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Tuesday in My Queue

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Yarnies,

I know it is spring. I know, you are still feeling guilty about those projects that you started and wanted to wear for winter. I know, I know. I have the same problem. But… and I say this with all earnestness, you need to be thinking about summer, and you need to be thinking about summer with the Classic Silk Mayfaire Camisole. It’s by Corrina Ferguson, who is a solid designer. I especially like her shawl and sock patterns, which she occasionally offers deals on her blog, so you should keep an eye on it.

It’s a Classic Elite pattern, and I think by now you all know about how much I love Classic Elite patterns. I would knit for them in a heartbeat. It’s a camisole (really a tanktop), so really, it’ll be fast to finish, not use that much yarn, and gosh, could be worn plain in the summer, under jackets in the fall, and under sweaters in the spring. Why, if you wanted to you could crank up the heat in winter and wear it as pajama tops. And in Classic Elite Classic Silk, I would wear it every chance I get.

Plus, it’s a free pattern. Yes, you heard me right. You can get it right HERE. So why are you still reading this? Go get it. I’ll wait.

Oh, all right, you want to hear what I think about it. Well, if you insist…

What people are doing with it:

The word on the street is you want to swatch first. While some people were about to work it with the same yarn, or even different yarns, and get gauge, this is a silk blend we’re talking about, and sometimes that makes for some funky knitting. Swatch first, throw it in with your wash, and then see what happens.

A lot of people make substitutions for this camisole, without any problem. The great thing about this pattern is the shaping is included. The not so good thing is the shaping is included, and if you aren’t quite as curvy, or more curvy than the model, you might need to make some mods. One person did the waist shaping for the medium, and then did the bust shaping for the small, because she wasn’t quite “gifted” in the chest to fill out the medium. You might have to do the same. Make sure you measure and swatch, and you’ll be fine.

Last, remember that the shoulder straps are going to stretch with time. This has never not been my experience, but then, one of you readers will be the first to point out to me that yours did not stretch at all. If anything, make them just a SMIDGEN smaller than you want, and after wearing it once or twice it will hit where you need it. That’s my two cents, at least.

The Specs:

Published in Classic Elite Yarns Web-letter

Published August 2010

Yarns suggested Classic Elite Yarns Classic Silk
Yarn weight DK / 8 ply (11 wpi)

Gauge 20 stitches and 28 rows = 4 inches in Stockinette Stitch
Needle size US 6 – 4.0 mm

SIZES: Extra Small (Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, 2X Large)
Finished Meas: 30 (34, 38, 42, 46, 50)”
MATERIALS:
Classic Silk by Classic Elite (50% cotton, 30% silk, 20% nylon; 50 gram ball = approx 135 yards)
• 3 (4, 4, 5, 6, 6) balls 6905 Old Lilac
Needles:
• One 24” circular size US 6 (4 mm)
Or size to obtain gauge
• Five stitch markers (4 of one color; 1 of another for BOR)
• Removable markers or safety pins

HEY!  For those of you who frequent the Yarn Spot, we’re doing a knit along with this pattern.  You should join us.  Details are on my classes page.

Until later Yarnies,
Jen

Tuesday in My Queue

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Hey Yarnies,

It’s time for another edition of Tuesday in My Queue. This week is Ivywild, by Carol Schoenfelder, a pattern that I think is particularly suited for the Spring that is just around the corner. Seriously, I don’t care what anyone says. Spring might be officially weeks away, but I come from the NORTH, darn-knit (tehehe. A pun), and when it’s raining, there’s mud, and there’s daffodils, it’s spring. Now, if that means spring comes early now that I’m in DC, and later if I were to live, say, in Canada?

So, Ivywild. I found this pattern in the fall, and when I looked at it, I knew it was going in my queue, because while I wouldn’t be interested in working on it NOW, I knew that it would be perfect if I did it in some sort of milk/soy fiber for spring/summer. There’s a really sweet one that The Yarn Spot carries, that escapes me now, but I know it when I see it.

What people are doing with it:
Most people seem to be sticking to the yarn that is called for, Knitpicks Cotlin. It’s a good yarn, soild for the price. It’s a cotton and linnen blend, which is right up my alley. Of all the spring/summer type yarns (IE: cotton, soy/milk/other manufactured protein fibers, seacell, linen, and silk, linen and linen blends are my favorite. I think it’s the Swede in me.) If I were to do it, I might experiment in some other blends, simply because I’m not too fond of cotton, unless it’s REALLY good cotton. This is because cotton tends to be heavy, and doesn’t quite have the body of my favorite winter fiber, which would be wool (with alpaca running a close second).

