I'm glad to have discovered this group and to be invited in. I have only recently discovered Hanne Falkenberg and am smitten! I just received my DaCapo kit and can't wait to begin. Just as soon as I get the store in Copenhagen to send me the pattern in English. Somehow I think this is going to be challenging enough without having to cope with Danish (or Swedish, or whatever they are) instructions!

Finished

Complete, but not exactly like the original pattern. I swapped out colours since the m*ths had eaten enough of what I had that I pitched the whole mess.

Not liking to sew things together, this became an exercise in EZ origami. That first row was almost 1000 stitches long, but it got easier every row. Knitting back and forth across the upper back turned out to be a non-issue. I shorted the sleeves since I was both going out of my mind with boredom and I never fold up sleeves anyway.

Progress report - Pyramide and Pagode

Thank you so much for letting me join the group.

I've knit both Mermaid (color #7) and Solo (#1) in the past year. I started Blues last winter, but lost interest after proceeding 2/3 the way through both fronts. Now if I could figure out where I put the rest of the yarn....

I am seriously drooling over Donna (just released). Hoping that one of the merchants has the kits at Ally-Pally (National Knitting and Stitching Exhibition at Alexandra Palace, Oct 8-11) so that I can get a better idea of the color choices.

Currently on the needles is Pyramide




which now only needs the 7 neck rows and sewing together and -

Pagode, which is a long and sad tale. I purchased the kit in Denmark, oh must have been early to mid 90s. Instructions, of course were in Danish. I started the kit, wrong as it turns out, but made some changes because I just was not going to knit all that garter stitch. Obviously it became apparent that the drape was not right; plus the color combination did not thrill me. Putting it aside to marinate, I moved on to other projects.

Hauling it out of storage this spring, I found extensive moth damage. So much for all that lovely yarn, the planned frogging and re-knitting. The pattern had not, alas, under gone a magic transformation into English.

Having now knit two other HFs, being able to read a graph and the starting stitch counts (plus all those wonderful pictures of everyone's wonderful projects from Ravelry) I decided to do it my own way. Casting on a million stitches, I indulged in mindless knitting for weeks with replacement yarn in better colors (Harrisville shetland and some leftover HF) as a one piece project before hand cramps and brain death set in.

Admitting that I had too many projects on the needles, I pulled it out of hibernation about 15 days ago to restart from the inner burgundy stripe and got this far a week ago before going back to Pyramide and a couple of other projects -



This is the view from the back of the sweater. Knitting it in one piece has been an interesting challenge. I am now up to the sleeve shaping on the back and have only about 60 ridges to go.

Right. If I can find where the darker grey has decided to hide.

If anyone wants the details on how to do this as a one piece, I would be happy to share.

-Holly

Solo

I'm having fun with Solo, I'm about half way around the body. Now that I've knit a couple of her patterns I can see the logic of her instructions. This one is for DD.

Pygmalion

Has anyone here knit Pygmalion? Any comments? It's so different than most of her other patterns but it looks so comfy.

HF Plissé

Thanks for letting me join the KAL! Is anyone still working on Plissé? I started a year ago and gave up, but now I'm game again and I'm working on the front. I'm hoping to find a spreadsheet, because I'm working in the chocolate and can't see a thing! If not, I guess I will have to graph it myself, but I sure hope not to have to reinvent the wheel.

Blues instructions

Well, I'm working along on Blues and mostly it's going fine. I solved my yarn problem from the previous post and to my great surprise, I have a second yarn which fits nicely into the pattern. However, the line which says 'decrease alternately on the 7th & 8th stripe' leaves me confused. So I'm decreasing every 7th stripe by 2 stitches. The rest doesn't make sense. Does anybody have other suggestions for me?

gauge on Blues

I received Blues a few weeks ago and was horrified at my colour choice. I'm trying to solve it, but don't yet know how I will do it. Among other things I'm swatching the base colour with a strand of silk that goes very well. But I certainly don't get gauge. Is 60 stitches to 10 cm really possible? I'm even working on 2mm needles. Does anyone have a comment or suggestion?
Gillian

Hi! Thanks for letting me join in your KAL. I have just recently freed Mermaid from exile island and am ready to tackle the second half of the body. I was discouraged by the instructions that read to just reverse the instructions for the second half. And if that wasn't bad enough, I also just purchased the Diva kit (forgetting how disillusioned I am by the instructions!). It's a good thing that I love the designs.

Tina in Houston

Harmony Sweater

Has anyone knitted the Harmony Sweater? This is the first H.F. item that the directions seem confusing to me. I have knitted Tokyo and Stella without any problem.

Momaphyllis

Blues

Can someone who has the Blues kit, or has completed it, please tell me how much of each color was included in the kit? There seem to be both 2 color and 4 color versions. I'm interested in the info for either or both.

Thanks

Jazz sweater is done! I needed to redo the bottoms of the sleeves with a slightly smaller needle, as they seemed too long and too wide. I am very pleased with how it came out.

Blues

I'm looking for a copy of Blues (in English or that you can translate into English) that you'd like to trade for a different Hanne pattern that I have. Anyone get it for Xmas and finish it already? Trading patterns is perfectly legal, by the way before someone jumps on this and talks about stealing. Early on someone from Hanne's organization had a post confirming this, by the way.

If anyone is interested, please contact me off-line at elweyu@hotmail.com

Thanks and everyone's projects look fabulous. I've just finished Gloria and I love the way it came out. If I ever get a camera ...

Ballerina Done

I have finally finished my Ballerina. I had to do some steeking to adjust the size. I also added and applied i-Cord around the edge. I enjoyed knitting this wonderful design but am glad it is done and ready to wear.

