Ballerina Finished

Here is the Ballerina. I actually finished this in early November, but I've been lazy about taking pictures. I thought I'd go to Petra and take pictures there, but I've not been to Petra once in the time I've lived in Jordan. Now, it's going to get hot here, so when I went to California last month I took the Ballerina and left her there. So, no fancy photos, but here she is anyway:

Here you can see the big panel of stripes that goes under the arm. What I particularly liked about this jacket is that the sleeves are knit as-you-go, which is good for me since I hate knitting sleeves.



Here is the detail of the sleeve and neck. I really like the way the different angles of the ridges come up to the arm and meet.



What I don't like about the jacket is how it just hangs off of me. It is pretty heavy, and it wants to pull back and make my shirt choke me while it just droops over the front of me. Still, I wore it a lot here this winter.



Here is the back. I love the shaping of this jacket. My husband picked the colors. I would have gone with one of the three color choices, but I'm really glad he picked these. For one, this jacket goes with most everything I wear, and the simple colors of this combination make me look more at the knitting than the palette, and I just love the shaping.



Here are my two Hanne projects. Less than a year ago I found her web site and declared I'd never pay that much for a kit, and, well, here we are. I enjoyed knitting both of these, and I wear them both often. I am an experienced knitter, but I'd never done such a large project with short-row shaping, and I enjoyed learning something new.


Lessons from the Ballerina:
1. Hanne’s patterns are not perfect. I used them as guidelines. It's important to have symmetry with her patterns, but it's not the end of the world if you have 200 stitches going into a sleeve and you're supposed to have 204. Just do the same thing throughout, and it will turn out.
2. Hanne thinks that women have arms that are no less than 2 meters long. I'm short-ish, and I shortened the sleeve lengths for both the Mermaid and the Ballerina. When I began the first Ballerina sleeve, I read in her pattern that there is the option to shorten or lengthen within her guidelines, and I shortened even more than her pattern "permitted." Still, they are quite long on me. Don't be fearful about shortening sleeves on her patterns!
3. There is no use for me in reading the whole pattern ahead of time; I have no short-term memory. But, I did find it helpful to read each section prior to knitting and asking myself if her directions made sense. The garments are beautiful, but the patterns are not user-friendly. Focus on symmetry rather than strict adherence to her pattern.

Thanks for letting me join your knit-along!

Need Encouragement

I have to confess that I have been sitting on a pile of yarn waiting to become a Mermaid for almost a year. I agreed to knit a second Mermaid for a friend and have put if off by compulsively knitting socks. Many, many socks. I need to find the energy to knit something that takes more than a week to complete. Any suggestions?

Ballerina Spreadsheet Update!

The much awaited Ballerina spreadsheet update has been sent out! This update includes the entire 2nd sleeve for both sizes. It was really hard to work through this part because the "mirroring" and the written instructions didn't always sync up, no matter what I did. So I had to take a few liberties to make it work out right, those are explained with the spreadsheet. With the spreadsheet, I could easily count ridges and stripes to see if it all mirrored up. I can't imagine how much of a pain it would be figure this out while you were actually knitting it.

Anyway, if you're on the list for Ballerina, you should have the update in your e-mail. If not, e-mail me.

If you are interested in the spreadsheets for Ballerina or Mermaid, click here to find out more.

Public Shaming, please.

Hello everyone! Since discovering this knitalong I've been motivated to begin work on what has become my #1 Most Shameful Unfinished Purchase. Clearly I am spoiled and/or lazy, to have this kit sitting on the top of my shelves in my yarn room for a year and a half after coveting it online for a year previously. That's two and a half years, people!

I have a swatch. It has been washed and is perfect! Seeing all the finished Mermaids and other Hanne designs will help. Anyone here can also make me feel guilty for having the money to spend on this and then just letting it sit around. Let the guilt be my motivation!

Diva

hi. I'd like to knit Diva. I have the pattern but want to knit it in my own choice of colours, using Jamieson's Shetland wool which is a good match for the wool Hanne Falkenberg uses. Does anyone know what the yarn weights are so I don't order too much or too little?

Mermaid 8 - the hot pink one

Here are some photos of my part-completed Mermaid in colourway 8 - cyclamen, brick red and thunder blue. I think the top one is more accurate in terms of colour but neither really does them justice. They are gorgeous!

