Ellen's Cardivest

 

Same cardivest, different lighting. It's still dark out this morning, (Yay!!!) as fall is kinda here, but I couldn't wait for the sun to shoot these pics and blog. This is the combo Tangier and Venezia, delicious to knit and perfect for the kind of weather we have in Chattanooga. My friend Ellen got first dibs on the yarn choices and since she lives here, we'll meet for delivery soon.

 

 

Here's the back and side view.
I am happily working on several of the rest of the choices, at once, trying out each yarn combo by knitting up the back panel. So  happy.
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Other things are going on tho, which I must share. We moved here last December and have been trying out various spaces in the house to 'live in'. All the bedrooms are upstairs and I am on my third trial bedroom, and like Goldilocks I think that this one is just right. It is the smallest, but has two windows and a nice size closet. Plus it's at the back side of the house which means that the street light doesn't shine in, allowing me to have no curtains. During the day it is bright and cheery, and now I have moved in my chest of drawers, a book case, the TV, some yarn overflow and my little chair and ottoman. I cocoon here most of the day, happily knitting away.
Yesterday I got the brainy idea to get a new shower head for the master bath, one that has a removable wand, and Dave installed it and now I don't have to shower downstairs, in the other bath that already had that kind of shower head. Little things that make a huge difference.

But the big deal is that Dave had a birthday last week, 64! and I decided as a gift that I would clean up his music/art/dump/junk room while he napped. Of course I had ulterior motives. This is the medium size bedroom in the front part of the house, while he has the large master to himself, also in the front. The yarn storage shelves are in there, along with my old drawing table, his desk, a chair, three or four guitars, etc. and five skinny bookshelves, sparsely used. Crowded and easy to get ignored when it comes to using and especially cleaning. I got serious and loaded up two garbage cans full of detritus, re-covered the drawing table with a bright white canvas, emptied a little used bookcase and filled it with art supplies, rearranged the space and voila, it was usable and beautiful. Another triumph of rediscovery. My ulterior motive? I wanna get back to paint and collage. Dave has been concentrating on colored pencil art and he keeps bringing his work to other spots in the house (that have a TV) so I just slipped myself into the space meant for him. Is that so self serving and terrible? I think not. He uses the sunroom now to draw, and it is working just great for him.

Our  two living rooms are pretty much ignored, furnished but unused. They stay clean, except for dog hair, and that is easily vacuumed, when the spirit moves me.

Now I am thinking about paint...I liked the gray walls but prefer a happier color, to match our much happier and healthier life.

Harvest

 What a bounty! My sister Brooke came for a breakfast date and we decided to do a little garden walk. Her beau uses my jalapenos in his cornbread and I had a huge amount that could be shared. I have more than this in the house waiting to be used, so I was happy to give these away. The peppers did well in their spot in the garden as there was plenty of sun for them. Bugs don't seem to bother them at all. We also had good luck with poblano peppers and the Giant Marconi, which is a really sweet elongated bell. 

 But the real surprise were the sweet potatoes! Huge tubers! I've never tried growing these before and boy, am I glad I did. This one weighed over two pounds! The skin is very thin, so I am guessing that I must do something with them quickly, like cook and freeze them, or they won't last. 

Here's the rest, various sizes as you can plainly see. I shared three giants with Brooke. But I think the skinny little ones should be good to bake up today. Sweet potatoes will definitely be part of my garden from now on. +++++++++++++++++
Here's a little update on Dave. We got some new meds from the doctor and things have been very calm of late. Thank heaven. Just wanted to let you know that your prayers and well wishes have done the trick. Thank you! And thank you for the great response to the knitting offer. I have nine names and have begun clicking needles happily. Yay! Those who missed the opportunity are invited to see some finished work available on Etsy.

