Life LackaDaisiCal

We have quite the knitting community here in Milton. Yesterday, Renee of Froggie Meanie and I met up at Carolyn's shop, Main St. Yarns . We had a few things to catch up on. Some of it is a secret ...... shhhhhhh, we can't tell. But, I can tell you that Renee's Lizard Ridge Afghan is to die for! What a spectacular way to use Noro yarn.........she's on the home stretch now and doesn't it look great? While I had Renee there, I got her to try on my Inverness Cape (pattern from Simply Shetland 4 done in Jamieson's Shetland Heather). This is a projet that was knit up for the Kitchener-Waterloo Fair......and being in a mad rush, it was made a little shorter than I'd of liked (for me being 5'10") -- so, I asked Renee to model it for you. Doesn't she look great in it? So great, I gifted it to her.....why let it languish in my pile of unworn knits. Renee looked great in it, and I knew that she would give it a good home in her knit-friendly house. T...

I'm laughing because I KNEW that my digital caliper would attract some attention.... One day I was bemoaning the fact that I couldn't hold the measuring tape and count the number of stitches accurately to 10cm or 4" -- every time I did it I seemed to come up with a different number -- maybe only one stitch out but it was annoying to not be totally SURE! So DH goes down to his model railroad room and comes up with this! You can measure your knitting needles with it. This is sometimes very surprising to see what the needle actually measures! In this case, the 3.75 mm Addi turbos read 3.75.......but I measured some wooden needles I had -- they were not so accurately sized. It wouldn't matter if the labelling was off, as long as you know what size of needle you are working with. Something I just realized when posting my Shetland Lambswool and Cashmere swatch photo -- I can actually count the stitches much easier by looking at the photo - so I am going to just put the calip...

OK, here we go......... The label reads 20-22 sts, and 24-28 rows per 10 cm (or 4 inches)on recommended needle size US 5-6 (3.75 - 4.00 mm). What this gives us, the knitter, is a range of stitches and rows per 10 cm that the manufacturer recommends this yarn be knit at. They (the manufacturer) feel that the yarn performs best at this gauge. It's up to the designer to either design at this gauge, or if they are trying to do something different (lacier, thicker, whatever) they can set their own gauge. Why do you have to know this? Well, if you wanted to knit a design but couldn't find the original yarn called for -- you need to know the specs of the original yarn, compared to the gauge called for in the pattern -- then you'd be in a better position to substitute if necessary. In my Gauge Quest, I'm going to figure out what size needles I'd need to knit this the Tomales Bay Cowl from the Simply Shetland 4 book...... The pattern calls for 22 sts and 30 rows to 4" (...

Duxbury Point is a joy to knit -- just enough excitement without being overwhelming.......I've done two repeats of the large cable and the sleeve is shaping up. I love how this Silk and Shetland Lambswool yarn knits up -- very bouncy -- shows of these delicate cables really well -- and I don't even mind doing the Trinity Stitch in the center of of the cable or the bobble -- that's saying a lot! Since this is going to be a long knit, I'll give you update shots every once in a while -- enough to keep you interested, not to0 much of the same old to bore you with. Also, I'm on a quest for gauge! Yes the "G" word. A lot has been written about gauge and it seems that knitters still don't get it. I've had some disappointing knitting done for me lately -- by "professional" knitters -- and none of it was to gauge, which meant that the finished product wasn't what it should be. My first "GQ" (Gauge Quest) will be for the new Simply...

While on vacation I started the sleeve......it's gorgeous (if I do say so myself). I love the way the cuff is worked so that it flows into the body of the sweater. The shade I'm using is Lockmaben - don't you just love that name? Lochmaben is a small town in the Scottish south-west. Duxbury Point has commenced!

Before I went on vacation, I turned my comments on to be moderated -- I didn't do this intentionally, so this morning when I logged on to Blogger, I found all these comments that needed moderation....sorry about that. Thanks again for all of the kind words about Autumn Rose -- here are my responses to a few comments left.... Yes Mamacate, this sweater looks great on a (ahem) full figured woman. I knit the 43" sweater, and I actually would need 45"....not bragging here just stating the facts.......so I recommend NO EASE! This is a figure fitting sweater -- and as a sweater, it has some give......if you have a 41" chest measurement, make 41 - don't go up a size. This sweater needs to be just right at the bust or the neckline will gape. Usual Disclaimer here -- this is my opinion only, but is based on having knit the sweater. (When I knit the largest size, I thought that if it didn't fit me now, it might some day LOL! - forever hopeful.) EllyMae commented on th...

Well I'm back from the UK -- had a great time -- the weather was really good and we enjoyed our Guest House in Goathland. This was our first time at the Fair Haven Guest House.....and I loved it. How could you not love it, with sheep in the front yard and a view like this from your bedroom window! Goathland is a small village in the North Yorkshire Moors -- the train station there was used in the first Harry Potter films......I noticed that in this last film they didn't really use a station at all......too bad, the Goathland Station is lovely. I should know, we spend A LOT OF TIME there. My DH loves the North Yorkshire Moors Railway -- always has -- and when we go to the UK (even if we travel to other areas) we always spend time here, stay in the area, ride the trains, photograph the trains, walk on the trails near the trains that take us to other great places to photograph the trains.....sometimes while he is doing that, I do this..... Although I didn't get a lot of tim...