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LushPodKAL – day 36

Published by louise

It’s week 6 of the LushPodKAL! Can you believe it?

My Lush has been a little bit of slow progress since the rippage of a couple of weeks ago, but I am amid the waist shaping now and I feel like its getting to be a cardigan shaped thing now.

Even though I had to rip it back to the yoke I am much happier with the picking up of the stitches – as it was it bit fudged before. I also used Ysolda’s wrapless short rows this time and will definitely be using it again.

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I really love the colour of the yarn I am using. It is Wensleydale Longwool sheep shop and I will do a little post about them later in the week, but the colour is teal  and it can be fantastically blue is some lights and really seagreen in others.

I am a bit disconcerted that the central motif isn’t quite central in this pic, but C was at an angle to me and it’s unblocked…I hope it will be central once finished!

It is really thrilling to see KAL-ers finishing their objects and wearing them and some have event taken pics and posted in the FO thread in the Shiny Bees’ group

There will be prize news this week, but if have been knitting along you will know that to be in with a chance of winning you need to be at least 75% done by the cast off date on 14th September. After much deliberation we decided that 75% means a full body and one arm, so if you are toiling to get finished for the cast off date remember it that if you are a one arm bandit on 14th Sept you should still post a pic in the FO thread!

Someone asked if they could sign up yesterday and you still can! The sign up thread is locked, but just give me a shout on Ravelry. If you are interested in casting on – remember Lush comes in easily-knit-in-two-weeks baby sizes too! – Blacker Yarns have offered a generous 10% discount, until the cast off date, on their beautiful Blacker Swan Falkland Merino. When you buy 3 balls or more then use the code LUSHKAL5634 to get that lovely discount.

The chat thread is back in Knit British ravelry group this week – say hello and don’t be afraid to ask for help and support. There are a few sign ups that haven’t said hello and, truly, the chat is great and we are all very supportive and cheerleady  – maybe see you over there!

Shetland Textile Museum

Published by louise

Recently I visited the Shetland Textile Museum in Lerwick. Unfathomably, I had not been before and still can’t understand why.

In truth I have been in the building before, over 25 years ago. The building is called the Bod of Gremista and is the birthplace of Arthur Anderson – prominent Shetlander and co-founder of the Penninsular and  Orient Steam Navigation Co, now known as P&O – It was a restored in the 1970s and preserved as a museum and I was first there on a primary school trip.

Jumper board by the entrance

Jumper board by the entrance

Bottle top Fair Isle art created and donated by a local school

Bottle top Fair Isle art created and donated by a local school

In recent years the Bod became the home of the community run textile museum and what a home it is?! On entering the shop (an exhibition in itself!)  we were met by two of the volunteers who were incredibly helpful and so passionate about the museum.  They directed us first to see the loom. Originating from the 19th C the loom came from Adies of Voe where it has produced endless yards of Shetland cloth.

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We were told that there are often demonstrations of it being used and you can try your own hand at weaving on it.

Upstairs in the museum there are two further display rooms. Lace Knitting and the World Wars.

The exhibition sets the scene by reminding us of how lace knitting began in Shetland during the 1830’s and goes on to describe crofting life during the 19th and early 20th centuries. This part of the story particularly focuses on the lives of Shetland women, both before and during the 1st World War, and how the war provided Shetland women with a new found freedom, and a massive cash paying market for their knitwear – on their own doorstep!

(from Shetland Textile Museum website)

The lace garments in this display are simply breathtaking. Walking around I thought about the hundreds of hours of work involved. As well as thinking about the freedom Shetland knitter’s found in working for themselves during this time, I thought also of those who were also still exploited by barter systems, which continued for many years after Truck was stopped.

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The shawls here are just spectacular specimens of lace knitwear, but I am drawn to the other garments – cardigans and scarves, even lace socks – the intricate designs in such fine Shetland yarn. The cardigan above, knitted by Elizabeth Bruce from Unst in the 1960s, is made from 2ply and it is simply stunning, isn’t it.

The other exhibition at the museum was the one I was really looking forward to – my expectations of the museum had been far exceeded in the first two rooms and I was bowled over by the array of knits in the Oil/Knitting display.

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This exhibition also marks a change to the knitwear industry in Shetland, during the 70s and 80s and with the discovery of North Sea oil. The oil industry transformed the isles economy – Shetland knitwear had long had worldwide fame, but this era also saw an injection of interest in everyday Shetland knitwear. The industry until this point was waning, with a marked decline in those taking up knitting. Thanks to financial assistance from the oil boom the Shetland Knitwear Trades Association sought to boost local industry  and project it wide again.

