simplify.

In an effort to simplify my commitments, I am going to take a break from blogging. I have thought long and hard about this, and while I really enjoy it, I know there are other things I enjoy as much – like actually knitting. I will continue to share my projects on Ravelry under my username welfordpurls. Thank you for all of your comments and support – it has not gone unnoticed. I look forward to hearing from you over on ravelry & this is just a ‘see you soon,’ not a permanent goodbye :)

chances.

Unfortunately, this past week has been filled with kleenex and decongestants as my body fights a particularly nasty cold that just won’t seem to go away. I am starting to feel a bit better but am completely winded after just making a bowl of cereal! You would think a lot of knitting would have been done but school work took precedence when I was feeling well enough to sit and do anything.

Allegheny was completed though! She sat on my dress form for a week while I stared at her thinking, Please wash out into something I love … please. A sweater dress is a difficult thing. It can add 10 pounds or be the most flattering thing ever. When I tried it on prior to blocking, I was so disappointed but after tacking down the belt, sewing on a small, flat button that wasn’t chunky (which I had originally done and immediately removed), I have to say … I’m pretty happy.

In total, I used 5.5 skeins of Cascade 220 Wool in colour 8509.  On 5mm needles, the size that was called for based on my slightly looser was the 35 3/4” bust but I decided to knit the 37 3/4” size instead and just kept trying it on during the raglan increases. I ended up with a 7” length raglan, then cast on about 8 extra stitches under each arm to get up to 36” for my bust size (I’m 34” but like a little room).

The cable was straight forward and progressed quickly. I made no modifications, although because I am not very tall, I knit the skirt 1 inch shorter after trying it on. I’m glad I did because it’s already stretched a little bit in length.

The pattern was written for Brooklyntweed’s Wool People Vol 1. If any of the other patterns in the volume are as well written as this one, then I would highly recommend these patterns. There’s no trickery – that’s for sure. Thea Colman has done a beautiful job with this dress. Gorgeous!

last time.

I can’t really say that school is just starting up – because it’s not. Already we are in full swing and I have submitted a couple of assignments. What has struck me about this semester is the lack of pressure I feel. Working steadily on my assignments, getting group work up and running … none of it feels particularly difficult. I remind myself that part of this is because it’s the last time. Part of me is sad about that – the other part of me can’t wait to be finished. Looking towards life without school work, though, seems a little overwhelming.

Strange how we come to enjoy the things we love to complain about, huh?

williamette.

Only good things can be said about this jacket. Only good. There is nothing about this jacket I don’t like. Nothing. I absolutely love it.

Seaming it was challenging as I am still learning but I think it actually went okay – every time it gets a little better. The pocket and sleeve insets worked up over the course of a couple of evenings.

I couldn’t be happier with the finished pockets – no loose change falling through the bottom here! The finished I-Cord on the pockets gives the sweater a very polished look that not only suits the jacket, it also gives it a certain sophistication.

The collar is added after the shaping in the yoke is finished and cast off. I knit it to the intended length – I really make no modifications but I did want a button at the top of collar to fasten it around my neck in the winter. I added one more buttonhole when I did the I-Cord bind off down the fronts.

At Fibres West, I found these very cool coconut buttons which suit the jacket. I’m glad I saved them for this project. The fit? I could not be happier. When I tried it on for the first time, my husband was even impressed and he usually doesn’t pay much attention – mostly because he’s seen me working on something for so long he forgets which project is which and whether something is done or not.

This is the first time I have not only used the called-for yarn in a project but also the same colour as the designer. I fell in love with this jacket the moment Amy published it – which was sometime last year. Since I hadn’t learned how to seam yet, I kept putting it off and putting it off – but when I had the opportunity to buy the yarn 40% off at my LYS … there was no more excuse making.

I swatched that day, then got quite scared and put it aside for a while. I finally cast on in May and have just been quietly work on it since – between other projects. This took the pressure off for this to be perfect and it worked up beautifully – I could not be happier. I think it’s safe to say this is actually my favourite handknit ever :)

swing.

In Toronto in July, I went to the Jazz Festival in the Beaches. I love big band music and was able to catch a great show which featured swing dancers.

I was completely captivated by one girl who was wearing a blue wrap skirt with large pockets and a sash. I approached her afterwards and asked her where she had bought it, as well as complimented her on her dancing.

She said she’d made it from a McCall’s pattern (#5430) and that she’d used a cotton twill. I totally copied her – she looked amazing and I love 1920-1940’s swing attire. She was even wearing the 1950’s white Keds and a red tank instead of the yellow. So cute on her. This is my version with no changes to the pattern.

It actually still needs hook & eyes on the inside for the wrap skirt to be complete but I couldn’t want to show you.

This is an easy pattern – I made the size 10 since my hips are 42”. I might actually make this skirt one size smaller next time (I would like to make it in a lighter twill – this is quite heavy which will be great for Fall) as it is a little roomy in the waist.

