What's on my needles (week 67)

At The Knitting Garage

Store sample

Every time I wear my Summer Wrap shawl, I am asked about the pattern.  So I thought that it is time to knit one up for the store especially since we have the perfect yarn for it:  The Lana Grossa Linea Pura California.  This yarn comes in so many pretty colors, you will decide to knit up more than one of these. This yarn is 80% Cotton and 20% Silk and feels incredibly luxurious; perfect to wear even on the hottest summer day.
Already one customer / knitterly friend, Donna, started on her shawl as a confidence booster project and walked home with five repeats finished (six row repeats). 
This is an easy pattern knitted on US#10.5 needles with just two skeins of the yarn.
The pattern is in the book "Gifted: Lovely Little Things to Knit and Crochet"

by Mags Kandis and is easily available from your local library.

Summer Wrap

 This week's class

Lacy Layered tops seem very popular this summer..
That is why I am offering two classes :  One for the beginner and one for the more advanced knitter.

This lacy top is in the latest pompom booklet and would knit up very well in the Shibui Linen

 This is the boxy lace top I will  be giving instructions to in my Saturday class this Saturday (June 13).
THERE ARE STILL SPOTS AVAILABLE IF YOU WANT TO SIGN UP!

 I am knitting one of these for my daughter-in-law and decided to use two techniques a little different:

1. I used the long tail cast on with two strands of yarn, I had mentioned this method previously, but here is a refresher:  Long Tail Cast On without the tail.  The nice thing about this method is that you do not need to calculate how long the tail should be and don't waste any yarn.
2. I am knitting the two pieces (front and back) at the same time.  This is my preferred method whenever I have to make two identical pieces such as two socks, two mittens, two sleeves etc. I mark the RS of the pieces.  The first to be worked when on the RS I mark in green and the second to be worked when on the RS I mark in orange.

1 1/2 inches of garter stitch completed.

Sample piece of the four different lace sections.

SIZING:  This is a boxy loose fitting top (one size fits all) , but I have changed the sizing for Sylvia who will be taking the class and wants it a little more fitted and for Rachel to have it a little more loose.  I did check with the designer about the gauge.  The 4.5 sts per inch is the gauge in st st, but the finished gauge after blocking your pieces is closer to 3.7 sts per inch.
For more information read my notes on ravery: http://ravel.me/Strickliese/cblt

There are many patterns out there for this kind of garment.  Here is another one which is for the confident beginner :) :
 Siesta Tee.  We carry both suggested yarns at the shop:  Trendsetter Lino and Cascade Ultra Pima.

At Home

Ready to mail

I am ready to mail the baby blanket, bonnet and shawl!

 

Leftie

With the gifts out of the way, I am working on the Leftie full steam ahead.
I want to use each yarn just once and have the color changes gradually.
Most of the yarns are from my stash with a couple of exceptions.

This yarn was too thick.  Since it is a 4-ply yarn I am changed it into a 3-ply.

This yarn (left over from my sister's shawl) was bleeding a lot, so I set the color by soaking it in a water/ vinegar solution and now hope for the best that it will no longer run

Loving it so far

I have realized a little problem with this.  The pattern calls for 130g in the Wollmeise Pure for the MC which is 497 yards.  I have 437 yards and so far I used close to half of it after 19 leaves.  It is a little tricky now to decide on the color sequence if I want to finish it once I run out of yarn, but I will keep weighing how much I am using and will decide as I go along.  There are some who knitted this project with just 26 leaf repeats instead of 29.
Another solution would be to ask Isabel at the Good Wool Shop to mail another skein.
A third solution, if I want to have the 29 leaves, is to flip the colors and start making the leaves in the MC and the stripes in between in the CC.  I will see how it plays out best.