Thanks to Amy and her wonderful spreadsheet, this has been remarkably straightforward so far. I made sure my tension was correct - not something I have always been rigorous about in the past, I admit. This time, I didn't want to risk it.

As you can see, I have nearly finished the body. Just need to do the sleeves and the i-cords. I have opted for Amy's idea of a provisional cast on which I will undo in order to make the two i-cords match. But I'll be saving that for a day when it isn't school holidays and I can have some peace and quiet!!! It's not always easy doing something like that with a 6 year old boy and a nearly 4 year old girl bouncing around me, asking lots of questions...

Modeling Mermaid

A few people asked me about how well Mermaid fit, my typical clothing size, etc. I've been wearing Mermaid quite a bit since spring seems to be delayed this year in Chicago and the weather has been quite cold (it's snowing today!). However, my personal photograher (otherwise known as my husband) isn't always handy when I'm wearing it. Finally, here are a couple photos of me wearing Mermaid. The details follow.




This is a size Medium Mermaid. In my previous post about finishing this project, I noted that the sleeves came out a bit longer than I prefer, but otherwise it fits very well.

At this point in time, I typically wear a U.S. size 14 (*gulp*, I'm working on losing weight). This translates to approximately a 40-inch bust and 42-inch hips. At times I do pin the jacket closed and it still fits well, although the gussets are not as flared as they probably should be. I think this knitted fabric can be very forgiving and stretchy, and I'm sure it will look even better after I lose some weight.

Now...can someone who has finished Ballerina return the favor? I would love to make another HF design, but wouldn't dream of doing so without one of Amy's spreadsheets, such as she made for Mermaid and is in the process of making for Ballerina. However, I'm concerned that Ballerina may not be that flattering to someone with my body shape. I do not believe that women with larger frames and figures should wear boxy, baggy clothing. I think Big Girl Knits explains this very well and find their advice very applicable: curvy women need to draw attention to their assets and accentuate their curves. Does Ballerina do this?

I-cord after provisional cast-on

After reading all the posts here I did a provisional cast-on when beginning my mermaid. But now I can't remember nor find how to make the I-cord !! Stupid me!!
Can someone help me?

mermaid

This is how my mermaid look so far.

One finished Diva:

Coral Mermaid

I finished my Coral Mermaid today. This is my second completed Mermaid kit. My first was Mermaid with Curry in November 2006. The coral kit was a Christmas gift from DH and very enjoyable to knit. Amy's spreadsheet is helpful. Orchids to Jane at Cucumberpatch UK.

Ballerina help please!!

I am using Amy's spreadsheet and am now on row 770 of the size m/l. This is the center back. The pattern directions say that from this point forward, the remainder of the jacket is a mirror image of the first part. I am having trouble understanding this since the stitch numbers do not mirror each other. There are 20 more stitches on the first half than the second(row 768 has 181 stitches and it's mirror image, row 772 has 161 stitches). Can someone please explain what the directions mean. I assume that a mirror image is precisely the same with the same number of stitches. This is probably a stupid question, but it doesn't make sense to me. I'm afraid I'll be in big trouble if I don't understand this and will have to finish on my own since I'm almost to the end of my beloved spreadsheet.

Mermaid

I have spend the last couple of days reading just about every post in this blog, as I am about to start knitting the mermaid. I will order the yarn tomorrow when I receive the colour scheme -if I can make up my mind :-)
Hopefully I will be able to read the pattern (I have it in danish -being danish myself) but I am a little worried as I am not an experienced knitter.
However, reading the posts have been a great help so for, now I just wait for a copy of the spreadsheet as it seems to be a must have.
A friend of mine has made the mermaid, but she can't cope with the wool. Does any of you have experiences in making it using a different kind of fiber? I will be using shetlandwool myself.

Ballerina

Would someone with the Ballerina kit please weigh the amounts of the various colors? I'm curious -- would like to know please!

Mermaid

... and while Diva is blocking, I have started a swatch for Mermaid. see, swatching isn't actually knitting yet, but I can't cast on the real thing until Diva is 100% done. here's pics of the yarns I bought, and the dining table turning into a mill. did I mention I love my shift and ball winder? all skeins transformed into nice stackable things. no horrible knots or yarn breaks. and the colours... love 'em! the off-white silk will be the contrast colour. yum.

Finished Mermaid and Spreadsheet update!

After more than a year, I wove in the last end on my Mermaid last night. Here she is:


Now I just have to block it. And decide what to wear it with for it's debut!

