Socks!!! We were blessed yesterday with being able to join my friend Shirley and her whole family for Christmas dinner at her beautiful home. Nine adults ate way too much, talked a lot and got to share stories of our various childhoods at Christmas. She gave us a basket of what I thought were cookies when we left. Much to my surprise, when we got home and emptied the basket, buried under the various baggies of cookies were a new catnip mouse for Miss Boots AND a glorious pair of blue and white socks in an intricate Norwegian pattern for me. They fit perfectly and will be worn a lot. The basket is a perfect size for a sock project though I doubt I ever attempt anything as ambitious as what she gifted. Since she also used to make baskets, I'll have to ask if she made that also. Thanks Shirley!

Fun with some smaller projects while I work away on Fulmar. Finished two Booga Bags in some left over Nuro Kureyon which just was not working as a sweater. The color run was very short and the sweater looked like it had spots! The bags are knitted loosely on US#10-1/2 needles and then felted. Even though they were knit to the same size, they felted differently. Found a nice piece of batik fabric in my quilt fabric stash and made linings for the bags. No idea what I'll use them for or who will get them as a gift but they were fun to make.



Also making my first pair of Selbuvotter mittens, pattern Annemore #13 using Briggs & Little one ply wool in white and Harrisville Shetland in dark grey on US #2 double points. This is a learning process but that is part of the fun. The book
has over 30 patterns for mittens and gloves.




I'm up to the decreases at the top of the mitten. Comparing what I'd done to the photo in the book, did discover I'd left off one whole chart repeat on the cuff but this is my learning pair - right?

First sleeve on Fulmar is started. I added 2-1/2" to the right side of the sweater (front and back) and now are knitting the sleeve in the round. The actual round starts at the white marker. The decreases will be taken off the bottom of the sleeve rather than beside the cables. Hopefully I haven't added too many cables beside the main one running down from the saddle but I love heavily cabled sweaters.

Vernonia, OR just about got wiped out with a recent violent rain and wind storm. The river rose and the town was extensively flooded with lose of homes and personal possessions. One of our very caring online knitters, Helen B, known as the list mom for the Mara_Class Yahoo knit group (BrightHavens.blogspot.com or Bluedragon on Ravelry) suggested we go through our yarn stashes and donate what we won't use. What a caring woman and a great gift for those who have lost all.

If like me, you have way too much of most everything to do with knitting (and quilting), go through your stash and send off a box to the town doctor. She'll get the items to those who can use it to knit, crochet or quilt and take their mind of their surroundings for a while. The address is:


Dr. Phyllis Gilmore
c/o Community Center
Vernonia, OR, 97064

Here's my box going off tomorrow - yarn, needles and a variety of patterns.

Fulmar continues to be a fun knit but quite slow as it is on very small needles. It takes about 45 minutes to do one front side cable row and one back side row. The front and back are knit down from the saddles to the armholes and put on holders. We were in VA again this past week and I didn't get a lot of knitting done. Mindless knitting on the Booga Bags was pretty easy while made that 840 mile drive down. Found I can even knit at night with no lights on! However, Fulmar is not a light less knit.



The neck ribbing has now been knit four times and may be ripped out again. Ended up with K1b,P1 as I just could not seem to pick up the cable patterns well enough to carry them up into the neck ribbing. First try, picked up way way too many stitches and the neck bloused out. Second time, very poor pickup and the cables didn't flow well. Third time was close to flowing but too big again. Fourth is now on the neck, is the right size and doesn't show the pickup row too badly. Perhaps next time I do a sweater top down in the FLAK method, I might try to cast on over waste yarn and leave the stitches live.

May rip, may not, but will leave it alone a while and think about it. The rib does bias to the right a bit due to being knit in the round with a tightly twisted yarn. Also while riding, I could pick up the side stitches to start the sleeves. Did a 3 out of 4 ratio but haven't measured yet.

I am a most fortunate knitter in that a good internet friend Junie parted with her Virtual Yarns kit for the Autumn Oregon cardigan. She felt it was too far back in her knitting queue to ever get to and sold it to me. Thanks again Junie! I wonder if I can force myself not to start this sweater until the KnitALong for it starts in January? Ha! The colors are truly amazing with tiny twists of complementary colors inside each skein. The yarn also feels a tiny bit thicker than the Jamieson&Smith I've been using for fair isles. Patience woman! Get through the holidays and then sit by your fireplace and knit those blizzards away.

