Knitting

Ready for autumn days

August 29, 2024 annbh3564 Comments

handknit reddish brown shawl with lacy eyelets and bobbles

The Skipping Stones Wrap is just off my needles and, without an intended recipient, becomes another on-hand donation for the next silent auction fundraiser. Bobbles grace each end and construction offered double the fun as this piece was worked as two mirrored halves and then grafted seamlessly in the middle. While I like the whimsey of bobbles, a quick inventory of over 250 projects reveals this design element in only seven items (one hat, one cowl, two sweaters, and now, three shawls.)

Rows of differing sized lacy eyelets flow through the body. And, just as the name suggests, the wearer can almost hear the gentle plop, plop, plop as a stone leaves the hand and skims across the smooth lake surface. The fingering weight blend of merino wool and silk, knit in a reddish foxy brown, will be perfect for cool autumn days.

Knitting

For a new great-great

August 9, 2024 annbh3562 Comments

handknit green sweater on white background with a central cable design on the body and the sleeve hanging on a wooden hanger suspended by an orange ribbon — Babbling Brook in Forestry

details of a handknit green sweater on white background with a central cable design on the body and the sleeve — Babbling Brook in Forestry

Amidst those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, Knit Campers add yarn[y] to the list of rhyming words as 100s plunge into a four-day sweater knitting adventure. While I did not follow the crowd’s choice of patterns, I did create a sweater for an expected great-great niece or nephew. (We must wait until October to know which.)

Green is the new momma’s favorite color, thus the choice of this gender-neutral forestry colorway. The blend of cotton, bamboo, and silk always knits up nicely with the advantage of being machine washable. Marie Greene’s Babbling Brook pattern offers assorted sizes from newborn (0-6 months) to seven years; and includes my favorite design element – cables. Knowing little ones grow quickly, I hope this size 2-4 might keep our new great-great warm through one or two Oregon rainy seasons.

Congratulations Katie and Cam!

Knitting

Midsomer Mystery

July 20, 2024August 29, 2024 annbh3561 Comment

The May mystery knit-along (MKAL) with Solène Le Roux evolved from an acknowledgment of Beltane, the Gaelic May Day, into my very own midsummer celebration sans the numerous murders of the British TV drama. I cast-on with the other knitters as the MKAL began May 1 but changed plans not once but twice. I switched from a tweedy, deep forest yarn which proved too dark to reveal the delicate cables and then changed needles for a different gauge. (Note to self – The time “ saved” by not swatching is definitely not saved!)

blue handknit shawl draped on a wooden hanger — Kala Mae MKAL Shawl

close up of knit stitches on a handknit blue shawl showing lace and cables — Kala Mae MKAL Shawl

The crescent shawl showcases a soft single ply Merino in Stockholm blue, hand-dyed in Hastings at Muse2320. The cables along the top edge mimic two embedded I-cords and the central design reveals left and right leaning 2-over-2 twists that frame the braided central cable. I discovered too late that 40 grams of yarn remaining from the starting weight of 200g (approximately 874 yards) was insufficient for bottom border as designed, so I modified the pattern (something I rarely do) and exchanged the ribbed border for a lacy edge.

Happy knitting!

Knitting

Double Diamond Cowl

April 8, 2024 annbh3563 Comments

an incomplete handknit cowl in rust colored tones with a lace pattern of repeated diamonds resting on a marble background and a green yarn bowl in the upper left corner — A Work-in-Progress

handknit cowl in rust colored tones with a lace pattern of repeated diamonds on a marble background — A Work-in-Progress

With seven cowls tucked away in tissue paper with protective lavender sachets, I recognize I should pause from knitting any more of these wardrobe accessories. This particular article of clothing is a favorite among pattern designers. As proof, I need only refer to the last three collections of new patterns that I’ve bought. Within the knitting universe, cowls provide a quick project that often enables the knitter to explore a new or challenging technique on a small scale with the added benefit of putting into service a beautiful, but solo skein of yarn. I am less certain of their popularity among those seeking soft, squishy neckwear.

My latest finished object features a two-tone, double-diamond lace pattern. Rather than relying on bold contrasts, the color shifts are subtle. The pattern specifically called for “analogous colors – or colors that fall next to each other on the color wheel.” The Double Diamond Cowl is part of Marie Greene’s recently released D is for Diamonds Stashbuster Series. Fully embracing the spirit of the project, this fingering weight yarn came from my stash of lovely hand-dyed fibers acquired while participating in Heather Best’s Hand Dyed Happy Yarn Club.

Happy knitting!

Knitting

My Duet is a Trio

March 29, 2024 annbh3564 Comments

pale pink and light brown handknit scarf with stripes and lace

When I began my version of the Duet Triangular Scarf, I fully intended to color inside the lines and follow the pattern instructions. However, while my swatch met stitch gauge, I neglected to check row gauge. As a result, the first segment revealed a delicate lace design with the correct width, but it did not match the intended length. Guessing the same would be true for the opposite triangle and wanting a slightly longer scarf, I modified Marie Greene’s recently released pattern by adding a rectangular middle section. This change eliminated the distinct seam between the two colors and created a gentle transition of skinny stripes alternating between pale pink and the natural, undyed light brown of this Peruvian highland wool.

