Saturday, 10 May 2008
Rethinking
You know, "Kniteracy" is a really great name for my knitting blog, but given all the trouble I've had crossposting to LiveJournal and handling photos, I'm going to seriously consider going elsewhere for blog hosting. I have other Blogger blogs as you can see from the sidebar, but the only one I regularly post photographs to is a picture-only blog anyway, just made to post snapshots from my digital camera. Anyway, I'll be polling the LJ people to see about alternate posting tools/blog hosts, etc. We'll see what happens.
Celtic Dreams: Beginning the piece
I mentioned before that at least I already had the wool for this one. I hadn't remembered what a great purple it is, though: it's from Blackwater Abbey yarns. The shop I worked in before I moved to the UK had a trunk sale for Blackwater Abbey, and even though they weren't offering much of a discount, I was quite taken with the Celtic Dreams pattern. Blackwater Abbey feature Beth Brown-Reinsel's patterns, so it seemed logical to go ahead and buy the pattern and wool right then, and keep it for when I was ready to knit it.
That was four years ago, but here we are. I did a gauge swatch and began this jumper last night. Here is a photo of the first saddle:
. Jesus. Blogger really doesn't want to display my pictures, no matter how I code them in! The url for the photograph is: www.flickr.com/photos/25099805@N08/2479323033/
Now, one of the reasons this garment appeals to me is not just because I like cables (and I don't use a cable needle!); it's the overall construction of the jumper itself. I'll quote from the pattern booklet, because the overview of the project really is quite nice. Also, I haven't done enough of the construction myself to be able to explain it in my own words. This will be a learning-experience project!
This Aran pullover is knitted from the top down and features saddle shoulders and square armholes, Aran motifs and a deep skirt (as the traditional Aran ribbing is called). The cuffs fit loosely in keeping with the early Arans.
The saddle shoulders are worked first and the live stitches are put on holders. The front and back stitches are picked up along the edges of the saddles, and the neckline stitches are cast on. The front and bck are worked downward to the armhole, where stitches are cast on for the underarm. The garment is then joined circularly, and worked to the bottom of the skirt. The sleeves are picked up along the armhole edges, and worked back and forth a few inches to the cuffs. The patterns were chose so that all the patterns would repeat every 24 rows, even though some repeat more often. All the wrong side rows (alternative rounds) are worked as the stitches present themselves, to simplify the knitting.
So far, it's easy, but so far, I'm just working the saddles. I expect when I start picking up stitches, I'll start cursing a little bit, because although I'm a reasonably experienced knitter, I don't like picking up stitches. Now may be the time to review the technique, to make sure I get it right this time!
That was four years ago, but here we are. I did a gauge swatch and began this jumper last night. Here is a photo of the first saddle:
. Jesus. Blogger really doesn't want to display my pictures, no matter how I code them in! The url for the photograph is: www.flickr.com/photos/25099805@N08/2479323033/Now, one of the reasons this garment appeals to me is not just because I like cables (and I don't use a cable needle!); it's the overall construction of the jumper itself. I'll quote from the pattern booklet, because the overview of the project really is quite nice. Also, I haven't done enough of the construction myself to be able to explain it in my own words. This will be a learning-experience project!
This Aran pullover is knitted from the top down and features saddle shoulders and square armholes, Aran motifs and a deep skirt (as the traditional Aran ribbing is called). The cuffs fit loosely in keeping with the early Arans.
The saddle shoulders are worked first and the live stitches are put on holders. The front and back stitches are picked up along the edges of the saddles, and the neckline stitches are cast on. The front and bck are worked downward to the armhole, where stitches are cast on for the underarm. The garment is then joined circularly, and worked to the bottom of the skirt. The sleeves are picked up along the armhole edges, and worked back and forth a few inches to the cuffs. The patterns were chose so that all the patterns would repeat every 24 rows, even though some repeat more often. All the wrong side rows (alternative rounds) are worked as the stitches present themselves, to simplify the knitting.
So far, it's easy, but so far, I'm just working the saddles. I expect when I start picking up stitches, I'll start cursing a little bit, because although I'm a reasonably experienced knitter, I don't like picking up stitches. Now may be the time to review the technique, to make sure I get it right this time!
Yeah, about those old knitting posts.....
I'm just not going to bother with it. I'm going to pick up here at the present time and just cross-post pictures and photographs from here on out (though my LJ readers will want photographs behind cut tags). Anyway, if anyone out there is reading this and would like proof that I have been blogging about knitting for a long time, the place to go is my LJ's "knitting" tag. Plenty of pictures there, too.
Friday, 9 May 2008
Moving Old Knitting Posts
I've been blogging about knitting since I began knitting again in 2002, nearly six years ago. All those entries are on my LiveJournal blog, some of them protected and some of them public. I'm going to begin the process of moving some of them to this knitting blog, but I have to say that moving the photographs I'm not looking forward to, as the pictures are mostly held in my LJ Scrapbook. I do have copies of most of them on flickr, but theprospect of recaptioning hundreds of photographs is a little daunting. Maybe I'll just make them all public LJ posts and link to them from here. Of course, when the inevitable happens and LJ exists no more, then I'll have another kind of dilemma....
Knitting Pattern Stash-quisition!
Just wanted to say that I've found (and ordered) a copy of the fabulous 1992 Vogue/Donna KaranEnchanted Forest Cardigan pattern online at SewDirect for £1.95! Free shipping as well; I hope they'll just slap it in an envelope today and it'll make it through my letterbox! (For a better photo go here, direct to VK.)