With that done, I also finalized the Mermaid Spreadsheet. I've had around 200 people request it in the last year. If you are still on my mailing list, you should have received an e-mail a little while ago from me with version 2.0 attached. If you didn't (I had some e-mail addresses bounce), contact me again!

Diva update

put it off forever, but i'm working on sewing up Diva since yesterday. sleeves are blocking - I had knit the cuffs separately, so had to sew those to the sleeves first. don't know why it took me so long to start sewing after i finished knitting, i guess it's not our favourite part of the game :)
tried the body bit on yesterday. it looks a bit small. i might be blocking the hell out of it. pics soon.

Diva Progress

I had much trouble working the collar, it took an entire week of daily ripping and re-starting to understand all the design elements. Here's what I have now:


Also, it was necessary to make a chart, I posted about it here.

Now for a little distraction: the Stella Beret, purchased from Sommerfuglen. I hope in the next few weeks I can finish up Diva and start Mermaid.

Lastrada 11 just arrived!

I want to abandon all household chores and start knitting. I've been wanting to do one of these for ages, and finally decided to take the leap. Looking forward to knitting along with y'all.

Christine

Tokyo information

Hello everyone,
As I am drawing to the end of my Lastrada project I have wondering about starting another Hanne. I am really interested in the Tokyo jacket but I haven't seen any feedback about how difficult it is. Have any of you seen the pattern or knitted the jacket and can give any insight to that project before I spend up big and take the plunge?
Thanks, Carolyn

Diva Help Needed

Hi I am knitting Diva and am beginning decreases for the collar. I am totally confused about the OUTER EDGE decreases, is there someone who can help with the directions for K2tog within the 3 slipped edge stitches? Does this mean to slip the 1st st knitwise, k2tog, then slip the 4th st purlwise?

Help, yo no comprendo :0

thanks, Jules

*****UPDATE*****

Problem resolved! The instructions say to decrease inside the 3 edge stitches, and I think it means to k2tog right after the 3 edge sts. I tried to k2tog inside the 3 edge sts which made a weird wonky edge. I ripped that section out and am continuing with the new understanding that the edge sts remain constant while the decrease happens adjacent to the edge.

Finished!

I completed my Mermaid a couple weeks ago, but my digital camera was broken and I couldn't photograph it until yesterday. This is the #3 colorway in a size Medium.

My one cautionary observation concerns the blocking: the sleeves grow in length very easily, so be careful! The sleeve length was perfect before blocking, but way to too long after blocking attempt #1. I had washed and blocked my swatch and didn't notice any difference in before/after measurements, so this isn't necessarily because of the yarn. I re-blocked and was able to reduce the sleeve length a bit, but I just can't figure out how to squish the fabric any more to shorten the sleeves.

BTW, Mermaid is only on the hangar for the photo. I do not store my handknits this way!

Thanks again to Amy for the fabulous spreadsheet. I never would have been able to complete Mermaid without her directions!

Linda in Chicago

Ballerina Help Please

I am making the larger size of Ballerina and am now on row 643. The directions say to k5, turn. The row breakdown is 6-T-(151). If you knit 5, then the total # of stitches should be 156, not 157 as per the directions, right? So do you k6, not k5 to make the stitch count come out right? I am confused.

Ballerina question

I know that a number of people have had problems meeting the guage. I'm wondering whether anyone wound up knitting ballerina with a larger guage than it was designed to be, so that they wound up with a longer and perhaps wider garment and how it looked.

Also, I am still wondering whether anyone has weighed the 2 colors in the kit.

Thanks

Poking my head up!

Hi Everyone --

Many apologies to people who have been waiting on spreadsheets from me. If you've been following my blog, you'll know that February was awful for me.

Anyway, I'm back on top of things. I've responded to everyone who has sent me a request so far. So if you didn't get something from me, your request got lost somehow and please resend it.

If you're knitting Ballerina, look for an updated spreadsheet soon as I work out the directions for the second sleeve.

Happy knitting!

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

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

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.

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?

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?

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

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.

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

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

Provisional Cast On for Mermaid

Hello to all!

I am preparing to start Mermaid, and would like to know which Provisional Cast On was successful for the front edge? At times I've used the crochet cast on, then knit into the crochet chain, but the stitches are very tight, besides there being one stitch less. The crochet cast on doesn't seem right for the front edge of Mermaid. What has worked for others?

