What's on my needles (week 73)

Greetings from Connecticut

My husband and I are spending a couple of days in Mystic, CT.  It is a mini vacation for our Anniversary (33 years).  Of course I found a great yarn shop:  Mystic River Yarns (click on the link to get to their website). It is located right by the Schooner Wharf on 14 Holmes Street; easy to find and within walking distance to all the other attractions (Draw Bridge), restaurants ( the original "Mystic Pizza" where the movie of the same name was filmed) and lots of shops.  There is a LOT of yarn to look at and touch and the owner is very helpful. As Josh Groban's latest CD "Stages" was playing while I was browsing, my
shopping experience was further enhanced.
Here are a few of my impressions:

My purchases.  2 patterns and some reinforcement yarn for sock knitting

And of course you could also find me knitting on the beach:

What's on my needles (week 69)

I finished my Leftie shawl!

 

This is my (almost) finished shawl using Martina Behm's pattern "Leftie".

In the end I had enough of the MC yarn for 29 leaves which I thought pretty amazing considering that I only had 436 yards of MC yarn and used a slightly bigger needle (Size US# 2 1/2 instead of Size US# 2). The yarn I used for the MC is the Artesano Definition Sock Yarn I had bought at The Good Wool Shop in Formby, England last April.

All the rest of the yarns are remnants from previous projects (mine and others) and I used a different left over yarn for each leaf.  I tried to remember which projects all the left over yarns came from, but drew a blank on some.  You can see a list in my pattern notes on ravelry here:  http://ravel.me/Strickliese/l4

 

I finished this last Saturday, but have to admit (very sheepishly at that) that I still have to weave in all the yarn ends.  I hid them as best as I could to show off my shawl to you:
HINT:  If you are using your smartphone and cannot open the video, try opening it on my fb page

 

If you want to use your left over yarns for something special, this is the pattern for you!  I suggest the "Wildfoote" Sock yarn by Brown Sheep which we sell at Stickles for the MC.  You would need three skeins,  but could make a slightly shorter shawl with just two.   And if you don't have any leftover yarns you can buy 4-5  Madeline Tosh Unicorn Tails for your own spectacular Leftie Shawl.

 

 

 

What's on my needles (week 68)

At The Knitting Garage

 The Summer Wrap is finished.

This is a quick and easy knit and makes a lovely summer shawl for those cool summer nights or when you are in an air-conditioned room and need just a little something to cover your neck.

The yarn comes in many pretty colors

Here is Donna's shawl; it looks so pretty in this color, too.

Boxy Lacy Top Class

Sylvia and I had a great time last Saturday and although her head may have been spinning at the end of it, taking in all the new lace stitches she learned, I think she is very inspired by the project and will look stunning in the white top she is knitting up.

This is how far I got on the top I am knitting.  Remember, I am knitting both front and back at the same time.

At Home

Last week I was sharing about how worried I was to figure out whether or not I have enough yarn.  I just finished the 28th leaf and I have enough MC yarn left for one (possibly shorter) section and will finish with a pink-orange colored leaf.
I should have it done by next week and am planning to post a list of where all the leftover yarns came from ;)

LEFTIE

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.

Roadtrip to Charleston, South Carolina

Earlier this month my husband and I took a road trip to Charleston, South Carolina, to catch a few more sunny and warm days.  Apart from enjoying the area for its weather and scenic views of pristine beaches and dolphins swimming nearby I -as always- checked out the nearby yarn stores and found two which I especially enjoyed.
KNITS is right in the heart of Charleston which can be overrun by students depending on the time of day; although a local insisted that it is not a college town, but rather a tourist town.  Anyway, we got to the store on our second attempt when the roads were a bit quieter.  "Knits" is a gem of a shop.  From the outside it looks small, but once you get inside you walk through room after room of yarns.  The rooms have cozy seating areas where you can sit and relax and look through patterns or knit for a while.  As for the yarns there is an awesome selection and I saw an old friend of mine, an almost  local yarn, "The Copper Corgi"  which I had watched being spun in Savannah, Georgia, earlier this year and used to make my daughter-in- law's shawl

shawl project on ravelry

 The staff id very friendly at "Knits" and if you are especially lucky you may have the resident dog waiting on you:

click link to see project on ravelry

I ended up buying a skein of Berroco superwash Vintage in a lovely subtly variegated color blue which I knitted up into fingerless gloves for my hubby.  I am never disappointed with Berroco yarns and this one is no exception.  I also bought another set of needletips in US size 4 for my knitpicks set since one of the acrylic tips had broken when I knitted my husband's socks.  Knitpicks did send me replacement tips free of charge (great customer service!) but I thought it may be good to have another spare set; this one is "blonde".

On our last day I also went to It's a Stitch of Charleston and had plenty of time to browse while my husband went fishing.  This store is big and bright and carries not only yarns, but also everything you need for needlepoint.  I understand that one of the owners is not only a master knitter, but also a master of embroidery.  I was very lucky to get there just when they were holding their annual sale. The prices of yarns were 75% off, some 50%.  I ended up with some yarn I was intrigued with because of its fiber content...80% milk !...really ?! 80% milk and 20% cotton!  Really, I can't wait to work with this yarn.  It is "Creamy Kollage" and at $5.06/ skein there was no reason not to try it.

 

I am thinking to knit a striped version of the sideways "Chinook" shawl and I am curious to see how this yarn knits up.

 I also bought a lovely grey yarn by Louet, another of my favorite yarns.  I will be using this as the main colorin the Fake Isle hat pattern (which is free on ravelry) I am planning to make for my son's Father-in- Law.  

 Last, but not least I bought these two yarns to make fingerless gloves for my daughter-in-law.  Blue is her favorite color and I thought the metal silver yarn will add some sparkle around the cuff.

After my purchases (so many savings! :) I sat and knitted for a while chatting with other customers in the store.  A nice big table and chairs positioned in an area with excellent lighting just beacons you to sit and linger.  I understand that is where they have classes, too.