Klaralund is FINALLY finished
At long last I found the time and the courage to sew up Klaralund which has been washed and blocked for a good couple of weeks now.
And here she is. First a non-modelled shot:
Not a brilliant picture, but does I hope show it's looking vaguely how it's supposed to look. Ok, brace yourselves, here comes the modelling shot...
And finally.......... LOOK, no seams!!
While I know it's not quite as perfect as I would like it to be, this has been a real knitting milestone for me. Not because of the actual knitting of it, since let's face it, it's hardly a challenging pattern, but in the putting all of it together. Anything I've knitted in the past has always looked crap because I really had no idea how to put it together properly. This was my first go at mattress stitch, and what a difference! I feel I have finally knitted an item that's not a scarf, shawl, or pair of socks, that I'd be happy to be seen in public in.
Even Eddie was impressed "You've got a lot better since you've been going on that Knitty board" he said, and - the words I never thought I'd hear him utter - "It looks like you could have bought it in a shop". From someone who has hitherto been either uninterested or slightly mocking about my knitting, that is praise indeed. He did also say (unprompted) that he thinks my Clapotis is great :)
Ok, here's the nerdy bit:
Pattern: Klaralund from Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton's Hand Knitting Collection (Book 2)
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden #88 - pattern called for 9 balls. I used 7 and a half, so am knitting a beanie with what's left over
Needles: 5mm Addi Turbos
Alterations to the pattern: I knew the sleeves were going to be way too long. I'm not a fan of sleeves that come down to my knuckles. So, I changed the pattern so that the cuff was 9 rows of garter stitch instead of 14, knitted the front and back as written, but put it together so that the 14 rows of garter stitch (which would have been at the bottom) were at the top, and the 9 rows were then at the bottom to match the sleeves.
I got a great deal of help from the article in Knitty about finishing garments, and from "Finishing Techniques for Hand Knitters" by Jane Crowfoot, which I got this week in a swap on the Knitty board. Another great boon was my super duper new yarn needle (which is sterling silver and cost a fortune), which I got from The Knit Tin, and which is worth its weight in gold.
In other news.....
A package from my SP!!!
That's 5, YES 5, balls of the softest kid mohair in the most beautiful bottle green, some yummy tea, and tubes of luxurious hand and foot creams. I feel so spoilt! What a wonderful SP! Thank you, thank you.
The kid mohair has got to be a cardigan I think, I just need to find the right pattern.....
Work has become somewhat hectic again, but due largely to being out of the office for most of the week before last at the Institute's annual conference. Most importantly, at our monthly partners' meeting last Monday we decided on our Christmas break - the office will close on Thursday 22nd Dec until Tuesday 3rd Jan - a lovely long break. Hurrah!
We move offices a week tomorrow. That should be fun. We will get to see (I hope) the benefits of being a paperless office, as we seem to have very little to move. This has also been helped by J getting carried away and selling most of the office furniture on eBay weeks ago! Once we move, I will, in theory, work from home 3 days a week and only go into the office on Mondays and Fridays. We'll see how that works in practice, but if I manage it half the time it will be great to work from home more.
Today we have seen the first real rain for ages. It's still incredibly mild for the time of year though. In spite of the unseasonably clement weather the goats have decided it's winter. And that means they stay indoors and have all their food brought to them, thank you very much. They really are weird. The grass is still growing and is lovely and lush, the mercury hit 20 degrees C this week, but unless they're creeping out in the dark early mornings, they apparently haven't been outside to eat at all. Even only giving them hay in the evenings doesn't seem to be working. I wonder if it is simply that their annual routine is so ingrained that it means that their body clocks are telling them it's time to hunker down for the winter?
And here she is. First a non-modelled shot:
Not a brilliant picture, but does I hope show it's looking vaguely how it's supposed to look. Ok, brace yourselves, here comes the modelling shot...
And finally.......... LOOK, no seams!!
While I know it's not quite as perfect as I would like it to be, this has been a real knitting milestone for me. Not because of the actual knitting of it, since let's face it, it's hardly a challenging pattern, but in the putting all of it together. Anything I've knitted in the past has always looked crap because I really had no idea how to put it together properly. This was my first go at mattress stitch, and what a difference! I feel I have finally knitted an item that's not a scarf, shawl, or pair of socks, that I'd be happy to be seen in public in.
