Now Norma Knits

For All Those Who Have Theorized That The New Gentler Front-Loading Washers Do Not Felt Things....

...I'm here to tell you, tain't true.

Exhibit A:

It may not be all that evident from this photo, but believe me, it's felted -- ESPECIALLY the alpaca tummy-piece. I wanted it to shrink a bit because it had stretched a lot, but this is way overdone -- about 40% shrinkage, I'd say, and the neck is almost as stiff as cardboard.  It's definitely too small, even for teeny-weeny little Mr. J.

This is after only one run through the machine, using hot water and with several towels in the mix. (friction is the key with felting) It's kind of a hoot, because back when I was doing all those felted bags in that old energy-guzzler SUV of washing machines, that top-loader I had -- the one that's supposed to be so powerful and the one that used tons of water and wore the clothes out sooner -- I'd have to put items through often as many as FIVE TIMES to get them to felt fully. This one is almost "there" after only one run.  

Good thing these are fun and fast to knit. I'll cut off the buttons and use them on another one.  

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Blue Fair Isle "Mom" Sweater Update:

I've finished the right front.   

Another Red Scarf Fund Winner, Another Progress Report on the Blue Shetland, and Another CONTEST!

Seanna Lea is the winner of the Mega-Mondo Sock Knitter's Prize that I blogged about on October 22.

 

Congratulations, and thank you to all the donors!!!!  

There are still lots of great prizes to be won, and some really amazing ones that I have not yet had the chance to blog about (I promise I will soon!). Get in your donations now!

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FAIR ISLE SWEATER UPDATE:

I completed the back of the blue Shetland Fair Isle sweater yesterday.

*happy dance*

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CONTEST!

In celebration, and because my hands and eyes needed something different to work on for a while, I cast on another red scarf. There's still plenty of time to do another one before December 15.

Guess what pattern or stitch I am using for my scarf, and you could win a prize!  I'll draw one random winner from all the correct guesses. If there are no correct guesses, I'll do a second-chance drawing from all entries. 

(Ends at midnight Eastern Time tonight -- Sunday, November 15)

Fair Isle Sweater Update

I've already shared with a few friends that the road to blue Fair Isle* nirvana has not been without a few bumps, potholes, and reversed directions. [*The link to Fair Isle knitting is provided for my non-knitting audience. I love that audience -- they often have the most astute questions about technique, and want further technical explanation than I often give in my posts, so there ya go, a little historical info on Fair Isle knitting. Tickles me pink that it said it became trendy when the Prince of Wales started wearing tank tops of Fair Isle. Really?  Charles? That Prince of Wales? And tank tops? Seriously? Oh! They mean "vest," which of course in British means "undershirt," which .... oh, never mind. Two countries separated by a common language. Heehee.]

I had nine full inches' worth of the back completed -- which might as well have been 100 miles across a scorching desert -- when I realized that the 6-6.5 stitches/inch that I was achieving with my size US 4 needles was, alas, not close enough, even for government work. It was producing a nice fabric, but fairly loose, and the sweater was probably going to be way too big for my mom. Shee-it. That's a whole lot of teeny stitches and lots of knitting time (which is at a premium these days) wasted.

But I saw that it was Not Good. 

So I ripped it all the way back to the ribbing and started up again on size US3 needles. 

Now I'm getting the requisite 7 stitches to the horizontal inch:

 

And isn't that fabric nice?  

For the curious, the row (vertical) gauge is:

 

....9 rows to the inch

I'm working on a finished measurement of 40 inches around (so this piece is 20 inches wide). 

Do the math. 

And I could have SWORN that when I measured it last night, it was 12 inches. However, today it's only

 

Sigh. At least it's progress.

 

Sorry I'm Late For The Blog Today

But I have a good excuse.

Behold! 6 inches completed of the back of the blue sweater.  

(Yankee Ingenuity Bonus:  Old piece of 2 X 4 used to hold it down flat for the photo.)  

The Blue Vintage Cardigan, It Is Begun

If your name is My Mother, please do not read this (or if you know My Mother, please do not tell her about this).  