Hemsdale, a Dale of Norway, cardigan is done and drying on the wooly board. It was started as a Knit-A-Long on a Yahoo knitting group last January but it was put aside all summer as it is a very heavy sweater. It is knit out of Heilo for everything except the camel color which is Tiur. Needle size was US#4. The sleeve steeks were knit wider, not the one stitch commonly used with Dale sweaters and were reinforced with two lines of machine sewing. The button holes are crocheted loops instead of set in button holes. This will be a Christmas gift for my daughter who lives in North Carolina where I doubt it will ever get cold enough for her to wear the sweater. Who knows? Maybe she will one day move somewhere colder.

Fulmar is going to be a pullover. Once I really looked over the sweaters I wear a lot, pullover won the race as those are the sweaters I wear the most. Fronts of the saddles are picked up, knit down to bottom of the neck and stitches cast on. The front is now about 6 rows down below the neck.



I am taking a short break from Fulmar to finish up Hemsdale. Body is totally done, steeked and ready to sew the finished sleeves in. Add the buttons and button loops and put on the wooly board and it's done for a Christmas gift.

Fulmar back panel is done and put on a holder. It measures just over 9-1/2" and is 3-1/2 repeats of Chart E. Now to pick up the fronts and knit down until the front matches the back in length. At that point, width can be added to the body and front and back joined and then knit in the round. Knitting from the top down in this method was created by Janet Szabo and is called FLAK. I can get a bit further before deciding whether to make a pullover or a cardigan. I should go through all my sweaters and see which ones are worn the most and that I like the m ost. That count will help the decision process.

Well that taught me a lesson. Do NOT take a sweater like Fulmar on a camping trip. Knitting without paying strict attention (like knitting with a headlight) just doesn't work. Tonight I was so close to putting the back on a thread and picking up one of the fronts. Last check of the cables. I'm usually so good about double checking over/under/over/under on the cables like Chart C. Thought I had been checking but there EIGHT rows back is a wrong cross right in the middle of the cable.



Laddered back but all 20 stitches have to be laddered and it is not going to knit back correctly. I decided to just go ahead and pull the whole eight rows. I'd already laddered back on the first Cable B to fix a bad cross and that one looked sorta okay but not great.

Moral of the story??? Every time you do a cable cross, double check to be sure it is going the right way. Not every 3-4 rows but every row. Laddering just doesn't work well when the gauge is so tight.



Sigh....at least there is no deadline on this one. The small white ring marks another cross that is incorrect but it is NOT going to be corrected. If ever I'll try the method of cutting the thread, reknitting the tiny cross and sewing it.

Erin is totally done and worn for the first time today. Our local library has a knit hour twice a week. Today the librarian and I were the only ones there and we had a super time just yakking and knitting. Not sure she believed that Erin was a hand made sweater.

It was a fun knit. Not sure I would put 13 buttons on a sweater again as buttonholes aren' t my favorite thing. I will reblock the arms as I stretched them too long on the woolyboard. Scottish wool is pretty forgiving so it should block back a bit.

What's next? Working on Fulmar. Half a chart repeat to go to have the top of the back long enough. Next will be to pick up the front saddles and start the top of the cardigan fronts.

Gave the Symbolic Knots sweater pictured on September 18th post to my daughter today. The body fit her perfectly and the green color really looked good on her. I thought the arms were too long but she like it - and also has a friend who can rip them back and rebind off if needed. Got 5-6 rows of Fulmar knit last night while watching "The Next Iron Chef". Hope there aren't any errors when I look at it tonight.

Erin is DONE! 13 buttons sewn on with a spare on the back of the button band. What few ends hadn't been spit spliced were sewn in. It's washed and on the wooly board but it is too dark tonight to get a good photo. As usual, the Starmore charts and directions were super. Next time I make a Starmore dropped shoulder sweater, I'll be cutting back on the sidth of the upper arms as there is just too much fabric for these short arms. Photos tomorrow.

Fulmar is started fairly well. I like the cables but might have substituted something else for the little hourglass cable.




