What length circular needles should I use?

Sally posted a chart on the Facebook site that she took from another Facebook site:

https://www.facebook.com/AllFreeKnitting/?fref=photo

This chart tells the knitter how long the circular needles should be for any pattern

Gossamer Rhapsody Light Shawl

I also just finished the red and black Gossamer Rhapsody Light Shawl that I had started quite a long time ago.  I made this same shaw last year and Harper immediately claimed it for her own.  There is an earlier post about this shawl which I knitted in an aqua color.  You can find details about pattern and yarn at:

http://marshamosesknitting.blogspot.com/2015/01/harpers-wrap.html

Another scarf for the twins

Kya says she wants a scarf in every color!  We were in the playroom and she decided on a pink one first.  So I sent her over to the bin of yarn to pick out the pink yarn that she liked.  She came back with blue and brown!  OK!  Blue and Brown it is....this scarf is just knit every row until it is long enough and then add fringe.  The twins are good to share.

 

Twined Hat

I started my twined hat yesterday at knitting at the Wild Ramp.  Here is a photo of Sally's hat:

It is even prettier in person.  Sally took a class in Lexington to learn how to do this technique and she is sharing it with the knitting group.  I think only Susan and I are making the hat.  I am not convinced that I will ever wear the hat, but I couldn't stand not to try it.  Here is the yarn that I am using for the project:

The purple mix in the colors is Noro Silk Garden Lite.   The two solids are Louisa Harding Grace-Silk and Wool.  The yarns are chosen because they have a special twist.  Sally calls it a Z twist.  I am knitting the hat on 16 inch size 5 needles.. 

 Washing directions are to hand wash in cold water or professionally dry clean.  Suggested needle size is US6.  50 grams and 110 yards.  50% Merino Wool and 50% Silk.  The above is the red/coral color.  The green is the same brand (Louisa Harding Grace Silk and Wool) as shown on the above label.  However it is Color 35 and Dye lot 66.

The pattern started with a three color cast on in which you use two of the colors and some scrap yarn as the third color.  Read at the end of this blog post for how I did this.  

  The twining is very easy.....you just cross the two colors with every stitch.   The three decorative rows that are done in the green and Red/coral color are Crook stitch.  I alternated purl and knit stitches with the yarn used for the purl stitches held in the front of the work and that of the knitted stitches held in the back   This results in a decorative stranding of the purl yarn across the row.  Next week the Deep stitch between the rows of Crook stitch.

My version of the hat ended up being a child's size.  I have not yet decided whether to block the hat so that the bottom pattern shows or whether to leave it as a roll.  I need to try it on a child before I make that decision.  

Here are the twins modeling the hat....doesn't need to be blocked:

I wanted to start the second twined knitted hat in October 2016, but I could not remember how I had cast on the last time.  It calls for a three strand cast.  My notes on this blog say to hold the waste yarn in the left hand and the other two strands in the right hand, but no other suggestions on just how I did it.  So I started googling.  I can NOT remember what I did.  But it looks great.

The first idea that I found is how to get around having to try to estimate how much yarn to use when using the long tail cast on method.  I thought this was such a good idea that I decided to add this into this blog post:

http://cocoknits.com/tips-and-tutorials/techniques/no-more-estimating-tail-length-for-a-long-tail-co/

I had estimated the way that Sally suggested and ended up with a REALLY long tail that seemed quite wasteful.  NOT Sally's fault...my fault for no believing that the amount that I had estimated from just wrapping the yarn around 92 times (number of stitches to cast on) was OK....didn't need to add in some excess. But I think that I will try the above next time that I cast on....

OK....looking for something better for my problem at hand.  And then I found it!  It incorporated the above as well.  And, of course, I can not find the link this morning.  So I will try to describe what I did on the cast on.  I used three strands of yarn.  Two of one of the colors and one of the other color that I was using for the first part of the hat.  I used all three strands to make a slip knot to hold the yarn in place on the needle just as I always do.  Then I put the two strands that I will be using in my right hand and the other that basically serves as waste yarn (but MATCHES) in my left and cast on normally alternating the two colors.  DO NOT count the slip knot as a stitch.

