Oregon in the autumn colorway is done! It was a fun fair isle knit designed by Alice Starmore and recently re-published in Vogue Magazine.







In addition to this beautiful knit, there is a LOT of the Virtual Yarn left over. I bought the kit from Junie, a good online friend. It was for the large size but I made the medium sweater as a crew neck cardigan, not even as a V neck. There would have been ample yarn for the large size. Wonder what I'll do with the left overs?

So what to do when we aren't out seeing North America? Why work around the house and gardens of course. As we get older they both seem to get bigger and need more care. We had the man who built our house come back and insulate and sheetrock the garage to hopefully help with heating the room above the garage. Since it is a garage the sheetrock had to be fire rock which is quite heavy. Didn't think we would do well up on ladders hanging fire rock so just hired it out. We're doing the taping and painting and it is about half done. Using left over paint cause it is a garage right!



When we aren't working on the garage we spend some time weeding and just enjoying the gardens. This year they are just gorgeous due to the abundant rain and high temps. Veggies didn't do as well so they got ripped up but the perennials are great.





Getting really itchy to go truck camping again. Enough with the paint and weeds!

Home from our five week trip to the western states. What great memories the places visited will be through the years. Utah is spectacular, with the scenery changing around every bend in the road. Here's a link to our travel blog if anyone is interested: http://otrafrommaine.blogspot.com

Never stepped into a yarn shop, never bought an inch of yarn or a pattern, just too busy during the day sightseeing and too tired at night. Maybe next time?

Finished the Trinity vest for mom. It's all washed, blocked on the wooly board and ready to give to her for fall. Decided to use Encore washable since it will need to go into a washing machine and dryer. Also will not put any buttons on it since those are hard for her to handle. This is just to be worn over a blouse. It was hard to block on the wooly board as the chest measurement is so small and I had to sew it together with cotton thread to keep it flat.







Now back to working on Oregon second sleeve. It was all picked up, decreases done and 15 rows knit when I realized I'd forgotten to turn the chart upside down. Since upside down trees wouldn't quite cut it, ripped it and now started over. I'll have to sit down in the next day or two and try to line up the fall and winter projects.

First sleeve on Oregon is done. I cut the front steek after crocheting the edges in order to try on the sweater for sleeve length. Fits well. It will be set aside a while since we're going to be travelling in our RV truck camper some and handling all those color changes is a bit much. I packed St. Brigid in Country Craft "Fundy Fog" color. It's up about 8 inches and I may try to make it a slightly inset sleeve instead of the usual box shape. Also have startd "Trinity", a vest from Lisa Lloyd's new book "A Fine Fleece". It's being made out of Encore so that it will be easily washable for my mom in an assisted living center. Nice bright red cheerful color.



Hope on our trip out west we'll bump into great yarn shops and meet new knitting friends along the way.

Have I been knitting a lot lately? NO! and I miss it greatly. We've been busy with mother care, a camping trip and the start of yard cleanup after a heavy winter. Thankfully we did the major cleanup in the fall so this is just leaf pickup and mulching.

I did recently purchase the book "A Fine Fleece" by Lisa Lloyd and it is a must have book. Two chapters give information on the different breeds of sheep, their characteristics and how to use their fleece for hand spun yarn. I'm not a spinner but I learned a lot about how yarn works. The rest of the book is a superb collection of cable sweaters, hats and socks. There isn't one that I wouldn't make. I think this book is going to be a classic.

Several projects on the needles:

Test knitting a scarf for color pooling as Annie Maloney shows on the "Annie Maloney & Friends" Ravelry group. Interesting technique but glad I'm using an inexpensive Paton's variegated wool for a test since you have to cut each row so the colors will line up. I'd hesitate to use a really expensive yarn until the technique was down pat.

Oregon in the original kit from Virtual yarns is going well. I'm 2/3 done with the first sleeve, body is done of course. Still in love with the colors and the feel of the fabric.



"Airy Aran" is high on my list for continuing. I need to watch the chart for this one so cannot take it camping.

I've also started Starmore's "St. Brigid" in Cottage Craft 2 ply worsted weight in Fundy Fog color, a light lavender. This one is pretty easy so might make the transition to the RV.



There are other works in canvas bags stuck here and there all over my craft room. I fondle them occasionally. Got to get over my start-itis.

