She Knits By The Seashore

Forever (and Ever) Tweed Sweater

 

 

Pattern: Forever Tweed by Wendy Bernard, Knitscene Spring 2009

Yarn: Rowan Scottish Tweed Aran in Thistle, 5 1/4 skeins

Needles: 9 & 10 circulars, 9 dpns for sleeves

Modifications: Added 2" to body because this is a cropped sweater, and I am long-waisted

This sweater took so much longer than it should have, because there is a mistake in the pattern not noted in the usual places. After finishing the collar, the directions say to increase every other row 15 times (for a total of 30 rows), and that section should measure 8” when completed (according to the schematic). However, the gauge indicates there should be approx. 45 rows, not 30 as the directions imply. I increased every third row instead of every other row, which for the Rowan yarn, worked out just fine.

I love this sweater! I became obsessed with the yarn color when I first saw it, and still adore the moody purple. The length works well, hitting at just above my hips. Most important of all, it's WARM. I may have to live in it until mid-May. :)

 

 

This is a hideous photo, but since I cannot seem to get a better one at the moment (oh Sun, where art thou?), we'll go with it. Chris took it for me after the last Bethel bike race, and the sweater is terribly wrinkled after being mashed inside my coat all afternoon. Please ignore the knotted "Bethel hair" and squinty face I get after a day in the brisk winds there. I'm only including it so you can get an idea of the sweater fit; it's a boxy 80s shape that somehow doesn't swallow me. The pattern calls for extra-long sleeves that come to about mid-palm; I like them, but you might want to roll the cuff back, or knit the sleeves shorter.

The best part about finishing this is that now I can work on spring/summer projects. I'm cranking out rows on my pink Vogue skirt, and have again picked up Paloma, abandoned out of frustration two summers ago. If you've ever heard of "Purl in the Row Below" (PRB)," or know how to do this stitch when the previous row is a K2Tog, YO row, I beg your assistance. Otherwise, I'm headed to the wonderful not-so-LYS for help night really soon.

Have a great weekend!

Purple Sweater Progress at Last

I'm sure you're tired of reading about it, but the "beginner" Forever Tweed sweater has been a real challenge. After ripping it back three or four times, trying various fixes that didn't work, and also going to the LYS where no one could help me, I gave up and took it to a help night at a large, not-so-local LYS.

This was the best thing I could have done, as I proved to myself, It's Not Me. The shop owner discovered that the math didn't work as written. I got nervous when she started talking square roots and geometry of triangles for raglan sweaters, and I couldn't follow that enough to rewrite it here for you, but the short answer is that if the gauge is 4"= 20 rows (5 rows an inch), and if you are to knit 8" down from the collar according to the schematic, that would be 40 rows. But the directions say, "Rep Inc rnd every other rnd 15 times..." which totals only 31 rows. Maybe you all would have figured that one out on your own, or made up your own directions, but a math person I am not. My gauge is a little different with the Rowan yarn, so I have approximately 45 rows, and I'm closer to 9", as she figured out with her geometry. No matter. Once I knit through the revised directions and tried on the sweater, it fit well enough that I could proceed to the separation of the armholes.

 

I dearly hope this is the worst of it, and this project will now begin to fly off the needles. Otherwise, I'll be taking the FO photos for this wool sweater in 80 degree weather, as I did last May. :)

It's been a really rough week around these parts, and to be honest, I am worn out. In addition to a promising job hope that fizzled out faster than a Fourth-of-July sparkler (after a whole lot of work), our beloved Rainy had a mild seizure last Sunday night.

 

I am OK and I just want to take a nap!

We took her to the emergency vet (Thank God for emergency hospitals for animals!!). Her blood work & blood pressure looked pretty good, so we took her home with us for the night and had her stay in our room to keep an eye on her. On Monday I took her to the regular vet for X-rays, more blood tests, and we should know something tomorrow (Friday). We may need to do an ultrasound or MRI.