I haven't had many chances to practice Provisional Cast Ons and tried to avoid them in the the past. Which cast ons were used for the completed Mermaids? Any and all tips are appreciated :)

Thanks to everyone [especially amy! for the spreadsheet].

Jules.

ps, knitting stripe 27 on Diva has eluded me, I am on stripe 25, hopefully by tonight I'll be finishing the big triangle. I'm a knitting fool.

Ballerina Help

Hello Ballerina knitters. Can someone please help me with the pattern symbols? On side 3(noted at bottom of pattern page) column 1 about halfway down, there are some strange symbols which I can't figure out and I have searched everywhere for an explanation. After it says At The Same Time.........it ends with Work 1 ridge-then work short rows to make sleeve slant towards raglan seam (6) to (8) -Then there is the first symbol. The second symbol appears after Ridge 2 . Then I see another one of these symbols at the top of the next column-almost looks like 4 $ signs. What are these crazy symbols? I am going crazy trying to figure them out.

New Member =)

Hello All!

I'm new & this is my first knitalong. I purchased the mermaid in colorway #6- slate & purple, still waiting for her to be arrived from UK. Can't wait !! I have a few questions here if anyone of you don't mind to help me out:

- i've heard there's millions of ends to weave in during the finishing process, is that true?
-it seems the project level is moderate, but the pattern is hard to understand & the small guage takes forever to knit, do you agree?

Diva at 22

Here's Diva after a dozen-or-so hours of knitting, and she's 14.5"/ 37cm from base to peak. I wish I had fewer WIPs so I could concentrate only on Diva, but I'm easily bored and distracted so am forever casting on.

This photo shows 21 cyclamen/ plum stripes completed, of which I need 27 for size medium. At this exact moment I am halfway through the 22nd stripe, it's really hard to see here, but there are ~300 pink stitches on the needle. I WILL knit through till the 27th stripe tonight, eek it's almost midnight already.

The fabric is nice and squishy, light and huggable, and I love it. Lots of people notice Diva as I knit in public often, she's cute and gets a lot of attention. I answer more questions about this little beauty than any other project. Diva is simply beautiful.

Jules.

Hello from Wales

Hi
Glad to be joining the blog...I've been reading it for a couple of weeks and it's very inspiring. The kits I am getting are Pagode and Pyramide...I could not make up my mind between Pagode colorway 1 or 2...anyone got these??? I wasn't sure how representational the colours on Hanne's website were..given how some folks blog pigs seem lighter than the Falkenberg gallery pics.
I also couldn't find any webpics of the Pyramide blueberry/black and chestnut/black colourways. They both sounded lovely.
Anyhow, I'm based in the Uk and I plan to start on Pyramide.
Jackie

Diva and Mermaid

Hello! I am Jules and am joining in with 2 kits: Diva 7 and Mermaid 9.

I wanted to knit Diva for many months but felt I should wait until some WIPs were finished. That was plain torture so I gave in and ordered both kits on New Year's Eve.

Here's the beginning of Diva which is coming along after a few false starts. The needles are 3mm Addis, and I was able to achieve proper gauge by knitting slightly looser than normal, I am a tight knitter who consciously loosens up, as it is easier on the wrists.

I'll be posting progress and asking questions!

Jules.

Working on Mermaid

Hello,

I'm new to this blog, but pretty excited about it! I've been keeping my little gem of a kit in the corner and you all have inspired me to get it out (especially the one that has made 3!!)

I bought my kit about a year ago and waited several months to start it. I'm not too far into it. It just doesn't feel "right" when I'm knitting. I'm an A.D.D. knitter anyway and this "wrongness" hasn't helped my disorder. :)

Anyway, my name is Kallie and I'm from South Bend, IN. Been knitting since I was a kid. I also spin and quilt.
Looking forward to playing with you all via the web.

Kallie

Knitalong Maintenance

As some of you have noticed, I temporarily changed the sidebar of the knitalong where the participant list appears. Right now I am using the automatic blogger list which lists everyone who is a member of the knitalong. To visit someone's personal blog, click on their name which will take you to their profile. If they have a blog, they can put a link to the blog in their profile.

With 157 members, I got behind on adding everyone to the side bar along with their blog address and HF projects. So, I took the list down until I can get everyone added in and then I'll put it back up. Thanks for your patience.

