Autumn Song Modeled

This afternoon I wore Autumn Song to lunch with a friend in Kalamazoo. Before I left, DH Bob was kind enough to come out in the cold and take a few pictures.

I enjoyed wearing it and declare the fit to be almost perfect. My friend is not a knitter and never mentioned my sweater, but we had a good lunch anyway and I still love her.












Pattern: Herbstlied (Autumn Song) from New Style of Heirloom Knitting.

Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes, 100% wool.

Color: Firecracker heather

Needles: Options #5.

Gauge: 5.5 stitches/inch, 8.4 rows/inch in pattern

Click on the label Herbstlied at the end of this post to see all posts on this blog mentioning Herbstlied.

Autumn Song Finished

No modeled shot yet. It's still a little damp in places.


How to block the shoulder saddles was a bit of a puzzle with the leaves and acorns puffing out across the tops of the sleeves. I may have to give blocking a second try if they don't behave themselves once I get the sweater on. What I really need is a mannequin so I can dry the sleeves in a round shape.

A few other Herbstlied knitters sewed shut the hole at the base of the leaves. None of the holes hit me in a critical place, so I don't plan on doing that.



On the left is the top half of a sleeve. On the right, the bottom half of a sleeve.

The pattern called for eight leaf/acorn sets up each sleeve, too long for my short arms. Seven sets would have been just right, but the design needed an even number of sets to use the pattern neck chart.

I recharted the sleeves for six sets of leaf/acorns and made up the difference with longer cuffs. I love the look of the lacy ribbing.


Pattern: Herbstlied (Autumn Song) from New Style of Heirloom Knitting.

Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes, 100% wool.

Color: Firecracker heather

Needles: Options #5.

Gauge: 5.5 stitches/inch, 8.4 rows/inch in pattern

Click on the label Herbstlied at the end of this post to see all posts on this blog mentioning Herbstlied.

Shawlette Finished

Pattern: Summer Shawlette, a short Faroese lacy shawl designed by Sandi Wiseheart.

Yarn: Knitpicks Andean Treasure. 100% baby alpaca in sport weight.

Color: Lilac Heather.

Needles: #9

Gauge: 4 stitches/inch

The Faroese shaped shawlette is knit top down like the shawls in Stahman Shawls and Scarves. It would be easy to make it a little longer if desired. I like the length it turned out.


I used three balls of Andean Treasure with only a few feet left over. My swatch was knit with a ball from a different dye lot, so not an inch of yarn was wasted. I highly recommend buying four balls unless you've got very good nerves and extremely good luck.

Even thought I used a #9 needle when the pattern called for a #10, the shawlette blocked out to 16 inches long in the back, a half inch longer than the pattern measurement.

I knit moderately loose and often go down a needle size from what is listed in a pattern.


No doubt about it, the back is the prettiest side of this shawl.

This is a great project for almost instant knitting gratification. Before you're tired of the project, it's done.

Red Scarf Finished and Prize Box Received

First I have to show you the cool stuff I won in the Red Scarf Project 2008 drawing.

If you don't know about the Red Scarf Project, or even better, if you want to donate, go here.

My prize box contained:

Homemade plum jam by Norma. As I started to write this, I realized that I could rave about it better if I tried some. So off to the kitchen I went, opened the jam, and spread it onto a warm piece of flaxseed bread. It was so good I offered a bite to DH Bob. He ended up eating half and now I have to share the rest of the jar.

Thank you Norma. It's a real treat and we're going to enjoy every last drop of it.

Real Vermonter Yarn. 440 yards of fingering weight, 70% mohair, 30% Romney/Corriedale, in a deep pink blend called Girls Night Out. Always a pleasure to get special yarn in the mail.

Autographed picture of Ryan Serhant.

Ryan will be debuting on As the World Turns in November. Then you will all know who he is and will be begging me for this picture.

Seriously, his resume is impressive for a young man and he is certainly easy to look at. I'm hanging onto this picture.


Pattern: 8 X 60 inch rectangular scarf using the stitch pattern from The Jeffrey Seamen's Scarf in Stahman Shawls and Scarves.