The veterinarians don't know for sure what happened, but possibilities are a dormant virus, a blood clot, epilepsy, or a one time thing. I'm not even going to "lesion on the brain." I was fortunate that about a month ago, I was talking to a woman in a vet waiting room and she had told me about her cat's seizure -- because of that I knew what happened and what to do and felt at least a bit prepared. I don't leave Rainy alone for more than a couple hours at a time right now, and every little noise sends me running to make sure she's OK. If you all have any stories or advice or experience with this, I'd be so grateful if you could send me an email and let me know. My email is scarlett22770 at yahoo dot com.

I wish you a happy weekend, dry basements (lots of Rain predicted here; our girl is up to something!), and lots of stressfree knitting and reading.

 

When I furrow my eyebrows out the window, watch out! Storms are on the way.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have hit a wall with my purple tweed sweater, Forever Tweed by Wendy Bernard (Knitscene, Spring 2009).

 

The schematic says that the collar is to be 7 1/2" long. It is. It also says that from where the collar attaches to the body of the sweater, to the underarms where you separate for the sleeves, the length is to be 8". Though my gauge is correct, the length from collar to underarm is actually smaller than the length of the collar itself.

I checked for errata on Knitscene & Ravelry, and re-measured three times (you increase every other row for a total of 30 rows to make the shoulders) and then gave up and took it to the LYS. The usually helpful saleswoman was also stumped, photocopied the pattern with my notes, and offered to call if they could figure it out. No calls yet. What to do? If I keep going with the increasing, the arms will be too big. If I don't, I'll lose the nice diagonal of the raglan design. Does anyone have any ideas?? Maybe I am missing something.

 

Last weekend we went on another used bookstore trip, this time to Brattleboro, Vermont. It's only about 2 1/2 hours by car from our home, and our friends Dorothy and Hobgoblin joined us. I always feel better book shopping with them, because Hobgoblin finds more books than I do! I made up for our last bookless trip by coming home with six mysteries, one new and five used. I might just make it through winter now!!

In the finishing department, I enjoyed Lorna Barrett's Murder is Binding, the first book in the Booktown Mystery series. Trisha, newly divorced and beginning the next phase of her life as a mystery bookseller in Stoneham, New Hampshire, is horrified to discover her store neighbor, Doris Gleason, murdered one night in The Cookery. Doris was not well-liked by any of the other shopkeepers or villagers, but for some reason, the sheriff seems intent on charging Trisha with murder. Further complicating matters is Trisha's sister, Angelica, who has decided to relocate to Stoneham. Trisha and Angelica have never gotten along, and to Trisha, the thought of her sister living in the same town is unbearable.

Despite their differences, the sisters team up to solve Doris' murder, and the solution was believable and satisfying. The strength of this series, however, is its characters. Some mystery series have stock characters who are not well-developed or even interesting as people, and are there to move the plot along. In this case, the elderly Mr. Everett and Ginny, who work in the bookshop, are people I want to know more. Angelica is a person clearly trying to overcome her past, though she still occasionally offends Trisha with her old habits. I've started book #2, Bookmarked for Death, and I'll see how their lives unfold.

Most of you know that I volunteer at our local no-kill shelter, giving out medications to the cats, providing transport to the vet, and helping with the seasonal newsletter. Occasionally, I do a bit of rescue too. If someone calls the shelter about a stray cat in their neighborhood, I might be asked to pick it up and take it to the shelter.

Last Sunday night, a stray cat came to us. We had friends over, and one of our cats made that special growly noise they do when someone is on their property. Sure enough, when I looked out onto our back deck, I was greeted by a tiger cat with glowy light green eyes.

I borrowed a hav-a-heart trap from the shelter, tempted our stray with some tuna in the trap, and the next night, we discovered her waiting for us. Though covered with ticks, she didn't seem too worse for the wear of being on her own outside. Meet Ashley:

 

I took her to the vet today (Wednesday) for her exam and vaccinations, and she's ready for adoption into a new home. I'm so thrilled to know that her hard life outdoors is over, and thankful that from now on, she'll be warm inside with plenty of people to fuss over her at the shelter until she finds a new family.

This is the second cat this year that's come to our home needing rescue. I'm beginning to wonder if we have a sign on our door alerting them to our safe house??

And with that, I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving -- warmth, good food, and plenty of people to fuss over, family and friends.

