Samstag, 28. März 2009

Next knitting project is finished!

This is the first time ever I started a sweater and finished it during the same month (in the same year) - not only the knitting part but blocking, weaving in ends and sewing as well! Wow.

Sushi Productions proudly presents Sari Raglan:




For more information on the original pattern see Ravelry: Cabaret Raglan by Norah Gaughan.

The yarn used - Sari by Lang Yarns - is a cotton-bamboo blend and knits beautifully. I hope it wears nice as well. It's the first time I knit bamboo yarn.

I had to lengthen the body of the pullover (seems like the ordinary american woman is a little short). Luckily for me the pullover grew during blocking so now it has the perfect length as well as in the body as in the sleeves (which I lengthened as well).
The front pattern was very easily knit and I like the effect but have to say - it's not a bra-friendly pattern. Well. It's a pullover for summer. At first I didn't like the garter stitch ground within the pattern, but it turned out nice, so I didn't frog as I first thought I should do, after I finished the front.

For more pictures and information see my Ravelry account.


When blocking I already started the next project. When the Winter Issue of TwistCollective was out I instantly fell in love with Vivian.
During my winter holiday I found a beautiful cotton-rayon blend to go with the pattern (intended as a summer jacket, not something for the winter). Three days ago I knit the swatch.



By now five rows are done and I decided to omit the hood and go for a collar, as I tend to find hooded clothes very uncomfortable. I hope to be able to post some pictures soon.

Mittwoch, 18. März 2009

Am I a Knitter? Or a knitter?

Tini lent me one of the books of Yarn Harlot, I suppose it's the first book of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. There is one story where she says how to recognize a true Knitter by giving them one of your knitted pieces.

The person will either admire the garment, look at the pattern and the fabric. That's the knitter. Or he/ she will look at the garment inside and out to admire the finishing, how the shoulder seams are grafted and how ends are woven in. That's the Knitter (a truly dedicated knitter).

That reminded me of a story I experienced with my grandmother shorty after I started sewing. I made a knee length Skirt of corduroy with a box pleat in the front. I really took my time to make this skirt. I made a lapped zipper in the center back, used Hongkong Finishing on my seams and handsew the hem. I was really really proud of my skirt. My masterpiece then.
Then I showed my skirt to my grandmother (never a Sewer, not even a sewer, she only sewed as a young woman when absolutely necessary).
My granny made me put on the skirt. Then she went around me to see if the hem was straight (it was). She stroke down every seam to see if it puckered and if the grain was perfect or wether I accidentally cut one piece of corduroy the wrong way. (I did not). Then she turned the skirt inside out to see if the seams were finished neatly. And so on and so on. It went for about 10 Minutes.

Afterwards she said: "It's nice."

Okay, we're from Westfalia. I now, at home "It's nice." is high praise! But I was really flabbergasted. I wasn't able to wear the skirt for weeks. I hated it. I was always on the lookout for the mistake she found that made the skirt only "nice".

I never ever turn the handicraft of a person, be it sewn, knitted or crocheted, inside out to "admire" the finishing because of this experience, unless I'm asked to.

Does this deter me from being a Knitter?

(I must admit, I didn't think of this episode for years, although I never showed my grandmother anything made by me again. The story brought it back vividly. Strange ideed.)

Montag, 16. März 2009

Change of scenery

Ich habe beschlossen, dass ich mein Schriftenglisch üben muss - also werde ich diesen Blog jetzt auf die englische Sprache umstellen. Denn wer nicht übt, verlernt, gell?

This weekend my friend Tini and her husband visited us. We didn't meet for a year so this was quite a special occasion and required new knitting projects, good food, a baby girl dressed in a dress and sunshine.

We had a marvelous time. Trying to seperate the five strands of yarn from a cone to create lace weight yarn turned out to be quite, um, unmanageable but still we passed Saturday morning quite cheerfully trying. We actually managed to get two skeins of lace weight but trying to sepearte the remaining three strands into another lace was not that good an idea. we quit after two hours of trying, cussing and cussing more. Afterwards we went on a walk with the baby (not in a dress anymore).

Tini brought her "Knitting Nature" by Norah Gaughan for me to have a look at and this certainly made me want to have it for myself (she left it to enforce this urge) I avenged this perfidy by showing her my "Best of Interweave Knits" and my "Knitted Lace of Estonia" and created an equal need to buy one of these books in her. I love how we match in our taste for patterns.

This mornig they left again for their holiday and I must admit - I could easily adapt to seeing Tini twice a week for a nice knit-in. I guess I have to move.

Ah - the new knitting project. Cabaret Raglan (Link to Ravelry) by Norah Gaughan made from Lang Sari (Bamboo and Cotton Blend) in a nice muted blueish green color. Back's nearly finished and I'm looking forward to knit the front with this nice lace pattern.

Postscript: We only had sunshine on Saturday morning. Indeed it rained on Sunday although the weather forecast told differently. Well. At least it didn't rain while we visited the zoo.

Donnerstag, 12. März 2009

Urks! So viel Garn

Gestern hatte ich eine freie Stunde in der die Kleine geschlafen hat und ich habe die Zeit genutzt, meine Wolle zu sichten, zu fotografieren und bei Ravelry einzustellen.

Ziemlich erschreckend das Ergebnis! Mein Wollvorrat ist fast größer als mein Stoffvorrat! Hier ist eine kleine Übersicht:



Damit ist der Vorsatz klar. Ich stricke in diesem Jahr nur Projekte, die ich mit Wolle aus meinem Vorrat bestreiten kann. Sonst wird das ja nicht weniger!