What Would Jane Austen Knit?

I'm an unabashed reader of novels, sir, but I don't think it has clouded my judgement.*

   Jane Austen Knits 2012 from Interweave Knits is here! What a treasure this magazine is. Eagerly anticipated & well worth the wait, there are thirty one gorgeous projects in this issue.  But don't mistake this for just another knitting magazine. This is a tribute, an honoring of a remarkable author & her characters and their lives. It is a celebration of a time, of a culture, of real places infused with richly imagined fictional lives. Jane Austen Knits celebrates history and fantasy, people and places real and imagined & then playfully brings us back to the 21st century with patterns that are nostalgic but not fusty. 

 Designers like Annie Modesitt, Joanna Johnson (one of my favorites!), Bethany Hick and many, many more grace these pages.  Submissions for this issue were off the charts and they are beautiful.  Patterns include reticules, shawls and wraps, cabled sweaters, gorgeous hats and cardigans. 

 I keep thinking the timing for Ravelympics Knitting could hardly be better! With the Summer Games in London this year, what fun to plan to be knitting these British inspired patterns.

 Margaret Dashwood Shawl by Joanna Johnson

Stop in soon to get your copy of Jane Austen Knits Summer 2012, they're in the shop on May 21. And, Cheerio!

*Fanny Price in the 1999 film adaptation of Mansfield Park

Kilino Summer Scarf

We have a new pattern! We have fallen in love with this new yarn from Schulana. Kilino is a linen & cotton, chained yarn. It is delightful to knit with.  I hurried to write a patten to show off the great qualities of this yarn. And then I hurriedly typed it up. (Can you see where this is going?)
This morning, we got a note from a customer that there is an error in our Kilino Summer Scarf pattern. My heart sank. I kept my notes, so the changes were easy to make,and the corrected pattern is available on Ravelry today.
I sure hope this hasn't driven anyone too crazy!

KILINO SUMMER SCARF ERRATTA:
Cast on should be 41 sts not 51.
Row 5 should read:  K3, *k2tog twice (YO, K1) three times, YO, (sl 1, K1, psso) twice, K1* repeat to last two sts., K2.

Ironwork Shawl: Interweave Knits Spring 2012

Interweave Knits Spring 2012

Ironwork ShawlTara Miller
Finished Size 37" wide and 18" tall at center.

Needles Size 11 (8 mm): 24" circular (cir).
Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.
Notions Markers (m); tapestry needle.
Gauge 10 sts and 24 rows = 4" in garter st.

A breezy women's shawl inspired by Savannah architecture. Worsted weight yarn gives surprising texture. Shawl is worked back and forth from the top down. This pretty shawl would be very nice knit in Kilino. 

KILINO: Springtime Knitting

photo courtesy Skacel Fiber Studio, 2012

Kilino--Linen & Cotton Yarn from Schulana

“Spring is the time of plans and projects.”
Leo Tolstoy

I have fallen in love with a new yarn.  Again.  This time it's from Schulana, and it's called KILINO.  Kilino is a linen and cotton yarn with a chained construction. It doesn't split, it is smooth--but delightfully starchy like new linen should be--and it washes up and blocks beautifully.  There are twelve colors.  I'm making a Summer Scarf on US #8 needles, and I also knit a swatch on US#6 needles in a pretty lace pattern.  I knit the swatch on Brittany needles while I got a feel for the yarn but my Summer Scarf is on my Addi Turbos.

                             

Knitting with spring and summer yarns is different than knitting with wool.  The fabric is lighter, has more drape and feels cooler on your skin. You may have to adjust your knitting style a little to work with linen and cotton yarns, and of course, you'll want to be sure to check your gauge.  

I am indiscriminate in my love of yarns. I'll knit anything, and I'll adapt to the limitations and specifications of almost any material. Especially if it comes in pretty colors.

 

 

The Clapotis Comes back to LYS

picture by honigschnute on ravelry

Our next Free Knitting Workshop is on Tuesday, April 24th. We're making the Clapotis.
What is it about this shawl pattern? It looks simple, but this is a deceptively clever pattern.  Join us for a free two hour workshop and learn to work some Clapotis magic of your own!

Workshops are offered weekly at LYS, and most are technique driven and project oriented.  We'll review the pattern (please download and print your own copy here) and cast on and start the knitting. Call the shop to save a spot in this fun Workshop--hope to see you next week!

More Socks, Darn It!

About a week after I started darning socks in earnest, we were cleaning out winter clothes at our house. My husband found a pair of socks in the back of a dresser drawer and wondered out loud, "Why on earth do I still have these socks in my drawer?"  I looked around & felt my sentimental knitter's heart lurch a little bit.

 
He was holding the first pair of socks I made for him.  Socks I knit in 1989.  Seriously.  You know, in the last century!  They are not in great shape.  They are not in horrible shape either.

So the question became this:  can we fix them? The holes are pretty symmetrical,  and I could see that darning wasn't the answer--the worn out spot included the turn of the heel.  On Thursday, I couldn't really concentrate on a big project, so I got these socks out & decided I had nothing to lose.

 I picked up a row of stitches on the bottom of the foot, grabbed a second dpn and purled across the row. At the end of every other row or so, I added a stitch from the worn edge and kept on knitting. I improvised a simple turn with 6 short rows, then knit up to the worn out edge of the heel flap.  Once I got there, I picked up along the edge & then kitchenered the stitches together.

 It isn't perfect, but it worked, and these 23 year old socks can be worn again. Or they can just go back into the back of that drawer--but I feel sentimental about fixing them.