NuttyIrishmanKnits

B. E. N.

Ben by Jennifer Adams

pattern coming soon...

First, Happy New Year!  I hope everyone is looking forward to the new year (and new knits) with renewed energy.  I giggle a little as I say that because I have been down for a week with a sinus infection gone wild.  And then I look around the house knowing I will soon need to take down all the holiday decorations that I swear I just put up 12 hours ago... well maybe I'll go back to bed today.  But just for today!

Second, I've got to say, having a teenager in the house provides lots of laughs, and lots of knitting inspiration.  My pattern Graham has really taken off.  Thank you for all your sweet comments and questions.  It's been fun knocking ideas around with you!  My son, Ben (whose middle name is Graham) told me exactly what he wanted in a hat, and I've enjoyed seeing how other guys like the pattern as well. 

Another idea I've been kicking around for the last month is the "inside out" hat.  I knit Woolly Wormhead's Chunkeanie, and loved it so much I knit several for family and friends.  I love this idea, and found a couple of great designs by the giants (i.e. Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors) that also incorporated stripes into the mix.  For me this is like taking a caramel and adding sea salt...

My new pattern incorporates these two ideas and will be released this week.  Ben has been brainstorming this pattern idea with me, so I hope it will resonate with all of your guys (and gals) as well! 

Be looking for the new pattern this week, and in the meantime, Happy Knitting!

 

Luxe Cowl

Luxe Cowl by Jennifer Adams

Knit using US size 8 circulars and 1 (!) ball of Noro Silk Garden (colorway 241)

I am on a real "don't overthink it" kick.  Simpler is often better.  My friend asked for a cowl with pretty colors.  That was it.  I love Noro and I love miters... goodness knows I've knit several pair of Mitered Mittens!  And I've wanted to knit a cowl using both for quite some time, it's just been on "the list" for too long.  

I knit this simple Luxe Cowl last night.  And I'm calling it Luxe because it truly is.  Silk Garden and Silk Garden Lite are two of my favorite luxury yarns.  The colorways are gorgeous and anyone who is fortunate to receive a knit from either will thank you for it. 

The pattern is simple:

Using the alternate cable cast on (or knitting on), cast on 80 (100) stitches on US size 8’s.

Join in round and alternate purling and knitting rounds for 5 rounds and then begin mitered pattern.

Over 20 stitches: *K1, M1L, K7, SSK, K2TOG, K7, M1R, K1* repeat *pattern* to end of round.
Knit round 2.

Repeat these 2 rounds until the cowl measures 8 inches. Then alternate purling and knitting rounds for 5 rounds (ending with a purl round), and bind off with knit stitches.

That's it!  I've including the pattern in the notes section of my project page as well.  So if you're looking for a quick, yet special gift for someone, the Luxe Cowl is a perfect choice.  Enjoy!

Happy Knitting!

Graham

 

Graham by Jennifer Adams

Project Specs: knit using Cascade Eco-Alpaca on size US 6 and 8 circulars.

Ben has been requesting a new hat for the last month, and he pretty much gave me the exact specs for what he wanted.  I think when knitting for a guy this makes life so much easier.  Especially a finicky 13 year old.  Guys may not always know exactly what they want when it comes to a wearable knit, but they can give you enough descriptive words that you get the picture.  Ben used words like "rasta, slouchy, and soft."  When I showed him a photo of a true rasta he said, "umm... no, not what I meant."  When I showed him some celebrity photos of guys in slouch hats we hit paydirt.

After that it was smooth sailing, and we had a hat 2 days later.  I knit Graham in baby alpaca which a great choice for a slouch hat.  It drapes so well but also shows good stitch definition.  I've knit another in Cascade 220 heathers and it's turned out great as well, it does need a good soak though for it to soften up and drape like alpaca.  Another great option is Ultra Alpaca.

Knit using a Reverse Broken Rib stitch this hat is completely reversible.  And you can knit it inside out if you prefer knitting every other round to purling them.  You just need to reverse the pattern's knit stitches to purl and purl to knit everywhere they are used.  It's really a super easy pattern that is quick to knit up for Christmas gifts!

After publishing the pattern I realized I hadn't given the crown decrease numbers for the Adult Large and published an update for the pattern that same day.  If you have already downloaded the pattern and your PDF doesn't say GRAHAMrev or GRAHAMv3 you will need to go to your Ravelry library and update your version.  It will say "update available" and all you need do is click on this link for it to update automatically.  You can then print it.

 

This is Andy's version knit in Cascade 220 heathers.  The stitch definition is a bit more visible because of the color and wool, but it softens nicely when blocked.  They love both versions!

Happy Knitting!

Shawl Crazy.

Shaelyn by Leila Raabe

Knit using Kauni Effektgarn in colorway EN

Knit on US size 8 circs

Ravelers find it here.

