Victorian Lace Today, Gripe

I have this book, it's wonderful. What I am cheesed off about is that the half hexagon, (Spinder's web shawls, p45) isn't. No doubt it's wonderful to wear, lots of lovely lace flowing around your shoulders, but when a diagram shows a half hexagon, with 3 triangles, the angles which meet at the center of the straight side, should each measure 60 degrees. Well, they don't, they are nearer 90. They are bound to really. When constructing a normal triangular shawl from the neck edge, there are 4 increases every other row, this gives you a straight edge, if you have 6 increases, then no wonder the 180 degree angle increases to 270. I've looked at the VLT group on Ravelry, and no-one complains about it, there are many pictures of stunning shawls. So it must be me, I was using a firm yarn just for sampling, and I think it only works in a fine lace weight, then the shaping is fluid and less noticeable. It does sit around the shoulders instead of across them, so from that point of view it's good. But, as you double the amount for a full 'hexagon' as far as I'm concerned, it just means you are knitting two unnecessary sections, to tight wad me (time and yarn) it's a waste.



The top image is how the half-hexagon is represented in the book, p 180, the lower diagram is how it comes out in practice.

And I'm not the only one either, Jersey Knitter noticed it as well. See what I mean?

I'm on Ravelry!

Woo hoo! I put my name down here weeks ago but when I read there were 9000 in the queue I shrugged my shoulders and forgot about it. Then I got the invitation email just now, so that's my evening sorted.

Ages ago I finally got around to knitting a Clapotis



I'd resisted for some time, having swatched a bit I didn't really like the reverse side. Then needing a summer weight shawl/scarf I chose some fine mercerised crochet cotton sold in the supermarket, only 6 euros for 750 metres! I used 3.5mm needles so did a few more diagonals to compensate before the straight section. It came out definitely a scarf and not a shawl as it is long and narrow, having a natural tendency to elongate.

The yarn is very light and I thought the drape would be enhanced with a bit of weight on the ends so I added some beads on a crocheted edge - I also continued a single crochet along the long sides.

It makes a very nice scarf, the cotton softened and bloomed a bit after washing which made it even nicer. Another time if I use the same yarn I would knit it about 20% wider. My daughter Sam liked it so much I am going to knit her one in Seasilk from Coloursong, she's chosen the Woodland colour way.

Candy floss

I dyed this.
My Method Pre-soaked the roving in a large container with lots of water with vinegar and a drop of washing up liquid added. Then after several hours removed the wool, add a very weak solution of magenta acid discharge dye, swish it around and replace the wool. Leave to settle. Then with a 5ml syringe squirt a few mls of stronger pink and even smaller amounts of turquoise deep into the wool under water, be sparing and random. The dye pools, and doesn't bleed far from where you put it. Start to heat very very slowly over about 45 minutes up to the temperature you normally dye at. Continue as normal. I didn't stir the roving at all. I like the effect a lot. I'm into subtle now.

Then spun and plied it...



and swatched..

I really love this stitch pattern, start with an even number of stitches, K1 *yo, k2tog* k1. Every row - yes, even the wrong side row, that's how it works. It's not as fast as I thought it would be to knit up as the needles need a bit of manipulating to do the K2tog, you are knitting into the YO k2tog of the row below, and not purling as you often do. And just don't drop a stitch, they just disappear and are almost impossible to pick up.
It's going to be a shrug for Molly, I've 340 yards so I think it should do. I started to do a cuff to cuff version but I just don't like vertical stripes, and there are subtle ones in this, so I've ripped it and I'm now doing a front to back. I wondered if it's possible to do short rows to get a narrower sleeve sections, but as the fabric is very stretchy and should conform around Mol's little bod I don't think I will this time, not wanting to give myself the stress of ripping again if it doesn't work. I'm intrigued with the the idea though, so I might just try it on a doll sized garment to see how it goes.

Okay, I'll spin then

I took some superwash wool which I picked up some years ago from Wingham WoolWork, then dyed it. The sliver striped into 5 separate strands very easily which helped to achieve the random, blobby effect, which of course was entirely intentional.

Then spun it up with quite a lot of twist as I wanted to Navajo ply it and still have a 'fingering' type yarn.



This is the swatch I did. There are approx 18 wpi and this is on 2.5mm needles.



I found it quite tricky to handle the fine single while plying. I don't have a tensioned lazy kate but adapted the Majacraft's bobbin box by tying cord around it and in the bobbin's grove which did put enough tension on it. I found it tricky to adjust the take up and one minute was feeding in to quickly, then slowed to a stop. So the number of plying twists aren't consistent and I noticed afterwards that the lower number of twists, the more it allows the plys to spring out and increase the diameter of the yarn. So, more twists gave me a snug, fine, cabled looking yarn, less twist, a fluffier yarn. There wasn't a problem with the yarn twisting Z or S either in the different sections so it seems I was probably at either end of the limits of the number of plying twists the single needed. An interesting light-bulb moment and one to put in my spinning records.

