boneyard shawl

Boneyard Shawl
By Stephen West

This simple triangular shawl is a great project for traveling or while relaxing at home. Once you get started, it is easy to memorize the construction of this cozy garment.

I worked this shawl in a DK weight tweedy wool yarn, but it would look lovely in any weight or fiber (bulky, fingering, striped, variegated, cotton, silk, etc…) I like to knit with a larger than recommended needle size for the yarn on this shawl because I get the most out of a yarn’s yardage. A looser fabric also allows for excellent drape.

Yarn: Rowan Rowanspun DK, colorway #748, 3 skeins (654 yards)

Needles: US 8, 32” circular

Notes: The shawl increases from the cast on stitches and ends at the shawl’s point with a garter stitch edge. The first and last 2 stitches of every row are knit while 4 yarn overs are added every other row (a yarn over at each end and a yarn over on each side of the center or “spine” stitch). As the shawl grows, a ridge is added every 12 rows to create extra textural interest and a simple garter stitch border ties everything together.

Instructions
CO 5 sts

Set up row (WS): K2, P1 (mark this center stitch by placing a marker on it or a removable marker on each side of it), K2

Row 1 (RS): K2, yo, K1, yo, K2

Row 2 (WS): K2, yo, P3, yo, K2 (this is the only WS row where you increase with yo’s)

Row 3 (RS): K2, yo, knit to center stitch, yo, K1, yo, knit to last 2 sts, yo, K2

**Row 4 (WS): K2, purl to last 2 sts, K2

Repeat rows 3 and 4, creating a stockinette stitch fabric with garter stitch edges.

**On every 12th row (on the WS) knit the entire row instead of purling to form the ridges.

Continue knitting until shawl reaches about 2 inches less than desired finished size.

Keeping the yarn over increases going on every RS row, Knit all stitches on the RS and WS rows, making the garter stitch border. (Remember to allow enough yarn for the garter stitch border because with the large number of stitches at the end, the long rows use a lot of yarn.)


Finishing
After the border is the desired length, bind off all stitches and weave in the ends. (I used one of my favorite flexible bind offs, Elizabeth Zimmerman’s sewn bind off, and I was very pleased with the finished edge.)

Block the finished shawl if you wish and enjoy!

felted things and malabrigo

A lot of knitting has been going on, but not a lot of typing due to an incident involving a bowl of soup and my computer keyboard. I can still access the internet and my mouse works along with half of my keys, but I have to click letters on my screen to make up for the other half of my keys that don't function. I'm waiting until I'm back home to get it looked at. Fortunately, I don't have to type many papers this semester.

Anyway, I've been knitting constantly and completing several projects. Most recently, I've felted a couple things.

Last night I just added the lining and button/closure to a felted bag.


I used Cat Bordhi's Moebius Sling Bag - Summer Weight pattern as a guideline, but I cast on about 20 extra stitches to the strap and 10 extra stitches to the body of the bag. The strap also isn't a moebius.


I used a few skeins of Classic Elite Skye Tweed (marmalade) and some leftover Madil Loden in a pickley grellow color that I got when I was in Italy last summer. The Skye Tweed took several hot washes to felt for me. I put it through a couple cycles in a top loader washing machine and a few times in a front loader. I've never had a wool that took that much washing to felt. It turned out fine though.


I sewed some quilting fabric together with a machine and then attached the fabric to the felted bag by hand with a tapestry needle and some Noro Shinano. Then, I just made a simple i-cord loop to fasten around a wooden button.


It's the perfect size for a small knitting project like a hat.

I also recently made a basket/bag type thing for Klose Knit out of Malabrigo in the Cadmium colorway.


It's been a little while since I worked with Malabrigo worsted and I've fallen in love with it again.

After making that felted basket I got a couple skeins of Malabrigo at Knit 1 in Chicago to work on a pattern of mine. I came up with a reversible hat idea last summer, but I'm finally perfecting it and starting to get the pattern written up.


I'll put the free pattern on here and on my Ravelry page in the next few weeks or so. The hat looks great playing with two different yarn as well as a solid color.


I'm excited to see other people knit this hat up in different colors.

My needles have been busy with hats in March. I worked with the new Noro Chirimen yarn and whipped up this hat about a week ago.


It's a wonderful cotton blend with gorgeous colorways. I'll be able to wear it in the spring and summer.



I'll still be knitting with wool over these next couple seasons, but I also want to work with some cooler yarns as well. Do you all have any favorite spring/summer yarns. What projects do you find yourself working on in warmer months or what to do you plan on knitting during spring and summer?

textured shawl

I had a lot of fun knitting this textured shawl recipe by orlane over on Ravelry. It is just a normal triangular shawl, two garter stitches on each side and left/right increases instead of yarn overs.