All the snowfall has made me stir crazy, which has made me shawl crazy.  I love how quickly shawls can knit up... and wonder why it took me so long to jump on board this train.  I've knit three in the last few weeks and have worn them all numerous times.  This is Shaelyn, by Leila Raabe and I am really pleased with how it turned out.  I've had two balls of Kauni for a couple of years now and couldn't decide on the right project for them.  When I saw this pattern I thought the long colorways of the Kauni would be perfect for the scalloped lace detail in the pattern.

It took less than one ball of Kauni (roughly 440 yards) to complete this project.  And that's including an extra pattern repeat.  I really wanted the shawl to end with a brown edging instead of cream, and thankfully it came out just right.

This is such an easy yet elegant pattern that's perfect for TV knitting.  With rows of stockinette tucked between simple lace work, it would be fairly difficult to really lose your place.  Although, I did manage to do so a couple of times!  As usual! 

I really loved working with the Kauni as well.  Don't fret if you've begun a project with it and wondered if you had indeed found a yarn rougher than Noro, because it really blocks well and fluffs quite a bit.  Now, in saying that, I'm not comparing it to Malabrigo!  It's a more rustic yarn that smells like a sheep! (I love that, and so does my cat.) But it does block to a nice fabric that you won't have to sacrifice comfort to wear around your neck.  Overall I think they are a perfect pairing!

Happy Knitting!

A Few of My (New) Favorite Things

We can't seem to get enough snow lately here in the Mid-west.  Well, I guess I should say we've gotten plenty, but it still continues to fall.  I spent last week snowed in with two stir-crazy kiddos while their father suffered a similar fate in Boston (sans children, which in my book doesn't earn him any points).  So I've found plenty of time to knit, and knit, and then knit some more.  This knitting fest may have something to do with the new Tassimo coffee maker I got for Christmas, and a large supply of Caramel Latte in the pantry, but it may be because I'm just in a very industrious mood (yeah, I'm leaning toward the first option too).   Either way I have been starting and finishing a lot of projects lately, and I thought I would collect several and combine them in one post!

This is Everglade, a fun and fast hat pattern by Wooly Wormhead featuring overlapping lace leaves.  I knit this using Cascade Pure Alpaca and it took only 1 skein on US size 5 circs.  Because I chose to go up a needle size instead of using the US size 4 circs called for in the pattern I knit the smallest size hat (XS) and ended up with the measurements of the small, which is what I was hoping for.

The hat is a little large on Annabelle, but she was a willing model so we went with it!  It will actually fit either of us, which is a good thing (I think!).  I loved working with the Pure Alpaca... It gives the hat such a soft and pretty halo effect that I find very striking with this pattern. 

The brim consists of three inches of ribbing so you can fold it or leave it as is for a more slouchy fit.  I opted for the colorway Lichen and am really pleased with how this hat came out.  With all the snowy weather and more on the way it's been a very warm choice!

Another quick project I had on and off the needles in just a couple of days is the Romney Kerchief by Jared Flood.  This was a terribly easy knit, and I'm so pleased with the finished shawl!  Using Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool DK in gooseberry I was determined to use only one skein.  Of course, I ran out of yarn with only two rows to go, but luckily I had a skein of persimmon in my basket and finished it up with that.  I think I like it better with the contrasting edge! 

I also used yarn overs on either side of the center stitch and think I would have preferred M1L and M1R increases instead.  But overall I'm really pleased with how it looks and am surprised by home warm it is!  Since the pattern is more of a recipe than a line by line instruction I included my modifications on my project page found here on Ravelry.  I also decided last minute, while stretching it to block, that I would scallop the edges rather than block straight.  Another mod that I'm pleased with!

At the risk of making this post entirely too long I'll quit here for today!  But I do have a couple more things to update you on later this week! 

Oh, and I discovered after finishing my Romney that it doesn't have enough yardage to qualify for the 11 Shawls in 2011 group on Rav.  Bummer... but I do have a couple more that I know will work!  I'm just shy of finishing Hemlock, another nightmare from 2008.  Does that count as a shawl?

Hope everyone (and your knits) are well!

Happy Knitting!

Swallowtail... Finally!

It was March of 2008 and I had four lovely skeins of Sundara Silky Merino in my possession... Pine over Gold.  Oiy... seriously yummy stuff.  Seriously good stuff.  Sometimes when you splurge and get the seriously yummy stuff (I know I'm on the verge of sounding like Izzy Stevens, "seriously...") you can become overwhelmed by all the options.  Some folks just dive headlong into a project, barely getting it wound before casting on... you enviable creatures!  I, however, am the other sort, who starts and frogs, frogs and starts my way into a worn skein that could only dream of being carded in a liquor store.  And so thus begins my tale of Sundara Silky Merino and Evelyn Clark's Swallowtail Shawl.  Truth is, three years ago I had neither the patience for understanding nor the understanding of patience to knit Swallowtail.  Or any other shawl for that matter.  It's not that shawls are overly difficult, just that they take a basic understanding of construction, and I in 2008, could not be bothered.  