Lastrada Help

Well, it sure didn't take me long to run up against a question I couldn't answer. On Page 2 of the directions, (bottom of first column) it says 14 more rows in Colour A , a total of -for me- 17 rows.
OK. then it says work 2 rows in colour B. 19 rows. Continue in stripes as shown in the chart. Each square=2 k rows=1 ridge.

Question: There are two charts shown. I'm assuming that they mean the chart on the right, where it says "Start here after first 10 ridges." (20 rows). Fine, but I have only 19 rows.

What am I missing here? Are they counting the cast on row?

Thanks,
Barb

Tweedie!

As a part of this year's goal to knit no less than 9 sweaters, I am trying to start off on a high note and begin with another Hanne Falkenberg design. I ordered and received this kit from Kangaroo, and despite a bit of a mix-up (the kit is missing a colour so I'm waiting for them the ship it to me separately) I am thrilled with the colours and pattern so far. I've had a bit of a read through and the pattern seems relatively straight-forward, and knit on rather large needles for a Hanne design too! I can't wait to really get started on it!

Studio Long

I am starting Studio Long. This is the turtleneck with the zig-zag on the front. I am doing colorway 3. Has anyone already created a spreadsheet to go with this sweater? Are there any pattern errors that anyone knows of?

Thanks for your help. I have previously knitted Mermaid and it went very smoothly, thanks to the spreadsheet. I find her patterns to be somewhat challenging, to read.

Thanks
Susan

New member on the blog

Hello everyone!

I´m new to this blog, my name is Marianne and I´m knitting a Hanne Falkenberg LUDO jacket for my son in colour 5.
I´m purposely choosing an easy - and small - first project just to see if I get along with the HF patterns.
Next, I plan to do the lovely Lascala Scarf! There are so many lovely items I would just love to knit, and I´m eagerly following all your progress with different patterns and colours to see what motivation may strike.

I have to read a little bit more about what rules you have for uploading pictures and such before I show you my progress so far, but please have a look at my blog for updates on the LUDO jacket and my other knitting projects. I´ve already had a few small run-ins with both the yarn, cast-on and pattern but now everything seems to be going well :)


Marianne in Norway
http://strikkebloggen.blogspot.com

New Member

Well, Lastrada #1 has been sitting my dresser, staring back at me for well over a year. Last month, when my LYS offered a series of 4 instruction-only classes for HF kit owners I immediately signed up. Right now, I'm in the swatching phase and have had to frog several times as I try to get the right needle size. I will say that the yarn holds up very well even after repeated ripping out.

The thought of casting 475 stitches is a bit daunting, but not as much as finding out I need about 10.5 yds for my long tail cast on!!!

I'll get a photo up as soon as I get the cast-on done.

Barb in MI

Ballerina Question

I just started my first Hanne Ballerina and thanks to Amy, the spreadsheet has made for an enjoyable knit. I am still a bit curious about sizing. I am 5'7' and about 135 lbs. I was making the larger size for the length. Does anyone have any more experience with this? I'd hate to goof, but would really be sad if I did all the work and it ended up being too small.

2 Mermaids

I managed to get a photo of the last two Mermaids after they were gifted. I didn't remember to put the clasps on either one (I was waiting until it was tried on so each could decide where to put them) so will be doing it when I visit them. The one on the left is hiding the printing on her shirt.

Got My mermaid

DH gifted me this Mermaid Colorway 2 Can't wait to start...would like to have it for February Trip to Ireland but sooooooooo many other WIPs..

Ballerina Error

I'm still working on finishing the Ballerina spreadsheet and I was having trouble making my counts work out for the stripe section just before the 2nd sleeve when I figured out why. There's a misleading instruction in the pattern. On page 4, the Ballerina pattern instructions have you to work a stripe section after the 3rd gusset, and then follow instructions on page 2 from the triangles. That section tells you to knit to the last YO before the armhole = 68(71) stitches (depending on size). The numbers are correct, but you aren't knitting to a YO. Just knit the first 68(71) stitches and then place them on a holder. It's hard to visualize unless you have the spreadsheet listing all the YOs and stitch counts and you're mapping out mirrored row numbers. But trust me on this. :)

Hanne on sale!

Hi!

Just wanted to let everyone know that Kangaroo (http://www.kangaroo.uk.com/) is having 15% off until Dec. 31. Great time to buy yourself a Hanne sweater for Christmas!

I've started my Studio short sweater but haven't gotten far enough for a picture yet. Hopefully after Christmas I will have more time to work on it.

