The Sweater Workshop find

The Shevron Scarf is so beautiful.....I feel guilty that it has not been blocked yet. That's the trouble with lace.

I found an old Interweave Press workbook online. It is J. Fee's Sweater Workshop. I don't envision making the tube-like Sweater sampler suggested, in truth the photos within the workbook are less than flattering. I have found, however, some little gems within the book:

A Famous rabbit pattern from the New England Dedham Pottery Company. It would be darling on a baby gift.

An excerpt from Barbara Walker's invisible cast-on. (related to the lace cast-off) I think I am going to have to ask Lynnette at 3Bags Full to offer a one-time class on this knitted lace edging. It looks fun and fascinating.

Finally, one of the sweaters is worked in a two-color pattern in the yoke of a crew neck, named Candlelit Windows. Its striking. Something for next winter perhaps.

Enjoy the Oscars. I plan to work on sockapalooza, of course.

We really have to block Al's chevron scarf.  

Three Bags Full goes national!

Everybody make sure to watch the Today Show between 7 and 8 tomorrow morning (February 24)! Three Bags Full's boys knitting class is going to be on TV. If you see anyone in the background ducking as they run by, that's ME! Sorry the post can't be longer, school is so busy right now, I'll post over the weekend (perhaps on Sunday, to inform you of all my great birthday yarn-hint! hint!).

Long time, no post ...
Okay, as soon as I get my sister over here with her digital camera I'll have some photos to post. In the meantime ... The Einstein coat is finished and hanging in the shop. I'm really happy with the way it turned out; the Schaefer yarn is a good match for the pattern - it has lots of body, which you need for such a heavy garment. I finished it on a Friday and then wore it all weekend before I turned it in.
The Green Mountain Spinnery mountain mohair sweater is finished also and done with its display time, so I've actually worn that a few times. I would definitely use that wool again - it's so soft but not heavy - very comfortable. I may make some socks out of the leftovers - I'm going to make a swatch first and see how it fares in the gentle cycle of the wash.
The Misti alpaca bulky sweater is done also! (I have been taking my Lenten obligations seriously!) Just finished it and really liked it. However, it's VERY heavy. So that when I hand-washed it in order to block it, it grew about a foot. I squished it down as best as I could, but after 48 hours when it was still wet and still huge, I gave up and put it in the dryer. Which both dried it and brought it down to size again. Haven't worn it yet - I need a really cold day for that.
So now I'm down to ONE work-in-progress (not counting socks, of course) - the pink lace shrug. And I'm cruising on that. The body is almost done. I need to decide what I'm going to do about the pattern on the sleeve, because of course I'm doing it from the top down. I have to either modify it or be happy with the leaf motif being upside-down. Suggestions?
Sorry about the length - photos soon ...
Maureen

My sockapalooza pal's socks...so far. I am undecided about the heel. Al suggested I knit the second to the heel and then decide.  

STILL working on Lara

Yes, I'm STILL working on Lara. What you see in the picture is the left front, left sleeve, and part of the back. I just cast on for the right front. Does that mean I'm halfway done? I really can't tell. I also just finished 2 bucket hats (Le Chic Boutique : ChicKnits Online Catalog : Bucket Hat Pattern) for my nieces Brielle and Olivia who are having their birthdays next week. Mindy graciously agreed to pose again, but only with one hat (Brielle's). Livvy's is the same in turquoise.

The season of voice/band contests and concerts is upon us, so I need a portable project. Lara is too big all in one piece to cart around. I thought about Maureen's beaded scarf, but I don't want to carry beads around either. I'm thinking of socks, unless I find something exciting in the new Rowan magazine. I'd like to find a good pattern for the Calmer yarn that I bought on ebay last year. Any other suggestions?

Lara progress 

An unwilling model 

Guest Blogger Spirit Yarn, showing Valient effort in Dairyland 

Guest Blogger Spirit Yarn Vents

Well, it took her two trips to Wisconsin in the last two weeks to finally get it.
She is so absent sometimes when she is knitting.
I think some of it is the back-to-back 12 hours shifts she's been working. Although.... we've been knitted with by Girls Scouts who have gotten it faster......
Girl Scouts from other countries, with langauge barriers suffering from jetlag.

