Can't Begin To Tell You

Voila! The finished Striped Noro Scarf. Very rewarding and amazing! Edited to add finished photos. Thanks to Julie for the above photo taken at the Third Place Knit In in January. No matter how you look at it!

If you've never done one of these 1 x 1 ribbed Noro scarves, let me tell you...I can't begin to describe how addictive and beautiful they are. You will have to just try one for yourself! I am going with the flow on the color changes, which I find a few to be shocking, some surprising, most of them pleasing... and now must add in another colorway since I am nearly out of my 3 skeins. Scarf requires 4 at my gauge and cast on of 35.

My Turn

It's finally my turn to make one of these. I am the bazillionth person to do this famous Noro striped scarf! I have long admired them and the color changes as you knit upwards fascinate me. Each one on Ravelry is gorgeous. I chose Noro Silk Garden in colorways 221 and 245, found on my trip to Churchmouse Yarns last weekend. Knit in 1 x 1 rib. Size 7 needles. Cast on 35. I am slipping the 1st and last stitch purlwise on the 2nd row of every stripe. The yarn carries up the side this way. It is beautiful and quite possibly the most fun I've had knitting ever, ever! It is like a surprise around ever corner...all the color changes...you never know what you are gonna get! And so easy!

Shalom Two Begins

Beginning my second Shalom top-down cardi seems appropriate this time of year since I received the yarn for Christmas last year and it's about that season again. And I love that "Shalom" means "Peace". Yarn shown here, no flash. A nice big bowl of Noro Kureyon goodness. Cast on with 97 stitches, as the gauge of this yarn is much smaller than my previous Shalom's yarn choice.


Shalom is a free pattern by Meghan McFarlane and she has a great blog, Involving the Senses, listed on my Blogroll to the right. Just click there and it will hyperlink you to her site and the pattern. After two Thanksgiving meals have passed by, and even the leftovers, we are now decorated for Christmas and it's time to relax and enjoy some holiday weekend knitting time!


Shown here before I had to take my work (r-i-p!) out after realizing I needed to cast on more than 97 sts. due to the gauge. I added 12 more sts. Hoping this will solve the problem of sizing. Boo hoo, I hate it when I have to start over.

Finishing Poppy!

This sweater will always remind me of our nice and warm February trip down to San Diego and our excursion to several yarn shops. My patient husband walked around the block while waiting for me to purchase a few more skeins to add to the "bouquet" of my Poppy sweater.

All done except a bit of steam blocking on the neckline and hem where the crochet edging is curling a bit. I LOVE THIS! But it is very, very HOT right now in Seattle so I cannot wear this yet!

Crochet Edging on Poppy

Shown here working on the crochet edging to finish off the neckline. Watched an easy tutorial on U-tube to do a Single Crochet Edge. Next to do will be the crochet edging on the hemline. Then I will seam in the sleeves and block this baby!

Shown here before doing any edging or sleeve seams. Since I changed my yarns multiple times for striping, it caused me much more work in weaving in the yarn ends. This was by choice and a variation on the original pattern which used much more Noro yarn in the yoke and sleeves, and did not require changing yarns as often. My Poppy Sweater is nearing completion! Just in time for another Seattle heatwave!

Poppy Sleeve Success

After one botched attempt at the sleeve cap, I ended up "cutting off" the top of the sleeve, unraveling down to the point that was below the decreases, to begin picking up the live stitches again and knitting upward once more. This time, I was able to knit back and forth for the sleeve cap decreasing and shaping-something I didn't do the first time- and was finally successful in completing the first sleeve. Shown here tucked in at the sleeve opening. I have begun the second sleeve, which I am trying to match striping on as I go. Many late nights later...This is shaping up to being a real "eye catching" sweater. People have stopped me at my knit night, complete strangers, to come and look at it. There will be finishing ad nauseum (ew!) due to all the striping and ends to work in, but not much seaming now since I worked the sleeves in the round. I will have to do seams for set-in sleeves. And a crochet edging I will have to learn how to do around neckline and bottom.

