Sable Stasher

The Viking Boat Sweater from

Or, Vogue's ad in their 1994, fall edition!

http://www.sandnesgarn.no/Hjem.aspx , with an English version, with contact details

 The Sandnes website is at http://www.sandnesgarn.no/Hjem.aspx , with an English version, with contact details
:

Happy Sailing and Happy knitting.  All of KBTH members are welcome to copy the sweater picture and save it to you own computers - and use it on their own blogs.  I would appreciate non members to send me a note telling me they are using the pics.  I would appreciate it! Have Fun knitting this delightful Norwegian sweater.

junieann

 

ESCAPE TO A HOUSE ON A ROCK!

Or, the perfect place to get over the Knitting Blahhs!

 

I have been letting my blogging go to pot these last 4 months. I rarely share a lot of personal stuff on my blog. The last few months everything that could go wrong, did!  A long disagreement with Typepad about the wrong charges and missing photos that dated back 5 years. They repaired all that, finally. The gadgets and so-called improvements on Typepad are a hinderance to me, a novice electronic person. A sick spell for both Vader, (my buddy), and me; using a broken computer with no delete key and the perchance to print letters wherever it pleases; still struggling with it. No repair shop for laptops here. I did try. $150.00 later, the laptop was really screwed up.  I am waiting for the new version of Windows to come out, then I will buy a new computer. My expensive little camera doesn't want to work either. Electronic gadgets give me a headache. I think I prefer a crank handled telephone, a quill, ink pot and parchment.

 

Worst of all, the first and only case of knitting blahs in 30 years!  Who me?  Yep.  Now this is serious since I have 3 lifetimes of yarn stashed in my cottage. 

 

I suppose much of my discontent was due to my boss "retiring" me for her own job security and a  a full time job rather than part time.  I didn't know what to do about that, so all and all, I buried my head under a blanket, slept and ate a lot and felt pretty worthless.  She said I was too old to do the work she needed and I needed to retire. Problem was I couldn't get on my knees to pick up a big box of old house plans and get up again. She may have been right, who knows?

 

 Speaking of age:

 

Every year of my life when my Dad was still on earth, I would get a phone call around midnight on or near my birthday. Dad would call and tell me the same story of how he waited from 8 AM in the morning in his baseball uniform and cleats until sometime around midnight for me to arrive. He missed his ball game. He played pro and semi-pro baseball. Anyway, I miss that call every year. Yep, I recently had a birthday. It was a tough one. I am done complaining. 

 

I am on the road back, I am glad to say that I am knitting again. I finished my Blue Venusian cardigan and it looks swell on. Covers the porches back and front and hangs great.  Also age appropriate from 8 to 80+.  I also knitted a cowl with Knit Picks pattern and their fingering yarn called Wicked Witch - very cute and cozy for winter weather.  Cape Cod about 1/3 done.  The yokes, gussets, sleeves to finish. Chased Silveris all knitted, still awaiting sewing, and a neck scarf. 

 

The pictures and story below are from a friend.  I hope you enjoy them.

 

;              

 

Clingstone had been built by a distant cousin, J.S.  Lovering Wharton.  Mr.  Wharton worked with an artist, William Trost Richards, to create a house of picture windows with 23 rooms on three stories radiating off a vast central hall.

 

Total construction, which was completed in 1905, was  $36,982.99 

 

 

An early sketch of the house.  Mr.  Wood is as proud as any parent of his house,

and keeps a fat scrapbook of photographs and newspaper clippings that document

its best moments.  Many of the historic photos he has were provided by the company that insured the house for its original owners.

 

The house is maintained by an ingenious method: "The Clingstone Work Weekend".  Held every year around Memorial Day, it brings 70 or so friends and Clingstone lovers

together to tackle jobs like washing all 65 of the windows.  Anne Tait, who is married to Mr. Wood's son Dan, refinished the kitchen floor on one of her first work weekends.

 

 

The dining room table seats 14.  Refinishing the chairs is a task on the list for a future work weekend.

 

Sign by the ladder that leads to the roof reads: No entry after three drinks

or 86 years of age.  "It used to say 80 but we had a guy on a work weekend who was 84, so I changed it," said Mr.  Wood, ever the realist. 

 

 

 

It would have been a shame to curtail the activities of a willing volunteer

 

A Perfect Place for all Knitter's with cases of the Knitting Blahs!

stay tuned>

Or, What I found on eBay today!      

These are Great. Your little Piggie can

be a Tiger.

It is cotton.This outfit would be perfect for pictures.

But sydneybear (click on link to go to the web page)also warns one should never leave a piggy alone while in costume. Because, come on, once that thing gets hold of a mirror, there's no turning back.

