progress is good

Posted on Posted in designing, lace/shawls, projects

i love my new study; it’s a great place to knit. i’ve completely vacated the living room space that i used to use, in favor of the new workroom. the light is so much better at night and the coziness factor is way higher. not mention how much more beautiful it is . . . thank you david!

(the living room will eventually be beautiful too, once that renovation is done)

i’m surprised by the amount of knitting i’ve accomplished since my last post—i haven’t had a whole lot more time to devote to it, but working with bigger yarn and needles has its benefits . . .

my cardigan is growing by leaps and bounds. i picked it up while i was chatting with my mom the other night and added about six more inches to it; now i’m almost to the underarm on this front piece. i just love the yarn—briar rose pilgrim—sooo squishy and lofty.

i’m glad i decided not to knit this first one in the round though; the fabric will be a bit stiff until it’s washed and i can see that wrangling a bulkier piece of this fabric would make it far less attractive to work on, especially once the sleeves are attached.

i cast on the whitfield shorty for my nephew the other night, too, and knit the hem portion, thinking i’d set it aside to work on during my trip next week. then yesterday, i had a sewing lesson with my friend helena and i grabbed it on the way out the door to have something mindless to knit. while she set in a sleeve and finished up a blouse, i added about five inches to the front.

i love this yarn too—another briar rose creation (a superwash merino worsted). i’m not sure what chris is calling it, or if/when it will be available on her site, but you might find it in her booth if you see her at a show. it’s just gorgeous—saturated in color and with a soft sheen, it shows off the stitch definition of this piece really well. it’s light in weight, but it has great substance, too.

beckie is coming over to knit tonight and i’ll work on one of these two pieces while we talk—i’m really looking forward to ending the week with a visit from her.

i’ve been slowly adding rows to wasp and rose too—this project moves along a little less quickly, since the yarn is much thinner, but is no less enjoyable. i’m about sixteen rows into the trellis pattern and the new motif is just beginning to take shape. the more i work with it, the more i love this yarn (fibre isle kami bison in colorway rose petale); it has a nice silky feeling but is substantial, despite it’s fine weight. it’s very good to knit with. these qualities especially stand out when i move from a heavier project to this one—the adjustment is effortless, if you know what i mean.

i have a lot of knitting time planned for the weekend and i want to focus most of it on this project. i’d like to get at least halfway through the trellis section (which is 96 rows, i think??) by sunday night. wish me luck.

i also have a bunch of pattern writing to work on, but i’ve tried to keep that for week day hours; even though it’s all channeled toward the same goal, the weekend just doesn’t seem as fun if i’m chained to the computer instead of nestled among yarns . . .

i’m almost done with my second bougainvillea mitt; i got through the thumb gusset last night, i think—i stopped because it couldn’t remember how many thumb sts i needed and the other mitt was all the way downstairs in my office (it was late and i felt lazy).

i’ve been working on the pattern for it, which i’m hoping to have ready for release very soon. i decided to name it crossings.

i’m enthralled with the color of this yarn—such a rich blue/lavender, vivid, but not too. this is knit from dirty water dyeworks lucia, a smooth, 3-ply sock weight yarn that shows beautiful stitch definition and will be easy to take care of. it would be equally nice in their bertha or julia yarns.

and finally . . .

aria delicato is OTN, yay!
i need to block and photograph it and i’m not sure when i’ll get to that, but hopefully today or tomorrow. it’s the first sunny day this week and i don’t want to spend it all indoors if i can help it. i’m getting my hair cut and after that, i plan to go for a bike ride before i commit to any other work.

isn’t the yarn just scrumptious looking in this photo? that’s slackford studio nimbus cloud in colorway lilac frost. it makes me want to bury my face in it, sitting there like that, unattached to any needles for once.

the pattern is all set to go; we just need some photos of the blocked scarf. i have about one-third of the skein left over and i’m planning to see if it’s enough to knit a pair of delicato mitts (i have reserves in case it doesn’t make it, but it would be cool to know for the pattern release if it can be done).

classes this week were a lot of fun with several people showing up in finished knits.

janet wore her finished butternut scarf, knit in a very fine, duck blue alpaca lace yarn (i can’t remember what, darn it—something tells me it’s fearless fibers alpaca lace). it looks great on her and she’s very proud of it (rightly so; it’s lovely).

barb looks absolutely stunning in her bel air sweater, knit in spirit trail sunna, colorway rosewood. she’s had this finished for a couple of weeks, but was waiting for the buttons, which arrived last week from moving mud. it’s her second one; barb knit that beautiful sample that jennifer is showing in her booth in colorway ancient stones.

based on how the first sample fit her, barb decided knit this one size smaller with negative ease—about 1.5 inches and she’s super-happy with the fit. the first one fit well too, through the shoulders, but was a little looser in the body (barb is smaller below the waist than above and has thin limbs). because the yarn and stitch pattern provide plenty of stretchiness, she feels comfortable with the snugger fit around her bust.

barb also brought along her inky dinky test knit in progress—we have been steadily preparing this design for release behind the scenes and though it’s taken a while, we finally have it in test knitting. agnes and theresa are done, actually; catherine and barb are almost there.

i’m going to save this pattern for release in january; i think we’re all focused on christmas knitting for the next little bit and this will be a good one to put out before my january travels, when we’re all looking for something to do while the snow flies.

i think that’s all i’ve got for today—time to get ready to go for my haircut (i love haircut days, don’t you??). have a good weekend!