Linda

Mermaid #3

This is my 3rd Mermaid. I started it November 26, 2006 and finished December 12, 2006. With a couple of days off because I didn't have the yarn for the stripes in the body. It seems to go faster each time! I hope to have photos of all 3 Mermaids worn at the same time by the end of the weekend!

About those Spreadsheets...

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to let you all know that I'm still alive. I had a hard drive failure on my work laptop in early November, right before I was on travel for several weeks. So, keeping up with my knitting e-mail wasn't a top priority. However, things are mostly back to normal and I'm catching up. I have ~2000 knitting e-mails to sift through and I know I have lots of spreadsheet requests in them. So if you're waiting for something from me, you'll hear from me very soon.

And if you're just learning about the Mermaid and Ballerina spreadsheets, sit tight and let me catch up first.

thanks!

looking for pattern trade

Hi Everyone,
If you are done with your pattern and interested in trading for something different, I am particularly interested in mermaid or ballerina, or maybe one of the other beautiful patterns. I have several lovely patterns I could trade in exchange. Please contact me directly if you are interested at elweyu@hotmail.com Please put Hanne pattern in the subject line so that if my mailer decides it is spam, it will be easy for me to retrieve it.

Thanks, and you are all doing great!

Math for short rows

I've posted the general math for short row shaping on my blog. If you have any questions, just ask and I'll do my best to answer.

For Mermaid, just turn the shaping 90 degrees, so that you're adding stitches for length and adding rows for width. I won't discuss adding stitches for length here. For Mermaid, there's also the additional complication of the striping pattern. Luckily, that's not hard to work with. Just split up the colour of your short rows to more-or-less hide within the stripes (one stripe ridge, one short row ridge -- put in more short row stripes per stripe if needed).

There's another option that makes the bust dart (or at least part of it) decorative. There is a conveniently placed two-ridge stripe from the top of the gusset (colour C). Take the style of shaping in the hourglass-shaped diagram from my math post, invert it, and embed it all into the blue stripe. Start off with short rows of a stich or three, make your short rows longer and longer until you reach the midpoint, then reverse the shaping to make the other side of the dart. This may not turn out looking as "jacket-like" as some might like, because it'll make a bit of a cone shape to make room for your breast.

Does this make sense to people? Because everyone will need to add different numbers of stitches for length and different numbers of short rows for width, everyone will make slightly different tweaks to the pattern, so I haven't worked out the numbers here. If people ask really nicely, I could do a worked example for my measurements or be bribed with socks or something to tweak the pattern for them.

Finished Mermaid

I've finally finished off my Mermaid in colourway 1, after the upcoming snow scared me into needing sweaters!

I used the directions as-written, except that I used a provisional cast-on (instead of picking up stitches from an icord) and then made the icord over all live stitches. This sweater certainly suggests curviness well, but doesn't accomodate it as well. If I knit this again, I'm going to eliminate a bunch of the stripes and make colour C gussets facing up as well as down. (To make bust darts, one would make strategically placed diamond-shaped darts. If anyone's curious how to do this, I can post the math.) For more pictures, see Woolly Mammoths.

Yarn coming for Studio short

Well, I've finally ordered yarn (New England Shetland) from Harrisburg Designs for my Studio short sweater. Originally ordered some Brown Sheep Cotton from JK Needles and it never arrived! I went with a teal blue and a dark green. Sure hope it will look o.k. as I imagine it will take awhile to knit the sweater. Am looking forward to sharing my progress with you all. Guess it will probably take a couple of weeks to get the yarn. Can't wait to get started!

Can't Wait to Become a Mermaid

Hello,
I have lusted after this sweater for a very long time. I am bound and determined to start my sweater the first of the year. Your sweaters are beautiful and I look forward to posting pics of progress and continuing to be awed by all yours.

Cheryl

Mermaid #3

I started Mermaid Number 3 today. I hope it will be loved and worn! I'm doing the sleeves first, so hopefully I don't get hit so terribly by the second sleeve syndrome. Anything to fool myself, eh?

I'm still thinking on the collar, as it flattens out instead of staying rolled over. Tacking it down in a few places? Ideas anyone? I don't seem to be the only one with this problem, as several pictures show. I've also wondered about making it wider.

tinking

boo hoo, I just ripped an entire Diva sleeve because I had misread the pattern. I feel so stupid, the sleeve is probably the most simple part of this project. grmbl.