We began to suspect she loves frogging more than knitting. Some strange genetic disorder that delights in the feel of the yarn popping when being ripped. A magician related disorder that gleefully delights in seeing a nearly perfectly knit sweater disappear before her very eyes while the crowd gasps.

We did our very best to stop her. She actually USED the car skylight wrench to keep going on her last trip to Milwaukee after we thought we had hid every possible stitch holder from her. Maybe we should add a disclaimer to our tags: Past performance is not an indicator of future returns. Works for investment companies.

We thought she was on to our message after the last trip to Dairyland when Lynn and Maureen ever so gently and politely bit their lips in unison when she tried to match us up with......fixation in black.

She just kept on going, even after two good days of naps in a row. All during the Westminster Dog Show. SIX full hours of coverage, knitting away ignoring the dye lot problem as she picked up and knitted the sleeves. We've heard of optimism but c'mon admit a mistake!!!!! At least NOTICE the mistake.

Somewhere between the breed group wins and the final judging, she had a revelation. We believe it was an eyebrow raised, followed by moving to 4 different rooms with a variety of lighting before she got it.

We are exhausted, begging to be put aside, heck, we'll take a time out. We NEED one. Don't even frog us right now, we just wanna be mad for awhile.

Al's WIP: Iris.  

Desperate Times call for Sunroof Wrenches

I am sure we all have a story ............

Feel free to share. I was without a stitch holder of any sort and didnt want to break my yarn.....on a roadtrip to Milwaukee with a good hour up and hour back of knitting time.....so I found the sunroof wrench and it was nearly the size of my 7's. Now I am thinking, I could have used floss, but who could think then?

Desperate times call for sunroof wrenches 

Happy Valentines Day Lynn 

LYS to be on Today show

Al tells us that 3 Bags Full will be visited by the TODAY show Saturday Feb 12 to highlight their BOYS knitting classes. Al will be working tomorrow, so she might just dress like a boy and get the notoriety.

Lynn is here helping me learn to post my own photos! I think its her Lenten offering or something.

I watched Fargo last night for the first time and my HUSBAND noticed someone knitting. I was probably trying not to drop a stitch and looked away, hence he noticed before me. It was very endearing that he noticed!

Isnt Lynn's sweater coming along beautifully? I enjoyed seeing it and touching it at Knitover last weekend.

My WIPS that are getting my attention right now are: Another knitting Pure and Simple sweater Using Linie 116 from Online , spirit. Just the sleeves left

and My SOCKAPALOOZA pals socks.

Here's to 3 Bags Full in Northbrook Illinois and the Today SHow spot. The owner is Lynnette and her son is teaching the BOYS knitting classes on Saturdays.

Lynn 

Mittenmania!

These are the mittens I knit for my daughter Katie. They are made from Muench Tessin, a wool/acrylic mix I found at 3 Bags Full. Katie had requested black with multi-colors mixed in and this yarn fit the bill. The yarn was not that great to work with (the colored bits got caught and it tended to unravel), but the color worked. Katie loves them----she's been wearing them to bed!

Katie's mittens 

Katie's mittens 

Pederson Bed & Breakfast: Blowin in the Wind 

Ice fish 

Al and Lynn: knitting interrupted 

Irish lace 

Slumber party with Einstein: Maureen's Einstein jacket 

Elephant Valentine and buttons 

Irisheyes Knit-Over (first annual????)

Things about our knit-over:

1. Artistic Fibers in Burlington Wisconsin has the prettiest yarn bins I've ever seen. Andrea Brewer and JoAnne Cunningham, another mother-daughter team, have a lovely store not far at all from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Nice selection of Rowan yarns.

2. The Victorian B and B had darling vintage Valentines scattered about. All were from the owner's Family. See Photo post of Elephant Valentine alongside Allison's elephant button purchase from Artistic Fibers. (Times like these make me sorry I am so quick to throw things out in the name of space. How much space can dozens of little flat Valentines take up?)

