06.18.06
Posted in Works in Progress at 1:51 pm by Rachel
In which Rachel actually manages to write a blog post that does not feature scandalous illicit photos of herself.
I have finally left the knitting doldrums behind me! Thank you all for your words of support, including enlightening me about the obvious: that the sun, while certainly impressive in many ways, is not powerful enough to bleach a ball of yarn straight to its core. At least not in the time frame we’re dealing with. Indeed, by removing the outers layers of the yarn (genius!), I found myself with perfectly usable stuff, in an amount that should be just enough to eek out a sweater for my not-exactly-ginormous husband. (I debated linking here to one of many possible pictures demonstrating his non-hulkitude, but decided that when it comes down to it, the survival of my marriage is in fact more important to me than my blog readership. Besides, he is hulking in all the important ways. I am talking, of course, about his hulking personality.)
Aaaaaanyway, I cast on for a sweater that I am basing on the Adirondack Pullover by Elizabeth Morrison available from The Garter Belt. I’m knitting mine from the bottom up instead of the top down, in a completely different gauge, with a v-neck instead of a crew neck. Basically the similarities end at the seeded rib. (By the way, the flowers in the picture are from a huge, exuberantly blooming wild rose bush that Matt and I never even noticed we had until this year. Something about the weather conditions this spring caused it to explode in size. Or perhaps we should ask Congress to investigate the possible use of some kind of illegal floral steroids.)
I cast on five different times for the sweater in an attempt to achieve a satisfactory bottom edge. First I discovered that a K5P1 round alternated with an all-knit round wasn’t enough to keep the fabric from curling. (Actually, FIRST I discovered that you can check and check again and still wind up with your cast-on edge twisted when you join to work in the round.) Then I tried starting with a few inches of all ribbing, without the alternating all-knit rounds, but even that wasn’t enough to counteract the curling. Then I tried starting with a purl row, but I didn’t think it looked professional and knew Matt wouldn’t like it. Finally I realized I would need to do a knitted hem, something I’d never done before. I understood the concept pretty well (a purl “turning” row sounded vaguely familiar), and though I didn’t follow any directions, I’m quite pleased with how it came out. It looks neat and professional, and it was actually really easy just to knit the cast on row together with my regular knitting at the appropriate point — no finishing to do later!
Through all this casting on and ripping out I discovered that the Debbie Bliss wool cotton is an incredibly hardy yarn. There is absolutely no wear whatsoever visible in the fabric made from the yarn that suffered the rigors of my multiple false starts. I think that that realization was the point at which I knew that my knitting luck was finally turning around.
Good thing, too, because if there’s any knitting for which you need some luck on your side, it’s lace. I have finally made some headway on my Amazing Lace project (Ene’s Scarf), and I am absolutely loving it. Here is a bit of it very hastily pinned out just so you can see that I’ve actually finished the border. There is some pooling in the yarn, but not enough to detract from the overall look, and since the length of the rows steadily decreases throughout the shawl, there’s no way for any pooling to be particularly persistent. I am going to confess to you all, though, that I seem to be knitting this shawl without lifelines, because apparently I have…well, not so much a death wish as a monumental disaster leading to crippling frustration leading to destructive acts that will be regretted later wish.
I am leaving for Europe in six days. My lace can’t wait.
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06.11.06
Posted in The Amazing Lace at 7:50 pm by Rachel
X-treme Lace Knitting
When in one week you leave your job of four years, start a new job, deal with a flooded basement for the second time in a year, and (continue to) run a knitalong with 450 participants, sometimes you have to go to X-tremes just to fit any knitting time at all into your day.
And no, I am not above trotting out well-received blog gimmicks for a second go-round. I don’t have time to think of new ones right now!
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06.04.06
Posted in The Amazing Lace at 11:38 pm by Rachel
It had, once upon a time, been my intention to post my entry to the “Meet the Team” challenge of The Amazing Lace soon after it was posed, just in an effort to show a little leadership in the competitive knitalong I’d helped start. Turns out the participants did not need my leadership and posted their entries in droves. Good thing, too, because for a very long time, I had no team to introduce to the world.
I had some teammates assembled. Myself, naturally. Needles of various sizes and characteristics standing at the ready. I also had a pattern; after giving serious consideration to the Forest Path Stole from the summer 2003 Interweave Knits, I decided instead to make Ene’s Scarf from Scarf Style. Two of my Team College Hill teammates from the Knitting Olympics had made this shawl for their Olympic projects, and I had greatly admired them (the shawls) (and the teammates) at the time. Once I’d settled on that, I began my search for the final teammate: the perfect yarn. To ensure a broad search, I posted an open casting call and was pleased with the turnout in spite of the lousy weather.
Various eager young skeins lined up bright and early outside my door hoping that The Amazing Lace would offer them their big break. Some came well prepared with color cards and promises of self-winding; others seemed completely clueless and like they’d just wandered over to see what the commotion was all about. I was happy to meet with all of them.