Now, I've 80grms, just enough for those small foot coverings..

Pride comes before...

See this sock?



Cute isn't it, it's for my 3 year old granddaughter, Emma.

Second sock is coming along nicely. I was especially impressed with the way I had the gusset decreases flow from the pattern, I wondered why I didn't think of that with the first sock (it's my own pattern). I didn't make notes because I always think I will remember and anyway, you can always squint at the first sock to work out what you did..



After a few rounds I counted stitches, umm, still a few rounds to go, usually there by now.

I haven't worked it out yet have I.

The sodding decreases work so well with the pattern because they are still part of the pattern, paired with a Yarn Over.

On the first sock I must have decreased for the gusset after the decrease for the YOs.

Rippit Rippit.

May as well rip the whole sock as this one is coming out larger as I've loosened up over the pattern. But, I suppose I should rip this one back to the heel and rip out the first one, as it's very unlikely I can make the second sock tighter.

Bum

Oh, and the bread is there because I was having a bad morning and I had to eat something.

Socks and gin

I'm on a quick visit to the UK to see my old Dad and Mum and came away from their house minus my holdall. It contained the cursed socks and a litre of gin. Nuff said.

The Curse of the Sock Knitter

These have a curse on them. I completed this sock, kitchenered, didn't like the 'ears' although I slipped the end stitches over the next one in, the toe still had definite corners to it. I fancied the sock wasn't as snug as I liked them so decided to frog it and try a toe up version 4 stitches smaller. I found a few patterns with gussets which I like and need as I have a high instep so off I jolly well went.

I think it took eight attempts at the figure of 8 cast on before I a)managed it at all and b) was happy with my increasing. For some reason the increases didn't look nearly as nice and symmetrical as my decreases did. Once I got going I knit the sock up to the heel and once completed didn't like that either. It seemed too shallow. Frogged again.

I went back to knitting downwards, got most of the leg done then - I always leave a reasonable tail to mark the beginning of the rounds, one particular tail was too long so I grabbed the scissors to cut it off and cut the working yarn instead. Frog.

I got as far as turning the heel but kept looking at my gusset decreases which didn't match well enough for me. Frog. Then on Knitter's Review there was a suggestion that for ssk slipping the first stitch knitwise and the second purlwise works well - and it does!

So for the umpteenth time started again, this time to avoid the 'ears' turned the sock inside out to finish. Now I have to use a crib sheet to kitchener, it saves me time. I tried to reverse the instructions in my head, dead loss. So I re-typed the instructions substituting 'back' for 'front' and 'purl' for 'knit'. When I'd finished half the toe was okay but I must have lost track as the second half had purl bumps. I tinked back and tried again. Same result. Shit.

By then I was ready to chop it up with the scissors. I tinked back, decreased several times in the last two rows, sewed it up, said 'that will do'. Off course, it wouldn't. So after leaving it for 24 hours, I've frogged, cast on the original number of stitches as decided I preferred ever so slightly loose to ever so slightly over stretched. I'm now on the home run. On separate needles I am going to do a toe, turn it inside out and practice reverse kitchener until I get it bloody right.

B4 Bag

I've nearly finished the B4 Bag from Blooming Knitiot. It's so pretty. It's a comprehensive pattern with several pictures of other bags, their finished sizes and how different yarns behaved after felting. Trish sent an accompanying email with other tips and ideas from previous knitters of the bags, all very useful.



I'm using hand spun and trying to achieve as even a fabric as I can by using 2 strands of some yarns, or mixing thinner and thicker and trying get a pleasing colour mix. For the base I used 1 strand of blue, plied alpaca with one strand of merino single. They sort of cancelled one another out so I didn't repeat that blend. The dark band is two strands of merino, it is firmer, but one strand was too flimsy, I'm hoping the felting with even up the fabric, not accentuate the difference.



I just have the last 'bump' row to finish then the cord handles. Luckily I have a magic French Knitting toy and I just have to crank a handle to get yards of I-cord very quickly. Then there is the dreaded felting. I don't have much luck with felting.


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Loose Lattice Scarf, and a Mrs Beeton

Blue Scarf
Originally uploaded by Alpagalaine.