Not sure I like all the purl stitches surrounding it but the sweater is so densely cabled it probably needs this relief. I'm up to 28 rows knitting FLAK style down the back. Really like the cable on the saddles and the back picked up well from there. Almost have the cables memorized so this might turn into a car knit after all. I still haven't decided to make this a pullover or a cardigan but leaning to a cardigan but not a V-neck. Plan as you go?

Time to catch up on what is going on in my knitting life. The theme is FINISH, FINISH, FINISH before I start Fulmar. Well Fulmar IS started but I'm trying to get the On The Needle projects done before spending time with Fulmar.



DONE - Symbolic Knot pullover from "The Best of Knitter's Arans & Celtics" made in Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride worsted on a US #7. The front and back were knit separately, three needle bind off at the shoulders and the neckband picked up and knitted. The sleeves were supposed to be knit from the cuff up but I picked up from the body and knit down in order to get the length exact. This is a heavy sweater, has that sheen to it since Lamb's Pride is 85% wool and 15% mohair. The sweater was knit in five weeks mostly in car travel back and forth to VA to visit family. It is not the complicated Aran I love to knit but it does have that big central knot on the front. It was knit for my daughter to use as a Maine outdoor winter sweater.



CLOSE TO DONE - I really wanted to knit Erin from the moment I first saw the photo. It is one of Alice Starmore's fair isles in a cardigan, using 15 colors in Botany and Donegal yarns which are long out of production. Did the best I could to recreate the colors by comparing colors online, talking with other knitters who had made the sweater and substituting with Jamieson & Smith 2 ply jumper wool. There are a group of online knitters making the sweater at the same time as a KAL - knitalong. Helen (Greendragon) is doing a super job shepherding us along. I have 13 rows on the longer of the two sleeves to finish plus the ribbing and about 50 rows on the other. Trying really, really hard to finish this sweater before getting deeply into Fulmar, an Aran pullover.



STARTING - Fulmar is another Alice Starmore Aran design. It is a very tightly knit all over cable, drop shoulder pullover. It is supposed to be knit in pieces from the bottom up and sewn together. I'm going to knit this as a FLAK sweater, from the top down in the round. FLAK means Follow The Leader Aran Knitalong. Janet Szabo developed a method of fitting the sweater to yourself. I need shorter arms and wider body and do not need the amount of fabric a drop shoulder usually creates under the arm.



BEFORE CHRISTMAS - Finish "Hemsdale", a Dale of Norway cardigan that fits the taller daughter. All that needs finishing is adding to the length of sleeves. She tried it on in April and we measured what needs to be added. The photo is from a magazine. My Hemsdale is in browns, golds and rusts and I don't have a good photo right now.

GOT TO FINISH - The Fair Isle pullover called "Shirt Tail Hemmed Cardigan" from "Sweaters from Camp" is on hold. The body is done including all the ribbing. One sleeve is picked up but I'm still figuring out short rows on a cap. What I did does not look as good as the rest of the sweater. Need to get help at a knit shop for this one.

BACK BURNER - "Spring Forward" is a Janet Szabo Aran cardigan. I tried to add more cables to the V-neck front and it is not working. This sweater is knit from the top down from saddles across the shoulders. Need to rip out the front and redo.

JOE'S SWEATER - This is a simple all over rib raglan pullover made in Cottage Craft wool. Front and back are done, bottom of both sleeves are done, need to do raglan caps on both and sew together. Joe asked for this sweater but he hasn't worn a sweater in the 25 years we've been together so there isn't a rush to finish this one. It's pretty boring which is why it isn't finished.

So much that I want to do - so little time. But it is all just one stitch at a time isn't it?

Photo of sleeve on finished FLAK sweater. Click on photo for larger size. It shows the inset of the sleeve and also the amount of knitting added below the sleeve to make the body of the sweater larger. Again, I think every knitter should send a big round of applause to Janet Szabo of Big Sky Knitting for coming up with this method of top down sweater design.

Why can't I ever just knit a pattern exactly as designed? Spent a few hours today playing around with knitting Fulmar as a top down cardigan in the style of Janet Szabo's FLAK. I like being able to control the sleeve length and definitely do not need a drop shoulder sweater than comes half way down my arm. My arms are short enough not to need that bulk under the sleeve area.