So.... I've been wanting to make this for a long, long time. You'll see why if you click on any picture or do a google search on it. It's a legend. I remember when the pattern first came out; I was on the internet's first KnitList back in those days (the knitlist is really really huge and impossible now), and it was all people talked about for *months*. Copies of the pattern were pored over, passed around, bitched about, and probably exchanged for enough good-quality aran yarn to knit the thing. It still creates a buzz whenever people see, it, and Vogue has reprinted the pattern twice: once in the VK 25th anniversary edition, and once in a book called Vogue Knitting Designer Knits, still in stock at AmazonDotWhatevers all over the world. I doubt seriously I'll want to make enough of the patterns in this book to pay £9.60 for it, so why not get the original pattern for £2 from SewDirect? I understand the 25th anniversary version of the pattern has been reshaped a bit, or maybe just re-edited, as the VK KAL poster notes in the second link to a photo of this cardigan.
At the time the pattern first came out, I was not confident enough as a knitter to tackle it. It would have been started (wrong) and never finished, probably. Now, the only thing I worry about is sizing. I do not remember what the original sizing was for this pattern, but I doubt seriously if it's sized for fat people. But we'll see. Maybe I'll make this my present to myself for the weight loss work (no real diet talk, just a goal discussion, I promise!). I'm sure I have enough of something in my stash to knit this with: I could start it now, tomorrow, whenever, and by the time it is finished (yeah, right-- at this stage of the game, I knit pretty fast ;>), I'd be able to wear it. If not, I could always give it to someone who would truly appreciate it. Like my sister. Or. Then again, if I gave even one of these to anybody I'd feel obligated to make a couple more. And somehow that just seems like serious amounts of work.
I'm thinking of doing it in a neutral colour, but I don't want the original 'cream aran' type colour because I think I don't look good in that colour, plus it is a bitch to keep clean. The grey the model in VK is wearing is a good choice. You'll find photos in various colours all over the net if you go digging. What colour would you like to see it in?
Also-- KnitALong, anybody? Somebody out there will have wanted to knit this cardigan for a long time, too, eh? (Even if you are only seeing it for the first time today!)
ETA, because I am a complete idiot and you guys know I am an idiot... I'd been going through my small stash of knitting mags for another purpose. I remembered having a black market photocopy of this pattern and thought maybe I'd put the envelope in there. And what do you know? I have a copy of the Fall 1992 Vogue Knitters in which this pattern first appeared. I thought that cover photo on the VK site looked familiar. Right. Have cancelled order for £1.95 pattern. Will be happy to pursue KAL action if you're into it. The pattern is one size for body, only sleeve size changes. Chest measurement is 58 1/2 inches, though, so it really should fit most. Changing this garment would be a bitch, but could be done.
FETA: The other fabulous jumper I want to knit this year is Beth Brown-Reinsel's Celtic Dreams, a top-down aran jumper with saddle shoulders and a really long skirt. I've had the pattern and wool for this since before I left the US.
Question: Why, now that summer is really here in the UK, do I suddenly want to knit jumpers and cardigans???
So.... I've been wanting to make this for a long, long time. You'll see why if you click on any picture or do a google search on it. It's a legend. I remember when the pattern first came out; I was on the internet's first KnitList back in those days (the knitlist is really really huge and impossible now), and it was all people talked about for *months*. Copies of the pattern were pored over, passed around, bitched about, and probably exchanged for enough good-quality aran yarn to knit the thing. It still creates a buzz whenever people see, it, and Vogue has reprinted the pattern twice: once in the VK 25th anniversary edition, and once in a book called Vogue Knitting Designer Knits, still in stock at AmazonDotWhatevers all over the world. I doubt seriously I'll want to make enough of the patterns in this book to pay £9.60 for it, so why not get the original pattern for £2 from SewDirect? I understand the 25th anniversary version of the pattern has been reshaped a bit, or maybe just re-edited, as the VK KAL poster notes in the second link to a photo of this cardigan.
At the time the pattern first came out, I was not confident enough as a knitter to tackle it. It would have been started (wrong) and never finished, probably. Now, the only thing I worry about is sizing. I do not remember what the original sizing was for this pattern, but I doubt seriously if it's sized for fat people. But we'll see. Maybe I'll make this my present to myself for the weight loss work (no real diet talk, just a goal discussion, I promise!). I'm sure I have enough of something in my stash to knit this with: I could start it now, tomorrow, whenever, and by the time it is finished (yeah, right-- at this stage of the game, I knit pretty fast ;>), I'd be able to wear it. If not, I could always give it to someone who would truly appreciate it. Like my sister. Or
I'm thinking of doing it in a neutral colour, but I don't want the original 'cream aran' type colour because I think I don't look good in that colour, plus it is a bitch to keep clean. The grey the model in VK is wearing is a good choice. You'll find photos in various colours all over the net if you go digging. What colour would you like to see it in?
Also-- KnitALong, anybody? Somebody out there will have wanted to knit this cardigan for a long time, too, eh? (Even if you are only seeing it for the first time today!)
ETA, because I am a complete idiot and you guys know I am an idiot... I'd been going through my small stash of knitting mags for another purpose. I remembered having a black market photocopy of this pattern and thought maybe I'd put the envelope in there. And what do you know? I have a copy of the Fall 1992 Vogue Knitters in which this pattern first appeared. I thought that cover photo on the VK site looked familiar. Right. Have cancelled order for £1.95 pattern. Will be happy to pursue KAL action if you're into it. The pattern is one size for body, only sleeve size changes. Chest measurement is 58 1/2 inches, though, so it really should fit most. Changing this garment would be a bitch, but could be done.
FETA: The other fabulous jumper I want to knit this year is Beth Brown-Reinsel's Celtic Dreams, a top-down aran jumper with saddle shoulders and a really long skirt. I've had the pattern and wool for this since before I left the US.
Question: Why, now that summer is really here in the UK, do I suddenly want to knit jumpers and cardigans???
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