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Category: Knitting

Hello August! This and that in the Knitting Studio

Hello Blog!

July got away from me. I had a few minor setbacks in terms of my ability to do things, nothing horribly serious but I felt like July was spent more in the latter part of the “two steps forward one step back” idiom in terms of my ongoing attempt to regain movement and flexibility. There were days when I felt like I was more in “three steps back” mode, except that I know that isn’t true. I’ve been in PT for three months, and I have made progress, but my body has spent more than 50 years stiffening itself up, and three months of PT is just a drop in the bucket. I can admit I’ll never move normally, in fact I’m not even sure I know what that means. I just want to move, and realistically, three months is minuscule compared to the previous 57 years, remembering that I was first put in a Milwaukee brace at age 10, the majority of my spine was fused at age 16, and the last couple of non-fused disks in my lumbar spine have probably finally self-fused in just the last couple of years.

But that is not what this post is about.

When I was up to shifting things about, I reconfigured the pressing station in the studio. The rectangular pressing table was already there, I shifted it slightly and moved the ironing board from the laundry room, in the basement of the house, to the studio, which is above the garage. I’ve not been doing routine ironing in the laundry room as there is a wiring issue, which I’ve put off correcting while I made some decisions regarding additional electrical work. That ironing board is heavy, a vacuum board, and I was not using the vacuum feature in the laundry room but will use it in its new location. Moving it was work however, and it took me two days. The first day I hauled it up out of the basement, across the deck and into the garage. The second day I wrestled the board up the stairs to the studio, which are steeper than the older stairs in the house. Then two days after I got the ironing board moved and my pressing station reconfigured, my 20-some-odd year-old Naomoto gravity feed iron gave up the ghost. The new iron arrived this past week, and I’ve been catching up on ironing ever since.

Other than catching up with ironing, an ongoing process, especially in summer, when I tend to live in linen, I’ve been working on knitting projects. Those have also fallen into a sort of “two steps forward, one step back” pattern. I knitted two new garments, one of which is still blocking, but both of which I love, and spent some time fiddling with three less than satisfactory older projects.

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My first project was a tee, which I called adrift at sea, knit in a silk and linen yarn by Anzula called Vera. I originally purchased the Anzula for another project but did not like the yarn in that pattern. Instead, I used a pattern called Driftwood Tee by Mercedes Tarasovich from the summer 2014 Interweave Knits. The pattern is still available from Interweave. I basically made the pattern as written except that I wanted a deeper scoop so I altered the front neckline. I am very happy with the results.

I have just finished a second tee, but details of that will be in a future post. In the meantime, I’ve been fiddling about with other things.

Last fall I finished a fluffy coral sweater that was languishing in the UFO pile. This was a simple front cable pullover in a cotton/wool blend yarn from GGH that has since been discontinued. The original pattern called for finishing the sweater with a simple crochet edge at the neckline, and this is what I did. Although I loved wearing the sweater, I hated the way the neckline looked. I always wore it with a scarf or shawl wrapped around my neck. One day last month, I simply broke down, ripped out the neckline, and reknit it in ribbing. Now I am much happier with the sweater and am looking forward to the advent of cooler weather and snuggly sweater season. Given how much I wore this sweater in the house last winter, I predict it will see much wear in its improved state.

Continuing in this fit of reform zeal I next picked up two other projects that had been plaguing me: a ruana knit in two shades of Lang Cashmere Light, and a linen shell knit this past spring but never fully finished as I was exasperated with all my finishing attempts. The ruana was a simple project. I had already decided I would prefer it as a poncho, so I simply seamed the sides. As I think about it further, I might also want to add a cozy collar at the neckline, but I first need to pull out the odd ball box and see if I have enough yarn. No rush on this, as the ruana is perfectly wearable now, and cold weather is probably still months off. I am content to wait.

The small, green, white and turquoise piece on top of my shawl is Anni, by Gina Röckenwagner, and it is far more problematic. I loved knitting this, and I love the fabric created, but I’m not convinced that the Juniper Moon Zooey is one of my favorite yarns. Even worse, I have been completely frustrated by the process of finishing this sweater. I can’t seem to pick up and create a neckline that makes me really happy, although I now, after 4 attempts, have a neckline that just edges (barely) into “good enough”. Seaming has been an even bigger headache, and I have not been able to seam the pieces in a way that looks at all professional or properly finished. I finally gave myself permission to toss the unfinished project and remaining yarn into the UFO pile. I do have a few ideas about how to save it, including frogging the whole thing and reknitting it with some minor adjustments to the pattern, but at this point I am too emotional about the whole experience to approach it any kind of clear-headed manner. Best to wait.