Pattern: Textured Shawl Recipe by Orlane
Yarn: Cascade Pastaza (colorway 077), Cascade Jewel Hand Dyed (colorway 9888)
Needles: US 10 1/2
Started: January 25 2009
Completed: January 27 2009


The textured stitch pattern was extremely easy and adds a lot to the shawl. I made my first shawl a few months ago for my mom that used garter and stockinette stitch and some yarn over rows. I like the simplicity of these triangular knits and the stitch variations that make them interesting.


The last picture is a variation of the Simple Yet Effective Shawl by cosmicpluto.


Both yarns were so nice to work with. I love the colors in Cascade Pastaza, especially this heathered mustardy yellow. It makes an even dense fabric that gives the piece good drape. The charcoal Jewel Hand Dyed is very interesting with its light and dark shades gray. It's a squishy thick & thin yarn. I only had to use two skeins of Pastaza and one of the Hand Dyed.


I have figured out a few ways to wear this shawl and it is very warm so that's good for these cold winter days. I have scarves and other things for my neck too, but I wanted to make a shawl anyway. I had just enough yarn and when I don't wear it, I like looking at the wonderful fabric hanging in my room.


I just started another triangular shawl in stockinette stitch with several garter ridges in a gray tweed. They are so easy and enjoyable to knit and make great FO's.

seamless hybrid

I've wanted to make Elizabeth Zimmerman's Seamless Hybrid sweater for awhile now and finally got around to it. I love how the sweater can be just the size I want with her percentage system and the majority of it is good mindless knitting.

I started this sweater soon after the new year in Minnesota with family. It was a great project for all the down time I had sitting around visiting with family, waiting an hour for my little cousin to open all her birthday presents, and of course all the time spent in the car. I even knit in the sanctuary before a service at my aunt's church. (Their exit signs in the sanctuary were stained glass!)

The final product turned out pretty well. If I do it again I'll make the body an inch or two longer. I had to block and encourage a little more length out of the body fabric.


Pattern: Seamless Hybrid by Elizabeth Zimmerman (Knitting Workshop)
Yarn: Beaverslide Dry Goods Worsted, Clear Water colorway
Needles: US 8, US 6 (ribbing)
Started: January 2, 2009
Completed: January 9, 2009


I got the yarn from Beaverslide's website on sale about a year ago and was a bit surprised when I saw it in person. The color seemed bright for my taste, but I love the yarn quality and finally cast on with it. I thought I might try dyeing it darker, but the color has grown on me so I'm liking it now.


I didn't have many problems with the construction except I forget to allow a plain stitch between the arm's double decreases going up to the shoulder. You don't notice when I wear it unless I raise my arms. I cast on 182 sts (my key number) for the body and 36 sts for the arms.


I had 6 balls of the yarn but I ended up just dipping into the fifth one for the neck's ribbing. You get great yardage with Beaverslide, 250 yards/skein, $8 for the colorway on sale, less than $40 for a great sweater!


I loved working with Beaverslide's yarn. It's nice, plush, and has great texture. There are also scattered flecks of lighter blue throughout the yarn. It has a loose twist, but that didn't bother me at all. I need to try other colors in the future.

durrow

I finally got to give Chris his Christmas sweater a few days ago. I started working on the pattern at the end of September and finished the collar and sewing the seams January 1st. So, it's my first FO of the year!

I did some collar modifications and mirrored cables on the sleeves after reading Ken's blog entry of his Durrow. I used the smallest size on US sz 6 needles instead of 8s and added some sleeve and body length.


Pattern: Durrow by Jodi Green
Yarn: Queensland Collection Kathmandu Aran, colorway 155
Needles: US 6 & 4 (for collar)
Started: September 30, 2008
Completed: January 1, 2009


Kathmandu Aran is one of my favorite yarns to work with. It's soft and the subtlety of colors is great.



I had the front and back done during school and tackled the sleeves over winter break. About a week ago I had to be in the car from Chicago to Tulsa, OK. So, I spent the whole time finishing one sleeve, took about 10 hours or so.


The cables and charts look complicated, but by the second sleeve I was moving along quickly and memorized what all the symbols in the chart meant. It's a lot easier than it looks.


It fits Chris perfectly and he loves it!

cowls

Within the last few days I got to enjoy two nice 700 mile drives, one from Chicago to Tulsa,OK and one from Tulsa to Minneapolis. In about an hour or so my mom and I are going to scout out a couple yarn stores in the area. I brought several projects and plenty of yarn (a backpack and messenger bag full), but I've finished several things/don't want to work with the rest. Anyway, the holidays + traveling make for excellent knitting time.