That said, I still love it! Happy sewing :)

ps. The Pattern says it’s a 1 or 2 hour sewing project – ummm, no. It’s not. It took me an afternoon after cutting it out which took a while in the morning.

pps. I keep this blog related to only my crafting but I wanted to say that those who are mourning today the loss of loved ones from 9/11, my prayers go out to you as you heal and open your hearts to forgiveness. I pray for the children left behind that they would look to their futures with hope, love and joy that the world is a beautiful place and we must continually remind ourselves of this blessing. Amen.

Mist.

Amelia (designed by Laura Chau) has been in the back of my mind since a trunk show by Sweet Georgia Yarns at Lettuce Knits in Toronto back in November. Also in the back of my mind was the idea that I would use some Cascade 220 from my stash to continue the stash-busting I have been able to accomplish lately …

Instead, I bought 5 skeins of Galway Heather in 1021 Mist. I actually only needed 4 – I have a full untouched 5th ball left.

Since we were in Toronto and I had not the following:

• Eucalan wash
• Scissors
• Gauge ruler

I decided I would just cast on. What is the worst that could happen? I have knit lots of sweaters, I know that my gauge is generally the same as the ball band unless it is a novelty yarn, and this is a straightforward worsted weight sweater.

The stress that this caused of not swatching (while yes, the sweater did work out) has resulted in me resolving never to not swatch again!

There were some happy accidents with this sweater:

• My gauge was too big on the 4.5mm needles that I bought (I had to buy needles since I didn’t have all my interchangeables with me and I didn’t want to buy more than one set).
• I cast on the wrong number of stitches (161 stitches instead of the 181 called for in the size 34” bust).
• I didn’t realise this until I reached the set-up row, 2 inches into the sweater.
• I really didn’t want to rip back.
• I measured the width of what I had and it measured more than 19” – much too wide for the 30” or 34” bust but perfect for the intended size of 38”. A little smaller than the 38” and a little bigger than the 34”.

It was all an accident. Thank goodness it worked out!

I used buttons from my stash of Fabricana buttons that I bought on sale years ago.

I made only three modifications – I followed the pattern and I love the results. The twisted rib acts beautifully as a shaping tool which meant the lack of increases and decreases resulted in super fast knitting. I cast this on Friday and cast off 9 days later. Garter is my favourite stitch – I love the simplicity of it – and paired with the twisted rib is perfect. I added 2 extra inches after the waist “shaping” and am glad I did. I also added 4 short rows prior to casting off as the back of the neck was too low. And lastly, I omitted the bell sleeves and cast of for an 8.5” cuff.

One last photo with a hint of something else I have been working on …

Can you guess? I have been inspired by msmodiste’s latest work …

solaris.

We’re home.

Being away for the past 3 weeks was great – we visited with close friends and family, had some great weather (and some not so great weather), and generally were able to refresh. The best part of being away, though, is coming home – I was ready for my own bed, our dogs (they had to be boarded while we were in Toronto), and our own food (funny how those little things in our routines become our creature comforts).

Fortunately, I do have some goods to show for the past 3 weeks of relaxation-indulgence!

Solaris by the Berroco Design Team is finished and blocked but it will not be worn for quite some time – it’s way too warm! I agreed with other people’s comments that the collar seemed too wide for the sweater so I too narrowed it. I’m not a big person and all that extra bulk would have just added pounds to my 5’3” frame.

Here are my modifications based on a 4 stitches per inch gauge (in pattern stitch) in Cascade Eco+ 4010 Straw on 5.00mm needles.

General Modifications:

• Worked the length of the sweater to 16” prior to washing and blocking (rather than the 13” suggested in the pattern).
• No waist shaping in both back and front pieces.
• Measurements: Lower Edge & Bust (Front pieces) = 10”, Back Yoke = 9”.

Back Piece:

• Cast on the 87 stitches called for in the smallest size. When I reached the armhole shaping, I continued to cast off every RS row until the armholes measured 5.5” since I knew it would be too wide across the back otherwise.

Front Piece:

• Cast on 49 stitches and worked until 16” prior to starting the armhole shaping.
• Cast off 4 stitches at beginning of armhole shaping (44 stitches), then decreased every RS row 8 times (31 stitches).
• Worked 8 armhole increases (rather than 5 called for) every RS row to finish armhole shaping (44 stitches).
• Worked straight as pattern calls for (11”), then repeated above in reverse.

Sleeves:

• Cast on 32 stitches and increased a total of 10 times prior to cap shaping (58 stitches).
• Knit sleeve cap 8” deep rather than the 4.5” called for in the pattern.
• Shaping for sleeve cap was as follows: Bind off per pattern (first two rows of sleeves). Next row: K1, K2 tog, work in pattern to last 3 stitches, SSK, K1. Row 2: Work back in pattern. I repeated this 14 times for a total of 28 stitches decreased.
• Cast off remaining 16 stitches across top of sleeve.

I hope all of this makes sense – please email me or comment if you have any questions!