Progress on Pagode

I have been continuing to (mindlessly) knit on Pagode in colorway #1. I have completed the second front/sleeve, and am getting close to a third-of-the-way done on the back. So far, I think I will have enough yarn of all colors, but am planning to do the pocket linings with whatever is left if the navy blue runs out.

More pictures on my blog, randomthreads.com

Mermaid #2

This one is DONE! Well, I need to wait until the clasps get here to sew them on, but otherwise, I'm calling it done. Less than a month from start to finish.

Yesterday was NOT a good day for my brain. I realized that I not only will be short of the lighter blue for Kim's sweater, I can't figure out if I have enough natural (cream) for her sweater either! You see, when I purchased the 2 cones of yarn, they were totaled into one lump sum of 23.2 ounces on the sales receipt. I didn't weigh to see how much each one weighed before I started knitting. As far as I know, Brown Sheep Naturespun doesn't come on any size other than 1 pound cones. I do know there was more of the natural than the winter blue. The problem also comes in that I can't get the totals to match what I started with, what I used, and what I have left (this is where it makes my head hurt!)

My scale here at home says the sweater weighs 1.3 pounds, which is about 20.8 ounces. I know I used at the most 4.5 ounces of the dark blue (that one is easy to figure out, 2 complete 1.75 ounce skeins, and a little bit of the next.) That leaves 16.3 ounces left for the light blue and cream. The kicker? I have 11.6 ounces of the coned yarn left. Do you see my problem here? It does not compute. According to that, I would have purchased about 28 ounces originally. I've no clue. Perhaps my scale isn't as accurate as I think? New batteries?

So, how much yarn do I actually NEED for the sweater? How the heck would I know!

I finally finished

I completed Mermaid last week, and I'm very happy with it! My sleeves turned out a little strange--I may have misread the instructions because they weren't symmetrical. But I was able to hide that in the seaming. Otherwise no big mishaps, it just took me a while to get going on this.



More pictures and notes are on my blog.

Mermaid Sleeve Variation

Instead of garter stitch with one slipped stitch at the bottom of the sleeves, I decided to make the edge of the sleeves match the bottom of the jacket. Here is what it looks like, I think it is dressier than the one Ms. Falkenberg calls for.

I've also stopped making the 3 stitch slip stitch edge at the top of the jacket and sleeves. Instead, I've been slipping the last stitch on the wrong side with yarn in front. I think slipping a stitch every other row makes a stronger edge for the shoulders.

More Diva

So, the left side is finished.
Maybe I will have to have a short break from Diva, since I have a lot of different projects, that should be done by Christmas.

Mermaid with Curry accents

Here is my first Mermaid. It is #10 with Curry or greenish gold. I used the provisional cast-on and the applied i-cord technique. Amy's spreadsheet was very helpful. This project was three months of enjoyable knitting. I appreciate all of the compliments I received while shopping at the Market during Stitches East on Saturday. There were sample Mermaids at one booth: #6 Greys and Dusty Rose plus #9 Coral, Orange, and Tomato. Tempting...

Mermaid Pictures

My finished Mermaid. I love it, and have received so many compliments when I wear it.







My next Mermaid! I told you I loved working on this pattern! This one is for my daughter. She wants the sleeves the same color as the gussets, as I did mine. My daughter-in-law wants one too, in the same colors. I think I'll see how much I have left over when done with the first and decide then which color will be A, B or C!

Pagode underway

After an eight month rest, I've started on my Pagode #1 again, and with a week of dedicated work, have finished the right front. Pagode is a pretty mindless pattern, just miles of garter with a couple of spots where you decrease on the right sides, and then do some sleeve decreases. The thin white line is where I put my to-be pocket stitches on dental floss as a stitch holder until I get to knitting the pocket linings.

More photos on my blog, randomthreads.com.

Diva on her way

I have finished the stripy part, and will now go on with the blue part.

Mermaid finished! Another Tip.

My Mermaid is finished. I had such a good time, I want to make another immediately! I'll post pictures when I can, we're away from home. I think I need some kind of closure for it, though, whether hook and eye, button or a pin.

A hint for the short rows. On the rows where it says to knit X number of stitches less than the last row, knit to where you turn, then count the correct number of stitches for the next row and place a marker. Next row knit to the marker and turn, moving the marker to the next turning point. It made it a lot easier for me, as I didn't run into surprises as I knit past where I needed to be.