This exhibit was curated by museum trustee Ella Gordon and she discusses how it was put together on her blog. The room fills me with nostaligia, but also inspiration – you can also see why Shetland knitwear is still so popular and why many of these styles and patterns continue to be knit, sold and worn . The colours and patterns displayed here are a feast on the eyes. It is such a celebration of the industry in Shetland, but moreover it is a celebration of the everyday garments worn in Shetland.

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Whether you live locally or planning a trip north please don’t be dense like me and miss out on a trip to Shetland Textile Museum at the Bod of Gremista.  Entry costs a mere £2 and you can visit with your ticket for as many times as you want in the season!

: : Opening Hours & Contact: :

SHETLAND TEXTILE MUSEUM
Böd of Gremista
Lerwick, SHETLAND
ZW1 0PX

Tues-Sat 12 pm- 5pm

Thurs 12 pm-7pm

email: shetlandtextilemuseum@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

early harvest

Published by louise

It’s still summer….it’s still summer….it’s still summer… this is my mantra, even though it’s rainy and blustery and my attention keeps turning to the *idea* of warmer clothes. I caught myself today thinking, “Hmmm, I think I need to knit a new scarf”.

but it’s still summer…IT IS STILL SUMMER…

…Even though here in Shetland we have recently had a bright blistering hot day, followed by a wrap-your-coat-around-you day, followed by another fine day, followed by ex-Bertha weather, followed by sunshine and showers. My summer and winter coats compete on a daily basis.

But it IS still only August…

…even though the purple is burning in the heather and that is a sure sign that summer won’t last much longer.

So as I procrastinate on Ravelry this evening, is it no wonder that all the things I am drawn to involve getting a bit cosier? And really – although it is still summer – there’s nothing wrong with a few autumn knits making it into the queue and being prepared for cooler weather. Thankfully, a recent collection from Marie Wallin is providing a veritable bounty of autumn fruits, just ripe for the knitting.

Appleby table decoration. Photo: Marie Wallin

Appleby table decoration – Photo: Marie Wallin

Lakeland: Collection 2 was published last month and there are 14 garments, accessories and soft furnishing to banish even the merest thought of the cold! I adore the Kendal snood, I think those twists of cable and moss stitch add more warmth and feelings of bundling oneself up!

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Kendal Snood – Photo: Marie Wallin

The collection is knit in Rowan’s Purelife British Sheep Breed yarn; just look at the Bowness cushion and Cartmel rug and get a load of the fantastic natural colours in the Purelife range. When the yarn includes Bluefaced Leicester, Black Welsh, Jacob, Suffolk, Shetland, Masham you are spoilt with British breed wools. I really like the home accessories in the collection – perfect for curling up with when the weather is inclement.

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Bowness and Cartmel – Photo: Marie Wallin

Lakeland is a celebration of British heritage wear, the landscape of the Lake District and our fantastic sheep breed yarns.

You can buy the book here at Marie Wallin’s website and it costs £14.99 plus P&P.

: :  Thank you to Marie Wallin for the kind use of her photographs : :

LushPodKAL ~ day fifteen

Published by louise

ah, me! It was all going too well!

My Lush progress was slow, but going well. I separated for the arms today and was just about to post a progress picture in the week 3 chat thread in Caithness Craft Collective’s Rav group when  I noticed it  (apologies for my crappity iPhone pics (and messy knit area!))

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I done a cock up! And not *just* done a mistake, like, in the last few rows….it’s only at the end of the right hand yoke!

Processed with Moldiv

A big, elongated stem! There were many questions I asked myself – mainly, why didn’t I notice this when blocking?  Why not when picking up? Why did it take me to the oxters to notice?!

I could cry – I could get moody…ok, I did! – I could throw it from my sight and not want to think about it for a few days, but of course all I would do is think about it. Nope, only one thing for it. If I want to sleep at all tonight then I need to attempt a fix.

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LushPodKAL sadface

Thank you for allowing me a mournful, “Why me?!” fist-shaking moment….

…and on we go again.

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KALs, Pals and The Golden Skein

Published by louise

You will have heard me get really gushy about how I have met some amazing knitty and woolly people through the wonderful world of Twitter and Ravelry. I am pleased to say that I have had the real pleasure of meeting some of them in person and they are even more smashing in real life.

