Through the Loops!

Ramona

I'm so excited to show you Ramona. It's a test knit I did for my good friend Karen Clark of Choochoo Knits. From the first time she sent me a photo of her design I loved it. Easily worked top down construction and lovely lace embellishments are right in my knitting wheelhouse. And you can't argue with results like these:

Sofie wears this sweater all the time. I should modify that statement a bit by saying she wears it when she can find it because it fits me too and I've taken to hiding it from her. Heh. I really wish I had photos of myself in this sweater to prove to you how well it fits two very different bodies. Her bust is about 34" and mine is about 38". That's how much stretch this thing has.

I also love the way the way Ramona fits Sofie to create that hourglass shape in the back that you see in the photo above. That's all due to the inherent stretch in the design. There is no body shaping. But if you are the sort who still enjoys a bit of waist shaping, there's plenty of room to add it in the stockinette side panels.

Sofie likes to sass Ramona up with heels and a flirty skirt. I wear it casually with jeans and boots. It's versatile enough to work equally well both ways. For versatility Karen's design gets high marks!

For my version of Ramona I used Stonehedge Fiber Mill's Shepherd's Wool. The color is "Milk Chocolate". Stonehedge Fiber Mills offers this yarn in a beautiful range of colors. I first saw Shepherd's Wool at Fiber Space last fall, where I bought myself a few skeins to play with. Then I saw it again at Rhinebeck where I picked up a sweater's worth of the yarn that I used for Ramona. It's a lovely, soft merino that can easily be worn right next to the skin. There is a bit of pilling, but the pills can be plucked off and IMO it's a worthwhile trade-off for softness.

Pattern: Ramona

Yarn:  Stonehedge Fiber Mills Shepherd's Wool, Worsted Weight

Needles: US 7 (4.5mm) this is the project I was working on when my needles were confiscated at the airport in Florence. You can hear more about that nasty experience here.

 

 

Last Night and Looking Forward to May

Just a quickie post with no knitting content whatsoever. (But I'm hoping Sofie's fluffy skirt will hold your interest.)

Anders & Sofie's band The NowhereNauts played a show at the Mercury Lounge last night. While it may be argued that I am a little biased, I'm still going to say it - they were amazing.

To listen to their music, check out their Facebook Band page. If you like what you hear be sure to "like" them there.

They've got several more shows planned over the next few months leading up to a very exciting day in May:

Viola

I originally designed this shawl for Wool Wonka Fiber's Shakespeare in Lace club. Worked in decadently soft Euphrosyne Lace, Viola is light and drapey. Ann sent three gorgeous shades of  blue for me to work with to create Viola. They blend from light, "Sororia" at the top of the shawl, to "Heartsease" then on to the deepest, Larkspur for the border.

The body of the shawl is worked in one piece from the center of the top edge, outward moving gracefully from one pattern to the next. The lace edging is knit on at the end.

Sent to club members in December, Viola is now available to everyone.

Viola

Sizes: One size
Finished Measurements: 72" across top edge, 35" from top to point, blocked
Gauge:  16 sts & 32 rows = 4”(10cm) in Dropped Stitch Lace, blocked
Yarn: Wooly Wonka Fibers Euphrosyne Lace, 70% Baby Alpaca/20% Silk, 10% Cashmere, 
Color # 1 - Sororia 300 yards
Color # 2 Heartsease 600 yards
Color # 3- Larkspur 300 yards
Needles: One set US 5/3.75mm, 40”circular needle plus a spare DPN in the same size or size to obtain gauge
Other Materials: 4 stitch markers, tapestry needle, crochet hook

Price: $6.00