State Fair

The Illinois State Fair kicked off this week and my work to get some things entered paid off.

I entered a few things in the Illinois State Fair this year and was very excited to win several categories. There were 2 things which won big. One was the Skrå-Trøyer (Danish) Sweater which won first place in both the Scandanavian section and the Sewing with Wool. It also won the purple champion rosette for the best garment and for best wool construction.

The other was the Miser’s Purse which won the blue ribbon for best crocheted purse and it won the purple rosette for best purse and the silver platter for best in the division. I liked it but I really didn’t expect this. I’m guessing part of the reason it won was because it was so unusual.

There were a couple of other things that placed. It was really difficult to get good photos in the cases so I've used my file photos.

A knitted doily - 3rd place (the other one didn’t get a look in):

A knitted purse (second place):

Another crocheted (reticule) purse - second place:

A baby outfit - second place:

They did a much better job this year of displaying all of the entries and there were some wonderful things entered in all of the categories. I was amazed at some of the stuff. But I have to say, the cutest thing in the whole show, for my money was a wall hanging that didn't even place in it's category. It was a quilted wall hanging of an underwater scene and it was so cute that I had to go back and look at it 3 times!

The shame was that, the way it was hung, you can barely see one of the cutest aspects (see the little frog's leg?):

Photos, photos, photos

OK, Jennifer, here are the photos!

Here are some photos of my finished Skrå-Trøyer sweater. Yeah! I’m finished!


Also, the knitted doily called Azalea which I love as much as I hoped I would is finished. As I mentioned, I had some 2.25mm needle challenges and ended up using a total of 12 needles! Again, not the recommended path but I’ve found that most double pointed needles are 2.25mm and most circs are 2.5mm (both US size 1, of course). I did find a Crystal Palace circular at 2.25 but it was the most horrible needle I’ve ever used. Maybe it’s just this particular one but where the cable is joined to the needle, the metal part is bigger than the cable and I couldn’t get the stitches off the cable onto the needle. I thought I was going to have to cut the needle to get my doily off of it. I’m definitely going to return it and try to get a refund.



Regardless, however, I got them off and got it finished. This was one of the easiest knitted lace projects I’ve ever done.

Almost there

Only 2 milestones left to go on the old Skrå-trøyer sweater! Yeah, baby!!

I’ve finished one sleeve and finished the neck facing. All I have left is to do the other sleeve and finish the neck with the twinned knitting and I will have an official replica of the sweater living in the Kalundborg Museum in Denmark. For the cuff of the sleeve I used a Colinette fingering weight yarn in a soft variegated colorway. It worked great for this as it’s very tightly spun and very rounded. Sorry, I lost the tag with the name of the colorway on it but I’m definitely digging the way it sort of grays up next to the black and white. That’s really what I wanted much more than a punch of color on the cuffs and collar.


This was the second go at a sleeve. The sleeve I previously wrote about, alas, didn’t make the grade in the end. I told the ladies at knit night that I wasn’t going to rip it out so when I showed up at Guild with the new sleeve one of them said, “I thought you said you weren’t going to rip it out.” I didn’t rip it out, I started over!

But now I’m happy with the sleeve and how it worked. I wasn’t sure exactly how many stitches I needed to end up with for the sleeve to fit the hole (see previous entries about math) but I ended up with it being exactly the perfect size. Don’t you love it when that happens?!

Here are some pics. Yes, that’s a long ruler shoved through the back so I could show the details of the sleeve. I did manage to tack the right side sleeve to the left side of the sweater but it didn’t really matter for the purposes of these pictures and it is just tacked, after all, so nothing to worry about. I also have the seam section placed too high on the armhole but that will all be fixed when I get the sleeve sewn in at the end.

Since I’m a woman of hope, I’m going to say that the second sleeve is going to look exactly like the first except the overlap is going to be reversed as it should be. Ha! We’ll see when we get there. I’m also going to try to get the finished pieces blocked this weekend because that will make a lot of difference to how it looks and how it drapes. I will have to face the facts, however, that material this dense is not going to be doing a whole heck of a lot of draping. But blocking will make a difference.

I have loved this process but I have to admit I’m getting a little tired of it. I can, at least, however, see the end of the tunnel…and there’s a Danish rainbow at the end!!