La Strada

HI All

I've just joined your group and am looking forward to see what everyone is working on. I got 2 kits for Christmas, La Strada and Gloria. I cast on La Strada the other day and can see that this will take a whild, but it will be gorgeous!

Karin

Mermaid Shawl Collar

I was asked (quite a long time ago, I'm sorry!) for how I did my Mermaid collar. Here is as best as I can remember. Ask if you have questions.

I did the provisional cast on for the sweater at the Color A stripe AFTER the decrease for the shoulder (23 sts for size medium.) I started knitting on the right side so it matched up on the other end of the sweater. I then knit the sweater to just before you cast on the stitches for the other shoulder. Pin or sew the shoulders together at this point. I picked up the stitches across the back neck (46 for a medium) and knit both sides at the same time. That eliminated the back neck seam.



I don't have exact information on how I did the shawl collar as it is in the hands of its intended victim so I can't look at it to reconstruct my method. I placed markers on both sides as deep as I wanted the collar. I started on the center 80-90 stitches and started doing short rows until all of the stitches between the markers were used up. That gave me a collar about 7 inches deep at the widest.

MiMi, part two

Hi All,

I'm just about to frog part of this again... for the 3rd time. I've gotten myself hung up on these dratted texture stripes. Reading the swatch instructions, it gives an indication that 16 texture stripes gives more or less the 10 cm, and that the 16 texture stripes should be 48 rows.

But then below, it says that a texture stripe is seen as three rows knit and three rows purl.

Long story short -- I'd come to the second row of decreases, looked at the completed work, and thought.. that's way too small. So I ripped it out with the idea that a texture stripe should be 6 rows, and I'm almost back up to the 13 texture stripes. But at this point, I've nearly reached 16 cm... which is way too large. Then I looked at the actual dimensions of the finished garment, and realized I was right the first time.

Considering it takes me nearly 20 minutes to knit one of the rows (before any decreases occur), I'm seriously considering stuffing this thing in the closet and leaving it there for awhile.
-- Laurie

MiMi

Hi All,

No pictures yet, but I wanted to ask some advice. I just bought this for my daughter after seeing the sample hanging on the rack and handed over my credit card without looking at the kit.

My daughter is definitely a plus size, and the kit only comes in small or medium/large. I've taken the needle size up to US #6, and added an additional 35 stitches.

So far, I've completed 8 t-stripes, or 24 rows of pattern. The weave is coming out slightly looser than I remember from the sample, but that's okay. But I just wondered if anybody else had tried to enlarge a pattern, and what kind of results they were having. -- Cheers, Laurie

Blues finished

I have finally finished my Blues.
It was easy to knit when I figured out the instructions.

Unfortunately I mixed up two colors while watching TV. But as my dear husband said then it will be unique!

I made the M/L size and I am pleased with the way it turned out.

Ballerina

After on and off knitting, I am almost done with knitting Ballerina.  I decided to alter the edges of the pattern and finish it with a 3 stitch applied i-cord.  I first noticed this idea on the Raineysisters blog.  My problem is this.  I only have part of a ball of black yarn left.  I know I will need more to complete this design.  My kit was the black and sage green design.  I have a full ball of the sage green left and am asking if anyone has an extra black ball.  I would be happy to trade.  I made the small which is why I thought there would be more than enough black to apply the i-cord edge.  I will post some photos if and when I am able to complete the jacket.  Thanks, Jane

Gloria

I am currently knitting Gloria. It's moving along fairly well but one of the things I wish the pattern had was finished measurements shown at various points on the pattern schematic. Given that this pattern, like all of Hanne's patterns, has a very unusual engineering design (which is part of the appeal to me) it is very important to know that you are not way off on the sizing, and also, to make sure that you don't want to adjust the pattern slightly (several people have complained about the size of armholes or amount of material at the armholes on several designs). Even if your swatch before starting, even a very small difference can telescope into a large one when you are talking about a row with 4 or 5 hundred stitches, especially when the garment is curved like Gloria is.

I would like to contact Hanne and ask her for measurements for Gloria and suggest that she add that to her schematics, but I could not find a contact address on her website. Does anyone have one for her?

I would have loved the same sort of info when I knit Studio Long and Mermaid, by the way.

For those knitting Blues. How is it going? Any major bumps in the road on those instructions?

Knitting the Blues

I've bought Hanne Falkenbergs new kit, Blues, and like Suzy, I think it's lovely to knit. The yarn is half cotton and half lambswool and is knitted on 3 mm needles.

If it's a vest, a short-sleeved jacket or cardigan, I don't know. I bought the kit at Sommerfuglen in Copenhagen. They had one I could try on and I felt very comfortable in it.

Progress on Jazz

I completed the gauge swatch - it was a little off - too many stitches/rows - on the 2nd needle size, but the difference will make it a hair smaller, which will be fine.

This garment is knitted starting at one sleeve, across the body, ending with the other sleeve. So I have cast on, knitted up the sleeve, and have cast on the additional stitches for the body. I have a plane flight ahead of me, so I am hoping for a lot of progress over the weekend.

Blues Kit

For my hols, I have just bought the new Hanne kit in no. 1 colourway (4 colours). I have only just started it but the yarn is lovely to use; lambswool and cotton. I'll keep you posted as to the progress which hopefully will not take too long as it is sleeveless.

Suz

knitting_craze

Hi Becky,

Thanks for your invitation. I'm new to the blogging world (other than checking my niece's knitting blogs, so forgive if I'm not correct.

I started the Gloria sweater, got freaked out and set it aside. Tuesday night I went to the knitting guild meeting, talked to a couple of knitters and decided I was reading too much into the pattern. In other words, second guessing myself. I'm just at the beginning, so if you have any words of wisdom, I'd appreciate it. I love the way the colors work together. 

Marilyn

knitting_craze

DaCapo Finished!