So this is the Fair Isle sweater kit my mom bought for herself, oh, I don't know, at least 20 -- maybe 25 -- years ago, on a vacation to Nova Scotia. She just happened to mention it to me (I did not know of its existence) last spring. She pulled it out to show me, only to discover she had lost the pattern. 

 

With the help of a couple of readers of this blog, I was able to get hold of not one, but two, copies of the pattern. It has sat while the garden and a few other things have taken up my time and attention, until the other night when I took it out, and without much fanfare at all, just went ahead and cast on the back. 

It's fingering weight Shetland wool, I love the color and LOVE the fabric in all its sturdy, authentic, wonderful slight (slight? ha!) scritchiness. It will be one of my all-time favorite knits, I am sure, if I ever finish it.  

I've got a fondness for Shetland wool garments. I own a dark olive green fine-gauge Shetland wool sweater that I bought on a trip to St. Albans, England, back in '93, that has started to fray a bit around the edges, but they'll be prying that thing from my cold, dying hands, I love it so. It's just a plain ribbed pullover, slightly oversized, but not too bad, and slightly mannish. It was purchased on a day of sightseeing for me that turned cold and sleety, I needed to get warm, and I bought a small man's jumper (pullover sweater) in the shop called Jumpers. It's the perfect tweedy green, and I just adore that thing. 

It's too much to hope that I could get this blue sweater for my mom done by Christmas, but if I could, wouldn't that just be the most marvelous thing ever?  So I shall try.   

Whatever doesn't kill me will make me stronger, right? And I am sorry to you if you were hoping for a holiday or birthday knit from me, as much as I would love to knit for you, because this is going to take up all my knitting time, I am quite sure.  

At least it's only stockinette, and once I get past the ribbing and go all the way up to those huge honkin' size US 4 needles, it should fly.  For the non-knitting readers, that is SARCASM -- these needles are TINY, and the gauge is 7 stitches to the inch.

Some would say that the "most fun" part is done -- the Fair Isle colorwork -- but me, I'm quite happy just to knit stockinette till I turn blue in the face and leave the colorwork to those more adventurous than I.  (EDITED TO ADD:  CindyCindy asked if the Fair Isle portion was already done as a part of the kit, or if my mom knit it. Yes, it was done as part of the kit -- can't tell if it's hand- or machine-knit. And another interesting note, the price tag is still on the kit -- way back a quarter of a century ago, the price was $45 Canadian, marked down to $39 when my mom bought it.)

I'm guessing there will be some chiropractic visits, and perhaps some massages, necessary before this is over.  But here we go.  We're off!

All That

...and she knits too.

I was beginning to worry that I was .... uh.... simply swatching here.  But I wet it and let it dry, and its size seems to be on track, with a little more room for blocking larger should I need it.  FINGERS CROSSED.

I love the way the darts are designed in this piece -- makes for less severe side shaping.  I'm going to remember this for future sweaters.  

So a little here and there on both the sweater and the scarf, and I've proved it again: It really does add up.

   

I'm almost finished with the back of the sweater, and about a foot into the scarf.  Loving that Jo Sharp Tweed and that Cashsoft! 

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Bloglines has been forsaking me.  (And some other feedreaders, too) At least one of my three feeds has not been updated since June 16!!  I contacted them, but the response was silence.  It's possible that the problem is Typepad's.  I don't have the energy, nor do I care enough at the moment, to track down the problem. I've had similar issues in my professional and personal life recently, and I'm just fucking tired of making phone calls and writing emails of this type.

However, you all know that for at least a year and a half now, I have blogged every single day, right?  So if you don't see me light up in your feedreader, click it anyway.  More than likely I'll still be here. 

It Was A Dark and Blustery Day

Combine a day of positively dreadful weather that precludes going out and doing anything -- super-high winds, punctuated by driving rains -- and a lot of sit-around-and-wait for prep materials to trickle in, and quite a lot of knitting can get done.

So far, so good, except for that blotchiness in the fabric.  What the HELL is that?!