Forever Tweed and Reading Update

For the last two weeks, I've been knitting a new sweater, Forever Tweed by Wendy Bernard. The collar is finished and I have a few more rows before I divide for the sleeves.

 

This sweater, knit on size 9s, is flying off the needles! I'm not sure why so few knitters have made it (according to Ravelry); perhaps it is the 1980s boxy yet cropped shape? I'm long-waisted, so will probably need to add a couple of inches to the length when I get there.

I absolutely love the Thistle-colored Rowan Tweed yarn that I found on sale last fall for this project. It's a nice break from my Vogue pink skirt, which I'm still working on, that is knit on size 3s. In fingering weight sock yarn.

 

 

Last weekend, we visited an old mill-turned-used-book store (with a cafe, music/DVD shop, and art studio as well). Would you believe I didn't find a single title on my list? Book Mooch made up for this, though, because I have received two knitting books through them -- quite a coup as the waiting lists for knitting titles are long and it's really hard to snatch them.

 

Thankfully I have been reading a lot (though still not as fast as the acquiring part). I very much enjoyed The Ghost and Mrs. McClure, the first title in a present-day Rhode Island-based series. Mrs. M and her aunt have recently refurbished and upgraded their local independent book store, and their first visiting author dies during the intermission of his booktalk. While of course bringing lots of publicity and sales to the bookshop, the murder also brings police suspicion. Not to worry, though, when the ghost of a 1940s detective, Jack Shepard, reveals himself to Mrs. M. Though his spirit cannot leave the brick walls of the shop, he coaches Mrs. M in detecting, and helps her to find the killer. One of these days, in a future book, Mrs. McClure is going to help Jack identify his own killer -- I just know it. I'm looking forward to book 2!

The Poisoned Chocolates Case is a vintage 1929 mystery, republished by the very cool Felony & Mayhem publishers. The mystery centers around wealthy members of a crime club, who meet monthly to discuss historical and current crimes. As the story begins, a visiting Scotland Yard detective presents to members a current, unsolved murder, of a wealthy rogue whom everyone had reason to hate. Each member is given a week to investigate and gather their own details and then, one at a time, each presents his or her solution and murderer. I loved the concept of this mystery (almost like Agatha Christie's Thirteen at Dinner) but I found a few of the crime club members rather annoyingly pretentious. The eventual murderer seems rather obvious, but perhaps it wasn't when the book was originally published? If you like Golden Age mysteries, try this one and see what you think.

Anne Fadiman, author of personal essays, was a delight to read in At Large and At Small. If you are a fan of coffee or ice cream, you'll especially enjoy her confidences on those sweet addictions. The essays on Charles Lamb and Coleridge were a little dense, and I often have to run to the dictionary when I'm reading her work to look things up. But her honesty, quirky stories, and sense of humor make it totally worth it.

On a very different shelf, I finished The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron. I'm not one that usually reads psychology/self-help books, but after scoring highly on the author's quiz, I couldn't resist finding out more about HSPs. HSPs are usually but not always introverted, and the author stresses the differences between sensitive and shy. Sensitive is not, as you might think, describing people whose feelings are easily hurt. It is more about being sensitive to any sort of stimuli -- loud noises, strong scents, caffeine, activity. Think of your nervous system or senses being overloaded by your surroundings and that might give you a better idea of the types of things the author discusses. While I did find comfort in this book -- knowing that there are others who need time alone each day to collect their thoughts and recoup from social activity (even of the most fun kind) -- the author was on the borderline for me of enabling some people to make excuses rather than give explanations for asserting their needs. She refers to Carl Jung often (also an HSP), and some of the comparisons eluded me as I took very few psychology courses in college. One of the best things about this book is her explaining that our culture favors extroverted people, and in that light, tries to "fix" those of us who are introverted to meet that ideal, rather than celebrate our different strengths, like intuition and sensitivity to other people's feelings, awareness of great detail, etc. If you have ever felt pressured to change to be someone you are not (extroverted, not-so-sensitive), reading this book will explain why and how you can be comfortable being you.

I've started two new books, Gunpowder Plot in the Daisy Dalrymple series, and A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf, which I have wanted to read for a very long time. What are you reading and knitting?