Things I learned while knitting a sleeve

1. Don’t rush into important decisions

I finally finished the body of my Skrå Trøyer sweater and it fits PERFECTLY. It was finished just before I got to Scotland to make the rounds seeing friends. I knew that the sleeve needed my attention to get started for a number of reasons:

· It starts with twinned knitting and I had no idea how the gauge for twinned knitting would work out so knew I would have to experiment with it to make sure it didn’t end up too tight. Also I had to work in the button hole so it would be on the right end for the overlap (see next point).
· It starts flat and must have the seam section positioned correctly so when you put it into the round with the seam section overlapping the other end of the knitting, it will open the right way round and the button hole will be on the outside flap.
· The right number of stitches have to be on the needle for the 10-stitch repeat cuff pattern.
· Once back into the regular pattern (a 16-stitch repeat), the center star, ideally, should line up with the cuff pattern below it.

These are all things that just take time to work out. Some can be done on paper but I’m much better figuring them out on the needle. It was definitely not something I could do on the run so I waited until I had some quiet time towards the end of the trip. I didn’t get all of them right so will probably start this sleeve over again but it was worth doing to learn what I learned.

2. Pay attention to the little things

The body of this sweater was knit on a US size 1 (2.5mm) Addi Turbo needle. When I got to the sleeve, I went into the little stash of needles I had taken with me (just in case I had a knitting emergency) and found size 1 needles and got started off on the sleeve. After knitting for a little while, I realized that it was working even more tightly than the body. Hummm….Then it came to me – there are 2 different size 1 needles. Don’t ask me who the blankety blank thought it would be a good idea to have 2 different sized needles called size 1. You’ll notice above that the circular needle I was using was a 2.5mm. My double pointed needles were 2.25mm. You wouldn’t think that sounds like much, would you? Well, you’d be wrong. I think if you were talking about a 6mm needle vs a 6.25mm needle, the difference wouldn’t be so noticeable but when you’re talking tiny needles and big yarn, even that small difference made a difference.

I have been knitting in denial for a little bit but, together with the issues from above, I know in my heart that I will redo this sleeve. As with the body, if I’m going to put this much into it, I’m going to make sure I’m happy with it. If that means knitting 2 bodies and 3 sleeves, then so be it!

3. Remember which side of the fence you’re on

I decided that on the increase rows, I would just increase at the beginning and end of the seam section instead of increasing at the beginning of the row, knitting around and then increasing at the end of the row. It has to do with my attention span. I can never remember by the time I get to the end of the row whether I’m supposed to increase or not. Now I’m sure there’s some huge, terrible consequence to my compromise but you gotta work with what you got.

So the way I’ve got it set up is this: I have the seam section. To increase properly to the right of the seam section, I have to work from the beginning of the chart and increase towards the end of the chart. To increase properly to the left of the seam section, I have to work from the end of the chart and do the increases towards the beginning of the chart.

What I mean by this is that the first stitch of the new star after the seam section has to be the last stitch of the chart and as I add increases, I’m basically working towards the beginning of the chart. The reason for this is that I want to pattern to be consistent going into the next pattern repeat. To know where I am, I’m counting backwards on the chart for the increase section ONLY. Once I get to the first full repeat of the star pattern, I just knit the chart as normal.

It’s the same concept on the other side of the seam section but reversed. Once I finish the last full repeat of the pattern, I’m into the increase section. On the right side of the seam section, I’m working the chart from the beginning and increasing at the end just before the seam section so that the new star patterns are sort of growing out of the seam as I work up the sleeve.

All of this takes a little bit of attention as you begin and end the round. Before the seam section, I’m ending one row of the chart but after the seam section I’m starting the next row. It pays to remember which side you’re on! Trust me, this is the voice of experience.

Remember, too, that this seam section will run up the back of the arm rather than under the arm. Doing this allows the overlapped cuff with the button to be at the side of the wrist.

4. Listen to those around you

As mentioned, I started this sleeve on 2.25 double pointed needles. Because the fabric is so dense, it’s really not a comfortable thing to do. I was trying different things because I knew that the dps would only hold so many stitches. Doing the magic loop sort of thing didn’t work either as the needle sections were too long (and I hate those little circs). While at Knit Wits, Bonnie suggested I use 2 circulars. I, to may shame, must admit that I argued and wasn’t at all convinced it would work. But I went away with a second 2.5mm circular to try it out. Now, to my credit, I have to admit that I was completely wrong to doubt. It’s working a dream.