I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, (thank goodness for Ctrl-V) understand the appeal of space-dyed yarns. 

I should have alternated two skeins, I see now, to perhaps ameliorate the problem, but even at that, I know it would be prone to pooling.  Maybe it would have been slightly better if I'd knit this in the round, but who knows.  It looks like someone spilled something on it, and that is, in case I have not yet become crystal clear in my opinion, not to my liking.  I should-a gone with solid Koigu or Lorna's Laces, which is, in its all-too-hard-to-find solids, at least (mostly) solid. 

I thought this yarn was mostly solid.  Ha.  Thank goodness with this colorway it is very subtle.  From a distance it looks kind of OK, almost like suede -- has some movement and interest.  But up close?   Crap.  As a matter of fact, I'm getting the feeling that since it is indeed so subtle, it looks all the more like it's a mistake.  You know, if you spilled bleach on a piece of clothing by accident, or if something got sun-damaged and it came out like this, would you wear it?  No.  You'd say, "Oh, dear.  This is ruined," and you'd send it to the Goodwill.  And yet, knitters will knit with and buy this crap til the cows come home, and dyers will make it to feed the cows -- or the sheep -- you know -- til they freakin' come home. 

Give me solid, give me tweed, even give me heathered.  But please don't give me the blotchy.

[Disclaimer:  The opinions in this blog belong expressly to ME and the network does not hold itself responsible.]

*sigh*  I suppose I could overdye.  *sigh again*

However, since this project is really more about the design than the yarn, I repeat:  so far, so good.  Then again, it's only the back.  The front is where the challenge will be.  Stay tuned. 

And, I will say this about the yarn:  It is incredibly soft, and a pure joy to knit with.  So all is not lost, even if I end up with a sun-bleached piece of crap in the end. 

And you thought Elizabeth Zimmermann was opinionated.

Now Norma Knits is Actually a Knitting Blog (Don't Get Too Used To It. The Sea Could Change At Any Moment.)

Aren't you stunned?  I am. 

If you've been keeping score, that's four sweaters I've completed this year.  Four!  And three are for me!  Well, I should put that in the past tense -- three were for me.  Now I've ripped one out, so two are for me.  (And that's sort of fuzzy math, because two of the four were started LAST year.  But that fits the definition of "completed," right?) 

And the most surprising thing is, I'm still interested in knitting! Not only knitting, but maybe even dabbling in designing.  (Just for me -- not for anyone else, which should give you a huge sigh of relief.  Can you imagine a more cantankerous designer?  "What, you have a question or criticism about the pattern?  Well, go jump off a friggin' cliff!")

So I bought that brown sock yarn in SLC for the express purpose of making a summer tank top.  I searched all the patterns I could find in fingering weight yarns, and none of them was really for me.  The original plan was to make the Victoria Tank.  Very cute.  But very young (not that I'm NOT, mind you!) and not appropriate for work, unless I wore it under a jacket (or cardigan, I suppose), which is quite limiting and constricting for me.  And even then, the straps are too narrow for covering up a bra strap.  I considered making it with wider straps, but you know about my relationship with lace-knitting.  Let's not go overboard just because I'm in a knitting phase.  Lace, not so much. I have slaves friends for that. 

But maybe just a touch: A touch of lace up the front of an otherwise plain tank, the shape of which is as similar as possible to one of my best-fitting summer tops that is work-appropriate. 

Hm.  Now we're talkin'.  And I searched and searched for patterns that might be right, and I never could find just what I was looking for.  So, armed with my own sketch, Ann Budd's book of sweater patterns, which I love because it does the math for me, my tape measure and my black Boston Proper summer travel top that I have worn to death for several years, and yes, even a gauge swatch (vapors!), I have set out on my little journey.  

 

I've cast on for the back on US 4 needles, 108 stitches.  I'm hoping for this to be a not-too-snug, but snug-enough, 36 inches.  I knitted an inch of 2X2 rib and started in stockinette.  I've completed 4 waist decreases to match perfectly the lines of the black top, and I'm on my way.  Look at me go.  Can't stop me now!  