Mr. Greenjeans, in Purple

 

photo above by Lucky Magazine, 2009; photo below by Chris, 2010

 
 

Because we all want to wear a 3/4 length sleeve heavy wool sweater for summer!

Pattern: Mr. Greenjeans, from Knitty

Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted, 5 skeins Elderberry Wine

Needles: 7 & 8 circulars, and dpns for the sleeves

Mods: Did not switch to smaller size needles for ribbing in body of sweater, per advice from Ravelry

Thoughts: This seamless, top-down sweater became a real pain when the second skein started to pool in spots. My OCD went into overdrive. I ripped back and alternated skeins, and still had to manipulate the stripe colors in some places, so there were a lot more ends to weave in than there should have been. If I were to knit this again, I'd either use the recommended yarn, or knit it in a solid.

The directions call for casting on 8 stitches under the arms, and I think it made the top of the sweater too big and blousy. It's hard to tell right now, with only a T-shirt underneath, but since it was 80+ degrees and humid when we took our photos (a model has to make sacrifices, right? :) ), there was no way I was going to get out the turtleneck that I'll probably wear with it in colder weather. Next time I come across a pattern where you cast on the stitches for under the arm, I'll add less and see if that reduces the bulkiness. Other than that, I'm pleased with the final project, especially the waist shaping.

I should note that I didn't knit this project because I was inspired by the first photo above; it was actually a fun coincidence that I wanted to play with. I'm always curious what makes some knitting projects "fashion" and others "craft."

So, so, so glad this is finally done, and I can work on my skirt full-time! I'm into the second panel, the block pattern now. I'm also still working on the beaded seashore scarf.

 

I went against my seasonal religion and bought the Early F-ll issue of Vogue Knitting. There are some very summery pastel pink, yellow, and purple projects that I like, along with the more somber, heavy, dark ones. If you've seen the issue, what projects are you considering?

And So the Epic Begins

I didn't quite make my self-imposed deadline of finishing the purple Mr. Greenjeans cardigan before May 1st, but I'm close. A cuff on one sleeve, the other whole sleeve, and the ribbed trim, and I'll be there. Ran into a little delay when I realized that the sleeves require double pointed needles (rather than circulars) and I don't have size sevens for the cuffs or trim. Off to the LYS.

 

This did not prevent me from starting my Epic Summer Knitting Project as planned.

No, it doesn't look like a skirt at the moment. But I'm so thrilled to be knitting something springy and pink that these long rows are going by pretty fast.

After a couple of weeks of pain, I am finally going to see a doctor again about my foot neuroma (basically, an irritated nerve). Back in 1997 or so, my foot got very sore from standing on my feet all day at work, and when I rubbed it enough, it would go numb. A visit to the orthopedist identified the neuroma, and I had some physical therapy in the form of iontophoresis (sadly, no weekly foot massages, which would have felt so much better!). It was fine for a while after that, but on and off through time it has been acting up again. I have managed to mollify it with magnets for the most part, but now, even they are not working as much as they used to. It's been difficult to keep to a regular bike riding schedule and I am frustrated losing time by staying off my feet.

I have a pretty good sized fear of injections, and I've heard cortisone injections are not the most pleasant, which is why I have been putting this off. But I survived a tetanus shot last summer and so I'm wondering if the cortisone would be much worse? Personally I'm hoping for sclerotherapy, to just shrink the nerve altogether and get rid of it, but we'll have to see what the doctor says. I just want to get this over with and get on with my bike riding!

I found a couple of interesting sites to share with you. First, Queen Anne's Lace Knitting. I'm not sure what the designer means by "aristocratic" knitting and crochet, but the idea of patterns inspired by poetry is cool, to me anyway. Second, I do not sew (or cook, really...), but a number of my blog friends do, and when I saw this site, it reminded me of the Amy Butler-type of designs and fabrics they like to use. So if you like these hobbies, you may want to take a look. I do not know anything about these companies nor have I purchased anything from them, they just reminded me of things that knit blogging friends like.

