(Ei millään irtoa aivolohkosta polkkaa suomeksi tänään. Mennään kolmannella kotimaisella siis.)
I am still knitting the entrelac shawl, block after block, and haven't really knitted anything else.
Honestly, I can't recommend this yarn for a project like this. I am knitting this with #8 needles, since it is a shawl and I wanted it to drape nicely, and obviously, this is the problem. Patons SWS is a z-spun, 1-ply yarn, and I'm guessing it needs a tight gauge and a smaller needle size to prevent horrible pilling. I realized this yarn becomes very fuzzy and messy when knitting, and it certainly doesn't take frogging too well, as you can tell which blocks have been frogged and reknitted. I have had very bad experiences with Patons yarns before, and I can't say I'm happy with this one, either. I doubt I'll use this yarn again. The colors are pretty, though.
Which brings me to color in general, and Villapallo's meme about stranded knitting. My relationship with stranded knitting (or colorwork, whatever you want to call it) has always been somewhat difficult. Every single time I pick up a stranded project, I feel hopelessly inadequate. I am utterly unable to combine colors beautifully, especially if there are more than two colors, and I can't see what combination works and which doesn't, until I knit up a swatch and realize I have managed to produce a combination that certainly will not work. I am desperately envious of the true masters of the craft, the Feitelsons and Starmores and Jangs of the world.
However, whenever I pick up a stranded project and just knit on, I am amazed how two colors and the simplest stockinette stitch can produce such elegance and beauty. And whenever I have finished a project, I feel a little proud of it, and decide to continue with stranded projects, since they really are extremely beautiful.. and then I knit a swatch. Or get distracted by something else.
This is the reason why I haven't knitted too many stranded projects. There are some mittens of course..
...and a pair of socks, too.
The Hansa and Alise mittens are not pictured here, since they are being washed right now, as I've worn them a lot this winter. And yes, I do wear mittens! I hate the California winter. It is not properly cold, since to me, properly cold means -10 degrees and lots of snow. It is cold, though, even inside, and if it didn't prevent me from surfing the net (no, I don't have an addiction - I could quit this any day!), I'd wear my mittens even indoors. I need to keep my hands warm, and a few days ago MrChocolateEyes (our mail guy!) brought me four wittle black angora bunnies, all called Princesse obviously. I can't wait to use these for fingerless mitts!
So apart from the occasional mittens and the Ilmarinen cardi, I haven't really knitted too many stranded projects. I would love to, since I love intricate, elegant projects knitted with tiny little needles and lots of color. I suppose that is what is so fascinating about colorwork - the colors themselves. As far as garments go, I'm rather limited in my tastes - I wear a lot of blue and grey and brown and my clothes are almost always of solid colors. I would love to wear more warmer colors, but sadly they make me look like an air hostess (i.e. orange - if I had green hair, I'd fit right in the produce section). But colorwork is the perfect way to wear lots and lots of color at the same time, and that is what I find so fascinating about it. I love all the colors, although some are rather difficult to use, but given the proper project, anything goes, really.
And color brings me to this finished Revontuli shawl. Even though Mr HairyFeet asked me whether this was a "hippie" shawl (and perhaps he has a point), I still like the colors.
This turned out to be a giant shawl. I had one skein of Estonian wool and I used all 7 oz of it, and with #6 needles I ended up with a 47" x 87" (roughly 120 cm x 220 cm) shawl, good enough to keep me warm (now that Bi-color Icarus is being washed as I've worn it a lot - every day in fact).
I think the colors alone could keep me very warm!
I am still knitting the entrelac shawl, block after block, and haven't really knitted anything else.
Honestly, I can't recommend this yarn for a project like this. I am knitting this with #8 needles, since it is a shawl and I wanted it to drape nicely, and obviously, this is the problem. Patons SWS is a z-spun, 1-ply yarn, and I'm guessing it needs a tight gauge and a smaller needle size to prevent horrible pilling. I realized this yarn becomes very fuzzy and messy when knitting, and it certainly doesn't take frogging too well, as you can tell which blocks have been frogged and reknitted. I have had very bad experiences with Patons yarns before, and I can't say I'm happy with this one, either. I doubt I'll use this yarn again. The colors are pretty, though.