The brown is a much prettier brown than appears in the photograph -- warm chocolate, like.   I suppose I should name this thing something other than "Brown Tank."  Or maybe not.

There won't be any knitting for the next several days, though.  I've got work up the wazoo (UVM graduation), and that will then more than likely put me out of commission for knitting for a while from the tendinitis which is likely to flare up.  But I won't have any time to recover, because on next Tuesday I start CARTing an intensive evening summer school course.  And my wonder physical therapist has torn her meniscus and is out of commission for a little while.  

But Monday will be a "me" day -- I'm going to go over the mountain to visit and be pampered by AnnaMarie.  Excited. 

  

A Day In New Hampshire and Related Ramblings

Thank you for all the lovely compliments on my wilted-flower photos of me and the red sweater.  In case I was not clear yesterday (heh), I love the cardi, and I think it's much better in person, as these things always are.  We really should have taken the photos at the beginning of the day when we were all fresh, but we were too busy having fun and running into groups of people and talking and eating and catching up and hugging -- as you do -- and even doing a little bit of shopping.  I'm sure that last one comes as quite a surprise.

I washed the cardi yesterday, and damp-dried it in the dryer, and I wonder if it's possible to love it even more as of this morning, because it came out of the wash-and-dry process even more beautifully finished than before.  I've become an even bigger fan of Calmer.  I think I want all my sweaters (just kidding -- I'm still a wool devotee), and certainly all sweaters made for others, to be made in this yarn.  This is a yarn that the most picky non-wool-loving gift recipient would love.  And of course it carries the price tag to go along with it.

Here's a nice photo that Sandy took of me and Gale Zucker when we first got there and things were a wee bit more fresh:

Gale was sharing space with Woolybuns Chris, and that booth was our first stop.  I bought these sweet cards from Gale, and Paula got some of Gale's excellent beach glass buttons.

About the shopping, I personally didn't do too much.  Read my lips:  I.don't.need.anything.  Sandy, Paula and I, who mostly stuck together throughout the day, did not even get to all the barns and all the booths and tents.  New Hampshire's has always been, and still remains, my favorite of all the festivals.  It's low key and comfortable, it's countrified, it's got enough, but not too many, vendors, and the crowds are low.  We focused on friends instead of stuff, but of course that also means that we missed seeing some people, too.  I had festival-goer's remorse on Sunday morning when I realized lots of other good friends and vendors were there, but I missed seeing them because of taking this approach. 

I didn't buy much, but I did get a NH festival t-shirt.  As soon as I got home, I promptly modified it into the Flashdance version for gardening. The lady who sold it to me got a kick out of my telling Sandy that I was going to make it into a slut t-shirt.  I had to explain about the SL,UT.  She loved the story.  While I was shopping at the festival table, Sandy breezed through that building.  When she came back, I asked her, "Is there anything I need to see in here?"  She responded, "Meh. It's all spinning stuff and sock yarn."  "Alrighty, then," I said, "Not my things.  So we're done."  The lady behind the table, with a big giggle:  "You two are a pair."  

Yes.  That we are.

Paula bought a sweater's worth of Green Mt. Spinnery Mountain Mohair in a wonderful colorway called "Mesa."  After she had done the deed -- that is, this deed:

...she liked that yarn enough that she wanted to get some for her own sweater. 

So yes, there it is, looking like so much caramel-colored fusilli in that bowl.  That's the yarn that was formerly the sweater Marta.  I drove to NH, and Paula ripped.  When I pulled the car into the parking lot two and a half hours after we left home, she literally had one more row to rip.  And so it's done.  What's going to be made next with that yarn is still in flux.  I've washed the yarn to get the kink out, and I bought two more skeins to add to it, because I'm thinking of making a much longer sweater.  The dye lots are not the same and the difference is somewhat noticeable, but I don't at all mind alternating them while knitting, or using the different dyelot for collar and button bands or something, if need be.  I've been thinking about using it for this design [Ravelry link.  I can't find a direct link to it otherwise. I hope you are on Ravelry so you can see it, and I apologize to those who aren't, because it's really great.  BUT I would lengthen it, as Katiska did -- (scroll down).  Love her version of it. And of course I would not do a hood.][It is pattern DROPS 109-3.]

