Oh, Bohus

How the sight of you cheers me on a cold winters day.

The finished collar.
Remember, the white at the top are just holding sts and will be replaced with a band of the solid pink.

Yeah, you need a close up shot, too. I tried to get the purls to show up. These Bohus are amazing with color and texture all rolled up into one.
And, the Reeves (sans flyer) played model for me. As you can see, this is not the traditional way to knit a Bohus. I'm using steeks and am knitting the entire thing in the round. A traditional Bohus is knit flat after the collar and the cardigans are knit flat from the get-go with vertical buttonbands attached as you knit. Maybe someday I'll knit one in a traditional method just for the experience, but couldn't see a reason to this time around. Actually, these pictures are a couple of days old, I've finished the short rows (which drop the front neck down) and am almost finished with the raglan increases and preparing to split for the sleeves. Lots of tiny sts at almost 9 sts/1" but the yarn is so soft and pretty that it's a pleasure to knit every single one of them. So far, at least.

Oh, and there's FO pics, too. My Faroese shawl for everyday wear has been finished for a couple of weeks. Here's an ugly blocking shot showing the wingspan.
And, another showing the color and lace a bit better.
Design by Marilyn van Keppel found in Knitter's #48.
4 skeins laceweight Icelandic in sage
Size 8 needles
Measures 38"x 76"

And, one last pic for you. Since the monthly fiber clubs haven't been a big success for me, this year I decided to purchase something each month from one of the Etsy or other small vendors. First up was the highly recommended Corgi Hill Farms. My pics are a little washed out but the ones she posted were a perfect match for what I received. The batts are very nicely prepared; she includes a little mini-batt to practice with and even a few candies. I highly recommend her, too.
So, that's it from here.

Acquisitions and Updates

How's this for a pretty flower picture to start off a blog post. Not real, of course, but ever so cheerful in the cold grey snowy landscape around here.

It's a .7 oz Millifiori spindle from Butterfly Girl. Such a sweet little spinner, too. With a short shaft it's perfect for sitting spindling. Look at the lovely little flowers on the shaft, too. So sweet.
She's sitting perched in the July Tactile club offering of Bamboo/Alpaca/Wool (49/28/23) which is a very pretty color but the fiber itself seems over processed as it's not soft at all. The color looks nice with the spindle, though. I may need to switch over to some white Angora/Merino from Toots LeBlanc which has been marinating in the stash for a couple of years since there may be a need for some shawl yarn.

You see, this arrived at my door yesterday.
The English version of Haapsalu Sall. Haven't had a good read through the history section yet but the stitch patterns are so inspiring. Unlike Nancy Bush's book on the subject, there are no actual knitting patterns included, but there are many lovely photographs of finished lace pieces. Interesting that she is listed as consultant and editor for this English version. The book includes a technique section showing how the shawls and scarves are constructed and finished. The stitch patterns are divided into sections: celebrity named patterns such as Crown Prince, Greta Garbo, etc., Lily of the Valley, Pasqueflower (my favorite), Leaf, Twig, Peacock Tail, Paw, Head of Grain (another favorite), Butterfly, Diamond, and other named patterns some of which are traditional and others which are newer, and of course, edgings. The swatches and charts are very large and easy to see which is good because you really won't want to have your nose pressed up close to the page as the ink used is one of those smelly ones--probably it's only downside. I predict there will be many happy hours spent with this book.

In other lace news, I was prepared to tell you that I'd reached the halfway point on my Faroese shawl and snapped this pic of the lace section.
Hmmm, what's this I see...a big 'ole mistake right in the middle of it? Looks like I repeated a row or skipped a row or something. Out it came. No whining, please. I knit because I like to knit and now I just have more to knit.

In Bohus news, I left those first rnds as they were. After threading it on another needle to lay it out and take the photo last week, I pulled it over my head, and don't think I'd like it any smaller around. So, on we went.
Doesn't look like that much farther but this shot was taken with the macro setting on my camera so those sts are quite small--the gauge is probably going to end up being closer to 9 sts/in. One major increase has been done and another coming up in a few rnds. Those rnds are getting long. But I'm loving every minute of it!

Spindling, Knitting, Shawl Designing...looks like this week is going to be busy.

New Year--New Post

It's a brand new year. Have to start it out right with brand new knitting projects.

There's a Ravelry group doing a 10 shawls in 2010 challenge that I was just going to watch from the fringes, but at the last minute got sucked into. I may not even try to get ten done but it is fun to make up a list. And, really, it's not my fault, see how much I *need* a new shawl!
This is the second time I've completely worn out my daily workhorse Faroese shawl. It's difficult to look at--bigger holes are quickly growing across the back. But, it's the perfect weight and style to wear around the house in the winter as the tails can be tied behind the back and with the shoulder shaping it will stay on if it's just left open.

The design is by Marilyn van Keppel from an old Knitter's, also included in their compilation Shawls and Scarves book, and is being knit without modification. Lots of garter to start with--this batch was mostly knit during a trip to the movies on New Year's day.The yarn is Laceweight Icelandic in a sage-y green heather. It's starts at the lower edge and works up so these first rows are l-o-n-g.

Don't worry, even with some new shawl projects in the works, I've not forgotten my list of sweaters. Here is the start of my Rose Lace Bohus but I'm wondering if I should restart and take the gauge down a tad more. It's slightly tighter than the pattern states (I'm not worried about sizing--I know how to deal with that). What concerns me is how sloppy the purl sts look and general unevenness in the fabric. What do you think? I'm using a 2.5mm needle now, and could go down to a 2.25mm. The white garter at the bottom is what I used for a provisional cast on since it's easier for me to start stranding when there's some knitted fabric below the needles and not just a piece of scrap yarn. The borders are going to be baby cables.

And, I've been trying to keep up with another of my New Year's goals to spend some quality time with my spinning wheels and spindles. This is about 1.5 oz of newly spun 3-ply sock weight yarn. The roving is from River's Edge Weaving Studio and fiber content 60% superwash Merino/40% Seacell impregnated with silver.
It is soft and slippery with lots of sheen. This batch is slightly underplied but I think it will knit up okay. If not, it'll be fixed by shooting it back onto the bobbin to add a little more twist. It's kinda a different color for me, too, don't you think, it looks slightly darker in person.

So, that's it for this week. Be sure to let me know what you think about the Bohus.