Last but not least, I ordered Marie Wallin’s Fairisle 10 kit, the Tree of Life Throw. I’ve been itching to do some stranded knitting for a while now, but I don’t have a lot of need for stranded sweaters since I’ve moved south. This blanket will be a labor of love and a long term project. I have never planned on keeping up with the knit along. I worked on my swatch during July and got gauge on the third attempt. Even the process of swatching has been relaxing and fun, helping my fingers become reacquainted with a forgotten skill. It has been a good decade since I’ve done stranded knitting. The knitalong has already started but I don’t plan to actually begin until mid to late August, after some travel. You’ll be seeing this off an on for a long while to come. In the meantime I absolutely adore the range of colors, which you can see at the top of this post. Just looking at them makes me smile. .

August 1, 2025
Musings, Mutterings, Knitting.

Hello blog! It seems I have been absent although in many ways that is not surprising. It seems that I have been swinging wildly between being present in my life and at the same time being absent — not as in depressed, although that has probably been the case on occasions. More that I have just been sorting out some things in the hopes of reconnecting with something essential to myself. That has seemed like a slow process.

At the moment I feel fully "back", meaning increasingly settled in myself but not a promise that the blog is back, although I hope it is. I intended to attempt a start-up in January, and although it is not the beginning of the month, it is still January. That is good. There has been a lot of hemming and hawing here, fretting over wanting to write, letting my inner voices argue over whether or not I had anything to say only to find myself back in a place of apathy, where the whole blog thing didn't seem worth the effort.

I had an idea to write about movies, or a particular movie, but the negative arguments won, the voice that says "who cares what I think", which may or may not be true. By the time I resolved the issue the movie in question was weeks behind me and it seemed hardly worth the point. The idea may find its way back up, or not. The only thing I know is that I want this blog to be about whatever is on my mind at the time I am writing it, and that it is an extension of a journal of sorts. I tell myself that I should write polished essays, and I occasionally work on those, but that is NOT what I want this blog to be about. My original idea was for an online journal, really purely for my own reference and entertainment, and then I let the idea get perverted into something else, something I didn't want. I don't really know what I want now but I am willing to let the impulse play out.

So, after this long, and mostly irrelevant introduction, the remainder of this sweater is going to be about sweaters and knitting. Specifically it is about sweaters and knitting and colors, specifically puce and muted wines.

Puce seems to have been the color of the year. I knit two sweaters in the color. In fact the color of neither yarn was called "puce". The color name for the yarn used in the first sweater was "vintage wine". You can see that sweater here.

It is a lacy cropped cotton cardigan, knit in a 4-ply yarn. Technically a summer sweater although I am not likely to wear it in the hottest months. It is a color that has a presence throughout my wardrobe, a few pieces popping up whenever muted wines and roses become fashionable.

I never really thought about the color as puce until I was finishing up this cardigan. Technically I would suppose puce is darker, with a bit more brown. But it struck me that the range of muted brownish purply pinks suite me well, and I am consistently drawn to the range.

Then, in December I felt the urge to knit a warm snuggly sweater and I decided to knit another sweater in an alpaca boucle. Although this wasn't planned, the yarn I ordered falls into the same color range. This time the color is named topaz.

I finished it in early January and have been wearing it steadily throughout the current cold spell. I am not quite sure how my dream of an oversized snuggly sweater morphed into this shorter, slightly more fitted sweater, but it did, and I love it. Even though I do not always like sweaters out of bulky yarns, this sweater has ended up being exactly the sweater I wanted. It is a sweater that sits a the top of the hip, that looks good with a pair of pants, and which has fairly close fitting sleeves that do not get in the way. It is a color that makes me feel warm and happy.

In fact it goes well with my most-frequently worn coat, at least most winters in Knoxville. Seen here with an assortment of reds, all of which are really pinkish or brownish reds.

This photo was taken last winter, when my hair was still permed in an attempt to maintain those post-chemo curls. It is not permed now, and I am wondering if I regret the decision to grow my hair out and stop perming it. I am not thrilled with my hair the moment, but I can always go back. It is just the transitional process that is difficult. Transitional processes are always difficult. That doesn't seem to get easier with age.

Perhaps this blog, like my hair is in transition. Like all transitions it will take time to see what develops. And, in that spirit of transition I am going to toss this out, messy as it is, because once I start editing, doubts will set in, and my words will fall into the bottomless pit, never to reemerge,

January 21, 2025
Studio Update

I've been tired today, too tired perhaps to trust myself working in the studio. Instead it has been a slow knitting and reading day, but I do want to make a progress report, so let's see if I can string words together.

