The Completed Interlocking Ribs Counterpane!

The Specs

Finished Size: 60” x 77“

Which needed 8.5 lbs. of hand spun Falkland bulky weight singles and took more hours than I bothered to count!

My last post covered sewing up the center blanket units and knitting up the 4 cable and seed stitch borders.  Since then, I’ve sewn the borders on and edged the entire thing in Applied I-cord.

Here’s pics of how I decided to deal with the disparity between the seed stitch cable edges and the main body edges, which varies from knit and purl rib sections to BO knit stitch sections.

These photos were taken on my bed, atop a hand spun, indigo dyed, and handwoven blanket, and my “Golden Ferns Counterpane” design, which was in “101 Knitting-To-Go Projects”, 2001.

Now, I could have counted exactly how many stitches were along the main body sides and the lengths of cable edging, so to determine an exact ratio between the two, for sewing up, but I’m not that retentive!  

 Instead, I tried to divide the number of cable crossings into more or less even sections, and basted the 2 pieces together using a tapestry needle and a smooth (non-wool) yarn.  I found I needed to stretch the denser seed stitch edge when basting across the wide BO knit sections, but stretch the knit and purl rib sections, when basting along them.

This worked well enough.  As I pulled out the basting for each small section, I counted how many seed stitches there were and how many body stitches they would be sewn to, then adjusted the sewing-up ratio to suit.

The Applied I-cord was one of the easier parts of the entire process.  As I was using the same yarn for the I-cord as for the afghan, I didn’t need to add a yarn over on each row, which is done, when using a different color, so to avoid a color blip showing.

In all, the entire afghan was easy to work, so not only does it look modern, but once you work one repeat of the main afghan unit, you don’t need to refer to the book again.  Same goes for the cable borders, which are easy peasy.

As it’s heavy (8.5 lbs.), to block it, I laid an extra blanket on the queen bed, laid out the afghan and spritzed it with water, to dampen, but not soak it, then pulled here and there, to make the afghan square up as best it could, considering that the body patterns do ebb and flow.  

The last touch was the duplicate stitching on the 4 corner stockinette squares.  I used Lamb’s pride Worsted, held double, in Oatmeal, so that the stitching would be seen but not overwhelm.  Bride and groom’s initials on the upper 2 corners, a heart, and the year on the lower 2 corners.

I need to find a very large gift box.  Large shipping boxes we have, as I save the boxes that anything large comes in, knowing they will be useful one day.  

I *may* take a brief respite from knitting.  Then again, I may not!  More sewing for the house needs doing, and my floor loom has been sitting empty for well over a year, and I want to get this stash of t-shirt yarn woven up into small area rugs.  

Hand spinning is also an ongoing activity, at least until I send my flyer out to a woodworker sometime this summer to get it fitted with a higher speed whorl.  My wheel is a Country Craftsman, vintage, and no longer made.  It’s a wonderful wheel, but only has 10:1 and 13:1 ratios, which isn’t nearly fast enough to spin the singles for a 2-ply worsted to aran wt. yarn, without treading like the dickens for an hour, then a half hour to ply it.  It’s way too tiring!

More closeups!

Onward!

Dawn

The counterpane project continues!

My first post about the Counterpane Project is here, in case you haven't read it yet.  This first photo shows the main, central part of the pattern seamed up.  I love how the light catches on the vertical rib placement!

If you’re not familiar with this book, it’s filled with great patterns for traditional counterpane blankets.  I used the Alsacian Scallops stitch pattern in a scarf and mitten design many years ago, as the curviness of the scallops lend themselves to be used as an edging, which became the gauntlet on the mittens.

Now, when I say “patterns” I mean stitch patterns.  Each blanket design has several elements, usually a center motif, with several border motifs.  Each element has line-by-line instructions, but there’s no instructions included for how large, long, or wide to work the elements, nor how many are needed.

So, one needs to CO with the yarn of choice and appropriate size needles, and work a couple repeats of the main element, then do the math to figure out how many are needed, and approximately how much yarn will be needed.

Most of the patterns are worked in fine cottons on small needles, which I would never be inclined to use!  Instead, I spun about 6 or 7 lbs. of bulky weight Falkland wool singles, knit with US size 10 (6 mm) Addi Turbo circulars, working flat.  (I have yet to weigh all the parts to see the final weight.)

I knit 80 main motifs, knitting 4 together in each *square* grouping, then made 20 groups.  I laid them out 4 groups across and 5 groups down, which gives a 56” wide x 68” long large afghan.

This ribbed counterpane pattern has 2 borders – a cable and seed stitch border, then an interlocking ribs border.