As to books, I haven't done lots of reading lately since I've been trying extra hard to finish my sweater, and I'm reading the new May magazines -- I love some of the fashion and home decorating ones, and summer knitting magazines are out now too. Lots of knitters dislike the spring/summer issues but I find them most inspiring, with the lighter colors and patterns and all those pretty shawls. The beaches and exotic locales for background scenery are not to be missed either! When I do make time to read, I'm going over some of the sections in Too Perfect. And, I just received Moon Spinners, the next Seaside Knitters mystery!

Purple Cardigan Update

I hope everyone had a wonderful week of bright sunny weather! It was such a thrill to finally open windows in our house last week and enjoy the fresh air, and drive with the top down on the car. We're back to March weather this week, windows closed and coats on, but spring-for-real can't be far away.

I'm so excited to start the pink Vogue skirt in my last post, but I promised myself that I would finish two projects first, by May 1. The beaded seashore scarf is going faster now that the bead placement on the yarnovers has become more intuitive. I'm nearly to the half-way point, and I think the scarf may turn out short, but I'll wait until blocking to decide.

My other project to finish is the purple cardigan. When I last posted about it, I asked your opinion about the odd striping/pooling, and agreed with the majority that it was best to rip back and alternate skeins. I've done that, and am now almost to the beginning of the cabled rib section that forms the waist and lower body.

What do you think of the patterns in the new issue of Knitty? I love the Que Sera cardigan, and Petrie is interesting for its vintage style. I'm looking forward to Twist Collective's new issue too. Do you know when that is due out?

In book news, I started and finished J.D. Robb's Rapture in Death. It was a great escape from having to deal with more water in the basement from all the rain. Robb's visualization of a future world, where virtual reality games can be manipulated by unscrupulous people to alter moods and behaviors to the point of inspiring suicide, is frightening, but perhaps not all that far-fetched. I'm fascinated by the computers and other high tech tools that Eve Dallas, the detective, can use to solve these types of crimes, and am looking forward to the next installment, Ceremony in Death, soon.

In the meantime, I've just started Death by Cashmere, the first book in a recent seaside knitters mystery series. The series is set on Boston's North Shore, near the historic, picturesque real-life fishing villages/art colonies of Rockport and Gloucester. Though I haven't visited there in some years, I'm hoping to go later this year, perhaps on a bike trip. Reading books in this series will make me want to visit even more.

What are you reading and knitting this weekend?

Shine Jacket

Finally finished!

 

Shine Jacket by Louisa Harding, size 38.25"

Knitting magazine, August 2009, Issue 66

Glisten yarn: 6 skeins

Needles: Sizes 8 & 10

Mods: None, though instead of crocheting the trim to seam it, I used mattress stitch

Here is a not-so-great photo to give you some idea of fit. I purposely knit one size up, and it still seems small to me.

 

When I started this project late last summer, it seemed like the perfect little shrug to have as a coverup, since I am always cold. It quickly became apparent that the yarn was going to be miserable to knit. For one thing, it slides off the ball, so you have to keep a rubber band on it, taking off maybe a yard at a time to work. That will then twist on you, and so you then have to stop and unwind it, or you'll end up with a version of the old telephone cords hanging from your needles to the ball. But the thing that frustrated me most, and nearly stopped me from finishing the project, is this:

 

The yarn catches on absolutely everything. As careful as I tried to be, and even wore gloves when I seamed the trim, it caught and snagged on itself! It was so disappointing to realize that I probably wouldn't wear it much before it became too fuzzy, and one catch on a rough chair edge or seatbelt, and it will be done. 

This has been a bittersweet project; the best I can say is that it's finally out of the knitting bag. If you decide to knit the shrug, be sure to triple check the measurements, since it's a British pattern and the conversion may not be what you'd expect. I still like the design, and it's a quick knit, but whatever you do, do not use Glisten yarn if you want it to last a few wearings.

On a happier note, bike racing season started last Sunday:

 

Chris is in the middle, in a new black and red team kit. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we were all thrilled to be outside to enjoy it! Tomorrow's race is supposed to be rainy, so we're all a little nervous about the road conditions. Good luck to the racers, and I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Finished Kitchen & Almost Finished Shine Jacket

The sun finally made a brief appearance, so may I present our finished kitchen:

 

It is such a pleasure to be there now that the walls are all the same color and not scratched up. I'd still like to find window treatments, though I'm not sure yet what kind. Suggestions?