Most of my knitting time has been spent on the Summer Wine cardigan. The lace pattern consists of a fairly simple four-row repeat and it is easy enough knit, even on evenings I am very tired; it is also simple enough to unknit as needed. That has happened a couple of times as well. I took a break to recheck my math once I started the armhole shaping, in a mad panic, somehow thinking I had made an error. I hd not. The armscye shaping is now done. There is some slight variation between right and left, but now I just have to knit even for another 10 centimeters, when I will begin the left shoulder shaping.

This cardigan is fairly fitted through the shoulders and upper chest, and only slightly past waist length overall. The shoulder shaping will not be symmetrical, but I've been pretty consistently rewriting the fit on my knitted projects, based on the sloper I made, what two years ago now? 3? Some of the sizing has changed, and I've accommodated that, but the shoulder shaping has not. I've been very happy with my progress Improving the fit of my sweaters and the results are well worth the time involved. I will have to do some recaclulating when it comes to shaping the tops of the sleeves, especially as each sleeve will be slightly different, and I haven't really perfected a system for that. This might just be a fiddly bit of math that I have to do with every project. But smooth sailing now, just finishing this piece, the back, and then the two fronts before calculating the sleeves. I almost always end up redoing the math on sleeves anyway.

But I've also been sewing, and perhaps putting in more time in the sewing room than knitting.

I washed a stack of linen with plans to make some summer pants and tops. The pants take priority because I have summer dresses in my closet, plenty of tops, and three skorts, but not really any summer pants. Because it is summer, and it is hotter than usual here, I have been thinking "easy, casual, loose" and so the plan has been to make some fairly wide-legged, pull-on elastic-waisted pants.

Upon searching my pattern stash, I found I had four possible patterns.

Three of the patterns are by Simplicity, one by Hot Patterns. Although I have many pants patterns, these are the only ones that call for a woven fabric and have an elastic waist. I have a two one-seam pants patterns, which I intentionally did not wish to use for these pants. The ponte pants I made in the spring were also based on a Simplicity pattern, and I thought that might give Simplicity some advantage here, but nonetheless I looked at all four patterns before progressing.

All three of the simplicity patterns were meant to sit at the actual waist. They were pretty similar through the hips, with the same ease and basic lines. All had the same crotch curve, which was in fact the same curve as the pattern I used for the aforementioned ponte pants. This gave Simplicity an advantage. The differences were in the width and shape of the legs. The crotch curve on the Hot Patterns Marrakesh design was different from both the simplicity pattern, and the curve I had created for my own knit pants, giving it one negative strike at the outset. The Marrakesh pants pattern also has a grown on waist, and I specifically wanted a separate waist band, strike two for Hot Patterns.

I decided to start with Simplicity 9147 (above) using the straight leg version (View C) as it was closest to what I had in mind. However all of the Simplicity patterns only went up to a size 14, so the first thing I needed to do was grade the pants up. First I graded the pants to a size 18. The pattern calls for 4 inches of ease through the hips, and I knew this would not be enough ease in the back pattern pieces; possibly not in the front either. I also altered the back crotch curve to match the crotch curve that I had created on the ponte pants, which basically meant creating a deeper curve with a longer extension. I basically just copied this from the curve of the knit pattern, then added extra wide seam allowances and sewed my first draft.

You don't get any in-progress pictures. There were a couple of iterations, but I learned a lot from the process. I've always had trouble with pants, but my goals were basic. Straight of grain perpendicular to the floor, straight side seams, no skewing. Sounds easy, but it never is with me. I've been in all kinds of fitting classes where we've done all kinds of odd things and it remains a struggle. Now it feels like I am finally beginning to understand.

Basically, all I needed to do was add width at the high hip in the back, and alter the crotch curve and center seams. In the end, I ended up using the front crotch curve from the size 14 pattern, with the deeper longer curve on the back pieces. These then had to be graded to work together. I also needed to shorten the center front seam by 2 inches and lengthen the pattern at the center back by 2 inches. This ended up being exactly the correction I had needed to make on the pattern for the knit pants, although I actually understood it better this time around. It is for this basic reason that both my first woven and knit pants were for basically straight leg pants with a waistband that sits at the waist. These patterns make a good jumping off point for future work on pants.

Here you can see half of a muslin, side by side front and back pieces, with the center back at the bottom and the center front at top. This shows the basic progression although some additional fiddling was necessary before everything was transferred to a new paper pattern. But it was this view, this photo that sparked an "AHA!" moment that really helped clarify my thinking.

After a couple of days. working on muslins, the first pair of pants, out of a medium-heavy weight linen double jacquard, were pretty easy.

I cut the elastic for the waistband a little large, and the pants slip down about an inch with wear. You can see that in the photo. It is something I will have to fix, but not yet. The temperature is in the mid 90's and humid, and I am perfectly happy not having a fitted waist band at the moment

I've since cut two more pairs of pants, one in a fine, tightly woven black linen, and one in this pretty Japanese cotton. The black pants have been sewn except for the waistband and the hems. I didn't finish them today because I am tired enough that I think I should stay away from sergers with cutting blades.

