Boxy Lace

This is the year to reknit my knits.  Or so it seems.  Earlier this spring, I re-knit the Black Zooey, changing it from it's first life as Margarita to it's new and happier Vonica.  More recently, I ripped out my Cotton Concerto  - sorry to Sigrun  who helped me so much with the sleeves - and knit Cancun Boxy Lace.

From the photos it appears that my Concerto looked lovely on me.

But in reality all that cotton was a bit heavy, and therefore hot, to wear.  Cancun used only a fraction of the amount of yarn needed for Concerto.   Combine that with the  shorter length and Cancun  should be much more comfortable to wear on hot summer days.

Cancun is an easy knit, but the free ravelry pattern does have a few errors.  Nothing major and nothing  a knowing knitter  cannot solve,  but just beware.  And use the picture for guidance.

  

I have worn Cancun a few times this week and it has been well received.  The proof is always in the wearing.

Sorry for these less than stellar photos.  Hubby is off on a fishing trip and these are selfies.  Should get some advice from our PM.  He's well-practised.

Happy Birthday Canada

I know, I am a bit early with my birthday wishes for Canada, but I just finished my Maple Leaf Shawl.

Knit in   Briggs & Little Sport weight in a bright red colour, what could be more perfect for my 'Canada 150' project than a shawl in the shape of the iconic Maple Leaf, knit in Mountie Scarlet, with yarn produced at the Canada's oldest  mill?

Hopefully, our cool spring weather will be with us still on July 1st and I will be able to wear my shawl to show off my true north Canadian spirit.

Pattern: Maple Leaf Shawl
Needles: 5.5mm
Yarn:  Briggs & Little Sport weight.  Colour -  Scarlet
Mods:  None.  The pattern tells the knitter to pick their favourite edge stitch and use it whenever the pattern says ES (Edge stitch). I chose to slip the first stitch of every row.  That produced a very nice chain effect along all the points.

After knitting, I soaked the shawl in Eucolan then tossed it in the dryer for 7 minutes. Thanks B&L for your tough yarn that does not exhibit  extreme felting properties.  The dryer simply tightened up the stitches so they are all neat and tidy.  To finish the drying, I pinned the shawl to the blocking board, paying particular attention to all the points.

They now sit very sharply - just the look I wanted.

This is not a shawl I see myself wearing much, but I am glad I knit it.  It was fun to do and will make a  yearly appearance on Canada Day.

For Florida

Many times in my knitting life   -  and my  non-knitting life too, come to think of it  -   I have heard ladies say that the shawl, the shorts, or the sun hat they are wearing was purchased with Florida in mind. Usually older ladies.  Retired ladies with the time and the funds to head south in the winter. Now, seems as if  I am one of them.

One of our winter rituals, while in Florida,  is to head to the movies on Fridays.  Dinner and a movie. Only in  reverse order as we go to matinee followed by dinner. No matter the temperature outdoors, the movie theater often seems to be chilly.  As do the restaurants.  My Florida friend, Ruby, is always prepared for those cooler temperatures.  Slung over her arm or  carried in her purse, she comes prepared with a shawl.  Something to slip over her shoulders to protect her from the manufactured breeze when the A.C. kicks in. Percolating in my mind last winter was the thought that "I want me one of those."

Back home,  one rainy, cool,  April day a friend and I headed over to Hanover  to check out a new yarn store.  Lama Laine.  There on the first set of shelves inside the door was a great display of Baby Bamboo.  With glorious  Florida colours.   A Florida shawl waiting to happen.  I picked up two balls - one blue and one green  - that to me,  said FLORIDA!

Back home I canvassed Ravelry for  the perfect pattern.  I wanted either triangular or semi-circular.  Not a rectangle.  Mostly because I didn't want to have to pin it on.  My vision was of a shawl that would stay put without a shawl pin, because of it's shaping.  The Kindness Shawl caught my eye and although my yarn was much thicker than the Fingering weight called for in the pattern, I felt it was do-able with the DK weight.

As luck would have it, I had one complete skein of White Sunseeker left over from my recently-completed Vonica.  With 217 Metres of the white and about one hundred each of the Bamboo, I have a perfectly-sized shawl.  With a perfect, crescent shape that sits just beautifully on the shoulders and doesn't slip off.

When the winds howl and snow flies next fall,  some might be thinking of flannel PJs and woolen toques, but

I'll be thinking Florida shawl.

 

Vonica In White

Vonica is just as nice in white as it is in black.

 Having  finished the black one in mid April, almost immediately, I cast on for a  white one.  While the motivation to speed knit  lessened with Vonica number two, still today, May 24, my white Vonica  is enjoying it's inaugural wear.

The yarn used this time is Cascade Sunseeker, a 50/50 cotton acrylic blend.  It was warm across my lap while knitting and it occurred to me that the acrylic content might make it  too warm for a hot weather wear.  I sure hope not because when else would one wear a white lacy sweater but in hot weather?

Again, the only modification I made was to use 2x2 ribbing vs the 1x1 called for in the pattern.

As I mentioned after finishing my black Vonica  - and as has been born out with each of it's  many, many wearings -   Vonica is  an easy pattern to knit; a comfortable sweater to wear; - and one that garners compliments galore.  

I have begun to wonder if it would be 'weird' to have a sweater collection that contained only Vonicas?  Perhaps to a non-knitter, yes.  But this knitter is considering it.

PS.  I am having a much better day that my photo in these pics might suggest.

PS #2 Bonne Marie from Chicknits has publicly announced on Ravelry that she is suffering from Colon Cancer.  Hop on over to the Chicknits forum and wish her well.

From Margarita to Vonica

From Magarita to Vonica - sounds like a song title.  But no, it is my latest knit.

Last year you might remember that I knit Margarita with Black Zooey - a linen/cotton combo that I purchased  in Florida.  Although I loved the lace panel down the back of Margarita, I didn't love the way the sweater hung in front.  It was one of those 'stick to the armpits' sweaters.  The pattern declared it to be open-fronted but gave instructions for extra width to fill in that gap a bit, if desired.

I did knit it with the extra width, but still, when wearing, it drifted always to the armpits and stayed there.


This spring, I decided to rip it out and knit something else with it.  I chose Vonica, a Chicknits pattern.

I have knit a few other Chicknits patterns and even though Vonica is also open-fronted, I felt I could trust the designer to give me a non-armpit-clinging garment.  And she did!

It is a lovely sweater.  And a quick knit. Started April 1 - good thing I'm not superstitious - and finished on April 23.

The construction is unique.  It starts at the centre-back collar with a provisional cast on (See how I did this on  my ravelry page)

 and continues first down the fronts, then the back to the underarms.  There the  fronts are joined to the back and the knitting continues to the bottom ribbing.

Sleeves are picked up and knit down.  Sleeves are a modified drop

 with a snugger fit that the drop-shoulder sleeves of our past. They look very sophisticated.

The only modification I did was to use 2x2 ribbing instead of the 1x1 the pattern suggested.  I made my standard size - the 40 (W)x 22.5(L) inch rectangle that seems to suit my body shape.  I love it so much, I think a white one is in order.