We ran into Grumperina Kathy and her hubby when we were trying to decide if I should buy the extra two skeins in the different dyelots, holding it out in the natural light, and they weighed in on the dyelots.  As Kathy (whose taste and instincts are impeccable, as we all know!) says, "As long as you go into it with intention and planning...."  Yes, indeed.  I'm actually going to swatch.  I know!  Crazy, huh?  But I really do think that sweater will look good in this yarn.  Only time will tell.  And I also believe that that garter yoke and sleeve will help to nicely blend the two dyelots of the yarn without any issues.

Speaking of lengthening, I am just sick to death of sweaters that are too short. Sick to death, I tell you!  I am a quite short person, so I've always assumed I needed short sweaters.  But after trying on all of Cheryl's sweaters, who is quite a bit taller than I am, and finding to both our surprise that they all fit perfectly -- I don't understand it, but apparently because of my body shape, I need more length in my sweaters even though I have a short torso.  *scratching head*

I guess it's to do with my wide shoulders and big arms -- and possibly the front porch.  I dunno, but these are the things that we learn through trial and error and through experience knitting, I guess. Claudia has made the comment that she is getting a kick out of seeing Now Norma Knits actually turning into a knit blog.  Heh.  Me, too. 

...Which segues into the comment I made when I ordered my friends to get in line for this photo:

 

That's Martha, Terry, Paula, Claudia, and Sandy (Who is looking off at left field again!  Snap out of it, Sandy!!!!) She was probably close to passing out from the heat, because she wore her beautiful Town & Country cardigan all day.  The things we knitters will do to show off our knits -- honestly!  And then on Sunday it was only 40-something degrees, but we weren't there.  That's New England, and that's New Hampshire Sheep & Wool, for you: Pack a halter top, a wetsuit, waders, sandals, a parka and mittens, because it could go either way.  And that's just before lunch.

But anyway, it was so great to see Laurie and Manise and Mamacate and her kids, and Cheryl and Dale and Carole, and Lucia and Ruth, and Jean and her whole family, and Kim, and Jo and her family, and Kris and Thea and Julia and Marcy and Alison (who saved me by showing up at just the right moment with French fries) and oh, dear.  When one starts these lists, one quickly starts to worry, "Who am I forgetting?" and one quickly starts to get link fatigue.  So I'll end with the usual disclaimer:  "And those are just the ones I REMEMBER!"  Or it more properly should read:  "I hope I haven't forgotten anyone, and if I have, I hope you will forgive me."

The comment I made when taking that photo above was something to the effect that I've decided to go back to my roots and try to be a more legitimate blogger; to stop forgetting the camera, and to do a better job of chronicling these things!  Well, that lasted all of three seconds.  That above was the only photo I really took. 

Illegitimate blogger, I guess that makes me. 

Sandy took this one of me before her camera battery died:

 

Moo.

Red Sweater in The Wild

Pattern:  Golden Vintage Cardigan by Thea Colman (now available in larger sizes!)

Size M

Yarn:  Rowan Calmer, Discontinued Colour Amour

Buttons:  Souvenir buttons from Salt Lake City

Ravelry details here.

I love this sweet little sweater -- it's a great design -- so comfortable and wearable, and the yarn is beyond scrumptious -- wears like butter against the skin.  Well done, Thea!

P.S.  These photos were taken at the end of the long, hot, humid day of festival-going, when we were on our way out.

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I had written a little New Hampshire rundown here, but then Typepad ate it.  I'm just plain too tired to try to recreate it, so I'll try to do that tomorrow.  It was, as always, a lovely, comfortable, low-key little festival.  Great fun was had by all, and Paula and I had one of the most beautiful drives home through Vermont that I've ever experienced -- the mist in the spring-green mountains with the setting sun and rainbows -- it was quite Celticky-magical.