Presenting - Mondo Cable Cardi

Mono Cable is done. A successful knit. I"ve worn it once already to lots of compliments - of course that was at knit group and knitters are great compliment-ers.






Mondo Cable Cardi - Deets
Yarn - Vienna 8 1/2 balls. The same yarn I used for the poor shrunken Shalom. Shade 604. (The shade on the web site is much more accurate than my photos.)

Pattern: Mondo Cable Cardi by Bonnie Marie Burns.

Mods: A Few.
The pattern called for a bit of an A-Line shape which I eliminated. I am too short and too 'not stick-straight' enough to look good in A-Line.
The collar was also modified. The pattern called for it to be knit at right angles to the body, picking up one body stitch with each collar row. That seemed much too complicated to me. Instead, Ipicked up stitches around the neck and knit until I liked the length/depth of the collar.
The ribbing was to be 5 x 1. But it curled so badly that I converted it to 4 x 2.

Mondo has been blocked twice. The first time, I blocked 'a la' Deb Gemmell by pinning the sweater out to size then placing a damp towel on top. The end result was not quite severe enough to showcase the cable. The second time, I turned the sweater inside out, stretched out the cables slightly and blocked with my steam iron using the hovercraft method.

Does this sweater have a 'story'? Why yes it does.

The pattern first caught my attention on the 'net'. I loved the simplicity of the design - a cabled sweater without too much fuss or bulk. The 'de jour' styling of just a few buttons at the neck, the couture ribbing at the bottom and all in my recent, favourite, sweater type - Top Down.

At this point " two roads diverged". One road said. "I don't need a pattern for that sweater. I could figure that out by myself." Especially with the book 'Button Up Your Top Down' by my side as a guide. The other road said "Do I want to be bothered to figure it out myself, when the cost is only $5.95 USD." In the end, my lazy nature won out.

But I might as well have saved my money. The pattern was so confusing - using terms I hadn't seen since grade 9 sewing class, like 'bodice' and never mentioning the back at all - that I ended up doing a spread sheet to get me through the neck and top portions until it split at the underarms.

When almost through that confusing section I received an updated version of the pattern via email. Admittedly, the new version was much more straightforward, but too late for me.

On the 'net' I couldn't quite see the cable and thought there might be something complex about it that required the pattern for explanation. But it turned out to be a simple 12 stitch right/left leaning cable. Since I changed the complicated collar construction and the curling rib, there wasn't much about the pattern that I couldn't have 'created' myself.

I hesitated to post these negative thoughts, as I know - or at least have heard - how hard designers work to develop their patterns. Ravelers rave about Bonnie's patterns, so once again, I feel 'odd knitter out'. IMHO this pattern had little going for it. So little that I would have to be 'pushed' to purchase another from this designer. When I compared the pattern to 'Lady Grey' from BUYTD - there was no comparison.

Still, 'all's well that ends well'. Mondo is a great sweater. It will gets lots of wear this winter. The yarn is warm but not heavy and the styling current. I'm happy. Out $5.95 USD, but happy.

Car Knitting

Monday of this week, I had a great car trip down to Toronto and back. Since I wasn't driving, there was lots of time to knit.

This came off the needles.

The Northern Lights hat

from this book

loved by our knit group.

The butterscotch yarn is Rejuvenation. 100% wool from Kertzer. A nice inexpensive wool that would make a great substitute for Patons Classic Merino. Rejuvenation seems to be a bit more tightly spun, so perhaps won't have the pilling problem that I've always found with Classic.

The white in my hat is Alpaca, left over from my Elann Autumn sampler pack. And the brown is a long-ago discontinued super wash wool called Muskoka.

A fast knit and a nice hat. A great, easy-to-follow pattern. And just to prove that I did indeed knit this one in the car, look at the coffee stains.

Happy weekend knitting.

Thursdays Are For Knit Group And Survivor

Christmas bazaars have the knitters Doreen in a frenzy . She had a sack of almost-finished, hand-knit, 'bazaar' items, with almost-finished being the scary words here. She has lots to do before her Saturday bazaar.

A couple of weeks ago, Doreen ordered a pompom maker from Mary Maxim. When told the item would arrive in a week, she almost had knitters apoplexy. We tried to tell her that pom poms can be made without a specific tool, but for Doreen, it is a skill that escapes her. She really!! needed that pom pom maker. It has arrived and here is her first 'perfect' pom pom.

Cute hat too, Doreen.

Christmas is definitely in the air. Wilma finished a pair of 'texting' mitts for her 16 year old grand son.

So cute. Er well, I mean - so cool! No 16 year old boy wants 'cute'

Nell, as usual is knitting for the mission. This year, she has dressed 50 dolls in hand knit or crocheted clothing. She says she sometimes opens her front door or lifts the mail box lid to find a naked doll. Her friends know that she will clothe it and send it off to make a child happy.

Being the girl I am, I found it irresistible that she even makes underwear for the dolls.

Nell says that her husband doesn't like to see naked dolls lying around the house, so the first thing she knits for the doll is new undies.

Ingrid was wearing a beautiful piece today. Points at the sleeve tips and lower edges. Cables running down the sleeves. Very couture.

And in the category of 'No!' Fred caught a second Rainbow Trout today.

2006 - no fish. 2007 - no fish. 2008 - no fish. 2009 - two fish! He's happy.

As for Survivor, was that a smart move for Russell to tell he had the idol? And to play it? I can't see the 'smart' in that. Tonight should be interesting.