More guinea pig coats, just for fun:

 

I got a giggle or two out of these.  They aren't knitted but they could be.  Make them more comfortable for the little fellows. Of course these little guys are Guinea Pigs.  All kids love these calm, non-offensive pets.  My cousin had several pens full of them he played with.  In general, I dislike dressing pets up in doll clothes and funny hats.  However, I have dressed Vader up to try on my knitting.  He looked about as happy as these little cuddlers.  I finally got my Blog sorted out with Typepad.  They gave me a credit for over charging me and 6 months free use of the blog, plus today, they found all my pictures.  I have been filling the blog with pictures for nearly 6 years - and when they changed formats, they lost my pictures.  This is a test post to practice using all these new tools.  I find this quite cumbersome right now and plan to read all the old typepad materials one day.

I have been on a quest, searching for Knitting Mojo for nearly 4 months.  I just started to knit again after discovering Duxbury was too large for the recipient.  Couple that with a sick spell and I just hadn't the energy to do anything.  I did finish the Blue Venezia cardigan and it fits well and is attractive on.  I hope to have some pictures.  Currently working on Cape Cod.  It is looking pretty good.  Pictures of knitting next post.

Stay tuned for the further adventures in knitting -

 

  

The Best of Interweave Knits, 1st 10 Years

Or, a wonderful little book with a lot of classic designs

This little book was purchased through Knit Picks at for $14.00.  It was $3.95 for shipping.  I know most of us have these designs in our different IK magazines but this book has a lot of technique details in it, all beautifully put together and at your fingertips.

In case you haven't seen inside the book, here are are few of the designs. I will begin with Icarus by Miriam Felton.  Icarus appears as the cover design and it is truly beautiful.  A rather dark picture of the back of Icarus.  Miriam is one of our KBTH talented designers.

                                                          

   

                                                                     

The 3 Penny Pullover by Veronik Avery. This is one of my favorite designs.  It is a marvel of texture and style.  Here is a nice side view.  

This is Barbara Venishnick's Burma Rings.  Along with the design, are an excellent mini course on short rows.  Short rows are a Nemesis for me, but very useful if one can master the technique.          

Cabaret Raglan Pullover by Norah Gaughan

And then there was the wonderful textured by pullover by Kathy Zimmerman called Marseilles.  How could anyone resist the wonderful texture of this one!  Here is a swatch.

                                                             

I love this design and have decided I have to put it in my queue.  I just happen to have some Zara that might be perfect for this one.

Stripes All Around & Union Square by Kate Gilbert

                                                                  

       

Millennium Argyle Back and front.

   

                                                    

Cambridge Jacket by Ann Budd

                                              

Water Garden Fair Isle ~ Ron Schweitzer

Basketweave Pullover, Melissa Leapman

            

                 

     Lotus Blossom                                             

And of course, Faina Letoutchaia's 

Famous Forest Path Stole. Faina is another of the talented KBTH Group.

The Confection of Perfection that I don't have the skill to knit. I love lace but my fingers refuse to cooperate except on the simplest of patterns.  Forest Path is my ideal of a fantastically original pattern that I would love to be able to knit.

                                          

Of course, there are many other designs in this little book ~ the technique pages are terrific.  The little book is so worth the expense.  This has been a little pictorial eye candy for your consideration.

Duxbury Finished Object ~ at last!

Or, the most generous people I know are knitters!                     

This a long story of frogging, re knitting and running out of yarn. It wasn't a difficult pattern. However, it was a nightmare knit for me. 

I purchased the green merino years ago. It had aged in stash for years. I had Jannette, (4 to 4 on eBay), in the UK send me two bags - 20 balls of Jaguar Extra Fine Merino DK. First time I had seen this particular yarn. Lovely stuff. A shame that Coats and Clark discontinued the Jaeger line. (I heard C&C bought Rowan out a few years ago. Feel free to correct that if it is wrong). 

I realized I might run out of yarn when the front and back were done. I decided to take out two chart C cables on each sleeve and knit the textured stitch and one 15 stitch cable pattern. By the time 1 sleeve was 1/2 done, I knew I needed at least 2 balls of yarn or, Duxbury would probably get thrown in a corner or be torn apart and be a vest. 

 I sent a note to KBTH and asked for help without much hope of anyone having this yarn. I didn't care much about dye lot. One of our KBTH members wrote and steered me to a Ravelry member that lives in the UK. I wrote to her and she said she would be glad to send that yarn to me if she hadn't thrown it away!  I held my breath for several days and didn't hear from her. However, the mailman arrived that week with the yarn and a lovely card. Two and 1/2 balls of the SAME dye lot.  Hard to believe my good fortune.