There's a closeup of the stitch pattern here.

Yarn: Knitpicks worsted weight Swish, 100% superwash wool.

Color: Red

Needles: #7 Addi Turbo

Gauge: ~5 stitches/inch


As mentioned here, I found this a difficult stitch pattern to knit without paying close attention.

Even so, it rates high in all the other things I like in a scarf stitch pattern:

• It's interesting.
  
• It looks great on both sides of the fabric.
  
• It looks great right side up and upside down.
  
• It's unisex - important for the Red Scarf Project.
  
• It lays flat.

It was knit with good wishes and prayers for the student who will received it. I hope when they wear it they feel as special as they are.

Red White Gansey Finished

Click pictures to embiggen.

Pattern: White Gansey from Beth Brown-Reinsel's Knitting Ganseys

Yarn: Knitpicks Swish, a worsted weight superwash wool. 17 50 gram skeins of 110 yards.

Color: Pepper Red

Needles: Knitpicks Options #3

Gauge: 6 stitches/inch, 9 rows/inch in stockinette. A very firm gauge for this yarn but great for showing stitch definition.

Red White Gansey was knit as a utility sweater - something warm, casual, comfortable, and a little nicer than a sweatshirt.


Swish is a nice yarn but like most superwash wools it doesn't feel wooly. It feels soft against my skin, even when modeling in the sun on a summer day.

It was smooth knitting even at this tight gauge. Caution: At looser gauges it might well "grow" when washed and/or end up a baggier fabric than you would like. Most superwash wool is like that.

I will use Swish again. Knitpicks has introduced a DK weight Swish for fall which I plan to try before the coming winter is over.



This picture shows - but not very well - the faux seam up the side and the underarm gusset.

Normally I wonder throughout sweater knitting if I'm going to be able to sew the sweater together decently. All the ganseys in this book are knit in one piece. No finishing except for a few ends to weave in.

The book is written tutorial style. For those who like learning from books, this book is like your own personal class with Beth. There's even a small, doll size sample gansey to practice on.

All the patterns in the book (Three for kids, three for adults) are very easy to follow with good pictures on techniques that might be new to a knitter.

Two child size sweaters I've knit from this book are here and here.


The background plant is Crocosmia lucifer, common name montbretia. Hummingbirds love them.

I love them. They multiply and thrive with no care, not even any watering during dry times. They bloom for over a month in mid summer and appear to spend the winter multiplying. The ten foot island of montbretia in the sweater pictures was grown from one little $10 bag of bulbs planted about ten years ago. With no help from me except admiring glances and appreciation.

My kind of plant.

Frode Finished

Done, washed, dry, and ready to pack in the box for the next CIC shipment.


Pattern: Frode (with modifications) by Elsebeth Lavold in Viking Patterns for Knitting
Yarn: Knitpicks Shamrock, 100% Peruvian wool, heavy worsted weight
Color: MacNamara
Needles: Addi Turbo #6
Gauge: 20 stitches/4 inches 28 rows/4 inches
Note: Size XS, 37.75 inches. Knitting for CIC_Knit List big kids sweater challenge.

If you're curious about the pattern modifications and/or my thoughts on the yarn, I wrote about both here.

I had fun with this sweater. It was my first time to make a stand alone Celtic cable like the happiness signs up the center of Frode. It was easy. I just followed the directions in the book and there they were, looking perky and well formed.


Shamrock is four ply yarn. This color, MacNamara, has three plies of solid dark teal. The fourth ply is variegated white and light teal.

The variegation shows up better in this shot of the back.


Final thoughts on the Knitpicks Shamrock wool:

• Knit at this tight gauge, the cables pop.
  
• The variegated tweed effect is subtle enough not to distract much from the cables.
  
• The resulting garment feels like wool. It's not as soft as Wool of the Andes. I wear Peruvian Highland Wool next to my skin with no problem. I would not want to wear Shamrock next to my skin.
  
• I'm not likely to buy more Shamrock but I'm not sorry I tried it.