Garn Boet - The Yarn Nest

This posting is long over due, but thanks to a gentle reminder from my e-mail list friend Nissa that I haven’t posted the Rosebud mitten pattern, I realized I haven’t posted the Venezia alterations either. I’ll start with Venezia, and the Rosebud mitten pattern will follow very soon, I promise.

This is how I changed my Venezia pullover to have a V-neck line instead of the boat neck the pattern gives instructions for. The instructions are for the second smallest size, 34 ½ “.

On the first row number 18 of the body chart, put the centre stitch on a piece of scrap yarn, and cast on 11 stitches for the front steek. The border stitches are knitted in the background colour. Decrease before the steek as a slip slip knit decrease and after the steek as a knit 2 tog decrease, just as you have done with the arm opening steeks. Decrease on every row 22 times, then on every second row until you have the desired amount of stitches left for the shoulders. I left 16 stitches for the shoulder. Continue knitting without decreases. When the arm opening has reached the last row number 18 on the colour chart, put the stitches for the neck on a scrap yarn. There should be 103 stitches left on the back piece, put 97 on a scrap yarn, and cast on 11 stitches for the neck steek. Decrease on stitch on both sides of the neck steek in the same way as for the front three times. On row 24 of the colour chart, bind off the steeks except for the border stitches of the steek. You do now have 18 stitches on every shoulder piece, 16 stitches for the shoulder and two border stitches. Knit the right front shoulder to the right back shoulder, using a three-needle-bind off. Do the same with the left shoulder. If you want to reinforce the arm openings with crochet, do it now. Don’t reinforce the V-neck steeks; it will only make them bulky. Since they will be hidden inside the edge, they will felt and won't open. Cut up the front and back steeks for the neck opening.

Pick up stitches for the edge between the two stitch legs in the border stitch on the right side of the pullover. I used 3 mm circular needle. You will have a decreased stitch, a half background coloured stitch and then will the edge begin. I picked up 53 on the right side of the neck, the central front stitch, 53 stitches on the left side and the 97 stitches from the neck. I knitted ten rows, but I think twelve or even more would be better.

The decreases and increases at the centre front: You have to decrease at the centre front for what will be the front on the edge, and the again increase the same amount of stitches on the back. I made a decrease on the front that I don’t know what it’s named, I have used it for mitten thumbs when I want there to be just one stitch row showing in the top decreases. One stitch before the centre stitch, put the right needle into the centre stitch knitwise, slowly and carefully ease the stitch before the centre stitch away from the left needle, slip the centre stitch away from the left needle, and pick up the stitch before the centre stitch. You will now have the stitch after the centre stitch and the stitch before the centre stitch on the left needle. Knit them together, then slip the centre stitch over the. The result is a decrease behind the centre stitch. If you have decided to knit all in all twelve rows, do this six times on every row for a steep V, three times on every second row for a less steep V. On the backside, simply increase one stitch on both sides of the centre stitch as many times as you decreased on the front.

When you have knitted all the edge rows, take a 2,5 mm needle, pick up on the wrong side the purl bump, that is the bar of old gold that is left between the stitches on the back side of the first row of the edge. Just pick up them, don’t knit them. Fold the edge in half with the knit side on the outside, keep the needle with the picked up stitches behind, both needles in the left hand. The steek will now be inside the edge. Carefully match the stitch in the edge and the stitch picked up knit them together and bind off at the same time using the three-needle bind off. The inside of the neck line will be very neat and the steek hidden inside the edge.

If I would redo Venezia’s neck I would probably leave 18 or 20 stitches for the shoulders, and knit the edge two or four rows further. It’s not enough to actually redo it, but for you who considers the alterations, think about it.

Posted by Maud at 08:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Venezia has been finished for a while already, but the modelled pictures have taken some time to get taken. First it was too hot, then it poured down, and then it was too hot again. Yesterday it was still hot, in fact hotter than ever before this summer, but when the sun went behind a cloud for tem minutes I grabbed the pullover, the camera and the husband in order to finally get the pictures taken. It was 27 degrees Celsius in the shadow, and positively too hot to wear a pullover made of Shetland wool, but who knows when I otherwise would have got them taken.

Project details:
Pattern: Venezia by Eunny Jang, Interweave knits Winter 2006.
Yarn: Jamieson’s 2-ply Spindrift, 100 % wool in the specified colours
Needles: Addi turbo circs 2,5 and 3 mm, dpns 2,5 and 3 mm for the sleeves.
Alterations: V-neck instead of boat-neck.

All in all a wonderful pullover to knit. The pattern is very detailed, and you need to read through it before you start, in order not to make mistakes. But it’s well written, like Eunny’s pattern always are, and a joy to work with. The colour chart looks very complicated, but you get the feel for it easily, and then you “see” it. The pattern is in fact more addicting than any pattern I can remember to have knitted before; the syndrome of “just-one-more-row” is always present.

I have never used Shetland yarn before, so that was a new experience for me too. It’s softer than I thought, but still a bit harsh, even after washing. It blooms out in a beautiful way when washed, and I easily understand why this is so popular for Fair Isle typed works. The 25 grams balls are also a blessing, so even if the yarn isn’t cheap, you don’t have to buy way too much yarn for your project.

Click here to zoom out and to zoom in !

I know there are quite a lot of people working on Venezia, so the club of Venezia finishers is not that exclusive. But I must admit I’m quite pleased both with the finished Venezia, and with having finished Venezia. And I hope I’ll see more Venezias all over blogland!

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Uh, it has been quite some time since I last posted. The days have been so filled with non-knitting relating things and events that I haven’t even got time to check out what you have been up to. Time for a blog round later today!