Hello everyone. After three years of knitting my DaCapo, I have finally finished. Its been a journey, albeit, one with a satisfying ending. I just bought a Jamieson and Smith colour card and am debating a second sweater. I feel like a pro now.
Here is the story of my finish.

Help on choosing next project

I am more than halfway through Dacapo and in love with Falkenberg. I have been looking at other kits and have several questions. I am a hefty hourglass figure----I usually like swing jackets. I have been looking at Mermaid, Ballerina, and Gloria.

Mermaid and Ballerina seem to have some characteristics in common although Mermaid seems more fitted. Has anyone done both and have opinions on the pros and cons of each of them? Also, on cucumberpatch.co.uk for several of the projects it describes the yarn as 2 ply but knit as 4 ply. Does this mean the projects are knit with two strands? Looking at ravelry for these projects there seems to be a wide range of needle sizes used and i haven't been able to figure out if it is one strand or two of yarn.

I actually like small needles and fine gauge and have been quite happy with Dacapo, although I could see that for larger projects, one might want the fabric to have more heft.

Finally, I am not sure I have gotten the tension right on the self icord on my Dacapo--esp in the striped section. I was so worried that it would be too loose that I fear that I may have knit it too tightly. It does not pull, but it is considerably less stretchy than the rest of the fabric. I have not finished putting it together or blocking so that might change as well.

Thanks for any help.
Sandy

Mermaid #4

I started the body after the collar decrease with a provisional cast-on. I knit the rest of the body until the same place (I can check later and tell you precisely the start if anyone needs it) then picked up the stitches along the neck (instead of sewing the collar on later) and then picked up the front stitches from the provisional cast-on.

As you can see, I revised the collar as well, because I've not been happy with the collars, they tend to flip up instead of staying flat. So I went into SweaterWizard and used the information from that program to make a shawl collar. I knew I had more than enough yarn from the kit to do this.

Another long car trip provided the time/inclination/whatever to do the i-cord edging. (I hate i-cord, I really do!)

I just popped this in the mail for the Intended Victim (she is going to have to sew in the arms and the shoulder seams -- I was going to do it for her and realized that all of my pins are packed for moving.) This is Color #5, kingfisher, cypress and black.

Knitting Jazz Design

Hi Hanne Fans-

I am new to the blog, having just purchased my first kit, the Jazz sweater. I haven't seen that many posts about Jazz, so I thought I'd introduce myself and bring other Jazz knitters out of the woodwork.

Status on the sweater: I started swatching with a 3.0mm needle last week, and the gauge was off, so now I'm going to try a 3.5mm (US 4), but haven't started that swatch yet.

Cheers-
Tracy Hoover (aka Gamba Girl)

Another Studio Long Questions from New Member

Hello all,

I am knitting my first H.Falkenberg...and I seem to a a little stuck. Would anyone be able to help me? Many thanks in advance in any case.

I am joining triangle Z to the side panel. I have slipped the small triangle stitches over the the main needle.The instructions say: With B beg at (1) from RS; k1, sl2 B(=the 3 edge-sts), sl 2 knitwise, k1 etc

confusion: what does sl2 B mean?

I don't want to move forward on this sweater until I resolve this latest challenge.

Thank you.

Cate in California

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.

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?

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?

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!

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

Woohoo!!

Woohooo..when I got home today...I checked my email, the vendor where I purchased the mermaid kit emailed me back and advised that she had mailed me the pattern...cant wait!!

So thankful!!

Thanks for letting me join.

I am doing the mermaid sweater or I will be once I hopefully get my pattern replace. This was the 2nd try at the sweater. I was recently on my way to my Mom's to show her the progress on my Son's sweater so I packed up my knitting bag and my binder...got to my Mom's and only took the bag in. Had a very nice visit with my Mom...went to leave....and OMG my car had been stolen along with my knitting binder. I am sure the binder is not what they wanted but that was one of my first thoughts....OMG I will never be able to replace the patterns that I had in that binder......the car can be replace but MY BINDER!!! So I have contacted the vendor that sold the kit to me and hopefully I will get a response...I need to get the pattern replaced so I can continue this sweater...so keep your fingers crossed for me!!

Krista

Knitalong moderator note: All, please remember that the Hannealong is not the appropriate site to give anyone a pattern. Although I'm sure we sympathize with the situation of many who need/want a copy of the pattern without the kit for whatever reason, whether it's a story such as the above or allergies to wool or anything else, unfortunately we cannot allow that here for legal reasons. I have advised Krista to contact her vendor as they will have proof of her purchase. Thanks for keeping the Hannealong legal so that it may continue to be a resource to many!

Ready to seam my Mermaid

I am about ready to start seaming my Mermaid and I need some help. I have googled the Internet, gone through my books and DVD's but cannot find any information on how to seam garter stitch that was knit vertically (ie, the Mermaid sleeves). How did the rest of you seam the sleeves? I know that some did a three needle bind off rather than binding off the edges but I didn't.

Thanks,
Ricki

Mermaid Help Needed

I'm confused about the directions for the shoulder edge. The directions say "work edge stitches along shoulder similar to the edge along the lower edge of the jacket". This seems to mean that the edge stitches and shoulder stitches are worked the same although when I do this, the shoulder edge doesn't look right.
I'm stopped - although I guess I will go on to a sleeve while I'm waiting for an answer from a Mermaid expert.
Gayle

Plisse - decreasing for sleeve !

I have learned so much just reading all your posts ... what beautiful projects! Last summer I went to Copenhagen ! I purchased "Plisse" in Raspberry and finally got brave enough to cast on. I am really enjoying knitting this sweater. I am stuck on the sleeve decrease. ( I am making size large. )

165 stitches needles ...