Knitting away on "Airy Aran" which is what I'm calling the cable sweater using Annie Maloney's cables #61 and #28 revised. Well actually both of them are revised a bit but they are definately sourced from her. I almost stopped as the Victorian sport from Halycon Yarns just felt to stiff. Then an online friend reminded me that I had a big swatch all washed. Dug it out and yes, it was a lot softer and bloomed a bit. Not a lot of bloom but enough to make me happy again. I'm on Row 45 of the 48/24 chart repeat though I started with row 13 on the #28 cable. I'll base the sweater design on a basic slightly inset sleeve using Sweater Wizard.

First photo shows the cables run down into the ribbing from the three nested #61s.



Second photo shows the #28 over on the right just after a rope cable and check rib on the sides.



Knitting away on "Airy Aran" which is what I'm calling the cable sweater using Annie Maloney's cables #61 and #28 revised. Well actually both of them are revised a bit but they are definately sourced from her. I almost stopped as the Victorian sport from Halycon Yarns just felt to stiff. Then an online friend reminded me that I had a big swatch all washed. Dug it out and yes, it was a lot softer and bloomed a bit. Not a lot of bloom but enough to make me happy again. I'm on Row 45 of the 48/24 chart repeat though I started with row 13 on the #28 cable. I'll base the sweater design on a basic slightly inset sleeve using Sweater Wizard.

Oregon Autumn fair isle's body is done with a regular round neck instead of a V. The first sleeve is down about 7" and going quickly.

Also previewing fiber for St. Brigid, a heavily cabled outdoor aran I've always admired. I'll probably end up with dark purple Cascade 220 as there is enough of it already in stash, the color is lovely, and gauge is spot on.

I think/hope the swatching for the Aran cable sweater is finally done.
It turned out nothing like I thought it would. Most of my Arans are
made with fairly heavy cables such as the one centered on the blue
sweater below.



Ever since purchasing Annie Maloney's book on cable design "The Cable
Knitting Handbook" I've been more or less obsessed with putting some
of her cables into a sweater. I found myself drawn to the lighter,
airy type of cables. No 61 is a diamond shape with many tiny
crossings. I nested three of them so they offset each other and then
knit a test swatch in off white Briggs & Little Regal, a heavy DK
weight. Next I worked on adding side cables and kept coming back to
No 28 which is a more open diamond shape but with the same tiny
crossings. Not able to leave well enough alone, I added the center
portion of No 74 to both sides of the No 28 and put a two stitch rope
on each side. The line up was 1 purl, rope,1 purl, 74, 1 purl,28,1
purl, 74, 1 purl, rope, 1 purl. Of course this was starting to look
both pretty busy and pretty wide especially in the Regal DK. More
swatching with a rust colored Halcyon Victorian sport weight. I don't
really like swatching but having finally made a sweater than fit me
perfectly using Janet Szabo's FLAK method, I knew to swatch each
individual cable or cable group or pay the consequences. Janet teaches
how to make the sweater actually fit!

Finally decided to lay the cable swatches on top of the blue FLAK I
wear a lot. Out went the No 74s or there would have been no plainer
side stitches to give the eye a rest.

In the photo, the No 74 with rope cables is on the right with the
three No 61s in the center. Picture the No 74 on the left and
that takes up most of the fabric width. On the blue FLAK, I ran a
cable down from the underarm to waist and might end up doing this with
the partial No 74. The No 28 swatch isn't wasted since it will end up
as a saddle. Last piece of the puzzle will be graphing out on a
photocopy of the 61s exactly where the neck stitches will have to be
added to get to the start of the front body. Sounds complicated but it
really isn't. Janet's blog is at www.bigskyknitting.com , the
pattern is under Downloads. The small cost of the FLAK pattern is
worth every penny.

More discussion on this sweater is on the Ravelry group Annie Maloney
& Friends - www.ravelry.com/groups/annie-maloney--friends

Interesting exercise and one I've worked on quite a bit and really
want to get knitting on it. However there is still work already on the
needles. Oregon Autumn, the fair isle, is two inches down on the first
sleeve. Fulmar has the body joined onto a big circular. Poor Shirt
Tail Hemmed pullover still sits in her canvas bag.

Oregon Autumn is up to the sholder join. I am not happy with it at all but am not going to rip it back to the underarms and start over. My friend Shirley is making the same size as I am and the shoulders look the same. We think it is where the division for the armhole steek starts that is not proportionate.