I decided to leave off the last border, as the afghan would be large enough (and heavy enough) without it.  Instead, as the main ribbed pattern is more modern-looking than the other counterpane patterns in the book, I decided that the final edging would be Applied I-cord.

I also decided not to lay out the motif groups on their axis, as shown in the above photo, as that would have required the knitting of all those small triangles to create straight  top and side edges to the afghan.

The book mentions an option to leave a corner in plain stockinette, so to stitch on the year the afghan was made.  I decided to go one step further and have a plain corner on all 4 corners.  This way, one corner will have the year, one corner will have the bride’s initials, one will have the groom’s initials, and the last corner will have a heart.

To keep the stockinette on all 4 plain corners going in the same direction, I knit 2 lengths of just the cable and seed stitch patterns for the top and bottom edges.  The side edges begin and end with the stockinette sections.

I need to dig through stash for a tan or camel color, for the corner stitching, as I want it to be seen, but not stand out like a sore thumb against the white wool.

The cable borders are 3.5” wide, which will make the afghan 63” wide x 75”.  The I-cord may add 1/4 - 1/2” around.  It’s a generous size for snuggling up together on the sofa, or can be used either lengthwise or crosswise on a queen size bed.

One last blanket post will be forthcoming, showing how I’m attaching the cable border to the wavy body piece, then working the Applied I-cord, and showing the finished afghan.

Onward!
Dawn

The Counterpane Project

I have long wanted to knit a wool counterpane, for our bed. I can't remember exactly when I decided I wanted to make one, but, it could have been after acquiring Mary Walker Phillips' "Knitting Counterpanes", in the '90s.

Or, perhaps even a decade earlier than that, as I had clipped this pattern out of a women's magazine, likely in the very early 80’s, sampled in Bernat Berella “4”.

My Google searches have found some sites selling pdf's of this pattern, dating it to the '60s and '70s.  I was in high school in the 70’s, so the clipping isn’t that old!  The magazine us likely from the early '80s, although memory can be a funny thing.  Alas, the mag's name isn't printed at the bottom of each page, as I cannot find an online reference to the original magazine.

The idea ended up pushed into the back of my mind, and stayed there, for many years, as I got on with life's demands.

Sometimes, when I sit to spin, I would remember the counterpane.  Dreams shouldn't languish, unfulfilled. There's enough of that going around.  This idea will become Real.

And now I finally have an excuse to commit myself to the project – one of my nieces will be getting married in November.  She and her fiancé live in WI, so a warm wool blanket will surely get put to use!  And by starting now, in February, I am allowing for the inevitable Life Interruptions!

The Yarn
bulky wt. singles

The Fiber
Falkland wool top, 27 microns, 56 count (though it feels more like a 58), 3-5” staple length, natural white.

I had considered not spinning the yarn, and, instead, buying a commercial domestic yarn, like Lamb's Pride Bulky, as I do like the fabric LP makes, especially in afghans, but, I figured why not go all out, and make as close to a truly handmade heirloom, as I can, without actually starting from fleece.

Not that I have any qualms about processing raw wool!  Back in the late 80's, I washed, picked, carded, spun and naturally dyed a lot of Romney, Lincoln and yearling mohair – and I have the hand woven and hand hooked rugs to prove it! (If you'd like to see photos, I can put them into a new post.)

But, that great picker and carder, which hubby motorized for me, were sold off decades ago, as we prepared to sell our first house, buy our 2nd house, then restore it to run a B&B.  

The second factor, naturally then, is cost, which will be minimal, as the bump of wool top is already paid for.  The project is all labor, which is why they call these things Labors of Love.  I love wool.  I love to spin.  I love to knit.

Spinning the yarn will also be a great experiment in consistency, and, hence, my skill.  This project will require about 8-10 lbs of yarn, which shouldn't vary by more than a few yds in each 3.5 oz/100 gm skein.

I do find that by spinning just one weight of yarn, almost every day, most of the skeins will have the necessary yardage.  The rest will get added to my bulky wt. Falkland handspun listing on Etsy.

The Wheel
A 1987 Country Craftsman double drive (DD) wheel, using the 10:1 ratio drive whorl. I have always used a thick poly cord on my CC wheels, and this wheel functions perfectly with it, both in the spinning and the plying.

Yes, I know DD wheels are supposed to only use a cotton or linen drive cord.  I suppose if I wanted to sand down the poly finish on the wheel's 2 grooves and the grooves on all the bobbins and drive whorls, then, perhaps a cotton cord would drive the wheel just duckily.  LOL, but, not while there's finish in all the grooves, and I have tried many times.

The Pattern
“Interlocking Ribs” counterpane pattern (KC, pg. 136), with the cable and interlocking ribs borders.