Cast off 3 sts in each side 4 times - does this mean that I will decrease 12 sts ? or 24 sts?

Then 2 sts in each side 3 times - decrease of 6 (right side/wrong side) or 12 (beginning of row, end of row) ?

This is where I stopped ... I am thinking I should have bound off at the beginning and end of each row ... but I bound off "each side" as wrong side, right side ... so I have 147 sts on my needles .. but I should have .... 129 sts (147 - 18 = 129 ) I think ....

Now decrease 1 st in each side on every RS row ... repeat these 2 rows 3 times - decrease 3 ?

Continue edge sts but dec only on every 2nd RS row (= every 4 row ) 15 times - decrease 15 ?

I am supposed to end up with 93 sts ... but doing the math with the higher number of decreases in the bind off rows ... I still get 111 stitches (Math is NOT my talent)

Has anyone made Plisse that can help? Or do you have lots of Hanne experience, can you guide me with these instructions?

Tutti-Frutti for a Little Boy

Way too big for him right now, but it won't be long. A great pattern to knit for an infant/child!

Help with Studio needed

Help!

This is the second time that I am going to rip this out. Curses. I love this sweater but I want to do it right.

I made my mistake when I approached CstXX —– I knit to one stitch before the marker. Then I slipped the one stitch before the marker and the one stitch after the marker as if to knit. Then I knit one and passed the two slipped stitches over the knit stitch and put the marker back on. —– I lost my angle— It disappeared.

Can someone please straighten me out? Perhaps it will be ready for next winter,

Thank you

Tess

Promenade is complete

I finally managed to complete Promenade - took me a while due to trips away and other commitments but I did get there eventually. The shawl loosened and softened beautifully when washed in warm, soapy water and then rinsed with fabric conditioner. It had its first outing this morning to a pretty chilly church where I was leading worship - kept me very warm and kept my hands free for playing guitar. Always handy...

Sorry these photos aren't of Promenade being modelled on a real person. My husband is rarely around when it's good light and I wanted to capture the colours in sunshine to show them at their magnificent best.

Not sure what's next. I have a few more HF kits stored in my cupboard - Tivoli, Ping Pong, Diva and I'm sure I'll do another Mermaid - but I may have a break and do something which grows a little more quickly (and with somewhat shorter rows than Promenade!)

MERMAID ISSUES

Good day ladies

I have just become an HF follower. I bought the Mermaid design on Friday last week and have just knitted the first flaired piece. I am however, concerned because the pattern does not ask for decreasing anymore over the shoulder! Should I be decreasing somewhere still? I am knitting the large design. I have also contacted Amy for the spreadsheet as I have been working off my own charts - making these before I attack each section - but this slant issue is troubling me.

Tutti-Frutti

I'm playing with Tutti-Frutti, changing it for a baby boy instead of a baby girl. I'm about half-way down the back, then will do the sleeve ends, neck bands, seams and sew in the ends. I'm toying with the idea of a small gusset along the side/arm seams, in the black. Thoughts?

On the home straight (aka Taming the Beast that is Promenade)

Here's my Promenade. I like to tell myself I'm on the home straight (well, the left front, anyhow). The bunched up bit at the top of the photo is said left front still on the needles, about 20 rows from completion. Completing it is, however, not going to be a quick job. Each row still takes about 20 minutes (the stitch count is still somewhere over 400 I think) but it gets less with every alternate row decrease. Hurray! Anyway, it's an easy, if somewhat frustrating knit. The frustrating bit is solely down to the sheer numbers of stitches per row. But no need for a spreadsheet (I'm sure Amy will be delighted!)

Pagode Fixed

Back in August I discovered a glaring error that I made way back on my Pagode, so I ripped out almost the entire piece and here is now fixed version.




Blogger is not letting me do a "before and after" side by side comparison, so if you want to see what I fixed, you have to click on this link.

I think the ivory now looks much better with yellow and blue and wheat compliment each other too. I even remembered to mark the pocket this time.







For those of you on Ravelry, my ID is bitsnpieces, and I'm in the Hanne Falkenberg Fan group as well.

Da Capo Twinset

I wrote last spring about my plan to create a sleeveless sweater to coordinate with my Da Capo, using the extra yarn. After a long summer break (when it was too hot to think about wool) and two unsuccesful tries on the shoulder straps, I finished this in the early hours of 2008.

new years resolution

Today is New Year's Eve and I am already thinking about my resolutions for the New Year.
One is to be more kind and thoughtful to others and two is to lose that 5 pounds (again) that I gained over the Christmas Holiday. Three is to stop just looking at and admiring my new Hanne mermaid kit, jump in and get the sweater done. My question is... Do I make the Medium? I am a size 8 sometimes a 10 . I made the Medium/Large ballerina and it is too generous. The gauge was correct, I am just poor at choosing the correct size, I guess . I did notice ,about two thirds of the way through my ballerina, that it was going to be too big but could not make myself start over.
What size have other mermaid knitters been choosing and are they happy with their size choice?


Happy New Year

Jenny

Has anyone tried Gloria?

I assume this design is fairly new. It looks really nice. Has anyone tried it yet? How does it compare in terms of instruction clarity with, say, Mermaid? How does it fit on non-goddess-shaped people?

Happy holidays to everyone - I hope you all got the kits you were hoping for :-)

Size small Mermaid sleeves are done!

I just finished the first sleeve of my size Small Mermaid and sent the updated spreadsheet to Amy. The spreadsheet follows the stitch counts in the pattern but personally, after reading so many posts of those whose sleeves "grew" after blocking, I shortened mine by 10 stitches. I am petite and didn't want to take a chance that they would overpower me after all this work!

Here is the result:



Please let me know if you find any problems with the spreadsheet. Hopefully I worked most of them out.