I also have a pale gray linen with a bit of a lilac undertone that I intend to use for both pants and the layered vest shown in the pattern photo above. Vests are in right now, but not necessarily this kind of vest. I'm not sure if the currently trendy version fits into my very casual lifestyle at this point anyway, but the point is moot until I progress further with pant fitting.

June 26, 2024
On and Off the Needles

My knitting mojo has been restored. Not that it ever really left, but somehow knitting had slipped into a very low gear for a couple of months.

Then I finished a sweater. I started a new project. Actually I started two new projects, and there is always something compelling about the new. Now there are three projects on the needles, and an untold number of UFOs.

But let's start with that which has been recently finished. A Murder of Crows has been completed. Knit from the pattern of the same name by Dawn Barker using Barker's own BFL fingering wool. I loved knitting this sweater. It doesn't look like much flat on the pavement, but I love the fit. It is exactly what I wanted even though this is not exactly the season in which it will get much, if any wear. I have plans, and wool, to knit another.

But first a few other things.

I wasn't really bored with Crows before it was done, wasn't really itching to start something new, but I also knew that I needed something on the needles beside the green rayon ribbon cardigan I am also knitting. Although I love the fabric and will undoubtedly love the final sweater, I find the knitting itself fiddly, and the process of ironing and winding ribbon tedious as all get-out. That sweater started in one piece from the bottom up, and I've just divided it into sections at the armscye, finished the right front, and started the left front piece. Now I need to wind yarn again. I refuse to rush myself. In all likelihood I won't be wearing this sweater before October. I love the idea of the finished sweater, but if this were all I were knitting, I would be in a state of despair.

I needed another project, or even two. Two ended up being the magic number.

I walked into the yarn closet and the first thing that caught my attention was a bag of Lang Cashmere light in two shades of green. The yarn was purchased for a particular project, but that is not the project I am knitting. I found the pattern, which was written for a single color with an option of using two or more colors. Except that there were no instructions for how to deploy those colors. I had no picture, just a vague idea in my head. I thought about contacting the designer but in the end just went my own way and drew a rough sketch and started knitting. I am happy with the results so far. The plan is either for a wrap of some sort, or a simple rectangular shawl, details yet to be determined. Knit on size 10 1/2 needles with simple geometric color blocking this should be a relaxing knit.

About the same time that I was finishing up the last sleeve on A Murder of Crows, I was at Loopville, my LYS, when I came across a batch of Rowan Summerlite 4ply cotton in a delicious muted wine color. I fell immediately in love and decided to knit Martin Storey's jacket, Amandier. This is knit on much smaller needlesand although the lace pattern is simple, the knitting requires a little more attention than the cashmere shawl above. I've just finished the 16 rows of garter stitch that form the bottom band on the back of the sweater and am about to change from size 1 needles to size 2 and begin the lace pattern.

Filled with anticipation and eagerness for anything new, I am entranced with both of these projects at the moment. I want to knit and ignore everything else in life, but that really won't be possible. I will iron and wind that ribbon yarn. Eventually, any way.

June 2, 2024
Another Catch-Up Post

Still April.

And another blog post. I should celebrate successes as they materialize. I am working on a book post, but it is coming slowly. This is primarily because I am still struggling with being over-tired, with doing too much, and learning to accept that normal, even at the still-tender age of almost 66 is not what normal was even a few years ago.

That said, even though I feel overwhelmed, and like I have been frittering my time away, this is not exactly true.

There has been sewing, mostly simple.

Two cross covers, one in lenten purple, one in holy week red, for my church. These were additions to the set of each made last year, to accommodate a new processional cross.

And one simple garment for me, this a chiffon cardigan to wear to an event. The dress was already in my closet. The cardigan is red silk chiffon and is a fairly simple garment to make. I did use a pattern for this, Marfy 3303 which is one of the "free" patterns included with the purchase of the Marfy 2014/2015 annual catalog. The pattern picture is shown below:

There are two pattern pieces, two front pieces and two back pieces which are seamed at the center. You would think they are rectangles, but they are not, part of the genius of the pattern. Tucks are made at each shoulder, and there is a side seam, but it is in the interior of the cardigan, allowing the edges to float and flutter freely, as if the cardigan were simply a shawl. The clever cutting and seaming allows this to fit and flow on the body nicely, and also to stay in place when one is dancing. Always an advantage in my book.

I also made six baptismal towels, four in March, for Easter Sunday.