 

Here is the 180 degree view, below. Stove, etc, is to the left.

 

Rosie says, "Hello! You have to see the new bowls that we got when our person went on a birthday shopping trip -- aren't they cute?"

 

They are pink. They have cats on them. How could I not get them for my girls?! I only wish they had a blue or green version for Tim.
 
Two days ago, I blocked the Shine Jacket and the trim. I didn't use pins because I was afraid the yarn would snag. You can see the blue rubber gloves in the photo that I'm now using to handle this project -- that's how delicate (and annoying!) this yarn is. Now to attach the trim!

 

 Thank you to my sister L for the blocking squares!

This Sunday marks the beginning of the spring series of training races for local cyclists. That means spring is just as good as here! The weather is supposed to be warm and sunny and I'll be out snapping photos of Chris and our friends. I hope you have a lovely Sunday!

First Ornament, Pooling Question, and Why Can't I Find Something to Read?

I finished my first beaded ornament for this year. They only take a couple of hours, once you learn the technique, and I love shopping for beads. This is one of my favorite places!

Robin and I were talking about pooling yarns -- variegated yarns that make a splotch of color when they are supposed to stripe. My Mr. Greenjeans was fine for the first skein, but the second has left a few spots of pooling in the front by the edges. In one or two places, when I got to the end of the row, I started the yarn further down on the skein so that I could break up the color on purpose. 

 
You can see the dark patch on the lower left front, where I knotted the yarn and started a row further down the skein. There is also a light patch on the right.

I'd like her opinion and yours as to whether I should rip back to the beginning of the second skein, and alternate two skeins to break up the pooling, or if you think it's fine as is. I'm nearly to the end of this second skein, so it would be a lot of ripping, but I want it to look right.

 

Here is a closeup of the problem area, and you can see the cabled border a little better.
 

I'm having trouble finding a book to fit my mood. I started with Ann Perry's A Christmas Journey, since it was a Christmas story and presumably had some sort of mystery. After three pages, it wasn't capturing my attention, so I switched to Her Royal Spyness, the first book in a 1930s British mystery series by Rhys Bowen. I read one hundred twenty-five pages of that, and it is also not doing anything for me. A lot of people like this book and series (the third book is now out in hardcover), but I personally don't enjoy stories with aristocracy-down-on-their-luck, and this one seems to be full of those characters. It drives the point home that if you were a woman during that time who rejected the expected marriage-as-profession, no family member supported your choice, and it was difficult to make it on your own.

Our MC Georgie is cut off from her allowance and leaves her brother's home in Scotland to live in the unused, unheated London house, where she begins to find work as a housekeeper. She runs into an Irish lord, penniless, who looks up festive events like weddings in the social papers, and crashes the parties in order to get meals. He takes her to one of these, where she discovers that an old boarding school friend there is doing the same thing!  As if that weren't enough, Georgie finds out from her brother that their late father likely gambled away the ancestral home in Scotland, and a swarthy Frenchman has shown up on their doorstep to collect his winnings. I suppose here is where the mystery starts, but I don't know that I'm going to read any further. All this scrounging around off of other people is a little too tacky for me. I'm also not convinced that a woman in the 1930s would think and talk the way Georgie does. So, I went back to A Christmas Journey -- more aristocracy, more behaving badly, but in the most honorable way possible, if that makes sense.

I think what I really want to read is Reading Like A Writer by Francine Prose, but with the Christmas preparations and the ongoing cat issues, I'm afraid I won't be able to concentrate on it like I hope to. It's easier to pick up and put down the mystery mind candy without forgetting too much between times.

Last Saturday, I was invited to a tea by my friend C, who belongs to the CT chapter of JASNA. I felt like a bit of an impostor since I'm not actually a member, nor a rabid Austen fan, but I really enjoyed it. The speaker, Sarah MacLean, has just published The Season, and had a lot of cool things to say about Jane's contribution to novel writing techniques, and her ability to combine romance and humor. I've only read P&P once a long time ago, so I hope to get another copy soon, and read it before a trip to the Morgan Library's exhibit in January. It could be the beginning of a new obsession.