5. Follow your passion

On the plane back, I had been working on my sleeve most of the way over when a guy across the isle tapped me on the shoulder and asked me what I was making. When I told him that I’d finished the body and was now working on this sleeve, he made a comment about how complicated it looked and how I must be sick of doing it. I thought for only a second before telling him, No, I’m just as enamored of it now as I was before I started and I’ve enjoyed every stitch. He sort of looked at me as only a muggle could before he shrugged his shoulders and said, Well, good for you.
For the next 50 years, every time I wear this sweater I’m going to be reminded of all the wonderful time spent, not only knitting it, but getting it right. And I’m sure I will smile every time I put in on.

New Pics

Here are some better pictures of the Skra-Troyer sweater. The first is the side seams and half gusset and the other is the back. I've got 2 inches done on the front so not too much to do to get the body done. Then it's just the sleeves. Yea!

Just a quick post...

I know it's a lousy pic but one has to sleep sometime and I this was all really quick. Just wanted to document the milestone of getting the back done on my Danish sweater. It's on my front but it's really the back. Do you know how hard it is to get a good picture of your back! I'll get some better pictures this weekend.

Yea!

A stitch in hand...or something like that

Just to show that 150 stitches per row makes a difference when you’re knitting a fair isle sweater, here’s where I am now:

I’m back to the split for the armholes and have just started working the top back. I could have steeked the armholes but since that wasn’t the way the original in the museum in Denmark was made, I’ve decided to do this one without steeks. Now that I’m at this point, I will work the front and back pieces flat. Stockinette stitch can be tricky when knitting with more than one color, although there are a couple of different ways to deal with it.

One way (the way I generally use) is to knit backwards instead of purling the wrong side rows. When knitting backwards on a piece like this, I generally hold the dominant color over my left thumb and the other color over my left index finger (for knit stitch the dominant color is the one on my left middle finger and the non-dominant on my left index finger). Holding them like this allows me to throw them easily, maintains the dominant color and keeps my yarn from getting tangled. The only thing I do have to be careful about is the tension.

You will almost always have different tension on items worked in the round as opposed to those worked flat which is why you should work your swatch in the manner the final product will be knitted. I will be able to use my first try as a gauge swatch since I haven’t had the courage to rip it out yet. It’s still sitting in its basket by the bookshelves, serving as a map. I’m still honoring that first attempt by allowing it to remain until which time it must be sacrificed to the greater good (the real sweater!).

The other way to do it is to use what Beth Brown-Rensel told me is called a Norwegian purl. Because of the way this stitch is made, the floats remain on the wrong side of the material. It’s a bit different and isn’t the fastest way to purl but since it’s the way I learned, I never knew there was a different way to purl. Even now, I can’t really get the hang of other purling styles. It’s also a style that, I think I’m right in saying, must be worked continental style (with the working yarn in the left hand).

With my trip to the UK coming up quickly, I thought I’d share a web page off of the BBC News website with tons of photos of Scotland. They’re all taken by readers and submitted to the BBC. Click here to have a look. There are 10 or a dozen photos per week so just click through the date links on the right hand side and enjoy!

It’s astounding how many different “faces” Scotland presents, all the way from sandy beaches to fishing villages to cities to mountains. Some of them are breathtaking. I’m hoping to have some photos of my own to post by the end of February although I’m not a great chronicler. I forget I’m supposed to be taking photos!

My point (and I do have one)

Let me introduce you to one of my favorite all-time people.

My Grannie. She was a hard working, creative soul – a country woman who could crochet, sew, cook and garden. For me her meatloaf, creamed corn and English pea salad were legendary. I can make the English pea salad to suit me but have never mastered her meatloaf or creamed corn.

She ate a slice of white onion and slice of tomato with almost every meal and loved ice tea and Mexican food and hamburgers.

After my Grandad died in 1968, my Grannie, who was married very early and had never earned her own living, was left to make her way. She found a little house, got a job in the cafeteria of the local hospital, saved her pennies and crocheted. She crocheted doilies and afghans and doilies and lace collars and doilies and table clothes. I can’t even tell you the number of hours I spent lounging on her bed or sitting in the rocking chair while she crocheted, talking and watching her form stitch after stitch and stopping every once in a while to count.

