Latest Lace Project -- Song of Songs

This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago. I am actually past the second corner and at about the 10th row on the 1st repeat of the body. I am knitting the True Love Stole from the book, Wendy Knits Lace, as my current lace project. I have to admit, it is harder than anything else I have ever done. I have trouble concentrating enough to get through a row sometimes. In fact, I am also knitting a sweater for my dog when I haven't the patience to knit --  which with this lace project is often.

I am using Silky Alpaca Lace in Pixie Pink. I like the yarn. It is smooth and beautiful, but it does not take a lot of abuse. There have been a couple of rows that I have had to knit and tink and knit and tink and knit again. Hopefully, I do not have too many rows like that as the yarn shows the wear. At the rate that I am knitting this, I will be posting pictures of the finished project at Christmas.

Oh, well, Happy Knitting!!!

Not Your Average Sweater

This is my baby, Beemer! And although summer is coming and it will be hot, I needed something fast and easy to knit when I couldn't concentrate easily enough to knit lace, so Beemer is getting a sweater.  Searching for a pattern is easy when you use Ravelry and not only did I find a dog sweater, I found a dog sweater specifically designed for the not-your-average-shaped-dog shape of the dachshund. The Wurstwarmer is a pattern available for sale through Ravelry. Most of the patterns that I knit have been free downloads, but this one was worth every penny of the $3.00 charge.

Designed by Flint Knits, the pattern's "short rows add extra material to accommodate a dachshund’s barrel chest. A long, ribbed, generously-sized turtleneck gently hugs the neck and allows for a wide range of neck and chest shapes and sizes. A long body covers the belly, and more short rows curve the sweater over the rump. Short, wide-set triangular sleeves will stay on even the wiggliest pups."

I am using some old acrylic sport weight yarn by Caron. And when I say old, I mean it -- the yarn is some 14 or 15 years old. The pattern is knit with only one yarn. However, you know I have a hard time not fiddling with a pattern, so I have incorporated a stripe into the sweater. I knit down to the end of the chest increase/short rows in navy, then switched to a medium blue just before the bind off and cast on for the leg holes. A total of 9 rows of knitting in the medium blue, then a single row of cream, three rows of medium blue, another single row of cream, 9 rows of medium blue and back to navy.

If you have ever knit socks with a short row heel, this pattern should be a breeze. In fact the sweater looked a lot like a giant sock until I intentionally knit in two holes for Beemer's legs! I am guessing that this pattern would be great for other long low dogs such as Basset Hounds, short legged Jack Russell Terriers and Dandie Dinmont Terriers. Although a Dandie Dinmont pretty much has its own sweater!

If this one works out well, I may be knitting an entire wardrobe for my Mr. B!

Happy knitting!

100 Blog Posts Later

It seems like it was a long time ago when I decided to start a blog. I had no idea at the beginning that I might actually have enough to say about any subject that I could keep coming up with new things to write about. That is the reason that I called this blog "Natternings Smatterings".


nat·ter   [nat-er]
verb (used without object)
1. to talk incessantly; chatter.

noun
2. a conversation; chat


smat·ter·ing   [smat-er-ing]
noun
1.a slight, superficial, or introductory knowledge of something: a smattering of Latin.

adjective
2.slight or superficial.

So when a couple of weeks ago, I realized that I was coming up on my 100 post, I wondered if I should acknowledge it, or just blow right past it as my husband has written more than 10 times that number and 100 doesn't seem like that many posts when he has done so many!

We have discussed (OK, I've "talked" --you've "listened") socks, knitting machines, chicken soup, making weights, quilting, fusing fabrics, blocking sweaters, knitting lace. I have learned a lot about a few things and a little about a lot of things. I hope you have, too.

Happy reading!

A (Finally) Finished Product

Finished size is 74 X 47.
Knit Picks Shadow Golden Glow Tonal -- 91 grams used -- approximately 800 yards
US 5 Needle
US 9 Needle for cast off

Alexandra Gold -- Finishing Steps

I like to use a large mixing bowl to soak my finished knitted item. Somewhere, I read that you are supposed to soak your wool for at least thirty minutes in (not too) warm water so that the water saturates the wool. The reason is that the lanolin in the wool is a natural water repellent and it takes time for the water to work into the fibers.



I add just a little lavender scented body wash. Not because it needs it, but because I really like the smell of it on the dry wool. You should just push the wool under the water and not agitate it at all. Agitation and warm water is what makes yarn felt. Felted lace shawls are not really pretty

 I then put the next smaller bowl on top of the wool and fill it part way with water. This holds all of the yarn under water so that it soaks evenly.

 After 30 minutes, I took the smaller bowl off of the yarn. Look at all of that yellow dye that has come out of the wool into the water!