Have fun!

Mermaid Large Spreadsheet

Hi,

Just wondering whether you've started distributing the size large spreadsheet yet.

Promenade colourway #7

I am about 10 days into knitting Promenade. I haven't had a huge amount of time to knit but thought I'd show you my progress so far. The colours don't show up particularly well - taken with a flash under electric light so what do I expect?! This version is in colourway #7 - red, tomato, orange, fuchsia and cyclamen. It's very beautiful. I've finished the first repeat of the colour pattern on the back and am about three ridges into the second repeat of the pattern. I wasn't sure whether I'd love the colour combination - some of the colours are a bit on the warm side for my winter colouring - but I do. So far, it's easy knitting which is made exciting by seeing how the blocks and stripes of colour come together to make a stunning whole. I'm once again bowled over by the design talents of Hanne Falkenberg. Having completed mermaid earlier in the year, this is so far much more straightforward to follow (let's hope I don't speak too soon...) Any you know what? Having taken some time out to use up some of my stash, it's wonderful to be able to indulge myself with another HF project.

Studio Long

I'm knitting and am getting close to where the neck opening begins. I finally sat down and read through the instructions (I've just been working locally, reading as I go along).

As I understand it, the first piece I knit is the back which will include a part of the sleeve and about half of the back of the neck opening, and the left side of the neck opening. Then I'll stop and knit the same thing for the front and the rest of the back of the neck, the right side of the neck, and the front of the neck opening.

And then I will knit the 2 pieces together by knitting one stitch from each piece together along the line numbered 7. Is that right?

Thanks for either affirming or stopping me from making a huge mistake.

tokyo

Hello,

Has anyone completed Hanne's Tokyo jacket? I am interested in seeing a photo of someone actually wearing the jacket. The only photos I can seem to find show the jacket hanging on a pole. It looks lovely. I am very tempted to give it a try but it has been some time since I was as thin as a pole. Would anyone who has made this jacket be willing to post/ share a photo of someone wearing it?

Happy Thanksgiving to all and Happy knitting .


Jenny D

Wanted: DaCapo pattern

Hi all,

I'm new to the list, and new to Hanne's patterns.

I'd like to purchase a copy of the DaCapo pattern before I make a commitment to the kit.

Does anyone have an English-language copy they're willing to sell? I'm in the Netherlands, but have a PayPal account. Or if there are any fellow Dutch knitters out there, we can make the appropriate arrangements.

Please respond directly to laurieannd@gmail.com

Thanks,


Laurie

DaCapo Problem

I've not done much knitting on my DaCapo lately. The thing is; the gauge is wrong. It should be 25sts and 50rows = 10x10cm, but in my knitting it is more like 9x9.5cm. So I'm a bit worried that the whole thing will be too small. I've almost finished the back, but now I'm thinking of starting all over again. Not something I'm looking forward to, but better to do it now than to be sorry later....

Studio Long - Finished

I just finished Studio Long yesterday, and I'm more than pleased with the result. It's a huge amount of work, but it's definately worth it. The colours are Emerald, Green Mix, and Fuchsia, and the size is L.

Amsterdam and Oslo yarn shops

Hi Everyone!
I'm lucky enough to be taking a cruise to Amsterdam and Oslo in early December and wondered if any of you know of any bargain knit shops where I can purchase some Hanne kits? Thank you!
Linda

Charlotte - Hat done

I just finished the Charlotte Hat by Hanne Falkenberg. It's a very nice little project, quickly done and easy to knit. I just love it, and it comes just on time since it's getting cold over here. :) For getting the unique shape of this hat, three strands of the Falkenberg yarn is used.

Ravelry Falkenberg Kal Group

For those who have (or will be joining) Ravelry, you may be interested to know that there is a Hanne Falkenberg Fans group there.

I joined that Group last week as I awaited admission from this KAL and got some helpful advice.

Ravelry Falkenberg Kal Group

For those who have (or will be joining) Ravelry, you may be interested to know that there is a Hanne Falkenberg Fans group there.

I joined that Group last week as I awaited admission from this KAL and got some helpful advice.

Finished the Mermaid body pattern - size small

A short post to let anyone who is waiting that I have mailed the complete body pattern - size small Mermaid to Amy. I have knitted past row 600 so I may still find errors. I want to take a break before I do the sleeves.. but I'm suspecting they will be easier than the body.

Good luck and let me know if you find any problems. I paid more attention to stitch counts than ridge counts - so the ridge counts may not be 100% accurate.

Mermaid small measurements

I'm wondering if anyone could post the measurements for their completed small Mermaid - particularly someone who got gauge!?! I think I may need to try to modify the pattern to bring the waist a bit higher, as I am not of Danish viking-like proportions (only 5'3").

Any advice? Anyone done this? got the measurements from shoulder to mid -waist shaping? I'd be grateful!

Studio Long question

I'm just starting my Studio Long (finally). Is there any reason that the M1 increases on triangle Z need to be worked one stitch in from the edge instead of two? Has anyone used an increase other than the M1 specified in the pattern?

Thanks,

Sandra D

Spreadsheets getting out

Just a quick update --

Mermaid: I have responded to all requests so far. If you haven't heard from me, please resend your request.

Mermaid sizes: I'm still only sending out Mediums. Small and Large are coming, but I want to catch up on Ballerina requests first.

LaStrada: I have now responded to all requests so far. If you haven't heard from me, please resend your request.

Ballerina: I have about 75 requests dating back to June that I'm getting started on. Currently I will be sending out the sheet in its last format - incomplete and possibly with some errors. If you have found some errors in it or completed it past what I had sent, please let me know and I'll start incorporating updates after I get the new requests satisfied.