My Grannie was the ultimate perfectionist (my mother can be, too – wonder what happened to me?). I can remember her making the little loop at the back of a blouse for the button closure over and over because it kept twisting. Never mind that it wouldn't twist once it was buttoned. Her clothes were always as beautiful on the inside as they were on the outside.

I can also remember her making huge table clothes using size 10 or 20 crochet cotton. Every once in a while she would go back and count to make sure everything was copasetic. A loud “Ohhhhhh…” would be followed by her ripping back to the point where she’d made a mistake – even if that was 100 rounds back! I could never understand it – after all, 100 rounds later, if she hadn’t caught it all those times she’d counted, who else would know. “I’d know.” And that was the end of it. Since I’m much more the person who would try to find some justification to overlook such a minor error, I was always at a loss to understand her compulsion.

All of that was to say this.

I’ve started my Skrå-trøyer sweater over. Here’s where I was:

And here’s where I am now.

If you check out this post from Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, you’ll have an idea what happened. My math mistake wasn’t in the buying of the yarn but in working out how many stitches I needed.

Using the number of stitches I originally cast on would have made a sweater to fit a sumo wrestler. I sort of realized it early on so I decreased by a pattern repeat on the front and back and on I went, thinking I could just steek that little bit. And on I knit.

I got to the armhole where I had to split for the top part of the front and back. You see, up to now, the sweater was on a circular needle and not where I could easily spread it out and check the size. After all, I’d done the math. Well, the split happened and I realized that it was smaller than I’d started with but would still fit an NFL line backer. So I took it in by 2 pattern repeats as I worked up the back and happily knitted on. Ignorance (even willful ignorance) really is bliss, evidently.

I got most of the top back done when I happened to hold it up and realize that it was still going to drape down to my elbows so, in distress, I abandoned it to its basket while I worked on other things such as the Miser’s bag and shawl.

Finally, I plucked up the courage to look at it. I knew all the time in my heart of hearts that I just wouldn’t be happy if I kept knitting with my head in the sand. Alas, the winds of reason have blown away the sands of denial. In my head, I just keep hearing Grannie say, “I’d know.” And I knew.

Therefore, in honor of Grannie, and because I plan to have this sweater until I’m 90 and because, even after all this, I’m still so enamored of this sweater, I started over.

Of course, the fact that I’ve got about 150 fewer stitches will make it go faster so I’ve got that going for me. I don’t want anyone to even ask the question about what went wrong with my math. Let’s just all agree that I suck at math and leave it at that.

Here’s to Grannie, the voice in my head pushing me to do better!

I'm back

Time’s gotten away from me a bit. Not sure why – some say it’s having fun that does it. Hummmm….

I have been busy with multiple projects. I went into my local Hancock fabrics shop the other day, as you do, to buy some needles for a bead embroidery project I want to try. I got my needles and asked the clerk a question. Now, to get to the clerk, I had to pass by a sample dress. I’m a sucker for a sample. The pattern looked lovely (although the sample was made with the ugliest material on the planet) so I buckled. I found a beautiful chocolate brown material and a brown and blue edging that looks great with it. I was able to get the bodice part done the other day and now just need to get the skirt part done, attached to the bodice and bung in the zipper. I’m a little bit apprehensive about the zipper because it’s not my strongest point but I think, if I just take plenty of time, I’ll be alright.

Skrå-trøyer progress: I don’t have a photo because it’s really just more of the same but I’ve started on the top back and am getting on fairly quickly, even though it’s a bit more awkward working it back and forth. I’m working it knitting across and then knitting backwards so I can easily keep the strands running along the back of the work and I’m having to be careful to not let the gauge get too different from the round knitting section. I think it’s okay right now but it’s kind of hard to tell before it’s all done.

