Sunday, February 25, 2007

Lastrada help

Hello everyone,
I am a new member of the Hanne knitalong. I am currently working on the Lastrada and I have a question regarding the neckband decreases. The pattern states: knit until 1 stitch before the corner stitch, slip 2 stitches together knitwise, knit 1 stitch, pass the 2 slipped stitches over the knit stitch. What happens to the stitch marker? It seems to me that it would be caught in the middle of the slipped stitches?
Thank you for you help!
Cheers, Carolyn

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Better Late Than Never

Hi! I'm new to this knitalong, and I'm knitting my first Hanne Falkenberg design. I ordered 2 kits about 2 weeks ago (Mermaid and Ping Pong) and chose Mermaid as my first project. I've been trying to finish other projects I have on the needles right now so I can devote most, if not all, of my knitting time to this jacket. I love it so far. Haven't made a lot of progress since casting on, but I did manage to get through the first gusset last night.




A bit of a closer shot that shows the true colors in the kit I ordered.



I've been reading a few of the earlier posts and was wondering about these spreadsheets. Are they really worth having if the instructions aren't confusing me?

Delana (in Ohio)
http://delanaknits.blogspot.com

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

HELP with Dacapo Jacket

This is my first HK project -- I love it -- even if it is taking me months to complete. But, I have become confused in working with the right front. Before I bore my sister/fellow blogsters with the minutia -- does anyone think they can help me?
Hail to Hanna.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Help with Ballerina

I need to ask for some assistance. I'm just plain confused and not all that experienced. I am finished with my first sleeve on ballerina and am now getting ready to pick up the stitches that were on the holder(71). Do I knit them first or do I knit the 78 stitches on my needle and then knit across the stitches on the holder? I am confused. Also, the spreadsheet is superb. Does anyone have it charted where Amy left off? I know she is super busy and I didn't know if anyone had taken on that monumental task of finishing where she left off?

Wednesday, February 14, 2007


Hi,
I am new. And new to knitting Hanne Falkenberg. I tried to knit the Ballerina and was not having much success mostly with size, so I took it apart and have started on Jazz instead. I am posting two pictures. One of my checking the gauge and the other of my progress. It does feel like some days I take out more than I knit. But I think I may be getting it. Fortunately, the rows are not that long in the beginning because you start at the sleeve edge. I will plug along.
Happy to be knitting on a snow day off from school!, wendy.














My Mermaid update

I think I last posted shortly after I started Mermaid (#3 colorway) in October. Some of you are so fast at knitting Mermaid that I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I'm still not done. I've had other projects to do, though, so I haven't been able to devote all of my knitting time to Mermaid.

As of today, I only have one sleeve left to knit. I finished sleeve #1 last night and then started on sleeve #2 immediately. I'm hoping to finish Mermaid completely by the end of this month. I didn't carry colors along through the gussets, so even though I wove in the ends as as I knit, I do have quite a bit of neatening to do besides the blocking and sewing. I'll be sure to post a final pic when I get there.

I have to thank Amy once more for the fabulous spreadsheet she put together for Mermaid. I couldn't have knit the pattern without it. For a while, I thought I would have to work out the sleeve instructions myself. After spending a couple hours trying to figure them out, I was quite relieved to find that a version of the spreadsheet with the sleeves was available.

There are several other Hanne Falkenberg designs that I like, such as Tivoli, Diva and Tweedie. However, I'm just not willing to give them a try unless I know the instructions are better than the ones that came with Mermaid. Are all HF patterns written the same way?

My Mermaid update

I think I last posted shortly after I started Mermaid (#3 colorway) in October. Some of you are so fast at knitting Mermaid that I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I'm still not done. I've had other projects to do, though, so I haven't been able to devote all of my knitting time to Mermaid.

As of today, I only have one sleeve left to knit. I finished sleeve #1 last night and then started on sleeve #2 immediately. I'm hoping to finish Mermaid completely by the end of this month. I didn't carry colors along through the gussets, so even though I wove in the ends as as I knit, I do have quite a bit of neatening to do besides the blocking and sewing. I'll be sure to post a final pic when I get there.

I have to thank Amy once more for the fabulous spreadsheet she put together for Mermaid. I couldn't have knit the pattern without it. For a while, I thought I would have to work out the sleeve instructions myself. After spending a couple hours trying to figure them out, I was quite relieved to find that a version of the spreadsheet with the sleeves was available.