And two more two weeks later. Each towel is made by hand from ecclesiastical weight linen, with hand embroidery and hand hemmed. The entire process takes me somewhere between 8 to 13 hours, the variation depending mostly on the baby's name. the shortest of these took me 8 1/2 hours, and the longest slightly over 12, or somewhat over 70 hours total for the six towels, but less than 80 hours. I love doing this, and I am sure I could find a faster way, but at the moment this is still a labor of love.

There has been some knitting progress, but nothing has been completed. I am still working on the ribbon cardigan. As much as I love both knitting and ironing, I find that this project tests my patience. I may like to iron but ironing yards upon yards of rayon ribbon flat is tedious at best. I have just finished ironing the third 100-yard skein of ribbon. I need to wind it on a spindle, after which I can knit another section of the sweater. The knitting itself is also slow, fun, but slow. There have been evenings in the past month where one row of the twisted basketweave stitch is all I can accomplish of an evening. Of course, the body of this cardigan is being knit in one piece, so the rows are not short. Sometimes self-justification is all that keeps us going. I know that I will love this cardigan. I love the fabric that I am creating. But it will be a long time before I take on another ribbon sweater. I will be happy if I have finished this by fall, which is, realistically, as soon as I would wear this sweater anyway.

Greater progress has been made with "Murder of Crows". I finished the body of the sweater and have picked up the first sleeve. This too will be a fall sweater, although there are still early mornings in the garden which would be cool enough to wear this sweater, were it finished. I really like the way this sweater is turning out and knitting it has reminded me that, as much as I love complicated texture and color work, patterns that require thought, it is also very good to have a simple mindless project on the needles. Pardon the dark photo — an unblocked sweater on a dark background, taken on a deeply cloudy day.

April 24, 2024
Blog Break and Project Updates

This will be my last post for February, which has been a quiet month anyway, at least in terms of finishing things.

I don't need to finish objects, there are more than enough things in my life as it is. Nonetheless there are quite a few piles here and there, and various ideas floating about that may or may not be beginning to shape themselves into tangible form. The creative fog is itself refreshing, and not limited to any particular medium at this point. I am dreaming of gardens and food, embroidery, sewing, knitting, color, texture form. It will all sort itself out in its own time.

I have managed to finish one thing, a simple scarf sewn up from a navy/blue/black sweater knit. This piece had been languishing in a stack for a long while. I had a sweater made from this fabric when I still lived in Hyde Park, but it has long since been worn to threads. I don't remember my original intentions for the remaining piece, but lately I keep looking at it, thinking "That will make a nice scarf someday" and then putting it aside. Well someday arrived. I honestly don't know why I had been putting this off, perhaps thinking I might have a more interesting idea. But interesting is sometimes overrated. And a scarf in hand is always good.

On the knitting front I've gone from working on one project (Ausma) to having three projects on the needles.

One is a rayon ribbon cardigan, that I love but which is proving to be a slow project. I had started this once before but had trouble keeping the yarn from twisting. I felt like I was spending more time untwisting the yarn than I was knitting. I ripped and began again after pressing all the twisted ribbon I had already knitted back into smooth silky shape.

I figured out that a ball, even a carefully hand wound ball, didn't work for me. Somehow, while knitting, I would twist the yarn even more. I came up with the idea of winding the yarn on a spindle of sort, using an embroidery frame as the spindle. This is tedious and time consuming, and each skein must be wound on the spindle painstakingly. That means the interruptions between knitting each skein becomes tedious. More tedious in fact, because the skeins themselves are twisted and tangled. Each new skein has to be slowly unwound, ironed, and slowly wrapped onto the spindle.

I do not believe the tangling is the manufacturer's fault. This yarn has been packed and unpacked multiple times, and treated non-too-kindly I fear. I take full responsibility even as I mutter under my breath while standing (not) patiently at the ironing table. Although I love the actual knitting, and the pattern is both simple and entertaining, the pressing and winding is far less exciting. It will be some time before this sweater is done, and most of that time will not be knitting time.

The ribbon project is not portable, so I needed something I could tote around with me. Enter socks. I'm not far along yet, but far enough that the sock is stable enough for traveling about. The yarn is a self striping yarn from Urth Yarns called Uneek Sock and I am knitting them on size 1 needles. The skein pictured is enough for one sock.

Feeling in need of more mindless knitting time to balance both the annoyances of ribbon flattening, and the fog of creative dreaming, I also started another fairly straightforward project, an assigned-pooling sweater using BFL fingering yarn from Barker Wool. The pattern is from Barker Wool as well and is called A Murder of Crows. I've just started this as well, so I don't have much to report. I am having fun with it so far. I really need a loose comfy sweater to just throw on all the time around the house and studio and I am hoping this will be the one.

Anyway, I hope the remainder of February is kind, and I will see you in March.