It is a beautiful sweater and will be worn a lot I'm sure. The colors are beautiful and the quality of the Virtual Yarns yarn is outstanding. I wish I'd taken the time to double check the chart layout to see if the shoulders would match but just never thought about doing so. The photo is the armhole steek crocheted, cut open and the shoulder join done using three needle bind off. I chose to just use the background color called for and do two rows of solid color.

This is the swatch I'm working on for my first self put together Aran. The cables are from Annie Maloney's "The Cable Knitting Handbook". This is the test knit for two of the cables. The far right cable will be repeated on the left of the next three cables which are hour glasses and not finished yet. Doing a wide swatch gives you the true stitches per inch in your cable so that you can plan the width of the sweater properly. I'm experimenting with different ways to fill in the arms of the right hand cable which looks like an X at the moment but is really a diamond. Lots of possibilities! The yarn is Briggs & Little "Regal" and is being knit on US#5.

We are discussing Annie's work on the Ravelry group "Annie Maloney & Friends".
Come join us if you are a Ravelry member. If not - join!!! It is an amazing wealth of information for knitters.

Oregon continues to be a fun knit. I'm one row past having put the underarm stitches on holders and started the sleeve steek.



Long, cold, rain/sleet/hail day with ice build up on the trees. So far we still have power and probably will be okay since it has finally stopped. We've kept the roofs shoveled best we could but the warmer weather next few days will help. I don't know where we are going to put any more snow. That little figure is Joe clearing outside the garage door. The room over the garage is my knitting/quilting room.

Since I didn't want to ruin this nice snowy day by doing something dumb like vacumning, decided to get out possible yarn choices for either St. Brigid or the sweater using Annie Maloney's cables.



I've decided to use the Irish Ewe wool from Ireland. Bought this at The Irish Ewe shop in Norway, Maine. Dagny and her mom Deb import some really luscious fiber and this is a very authentic weight and ply for cabling. That yarn is in the left front corner of the photo. The other wools are on the right Cascade 220 in Christmas red, gold and a deep purple. Center top is Galway aran in a yellowish green. Left top is Country Craft in Fundy Fog and Blackberry. The blue knitted fiber is Cleckheaton Country 8 ply.

I'm up to row 48 on Oregon and done with the second sleeve (except ribbing) on Fulmar. Oregon is such a pretty sweater and the colors just glow in a subdued fall feeling, not bright like either the original pattern leaflet from VY or the Vogue photo. I actually like it better.

More snow tomorrow - 10 to 14" but it is very cold so it will be light, not that heavy, water laden mess like the last storm. Tomorrow is available as a knitting day so I might even make it up the armholes for Oregon and start the shaping. Doubt I ever make another dropped shoulder fair isle as there is just too much fabric at the armholes for me.

Think we have snow? This is our camper off the truck waiting for spring. Come on spring!

The Oregon Autumn sweater is coming along so well. The yarn is a joy to work with and the colors just glow. These are pretty difficult colors to photograph well. I like steeks that might be a cople of stitches wider than most but I do crocheted steeks and like them this way. Still haven't decided whether to keep it as a V neck as designed or go to a crew neck which I'm sure I'll wear more.



Yesterday we drove up to Halcyon Yarns and bought two 900 yard cones of Harrisville Shetland in off white. I have a great collection of Jamieson & Smith jumper wool in color but nothing in light. Today I skeined off the yardage and washed it to make it bloom. The coned wool is not pre-washed. The skeins are now on the wooly board drying. They bloomed and now look like J&S weight. My "Knit from Stash yarn diet" obviously didn't last long!

Somehow I felt that Saturday would be the delivery day for the box of Jamieson and Smith 2 ply jumper weight yarn in the discontinued colors. However we had to go out before the mailman came. Of course, when we got home, there was the postal slip saying to come to the post office on Tuesday to pick it up since we weren’t home to sign for the box. Monday is an American federal government holiday so the postal workers were not delivering and I was really anxious for the box. I called the number on the slip and a clerk did answer as they were still working behind the closed counter windows. She took pity on me and called the carrier on his cell phone to see where he was on his route. I ended up driving about five miles to meet up with him but I got the box!!!



Forced myself to wait to open it until I’d gotten the notes out on who had ordered which colors and how many. A couple of us had ordered together to hold down the shipping costs.

Ripped open the box with assistance from Miss Boots, The Cat, and there was the PILE of beautifully packaged colors. Thanks go out to S. Johnson, the shipping room clerk, for a great job on packaging and carefully checking the yarn against the invoice.