Even Eddie was impressed "You've got a lot better since you've been going on that Knitty board" he said, and - the words I never thought I'd hear him utter - "It looks like you could have bought it in a shop". From someone who has hitherto been either uninterested or slightly mocking about my knitting, that is praise indeed. He did also say (unprompted) that he thinks my Clapotis is great :)
Ok, here's the nerdy bit:
Pattern: Klaralund from Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton's Hand Knitting Collection (Book 2)
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden #88 - pattern called for 9 balls. I used 7 and a half, so am knitting a beanie with what's left over
Needles: 5mm Addi Turbos
Alterations to the pattern: I knew the sleeves were going to be way too long. I'm not a fan of sleeves that come down to my knuckles. So, I changed the pattern so that the cuff was 9 rows of garter stitch instead of 14, knitted the front and back as written, but put it together so that the 14 rows of garter stitch (which would have been at the bottom) were at the top, and the 9 rows were then at the bottom to match the sleeves.
I got a great deal of help from the article in Knitty about finishing garments, and from "Finishing Techniques for Hand Knitters" by Jane Crowfoot, which I got this week in a swap on the Knitty board. Another great boon was my super duper new yarn needle (which is sterling silver and cost a fortune), which I got from The Knit Tin, and which is worth its weight in gold.
In other news.....
A package from my SP!!!
That's 5, YES 5, balls of the softest kid mohair in the most beautiful bottle green, some yummy tea, and tubes of luxurious hand and foot creams. I feel so spoilt! What a wonderful SP! Thank you, thank you.
The kid mohair has got to be a cardigan I think, I just need to find the right pattern.....
Work has become somewhat hectic again, but due largely to being out of the office for most of the week before last at the Institute's annual conference. Most importantly, at our monthly partners' meeting last Monday we decided on our Christmas break - the office will close on Thursday 22nd Dec until Tuesday 3rd Jan - a lovely long break. Hurrah!
We move offices a week tomorrow. That should be fun. We will get to see (I hope) the benefits of being a paperless office, as we seem to have very little to move. This has also been helped by J getting carried away and selling most of the office furniture on eBay weeks ago! Once we move, I will, in theory, work from home 3 days a week and only go into the office on Mondays and Fridays. We'll see how that works in practice, but if I manage it half the time it will be great to work from home more.
Today we have seen the first real rain for ages. It's still incredibly mild for the time of year though. In spite of the unseasonably clement weather the goats have decided it's winter. And that means they stay indoors and have all their food brought to them, thank you very much. They really are weird. The grass is still growing and is lovely and lush, the mercury hit 20 degrees C this week, but unless they're creeping out in the dark early mornings, they apparently haven't been outside to eat at all. Even only giving them hay in the evenings doesn't seem to be working. I wonder if it is simply that their annual routine is so ingrained that it means that their body clocks are telling them it's time to hunker down for the winter?
posted by Carolyn at 3:57 pm
12 Comments:
your klaralund looks really great, you did an awesome job. the more I see this sweater, the more I am wanting to try it for myself.
Fab Klaralund! It looks so good on you, and love the colours you chose for it.
(Sounds like your needles are full as well! And that you will be busy clicking away until Xmas)
What a wonderful job you've made of that Klaralund, you should be really proud. Shame you can't join us on Saturday, rest assured there will be a full report on my blog next week! And I'd love it if you could join me for Woolfest next year. I hope it's as good as this year. Well done again on the jumper, it really looks finished well and fits you beautifully.
Well done, Carolyn! It looks marvelous on you. I may have to add Klaralund to my list of projects-in-waiting.
Great news regarding the long holiday break as well. We'll definitely have to get together when I'm over at Christmas.
Best,
Carolyn
Klaralund looks great, and it suits you really well! Lovely colours too.
It's so funny how it goes - I had 500g of Noro sitting in my yarn drawer for months and months, not knowing what to do with it, knot being able to make up my mind if I liked it or not. I finally decided to sell it on ebay, and literally the day it was sold all those wonderful patterns and pictures of sweaters using Noro pop up all over my blog reading list!
Just shows that you should never get rid of yarn... ;-)
I really love that sweater. The colours are so autumnlike.
I've never tried mattress stitch, but I share your frustration at grafting pieces together. I'm definitely going to look up those articles.
Klaralund looks amazing, I keep meaning to make one of those but never seem to be able to start. Maybe over Christmas...
I lOVE it! Looks great!
Great SP package! I'm tagging you check my blog for the questions.....;o))))
Well done -- that's a lovely Klaralund! I've been thinking about making it for a while, but something else always sidetracks me. Maybe I should bump it up my list.
And, I'm so happy you like the package!
Your Klaralund is stunning! That is such a beautiful Noro colorway and it looks wonderful on you. You really did a fantastic job on it. And what a lovely package from your SP, too! :-)
Your Klaralund looks brilliant, its one thats been on my 'must knit' list for quite a while!
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