Blueberry Wine (I mean Vine).

I am knitting the Vine Yoke Cardigan for my Ravelympics 2010 project. It is a pattern by Ysolda Teague.

The Vine Yoke Cardigan has a very unique construction. It’s a real joy knitting something so different and watching how it becomes a garment. However, because of the odd shape that it takes, I find it kind of bulky and in the way when I am knitting back on the short rows. It kind of pushes up on the cable of my circular needle.

I have completed the right front & sleeve and have just begun the back. The thought of knitting 102 rows is kind of putting me off, right now, but I will persevere & knit on, although last night, I only knit about 8 rows….




The cabled yoke is getting very puffy, but hopefully, I can smooth that out in the blocking.


I think the biggest issue I have encountered so far is that my wrapped stitches are turning out really loose. I may have to run some yarn through them “creatively” when it is all said & done to hide the looseness.

Love is a many splendid stitches

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this sweater I am knitting. It's a pattern by Suvi Simola and it's called Baby Cables and Big Ones Too. It was love at first sight. As soon as I saw this, I knew I just had to knit it. It's so unusual and so stunning and so design savvy. This is the first time I have ever come across a pattern in which I was struck so profoundly.

And it is such a joy to knit. The pattern is very easy to follow, although I have to admit it was daunting at first. But, I wrote out the charts and aligned them in the correct order and am having no difficulty at all knitting this little gem. I'm using Filatora di Crosa Zara in Oatmeal and it is very soft. And with garter stitch, it is extra squishy.

I love the pattern; I love the design; I love the cables; I love the garter stitch; I love the yarn; I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PROJECT!!!

I had thought about knitting this for the Ravelympics 2010, rather than the Vine Yoke Cardigan, but I wanted to start on this right away, and as you know, anything knit for the Ravelympics cannot be cast on until opening ceremonies on February 12. So my beautiful, wonderful Baby Cables and Big Ones Too will forego olympic fame...

Ravelympics Update #1: Training

I plan to begin my Ravelympics training (TEAM KNITMORE) this weekend (ball winding & swatching)!!!! I am going to knit the Vine Yoke Cardigan from Twist Collective, Fall 2009 using Cascade Lana D'Oro in the starry night colorway. The pattern is by Ysolda Teague.

Photo from Twist Collective, Fall 2009

Cascade Lana D'Oro - Starry Night; Photo from Jimmy Beans Wool

Baby Knitting

Wow - It's been about 2 1/2 months since I last posted. I guess I had better get caught up. I've completed 3 more knitterly items since I last posted:

• Jester Hat (Ravelry link). The pattern, by Wooly Workhead, can be found as a free download directly from ravelry or from here.












• Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman (Ravelry link). I knit this for the Ravelympics & I am happy to say I made it to the finish line!!!!





• Pinwheel Blanket (Ravelry link). This project was also entered in the Ravelympics but did not make it to the finish line on time. I missed it by just a few hours - oh well.... The pattern, by Genia Planck, can be found here.











All three of these are gifts for April at work. She's having a baby in early January. A the time when I was knitting them, she did not know what she was having, but liked browns so hence the colors of the sweater and blanket. We now know she's having a girl, although she's not big on pink, so I'm not sure any of the above would have been in pink anyway. Well - maybe they would have been - I LOVE pink.

27 or 30? - that is the question

My Voyager Lace Stole is coming along quite nicely. I'm just not sure yet whether I am going to knit just the 27 pattern repeats called for in the pattern or knit a few extras (I'm thinking 30 total repeats). I've finished 26 repeats so I'll check out the length after one more repeat and see how I like it.

Based on the pattern as written, I am 94% complete, having knit 15,102 stitches. If I increase the total stitch count and add 3 additional pattern repeats, I'll be at 85% complete. At either rate, I should be finished within a few days, depending on much knitting time I get in the evenings.