Around Christmas I went on a little cowl kniting spree. I made my mom the Ice Queen cowl with beads which she LOVES.


Pattern: Ice Queen by Rosemary Hill
Yarn: Kidsilk Haze colorway 583
Needles: US 8
Started: December 23, 2008
Completed: December 25, 2008

She's going to make something like it in black for my sister-in-law. She's been knitting in the car too, working with Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino doubled with Rowan Kidsilk Haze in shades of blue. She made a nice cowl for her sister and I got to help her with the lace edge.

About a week ago, I made two other cowls.



Pattern: The Guy Next Door Cowl by Devin Fred Fredrickson
Yarn: Hand Jive Knits Nature's Palette Bulky thick and thin merino
Needles: US 13
Started and Completed: December 26, 2008

This yarn was awesome to work with and I have about a quarter of the skein leftover. The fabric is exceptionally squishy and has great texture.



The same day I got that yarn at Three Bags Full in Northbrook I went over to Nina in Chicago for the first time. The shop is really sleek. Everything is very organized and well lit. You just have to barely pull the yarn out from the shelf and it hits the light perfectly so you can get a good look at the true color, very inspiring store. I scored a habu textiles kit and a few skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas Melange that resulted in this.



Pattern: improvised
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Melange
Needles: US 6
Started: December 27, 2008
Completed: December 28, 2008

I loved working with the heathered colors of melange. I improvised this simple design and it entertained me as I waited in line for an hour at Wool and Company in Geneva, IL for their 40% off almost everything sale Saturday morning. I controlled myself and got what I needed. I didn't walk out with a garbage bag full of yarn like many others.

I guess this holiday break has been full of knitting stores and it's not over yet!

It's been awhile

I'm going to try to keep up with blogging. I stopped back in April and then I think just got overwhelmed by all the projects that passed without blog attention. So, I'm going to start up again with my recent knitting adventures and occasionally add in some other good knits since April.

Most recently I finished the Baby Cables and Big Ones Too sweater by adding neck modifications a few days ago. I was very pleased with my mod.

Before the mod, the neck was a wide boat-like neck which looked nice in other women's sweaters, but I don't like this neck for me because it shows a lot of the shirt you wear underneath and doesn't feel sturdy on the shoulders and neck.

BEFORE


I picked up stitches on either side of the neck, knit them in garter stitch while knitting on the new strip to the front and back sides, then picked up stitches all around the neck and knit in stockinette for a rolled brim. There are written instructions to my modifications at the end of this post.

AFTER


Pattern: Baby Cables and Big Ones Too by Suvi S.
Yarn: part of a 1250g cone of 100% New Wool from Hunters of Brora in Scotland
Needles: US 8 throughout and US 6 (for neck mods)
Started: December 11, 2008
Completed: December 21, 2008




I got some nice pictures of the sweater outside, on the sunny day after most of the snow melted.


In about 6 hours from now I'm driving with my mom and step-dad to Tulsa, OK to see one of my brothers and my niece I haven't met (my other brother's daughter, he's over in Iraq) So, I scouted out some cute baby patterns on Ravelry to make for her. I have to pick a bunch of yarn from my stash to take with me so I can have whatever I need for the pattern I choose. I downloaded podcast episodes of Cast On and Lime & Violet to entertain me in the car with my knitting. I'll have a lot more knitting to share soon, especially with this nice long holiday break from school.

Here are the neck modifications...

Neck Modifications 12/28/08:
Pick up and knit 18 sts (RS of sweater) at the side neck edges using US sz 6 needles. Knit back and forth in garter stitch by doing the following…

next row (WS): Pick up the next stitch from the front of the sweater or back (dependent on which side is worked first) and knit it together with the first stitch of the row and then knit to last stitch and knit it together with a picked up stitch from the front or back of sweater. (18 sts)

next row (RS): Knit one row, decreasing one stitch at each end. (16 sts)

Repeat those 2 rows 3 more times (10 sts) The last row knit was the RS.

Repeat that process on the other side. When the other side is caught up, pick up stitches along the front and back and continue to knit on the RS, knitting the picked up stitches from the front and back and the other side’s 10 sts. Continue to work in the round for about an inch in St st on US sz 6 needles to create a roll brimmed neck edge.

I ended up with about 80 sts or so. Then, choose a flexible bind off. I used sz 8 needles for the BO.

I’m sure I could have started with a smaller amount of neck sts at the beginning of this project, but this modification afterwards looks just fine. The garter stitch rows on either side of the neck run perpendicular to those rows on the front and back instead of connecting all around like the rest of the yoke, but that doesn’t bother me. It’s a little design feature. This sweater feels much sturdier now and more secure on my shoulders.