I used the swatch shown in the post of September 18th and measured each cable both sideways and depth. Thought I had the math worked out and pulled out a blue FLAK knit last year to compare the measurements. Was very surprised to see that my neck opening on the blue FLAK was 9"!! I decided to go from a personal measurement of 17" cross shoulder to the 20.5" on the blue FLAK which is very comfortable to wear on the shoulders.

Next I knit a saddle using Chart C with 2 purl stitches on each side added. One purl will be to pick up and the other to define the cable. In 6 1/2" of Chart C, I got 64 rows which meant 64 stitches to pick up easily. Two 6-1/2" saddles equals 13" which left 7-1/2" for the back neck opening. I will pick up 64 stitches on the saddle, cast on 72 stitches for the middle of the back, pick up 64 stitches on the other saddle for a total of 200 stitches.

The Chart layout would be from right to left with the saddles on the bottom, B,C,D,E,B,C,D,E,B,C,D. This centers the C exactly in the middle of the back. In order to be sure it all worked out, I cut up photocopies of the charts and actually scotch taped them in order to a large piece of paper. The saddles were lined up on each side of the chart layout and the math proved right. Sometimes seeing is believing and as long as my gauge doesn't change as I knit a bigger piece, this should work.

The front of the sweater is picked up from the other side of the saddle. Stitches are cast on for the front either as a crew neck (which will be what I do) or a V neck. More width is added to the sweater once the back and front are knit to the depth of the armhole and the sweater is then knit in the round. This added width can be in cable repeats or in check rib. I'll probably do some of each. For those of you who aren't familiar with Janet's method, FLAK can be found at http://bigskyknitting.com/FLAK/knitalong.html. The lessons she presented are printed off and hole punched in their own folder. I keep one clean copy in case those files every disappear off the net.



Now that I've got my mind wrapped around how to approach Fulmar as a FLAK, I can get back to my daughter's Symbolic Knot's sweater. Body is done and one sleeve picked up. Only seed stitch left to do so it will be hard to finish.

The test swatch for Fulmar is done, washed and measured. Did you notice it is red, not blue? I have so many sweaters in blue and none in red so switched to crimson Wendy Guernsey five ply using a 2.75mm Inox circular. For the test, I knit 18 stitches in check rib, 18 stitches in Chart B, 20 stitches in Chart C, 18 stitches in Chart D (reverse of B) and 16 stitches in Chart E for a total of 90 stitches. The swatch after washing is 10".



The check rib measured 2-1/2"
Chart B is 1-3/4"
Chart C is 2"
Chart D is 1-3/4"
Chart E is 2"
Amazingly enough it adds up to 10".

Note in the photo below that the ribbing does flow into the body of the sweater. In order to make it work, I did NOT increase between the ribbing and the body. As I'm "hippy", having the ribbing and the body the same number of stitches doesn't bother me at all



The knitting sequence on the sweater goes Check rib, B,C,D,E,B,C,D,E,B,C,D,Check rib. Using the measurements I got for each chart,the sweater front (or back) would measure 25-1/2" or 51" total. I'm knitting the small which is supposed to measure 45" and I'll be getting 51". The only way to control this would be to cut way back on number of stitches in the check rib.

So I'm pretty set for the Knit Along starting on October 1st. I've wanted to make this sweater for a long time and thanks to Theresa, the KAL list mom, I'm going to make it.

Fulmar is a tightly knit Aran sweater by Alice Starmore and is found in the out of print book "Aran Knitting". The original yarn was Scottish Fleet which knits to 30 sts and 40 rows per 4". Photos of the finished sweater can be seen on Wendy Johnson's Blog. She lists her finished sweaters here: http://wendyknits.net/wendy/knitting.htm

I want to be Wendy when I grow up. She has completed TWO Fulmars. TWO!!. First one is in green http://wendyknits.net/knit/fulmar.htm and is knit with Frangipani. Second one is in blue http://wendyjohnson.net/knit/fulmar.htm and knit in Bovidae Farm Sportweight.



I've been playing with swatching Fulmar in Wendy Guernsey. I have it in white, medium blue and soon in crimson red. What else do you do with yard sale money but buy yarn? The swatch has 2 purl edge stitches, 18 stitches of Chart B (the right twist cable with side oval cables), 2 purl divider stitches, 20 stitches of Chart C (the braid) and 2 purl edge stitches. Total of 44 stitches on Size US#2 or 2.75mm circular Inox/Prym needle.