Taking part in LushPodKAL is fantastic and it is lovely to be knitting along with woolly pals I know from real life and online life, and hopefully make a few more along the way. All this must bring back nice memories for LushPodKAL co-host and shiniest of bees Jo Milmine – taking part in a KAL opened up a whole new yarny world!

It was while taking part in the iMake KAL over on Ravelry that Jo met the group moderator Kate Ellis, perhaps better known Katestwirl and coordinator of the P/Hop fundraiser for MSF. While most people had finished their Damask, Jo was still posting in the KAL thread. It took over a year for Jo to finish her item (and I thought 8 weeks for a cardi was gonna be a toil for me!) in that time she and Kate had become firm friends.

happy new decade

Kate says, forget looking for love online, how about a business partner!  Jo had been considering a yarny venture for a while and it was her husband who came up with the suggestion of a yarn club which worked like a wine tasting club – a yarn tasting club, if you like. They were living in South Africa at the time, so wine quaffing was a frequent pastime and the idea was to introduce crafters to the plethora of indie dyers out there. Jo emailed (yes, they had dared to swap email addresses by this time) to ask Kate if she had any comments or advice on her business proposition – as Kate was also looking for a yarny venture, she popped the question: Are you looking for a business partner? The rest, as they say, is history!

The very first shiny gold parcels of yarn were despatched in December 2013. The inspiration was an image of a Tornado flying over London – look at those divine greys, soots, and mercury silvers.

tornado over london

TGS’s main club is the Power of Three club – each quarter, subscribers receive three skeins of 100g of sock yarn, dyed on varying bases, by three different Indie dyers to the same inspiration picture. The Power of Three Club has been well received and has produced some fantastic and varied yarns. Jo and Kate hope to add some British breed and British dyer clubs in early 2015  – but for those who need a little British sumthin-sumthin in their club yarn British dyers such as Yarn Garden, Sparkleduck and Ginger Twist have all taken part in the Power of 3 clubs.

Look at the inspiration pictures for the next Power of Three – Sumptuous, juicy and so deep you could dive right in! (click for a larger image)

Sign ups are open now, with despatch on 1st September 2014, for the Power of Three and the Slimmers’ club – a one skein option for those who must have a golden skein in their stash! 

To find out more about Jo, Kate and The Golden Skien, visit www.thegoldenskein.com or find them of Twitter, Facebook, Raverly, Instagram & Pinterest

The power of a knitalong in making new friends is strong indeed – do you think there are any potential collaborations in the LushPodKAL?

This is the anniversary of Jo and Kate’s collaboration and I wish them continued success. I think they have struck on something really, really special….and the yarn is pretty special too!

LushPodKAL – Day 7

Published by louise

I can’t believe it has been a week already of LushPodKAL and I can’t believe I still haven’t got my yoke blocked yet! I had hoped to get this done last night, but I ended up almost-coma-like after a few days of strong antibiotic taking  due to this awful tooth (or lack thereof!)

I thought it might be useful to link to some information on waist shaping – it’s one of those techniques that I see a lot of people skip when I am perusing projects on ravelry (this is how I procrastinate!). In a lot of patterns this is an optional step and so it is fair enough that some skip it. Others skip it as they feel they don’t need the fitted effect in their finished garment. I also think a lot of people don’t knit shaping because everyone’s bodies are different and waists tend to be in different places.

Personally speaking, I was scared to put more fittedness in my first Lush – I knew it was a fitted knit, with negative ease in it that I had not knit before. I was frightened that I would look like I had been put on a boil wash. But I am so glad that I did this. I bloomin’ adore the fit!

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Knitty.com, again, have a great article on making your knits fit  – this time by the fantastic Stefanie Japel (whose Shapely cardigan is also in my queue).

If you want to tailor your waist shaping for your very own measurements then you are going to need to do some calculations. Before you run away at the thought of knitting maths  Knitting Daily have a calculator tool to assist you in this!

from www.amyherzogdesigns.com

Knit to Flatter author Amy Herzog also has a great tutorial  on shaping (subtitled “YES, you need it”). on the different types of shaping you can do and how to adapt side seam shaping to shaping at the back and front – and also how to put waist shaping into patterns that do not include it. According to Amy, whatever shape you are you and your garment will benefit from waist shaping and making your knits fit to flatter.