I finished this scarf a couple of weeks ago and then decided to do some Mrs Beetons to go with it. I'm very happy with the scarf, it was an easy pattern to memorise and knit, but I don't like the wrist warmers. Firstly, once I'd cast on I knit to many rows before I should have decreased, secondly, I didn't have the required sets of double pointed 4.5mm needles so they are on 3.75mm and 4.0mm and the fabric is a bit too firm. I do have some circular needles but they have the most horrible stiff cords - bought many years ago before I discovered Addi Turbos and I hate the way everything is such a fight with them. And, I didn't have any beads to add! So, I am being very patient and I've ordered some beads from Regal Crafts in the UK, and some Brittany Birch double pointed needles from Angel Yarns. The beads arrived last week and I've played knitting with them and like the effect very much. I'm waiting on the Brittany's which I ordered later, they are on their way. In the meantime I'm alternating with making a felted cat bed from my copious stash of brown, uninteresting wool I spun when I was first learning the craft. I will add some orange for interest - can't have cats in a boring bed. I found a couple of large hanks of Margo's fibre I'd also spun up several years ago which is quite fine and should suit the Lacey Shrug from Knitty. I decided a shrug would be useful and we went out for dinner one evening with friends and I was a little chilly in my light, browny, orangey blouse and had to wear a fawn lightweight cotton ribbed cardigan. Not the sexiest. Not that I do sexy very often, but I'm trying to be less of a frump.

Do not play with fibre when it’s wet, do not play with fibre when it’s

Sandie's fibre, dyed sea green.
Originally uploaded by Alpagalaine.

I don’t learn not to leave fibre/yarn alone when it’s wet. I was dying my 800+ yards of Sandies fibre which has taken me hours to process and spin up; I’d soaked the 3 skeins in glaubers salt solution overnight in preparation for dying it this morning. I began thinking I would use a pale shade of turquoise and perhaps some very small amounts of yellow and maybe darker blue – perhaps scatter dye powder on the wet skeins and steam? In the end I chickened out and went for one shade. I used a very small amount of my stock solution of turquoise – probably no more than 30 mls for the 750 odd grms of yarn. Brought it up to simmer over 2 hours, I was very careful to keep it just at the point a few bubbles were breaking the surface, and after about 30 minutes all the dye had discharged, I just loved the colour – the dye had taken very evenly! I was so pleased! I had taken so much care and it had paid off.

I was going to leave the skeins in the pot until it had cooled right down but became impatient and took them out and spun them dry. Then realised I hadn’t rinsed them! The skeins were fine at that stage, yarn separating easily. I washed them in the sink with some wool wash, there was a lot of lather….I SQUISHED THEM TOO MUCH!! All I noticed was they felt a little harder after I’d finally rinsed the suds away, ‘umm, I thought, dying not agreeing with this’, spun them again, when I took them out of the machine the second time aaaarrrggggghhhhhhhh! All the yarn was stuck together. I started to pull it apart, and it did separate, slowly and with much tearing of tiny fibres and pulling the ply’s apart. I worked and worked around all 3 skeins, one was particularly bad, must have got most of the squishing..

I thought I’d better separate all the strands before it dried in case they became totally impossible to separate, so I wound each one from the swift into a ball winder, then wound it back onto the swift. So now I have some lovely fuzzy yarn! Not once did it break, alpaca is so strong.

I’m still not sure what to do with it, I fancy “Symmetry in Silk” from The Best of Knitters’ Magazines ‘Shawls and Scarves’. I also think it would weave up very well, but I am reluctant to do it until I’ve had more practice warping. And, perhaps, it would work better if the yarn was fuzzed up after I’d woven it and not before!

Almost Print O' the wave Shawl

I finally finished my Print O' the wave shawl and blocked it last week. It was almost completed 2 months ago - but 10" from completing the border I realised I wouldn't have enough yarn. Damn. I needed to find another lace edging that was narrower so searched my stitch files and books and finally settled on one from Interweave's "Knitters' Shawls and Scarves" - that's not quite the right title but I can't see it on my shelf at the moment - where the hell is it? It's the edging from (will fill in this space once I find the damn book). It's okay, but the proper edge pattern would make for a wider shawl. Now, when am I going to wear this thing? I don't have any clothes that it would go with! I would love to give it to one of my girls but I don't think they'd wear it for a moment. Neither of them are lacey people. My mum would put it in a drawer and not look at it again. My granddaughter would love it - to dress up in, no thanks. No, I want to wear it, when I lose the stone I need to I'll buy a little black number and E can take me out to dinner! So, a bit of a wait then.

Lace charts anyone?

Chart in Excel
Originally uploaded by Alpagalaine.

I was going crosseyed trying to keep my place while knitting Print O' the Wave recently, I'd read of lace knitters who transferred each line of lace to individual cards and just flipped them over. I thought I would give it a try - and it works, it's wonderful!

Here's how I did it.

First I re-create the chart in Excel - I do this anyway so that I can have a clearer chart on an individual piece of paper.

Line by line

Line by line
Originally uploaded by Alpagalaine.

This is printed onto A4 card..

fan-of-cards

fan-of-cards
Originally uploaded by Alpagalaine.

Cut along the dotted lines, punch a hole in the end and use something to link them together.