Chart B measures 2 1/8" wide. Chart C measures 2 3/8" wide. 24 rows which is two chart repeats measured 2 3/4" in height. The check rib swatch measures out as 2 1/4" for 18 stitches.

so.....
Check rib 2 1/4
Chart B 2 1/8
Chart C 2 3/8
Chart D 2 1/8
Chart E 2
Chart B 2 1/8
Chart C 2 3/8
Chart D 2 1/8
Chart E 2
Chart B 2 1/8
Chart C 2 3/8
Chart D 2 1/8
Check rib 2 1/4

Total = 26-19/8 or 28-3/8" for ONE HALF of the sweater or 56-3/4" wide for total.

OH OH. If you look closely at the photo (double click for large size photo), the oval cable running alongside the 6 stitch cable is a twisted stitch cable. I do not like this cable as a twisted stitch as it looks and feels hard and, for me, looks odd. Part of this is probably from using a 5 ply twisted yarn to start with. I might skip the twisted stitch with this wool.

I'm going to have to think about what I'm doing wrong. I got spot on gauge with this yarn on 2.75mm needles in the check rib. I like my sweaters a bit oversized but this one would swim on my hubby.

Home stretch with Erin - sleeves get smaller each round, especially since I have short arms. I figure I'll end with the mythical beast chart round and a bit of corrugated ribbing. Then add the buttons and done.



Finished organizing and cataloging the yarn stash. This is some of it and yes I said some. Sort of an addiction isn't it?

I love living in Maine. We're close to the coast and love taking drives down tiny back roads and visiting much loved places and sights. A long peninsula stretches out south of Brunswick, Maine. At the end of one finger are the tiny fishing communities of Orr's and Bailey Islands. The very end is appropriately called "Land's End" and is one of my most favorite places in Maine. Gorgeous day, few tourists around, just sat on the rocks and soaked up the sun, sounds of the sea and calls of the birds. It is equally as beautiful in dead of winter - with no tourists! The statue amongst the regosa sea roses is of a lobsterman pegging a lobster's claws. It is a tribute to those who make their living from the sea - and those who have lost their lives there.

Sometimes I wonder why I keep knitting since my brain seems to be disappearing. The sleeves of Erin were going so well. I've rotated the charts so that the sleeves would be knit upside down, thus making the mythical beasts right side when the arm is down. I marked the charts with sleeve decreases so they are being made evenly on both sleeves. So merrily, merrily I knit the first three rows of Chart D to set up the sleeves, then Chart C which in my colors is the turquoise rows. Then my brain took a break and I knit Chart A, the beast, instead of Chart B which is the checkerboard looking band. Since I'm knitting a chart on one sleeve, then the same chart on the second sleeve to keep the sleeves going, I now have both sleeves with beasts done and Chart B skipped. Is this mistake really going to stop Western Civilization?? NO but it sure am disappointed in myself. My dear DH asked me if knitters followed each other around with the patterns, checking to be sure it was slavishly followed. Well NO and as usual he lifted my spirits. I suppose if anyone ever comes up to me and saves there is a chart band missing, I'll just ask them if I could take a look at their Erin

I'm not going to rip out 33 X 2 rows of chart with decreases. I'll put the checkerboard on both sides of the next turquoise chart and call it good. It is a beautiful pattern and is intricate enough that non knitters will never know those rows aren't there.

In the blog post of July 29th, you can see the skipped chart. The first sleeve has the turquoise band which is NOT supposed to have a checkerboard at the top but is supposed to have it at the bottom. Oh well!

Anne

Adventures in Wooly Boarding - maybe we can make this an Olympic Event? After years of lusting after a wooly board and a few attempts at making my own, I finally went up to Halycon Yarns in Bath, Maine today and bought one. Beautiful wood, smooth, perfectly made joins, well varnished to resist water damage. Had to treat the DH to a Chinese buffet for lunch for riding along with me but hurried home as quickly as possible.