All other Hanne patterns: I don't have spreadsheets for these. I don't know anyone who does. If you have made one and would like to share it, please let me know. If you want to handle distribution, I can direct people to you if they ask me. If you would like me to distribute it for you, we can set that up. E-mail me.

Mermaid size Large

Has anyone knit the mermaid in large and used Amy's spreadsheet as a guide (since it is size medium). Did that make it easier or add to the confusion?

To those who knit size small Mermaid

OK - I will soon be at the point where I place a MT on the shoulder to mark the beginning of the neck shaping.

The pattern says: Place the MT in ridge 8, (7), 8 - for sizes Small, Med, Lrge.

Does the "8" for size small work out? I'm kinda surprised that it isn't 6, (7), 8.

I have searched high and low for errata on this pattern but cannot find any.

Amy - do you have any insight?

Thanks,
Ricki

Treading Water

Hi Everyone!

Okay, so I mis-judged my readiness to jump back into the knitting world last time I posted, but I really am catching up now.

I dug through 4000+ messages (darned Knitlist) and sorted out over 200 spreadsheet requests. As of right now, I am caught up with Mermaid. If you haven't heard from me about a Mermaid request, please resend your request.

As Ricki posted, I will be distributing the modified Small Mermaid. I also have a Large Mermaid that someone else adapted and that I need to process. At this point, I am not ready to distribute either of these sizes. If you ask me for Mermaid, you will get the Medium and I will put you on my update mailing list where I will announce the availability of the other sizes once I am ready.

I still have about 100 Ballerina message to respond to and a smaller number of LaStrada ones. Not to mention random requests for spreadsheets that don't exist (or if they do, I don't have them). :) I'll probably hit the LaStrada requests next because there are fewer of them, so I won't get to Ballerina until next week (because I will be away from my computer this weekend).

As for Ballerina...I know there are some errors in the spreadsheet, I'm going to be working through the e-mails about that. I'm also concerned that my spreadsheet is being redistributed without my permission, albeit in a modified, corrected/completed state. So far, I've been very careful to verify that everyone I send the spreadsheets to owns the patterns they are derived from. All along, I have been aware that I'm treading a very fine line in copyright which is why I have not just posted the spreadsheet to my webpage and been done with it, it certainly would have been much easier for me and made all of you a lot happier. While the spreadsheet is a different interpretation of the pattern, it is still Ms. Falkenberg's design and distributing the spreadsheet without care is a violation of the spirit of copyright if not outrightly illegal.

I'm not sure whether Ms. Falkenberg is aware of the spreadsheets. I've sent them to over 400 people so far, most of whom have been very pleased with them. If she should inquire, I want to be able to show that I have guarded the distribution carefully and I have kept records of every copy I have sent out. But if she asks me to stop distributing them, I have to in order to avoid legal troubles for myself and also potentially for Becky as a facilitator of distribution. I know that can be frustrating for all of you when my life prevents me from responding quickly, but I think you'd rather know you can get them eventually than be barred forever. So thank you for being patient.

I have considered other methods for distribution, or to solicit some helpers, but I need to work out some technical issues there first. And I'm going to wait until I have caught up on the requests before I put any effort there.

Volunteer needed

I am looking for a volunteer who is familiar with Blogger to help me manage the knitalong. Duties would be assisting with the template (fixing the sidebar so it doesn't fall at the bottom of the page) and assisting with getting us back to the list of users where we included links to people's blogs.

Let me know if you're interested in helping out.

Thanks!
Becky

Version 1 of Amy's Spreadsheet - size small

FYI - I emailed the first version of Amy's Mermaid spreadsheet for size small to her this AM. She has agreed to handle the distribution. Not sure if she will just add it to the size medium spreadsheet or keep it separate. The body pattern is finished up to row 340 and I have knit up to row 255. If anyone uses it - please let me know if you find any mistakes. I think it is correct but you never know. Here is my body so far. I'm very happy with it! Hope it fits as well as it looks.



I'll send her more of the spreadsheet as I get more done.. probably the rest of the body in the next version.

Ricki
http://knittingintherockies.blogspot.com/

she's blocking

did I mention how happy I am with the amount of stretching a rib stitch offers? I should probably have made size L, but insisted on using Amy's spread sheet, which was only available in M. meanwhile I noticed Elaine has posted a picture of us when she visited Amsterdam a while ago. Yes, that is Mermaid in my hands.

Swatching the ballerina

swatching is a good thing, that's for sure! I found out the recommended needles for ballerina were too big (TOO BIG?!)for my personal tension. So now I'm swatching with a size 1 needle to see what happens. I hope this will be right. This is the first time I've ever been really concerned about gauge. But I want this sweater to fit!

Do you other "ballerina makers" think the needle size is off, or is it just my knitting tension?

I lied by the way. I'm not done with Christmas presents yet, but I can't stand it. I really want to start Ballerina, NOW. So if I at least determine what needles to use, I feel like I'm starting the project.... :.p

Mermaid Completed

I finished putting Mermaid (kit 5) together last night. It's been washed, blocked and is now drying. It fit so well that even the sleeves were perfect preblocked. I hope the jacket doesn't "grow" now that I have "soaked" & blocked it.

The jacket was started on July 19th and finished September 25th. Not too bad...only took a few weeks break to work on some special socks and I did make my self imposed deadline of October 1st!

I know another jacket will be started soon....just have to pick out the colors which has proven more difficult than I thought it would be.