Taking Names 2018

   

I've invested in some really deee-licious yarns and am dying to knit them into these two styles of cardivests. One is a pullover, so it really can't be called a cardi-anything, but it is the same shape as the one with buttons, so work with me. Here's how this works. You pick the yarn combo, the pullover or cardigan and tell me your bust/hip measurement, and I will knit it for you, for $100 plus shipping. I've done this before and it works great. Just email me at fibermania at g mail dot com and I'll get started. Here are your choices:

Chosen by Ellen H.

Chosen by Mimi S.

Chosen by Melanie G.

Chosen by Hilary P.

Chosen by Libby E.

Chosen by Linda S.

Blocking A Knit

 When I finish a knit it is often in need of blocking to adjust the sizing. The different directions of the stitches tend to push or pull areas so that they don't meet the way they should. This is easily fixed with a spritz of water and some pining to my padded table. I don't soak the knit in the tub, but just use my spray bottle and get the problem areas good and damp, and then make my adjustments. Wool is alive and will respond to authority! It will sit overnight and then tomorrow I will add the buttons.

 Here you can see that only a few pins are needed to keep the hem even. 

 The length (30") and width (25") is measured and I keep a photo record for this design, should I desire to repeat it. Of course I do.

 This color combination is Casablanca, which is silk, wool and mohair, and Malabrigo Rios, which is yummy merino wool. So autumnal. SOLD.

Modular Knitting--Designing My Way

Many of my designs begin with a triangle which tells me my gauge, and how the two yarns look together and finally how big the finished garment will be.  In this photo, it is the center bottom triangle that starts it all. Casting on an uneven amount of stitches, say, 69, the triangle will be knit and decreased in the center and at each edge like so: Cast on 69 and knit.
Row 2. Sl 1, k2 tog, k31, sl 1, k2tog, psso, k31, k2tog, p1.

The beginning and ending stitches form an edge chain which is really important for picking up stitches as each module is knit.
The triangle reduces with each right side decreases until five stitches remain, and those are bound off. Then I can measure the bottom width and determine the finished size of the garment. I am using two different weight yarns, so this is really the only way to find out what the combo will do. If I don't like it, it isn't much to rip out. Mostly experience has told me that it will be pleasing.
So measuring might tell me that the triangle is 10 inches wide, and that means the width of the finished product will be 40", before blocking. If I am making a cardigan, I will add a button band on the front which will bring in at least another inch, so that is part of the final size.

 In other designs, I might make a vertical set of diamonds, without starting with a bottom triangle, and add little edge triangles later. Such is the case with the Diamond Panel jackets and vests. The string of diamonds are knit first, front and back and then the sides are picked up and knit to the desired width. In that case gauge tells me how many stitches I will need to make the necessary width.

 An easy project to try this idea is the scarf. And it is a great use of leftover bits of yarn. Try it with worsted weight and a size 8 needle.
After the triangle is knit, pick up stitches along one side and decrease at the bottom while increasing on the top (right side only) and that will keep the diagonal going. Knit to desired length and then go back to the center triangle, pick up those edge stitches and again, decrease at the bottom while increasing at the top.
FYI.  I may start out with a plan but sometimes the whole thing takes on a life of its own. I am just along for the ride!

Knits for Tall Gals

 

An often neglected demographic, is the taller woman, and with that in mind, I have focused on making some things that are 'long enough' for the taller figure. My height-rich girlfriends volunteered to model my creations.

 Here is Jean, wearing a Taiyo (cotton, silk and wool) and merino cardivest. She is over 5'10" and this does not look skimpy on her. It's 30" long lying flat, but of course drapes longer on the wearer.

 

Vista, about the same height as Jean, is wearing a waistcoat in a merino combo which is 25" long. SOLD

 

Not a tall gal, Audrey is more like 5'6" and this tunic is really long on her. But she volunteered to model it to enjoy the squishy extrafine merino yarn. Again, it is 28"  long, lying flat, but much longer on the wearer.

  

Vista in a Silk Garden and Rios merino cardivest. 

  
And finally, Vista models the Silk Garden and silk-merino tunic, which Jean had to have! Jean said "It's long enough!!"
All (but this last one) are available for $100 with free shipping. Email me.