21 thoughts on “progress is good

  1. I love the combination of stitch pattern and yarn in your cardigan. It is not a combination I would have thought of, but I like how the purl sections break up the color changes. And I am sooooo jealous of your studio/workroom space.

  2. Hi Anne – I think you should let your yarn suppliers know that once you have posted a mention of their yarn on your blog, it flies across the world at the speed of light so they should dye/prepare 100 times as much as ‘normal’. Several times I have tried to order from a company you’ve use and not even in the colorway you used only to find out there are zero skeins left or only one or two and not enough for a project. What a great advertisement you are for their products and I know you choose yarn for your designs very carefully – consequently both pattern and yarn are beautiful.

  3. I love Briar Rose. I’ve got a few of her yarns, and apart from making a wee dent in my Sea Pearl, I haven’t had the guts to knit it up yet. Speaking of which, any recommendations for 1200 yards of Grandma’s Blessing? 🙂

  4. Another great post Anne! How fun to have your study all done. I’d love a cozy spot to knit like that! My daughter was soaking her Butternut scarf when I went to bed last night, and the bowl was empty this morning, so I imagine it’s blocking somewhere in the house…I am looking forward to seeing it-it’s her first major lace project with a finer yarn.

  5. I read your blog all the time and don’t usually comment (though I really enjoy reading it, and looking at your lovely work!). I’m afraid, though, that I have to put in my two cents about one thing: aria delicato. It’s a lovely name, but it should be aria delicata, with an -a and the end, not an -o. I know I’m being pedantic, but I teach Italian language and literature, and that noun-adjective disagreement is like nails on a chalkboard. I know. It’s silly. But your writing and patterns are so fine-tuned and sensitive, I didn’t want you to go on in ignorance about this little detail. Thanks for reading/listening! Keep up the beautiful, inspiring work!

  6. I think that the way your designs compliment the yarn – and the way the yarn compliments the designs are one of the things I like best about your blog. I think we’ve all gone to work on a project only to realize that the fiber is just not right for it. (What did you say? Swatch? LOLOL)
    Thank you for sharing! Have a lovely afternoon and a Joyous Thanksgiving with lots and lots of comfy knitting time!

  7. You mentioned lighting in your post. After years of struggling with regular lamps and floor lamps to illuminate my knitting, I finally bought an Ott Crafting Light (floor lamp style) at Joann and it has changed my knitting life! I’d do a commercial for Ott Light. Just sayin….

  8. I love Janet’s Butternut scarf (and every other Butternut I’ve seen, I must say). And Janet’s Bel Aire looks wonderful too (and gives me the confidence to try one).

    What a blissful study! So great to have a dedicated knitting area. Looking forward to seeing more on the Briar Rose sweaters, esp. the red one!

  9. I love the new baby piece and the stitch pattern for the pilgrim sweater. I have a question, Can you tell us anything about the woven throw on the arm of your couch in the first picture? Thanks. It’s beautiful. Added Bel Air and Butternut to the list today.

  10. I just want to say “thank you david” too. I love knitting in the new studio! It is an AWSOME room! It is very cozy and the lighting is perfect.

    Barb and Janet did a great job on their projects. The colorway of bel air is absolutely gorgeous.

  11. I have your ‘Leaving’ pattern, have already cast on the back..
    A yarn stash came in handy..Really, anixous to stay home to knit..

  12. Oh Anne!!!! Can not wait for the Inky Dinky as it looks like it is based on the cradle me blanket stitch pattern. And if it is a baby sweater which I think it is…..I may need that pattern very soon!

  13. Hi Anne!
    I love following your blog (beautiful photography! also the cookery ;o) and have adored all the patterns of yours that I have knitted, even if I don’t have access to the gorgeous yarns you do (either the smooshiness or the beautiful colours). Just the idea of making a cardigan in sock yarn, so light and lovely to wear (a Sprössling). Leaving next on the list when I find some yarn nice enough… I made Butternut a while back for a friend in some simple hand-dyed silk I came across and enjoyed knitting it very much. Same for other scarves and socks. Hope to find something suitable for those more robust patterns for men and women, they are in my queue, too!
    The baby blanket Cradle Me was a big hit with the parents of a new-born, though I had to use a more bold “print” yarn, it is merino and super-squishy. That little jacket looks like the ideal companion – will I manage it for Christmas?!! ;))
    Thanks for your contribution to the design world!

  14. And after all that I forgot to add my compliments to that throw on your sofa – that picture is the epitomy of my favourite colour combinations ;))

  15. mmm that delicato beckons me. and i can hardly wait until january for inky dink – have two babies waiting for their gifts!
    you’ve gotten so much done these past few days. you go girl

  16. and BTW your studio looks wonderful! and michele’s project bag is the perfect accessory on your sofa.

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