Ballerina yarn weights

Hi everyone. Am swatching for the first Ballerina I've ever done. This is my first HF pattern too. I saw that you are all weighing your yarns before starting--great idea! Mine came out like this:

Colorway #12

400 Gm main color A("dusty green")
100 Gm color B ("sage green")
75 Gm color C ("dusty rose")
25 Gm color D ("turquoise")

Hope that will help anyone who needs it. Hope it helps ME, when I go to make the next one.... :oD

Ballerina

Is there anyone out there who has made the Ballerina ? I am almost to the end of Amy's wonderful instructions and am scared that I won't be able to finish on my own. Can anybody help? I hope someone has the final instructions where Amy leaves off and could share. Everyone has been so helpful on this post. I couldn't have done it without Amy and everyone else.

Finished Mermaid....

I´ve finished my third Mermaid about 14 days ago - her she is:

I started on august 6th and finished september 10th. I used "shetlandsuld" (uld=wool) and size 3 needles.

I've started

Well - I'm past the edge section of my size small Mermaid 3 and pushing on thru the stripes. I THINK I adapted Amy's spreadsheet for size small correctly so far but we shall see. I'm spending hours modifying her pattern. The yarn is lovely - the turquoise has green specks. If I can do this - I know I will be happy with the result.

So here is it:



Ricki
http://knittingintherockies.blogspot.com/

Mermaid Skein Weight

Update before casting on:

I weighed my skeins for the Mermaid 7. My scale isn't super high-tech, but here is the info. Purple has 6 of one weight and 1 skein of another... strange.


Lilac- 2 skeins: 55 grams each

Aubergine- 2 skeins: 50 grams each

Purple- 6 skeins: 45 grams each

Purple- 1 skein: 25 grams

Hopefully this is helpful for future Mermaids :)

mermaid help

Help,
I finished my Mermaid sweater and it fit great until I washed it. Even though I was careful not to stretch the sleeves, they are now several inches too long. Any suggestions???
jane

Pattern Trade

I have Mermaid, Ballerina, Diva, and Pagoda and would love to trade for a pattern I don't have, particularly Studio Long, Profil, Pygmalian, or maybe Skyline.

If you have one you're interested in trading, please e-mail me and let's see if we can work something out - elweyu@hotmail.com

Thanks,
purple

Ballerina spreadsheet again

Upon closer inspection, I think I've figured out why my 3 edge stitches aren't working after Row 943 (Back section). The k1, s2-p wyib that you do at the beginning of the row is missing. Am I correct and can someone who has made this successfully please tell me on which Row I need to begin doing this? Would it be on Row 943 with color B? I am quite certain that everyone figured this out-no doubt you are all more experienced than I, but just in case some of you are novices like me, we need to spell it out so no confusion occurs.

Ballerina Spreadsheet Error????

I have adored Amy's spreadsheet for Ballerina. Without it, I could never have gotten as far as I have. I believe there may be a couple of errors, but I'm not experienced enough to know. Can someone who has made this take a look please?? I have been banging my head against the wall. Perhaps the error is with me, not the spreadsheet. On Row 949 I believe it should say K to last 2 stitches before yo, not K to last 2 sts, turn. Otherwise the Row breakdown would not be correct as written and I believe it is indeed correct. Am I right? I'm just not sure if this is a typo or not, but it's repeated many times. Please help so that others won't be as confused and frustrated as I am. Thank you in advance.

New Hanne knitter!

Hi! I have just rejoined this KAL.. I joined in the past but other projects got in the way. Looking forward to learning a lot from all of you who have made wonderful sweaters (I have been watching).

I am a size small and I'm trying to change Amy's spreadsheet to the smallest size.

My question is - after line 44 on Amy's body (size M) - "Cast off 23, knit to last 3, sl 2 wyif, k1" - which I need to do earlier..

From then on - Row 1 of the 4 row pattern for stripes - (Amy's row 47) the spreadsheet says "Knit across".

I don't see that in Hanne's pattern. Does anyone know why this is different?

Thanks in advance and come to my blog!
Ricki
http://knittingintherockies.blogspot.com/

New Mermaid!

Hi, I'm new to this group. This is my new Hanne kit for Mermaid 7. I have 7 skeins of purple, 2 each of aubergine and lilac. I'll weigh them also, but I need to find my scale.

I'd like to start knitting the mermaid, but I have a large stash problem, so I'm going to rush to finish my current project called A Walk in the Woods as incentive to start the mermaid. Purple is my favorite color, so I'm pleased to have such a beautiful kit! When I start, I believe I will do a provisional cast on as others have suggested. I'll keep you posted here and on my blog.

Help with Ballerina

I have just started row 947 on Amy's Ballerina spreadsheet-the back, and something is amiss. The edge is not correct. I am using black and camel, the black is color A. Normally, I have a great edge in the black the enitre way around, but I fear the directions are incorrect because I don't have my edge any more. Am I not supposed to sl2-pWYIF, k1? Can someone help me before I go any further? I wonder if there is a pattern error. I need help in the worst way, PLEASE>

It is here!

My Pingpong 2. Now I have to start............

Promenade

Thank you for letting me join your KAL. I just received my Promenade kit in colorway #7. The colors are salsa hot- red, orange, fuschia and purple. I'm trying to finish some UFOs before I dare cast on. I made several ruffle scarves last year and had 1200 stitches on the needles for the last few rows. The number of stitches for Promenade do not seem that daunting to me!!!

PROFIL

Has anyone knit PROFIL? If so, is it knit on the diagonal and seamed together down the front or is it knit some other way? The reason I ask is that before I invest in it, I want to feel fairly confident that I will like it when it is done. I have already knit a sweater by another designer that was knit on the diagonal and seamed and I really didn't like the finished product at all.

New to the Falkenberg KAL

Hi, my nick is Jinx, I'm 40 years old and live in Hamburg/Germany. Thank you very much for accepting me to this KAL.