One of the things I would say to watch for in the pattern is where the end of the diamonds hit on the bust. I have a big bust, which might make the point of the diamonds hit in just the wrong spot.

Other things I’d look out for: I’m not quite sure what is going on with the cap of the sleeve, which doesn’t seem to be fitting quite the right way. That might be the way the decreases are worked, and it might be something else entirely, but I’d be tempted to mess around with it a bit.

I like the ribbing on the bottom, and the way it looks a bit lacy. I wonder in the cotton how effective the ribbing is, seeing that cotton doesn’t quite have the springback that a wool or wool blend would.

I’m also a bit dubious about the neckline. I’d be tempted to simplify it, and maybe get rid of the points. It doesn’t seem to be lying quite flat on the model’s neck, and that would drive me crazy. I might just go for something that would draw it in a bit more. You can see how the girl to the right here brought it up higher, and made it so it gathered tighter around her neck. This causes the diamonds to hit a different place on her bust, but I think it works for her.

I would seriously consider doing the whole sweater in reverse stockinette, not just the diamond part. I think it would be interesting. Plus, I love knitting reverse stockinette.

I’m not quite sure what the shaping for this pattern is, but I think it would be a simple matter to make sure you do some increases around the hips to make sure it expands nicely. It would also solve the potential problem of having the ribbing around the hips stretch too much.

The Specs:

by Carol Schoenfelder
Published in:Knit Picks Website

Published: June 2010

Yarns suggested:Knit Picks CotLin
Yarn weight:DK / 8 ply (11 wpi)

Gague: 16 stitches and 28 rows = 4 inches in stockinette
Needle size: US 5 – 3.75 mm
Yardage: 550 – 750 yards (503 – 686 m)
Sizes available: Ladies XS (S, M, L), Petite XS (S, M, L)

Until later,
Jen

Tuesday in My Queue

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Hey Yarnies,

Another eddition of Tuesday in My Queue. This time we’re looking at The Central Park Hoodie, done by Heather Lodinsky. This is a pattern I love. It’s got lovely downward cables, which are slenderizing and add interest to the knit. It’s got a great deep hood, which I love.

What people have done with it: As you see from some of the pictures here, a lot of people have added buttons, even though the model for the original pattern doesn’t have any. You could also add a zipper, which would work just as well. Shaping isn’t that hard to add… and would remove some of the excess fabric around those of you who have waists.

If I were to knit this, I would probably also made the hood deeper (I like deep hoods) and adjust where the ribbing falls at the bottom of the pattern. I have a short torso, and I wouldn’t like the ribbing hitting around my bottom. I also would probably kitchener stitch the top of the hood together, just because I don’t like how there’s a seam at the top of the hood. And also because I am convinced that I always know better than the designer, even when I don’t.

I also would choose a yarn for this that is solid or semi-solid. This is really a pattern where the patterns and the cables add the interest, instead of the yarn.

HEADS UP! There’s errata available for the pattern, so make sure you got it going in.

By the way, the brown version, to the left, is done by Dry Active Beast, who in addition to being a great knitter, has really good taste in music, and food.

The specs:

Published in:Knitscene, Fall 2006 Interweave Online Store The Best of 2010: Top Ten Patterns for Knitted Cardigans

Published September 2006

Yarns suggested:Tahki Yarns Donegal Tweed
Yarn weight: Aran / 10 ply (8 wpi)

Gauge: 17 stitches and 24 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch on larger needles
Needle size:US 6 – 4.0 mm amd US 8 – 5.0 mm
Yardage: 1098 – 3660 yards (1004 – 3347 m)
Sizes available: Sizes 32 (36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60)” bust.

Tuesday in My Queue

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Good afternoon Yarnies!

Have you ever noticed how strange a word Queue is? Just throught I’d throw that out there.

Welcome to the first Tuesday in My Queue! This is where I feature a pattern in my Queue on Ravelry, and talk about why I like it, what skills it uses, what problems might be found with it. For those of you who don’t know, Ravelry is one of the most amazing online resources for knitters and crochet people.