The original washing/blocking for my blue Aran FLAK sweater was on towels on the floor and I was never happy with the way it dried as the ribbing ruffled. FLAK is re-washed, spun dry in the washing machine and now drying on the wooly board. Poor cat sort of backed out of the room when she entered and came face to sweater with something standing there.

Don't know why I waited so long for a board but know it will be well used for many years. It's also finally cooling off a bit so let the knitting resume!

Anne

Finished the first pair of socks out of "The Sock Calendar" by Catherine Wingate. The socks are called "Ahoy! Socks" and are in DK weight knit on US size 4 Brittany wooden sock needles. They have a knotted cable and a plaited cord rib and were a lot of fun to knit. Best thing about the socks is they are the same size and they fit. It's just too hot to work on a big sweater though I've been plugging away on the sleeves for Erin.

Janet Szabo's new book "Cables: Volume 1: The Basics" has arrived and been devoured. Having knit Aran cables as long as I have, thought I knew all there was to know - wrong! This is an excellent book on how cables are made, how to change them and how to design new ones. Good book to add to the design library.

I've made myself promise not to start a new sweater until what is on the needles is done, washed and blocked. Right?? OTN isn't too bad right now - 1) Erin, a fair isle cardigan 2) Shirt Tail Hem fair isle pullover 3) Joe's all over rib raglan 4) Hemsdale - Dale of Norway cardigan 5) Spring Forward Aran cardigan. 1,2,3 and 4 are all at sleeve stage. 5 may be ripped back to begin the fronts again. At least I know I'm not alone as a knitter with dread of sleeve finish.

Erin's sleeves are progressing - slowly but in 85-90+ degree heat with high humidity, lucky I'm touching wool at all. Finding that making both sleeves at once, doing one chart on the first sleeve, same chart on the second sleeve, second chart on the first sleeve, etc. my interest is higher. I'll have this one done to wear this fall - if cool weather ever comes again. Really interesting to knit the charts upside down but that way when the arm is beside the body, the mythical beasts will all be the same side up. Brilliant pattern writing by Alice Starmore as always. One day I've got to play with one of her patterns to see if I can make the sleeves set in a bit so they aren't so droopy on my shoulders.

The gardens are spectacular this year with not a lot of maintenance. They are now in their 5th year and so "English style" that the weeds don't have a chance to grow except at the edges. Our first plantings were from White Flower Farm, a mail order nursery in CT.






http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/ . We bought a mix of colored lilies, not knowing what we would get. Each year they suprise us with the brilliance of their colors and how much they have spread.

Bee Balm is one of my favorite garden plants. Yes it gets powdery mildew but the color and smell is just devine and worth putting up with the mildew. This photo is of one patch of bee balm with the back of the house in the background.

Everything has grown well this year as we have had lots of rain and hotter days than usual. The iris were tall and colorful, the deck plants growing well. Always a trial to finally pull them out of the deck pots when fall comes and the frost kills it all.

We are up in Prince Edward Island, Canada on an RV trip and guess what I found today. A WOOLEN MILL!!! I just about fainted when I saw MacAusland's Woolen Mills by the side of the road. Screeching halt in the camper and out I popped to go see what was there. It is a working mill with women tending the yarn as it moves from fleece to yarn spun out on big fat cones. The thinner one ply is used for weaving blankets. The 2 and 3 ply is sold as knitting yarn mostly. I had SWORN that I would not come back from Canada ever again with yarn. Hey nobody but me heard that promise right?



I did manage to get out of the mill with only one sweater worth of yarn - but the info pack with samples was put in with the yarn. I bought 2 ply in a heathered teal. The weight is going to be perfect for an Aran. It is a heavier 2 ply but the knitted samples showed stitches beautifully.



I've been working on a sock while we are RVing and am pleased so far. Using Encore DK and size 4 Britanny wooden sock needles. Won a book on Ebay called "The Sock Calendar - Socks for All Seasons" by Catherine Wingate. I'm making the May sock which is called Ahoy! Socks. Nice cabling and the DK weight is perfect for size.

MacCausland information is
MacAusland's Woolen Mills Ltd.
Bloomfield, PEI
COB 1EO Canada
Toll Free: 1-877-859-3005
web site - www.peisland.com/wool
email - macwool@pei.aibn.com

Our RV travels are at http://otrafrommaine.blogspot.com.