With apologies to Marion Foale

Last Fall I was thumbing through a back issue of Rowan magazine, Rowan 36 to be exact, and came across this beautiful cardigan.

Apparently, this was a Marion Foale design named "Betty" that was available in UK retail shops in the 1990's for about 250 pounds. I despaired of being able to "reverse-engineer" the design until I found this Marion Foale pattern published in Woman's Weekly (11/4/2008 issue) on eBay.

I decided to try and modify the pattern to approximate the "Betty." Six months later, here is my best attempt:


Overall, I am pleased with the outcome but it is now clear to me why Marion Foale is a talented knitwear designer and I am not.

First, I misplaced the pockets.


Rather than frog the whole thing (to which a collar was already attached) I decided to camouflage them with pocket-flaps (one of which I think is sewn on a little crooked).


Second, I had absolutely no idea how to turn a Revere collar into a shawl collar and, as it turns out, moss stitch does not look the same when turned on its side.

Third, I added a vent to the back just to be fancy.

After six months of slaving away at this, I have to admit it was not my best effort. Sigh.

Although I think I will be able to happily wear it to work, it does not warm my perfectionist heart. But, the great thing about knitting is there is always the next project!

Specifications:

Pattern: Modified "Neat Knit," by Marion Foale
Yarn: Rowan 4-ply soft in ecru (doubled throughout) - 20 balls
Needles: US0 and US1
Completed: January - June 20, 2009

What I Learned about Moss Stitch

I like using moss (or seed) stitch in knitted garments. I like the nubby texture. I like it as an edge to stockinette stitch, and I like how it adds warmth without adding a lot of bulk.

What I don't like about moss stitch is that it takes so looooong to knit up. I think these sleeves are like Penelope's shroud...I knit them during the day and then they unravel at night (all on their own).

Here they are in March:

And here they are in April.


And here is one of them as of today:

Not much progress, huh? What I discovered on page 23 of that wonderful knitting reference book, The Principles of Knitting, by June Hemmons Hiatt, is that "Seed stitch is 30% shorter than stockinette and 18% wider." Aha! I knew something was up. I knit and knit and knit and have only an inch to show for it. I've also noticed that it tends to become somewhat misshapen. The sleeves I knit in stockinette stitch never look this "wonky." I hope the pieces even out with a good blocking.

Well, I have to admit that I'm being a little bit melodramatic because the delay is largely due to several other knitting projects that have intervened during the past several months. Projects that have been much more interesting to work on, so I've abandoned these poor sleeves time and time again.

One of my other projects is the Military Jacket by Veronika Avery.

I swatched in a WW Khroma from the Fibre Company in Plum, but it was too dark. Then I swatched in a DK Khroma in Aegean, but the yarn was too thin. Finally, I cannabalized my stash of Cascade 220 Tweed set aside for Stefanie Japel's texturized tweed jacket (which would never have flattered me anyway), and that was just right the right yarn.


I've started on the right sleeve (you may remember my vow to work the sleeves of my next garment first), and added a ruffled border as I felt strongly it needed an edging.

Here is a close-up of the ruffled edge.

I guess I'd better go knit some more on Penelope's sleeves ... ;-)

... And One To Grow On.

So, as promised, I immediately went to work on a 6-month size of "Blu" because I simply could not believe that an actual human being could fit into the newborn size. This is most likely due to my own lack of experience with newborns. There were other reasons too: (a) I'm compulsive; (b) I had so much fun the first time around I wanted to have another go at it; (c) I am a perfectionist wannabe and thought I could do better the second time around; and (d) did I mention I'm compulsive?

I did make a few modifications that I would recommend. I cast off the top edges instead of keeping the stitches live because it was much less of a hassle during the pre-shrinking phase (and I don't think it made the elastic casing too inflexible). I also followed beppesgirl's lead and cast off three stitches at each edge of the elastic casing to enable the placement of a button on the inside for use with a special type of elastic with buttonholes every inch. This way the elastic can be lengthened or shortened depending upon the baby's girth.

So, that's it. I'm closing the chapter on the Baby Blues ... until the next time I hear that someone's expecting that is.

On to other knitting news. I found this nifty expanding file folder thingy today at an office supply chain store for $10.99. I have been keeping my circular needles in a bag which is a very inefficient way to manage them.

Now, I have a separate pocket for each size and can easily put my hands on the needles I need. I know there is no such thing as a knitting emergency, but should one ever arise I will be prepared to rapidly equip myself with the proper knitting tool.

