The sweater is coming along nicely. The body and the sleeves are now finished, in the middle of Day 15. There are a few more days left until the closing ceremonies, and I think I should be able to finish the yoke by then.
While the Olympics are taking place in Vancouver, Canada during Feb 12-28, 2010, many knitters on Ravelry are challenging themselves to two weeks of intense knitting while cheering on our athletes.
I decided to try to knit a sweater for myself out of fingering weight wool. I cast on during the opening ceremonies last Friday night, and during the first 4 days of the Olympics, I have knit about 10″ of the body.
As I have never completed an adult size sweater in less than 5 weeks (and the quickest kids size sweater took me 3 weeks), it will be a challenge. But I’m looking forward to the attempt. 
The sweater pattern is improvised. I’m using 100% Sockenwolle from Wollmeise, and 2.25 mm needles. The colourways are Dani (as you can see, it’s a mix of brown and blue) and Ebenholz (dark brown).
Announcing the Mystic Diamonds Mystery Shawl knitalong!
They say “Diamonds are Forever” – so I chose diamonds as a theme for this stole to symbolize everlasting love. To me, the glistening diamonds also mean beauty in the way they reflect the light.
Mystic Diamonds is a rectangular lace stole. The pattern is adjustable for both width and length.
1,100 yds of laceweight yarn will give you a shawl approx. 75 cm x 204 cm (30″ x 80″).
The pattern allows for both wider and narrower shawls. It is also possible to use fingering weight yarn and make a thinner scarf.
SIGN UP FOR KAL
The pattern will be made available for a knitalong, starting February 25.
It will be distributed to the members in four consecutive pieces, once a week on Thursdays.
The last part of the pattern will be released on March 18.
The KAL is now completed, but the pattern is available for purchase here.
$1 for each pattern sold will be donated to ReliefHub – a charity dedicated to serving local Haitian orphanages by helping to provide the resources they need to continue caring for tens of thousands of orphans.
The knitalong is available at a discounted price if you join prior to the release of the first clue. After the first clue has been released, signups will remain open but the price will increase to the regular pattern price of $8.00 CDN. All members of the KAL will have access to the clues as well as the complete pattern in one nice set at the end of the KAL.
PATTERN DISTRIBUTION
The pattern will be distributed via downloadable pdf files. You will receive a weekly email with the download link for the pattern.
There is a group set up on Ravelry – Knit & Knag Designs
http://www.ravelry.com/groups/knit–knag-designs
Please join this group and share in the progress with other knitters.
For the month of February, I will donate 50% of the sale price for the following patterns to ReliefHub to help orphanages get the resources they need to continue to deliver care for the tens of thousands of orphans of Haiti.
Blackheart Scarf
Ironwrought Scarf
Riverside Wrap
Silvester
South for the Winter
Stained Glass Lace Scarf
I cast on for these gloves while I was recovering from the flu. While I was sick, I didn’t have any energy to knit at all. And certainly not enough brainpower to compose my own patterns. So I decided I would try another pair of Julia Mueller’s fabulous gloves. These are Miss Sophie’s Hands, and I knit them on 2.0 mm needles with Wollmeise Sockenwolle (100% superwash) in Sabrine.
I knit the small size, although with my gauge they turned out more of a medium/large size which was what I was hoping for.
The gloves have been gifted to my mother in law, who was amazing and watched the kids so I could get some rest while I was ill. The colour is perfect for her.
The Liljekonvalj Poncho is a lightweight lace poncho with floral motifs.
It’s knit using 2 skeins of Bamboo-Cotton from Yarntopia Treasures (420 yds per 4 oz skein). The yarn is very sturdy and holds up very well for every day use.
The size of the pattern is adjustable. As shown, the diameter is 123 cm (48″) but the size can be both decreased and increased as desired.
The pattern is charted and available in .pdf format for $8.00 CDN.
This is turning into a season of sweaters for me. First up was the Lakeshore Cardigan.
This cardigan is knit in Fleece Artist Seawool – it used 2 skeins (actually about 1.5 skeins) for the size shown (9 year old). The cardigan is about 2/3 length, and has a lace edging along the bottom and on the sleeve cuffs. It has a smaller lace edging along the front and the collar. The Seawool has lovely shades of blue and turquoise that blend nicely together in the cardigan.
The pattern is my own.
It was completed in the beginning of October, and has already gotten a lot of use.
Next up is a raglan sweater for my 4 year old. This one is knit in Wollmeise Sockenwolle 100% superwash in a marvellous green colour (Grashüpfer). It used about 600 m (700 yds) of wool, which is a little more than one skein.
Note the “cool” pose of the model – he insisted on it himself. Hands in pockets, or no picture at all.
And obviously TWO sweaters is nowhere near enough if you have three kids. So the third sweater is already on the needles. This one is also knit in Wollmeise, in a bright blue (Kornblume) and green (Grashüpfer).
The sweater is improvised and knit in the round. I haven’t quite decided if this will be a raglan sweater or some other construction around the shoulders. We’ll see when we get there. I did really like the minimal seaming required for the Grashüpfer sweater above (just a few stitches by the armholes), but of course there are lots of other options available.
As the nights get longer and darker, the need for bright colours becomes greater.
The Silvester is a lacy rectangular scarf/stole.
Silvester will be published as part of a KAL starting Dec 7, 2009.
My Silvester is knit in rust coloured Tencel 5/2 from Yarntopia Treasures.
Unfortunately the 5/2 Tencel has been discontinued, but the 8/2 Tencel or 5/2 Egyptian Cotton would both be good alternatives.
Other yarn suggestions include:
Wollmeise 100% Sockenwolle or Lace-Garn
Sanguine Gryphon Sappho
most lace or fingering weight yarns
Colour recommendations: solid or semi-solid colours
The length adjustable in the pattern. Depending on your gauge and the yarn you choose, the width will vary. With my yarn and 4.5 mm needles, the width of the stole is 45 cm.
The yarn consumption will also vary, depending on your gauge and the length you choose to make your Silvester. 500-600 yds is a reasonable guess though.
This pattern is available in downloadable pdf format for $8.00 CDN.
There is nothing more mesmerizing than the glowing embers in a burning fire. They capture your imagination like nothing else, and as you enjoy the dancing flames, the warmth envelops you like a cozy shawl.
Mystic Embers is a rectangular stole draws its inspiration from the burning embers in the cozy fires we enjoy during the fall season. My shawl is knit on 4.5 mm needles, using 3 oz (one skein) of Sappho I laceweight yarn from the Sanguine Gryphon (850 yds per 3 ox skein) in the Honey Nor Bee colourway. As always, yarn substitutions are encouraged.
The blocked dimensions are approx. 73 cm x 198 cm (29″x 77.5″).
This pattern is available in downloadable .pdf format for $8.00 CDN.
I have just finished my very first pair of gloves. The pattern is Bobbie by Julia Mueller.
Knitting gloves is very much like knitting socks – except that I enjoy the result a lot more, since I can admire the gloves up close. Besides, it’s certainly cold enough in Ottawa that I have a long season during which to use them.
This is the first pattern in which I’ve knit an applied i-cord. While I can’t say that I loved the process, the result is amazing. I particularly like the i-cords attached to the cuffs. They make such a difference in the look of the gloves. They look more “finished” once the i-cords were on.
My gauge was slightly different from the pattern, so I had to switch down to 2.0 mm needles with my Wollmeise 100% yarn. The colour is Gazpacho and includes green, bright red and burgundy.
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