Sabrina Cardigan

Several years ago Cassie asked me to knit this striped cardigan for her for Christmas. The pattern seemed to be a bit screwy, (maybe it was me), but something seemed to be wrong.

Several times I put the knitted pieces away and then would find it and work on it again. Recently the Needles in the Hay wool shop had a UFO KAL. You were supposed to find an Un Finished Object Knitting project, get it out and finish it and they were offering a discount on purchases for those who could complete an item and finish it within a certain time, and post about it. Well I managed to finish the cardigan and now it is a wearable item.

The Pattern

The Un Finished Object – in pieces
Cassandra wearing the Cardigan
Lynn modelling the cardigan
Shawland Artisans
Shawland Artisans

Lala’s Simple Shawl

08Aug2015 03808Aug2015 03607July18 122Cassie needed a project to use up the wool that she had spun using a drop spindle.  She had died it with Woad seeds.  We found a pattern on the internet for Lala’s Simple Shawl   lalasimpleshawl_eng-2 .  It is similar to the small shawls that we made before, but this shawl is much bigger and the pattern is a bit different.  I decided that I should make one too.  It seemed like a good way to use up some of the wool that I have spun and dyed.  I started out with a large ball of wool that had been dyed with onion skins.  Of course this ball ran out before the shawl was finished so I found another similar one.  It ended up that I had to use several different types and weights of wool with different intensities of onion skin dyes.

The finished sh08Aug2015 046awl has a striped look as each ball of wool was different.  I quite like the results.  The one picture shows Cassie wearing her blue shawl while working at Lang.  I thinkshe ran out of wool and had to spin more to finish.  Sammi also made her version of the shawl with wool that she purchased a while ago from Harrisville.  Of course she made hers in half the time it took me.  Candace has also started one with some lovely wool that she bought in Toronto.

08Aug2015 10108Aug2015 060

Fern Lace Shawl with Naturally Dyed, Hand-spun (not by me) Wool

Fern-lace Shawl

So, this is normally my mom’s territory.  This summer my job at Lang Pioneer Village I was given instruction on dying wool using plant-derived dyes.  Ladies (why no men?  Maybe there were some) from local weavers and spinners groups spun a whole bunch of wool this spring and I was allowed to run free experimenting with these natural dyes.  My mom has (Lynn) been into this for a long time and I have been on several excursions with her to collect Black Walnuts, Queen-Ann’s Lace, or whatever else we can identify that has dyeing properties, but this summer I actually got involved in the dyeing process.  Also, as I used up lots of the spun wool, I figured that I needed to learn to spin some as well.

I’m not going to go into the processes for this post (plus you can find all of this stuff online), but here are some pictures of all that.

IMG_20140823_125721045
My trusty work spinning wheel

 

IMG_20140829_125139110
Winding wool that I’d spun. In the background, mordanting over the fire.

IMG_20140830_125316689
Preparing a dye bath over the fire. This was full of Staghorn Sumac berries. It produced my greatest dye failure; a smoker’s-hair yellow-grey.

 

IMG_20140823_131510531
An array of colours produced by plants, some grown for their dyeing properties in the Fitzpatric garden at Lang Pioneer Village, others collected on the grounds.

The true intent of this post is my Fern-lace shawl.   After getting a sweet electric-yellow out of a bunch of goldenrod (Canada Goldenrod, Solidago altissima ?) I figured that I really needed to knit something from these cool colours we were coming up with.  Pauline Gillespie, the volunteer teaching us dyeing, had already instructed dying with apple bark and Marguerite.  One day she came by with knit shawls as gifts for me and my co-worker, Tara, and I told her that I wanted to knit with the dyed wool.   She said “Go for it!” and ran off to get the pattern for me.Fern Lace Shawl

The pattern seemed to indicate that it was something you worked on only when you had cabin fever, and although I’m pretty sure that knitting is one of the activities that gives you cabin fever (no, I’m not the knitter in the family), I began.  I wanted to start with my favorite goldenrod yellow, then I thought I’d finish with a heavily overspun apple bark, so as not to use up all the really nice wool. The pattern starts nice and simple, cast on five, then add at the beginning and end of of each row with some yarn-over action (YOLO!) in the centre.  The rows get longer and longer and then you (I) realise that the little ugly apple bark ball will not be enough.  I ended up pillaging another skein of really nice apple bark, so you can see a slight change in tone on the trim.  I don’t mind.

Fern Lace Shawl I wanted the shawl to be a little longer in the back than the pattern called for so I added more rows.  Of course when you do this, you have to make sure that the lacy trim at the end makes sense.  I tried a few times.  The first was totally off, so on the second attempt, which was closer, I made it fit.  I’m quite happy with the result.  Now I just have to find those times which require a shawl and then remember to wear it.  I think it will come in handy for coolish Autumn walks in the natural areas around my home.

