Another New Pattern: Tramonto!

Posted on September 21, 2005 | 14 Comments

Tramonto

Introducing the latest Chiagu pattern, my new shawl pattern Tramonto! This is my oversize Koigu shawl with the colors arranged like a sunset. "Tramonto" means sunset in Italian, actually. (I know, not that creative, huh?!) This shawl uses 12 colors of Koigu, 14 skeins total, on a size 5 needle.

I took a bunch of pictures of it so you can see lots of angles, click below to see them! (may load slowly depending on your connection)

Tramonto1
Tramonto2

You can really see the color progressions in these shots. I used some
really beautiful colors in this project, it's the perfect project for
when you just can't pick one color!

Tramontofull

This shot shows how long the shawl is (ignore the power cables, please!). It's 80" long so it makes a great wrap.

Tramontodetail

And here's a closeup of the stitch pattern, which also shows some of the color progressions beautifully. The lace pattern is very challenging but it was fun to watch it emerge.

Posted in Chiagu, Finished Knitting Projects, Koigu

My first Chiagu Pattern: Missy!

Posted on September 11, 2005 | 1 Comment

Ch009big

Even though this is the most recent project I've finished, I got it completely written and sized first, so up it goes on Chiagu! This is the first full-fledged sweater project at Chiagu, so it's in the "big" category, selling for $5.00. I'm proud to finally have one of my own patterns up, after successfully selling other's patterns for so long. (I do love selling other's patterns, too, so if you have submissions, send them along!)

This cropped cardigan features a diagonal buttonband, similar to a kimono closure. The sweater is fulled to give it a heathery texture, and also to keep it from stretching (that way it'll stay cropped!).

What yarn did I use for this? Why, my favorite yarn ever. Koigu. (like I had to tell you that!)

I held one strand of Aurora 4 and one strand of Koigu together to get this look. I call it "stretching the Koigu," and already have another project in mind with the same fabric. Here are pictures of the swatches, pre and post fulling:

Prefelting

This is before fulling

Fulled_1

This is after fulling
(it's not really tighter, there are more stitches visible in this swatch)The stitch gauge doesn't change at all, but the row gauge gets tighter. The fabric goes from being drapey and fluid to being more solid and felt-like, without being stiff. The only way to get this fabric is to use yarns like fine and extrafine merinos, because they won't felt on you but do change in texture enough to give you a different fabric.

-------

New York had a collective moment of silence this morning. I am spending the day working on my patterns and website, reflecting on what happened the year I was a senior in college. I feel that spending the day creating, and working to expand my business, is a way to honor those who died that day. What the terrorists want most is for us to lose our way of live, to live in constant fear and paralized.

I refuse to give them that.

Posted in Chiagu, Finished Knitting Projects, Koigu

New Threads!

Posted on June 21, 2005 | 1 Comment

Yet another small sweater-thing, this one is a bolero from a String store pattern, done in Karabella Aurora 8 in color 716. It takes 5 skeins and is super quick to make, it's like making a child's sweater. I actually have another of these started in a lavendar color, but I made the raglans too short so it got ripped out. I think this is the perfect length, just about a "true" waist height. It is a bit baggy around the armholes, but I can live with it. I love this color, it almost radiates. And it's so cute!

This is definitely one of those projects that I can only wear for so long, since these little shrug/bolero things are so trendy right now. . . lets see how many of them I'll end up making before the rush ends. (at least I got through the poncho craze with nary a poncho in my closet!)

Another new addition:

My sister moved in with me on Sunday, and she brought a friend:

Jamila

I am SO not a cat person, but Jamilla's really cute and pretty friendly, although she will NOT sit in your lap. I have to get used to this. . . the first step was moving all the random knitting into my room and closing the door, there used to be yarn all over the living room, now it's just all over my room!

Posted in Finished Knitting Projects

Long-time coming FO

Posted on June 14, 2005 | 2 Comments

I finished another project, this one was started in, oh, 2001? I don't even remember buying the yarn, but it definitely dates from Pennsylvania, so it's earlier than summer of '02. I finished the first sock a long long time ago, cast on the second, and proceeded to lose the first in my stash. I knew it was in there, just couldn't find it (I'm sure none of you gentle readers can relate to that, no, not at all, right?).

Anyway, I found the half-knit sock and decided to knit it. Then I went looking for its long-lost sibling. Now I have a pair! The cast on is a bit tight, but not cutting-off-circulation tight. Which is just good enough. Call this one done!

(and yes, 4 years is not too far out of the average amount of time it takes me to complete a pair of socks)

Posted in Finished Knitting Projects

FO!

Posted on June 05, 2005 | 6 Comments

Isis

I finished the Isis shrug last weekend, and I LOVE it! (You know I really do love it when I manage to take a decent photo for once) I finished this in only 4 days, it is a really cute pattern and uses the same lace that Charlotte's Web uses, so I already had it memorized from my two Charlotte's.

I made the smallest size, and you can see from this picture that it fits me very differently than it fit the girl in the picture, who was wearing one too big for her. My bust is about 37" and this size's finished measurements were about 35, but the next one was 40 and I didn't want it to be loose. My finished shrug is just a tad too small, but I like the "stretch-to-fit" shape, which is only possible due to the stretchy lace.

I did, of course, make a few changes. First I made short rows in the two fronts, a full pattern repeat's worth, because I was afraid the fabric wouldn't cover anything otherwise. I also did three-needle bind off at the top of the sleeves so that it's an invisible, neat seam. I hate physically doing three-needle bind off but it was worth it in this case, the seams are up to my standards.

I also changed the neckband finishing technique -- the pattern calls for you to pick up in purl one stitch for every rib row and then decrease. I find this not only difficult and akward, but also messy. Instead, I picked up stitches (in knit) evenly along the back neck, and did the same thing as you do with applied i-cord. It looks very neat and lays nice and flat.

The last thing I did was to hard block this both in pieces and after it was put together, because I needed the lace to stretch out in order to fit. Before stretching, the back was only like 13" wide!

I am totally in love with this silly thing, and I think it's very flattering over a tube top. People talk about how bad it is to have a horizontal line cutting you off, but I really like it, especially with a longer shirt underneath. And it does provide warmth, because I made it in 100% cashmere. It's actually too warm to wear on a warm day, it's for cool nights only.

In fact, I love this so much I'm making another one in this shape, but completely different pattern and construction. It'll be a Chiagu pattern once it's done.

Posted in Finished Knitting Projects

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