Poppy Sweater Continues

This knitting blog is somewhat random lately, but my knitting is rather sporadic. Loving the summer weather this week with a bit of a break from it today.
I am still knitting on the Poppy sweater, using the Noro yarn along with the mixtures of other wools, including a Cascade 220 Heathers brown. I have the body done and shoulders seamed. Next the sleeves and then the finishing work! Shown here trying it on. Tricky trying to match the striping on both sides of the front. There will be an edging on the V-neck that will finish it off nicely. Still deciding how to stripe my sleeves...


Each person who has done this sweater has a little different "take" on it. Which is entirely the point. It was written up in "Yarn Play", by Lisa Shobhana Mason as a pattern meant to use up excess yarn in a beautiful way.

Poppy Back

Showing the tube body with the stitches picked up along the back and knitting up on the back piece now. Bumpy seam runs down the center back. Other purl ridges are done on purpose to give some texture. The seam will smooth out during blocking of course. I "tried it on" as best as I could with needles holding the front stitches and on the back. I think I am going to love this sweater!

Happy Easter!

Diversions from Poppy

Oh how technology can divert us from things we might otherwise be getting accomplished...They can be a mixed blessing- these things called Flickr, Ravelry and FaceBook. Fun, yet we can get sidetracked. Between planning a wedding and being sidetracked by diversions, knitting has suffered a bit. However, back on the "Poppy" sweater happily this week. Using the Noro Silk Garden...Mixed in with some other Cascade 220 heathered brown and Berroco brown...This sweater is knit in a tube for the body, then seamed. Then stitches are picked up around the top for the back and front. Then sleeves are made and seamed in. Not a seamless sweater.
Very nice to use your creativity to pick and choose what colorways you want in this one and how you want the stripes to go. This one is called "Poppy"from the book "Yarn Play". I am using some poppy color in mine, but alot of browns too.

Beginning Poppy Sweater

With yarn that I got in San Diego, mixed in with some I had in my stash...

this is the beginning of "Poppy". After seeing others do this one on Ravelry I was so excited to make it, and was delighted to have found the book: "Yarn Play/Yarn Play at Home", by Lisa Shobhana Mason, at my local bookstore on sale with this pattern in it. This sweater was created with the idea that you would use your leftover stash to make it. This is the body done in vertical striping with a main color and contrast colors added, and purl ridges added randomly. It is knit this way until you have a tube long enough to fit around your middle.
Then the yoke and sleeves will be added on top. In between wedding planning and such, and finishing that other hat, I am poking along. It is nice not to have to think too hard on this one and watching the colors change.

All A Knitter Wants For Christmas

Nothing can make a knitter more happy than a Vogue Cable Stitchionary book and "At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much," a humorous book by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Except for maybe 6 Noro Kureyon yarn skeins from your sister in a colorway you got to pick out yourself (early) for your own present and pretend you never saw it before on Christmas morning. Or maybe the Starbucks mug from oldest daughter and boyfriend that looks like it is "knit" on the outer design. Or maybe Smart Wool socks from REI that you already have a bazillion pairs of, but always ask for more because they are so smart and so wool! Granted, they aren't hand knit socks, but they are still my favorite! We are just so glad the snow has finally melted and we can get out of the house and get around. But of course everyone in the entire city decided it was time to go to Target and the mall today so that was interesting. I came home again where it is safe!
Violette- le -duc is coming along. I am now on the first sleeve and finished with the back and the two small front and back segments. To show you all the pieces would be confusing...believe me, it is getting to be a many-pieced thing which I must label in ziplocs. Shown here is the back and the sleeve and well...one of the little pieces in a ziploc. It will have to be blocked and layed out flat later to be able to seam it together. We are not at that stage yet, however. This one is going to be a mind-bending and amazing feat to put together! Hopefully worth it!

I do love this yarn, though. It's the Berroco Inca Gold-wool/silk blend.