Today’s pattern is Sylvi, by Mari Muinonen. Her website is madebymyself.blogspot.com/.
Link to pattern Some of her best designs, in my opinion, involve cables, and a particular love of mine, which is Irish Knotwork.

First, take a look at Sylvi, up above. I’m sure you noticed her when you came in, but just take another look for a moment. Linger. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

Done? What do you think? Because I’ll tell you what I think:

Gorgeous.

Look at the lines, the flowers, the movement. And gosh, the color! At first I thought the red was almost too much, but I’m thinking that if you’re going to wear something like this, you can’t have it subtle. It has to be out there and bold.

What people have done with this: I think the best examples of this jacket is when the creators went with a single color. For example, this blue one’s vivid color make the shadows that for the flowers really glow.

However, one woman has done it with colorwork, and while it is lovely, I’m not quite sure it’s what I would go for. I think the single color is what makes this design really interesting. The intricacy of the stitches and the cables are really allowed to shine. When you make the project in multiple colors, it’s the colors, then the project, that are seen. The stitches take a second, backseat to the color, and if that’s what you want, that’s fine. But I think that the single color really make the project elegant, instead of just another knit project imitating nature by using flowers a vines. (don’t get me wrong. I love flowers and vines motifs in my knitting. That’s a large part of my queue.

The specs:
Finished bust measurements: (38, 41 ½, 44 ½, 47)” / 86 (97, 105, 113, 120 ) cm
Yarn: 12 (12, 13, 13, 14) skeins Briggs & Little Atlantic (100% wool; 136 yd/124.5 m per 4 oz/113.5 g) in Red
Needles & Notions: size 10 US (6 mm) 16″ (40 cm) and 32″ (80 cm) circulars; cable needle; stitch markers; tapestry needle; 6 large buttons; 5 stitch holders or scrap yarn
Gauge: 12 sts and 16 rows = 4″ (10 cm) in seed st
Construction Notes: Body knit flat in pieces, sleeves knit in the round

So this project is really going to eat your yarn. Let’s just get this out of the way right off the bat. It’s a coat, for goodness sake, so if you didn’t expect that, I’m sorry. It also has a boatload of cables, which also eats your yarn like nobody’s business.

I’d recommend doing this project in a solid or VERY subtle semi-solid yarn. Again, it’s the stitches that you want to pop, not the crazy pooling of a variegated yarn or the color-work from you modifying the pattern.

It’s going to require buttons. I’d go for some wooden ones, just my preference, though I also like what this one woman did with her pink flower buttons.

It looks from notes that the petals are knit separate and then sewn on, which means that if you don’t like seaming and finishing this project, those steps are going to drag.

So tell me my yarnies, what do ya’ll think?

Tuesday in My Queue

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Hello Yarnies,

Time for another eddition of Tuesday in My Queue. Today I’m featuring one of my favorite designers, Joan McGowan-Michael. Her designs can be really really complicated at times, but the end results are just beautiful. If you haven’t ever been to her website http://www.whiteliesdesigns.com/, you should. Ruby is one of her feature patterns and really exemplifies why I like her so much. She makes classic, beautiful patterns that are both interesting to knit and look good on people with… figures. That type of thing makes me VERY happy.

What people have done with this: This pattern seems to do best when it is done with a solid color. It’s the stitches that really are meant to stand out and pop.

I really like how other people’s projects show you how the back looks and how it fits over people’s bodies. You can tell that the shaping really give curvature to people with very little, but also the downward lines give people who are quite curvaceous to have a bit more downward line. The ribbons really add a great touch.

The Specs:
Fits bust sizes: 31.5(35.5,39.5,44.5,49.5,54.5,59.5)”

5 sts and 6.5 rows per inch over stockinette on US 7 needles

Cascade 220 Wool Yarn requirements:
6( 6, 8, 8,10,10,11 ) skeins or 1320 (1540, 1760, 1980, 2200, 2300, 2420) yards.

Note here: I would use something nicer than Cascade 220. While it’s a great yarn, I can’t really imagine wearing it next to my skin. Just my 2 cents. Also, reviews about the pattern have been mixed. Some of the charts are rather hard to read, and it really is an experienced knitter pattern, because there’s a lot of shaping and cables and lots of things going on at once. You need to be able to read your knitting. REALLY Well.

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