Thursday, March 14, 2024

undeterred...

undefeated…determined…intrepid…steadfast…relentless… All words that I think apply to me! No quitting here! 

I made a sleeve just to prove to myself that I could concentrate long enough to get that trim to work properly. Got the cuff done perfectly and made the sleeve while contemplating my options.

I recalled using that trim in a design way back in Knitwords #6, Laced With Diamonds and then remembered using a stripped-down version in KW#12,  Sampler Lace

I had every book out! Decided to use the abridged version for the body hems at least. 

The rib for the body piece - need 80-0-80 ns for width. Change up the centre of the triangular rib - instead of using #1 right as the centre which worked nicely for the cuff (30-0-30 ns), pull #10 right  and go from there so there will be a nicer match at the side seams. 

Oh, I still got it! even if I don’t always remember where I put it! ;)

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

fancy, schmancy...

Had my plan - using the 'pebble' Suva in that 1RT at T9 (for a thinner fabric) with fancy ribs ('Tuck & Triangle Rib' from The Neck's Best Thing) for the bands, using a plain, smooth yarn in a  contrast colour - 'paper bag tan' (my all-time favourite yarn-colour name!) cotton, because I figured all the fanciness of the tuck and transfers and outlines would show up so much nicer in the solid colour, with the added benefit that my main yarn would go farther and I wouldn't be concerned about running short.


Sat down with such hopes and aspirations of success, armed with the NBT instructions, began my swatch. I did cast on with waste yarn - learned my lesson on that one! Did the manual wrap cast-on and the 4 rows of tuck. I admit, I did not fully read the entire instructions ahead of time, thinking I knew it all. Got to row 7 and thought who the heck thought this up? Oh yeah, it was me! duh!


I was right, all that detail does show up well in the solid colour!
A little more concentration required!


Friday, March 1, 2024

on repeat…

Stoked with the success of the denim Tennessee Tunic - I wore it for three days straight! I’m going with those ideas to make another one. The cuddly yarn - have some Forsell Suva, a wool/cotton thick/thin, slubby blend that should do the trick.  In the tweedy Suva, I have a full cone and partial, same dyelot in ‘surf’ a cream/pale blue/gray combo, total of 550g and a single cone, 500g, ‘pebble’, a tan/ivory combo. I seem to recall this yarn goes a long way, but ya never know! 


Really like the shape of that tunic so my next attempt is the same but different.  A bit shorter and not quite as wide at the hemline, with contrast bands maybe, you know that ‘running-out-of-yarn anxiety’!

I want to knit the 1RT (one-row-tuck) loosely again to create a thinner fabric and I go back to one of my  favourite Knitwords patterns, ‘Caped Wrapper’ from #43 https://knitwords.blogspot.com/2013/01/hybrid-knitting.html  - that’s my second favourite 1RT stitch pattern!

Looking through ‘The Neck’s Best Thing’, there are some fancy ribbed combos that should work - oh, my ! This could keep me with knitting ideas for a quite bit!


Sunday, February 25, 2024

ta-da…

Omigosh! this thing is adorable! It’s comfy, cuddly, cozy, cute!

No, Tom, the neckline backstitching can’t be done on the machine, sorry! This method gives a nice, close-fitting finish that is snug but still everything is stretchy enough to go over your head without damaging your ears! So worth the extra effort! And the detail is priceless!



I love the texture added in by the 1RT.  The colour play, even though there is really only  3 to 4 shades of the denim colours, is quite interesting - note the little zigzagging across the top just under the neckline, almost like a yoke effect. 


The hem treatment is beautiful and maybe there’s more work than the multicoloured yarn shows, but I know it’s there!

And it came out to the exact size I planned!

Thursday, February 22, 2024

pushing boundaries…

The ribbed cuff is so nice!  Glad I went with the 2X2 (2X1) arrangement - it really fills out nicely and adds that extra  bit of firmness for this relatively thin yarn. Kind of excited to translate this to the neckline! 

I pulled booklets and swatches and settled on a ribbed band with that little stockinette border that’s hand stitched...yeah, it’s in ‘The Neck’s Best Thing’, #24, called 1x1 rib with casing…but I’m sticking with the 2X2. 


Notice, in the photo, the top green waste yarn was for the cast-on edge of the rib, then you see the rib in the denimy yarn. Transfer all sts up to main bed. Hang neckline sts. Knit 3 rows on the main yarn and then a bunch of rows waste yarn, which you see curving below the rib. Now the tricky part - hand stitching that little 3-row trim onto the garment with a backstitch…



Tuesday, February 20, 2024

flashback…

I’ve really enjoyed this knit! When I got over the trauma of having to remake that chain cast-on and admitting it, I got energized! Quickly made both body pieces and thought, I haven’t made a ribbed neckband since forever! Except for that last NP sweater and that doesn’t really count - it was hand-latched, not really ribbed!

For the sleeves, although I wanted long, it seems I always end up either rolling them up or just pushing up, you know, when you’re in the kitchen…so I opted for a ribbed cuff - this way I could test out the rib without really making another swatch! 

Just to recap, this yarn is relatively fine, even though I’m using T9 for the one-row-tuck, in plain stockinette it would be more like T5 stockinette,  so 1X1 rib would be kind of flimsy, not much body to it. I’m going with 2x2 rib in the 2X1 needle arrangement with the manual wrap cast-on - it has more stretch and firmness  (more stitches actualy) than 1X1. 

After that ‘wake up call’ with the yarn breaking on the first row, I wouldn’t dream of doing anything other than casting on with waste yarn for the rib. https://knitwords.blogspot.com/2010/08/dream-coat-notes-day-1.html


Thursday, February 15, 2024

good thing…

I trust my swatch. This thing is huge! But it will shrink a lot! At least according to my swatch! 

Refreshed my memory by reading up on that curved hemline. 

https://knitwords.blogspot.com/2020/08/a-little-reminder.html

My sponge bar is okay, but after that faux pas on the cast-on, I feel like I need all the help I can get!

While knitting the Back and Front, I was considering the possibilities for the neck…more research required!