There are several other Hanne Falkenberg designs that I like, such as Tivoli, Diva and Tweedie. However, I'm just not willing to give them a try unless I know the instructions are better than the ones that came with Mermaid. Are all HF patterns written the same way?

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Ballerina yardage and using soft yarn

I know I've seen questions and answers about what the yardage (or weight) is for making mermaid, but does anyone have that info for ballerina (either the 2 color or 4 color version or better yet both)!

Also, has anyone tried making any of the Hanne designs using a very soft yarn like alpaca or merino? I know someone hypothesized that they would not be firm enough, but I wondered whether anyone actually tried and what was the result.

Thanks

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Mermaid yardage

I'm almost done with Diva in purple & aubergine. Pics will follow soon, promise! She is lovely and I can't wait to see how she looks when I wear her. Next on my list is Mermaid. A fellow knitter around here bought the Mermaid kit, I had Diva and we swapped patterns. I hope you don't consider this a bad thing, as we both bought our kits. I was wondering if someone on this list can help me with the following: how much yarn do I need for a Mermaid? I found a great source for Shetland wool that is very similar to the original Hanne Falkenberg yarns. The shop that sells it will be present at a fair I hope to visit next weekend, so I'm getting my shopping list ready. The best thing is, I'll get to pick my own favourite colours in real life! I don't mind mail ordering, even from abroad usually works out well, but I'd really like to see the colours when I buy the yarn. Haven't decided what it'll be yet, but there's plenty of choice. I'd be very happy if someone can tell me how many yards or meters or grams of each colour I'll need for Mermaid.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Making Mermaid to XS- Any Thoughts?

hello all!

Before laying my hands on Mermaid, I have a concern I want to share with you all:

The smallest sizing for mermaid is chest 36 1/2 which is a small , I'm 5'3 bust 34. Small Mermaid seems a little loose on me, any thoughts?

Lascala scarf


Hi! I'm busy working away on the LaScala scarf but have figured out I most likely won't be wearing it this winter! My, my, there are a lot of stitches to cast on and that is only for the first half of the scarf. The colors are really beautiful. It is color scheme #3. I'm almost at the point where I get to switch to the warm colors. Next up is tomatoe and fushia. Here's a picture of what's done so far...

Large Mermaid on straight needle



Hello,

I made this picture to show that the approx. 200 stitches of the large Mermaid fit perfectly into a 'classic' straight needle.

You can have a look at the picture in original size here: http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=382574467&size=o

Isabel

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Another Mermaid in the making

Hello,

After working on a Mermaid no 4 during last weekend, I am already on the first striped bit on the back. I consider myself an 'advanced' knitter. I had discovered this blog when I was looking for a shop to buy my kit and your posts already helped me understand the instructions.

Here are my first impressions on the kit and some recommendations for those planning to embark on the same project.


  • The Mermaid jacket is easy enough to knit; what is difficult and confusing about it are the instructions you get with the kit. I have not seen Amy's spreadsheet yet, but it seems to me that it contains the kind of detail one would expect to get directly with such an expensive kit

  • One would also expect that the balls of yarn would be colour-coded. As many other kit -4 owners, I have to pay a lot of attention to pick the right shade of turquoise every time I change from stripes to gussets.

  • Last comment on the kit: an indication of all the important measurements is another essential element that is missing from the instructions. Maybe I am spoiled by the mostly German knitting magazines I usually buy, but they always include graphics of the different parts with measurements, plus frequent indications of how many stitches one should have obtained after a certain number of increases or decreases... and when to break the yarn.

  • I am knitting my Mermaid with the classic two needles (about 40 cm long). It is a matter of taste –I am quicker with two needles. A circular needle is not strictly necessary, as there are never too many stitches in one single 'classic' needle, even for the large size I am making.

  • In my opinion the slipping stitches at the shoulder are not mere decoration: they will keep the shoulder-sleeves area in shape, which is an essential element of the tailored look of the jacket. If we were sewing this model out of a soft material, we would use some kind of reinforcement at these seams. By the way, keeping the tailored look and shape of the jacket would be the reason for choosing a 'coarser' type of wool instead of the lovely soft merino or alpaca yarns.

  • Finally, an advice I would probably not follow myself because I am too impatient: make one or two swatches to test the slipping stitches with the stripe pattern and the turns for the short rows used in the gussets. I did not get a perfectly regular lower edge until I was already past the second gusset and by then I did not have the courage to undo what I had already knit.

That's it! I hope the post wasn't too long.

Isabel