Wolle's yarn

Some of the members of the Wild Ramp Knitting Group are either buying or working with a very fine yarn that they buy from a lady on-line.  It is quite lovely.  I tried to find it via Ravelry, but I was unsuccessful.  However, a google search brought her products up on Etsy:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/WollesYarnCreations

Just did not want to loose this thought.  Below is a photo of the scarf that Sally is working on in this yarn.  It is on relatively small needles:

In July Sally wore a scarf that she had made in pale colors in the Wolles from a pattern called Reverse Psychology.  I found the pattern on my computer using the name.  Sally said that she made it on size 7 needles which is larger than the pattern calls for.

I also found a pattern on Ravelry called

rmyers' Winterfell MKAL

that was particularly pretty and gives a feeling for the color change.

Another pattern that caught my attention with the Wolle's is

PrlngGurl's Ingrid's Inky Wolle's Shawl

on Revelry.

and

punk conformity's Shaelyn

also on Ravelry

and Siesta Sand using the pattern Frisson by Brittany Wilson.

Jaunt to Lexington

I traveled to Lexington, Ky today with Sally and Kelly.  I only hope that both of them had as much fun as I did.  It was very special.   It was a knitting extravaganza.

First stop was Magpie Knitting shop.
513 E. High Street
Lexington, KY 
859-455-7437

The class was on Brioche Knitting.  I definitely found the class to be worth the time to have help in interpreting the terms that were used.  I loved the yarn that I bought from Jane (the owner) for the project.  It is a Rowan yarn:

One skein is golden while the other is a darker brown.  I chose them for their softness as we were making cowls.  Below is a photo of what I knitted during the class.  Both skeins were somewhat variegated.....well at least not solid in color.  I am using size 10 needles.  I just bought my first set of Addi Turbo needles because the needles that I was using caught at my yarn in the spot where the needle joins with the plastic cording.

Jane's store is lovely.  She has organized it in a way that is very appealing.  For example in the wool section, the top bins are very fine wools working down to the third bins which are worsted weight and on down to the floor bins that are the heaviest wools.  Then each section is organized by color.  So it is very easy to choose yarns that will work well together.  

I found a couple of baby sweaters that I particularly liked.  Jane does not carry patterns at all since everyone is getting their patterns via Revelry and on-line sources.  But she helped me to locate the pattern for one of the sweaters:

Puerperium Cardigan by Kelly Booker and Beyond Puerperium found on Ravelry

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/puerperium-cardigan

Here is Jane's version:

There were a couple more baby sweaters that were charming.  We didn't talk about the patterns nor the yarn.  I believe that I recognize the patterns.

There was one more yarn that I looked at that I want to note.  It was a heathered yarn that was on sale for 40% off.  It was quite lovely.  I can not remember the name.  But Jane had a sweater knitted in the yarn and it was quite soft.  

And one last comment on this shop.  Jane had a cardigan on that I liked a lot.  She had knitted it from yarn from Quince.   Here is probably the best photo of it on Ravelry:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/featherweight-cardigan

I found myself looking all day at yarns that might be pretty knitted in this pattern.

Next we visited two other yarn shops in Lexington.  Both were very nice and each had their very own special attributes.  I did not buy much.  I liked both shops.  Google Yarn shops in Lexington to find addresses.  I did buy shawl closures in The Stitch Niche (180 Moore Drive  859-277-2604).  Kelly was our champion shopper in ReBelle (225 Rosemont Garden  859-389-9750).  Probably my very favorite thing in this shop was the darling skeins of yarn displayed as flowers in flower vases....wish I had taken a photo of them!

Next was lunch at Joseph-Beth Booksellers....good choice.  Although our waiter was a bit "spacey"....

And the day ended up with a visit to a yarn shop in Nicholasville:

I had to hold onto my check book to keep from buying an entire basket of yarn in this store:

This photo does not do this basket of yarn justice.  They are GORGEOUS!  All of the yarns in the basket are natural colors from Kentucky yarn sources.  Oh, my gosh!  I wanted to buy the entire basket to set on my coffee table!

Some of the other yarns that enticed me were as pictured below.  I have been on a buying spree all winter or I would not have had the self control to have gone home to think about the purchases.  

And below a very nice yarn that Sally bought that is similar in use to the Noro yarn that we have been buying for the twined hat, but is less expensive and equally pretty:

A very pretty baby sweater that I liked:

The photo of the specs did not turn out very well...however I remember that the sweater was made from Berroco Comfort....a easy care non-wool yarn.  

And a couple of more yarns that I liked in this shop:

Great Day!  Lots of ideas!  

Scarf for the Twins

This pattern just made up from yarn leftover from the sweaters that I had made them before....knit every row to measure ....can't remember how many inches....add here..... and then added fringe....