Happy knitting!

Knitting

Variations on a theme

February 10, 2024 annbh3565 Comments

hand knit peach colored shawl with lace edges on a wooden hanger

hand knit fuchsia colored shawl with lace edges and crystal beads on a wooden hanger

At the pattern designer’s recommendation, I knit my first version of this shawl in a multicolored self-striping yarn. The lacy border took a back seat to the fabric’s vibrancy and I wondered what would result if I knit this same design with a solid or subtle tonal yarn. I quelled my curiosity first with the peachy project and then knit a second shawl in deep fuchsia. Both skeins had arrived in yarn club surprise packages and, utilizing good stash management practices, each just needed the right design.

The combination of fingering weight yarn and a slightly larger needle results in an airy body of garter stitches. An unusual double yarnover (yo2) at the beginning of the lace row creates an elongated fiber filigree. And, I added a little glitter by incorporating a pearlized pink Miyuki seed bead on each lacy tip. Now, wrapped in tissue paper, each shawl is safely tucked away awaiting a giving opportunity as a silent auction donation.

Happy knitting!

Knitting

Red Gems

February 1, 2024 annbh3566 Comments

small handknit red blanket on a blue tweed chair

Just in time for Valentine’s Day! Although these diamonds are not of the shimmery carbon variety but a well-planned placement of textured knit and purl stitches that create the illusion of repeating geometric shapes. The designer offered three graduated sizes: baby blanket, lapghan, and full-sized afghan. My version of the Little Gem Blanket is baby-sized, 32-inches square; just right to provide a bit of warmth on a sedentary evening of streaming videos.

What we designate as our TV room can be chilly on a frigid winter evening depending on wind direction. This room has only had cosmetic improvements – new windows and the refinishing of the original maple flooring. We have no idea as to the energy efficiency of the insulation. Slumped vermiculite? Or, it may even be the stitched newspaper–tarpaper variety we discovered when we remodeled the 1940s bump-out bathroom addition. Hence the need for wool warmth.

This small blanket project also channeled the best ideals of stash management. The 650-yards of superwash wool were remnant skeins remaining after the completion of the 2022 Vivi workshop sweater. That pattern was designed in the style of boxy Danish “night” sweaters which, coincidently, displayed an elegant collection of cabled diamonds.

Knitting

If knitting was like baseball

September 3, 2023 annbh3564 Comments

hand knit triangular shawl with a cream colored star and orange accents

… the game would be tied 3 Scarves – 3 Shawls. An earlier decision to skip a summer sweater knit-along (KAL) did not result in a knitting hiatus but rather a steady flow of smaller projects, just perfect for gifts and silent auction donations.

Having worried I would be overwhelmed when I committed to two fingering skeins each month from the Happy Hand Dyed Yarn Club, multiple skeins of Heather Best’s rich color combos have gone directly from mailbox to needles. The purple and white shawl with a whimsical bobble edge was a Knit Camp mystery KAL pattern which paired one of the April skeins with stashed yarn. The deep teal was the second in the April showers yarn offering, again mixed with a lovely merino silk blend. Heather’s dye pots yielded totally different hues for August (reminiscent of a large scoop vanilla bean ice cream served in an old-fashioned waffle cone on a hot day) and these were transformed into Martina Behm’s Half Norwegian. My zigzag choice for Sommer Camp.

Knitting

Celebrating Summer on the Banks of the Mississippi

June 29, 2023March 22, 2025 annbh3564 Comments

vibrant violet handknit lace shawl draped on a wooden hanger

gray and lavender triangular handknit shawl

varigated lavender handknit scarf on a wooden hanger

pink and cream handknit triangular shawl draped on a wooden hanger

two handknit silk shawls, one pink and one green, draped on a wooden hanger

I always have at least one project on my knitting needles just to keep my hands busy and my brain alert while streaming the latest Netflix series or watching F1 cars race on circuits around the world. A tally of projects, February 2022 through February 2023, totals 15 with six items designated as gifts for The Directors – my library loving, book reading, wine drinking group of retired friends. Having missed joining the group due to my April Covid woes, each finally picked a favorite silk scarf or shawl last week. Just in time for the summer solstice.

Knitting

Filling the time ‘till testing

March 9, 2023August 7, 2023 annbh3563 Comments

hand knit triangular green and purple shawl draped on wooden hanger

My knitting time during these deep winter months (January into March) has focused on small, quick-to-complete projects while I await participation in my first test knit. The sage colored cowl uses yarn I hand-dyed with Kool-Aid as part of a class with Heather Best and I did a stash dive for the wool, alpaca, mohair, silk blend that resulted in the soft, squishy cable bordered shawl.

The pattern I volunteered to test is currently in the making by Jennifer Berg, Native Knitter. While her projects often incorporate geometric images in contrasting colors reminiscent of Acoma pottery or Navajo blankets, a first glimpse of her new design reflects the dramatic colors the raw southwestern landscape. Proceeds from the sale of this soon-to-be released pattern will benefit MMIW – Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.