So after several failed attempts at Swallowtail with my seriously yummy Pine over Gold, I threw it in one of my many "to be continued" baskets and moved on to something else.  At the time I felt defeated.  But at the time it was the best project I never finished. 

Fast forward two years to Christmas of 2010 and you would have found me knitting on the largest lace project of my life, Umaro by Jared Flood.  When the pattern came out in early December I must have been one of the first to buy it.  Normally I'm not tempted by blankets (Hemlock was another disaster of '08...) but I knew when I saw this super-soft and squishy lap blanket I had to cast on.  And this time I knew I had gotten it right.  Umaro would turn out to be the best project for me to begin my love for lace.  Thousands upon thousands of stitches and plenty of time to really wrap my mind around a lace chart. (More to come on that project...) 

So after several weeks of single-minded knitting I completed my lap blanket and was chomping at the bit for a new project, a challenging project.  And I knew exactly which project it would be...

Ahhhh, Swallowtail... finally!  Finally finished!  And it took me only a mere six days from beginning to end.  Now you may be looking at this thinking, "Jen's colorblind, this is not Sundara Pine over Gold," and you would be right.  My tastes have changed a bit, and right now I love the idea of knitting lace weight shawls in more substantial aran weight yarns.  As my friend Jennifer says, "a yarn that feels like it could keep a body warm."  So I opted to use Cascade Eco-Wool on US size 8s. 

I decided on a skein of Pumpkin Spice I had in my stash and I'm so pleased with the result.  I think Eco-Wool is a surprisingly great choice for shawls.  It has fantastic stitch definition after blocking and drapes well.  It also yields a shawl large and sturdy enough for you to wrap up in on cold mornings without giving thought to pilling or damaging as you would a shawl in a more delicate yarn.

One of the things I struggled with before when attempting Swallowtail were the nupps.  Done in the traditional method of yarning over several times and knitting together on the wrong side row had proven a nightmare for me.  With yarn overs on either side of the nupps I could not, with all the best intentions, keep my yarn overs straight!  Since then I found a great tutorial here to help with working nupps on the right side of the fabric and I blew through this portion of the shawl with considerable gusto!  To work a more simpler nupp you need only:

1. Knit into front, back, front, back of stitch.

2. Return all four stitches back to the Left needle.

3. K2tog twice.

4. Lift first of these sitches over the second and off Right needle.

I can't tell the difference between methods, only that the updated nupp provides a more uniform compact version.

Overall I am so pleased with how this project turned out.  And plan to get lots of use out of my Swallowtail!  I've worn it around the house all morning and love how warm and it is!  Maybe this will be the year of tackling my "to be continued basket..."  I hope all is well with everyone, and all your projects!

Happy Knitting!

(You can view my Swallowtail and get the specs here.)

Fall Arrival

Flint Hill by Jennifer Adams

Materials:  Magnum by Cascade Yarns (100% Peruvian Highland Wool; 250g skein approx. 123 yards); 2 skeins in #9459 Yakima Heather

Needles:  One pair straight needles or one 20’ circular needle in size US 15

Ravelers find Flint Hill here.

It's here!  And just in time for Autumn.  The leaves had just begun to turn here, but after a Sunday rainstorm the landscape has changed overnight.  And along with the rain came cooler weather.  Perfect time to begin on Fall and even Christmas knitting.

Flint Hill is now available for purchase here and on Ravelry as well.  A super fast project to match the super bulky yarn, Flint Hill knits up in just a couple of days.  As a matter of fact I think the blocking time is longer than the knit itself!

I've been taken with cowls for some time, and most recently with larger scarf-sized cowls, that can wrap more than once... or be worn around the head and neck simultaneously.  Flint Hill manages both perfectly.  Cascade's Magnum yarn is so light and airy (imagine Peruvia's big brother), that I was able to design a large scarf, 60"x8", without adding weight.  After finishing the piece I soaked it for a bit in Euculan and then draped it over the towel rack to dry.  Doing so really intensified how the cowl drapes, making it easy to slip on and off.

After finishing the pattern I was initially worried that it might be a little finicky to style. But Amy, one of our instructors, proved it was a sinch (see first photo).  She slipped it over her head and it looked perfect!  Thankfully I had my camera on me and snapped a photo right then and there.

We're all having a hard time keeping our hands off of it at the yarn shop.  Everytime one of us walks by the display we adjust it.  I've yet to see a styling I haven't loved!