Did I mention that I am somewhat compulsive?

I Got the Baby Blues!

These may be the smallest jeans ever! I knit the newborn size and I'm thinking these will fit Baby S. for about 5 minutes. The pincushion was placed in the photo to indicate the size of the FO. Are newborn babies really this tiny?

The button is wooden and is painted with an orange slice design. The embroidery was done with Rowan handknit cotton in "canteloupe." The jeans themselves were knit with Rowan demin and pre-shrunk in the washer in hot (!) water and thrown in the dryer before sewing up. (I know!)

The label was made with faux leather in butterscotch purchased online from Leisure Arts. (I can't take credit for thinking this up, I took my inspiration from "beppesgirl" on Ravelry.)

The entire project was completed within a weekend -- a first for me! And I also had time to do 5 loads of laundry, play a game of tennis, read a book and watch two movies. So I'd say all in all this is about an 8-hour project.

Specs:

Design: BLU by Cristina Bernard Shiffman and Kay Gardiner

Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines

Yarn: Rowan Denim in Nashville and Tennessee
Rowan Handknit Cotton in shade 337

Size: 0-3 months

Mods: None to speak of -- substituted faux leather tag for felt tag

Problems: The crotch is a little wonky due to an irregular cast off on my part.

While I have some momentum with this I plan to start the 6-12 month old size right away so the little guy can wear them for a little while.

More Perlemor ...

I was having so much fun with this pattern, I just kept on knitting and came up with a romper and a matching bonnet to complete the set.

The bonnet has a pinwheel design at the back of the head that is both elegant and whimsical at the same time. I didn't have a baby on which to model it so it's hard to see in the photo, but trust me - it's very cute. (Please excuse the water stain on the top of my bureau.)

The romper fastens with pewter heart buttons to match the sweater.

Et voila, the whole layette is ready to be shipped to the expectant parents. (Oops, except for the booties which haven't yet been made.)

Projects: Past, Present, and Future

Past: Perlemor in Red and White

Here she is! I thoroughly enjoyed knitting this sweet little sweater and in the process came to appreciate the genius of the design team at Dale of Norway. Or, maybe it's just the genius of the Norwegians - especially when it comes to knitting. At any rate, the pattern was extremely well-written and all the pieces came together into a satisfying whole.




One of the design features I liked a lot was the knit1, purl1 rows that separated the neckline from the body. It makes a nice flexible collar area. I also liked the fact that most of the neck stitches were kept live and knit after picking up stitches at the front edges of the collar.



Finally, the "private side" of this little sweater is nearly as neat and tidy as the "public side." I like that a lot. It's much more satisfying than having lots of ends and ugly pick-ups and decrease stitches, etc. to hide on the inside.

Design: Perlemor, Baby Knits from Dale of Norway,
"Soft Treasures for Little Ones"
Yarn: Dalegarn Baby Ull in cherry red (4227) and cream (0020)
March 22 - April 13, 2009

Present: Marion Foale's Neat Knit cardigan - THE SLEEVES

Why, oh why do sleeves seem to be so interminable to knit? Why do I resent knitting them so much? Why are they less pleasurable to knit than the body? These are the questions that plague me as I work my way stitch by stitch up the sleeves. Perhaps I should do as the French do and make the sleeves first. Somehow my excitement about a new project never allows me to do this.



And, speaking of a new project ...

Future: Veronika Avery's Military Cardigan

I've chosen the yarn (Khroma WW in plum) and I've been swatching. I haven't gotten gauge yet, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to knit this up on US7's. Sevens! Hoorah!

My assistant agrees that this will be a nice change from US1's and zeros!

I'm Knitting as Fast as I can ...

... and it doesn't seem to be fast enough. It is difficult for me to match the pace of my knitting (slow) with the rate of my interest in starting new projects (rapid). This discrepancy is further aggravated by my propensity to choose projects that require tiny needle sizes (US0, US1,US2). I just like the look of finished knitted fabric with fine stitches. This means that while other knitters are knocking out finished objects in just a couple of weeks, I'm plugging along for months. So, although I know pictures of works in progress tend to be boring, here is my version of Marion Foale's "Neat Knit" as she currently stands.



There have been some minor tragedies associated with this project which will be blogged all in good time.



And, here are the sleeves. Sleeves are particularly difficult to tackle when one is ready to follow the siren's call of the next anticipated project, but I am determined to knit away on them until they are done.



And lastly, here is the body of Perlemor 1. This is an incredibly fun knit. I absolutely love the houndstooth check pattern.