February 17, 2024
Hello Ausma

Let me introduce you to Ausma!

The pattern is Ausma by Inese Sang and is knitted using A Verb For Keeping Warm's yarn, Reliquary II. The yarn is lace weight, 80% merino, 20% silk.

During 2020 – 2022, and even into 2023, I belonged to several mystery yarn and knitting clubs. I joined in order to support favorite vendors during what was a difficult time. I wanted to do my little part. I didn't actually manage to knit everything I received during that period, but I have no regrets. This was one of the club offerings I received from A Verb for Keeping Warm, and although I adored the pattern, I was initially less than thrilled with the colors of the yarns. I did not re-up my membership in the shawl club, but not because I regretted anything about the club. In fact participation in these clubs has converted me into a knitter of shawls. I don't think I will ever give them up, even though sweater-knitting remains my first love. However, I prefer to have more control over what I actually acquire and make. When I was younger I would make something just to try a technique, to learn something new. Now I only want to make what I love. I feel no need to be on trend. I feel no need to be the first. I want to knit not just for the joy of knitting, but for the joy found in the finished object.

Back to Ausma.

This is basically a warm neutral shawl. But my coloring is basically soft and cool. Beige has never been my color. The base color, Santolina is a beige. It is a fairly neutral beige, but it is not a taupe. As I knit this I have made a valiant effort at convincing myself that I can wear this shawl with taupe, and you might think so as well from the photo below.

But you would be mistaken. In this photo, in low bedroom light, on a black background the shawl looks beautiful with my silver/taupe evening skirt. And it would probably work in an evening situation. But, in bright sunlight, in florescent light, or anywhere the lighting is warm or glaring, the difference in the colors becomes markedly incongruous. The skirt looks more silver/taupe, and the shawl quite yellow in comparison. It would not flatter the skirt; it would not flatter my skin. I do not have a photo to show you, so you will have to trust me on this.

The contrast color, Paloma, is definitely warm. The Santolina tones it down in the interior puffed rib panels, but the outer border is definitely warm soft pumpkin color.

Despite this, I have no regrets. I loved knitting the shawl. I have already purchased more of the same yarn, Reliquary II, in shades that will work for me with the intention of knitting another Ausma, one that will see plenty of wear. I do not regret the purchase. I do not regret the time spent knitting. As I have been writing this post however, I have also realized that I feel no need to hold on to Ausma now that she has been finished. It is time to release her into the world. She has already been donated to a worthy cause, and hopefully she will make someone very happy. That thought makes me very happy.

February 6, 2024
No Orphans
Despite my intention of making no resolutions or posting goals for 2024, a theme has evolved. How it plays out is yet to be determined, but I am fine with themes. Last year's theme was nesting, and the process of nesting yielded many discoveries and a growing sense of comfort within the always evolving themes of where I am in this particular stage of my life.

These year's theme seems to be revolving around the idea of "no orphans". It started as an impromptu idea that I simply didn't want to make things that had no place in my wardrobe, that were orphans. That means no sweaters that don't really go with anything or have a place in my wardrobe, no clothes I would never wear. it also apparently means that I need to assess the items I currently own, locate garments that have fallen out of favor, and perhaps find new partners for them.

This is all started with those black pants that I posted about a little over a week ago now. As I hemmed those pants, and later, the first time I wore them, I reflected on where they fit in my closet and from there to what I things I needed in my closet anyway.

Before making the black pants my winter basics included a couple of skirts for dressing up, two pairs of jeans, and a variety of cardigans and jackets that went with none of the above. In short the black pants were well needed.

I have a small collection of black tops to wear with them, black tops that give me a basic column to wear under sweaters and jackets of various colors. What you see in the picture, from left to right, are two black tees, one black turtleneck, a silky black tank/shell, and a silk blouse with ruffled collar. Between them I am probably set for most of my needs. I could perhaps use a long sleeve black tee or sweater, preferably in a merino wool or cashmere, but I am not likely to knit that, and it will not get as much wear as the other, so it can wait until the perfect something turns up.

The second tee, a. Uniqlo crewneck, is a couple of years old and obviously faded. it needs to be replaced. I don't have appropriate black fabric in my stash for a lightweight tee and I like the first tee very much, as it is lightweight, cool in the summer and works as a base layer under winter sweaters. At roughly $14 from Amazon, it makes more sense just to buy a another copy of that tee.

The silky tank was my mom's, purchased at a time when she had dropped some weight, and later passed to me. It fits, and fills a hole, but it is polyester, which means it is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. I need to replace it with silk, something I can do, and would prefer to do. I do miss the little silk tees and tanks I used to knock out by the dozen.

I could probably use a black skirt. I used to have one, and it was endlessly useful, so that gets added to the list.