Speaking of hard to tell, when I got to the point of being ready to split the back and front, I realized that, math idiot that I am, I had got it wrong…AGAIN! It felt huge. I’ve actually now cut it down yet again by one whole motif on the front and one on the back. Now I think it’s finally at a reasonable size. It’s just so hard to tell while it’s on the circular needles if it needs adjusting. If I ever make this pattern again (of course now I have some concept of how it goes) – and I’m not promising that I ever shall – I will run it onto several circs from time to time just to check it out. So at the end of the day, I’m going to have a bit of steeking to do. But to be honest, I don’t really care because I’m as in love with it now as I was before I started. I love it, love it, love it. I’m hoping to have the back finished this weekend and then get the front done next week and the sleeves the following week (since I’m off that week of Christmas).


Tambour work: I was really happy that this photo picked up the pattern drawn on the fabric as well as the stitching because the pattern is drawn very lightly and is being actually a little difficult to work from. I’ve discovered that if you turn it a certain way in the light, the pattern shows up better on this fabric. I haven’t gotten so far yet but I’ve done a little and you can see in the upper corner that I’ve just started doing the little swags around the outside. It takes a little to get used to stitching on this material but I think I’m getting the hang of it now. In case you missed the previous post, this is a type of crochet that done on fabric and was popular in the 1700-1800's.

Lace Shawl: I lived for quite a few years in the UK but I’ve now been away for a whopping 10 years. It feels like forever. Most of my time was spent in Scotland and I loved living there and had some wonderful friends. I’ve finally made the decision
to take a trip back so in February I’ll be heading off. Not the most auspicious time, I know, with regards to weather, but it is before all the prices go up. As I was thinking about the trip, I got an idea to do a Saltire & Thistle Shawl. That’s what this little blob is. I’m doing it in the style of the Shetland shawl where you have the center panel, surrounded by a wide border and an edging around. Usually you would work the border 1 side at a time but I’ve decided to experiment with that part. I cast on 1 stitch, increased to about 120 and then decreased back down to 1 for the middle section which is worked in the style of the Saltire (also known as St. Andrew’s Cross) – the Scottish flag. I’ve just picked up stitches all the way around and will be starting on a Thistle pattern out of one of Barbara Walker’s wonderful books and then I’ll have to decide on an edging. I’m going to let that be a surprise, like writing a book and having to finish it so you know what happens. That’s the sort of thing. For those interested in such things, I'm using Skacel Merino Lace Yarn in a sort of pinkish tan color - the only color the yarn shop had 2 skeins of. I love knitting with this yarn. In fact, if you don't have a lot of experience with lace knitting, this is a great yarn to start with - soft handle, doesn't split easily.

I’m not too stressed about getting it all done because I’m thinking it might be cool to take it as a travel project. With it on the circs now, it’ll be easy to carry. Don’t know if I can wait that long – I’ll just see how it goes.

Baby Sailor Suit – This was a pattern that I originally wrote when a colleague was having a baby. I wasn’t happy with the original version sleeves and I can’t say I’m too much happier with these sleeves. At least with this one I have it in front of me to look at and figure out what I want to do differently. The other, alas, did go to the baby and I no longer have access. I love
the little pattern. I don’t know if you can see but it’s a onesy type construction and will have snaps at the legs and cute white anchor buttons along each shoulder so that it opens wide for the giant baby head! I have the pattern finished except for whatever I decide to do with the sleeves and to get the finishing touches on the various sizes. This is another project I’m hoping to get finished this year. If you would be interested in knitting it as a tester for me, I would be willing to provide the pattern for free to you. That would just basically mean make it up and let me know if I’ve made any errors in the pattern. If you would be interested, just let me know either in the comments or by email at dks@wandagraysondesigns.com.

Like I said, it’s been a little busy.

Can't get better than this.

Sitting here listening to Van Morrison working on a new bag. Don’t get much better than that, does it?

Have you ever heard of a Miser Bag? It was popular from the sort of mid-1800’s to the early 20th century and is something that has always intrigued me. I have sketches of it early on in my design sketch book. Here’s a picture of a 1920’s pattern for one – see the extensive pattern instructions! I think it’s the mechanics that intrigues me. As you can see, the bag parts are on each end with a middle part with an opening to access its contents. There are rings that can be slid one way or the other to get at the contents or each can be slipped out to the opposite ends to keep everything in and safe.

At the little presentation about Civil War-era purses, the presenter talked about the fact that these were great because they could just be hung over a belt to be carried and then be right to hand when needed (they were used by men at one time as well). She also mentioned something I had never noticed before – the 2 ends are made differently. One end is rounded and the other end is sewn flat. The reason for this is that the user would keep their gold coins in one end and their silver coins in the other end and would know what end to go into just by feel, taking the guess work out of the process.