If I had done the cable sets the pattern called for on the sleeves, I would have needed at least 25 balls of yarn. Below are the 'left-overs' from my friend in the UK.  Hopefully, she will see this post and be glad she took all that time to dig that yarn out and send it to a woman she never heard of. 

A huge collection (stash to me) of yarn that is discontinued by the time we knit it up, ( 20 + years worth of yarns), is both good and bad. Good for these hard times, or retirement. I have found I just can't count on the given yardage in any pattern being correct for my particular style of knitting, and substituting yarns can be tricky.  

I just got lucky!                                                                               

I was so thrilled to have this done, I threw it on the floor and took the picture to prove it was actually done. I see I don't have it really laid out right but I will do another picture with a clean, blocked Aran.  Knitting onward...   

Terrible picture but stay tuned for my next adventure

Thanks again to the knitter in the UK that was willing to go through her huge stash to find those balls of yarn for a knitter in need. I hope no one runs out of yarn, but if you do, check with me. If it's old enough perhaps I can return the favor to someone else.

junieann

PS:  11 people left comments on this post - and mysteriously, they all disappeared.  However, I want you all to know, that I really appreciated the comments.  I have no idea what happened to my post. The unfathomable Internet!!!

Duxbury Finished Object ~ at last!

Or, the most generous people I know are knitters!

This a long story of frogging, re knitting and running out of yarn. It wasn't a difficult pattern. However, it was a nightmare knit for me. 

I purchased the green merino years ago. It had aged in stash for years. I had Jannette, (4 to 4 on eBay), in the UK send me two bags - 20 balls of Jaguar Extra Fine Merino DK. First time I had seen this particular yarn. Lovely stuff. A shame that Coats and Clark discontinued the Jaeger line. (I heard C&C bought Rowan out a few years ago. Feel free to correct that if it is wrong). 

I realized I might run out of yarn when the front and back were done. I decided to take out two chart C cables on each sleeve and knit the textured stitch and one 15 stitch cable pattern. By the time 1 sleeve was 1/2 done, I knew I needed at least 2 balls of yarn or, Duxbury would probably get thrown in a corner or be torn apart and be a vest. 

 I sent a note to KBTH and asked for help without much hope of anyone having this yarn. I didn't care much about dye lot. One of our KBTH members wrote and steered me to a Ravelry member that lives in the UK. I wrote to her and she said she would be glad to send that yarn to me if she hadn't thrown it away!  I held my breath for several days and didn't hear from her. However, the mailman arrived that week with the yarn and a lovely card. Two and 1/2 balls of the SAME dye lot.  Hard to believe my good fortune.

If I had done the cable sets the pattern called for on the sleeves, I would have needed at least 25 balls of yarn. Below are the 'left-overs' from my friend in the UK.  Hopefully, she will see this post and be glad she took all that time to dig that yarn out and send it to a woman she never heard of. 

A huge collection (stash to me) of yarn that is discontinued by the time we knit it up, ( 20 + years worth of yarns), is both good and bad. Good for these hard times, or retirement. I have found I just can't count on the given yardage in any pattern being correct for my particular style of knitting, and substituting yarns can be tricky.  

I just got lucky!                                                                               

I was so thrilled to have this done, I threw it on the floor and took the picture to prove it was actually done. I see I don't have it really laid out right but I will do another picture with a clean, blocked Aran.  Knitting onward...   

Terrible picture but stay tuned for my next adventure

Thanks again to the knitter in the UK that was willing to go through her huge stash to find those balls of yarn for a knitter in need. I hope no one runs out of yarn, but if you do, check with me. If it's old enough perhaps I can return the favor to someone else.

junieann

PS:  11 people left comments on this post - and mysteriously, they all disappeared.  However, I want you all to know, that I really appreciated the comments.  I have no idea what happened to my post. The unfathomable Internet!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL

Dux Duty & miscellaneous Dreams

  Or, I really have been knitting!

Slow as molasses, the Duxbury back is finished and the front of the sweater is underway (barely).

The color is way off - it is actually an emerald green but I can't seem to achieve that at night with a flash.  Imagination is a great thing.  At last, I seem to be coming out of my 3 month slump.  I have IDEAS again.

One Picture reminds me of me, the other reminds me of a jungle cat.  Hum, I wonder which is which?                                  

 

Bought Cascade Venusia in Blue Velvet

                                                                                                                            

                                                                              Fair Isle                              

             

          HAZERDOUS WORK                 

             

                     

            Stay Tuned!

            

AN AWARD FOR ME!