What I do not have are any black third layers: a jacket or a cardigan, and these might also be worthwhile additions to my wardrobe. Black is still not my best color, but psychologically I have never been able to wean myself away. There are times I just feel comfortable in black. A black jacket would allow me to wear colored tees, tops, or sweaters under a jacket, still creating a unified column. I will likely not knit a fine gauge black cardigan , so that is something else to be on the lookout for. And since I think a black jacket would be useful, but I am not as interested in putting time into making a beautifully tailored jacket in black, or investing in a beautifully made specimen, I would look for something simpler, and perhaps more causal. I could make something like either of the patterns show below out of black ponte, of which I currently have a good supply in stash as I bought it on sale for pattern testing.

I made the CJ patterns jacket years ago (decades?) out of cotton/lycra and wore it out. It was a great travel jacket that saw heavy wear.

I recently purchased the second jacket pattern, Metra Jacket from Love Notions, forgetting I had the CJ patterns jacket, thinking it would be a good project to make with my ponte, and would be a great wardrobe basic to upgrade a casual "at home" outfit to something more polished for running errands etc.

Whatever I decide, the black pants are already proving useful, useful enough that I am going to make a second pair. This will give me one "core basic set" that I can fall back on while I work my way through my closet and making other garments. Although I might be tempted by other things, I need to focus on basics for a bit before branching out to the fun stuff.

In the meantime however, in the spirit of no orphans, let me show you how the black core is already working with this year's theme. Here I am wearing the black pants with the black turtleneck and an alpaca shrug I knitted in 2007 and have kept. I actually haven't worn the shrug in a few years as the garments that worked with it previously are no longer in my closet. I find that, to be comfortable, I need a belt at the waist to balance the shrug. These high waisted pants give me the opportunity of belting, something I have not had for a few years, and which I miss. A simple dress with a belt or waist detail would also work. The shrug doesn't get a lot of wear, but there are days each winter where it is appropriate. I expect to be wearing it more.

Another "oldie but goodie" that has popped out of the closet is this thick cabled sweater knit in 2001 from a Debbie Bliss pattern using Noro Kureyon. I've kept the sweater even though there are some winters in Knoxville where it hasn't been worn. Mostly I've worn it with jeans, but this winter I don't like the look of this sweater with the cut of my current jeans. The black pants however, work and the combination makes me happy. This past week, when Knoxville has been covered in snow and beset with freezing weather, I have felt very cozy and warm in this sweater. Below is a not very good picture of me in the sweater, unmade bed and all. Mastering the art of the self may not be high on my goal list.

So where does that leave me now?

Basic black pants and black tops are ready to wear with a variety of sweaters and jackets .

Two previously orphaned sweaters have found new companions.

Needs:
- 1 new short sleeve tee: 32 degrees cool, ordered from Amazon
- Another pair of black ponte pants, cut high in the waist.
- A black ponte skirt
- A black ponte jacket, particular style still to be determined.
- Replace black polyester tank with silk tank and/or silk tee for warmer weather.
- A black winter-weight cardigan, possibly cashmere, probably to be purchased, but this might change.
- A black summer-weight linen cardigan. Again probably not hand knit but you never know. I long ago learned never to say never. I do have a black and brown marled wool and linen cardigan in my closet that might serve here. To be determined.
- If I stick with the idea of a black core, a black summer skirt, and summer pants would also be useful.
- A black summer dress has long been on the list for the inevitable summer funerals.
It looks like a plan.

This is not the only plan. I am also currently planning and working on an evening capsule. More on that later.
January 23, 2024
2023 Projects in Review (picture heavy post)

I am happy with my sewing and knitting progress throughout 2023. I finished 11 knitted garments, I embroidered quite a few baptismal towels although I don't remember the exact count. Perhaps I should keep track of that. And I sewed three garments that I have kept and wear, one garment that I wore a few times and donated, and a few things I just trashed. I don't regret that. In retrospect I realize that my heart wasn't really in it at the time. Chalk failures up to learning experiences and move on.

Many of these garments were posted to the blog, but not all of them. Besides, I like having them all combined in one place.

In January I finished a wrap dress that was supposed to be finished in December. I wore it three times but never felt quite like myself in it.

I was happy with the construction of the dress, especially the way I had matched the small print at the back of the neckband, perfectly centered and then curving away symmetrically, a detail no one would ever notice but me. I was less happy with the fit in that the front bodice was slightly shorter than I was actually comfortable wearing. This had been a design decision, deciding that raising the waist was a more flattering silhouette, but in terms of comfort, we raised it too high. I had enough fabric remaining to recut the bodice, and I considering doing just that, but a wise friend reminded me that although recutting the bodice would fix the fit, it would not affect the style disconnect I felt wearing the dress. The dress was donated.