There has not been much knitting going on during these weeks either, and there have been more days when I haven’t touched my needles at all than those when I have actually knitted. But I managed to finish the back and the fronts of the spring cardi and I seamed the shoulder seams and put it blocking this morning. As soon as the body has dried I’ll knit the front bands and then seam the rest of the seams. I haven’t found buttons yet, but I have something pearly in mind.

Venezia hasn’t grown almost at all. This has again to do with the limited knitting time and Venezia’s demand of one’s concentration. I am still on the first pattern repeat, but I have already decreased four times, feels like a small victory when the stitches are getting fewer and fewer.

I wanted something desperately a couple of weeks ago. In order to get things my way I had to make an economic sacrifice. I promised my husband to not buy any yarn for, gulp, six months. The end date is October 18th, and this will end up in, I hope, a very creative use up of my yarn stash. I don’t have too many kilos of yarn, but there is enough for one sweater, perhaps even a vest, and lots of smaller items. Let’s see what I will come up with!

Weather wise has winter returned. We are, after warm and beautiful spring days, down in just 4 degrees C today. Brrrr. The sun is shining and it looks so good, but being outside demands warm wool sweaters.

Posted by Maud at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Right! Zoom out, there are four of them!

I have been a busy bee when it comes to sleeves. All four sleeves are knitted, the gorilla long sleeves of the spring cardigan and the short but patterned sleeves of Venezia. Both knits have been very satisfying in their own way. I don’t know when I have enjoyed a knit as much as Venezia. It’s addictive, looking at the pattern emerge from the different colours, and even if almost constantly changing colours is a bit annoying, is the way the colours work together beautiful, and I think adding to the addicting way of this pullover. (Weaving in all those ends there are before the steeks, my friends, is not going to be a beautiful or fun story. I predict blood, sweat and almost tears. Thankfully do the steeks take care of all ends from the colour changes, and so from the sleeve openings and up there will be no ends to weave in). I have washed and blocked the sleeves, and they really bloomed up and filled out beautifully. And the yarn got much softer.

The spring cardi is heaven when it comes to softness. It is a perfect knit for those moments when you can’t concentrate fully on knitting (Venezia is not going to share your concentration with anybody else, but that is hardly a surprise), and all pieces has been small enough to be stuffed into the handbag without problems. And that is the reason why the cardi has advanced this far, I’m already behind the sleeve openings on the back piece. The gauge is pretty fine, 26 stitches to 10 cm on 3,25 mm needles, but one row here and one row there while waiting for one thing or another to happen and more while watching TV adds to the about one hundred rows there are before the increases. There are still plenty of rows left before the neckshaping, but the biggest part of the back is knitted. The fronts will be a piece of cake after the back.

Look at all those small green things called grass! Spring is finally here again!

Venezia’s most time consuming part is without doubt the hem and the first rows. The beginnings of the sleeves are so short that the slow progress of the hem part doesn’t disturb, but my, I thought I would never get the body hem finished. It was like a big black hole, steeling all the stitches I knew I had knitted, and picking up the provincial cast on took forever. But the result is neat, and I don’t hesitate to add the same hem to other pullovers in the future. Once the provincial cast on was picked up it went pretty smoothly to knit the two rows of stitches together, and there it was, the hem. The first row with two colours is always a pain. One mistake, and you don’t realize it before you have knitted half the piece, and the stitches doesn’t match in the side seam. But here I am, already into the sixth row from the hem, and the increases have started.

Posted by Maud at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

The first sleeve of Venezia has approached the sleeve cap steek, and now are the rows getting shorter and shorter fast. Venezia is one of the most addictive knits I have had for a while. It is fascinating looking at how the patterns emerge, to knit just one more row and then just one more row. And the pattern is not at all difficult, it looks much more complicated than what it is. But look at the colours! It is totally impossible to get them right on a picture. Venezia is not at all as bright as it looks. The overall colouring is much greener, not blue, and the white is not white, it’s different beige shades. Even the whitest one is slightly brownish. I have tried to take picture with and without sunshine, and on all pictures are the greens too blue and the beiges too white. The hunt for the perfect picture is on!

Posted by Maud at 01:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (15) | TrackBacks (0)

VENEZIA

Yep, after having debating both on the blog and mostly in my head for and against Venezia, the yarn (harsh), the colours (too many) and the difficulty (will take ages), I went ahead and ordered the yarns exactly as Eunny’s pattern states. I have never knitted with Jamieson’s Shetland so I don’t know the feel of the yarn, and I also decided that even if I think many colours in Fair Isle knits isn’t for me, I have in fact never tried out a Fair Isle garment. I have quite a lot of faith in Eunny’s talent to choose colours. And I got a pretty big share of patience when those qualities were handed out to us. It will take some time, but it can’t be an impossible project. It is a challenging pattern, and like all Eunny’s patterns it requires your concentration. But I like a good challenge, and it is time to add difficulty to my colour knitting endeavours.

As usually I started with a sleeve. I think it is good to learn the pattern on a smaller piece, less to rip out if you start with the wrong row (hrm, how do I know you can do that) or if the tension after all is not on the spot. I firmly believe swatches are liars, and what more, evil liars. I do them yes, but I have all too often found that when I’m knitting on a bigger piece than the small swatch my tension loosens up, and even if the swatch was all right, the real piece isn’t.

Here are some finished/almost finished Venezias: Juju has just started her, as has Kimberly. Maria and Soma have finished their, and Girl who knits (don’t know her name) has finished a Venezia in slightly different colours.

This is how far I came on the spring cardi. The good thing for the spring cardi is that while Venezia is a knit not suitable for all knitting occasions, the spring cardi will get it’s constant share of attention, and will not be forgotten on the bottom of the knitting basket.

And last but not least. This is my 100th post on my blog!

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