The rules:

1. Post this award on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. Nominate at least 4 other bloggers, and add their links as well.
4. leave a comment at the new recipients' blogs, so they can pass it on.

Check list:
1. Done
2. Done x 4
3. This is the hard one because there are so many wonderful blogs out the

Many thanks to my very kind friend Laritza.  One of the greatest and fastest lace knitters I know. If you are interested in spinning, weaving and knitting, or machine knitting, you will enjoy her work and seeing it on Laritza's Blog. Laritza graciously carried on with the 2nd year of Beadwork KAL for all KBTH knitters.  

1. Anne B from Maine. My rock when she joined me running Beadwork its first year. My traveling, knitting friend that is always creating marvelous designs - like her new Oregon Hat and busy designing an Aran of her own that I can't wait to see and knit. Her blog is full of terrific work.  She is an expert knitter and a FAST too!
 
2. Rosemary H. of ROMI fame. She amazes me with her shawl pins, her original designs and I am looking forward to her new book.  Beautiful and talented, her work is a joy and her friendship, a blessing.  I found her newest shawl pins in the latest Knitters Magazine that arrived here today.  Congratulations Dear! 
 
3. The wonderful, creative Designer, Lorraine C, from Canada. Her designs are carried by SheEweKnits owned by my friend Anne who puts together all the Celtic Collection designs in kits for us + plus anything else a person wants in Jamieson's yarns including her own designs.

4. The courageous Knitman. Colin is an expert knitter with both knitting machine and hand knitting. He designs with aplomb and has love for his dogs as an exhibitor, as I once was. There is a separate blog for the pups.  He does all these things, fighting constant pain and perseveres in spite of all. 

There are many other friends and great blogs out there. I wish I could list a dozen but that wouldn't be enough either.  I better let someone else award the prize.

Have fun everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Duxbury Point Chart "C", a Beginning

Or, Chart  C  Clarification for  Duxbury Point.

In my honest opinion,  The stitch count varies in Chart C' s even/odd number rows in the Duxbury Point pattern. The variance isn't charted. From #5  through row #21, you are going to find that than the actual number of purl stitches in the knitting, VS the charted number are different.

I won't say these are errors in Chart writing but  the correct number of purl stitches indicated in the chart is short through row 21. If the following information had been provided, I would have had an easier time getting started on this project.  I think that other knitters may have had or will have a problem. This post is for those knitters. I hope they find this post helpful. Chart C is on the left of this picture. Chart D is in the center of the piece.

I have gone back to the chart and written out the stitch count changes that I used, and the purl sequences between the cables on the right side of the knitting. Eventually, the chart gets back to 21 stitches per row - at least as far as I have knitted. As I  finish Chart C. I will watch for other problem areas if there are any.

The instructions warned that stitch count would change from 21 stitches.  From lace knitting, we expect/hope the designer will let us know how many stitches to expect at the end of each row or two.  Delayed decreases are common but they usually don't take 15 rows+ to complete.

I don't think this chart shows the correct number of stitches to count or to expect on Chart C. Looks like they ran out of room to print the Chart and the editors someone took out some purl symbols or the designer thought we were all experienced Aran knitters and could figure it out. Since I have reading difficulties, this was a big frustration to me.

 The majority of stitch additions occur on the WS rows and in the purl stitch count is between the cables.  The Chart does not reflect the change in those purl stitches.  They tell you to 'assume' there is 21 stitches in each row of Chart C. I have included a close up of my knitted version of Chart C up to row 21.  If anyone disagrees that I am counting correctly, please send me an email to my home address, and I will correct any error I made in typing or counting. 

If you look at the count, you see that purl increases show up every 4th row. Accounting for the  KBK increases in single stitches on those rows. The decreases don't catch up for 15 rows. As promised, the stitch count winds up at 21 again.  I am looking forward to seeing how the rest of the Chart works out. Since there is no stitch key included, the - - - are Knit stitches on WS rows and Purl stitches on right side rows, as usual. 

Row 5: 21 stitch count                                                
Row 6: 23 stitches
Row 7: 23 stitches with 7 purls
Row 8: 25 stitches
Row 9: 25 stitches with 11 purls
Row 10: 27 stitches
Row 11: 27 stitches, 15 purl stitches
Row 12: 29 stitches
Row 13: 29 stitches, 19 purl stitches
Row 14: 27 stitches
Row 15: 27 stitches, 15 purl stitches
Row 16: 25 stitches
Row 17: 25 stitches, 11 purl stitches
Row 18: 23 stitches
Row 19: 23 stitches, 7 purl stitches
Row 20: 21 stitches
Row 21: 21, stitches, 3 purl stitches                  

   

The ribbing and 21 rows of Charts, A,B,C, D