Dark and Stormy - A Shawl Collar Sweater

Pattern:  Dark and Stormy
Yarn:  Berroco Ultra Alpaca (Periwinkle Blue) - 8 skeins
Needles:  Size 7 circular

The picture shows the center back of this shawl-collared sweater.  Knitted from the neck down, the pattern has several options for fitting.  Peeking under the sweater is a completed pair of socks that have not yet been worn....probably waiting for this sweater. 

I love blue lapis jewelry so I will have to look for a pendant to wear with this sweater.  After spending a fair amount of $$$ for the yarn, it deserves a beautiful piece of jewelry.

Next week is the "Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival".  I am going with Norma who is always such a hoot.  Last year we needed to rent Noah's Ark but Norma brought a leaky umbrella instead.  We were walking in ankle-deep mud, avoiding patches of poison ivy but we had a blast!  I can't wait to see other Vermont Bloggers such as Gayle and Amy.

So, if you are from Vermont and traveling south to attend, Norma and I hope to have knitters meet for dinner at Arvads in Waterbury for wonderful food, conversation and a "show and tell".


As you know, I teach knitting classes and had to swallow my pride and creep over to my LYS for help with the chart on this pattern.  I felt totally frustrated and when I showed it to the clerk, her comment was "Who The Hell Wrote This Pattern?"  Thea Colman designs beautiful sweaters but even I found this chart difficult to comprehend as it does not list all the stitches or pattern repeat like I've seen with other patterns.  Once I understood the designer's approach I found it quite easy.

Earlier this summer I purchased this plastic filled utensil bag at the Christmas Tree Shop.  I really got my money's worth because I am using the bag as a "yarn bra".   

When winding yarn into a "cake" so as to have a center-pull skein, if the fiber is slippery (i.e. silk content) or a very large cake, it eventually falls onto itself and you have a mess of tangles and knots.  The yarn bra prevents that as it contracts as the center of the cake becomes hollow.

You can also buy yarn bras at a number of web stores for very little $$$.

My next round of classes start this Tuesday and I'm very excited about this class.  When other classes at the Rec. Dept. are being canceled due to poor enrollment, I'm fortunate that my class is full with several repeat knitters.

When I hear someone say they are bored, I just cannot relate.  There are so many hobbies to enjoy, books to read, the awe of nature, etc.  Knitting is my relaxation.

I'm having dinner with friends this evening.  For the last 30 years from 15-30 of us have gotten together.  Years ago we met monthly and then would go dancing or to a movie.  As we have aged, we meet 3-4 times per year, have dinner, chat for awhile and then go home.  It's not always easy to find a nice restaurant that will cater to a large group so we are usually limited to a selection of perhaps five restaurants in a city known for its many, many fine restaurants.

Happy Knitting!

Identical or Fraternal Socks

Most of my socks are identical to each other rather than fraternal.  It's a matter of preference, I suppose.  I'm delighted when there are two and am not suffering from SSS (single sock syndrome)  What are your thoughts?


I completed these socks several weeks ago.  I used a standard "vanilla" sock pattern and I can't remember who the yarn manufacturer is....sorry!  Anyway, they will match a sweater that is about 90% completed with the goal of wearing it at the next Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival.


So, if you were straining to see what those knitting books are............well,....these are just a few of the many that I own.  I especially like "Sock Innovation" and the "Joy of Sox" speaking of which as I was thumbing through the book I food the pictures to be quite provocative and then remembered that it is a "spoof" on that other book.  You know the one I'm talking about....the one on your nightstand, perhaps!!!! 

I just completed a shawlette with pictures coming in a few days after I have blocked it.  I've also been knitting this baby sweater and am about 50% on the road to completion.  This is very cheap yarn that I fell in love with.  There is no mention as to the fiber content, how many grams/yards/weight, etc.  The colorways are gorgeous and at $1/skein, I just couldn't resist.  It feels very soft as I am knitting the sweater so I am delighted at this win/win project.  This colorway, not really pink but can't think of what it reminds me of except the first sweater I knitted my own baby many years ago. 


Now, to find a baby girl to gift this sweater to.

Happy Knitting!

Marble Child's Hooded Jacket

Yarn: James C. Brett Marble - Colorway MT16 Size 5 needles
Pattern: Child Hooded Jacket from Knitpicks.com (download $1.99)

This hooded sweater will be for my grandchild, Jakob.

I try to be considerate when knitting for a baby or small child. Moms are so busy these days that they don't have time to deal with "fussy" garments. I'm not an acrylic fan but will resort to it.

I was all ready to tell you how much I loved this yarn. The pink colorway is also gorgeous. However, I was unhappy when all of a sudden, in the middle of a very long row (the back and sides are knitted together) there was a break/fraying of the yarn. I also began to realize that the WPI (wraps per inch) were inconsistent making it difficult to achieve gauge. Ha!! I never swatch. I hate to swatch. I suppose if I were knitting a fitted garment with expensive yarn, you bet......I'd swatch.

Then to add to my discontent with the yarn, when I started the second skein and pulled from the center, I realized that yards and yards of this yarn were just one color and had not been dyed liked the previous skein even though it had the same dye lot.

Notice the edge of the band down the front of the sweater. It has an I-cord appearance called SES (slipped edge stitch) and is done as so.....

Slip last st of each row as if to purl, with yarn in front of needle.

Knit first stitch of each row straight into back of stitch

I purchased this yarn at a LYS so it should be reliable. I will inform them as it is a new brand they are carrying.

Aside from knitting.........

We've all heard the term "don't judge a book by its cover", or "it's what is on the inside that counts." I was reading about this (<--click) in the news today and it absolutely warmed my heart and got me misty eyed. Folks in the audience had her pegged as a "loser". This clip has had over 3,000,000 hits on YouTube in the last two days alone. I've listened to one version or another several times already.

I didn't mention in my previous post that one of my relatives sent me home with a tourtiere. This recipe/tradition goes back to the early 1600's. I was so pleased to receive one.

Usually served at Christmas along with pickled beets, extras are kept in the freezer for other holiday occasions. About three years ago, my daughter and I made 24 of these pies. We use cinnamon/cloves/allspice for seasonings with a 50/50 ratio of pork and beef along with potatoes. We do not use store-bought pie crust to lighten the work. Hard workers we are, for sure. I don't need to tell you how exhausted I was after that marathon. My daughter gives some of these pies to her repairmen, etc. Smart girl!!! She always gets a quick response when she needs them.

Also, Rachel from NZ, I am not able to respond to you because of your settings. I do enjoy hearing from you and don't want you to think I'm ignoring you.

Happy Knitting!

Here's Jakob!!!

Need I say more!!! (14 pictures total, I couldn't pick just one.)