Aside from a couple of baptismal towels, there was a bit of a lull, in terms of completions, until the daily temperature blanket I had been knitting for 2023 was finally completed on March 1. I almost immediately started a baby blanket for my first great-grand-neice even though I was pretty darn close to being "blanketed out" by that point. But still, babies….

April brought more baptismal towels, and several works in progress,

Aside from the baby blanket, above, three other, fairly quick, projects were finished in May. Two were accessories. The socks were knit from yarn I received as a Christmas gift, and the brioche headband was a beginner brioche project begun at a knitting retreat.

I also finished the first of several tees or tops. This one, Anise, was knit from a cotton/rayon/silk blend yarn from Noro.

At this point I started another long project, a simple but large rectangular shawl in a lace weight silk. That was finished in early July.

Faster projects followed;

Another Noro tee was finished in August.

The tee was followed by an airy little linen cardigan in early September,

and another tee by the end of the month.

Another tee was finished in October. This yarn came from deep stash, purchased at a store that has long since closed. The colors make this suitable for wear throughout the fall, and into spring.

October saw me reentering the sewing room for more than baptismal towels (although I did make three of those in October and early November.) I finished this skirt, out of a stretch faux suede, which I have since worn several times and somehow always failed to take a picture. The pattern is by VikiSews.

And by the very end of November, I finished my last knitted object of 2023, another cotton shell/vest. This was a Rowan Pattern and I assembled it, and wore it the first time while traveling in Texas over Thanksgiving weekend. The photo above was taken on Christmas Eve.

In early December I finished a dress I had started in November, before my travels, and finished later. (Posted to the blog in December as well.). I also made a simple scarf/shawl, made from putting two pieces of chiffon together, one a peach that was somewhat too orange, and the other a pink that leaned a little to close to bubble-gum in hue. I like the combination of the two colors and together they make something wearable for me. Besides, pink and orange has always been one of my favorite color combinations.

January 16, 2024
Catching Up

I finished a sweater while I was traveling in Texas in late November and early December although I am only now getting around to posting photos.

The pattern is Veronique by Chloe Thurlow from Rowan Magazine No. 73, Summer 2023. The above photo is from the magazine. The design is knit it Rowan's Handknit Cotton, which is a worsted weight cotton. I knit my version in a cotton yarn from Malabrigo called Verano. In my experience, Rowan's Handknit Cotton and Malabrigo Verano knit to exactly the same gauge, but the Malabrigo is lighter in weight. The Rowan yarn comes in at 186 yards per 100 grams and the Malabrigo is 205 yards per 100 grams. A seemingly small difference that is nonetheless noticeable in the drape and weight of the finished sweater.

In my hot humid climate, neither yarn works for me as a summer yarn but both produce garments that are perfect for the transitional seasons of Spring and Fall, and even for the milder winter days here in Tennessee. This sweater was knit not so much as a summer sweater therefore but as a transitional and layering piece. For that reason also I made the sweater slightly on the boxy side, as shown in the photo in the Rowan magazine.

There are a couple of things I noted about the sweater before starting. On the model, the focal point of the joining of the colors occurs slightly below the fullest part of the bust, but just below that point, probably not a full inch, guessing here, based on the photos in the magazine. This is fine on a younger, and perhaps not very full-busted model. This means that accurate measurements, and some fudging in the actual knitting are critical, as I am not sure that this would be particularly flattering if the design lines cross at exactly the full bust, at least not on most women.

One possibility is to make the top, yoke-portion, shorter, so that the dividing line is clearly above the bust line, and the lower portion is longer. This would be particularly flattering on someone who is not only fuller through the bust, has a longer length from bust point to shoulder, and/or is short through the torso, or short waisted. The advantage of knitting our own sweaters after all, is to create garments that are most flattering to the impression we, as individuals, wish to portray.

That short-on-top- long on bottom silhouette would not work so well for me however as I am long through the torso. My distance from shoulder to full bust is shorter than average in terms of most patterns (both sewing and knitting) and the distance below the bust to my waist is longer than average. To balance my figure, I would want the division line between the colors to be below the fullest part of the bust in order to lengthen that top portion, rather than accenting my long-waistedness.

In think I was fairly successful with that. I wanted this sweater to be very close to waist-length, which meant I did have to lengthen it slightly, and the bottom section is a few rows longer than specified in the pattern. I did not alter the top section at all, except for slight modifications at the shoulder line, as the length in the pattern ended clearly below my full bust. The dividing lines on this pattern fall slightly below the bottom of my brassiere band. I think it works for me, although it is also possible that I could have made the top portion every so slightly shorter, a row or two perhaps. This is not a big enough problem to make it worth fretting over and I am happy with the sweater as it is,

December 26, 2023