Fern Lace Shawl

Alafoss Lopi Traditional Icelandic design cardigan

05May23LynnC 07005May23LynnC 071Quite a few years ago, I purchased this Alafoss Lopi knitting pattern for an Icelandic design cardigan.  I love how the darker colour outlines the pattern.  I couldn’t wait to knit it!IcelandicCardigan_0002  The pattern is knit on circular needle needles, with the sleeves and body joined together in the yoke.  I hate sewing seems, so this made finishing much easier.

I found a cheaper yarn at the local Eaton’s store in Peterborough Square and decided to do it in blue white and navy.  The yarn used in this pattern is just single spun and is not plied.  I remember finding that it was very loose and I would often try to twist it tighter while knitting.  I know that I knitted it longer than it was supposed to be, thinking that this was a good idea to make it cozier.  As it turned out, I knit a little too loosely as well, and made the whole sweater a bit too big.  My daughters did wear it, but that was when they were wearing everything loose and large.

A few years later, I was at an auction of knitting supplies, wool and yarn from a store that had gone out of business.  It was a snowy day and we had to drive to Orange Corners for the sale.  The place was packed.  I bought a package of several skeins of the brown Alafoss Lopi wool, as well as needles and other types of yarn.  Now I needed the contrast colour and the white yarn.  I found the white, but couldn’t find the chocolate brown anywhere.  I had to get “Happenstance Books and Yarn” in Lakefield, to order  for me.

I knit most of the body and the sleeves and then put it aside for some time. I must have needed the circular needle, and replaced it with a smaller one.  When I picked it up again and started knitting the yoke, I realized my mistake.  I wasn’t going to rip it out so I just switched to the proper needles and finished the project.  You can see a band around the sweater as a result of this mistake….. a “design element”!  The brown sweater turned out much better than the blue.  I am thinking about trying to felt or shrink the blue one to make it fit better.  I still haven’t put buttons on the brown one.

05May23LynnC 049  05May23LynnC 054  05May23LynnC 075  05May23LynnC 074

Tulip Top Spring Sweater

Tulip Top Detail
Tulip Top Detail

I was given a gift card to Needles In the Hay for my birthday, about two years ago, from a friend who knew that I love to knit (a great gift idea)!  I wasn’t quite sure what to get and started imagining what I might like to knit.  I had bought a pattern book for myself around Christmas time that year and had an idea that I might try something for the spring.  The book was Stitch’n Bitch Superstar Knitting: Go beyond the basics by Debbie Stoller.  The pattern is called Tulip Top by Laura Grutzeck.

Sammi's Tulip Top

Back View Scoop Neckline
Back View Scoop Neckline

This spring/summer sweater is made of cotton yarn and didn’t take long to knit.  This was my first attempt at a fitted garment.  I think it turned out nicely!

Vintage Look
Vintage Look

Full View
Full View

 

 

Hearts and Anchors Toque

TouquesanchorsandheartstoqueheartsanchorsThis is my Hearts and Anchors Toque.  Designed and knitted by myself with consultations and design help from my sister, Cassandra Shaw.  I wanted to use up several ends of balls of wool from previous toques and wanted to try to design knitted pictures myself.  This was the outcome.  No pictures of the finished product, but here it is with the main part of the design finished.

Knitted Lodge Socks

cmassocks2013 Sammi's c-mas socks C-mas socks2013Just thought I should knit a pair of socks over Christmas.  It was fun and relaxing, and now I have an awesome pair of socks!  I used some variegated wool that I had bought to knit leg warmers, but socks are so much quicker and you get to ‘turn the heel’, the magical part of knitting…

Hand-Spun Knitted Hat and Scarf

I dyed the unspun wool with Kool-Aid, and then I spun it in rainbow order.   Then I knit the scarf.  I thought I would make a hat to match and knit it from the pattern in this Pattons knitting book.  The pattern is actually a Fair Isle pattern, but I just knit it all from my rainbow wool.

11Nov162013 150

 

11Nov162013 029   11Nov162013 147

This is the same pattern (with the Fair Isle pattern).  This hand spun wool was dyed with Black Walnuts, Onion Skins and Goldenrod.

11Nov162013 158   11Nov162013 155

hand-spun knitted hat and scarf. 

 

Fiddlehead Mittens

Fiddlehead MittensFiddlehead Mittens

Fiddlehead Mittens - Sammi wearing mittsMy sister bought me a kit for Christmas one year to make these fiddlehead mittens from Tanis Fibre Arts.  They have a knitted lining and are super warm.  This was my first attempt at fair isle knitting or knitting with several colours.  I love the result, but found the pattern for the lining to be a challenge because it was too big.  I re-knit the one mitt’s lining several times, but didn’t redo the other, so it’s a bit bunched in the end.  I wear them anyway, I love knitting!