While I am pleased with the finished product & I know this will get a ton of wear, I am most proud of the fact that this is my first completely seamed sweater (AND it was super easy!). I love the colour and fit … I think I will play with some belts to see what that looks like too.

I hope you are as happy with your projects this summer!

packed up.

Taking off to the Rockies is one of our favourite things to do. We packed up the dogs, truck and ourselves to tent for the past 2 weeks.

As always, the mountains were stunning. Only home for about 6 hours, we are heading out on another adventure tonight. We will be back in about a week (and I will have some FOs to show you that are currently blocking & drying).

Best to you all and I hope you are having a good summer. xo

teal-erton.

My future sister-in-law was thrown a bridal shower yesterday from us bridesmaids so I had saved showing this to you until after the event. I knit her a wedding shawl this isn’t for the wedding or anything, but something for her to remember this time by and to think of our family when she wears it out. Susan Dittrich’s Pinkerton Shawl fit the bill perfectly. Simple and elegant (and not too fussy for post-school/summer knitting!). Katy’s favourite colours include teal, sea-foam green and Tiffany’s blue.

Since there’s an obvious pattern there, I chose Sweet Fiber Yarn’s Super Sweet Sock in Teal Feather. Perfect. I love Melissa’s yarns. She choses beautiful colours to work with and results are always fabulous.

Once I had the hang of the pattern, which was easy to memorize, I paid no attention to stitch counts or number of short rows worked … I just kept knitting until I felt it was time to move onto the lace. Again, I paid no attention to counting and cast off the lace when it looked big enough and I felt it was the right time. I didn’t want any leftover yarn from this project other than what I would give her for weaving if it is ever damaged so I just knit until the skein was gone!

The result is a perfectly sized shawl!

Prior to my saying goodnight to you all, I wanted to share a link with you:

trainingabear.blogspot.com

I have mentioned our dogs in previous posts but after some reflection, I have decided to start a blog about the process of “training” Charlie, our male. Our trainer placed him and I together after seeing us interact (I had prior been working with Charlotte) and the journey since has been tumultuous, frustrating and fabulously rewarding. Following some research, as well as conversations with friends, I have decided to journal my experiences. It can be an incredible thing to have animals in our lives but learning to live alongside them when we speak such different languages can be difficult – this blog is dedicated to that experience. I hope I see some of you over there as well!

construction.

We camped this weekend in the rain that often plagues the Upper Fraser Valley of Southern British Columbia. It was wonderful to get outside, have some time to take the dogs on long walks, and visit with family and good friends. I have been working on a couple of projects recently – one that is drying and I’ll photograph/share it once it is gifted, and another that I wanted to show you prematurely. It isn’t finished but the construction has been a delight. I am not so afraid of seaming anymore so I have started taking on some projects I would never have considered last year or the year prior. Solaris is one of those projects that I have been wanting to make for some time.

I had some Cascade Eco+ in my stash that I have used in colour 4010 Straw. I swatched up on 5.00mm and recalculated the stitches based on my gauge (which was very different – of course) and removed about 5 inches from the bulk of the collar. The construction of the back piece was very interesting:

Rather than knit the back piece to the usual arm depth, you stop at about 5 1/2 inches (or whatever your size is), which as you can see on my dress form leaves you about 3 inches “short” – or so you would think.

The left front is then cast on and worked back and forth to the underarms. From there, armhole shaping is worked as well as the complete arm hole, then the piece is worked across the back. The right front is worked completely in reverse of the left front.

The result is interesting and incredibly satisfying. I haven’t washed the sweater yet and I have only just cast on the arms but I am looking forward to the finished results. There’s part of me that doesn’t even want to do full arms but rather sleeve caps to leave it as a vest but I know I would regret that later. So finish it, I will.

I hope you are working on something interesting and equally satisfying this evening.

sorting.

From sorting out emotions to frustration to cleaning out for Spring, it has been a tumultuous June over here. June is my favourite month of the year for many reasons but this year has been a little difficult. My plan is to start fresh today by unpacking the rest of the boxes left from the move: All 4 of them. I know it doesn’t sound like much but these are the crafting boxes that need a lot of sorting out.

So from a very dear friend’s awful news and hope/faith in the future (as well as modern medicine):

http://jabrode.com/

To crying last night at dog school (in front of everyone – very embarrassing) due to earth-shattering (it felt that way at the time) frustration with an adolescent puppy:

He looks so innocent, doesn’t he? Herumph.

But feeling a completely silly sense of relief that things are coming together slowly:

They are organized! Finally!

And stumbling on memories long since past while stuck in the back of our family’s van on long summer road trips throughout the West (who knew I packed this in one of my crafting boxes!):

“The Adventures of Mr. Man” by my brother and me.

And lastly, taking a moment to appreciate the back of a sweater that I am loving so much:

This is what it’s all about, isn’t it? The small moments that we often miss is our busy lives – here’s to appreciating them a little more. xo