I discovered the Falkenberg designs about half a year ago, and even purchased some (which are still in the pipeline...) The first one I started and I'm still working on is "Studio Long". The colours I chose are emerald/green mix/cylamen version of this pattern. It's a bit weird to knit, very unusual, but it's also fun. I'll very soon finish the first big part of the sweater (the back), and I think up to now I managed quite well. But it's also a completely new experience for me, knitting a sweater in this way.

Further updates can be found frequently in my blog http://knittinganarchist.de

Studio support

Greetings,
While awaiting a spreadsheet for Studio, I am attempting to go it alone on my first Falkenberg. I sure could use some assistance. On Page 2, Joining Triangle and Side Panel, directions say to knit until the last st of triangle, and then slip the next two sts. My question: Do I knit across ALL sts of the triangle, and be slipping the first two sts of the side panel? OR Do I knit across until 1 st before the last st of the triangle, and then sl that st as well as the first st of the triangle? I am grateful for any assistance you may have to offer. Thank you kindly.

Hi, I'm new

I'm new to your KAL. I assumed that the Hanne Falkenberg pattern kit I ordered from Cucumberpatch (in England) would take a while to get here (Great Lakes area). Boy, was I wrong! Yay!! Here's a pic of my kit:It's the ballerina swing jacket, and it's so beautiful! Can't wait to get started on it.

Here's what I wrote about it on my blog! It's this colorway, #12:


I'm so glad to be part of this KAL. I am hoping to glean some tips from all you veteran Hanne-Along'ers, as I've heard this can be a tricky pattern to work from her printed pattern. But I'll work my way through it, I love Hanne's style, just classy and beautiful.

My progress on ballerina may be slow to begin with--I cannot actually start it until my Christmas knitting is done. I'm half-way there.....ballerina is the carrot dangling in front of me (not that I'm like a mule or anything!)

Hello from The Netherlands

Hi, I'm new here. I haven't a clue how this blog works but I hope to find out soon. I am Anouk, 37 and I live together with my husband and my 3 cats in The Netherlands. I just ordered a Pingpong-2 and I'm waiting until it has arrived from Denmark to the shop and then to my doorstep. I hope I can find out about the pattern and that's exactly why I became a member here. For ALL my questions *LOL*

I do some knitting already from I was a child. Sometimes I didn't do any knitting for years but about 2 years ago I even started to knit socks. That worked out very well and I still love to knit beside my other hobbies like rubber stamping. Now I have enough confidence to try a HF kit :-)

Group Announcements

1) Spreadsheets - If you want one, you need to follow the instructions on this page. Unless Amy changes her system, this is the only way you can get a spreadsheet. Emailing me will not help. Do not request a spreadsheet from other people as there are major copyright violations which could come into play. It may take awhile, but it will be worth it once you get it. Please respect these rules or you may be banned from the knitalong.

2) Invites - I believe I am now caught up on invites. If you have requested an invite to the knitalong but have not received one, please email me at becky at beckyanddaniel dot com and rerequest.

Heads Up!

When I left my LYS last night after Knit Night, the owner indicated she had 4 Hanne kits that she'd like to move and is willing to sell them at half price. I'm sure of the styles and pretty sure of the color numbers:

Tweedy - 9
Tivoli - 9
LaStrada - 11
Dacapo - 5

If you're interested, please e-mail me privately at skdavid01@yahoo.com and I'll give you the owner's name and phone number.

Please pardon if this is a duplicate post - I had some computer glitch when I attempted to post before, so it's possible this will turn up twice.

Hanne Refill Kits

Have ya'll heard the news that Hanne has started selling yarn only (refill kits) for those have the pattern and want to do a second jacket? Check out her link http://www.knit.dk/refill.htm
According to my LYS the USA distributor is trying to work out the details for selling the refill kits in the States.

At least you know for certain the yarn will work for the patterns- so far I'm having difficulty finding anything with the same 'crunchy' feeling- everything seems to soft I'm afraid the flare will disappear.

Ballerina Yardage

Hi all -- I just received my kit a few days ago, and took a minute to weigh the yarn and do some basic figuring, as I had seen some requests for this info.

My kit is the 2-color S/M or M/L version. All totalled, I have 204 grams (7-1/4 ounces) of the contrast color, and 381 grams (13-1/2 ounces) of the main color.

Using the 2-ply Shetland wool available at Schoolhouse press for weight/yardage comparison, that means I have about 1,000 yards of contrast color and 2,000 yards of main color. Sounds about right.

This is my best guess-timate; hope it is helpful for those of you trying to substitute yarn. I do think the yarn that comes with the kit is fairly scratchy, but I am trying to withhold judgement until I can see the finished product.

Poking my head up (or, where the hell is my spreadsheet?!)

Hi all --

I've spent several weeks away for work with limited internet access, my divorce was finalized, and we sold our house last week. So I've been a little out of it. Not to mention, I'm sort of between permanent houses right now, staying with friends, with no internet access. Horrors!

Checking into my knitting e-mail, I see I have 2200+ messages to sort through, with no small number of spreadsheet requests. So, I'm sorting through all of that today. If you are waiting on me about a spreadsheet for any reason, you should hear from me soon.

Mermaid Body Done

I cannot believe it, but the body of my mermaid is complete! I'm beyond pleased with how it has turned out. The hairclips held it together well enough to try it on for fit and so far it looks good. Now all that is left is putting the shoulder seams and collar together. I then plan on doing an i-cord bindoff all the way around so I don't have the grafting behind the neck on the collar. At least it worked on a swatch and I have a circular needle long enough so what the heck I may as well give it a shot!

I hope to start the sleeves by the end of the week after I put the body together- just need to write out the darn pattern so I can understand it. I can't wait to compare Amy!'s sheet to mine and see how close- or far off I am to the pattern's actual directions. So far it fits so I'm pleased- the sleeves worry me a bit as to the length of arm so that need some tweaking.