Which brings me to color in general, and Villapallo's meme about stranded knitting. My relationship with stranded knitting (or colorwork, whatever you want to call it) has always been somewhat difficult. Every single time I pick up a stranded project, I feel hopelessly inadequate. I am utterly unable to combine colors beautifully, especially if there are more than two colors, and I can't see what combination works and which doesn't, until I knit up a swatch and realize I have managed to produce a combination that certainly will not work. I am desperately envious of the true masters of the craft, the Feitelsons and Starmores and Jangs of the world.
However, whenever I pick up a stranded project and just knit on, I am amazed how two colors and the simplest stockinette stitch can produce such elegance and beauty. And whenever I have finished a project, I feel a little proud of it, and decide to continue with stranded projects, since they really are extremely beautiful.. and then I knit a swatch. Or get distracted by something else.
This is the reason why I haven't knitted too many stranded projects. There are some mittens of course..
...and a pair of socks, too.
The Hansa and Alise mittens are not pictured here, since they are being washed right now, as I've worn them a lot this winter. And yes, I do wear mittens! I hate the California winter. It is not properly cold, since to me, properly cold means -10 degrees and lots of snow. It is cold, though, even inside, and if it didn't prevent me from surfing the net (no, I don't have an addiction - I could quit this any day!), I'd wear my mittens even indoors. I need to keep my hands warm, and a few days ago MrChocolateEyes (our mail guy!) brought me four wittle black angora bunnies, all called Princesse obviously. I can't wait to use these for fingerless mitts!
So apart from the occasional mittens and the Ilmarinen cardi, I haven't really knitted too many stranded projects. I would love to, since I love intricate, elegant projects knitted with tiny little needles and lots of color. I suppose that is what is so fascinating about colorwork - the colors themselves. As far as garments go, I'm rather limited in my tastes - I wear a lot of blue and grey and brown and my clothes are almost always of solid colors. I would love to wear more warmer colors, but sadly they make me look like an air hostess (i.e. orange - if I had green hair, I'd fit right in the produce section). But colorwork is the perfect way to wear lots and lots of color at the same time, and that is what I find so fascinating about it. I love all the colors, although some are rather difficult to use, but given the proper project, anything goes, really.
And color brings me to this finished Revontuli shawl. Even though Mr HairyFeet asked me whether this was a "hippie" shawl (and perhaps he has a point), I still like the colors.
This turned out to be a giant shawl. I had one skein of Estonian wool and I used all 7 oz of it, and with #6 needles I ended up with a 47" x 87" (roughly 120 cm x 220 cm) shawl, good enough to keep me warm (now that Bi-color Icarus is being washed as I've worn it a lot - every day in fact).
I think the colors alone could keep me very warm!
12 comments:
tuo viimenen kuva.
niin kaunis.
ihan ku se leijuis vaan.
Onpa kauniin värinen huivi. Tuollaisia värejä kaipaisi tänne harmauteen heti ja nyt. :) S
On siinä ihanat värit. :o) Täälläkin toivottavasti lähiaikoina Revontulta puikoille, siitä Annen diilaamasta langasta.
Ooh, sateenkaaren värit ja Revontuli, ihana! Onko oz unssi? Eli huiviin meni n. 200 g lankaa? Jahkaan vain, uskallanko aloittaa 175 g:n vyyhdestä. Pienempikin huivi kelpaisi kyllä minulle.
maartsi: juu, toi vyyhti tais olla karvan verran päälle 200g ja varmana pienemmästäkin vyyhdistä saa ihan hyvän kokoisen huivin.
I'm not a fan of SWS either! I LOVE that shawl and just put it in my ravelry queue! What pattern did you use for the black mittens in the middle with the flowers? they're beautiful!
Aivan ihanaa tuo konttineule !Se tekisi mieleni oppia :)
Voi kuinka kauniin värinen tuo huivi, aivan ihanat värit. Kivannäköistä tuo konttineulekin kyllä on...
wau!!! Mullakin on tuota väriä varattuna revontuleen, saa nähdä milloin ehdin neuloa. Aivan upeat kuvat!!
Taas kerrassaan upeaa työtä sinulta! Huivi ihanan värinen, raikas. Minun revontulessani on tuohon verrattuna sameat värit. Ja konttineuleessa myös kauniit värit. Minulla on pitkään ollut ajatus tehdä jotain konttineuleena, mutta aina se vain jää. Pitääpä kai terästäytyä.
Beautiful items...all of your stranded projects are lovely! The colors in your shawl are gorgeous too :)
Upeita värejä.
Erityisen ihastunut olen neulomiisi lapasiin ja konttineuleeseen
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