Sunday, April 27, 2008

Studio Long Question

I am confused about the ridge count. When you divide the work for the neck, you have done 72, 78, 81 or 87 ridges. In all cases they are a multiple of 3 and so I understood that you ended with 2 A ridges and started the neck divide with a B ridge. Is that correct or should I have ended with 1 A ridge and started the neck divide with the second A ridge?

Then you do either 22 or 25 ridges from the split. The last ridge would then be a B ridge if you started with a B ridge, but the instructions indicate that you are ending with 2 A ridges. The only thing I can think of is that the cast on and first row (in A) count as the first ridge and so when you split for the neck you end with the first ridge in A and the first split row is the second A ridge? IS that right?

When you knit together the back piece and the front piece stitches are you knitting together a B ridge, a first A ridge, or a second A ridge? I guess that is the most important question I have.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Gloria jacket

I am working on the Gloria jacket and am excited to see it start to take shape. The directions are not so clear...but I think I am managing. Is anyone else working on the Gloria?

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Ping Pong

Greetings, I'm new to this blog but relatively 'old' with Hanne Falkenberg.
I've make two mermaid jackets - the second using a Rowan yarn with exactly the same weight as that provided in the kit, I just picked out my own colors.
I'm currently completing the Ping Pong jacket, sans bobbles. I loved the shape of the jacket, but the bobbles are huge, and after testing them on a swatch, I decided that one wouldn't want to sit down wearing a garment with that many lumps on it. (And the possibility of looking something like a colorful Michelin Man, did not appeal.)
Regarding the HF patterns, I've often wondered whether there is a site that lists corrections to pattern errors - it has there never been such a case?

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Plisse Along

A group of us on the Hanne Falkenberg board on Ravelry have decided to start Plisse on July 1. That gives us time to get the kits, start our swatches and...

Some of us plan to write about it here as well as on Ravelry. But we are hoping that interested people will join in on either or both places.

I'm waiting on the current Mermaid for correct sleeve length of the intended victim. I love knitting her pattern!

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Gloria


I'm very pleased with the way my Gloria turned out. I'm a size 12 U.S. and made the M/L size. The style is sort of long in the back, but just right in front.

I need to get a picture of her on a body,but in the meantime, here she is. I've worn her pinned and unpinned and like her both ways, but I have this idea to put in a hidden hook and eye (one like they use on fur coats - heavy and wrapped in silk) to bring the two front sides together with the lapel turned back all the way down the front. I think she's going to look terrific that way! I know wrapped styles are supposed to be slimming, but she just feels unnecessarily bulky over my already bulkiest part when wrapped! (She looks just fine unfastened.)

My one big suggestion is to use a sewn bind-off. I almost didn't until I realized that I could use spit-splices to avoid the lumpiness my normal technique for joining in (two stitches with both the new and the old strand) would cause. It worked beautifully. The edge is totally stretchy and looks more like a cast-on edge than a bound off edge. I am totally incapable of binding off without the edge getting too tight, so this was a real breakthrough!

Oh yeah, my other big suggestion is to use spit splices all the way through. Duh. They work great with this yarn, and I would have avoided what seemed like hours of end-weaving!

JudiP53 (same ID on Ravelry, where there's a little more detail)

Addendum: Commenters asked about the spit splice and the sewn bind-off. I only used the spit splice during the bind-off, which is done all in one color. To do it, just lick your palms, then place the ends (helps if they were pulled to break instead of cut with scissors) overlapping between your hands and rub fast to create heat and friction. Add spit if needed and keep rubbing until both ends are nicely incorporated into the strand. Virtually invisible and absolutely no ends to weave in. Just wish I'd thought of doing it during the knitting of the rest of the sweater. I had to do LOTS of end weaving! The splice only works when joining the same color. There will still be the need to weave in ends where new colors are joined at the selvedges.

As to the comment about the yarn getting too worn with the sewn bind-off, I didn't have that problem at all. I avoided it by only working with a modest length of yarn, spit splicing as needed to go around that long, long, long stretch of collar, fronts and bottom. I used a double-strand to bind off (the solid band around the edge is knitted with a double strand of yarn) and I did make a point not to splice both strands in the same place. It worked great -- looks fantastic and I feel confident no excessive wear and tear on the yarn.

Be sure to check the comments for a description and link to a blog with more description and photos of Hanne's visit to a Dutch yarn shop. Sounds like she charmed everyone!

Plisse

Hi All

This is my first time posting. I am having trouble with an instruction on this one and wondered if somebody could help?

Thanks

Suz