Each yarn went through a stringent audition process, beginning with an exhaustive interview in which character, attitude, and experience were assessed. This was followed by a careful visual and tactile examination, then a rigorous ball-winding, swatching, and blocking process. Swatches were then stretched, fondled, caressed, and rubbed against various body parts (don’t be dirty) with no regard for their dignity. (I am not ashamed to admit that you will see no swatches here because I managed to knit every single one incorrectly. Every one.) Nothing was to be left to chance.
Those of you who read my recent “Knitting Doldrums” post below know where this leads. Each and every yarn disappointed me in some way. Some were too flimsy. Some were too rough. Some were so freakin’ perky and cheerful that I just couldn’t imagine dealing with them during the inevitable mistakes I would make during the lace knitting. (When you’re flinging your project into the corner in fury, you don’t want your yarn looking at you all bright and cheery-like.) After testing many, many yarns without success, I was ready to give up in despair. (In my last post I said I was going to whip out the Lotus Blossom Tank from the new Interweave Knits to bring myself back from this despair. Typically for my recent knitting luck, I cannot find my IK anywhere. I have turned the house upside down looking for it. The Supreme Being did not want me knitting lace last week.)
There is a happy ending to this story, however, and I found it in an unlikely place. In desperation I was in the way way back of our closet under the eaves, pawing through my most stashed stash with a flashlight. Amidst the half-balls, leftover dregs, and ancient ill-advised yarn purchases, my light fell upon some Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in the colorway “sand ridge.” The moment I touched it a vision of a summery, beachy, elegantly casual, casually elegant shawl sprang fully formed into my brain. Dressing up jeans, giving character to a simple dress, shielding me from summer nights’ cool breezes — I knew I had found the final member of my team.
Well, I almost knew. I have been burned so many times by so many other yarns recently that I was a little commitment shy. The Lorna’s Laces passed all the standard tests beautifully, including the swatching. (Not shown here because, again, I screwed up the pattern and made a swatch that looks like a fistful of silly string — and that’s post-blocking — but that was my fault, not the yarn’s. No, it’s not unreasonable for you to wonder whether maybe my current knitting abilities would be better suited to a nice garter stitch scarf.) While the technical specifications were all falling into place, I wanted to be sure my yarn really understood my vision for this shawl, so I took it along with me to Newport for the day today. When I saw the cute little skein leaning eagerly over the railing to peer at the rocks and crashing surf below, it completely captured my heart. I knew my search was officially over.
Now all the team is together, ready to take on the legions of Lacers competing for fame, glory, honor, and free yarn. (Of course, my team is not eligible for the free yarn.) Who knows where we will find ourselves this summer? Perhaps we will know nothing but good fortune and fair skies. Perhaps we will encounter unimagined setbacks. Only time will tell. Tomorrow we cast on, but for today I was happy just to sit with my team, gaze out at the ocean, and contemplate all that is ahead for us. (Except it was chilly and I was kind of wishing I had some kind of beachy shawl to wrap around myself).
Official Team Photo. Sorry about the almost-plumber’s-crack situation.
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Aaaaaanyway, I cast on for a sweater that I am basing on the Adirondack Pullover by Elizabeth Morrison available from The Garter Belt. I’m knitting mine from the bottom up instead of the top down, in a completely different gauge, with a v-neck instead of a crew neck. Basically the similarities end at the seeded rib. (By the way, the flowers in the picture are from a huge, exuberantly blooming wild rose bush that Matt and I never even noticed we had until this year. Something about the weather conditions this spring caused it to explode in size. Or perhaps we should ask Congress to investigate the possible use of some kind of illegal floral steroids.)
I cast on five different times for the sweater in an attempt to achieve a satisfactory bottom edge. First I discovered that a K5P1 round alternated with an all-knit round wasn’t enough to keep the fabric from curling. (Actually, FIRST I discovered that you can check and check again and still wind up with your cast-on edge twisted when you join to work in the round.) Then I tried starting with a few inches of all ribbing, without the alternating all-knit rounds, but even that wasn’t enough to counteract the curling. Then I tried starting with a purl row, but I didn’t think it looked professional and knew Matt wouldn’t like it. Finally I realized I would need to do a knitted hem, something I’d never done before. I understood the concept pretty well (a purl “turning” row sounded vaguely familiar), and though I didn’t follow any directions, I’m quite pleased with how it came out. It looks neat and professional, and it was actually really easy just to knit the cast on row together with my regular knitting at the appropriate point — no finishing to do later!
Good thing, too, because if there’s any knitting for which you need some luck on your side, it’s lace. I have finally made some headway on my Amazing Lace project (Ene’s Scarf), and I am absolutely loving it. Here is a bit of it very hastily pinned out just so you can see that I’ve actually finished the border. There is some pooling in the yarn, but not enough to detract from the overall look, and since the length of the rows steadily decreases throughout the shawl, there’s no way for any pooling to be particularly persistent. I am going to confess to you all, though, that I seem to be knitting this shawl without lifelines, because apparently I have…well, not so much a death wish as a monumental disaster leading to crippling frustration leading to destructive acts that will be regretted later wish. 