I’ve finally started experimenting with a rather traditional patterning – here’s what I’ve got so far. It’s a smallish version but I think it’s really pretty with the green thread and the transparent grey seed beads. The beads are transparent enough to pick up the green of the tread and really complement it.

I’m thinking that you could really update the look with some cool ring beads in the middle and an interesting handle. The sample above doesn’t show a handle but I have seen examples with a sort of bracelet handle that I think could be made really modern. It’ll be interesting to see where it can go.


Skrå-trøyer update: Well, I have done absolutely nothing that I’d hoped to get done this week, mostly because I became obsessed with my Skrå-trøyer sweater. Here are a couple of photos that show that I’ve got the body worked all the way to the half gussets at the armhole shaping. The second photo shows the side panel and how it splits to work in the half gusset. The body is worked in the round and then at the point where I am now, I have to start working flat. I’ll have to be careful with my gauge because changing from circular knitting to flat knitting will produce a different gauge, especially since I’m working 2 different weights of yarn. I’m just making some adjustments now and I took today off from working on it to give my hands a break – one can only work for so long with US size 1 needles and worsted weight wool! I’ll get kicked back in tomorrow once I’ve finished my little Miser Bag. I certainly feel that I’m a good half way through although I still have to do the sleeves and they can be a little tricky with the way they’re made. But I’ve got a lot done and I think I’m not going to be too far off my goal of finishing it by the end of the year.

Progressing...

Here's the progress on my Danish sweater....

It's finally starting to look like something!

Finished Danish Skrå-trøjer

Just a quick post to show the finished article. It's not perfect but isn't it fun?! I used 1 strand of white fingering and 1 strand of verigated fingering for the braided cuffs and collar. I think it gave an interesting effect. I've started ciphering for my real Skrå-trøjer - I can't wait to have one of my very own!! Keep in mind, though, that this sample was knit on size 4 (3.5mm)needles and the real one will most likely be knit on size 1 (2.25mm)needles. That should be interesting!

Stitches Report

I wanted to post a quick report about Stitches Midwest, at least enough to say that an interesting time was had by all. We had quite a large representation from our Guild but I wasn’t sure I would run into any of them as I travelled separately from the others. We did run into each other all over the place, making it feel a little like we were taking over! Everyone seema to have really enjoyed their classes. I'm a little sad I missed the Guild meeting on Sunday to hear everyone's reports.

One thing that made the weekend a little more interesting - as if it needed it - is that there was a “Wizard’s Conference” right next door, evidently one of the Comicons. So there were people dressed up all over the place like animé characters and comic book characters. Quite a few Star Wars characters (those seem to be the most popular) but also Batman and Spiderman and, for the ladies, the most popular seemed to be some sort of I-Dream-of-Genie belly-dancer sort of character. One lady in my class came in laughing because she’d just passed a Spiderman with his “head” off smoking a cigarette. Priorities, eh?! Of course, there were numerous comments on the interesting combination of the comic book fans and the knitters. One thing held in common was the amount of money that must have been spent. Wow. Either there are a lot of broke people today or there were a lot of rich people this weekend (or maybe a combination of the two).

I had a wonderful, wonderful class with a lady named Beth Brown-Reinsel. She was so sweet and encouraging and a wonderful teacher. Here are some of the samples she brought to show us:



The class was more than I could have asked for. I learned so much and enjoyed so much the project we did, which was a Danish sweater. The sweater’s history is a bit cloaked in mystery.

They know who knitted it (the wife of turner (sic) Hanson) but not who he was or what he did. The

original – here’s a picture of a reproduction – was made with a worsted weight wool and a fingering weight wool. So it has some interesting definition and effect on the color work. Beth was able to study the original and created the pattern for the large sweater from the original. But for the class, she designed a miniature version that allows the knitter to practice all the components of the larger version – twinned knitted cuffs for the sleeves and neckline, half gusset, color work, following a color pattern and knitting a facing for the neckline slit.

I had a ball and here is the finished product (before blocking):


I’ll post later once I get it blocked. I’ll also post a note of a few of the things I learned during the class and a few more thoughts.