There are not many video tutorials, unless you join a Craftsy class on the topic, but I found this one.  The example used in this KnitPicks video is on a bottom up garment, but for those who haven’t added waist shaping before and just need a little demystifying, then this is quite a good. It is part of a series of video tutorials on knitting a sweater. The KnitPicks website has further instructions for waist shaping – such as instructions to help calculate waist shaping for your exact measurements

I hope this has been a little helpful.  This is the start of week two on the Safari and the LushPodKAL chat thread has moved to Aimee’s group in KnitSpinCake Ravelry group. Thanks to all the chatterers in my group and we will see you back there in week 6 – Jeezo! I hope my progress is further by then!

episode 9: normal service has resumed

Published by louise

The podcast is back to the normal podcast schedule! Be warned – Jeremy, the podcat, gets athletic in this episode.

UPDATE: Due to space I can no longer host the audio files on the blog, please use your favourite podcatcher, or right click the podgen link to open the podcast episode in a new window: Podgen

Preview on Spotify

  • How were the recent woolly events? I am heading to Yarndale in September!
  • LushPodKAL – have you cast on yet with Shinybees, KnitSpinCake, Caithness Craft Collective and all the LushPodKal-ers and I? I am using Wensleydale Longwool Sheepshop & get slightly pornographic when I tell you why you should try wools that you think you can’t wear next to your skin! (n.b. if you are genuinely allergic to wool do not to as I do!)

p.s. the seagull sounds are the seagulls currently living next to my office. The tweety birds are the birds at my bus stop!

Click on the picture for larger images.

: : COMPETITION RULES : : 

This competition is open to everyone – please enter by commenting to this post first and go to Clare’s pattern store and tell us about your fave pattern and why – leave your Rav name in the comment!

You can earn extra entries in the KnitBritsh Ravelry group. Comment in there in the same way.

I will draw the winners at random by the next podcast and will lock the thread when the competition closes.

Rules are there for a reason and I will disqualify entries which do not comment appropriately.  Please listen to the podcast for all the give-away info.

LushPodKAL ~ day three

Published by louise

One of the trickiest techniques, the most fiddly and, frankly – IMHO – one of the annoying of any project (depending on the amount) is summed up in six seemingly innocuous little words….

Pick up and knit X stitches

Do I see a shudder slipping down your back bone?

It’s like that short little instruction is smirking at you when you read it….

Pick up and knit X stitches.

Picking up stitches can be footery and I, for one, have certainly made a mess of it – I can recall trying to pick up stitches along a curved edge 5 times! (6th time was the charm)

Thankfully, although the Lush cardigan requires you to pick up stitches along both the top AND bottom edge of your lace yoke, there are no dreaded curved edges, but if you are not au fait with stitch-picking up then I thought I would share with you a couple of videos and sites that you might find useful…once you get good with the amount of picking up you may have to do, of course!

Before you start there are two important things to bear in mind-  you always pick up with right side facing, unless you are directed otherwise. Secondly, as I quickly discovered, it’s not knitting stitches as in  in- around-through-off, when we use two needles to create new stitches – you are picking up and simply drawing through a loop.

But where do you pick up? There are some fantastic online pictorials that will give you simple images to follow, and a really great blog on the subject from Tin Can Knits. Knitty.com has some great articles on techniques and picking up stitches is no exception. I think Knitty is one of the best go-to places for information on techniques; I have used it right from the get-go with knitting and they’ve never let me down.

from www.knitty.com (slurped from the web but with the kindest intentions and good vibes)

You might also want to check out this video from Knit Purl Hunter, who looks at both horizontal and vertical picking up.

 

Personally, I prefer to use a crochet hook when picking up and one that is a good few sizes smaller than the recommended needle size. I did this with my last lush yoke after I was disappointed with how the new stitches look…long and saggy.

It was on the Tin Can Knits forum on Ravelry that I got this tip and have used it ever since. I find that the smaller crochet hook makes a neat new line of stitches, rather than elongated or droopy.

Have you picked up all those stitches yet? Top and bottom? Well done – now is the exciting bit…watching that long rectangle turn into a circular yoke.

Short rows are next – now short rows I have no helpful tips for – I suck massively and I am always just a little bit disappointed with how my wraps look in the end. Thankfully, Ysolda has a really interesting video tutorial on wrapless short rows and I think this is the technique I will try with my Lush.

My Lush…is about 2 repeats longer on the LH yoke as it was last night, not bad I suppose, considering I have been working all day and writing various things all evening…maybe if I stop writing blog posts I will get more knit?

I may not post tomorrow (dental surgery with anaesthetic = drowsy Weezie) but I will be watching for the Wednesday Club casting on – those KAL-ers who have had to wait on their yarn to arrive, or have wanted to chum those who have had to wait for yarn to arrive!  Looking forward to seeing all the progress!