 Carefully rinse the wool in cool clear water until there is no more dye coming out. Again, be careful not to agitate it too much even in cool water. I pull the wool to the side of the bowl and let the water run into the bowl -- not over the yarn directly.

After pouring out all the water, I gently press down on the wool to squeeze out more water. DON'T EVER TWIST WET WOOL!!!! The wool fiber is weakest when wet and you might have a forever stretched out item.

 After gently squeezing out the wool in the bowl, I put it on a towel. Make sure if you use a dark towel that it is older and does not give off dye or lint onto your newly made item.

 Roll up the towel with the item in it.

Then roll the towel up the other way so that you have fashioned a "ball" of sorts.










Put some pressure on the towel ball so that most of the remaining water is squeezed into the towel. You want your item damp not sopping!


I blocked my Alexandra Shawl using my new blocking wires. It was easy to thread the wires into each scallop tip and along the top edge. It only took a few T pins to stretch it out.

The lace shawl took up nearly the entire double bed and could have been stretched larger if I had had a bigger bed! At 74 X 47 this project is huge!! But really beautiful. So happy with Dee O'keefe's Design.

Buying yarn is one of my favorite things.

Two trips to the yarn store netted me some yummy yarn.

Two weekends ago, I bought three skeins of Silky Alpaca Lace by Classic Elite Yarn in Pixie Pink. I have already picked out the pattern to knit with it. As I posted a couple of weeks ago, I bought the book Wendy Knits Lace, by Wendy D. Johnson and I have decided to knit the True Love Stole. I can't wait to get started. This yarn is really soft and smooth with a 30% silk / 70% alpaca blend.

Lucky for me, when I bought the Silky Alpaca Lace, I crossed the points threshold necessary at my LYS, Wool and Company, to get a gift certificate worth $15.00! Of course, almost immediately, this small piece of paper began burning a whole in my wallet. So when my knitting sister came for the weekend (see previous post), we HAD to run by the LYS to spend it.

Look what I got!!! YUM! Cascade Yarns Alpaca Lace in colorway Garnet. It is 100% baby alpaca. I got two hanks with 437 yards each, so that should be plenty for an average shawl or stole. I haven't got a project picked out for this yarn yet, so it will go in my stash for future use.

Knitting Sister bought some yarn, too. It isn't what I would have picked out, but I took pictures so you could see how bright it is. She plans to use it to make a long shawl made with a wrap stitch pattern. The yarn is called Peace Fleece and is a worsted weight 70% Merino / 30% Mohair blend from Casa de Karma Yarns.

Buttons for her almost finished sweater was the last purchase of the day.

Happy Knitting (and yarn shopping!)

Let's play Sweater Jeopardy!

"I will take 'Fun Friday Evenings' for $100, Alex".

"And the answer is: A pair of twins, a bottle of wine, a partially knit sweater and 500 T-pins."

[A double chime sound effect here]

"What is a block party!"

Yes, fun was had by all last evening! My knitting sister is knitting her first sweater, from the book, Textured Stitches by Connie Chang Chinchino. As this is her first project that requires blocking she wanted me to walk her through the process. (That is called the blind leading the blind.) Even though she has not yet finished the sleeves, she only gets to my house every month or two, so we decided to block the back and two halves of the front as a lesson.

I think the pattern is a rather difficult pattern for a first sweater, but Lisa never was an "easy" person. (She has always jumped all the way in the water then looks to see how deep it is.) With its Cowl neckline and asymmetrical front, the Albero Cowl Jacket would be a challenge to many knitters.

Reporter: Why this sweater?

Knitting Sister: Because it is asymmetrical and I like the way it looked with the moss stitch. I dislike sweaters that you have to pull over your head.

Reporter: After so many socks, what made you try such a long project?

Knitting Sister: I wanted something more challenging -- something that people would see me wear -- socks kinda hide.

Reporter: You picked the same color yarn as what is in the pattern. Don't you have any originality?

Knitting Sister: [Incredulous look]

Reporter: Well, I'm just saying. . . So how do you like the Lamb's Pride Worsted that you are using?

Knitting Sister: It actually knits up really well. It has a somewhat uneven twist to the strand and it seems to hide mistakes well, yet the heather in it shows up the stitches very nicely. The best part is that the label on the skeins is 100% recyclable.

Reporter: [Incredulous look]

Knitting Sister: Well, I'm just saying. . . [Can you tell we're twins?]

Reporter: Have you got your next sweater pattern lined up yet?

Knitting Sister: No, I am actually going to try a shawl next. Not anything really lacy like you like.

Reporter: Oh, yes, those 4 skeins of worsted you bought today in the bright (ghastly) shade of orange.

Knitting Sister: But at least it isn't the same color as the picture of the shawl.

Reporter: Whatever! [Talk to the hand, Sister!]

Twins will be twins. . .

Happy knitting!