3. I do wish we had knitted in front of a roaring fire, but the parlor at the B and B was cozy. Two resident felines were nothing short of thrilled to have Irisheyesknitters visit. (see Photo post of Al and Lynn : knitting interrupted)

4. Its so quiet in the country. I slept great. Photopost , Pederson Bedand Breakfast : Blowin in the Wind.

5. Maureen's Einstein Jacket is brilliant on her. Just look at that photopost: Slumber party with Einstien.

6. Snowsculptures lakeside were an added treat to our trip. Post: ice fish

7. Maureen's beaded shrug is nothing short of gorgeous. Rowans Kidsilk works up like magic. Thanks Maureen for the wonderful gift of Kidsilk, and beads and the quick beading lesson. Photo post: Irish lace

8. Lynn continues to have such a knack for choosing great yarns for the right project. I LOVE her newest mitten venture. See Photopost soon: Mittenmadness. Lynn, what was the yarn you were using? I know you cursed it abit, but it makes a great mitten!

9. I frogged EVERYTHING I had done to my second cheater sweater, (previously known as Knitting Pure and Simple's Neckdown Pullover) and the irisheysknitters chalked it up to ....oh well. I had tried to add fixation in black to the ONline yarn and it really looked nothing like what I had envisioned. Al was right, nice idea, wrong yarn.

10. Maureen and Lynn have given me a new superstition, just what I needed. I won't ever join yarns with a knot again. Phew, what if I'd gone on that way.....????

Happy Happy Happy, I win!

Nothing like winning some yarn to make my day! Hooray. Check out yesterday's MajorKnitter blog. Thanks Jen.

Tomorrow, Irisheyesknitters will be off to a knitover in Lake Geneva. Hoping to post photos when we return. (on my own!) Lynn is planning to try to teach me the fine art of photo posting. I just have this major language barrier with all things computer. Wish me luck. Wish Lynn luck.

I'll be working on my sockapalooza pal's socks and second Knitting Pure and Simple sweater. Im using Online yarn and planning to try to add some garter bands for interest at the cuffs. I'm not sure how this will work out, because I am planning to use Fixation black for the bands...
In theory, Al tells me, if they knit up at the same guage, it might work. She's a tad concerned about the elasticity of Fixation. We'll see!

Thanks to my supersecret Sockapalooza pal for her comment. :)

Have a great weekend. I think that big football game might be on too.

Al's Lucky sweater 

Three Bags makes the Trib!

For those of us who shop/work at Three Bags Full in Northbrook today was an exciting day! Three Bags made the Chicago Tribune because of the all-boys knitting class that is held there. Check it out! http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0502010308feb01,1,2253210.story?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true

Upcoming Projects

In my last post I said that I'm good at starting projects and not finishing them (for a long time), and this post should prove that. I ordered a Rowan book called Vintage Style http://www.theknittinggarden.com/ro-magvintagestyle.htm and it came in the mail today and made me want to start many new projects. There is a gorgeous beaded cardigan (it's the purple one on the bottom of the site but the picture isn't great) that I definitely want to start in the bead knitting class I'm taking at Three Bags Full at the end of February. It's probably a little challenging for my first project, but I don't care, it's so pretty. In addition to the new patterns in this book, I also want to make a Debbie Bliss sweater and an afghan. Both pretty extensive projects, so I may have to put those off for a while. But isn't this "Weekend" sweater gorgeous? http://www.theknittinggarden.com/db-bookcashcoll.htm, and it's made of cashmerino, so it would be so comfy. As for the afghan, I don't even have a pattern, but I know that I want to make one that is all one color, with two alternating squares. However, it has to be interesting (read: difficult) because I will be working on it for a long time! Any ideas?

Rowan Sweater

Yes I am starting another sweater, and yes, I am still not even half way done with the first one. I am very good at starting new projects but not as good at finishing them. However, this one is on a deadline, I must finish it by March 13 for my brother's confirmation (whether or not he picks me to be his sponsor). I picked it because it will match the dress that I want to wear to his confirmation, but really it will go with anything. As a bonus-it is made with Rowan Calmer-so soft!!! I am so totally in love with it that I've been neglecting my not-so-lucky sweater (although I did finish the back of it on Saturday). It is really nice to be on eights after being on threes for the Lucky sweater. So nice in fact that I finished almost the entire back on Sunday (not so impressive after you look at the picture) http://www.theknittinggarden.com/ro-mag35.htm it's called Iris and I'm doing it in the same color as the picture. Great fun! Looks like I might actually meet the deadline for once!