I had a great time sitting out in my sunroom spreading out the colors and sorting them into piles. Every color we ordered was available and all the counts and colors were correct. Last photo shows the split up orders all ready to go to the happy knitters. The biggest box is mine

Enough snow already! We shoveled roofs, chopped ice, tried to throw it up over the huge mountains near the house. We lost power and internet last night but only for three hours unlike many who are still without power. It is beautiful though with the ice hanging on the trees and the snow so white and unbroken. This is our back porch.



Finally the neck ribbing of Fulmar is done except for the bind off. I
wanted to look at it a bit more before the final binding. The neck
fits well, is a good height and finally the cables went up into the
rib without a lot of stress. The change was in picking up the row
BELOW the cast on stitches across the front and back. I was quite
careful to have the picked up stitches the same in each section side
to side and front to rear. There are a couple of small holes that
could have been picked up better but there is this marvelous invention
called a blunt tapestry needle and a piece of the red yarn to fill in
the holes from the inside. Now that the neck trauma is over, I will
get back to knitting on Oregon Autumn Fair Isle which is a very
soothing knit. Thanks to all for the hand holding.

What a struggle on the neck for Fulmar. I've not had this much trouble before but usually neck ribs are knit up from the body on live stitches. This is being done FLAK style so I'm picking up the stitches from cast on edges. First photo is the neck as originally knit in K1b,P1 rib which of course spiraled when knit in the round.



Annie Maloney just posted an informative post on the "Annie Maloney & Friends" Ravelry group about neckbands. I ripped the neck and sectioned it off by cable count and then ripped it again.



Now I'm at the point of wanting to rip again. See the last photo which shows where you can really see the line of picked up stitches and the attempt to add cables into the neck rib. I don't like the visual stop where the body goes to the rib. I'm beginning to think of a sewn on cable round like on Starmore's St. Brigid but wonder if that would be too heavy. At least I have enough of the Wendy Guernsey yarn that when all this ripping disintegrates the neck yarn I have enough for new yarn.

Oregon Fall version is up to row 17 on Chart A. No way does the photo even come close to the richness of these colors.



Still working with the cables in Annie Maloney's "The Cable Knitting Handbook" to revise and design the center panel for an aran sweater. This is chart #77 with revised #56 on each side separated by a cluster stitch. You can see that on the right side I've laddered down and replaced the knit stitch with a purl stitch on each side of the cluster stitch. The chart is only about half done in heighth so will be interesting to see if this works or not. Click on the photo to read the photo labels.

Oregon Autumn KAL has started and I've got the corrugated ribbing done and the divisions for Chart A set up. The colors show a lot more muted than the Vogue photo or the original VY pattern but they are so beautiful. As usual, the color progression as set up by Alice Starmore just leads you along as you knit.



The second sleeve of Fulmar keeps growing. Arans on US#2 grow slowly.



When I get tired of larger projects, I've been making a second pair of Selbuvotter mittens. This is pair NHM #8 and is being made in Cottage Craft one ply white and Harrisville jumper weight.

Back from a week in VA visiting family. Knitted on Fulmar both ways from ME to VA so got a bit more done on the second sleeve. It's probably at a third done and still a fun knit. The red is such a beautiful color and the Wendy Guernsey is going to wear like iron.

Today I'm going through all my stranded knitting books looking at projects that I truly want to make. Jamieson & Smith is discontinuing some of their colors as they are slow sellers. I'll see what is used in those sweaters I want to make and place an order.



The Oregon Autumn KAL started today and I'm already swatching for size. Both of the finished Starmore Fair Isles, Erin and Marina, were made with J&S and ended up at 7 stitches to 4" after being washed and blocked. Oregon will be my first Virtual Yarns sweater and it just feels heavier to my hand. Swatching we will go since today is going to be snow/sleet/rain/yuck.

The Celtic Knot pillow top is done. Finished knitting it while watching the football games yesterday. It was a fun project but I think I will either knit a plain back or make a quilt fabric back rather than knit a duplicate knot for the back. I used an old yarn in stash, Christopher Farms 3 ply, and it was pretty hard on the hands. The pillow measures 13" across. Made in a really fine yarn this could be used as a medallion on a sweater.



Fighting with myself not to start knitting samples of the cables in Annie Maloney's books. I think they would be like Pringles where you mean to eat one and eat the whole can instead. The cables are unlike any I've seen before and her process to create them is fascinating.