few stitches that are drawn together. I am very happy with the result, and I love the brainstorm I had to place a ribbon rose on top of the ribbon I used for the bonnet ties. It covers up the stitching and looks very nice as an accent. I love finished objects! It gives such a sense of accomplishment.

White sweaters are a headache

I love white sweaters. I hate white sweaters. I love white sweaters. I hate white sweaters... Little baby sweaters in white are so lovely. They are so clean and fresh for a new baby - except when they get dirty!!! Yikes. This sweater was going along swimmingly and at last post, I showed it wet and blocking on my ironing board. Unfortunately, I must have blocked one too many times on my ironing board, because when I got up the following morning to check the sweater, it was very definitely dry - and covered with rust stains. I think the rust is seeping up through the iron pad and into the wet fabric. I went on to the internet to try and find a cure for rust stains, and it was very easy - use lemon juice to soak the stain and then launder. I did so, and the sweater came up beautifully clean and fresh - until I finished the sleeves and put them against the sweater. The body of the sweater has turned a yellowish tinge from the lemon juice. What a headache. So now the options are to lemon juice stain the sleeves and border or to try to soak it in a mild bleach solution. But I've already got the pink flowers on - so it would have to be a bleach for unbleachables. Any suggestions are welcome.



Once I got the sweater assembled, I went to choose buttons. There were three possibilities - none of them exactly right. There were some little pink ones that were too shiny, some round ball-shaped pearl white ones, and some little translucent, matte finished white ones. I liked the matte finish of the translucent ones, but I wanted pale pink. So, I bought them, brought them home and coloured them with a pink highlighter. I am really pleased with the effect - and hope that the pink doesn't run in the wash!!! Actually, I don't think it will, because I tested them by running them through some water. I've got some pink ribbon for the bonnet - but the bonnet has yet to be cast on.



Stewart's ribbed sweater is making slow progress. The back is done, and the sleeves are half done. This sweater is really oversized, however I should have read the instructions more carefully, as the yarn used in the pattern has a shrinkage factor - which was built into the measurements. I am thinking I will cut the sleeves down a bit, so that he can actually wear the sweater this year - but not too much because it will be great to have a sweater to last him for a while.