Mary

Mermaid Body

I've finished with the main part of the body of my Mermaid. Still need to sew it together and do the i-cord finish. It is drying on the floor in the kitchen at the moment. I even washed it with the knitting needle in, holding all of the stitches!


I tried sewing up a shoulder last night, and wasn't happy with the results. I'm going to check the archives for hints. I think Ms. Falkenberg has the slipped stitch edge at the shoulder to make a firmer fabric, but it doesn't seem to lead to easier sewing!

As you can see, I got it sewed up, I used my handy dandy sewing machine. Think it looks pretty good.

After lots of talking with a friend, I've decided to do the sleeves in the C color, with A or B for the center stripe. The center stripe hasn't been decided yet. My main reason is that the A yarn, while it is wonderful after washing, resembles cotton while knitting. It doesn't knit as easily as the wool. I really struggled to get through the last band. Part of it was the "I'm almost done, why am I not FINISHED!" feeling, but part was fighting with the needle and yarn.

Da Capo is Fine, Finally

Da Capo is finished in time for my trip to New York. It is still much too warm to wear it in Tallahassee. I had no trouble with the instructions, but it was a good thing I was forewarned to read them carefully. That being the case, I ripped out less on this project than most.

You can see from the picture that the small sweater with shorter sleeves, knit on #2 needles (instead of #3 as the pattern indicates) is very roomy.

Happy Falkenberging to you all.

Ellen

Diva - finished triangle

I have now finished the 26 green stripes it takes to make size small:

Beginner Mermaid

Greetings from Chicago! I'm finally getting started on the Mermaid kit I purchased at Stitches Midwest this past August.

Although I've been knitting for several years and have been proficient in knitting lace, cables, and socks, I haven't been very successful with colorwork. I know Mermaid doesn't involve any fancy colorwork, but I am getting a bit nervous as I approach the first stripes.

Finding this KAL has already been a big help as I picked up lots of tips from those of you who have already been working away. I started with a provisional cast on instead of the iCord. And, I'm immensely grateful to Amy for creating such a detailed spreadsheet of the instructions. The spreadsheet is making it a breeze to work on Mermaid!

No photos yet, since there isn't really much to show. But I will post my progress here and on my personal blog as my work progresses.

I hope I can finish my Mermaid before the end of winter!

Linda

Almost there...

I've been following along on this knitalong for quite some time now but have yet to post. I just finished up the body of my Mermaid--it took me forever to do the first half but once I got the hang of the pattern (and devoted more time to it!) the second half went much faster.


I did a provisional cast on since several people on here recommended it, and I'm glad that I did. Much easier for me to do two icord bind offs than pick up all those stitches!

Ballerina Middle

Well, school and other adult responsibilities have really hindered my effort to complete this in under one month. I think by Friday I will be to the half way point in any event. After the initial SNAFU with the beginning section, it has been smooth sailing. I think I particularly like this project since the sleeves are knit as I go, so I don't have to suffer through making those at the end. I like this pattern a lot, though I can see that it will want to slip back since it's already so heavy in the back.

Loving the Mermaid Knitting!

I really enjoy knitting the Mermaid! I normally don't like garter stitch, finding it boring after a while. But there are enough things going on here, that I find myself eager to keep going. I hope to be at the middle of the back by the end of Thursday. We'll see if I can do that. This photo is of the progress through last night, I've finished that gusset and am working on the next stripe pattern.

I didn't like dropping the gusset yarn, so I'm carrying it up the hem, fastening it every row that has the sl2wyf. Thanks for that tip! Makes a much cleaner edge.

Ballerina Strips

I am knitting the Ballerina design and anticipating the stripes. When going from one color to the next, have others of you carried the thread or started anew each time? Normally in working with two colors, spools are used to carry the threads of different color. Also, how have you woven the ends of the thread? Again I normally would knit two threads together but not sure that will work with this project. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

Diva - Ocean/Green

Hi, I am new here and I have just started knitting the Diva. It is made in a yarn called "Tweed 300" from Pulsen Design, which comes in lots of beautiful colours.
Here is what I've made so far:

Hi everyone,

I've just ordered Mermaid #5, thanks (?, LOL) to Mary Hunt. I'm finding it a dangerous thing to take a little break, surf the net and discover so many more beautiful things to knit than life is long. Unlike weaving with looms, having a lot of needles tempts me to have several projects going at once. I'm looking forward to getting the kit and jumping in. What a classic jacket!

Margaret