NuttyIrishmanKnits

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!

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! 

 

 

 

Flint Hill

Before our family first moved to Kansas, we heard the same comment, or shared versions of the same sentiment from most every Southern neighbor we knew, "Oh bless your hearts... it's so flat there."  Truth be told we didn't know anything about Kansas. Other than the said reports of it being terribly flat, or stories of winter whiteouts blowing across the western plains, causing travelers to veer from their scheduled arrival at the slopes of Colorado, we were clueless.  But when on our way to Wichita, we took a wrong turn in Tulsa and headed north into the beautiful hills of the remote Chautauqua County, my husband and I could only manage to recite the same four words to each other... "this is not flat!"

Indeed it is not flat.  It's a beautiful state with rolling hills and prairies.  And after settling in Wichita we discovered the name of a certain band of hills we are fortunate to be surrounded by, the Flint Hills.  Covered in Tallgrass prairie grasses and limestone rock formations, the Flint Hills are a true treasure.  Range burnings signify the beginning of Spring in the Flint Hills and then a few months later, chilly weather brings about a seemingly endless sea of muted Autumn colors.

And then there is the wind.  There is always wind in Kansas.  No matter what time of year, or what time of day, there is wind.  It keeps the bugs away in summer, and can chill you to the bone in winter.  So after spending a few winters here I knew what I wanted to design when my friend Shelly approached me about a pattern featuring Cascade's super-bulky Magnum yarn.  A roving yarn made of Peruvian wool and knitting up at 2 stitches per inch I had only one thought in mind: a big-chunky-warm cowl.

Flint Hill

   I wanted to give you a sneak peek of my new pattern Flint Hill that will be available soon here on NIK and on Ravelry as well.  If you're a local who favors our LYS Twist, you'll be able to pick up a copy this week. 

Flint Hill is a simple pattern inspired by the minimalist landscape of the Flint Hills. Thanks to the super-bulky yarn, it provides warmth without adding weight, and it will definitely fit into the category of last-minute gifts. So be looking for the pattern's arrival in the next few days!

Aye Aye Cap'n!

Cap'n Crunch by Jennifer Adams
Knitted using 1 skein Manos del Uruguay, #40 Goldenrod.
Knitted on US Size 10 Brittany Birch straight needles.
Ravelers queue it up here.

Hey guys!  Long time no see!  I can't believe it's been almost a month since my last post.  Ooi.  I guess things have been getting pretty busy around the Adams' house, including a move set for next weekend (insert Jennifer biting fingernails here).  But I've got to say I have been keeping up with all the great knitting going out there, and have really enjoyed some of the group discussions on Ravelry.  Alice introduced me to the group forums on Ravelry.  I've been blissfully unaware of so much of the "goings-on" in the knit-o-sphere, and now I'm trying to catch up on all I've missed.  I'm a member of a lot of groups on Ravelry but I guess I never paid much attention to the group discussions.  So, if we're in a group together and you notice me commenting a lot (!) just chalk it up to yours truly playing around with a new toy.  And goodness knows I have never been at a loss for words!

This month at our yarn shop we are celebrating Christmas in July, and we've got a lot coming up, including EZ classes and a mitten class featuring Fiddlehead.  And we also have quite a bit of Manos del Uruguay in stock as well.  I had originally planned to knit Shifting Sands using this colorway, Goldenrod, but the pattern just wasn't showing up as clearly as I had hoped.  So instead, I spent last Saturday knitting and frogging, frogging and knitting until I came up with something that could really show the texture of Manos. 

I began working with a simple basketweave pattern and discovered that it really worked best with the yarn held doubled.  Then I rummaged around in my grandmother's sewing box and found a couple of great green buttons to finish it off.  So from beginning to end this pidge took three hours (or three episodes of CSI).  Pretty good for last minute Christmas gifts! 

I also soaked this for a LONG time, okay... actually I forgot about it, so it softened up considerably.  I have also heard of soaking Manos in conditioner, and if you have tried this, let me know!  I'm interested in giving that ago, with proper instructions.  But overall, I think it turned out well.  I've been wearing it around all morning and it's not the least bit itchy. 

And then there was trying to come up with a name.  Andy came through and I asked him, "does this sort of look like barley to you?"  And he answered, "It looks like Cap'n Crunch.  I'm hungry."  So there you go.  Bon Appétit!

That One Thing

I'm beginning to think there isn't much difference between my husband and me and our two children. Especially when it comes to fighting over that one thing. There is that one coffee mug (that manages to disappear when he's looking for it). There is just one dab of hair goop left in the jar. There is only one tube of toothpaste for two sinks... Why should things be any different concerning a scarf?

So, in order to maintain peace in the kingdom, I knitted yet another Noro Scarf. Same yarn, same colorways. It's the same dang scarf. I had some Kureyon in my stash and knitted it up as a "bedtime" knit. (Meaning, it hung out in a bowl on my nightstand for a few weeks until finished.)

I still have one skein of Kureyon left and think I will use it to knit the Fake Isle hat, which is such a great design that it will undoubtedly force me to buy yet one more skein of Noro...

and knit just one more hat...