Socks in the Summer Sun

I took my teal socks outside for better light. The colors are much truer in this one. Just look at how that left one has a beautiful spiral of little navy blips ! I started the right sock from the opposite end of the skein and it has much smaller blips of navy and less white. You can tell they are related but they look like they could have come from separate skeins. I love to watch the color progression as I knit!

Currently Knitting - August 17, 2009

My knitting has been frustrating me lately. I have been ripping at least as much as I have knit I think. This is Rauma 1272 Margrethe. It is a lovely pullover sweater that I started in June. I worked on the hem and bottom border while we were at TNNA. The yellow recommended in this pattern has been discontinued so I have had to make a substitution for it. There is also a green in the pattern that doesn't look green at all on the cover picture so I have substituted a dark gold for that one. You can see how little of that there is. Click on the picture and you will see that there is also one row of a lavendar. Surprise!

This first picture shows the first yellow that I tried. I actually farther along than this when I finally decided that the yellow and gray were just too close in value. You couldn't make out the fan patterns at all. So, rriiiiiiipppppp it went back to the border!

Now this is a Finullgarn sweater, so that was a LOT of knitting on very small needles!!

For this second try I chose a much lighter yellow. Ahhhhh, that's better! It had been moving right along until this past couple of weeks when I have not had as much time for it. I can't read and knit on this one! TV is okay, when I have the time for that.


I have been working more on this pair of socks than on the sweater. The yarn is my favorite teals and blues hand-dyed by Ray at Knitivity. He calls it Turquoise Fade. You will find it toward the middle of the page here.

I am using instructions from Wendy Johnson's Socks from the Toe-Up. I tried Judy Becker's Magic Cast on with the double point needles that I usually use for socks and found that it is nearly impossible to do. I was working in the car while we were traveling to and from Wisconsin so I didn't have much choice along for circular needles. I did have a couple of needles though which were only slightly different sizes so I grabbed the closest two circulars and tried it again. So far, so good.

They were working so I continued on using the Magic Loop technique with the Hiya Hiya needle I had. I don't usually enjoy knitting socks with one circular this way but this needle was particularly cooperative and was slightly smaller than my double points. I liked the knit that I was getting with them so I continued on.

I now have 2 socks up to the ribbing. I like my ribbing to be tightly knit so I was working along in my usual tight mode and decided I should try the socks on again before I finished the rib. Guess what? They were too tight! So again.....rriiiiiipppp when the knitting!

They are back on the needles again and almost finished now. Let's hope I remember to take the finished item photo too!

More Projects Finished June-July

It has been a busy summer here. I have not had time to post much but I have been knitting right along. I already showed you the pictures from TNNA with the sweaters that I finished before the show. I also made one of the Bunad stockings from the new LVS 4 book that Arnhild translated. This is a beautiful cabled knee-high stocking. I love the cables in it.

Before the show I saw some beautiful lace cowl patterns on Ravelry. This one was the right weight for Pt 5 Sport yarn so I decided to give it a try. The pattern is Poinsettia, a free pattern from Knitty.

I really struggled with the lace pattern in it. It just didn't seem to make sense to me as I was knitting it. But the result is beautiful. I will really enjoy wearing it this winter. If my neck is warm, the rest of me stays warmer. I may have to try some of the other patterns that I found too. Or make up some of my own.

After the show, there were still other patterns calling to me. Another one of the Bunad stocking patterns that I decided to try was this one. #12 from LVS 4 in red. I forgot to get a picture of the finished stocking before taking it to Arnhild's. These are going to be samples for her to use in display for the new book. Both of the stockings are made from Rauma Gammelserie. It is a sturdy all wool yarn that is the traditional choice for Norwegian historic costumes.

So far, I have only made one of each of these stockings for display. I am not sure if I will ever get around to making a second sock. They are such beautiful stockings that I would love to be able to wear them but maybe that is just a little too out of style for my age? Just how far do you think I can go before my adult children pretend they don't know me?

Norwegian and Cabled sweaters finished

I finished the work on these sweaters well before the TNNA show. I was so busy getting things ready that I forgot to take pictures of them though. These are pictures of them in the display at the show.

Pattern: #138RS Man's Norwegian Sweater Black and White with Stars on the left of the two hanging sweaters.
Yarn: Strikkegarn


Pattern: Children's Cabled Sweater-Red between the white pieces.
Yarn: Vamsegarn

TNNA 2009

I know it is a little late but I thought I should at least post some pictures of The National Needle Arts Association's annual trade show. I took these pictures on the day we set things up. Some things are not quite finished and the lighting was not the best but you can see everything I think. Cameras were not allowed on the floor during the show.

We took lots of new models! The black and white baby dress on the front corner of our booth got a lot of second looks. The shawls were popular too.

We stayed in the Drury Hotel attached to the convention center. It was beautiful hotel and very comfortable.

Here is some of the view out our 7th floor window. There were some very tall buildings. And one shorter one with these beautiful windows. We kept wondering what it was until we walked by it one day and found that it was a realty office.