Although I love the “Larnach Castle” and “Grandmother Anderson’s” patterns (also in “Knitting Counterpanes”), the new couple are young, so I thought better of knitting a traditional, perhaps too ‘old-fashioned’ pattern.  The “Interlocking Ribs” pattern should be modern enough.

I began by working the individual rectangles separately, as in the pattern, but soon realized I could work the rectangles in units of 4, as I did in my “Quilt Blocks Cloths” design, so to reduce the amount of sewing up needed.  I just picked up the sts for the next rectangle off the left side of the finished rectangle, until 4 rectangles are knit.  Each unit then just need one short seam sewn.

I don’t yet know how large I will make the blanket, but I’ll post photos when the counterpane is finished!

Onward,
Dawn

Back to Basics

 (Originally posted on WP 10/16/21.)

Back to Basics

We all come to appreciate certain things, in our own, sweet, sometimes slow, time!  Which brings me to – I've never been enamored of garter stitch. There, I've said it.

When I began to knit, circularly, that is, after reading a couple chapters of Elizabeth Zimmermann’s ‘Knitting Workshop’, I dove head-first into Fair Isle, stranding, cables, and lace.  Of course, I noticed that EZ used garter stitch, and quite often, but, it just seemed to lack sophistication and knitterly skill.  When I want to do something, I always do it big.  I don't take baby steps, I fearlessly dive in head first.  So, I never knit anything in garter stitch.

Maybe it's age…although blaming things on ‘age’ irks me, as it sounds like an excuse.
What it really is is a too-busy Life for my energy resources – too much to think about and take care of every day, so that when I go to knit, I don’t want (and my brain doesn’t need) anything strenuous, complicated, or fast-paced.

The stage is finally set – a confluence of variables, where, suddenly, my hands are enjoying this simple stitch.  They never did before, though.  I used to wonder how knitters could find garter stitch to be easy.  Yes, it's just knit, knit, knit, but, those purl bumps don't *want* to be knit into.  Ya gotta push past the bump to knit each stitch.  Eh.  

To me, these bumps always want to be purled into, which was, and still is, fine with me.  I have no qualms about purling, even in Fair Isle or stranded color work.  I love stranded knitting.

I do tend to knit, not quite *all* the time, as EZ did, but until the recent health snafu, on most late afternoons into evenings, with just short detours to eat, shower, get all the evening pills and paraphernalia, and tend to hubby’s meal and coffee needs, so I can plop my backside back down, and not have to jump up for anything, until bedtime.

And what do I usually knit?  Socks.  Piles and piles of socks.

Been knitting socks since the beginning of my knitting life, as my feet have always been cold.  I used to buy men's wool hunting socks.  Naturally, they were too large for my feet, but there wasn't (and likely still isn't) anyone making thick wool socks for women's feet.  

Now, why is that?

Don't they know that women can tend to be cold? (Well, at least until menopause!)  Aren't we the ones always inching up the thermostat, hoping the husband doesn't notice?  And, of course he does, making a big fuss, gagging and choking on the heat, as if he was about the melt, whilst making a beeline for the thermostat, muttering to himself, just loudly enough for the wife to hear: "Now who put the heat up?"  When he knows darn well, who put it
up.

But, all of a sudden, as I finished up another pair of socks, to be hand washed and added to the bulging sock drawer, I suddenly dreaded casting on another pair of socks.

Aaack!  What's up with that?  I've never NOT wanted to knit socks, not in 3 decades. Now, I had been knitting up stash.  And my stash, as a designer, never mind as a knitter, has been quite humble, as discretionary income hasn't been a burden for most of those 3 decades.  But, I've been in a clearing-out-the-house frame of mind for a long time.  And, that means yarn, too.  

I also recently purchased the luxury of a new pair of LL Bean sheepskin slippers.

I had a pair many years ago, which lasted 3-4 years with daily wear for 9 months of every year!  Now, that's quality. Then the price went up, and I was back to knitting thick wool socks, instead.  But, sheepskin really can't be beat to warm up feet on cold floors, and didn't I have enough Life Stresses to deal with?  Yup.  So, I deleted from the list having to deal with cold feet!  And they have outdoor soles, so I can get the mail and sweep the leaves off the deck without needing to change shoes.

But, back to knitting and garter stitch. So, with not wanting to knit socks, but needing something to work on every evening (as I cannot just be a couch potato, like men seem so capable of!), I turned to the household – what does it need?  

I have a pile of things I need to sew up on the machine, but that’s day work. But hubby had been needing a new afghan – longer than the ones I’ve knit. So began the 3 week journey of knitting bulky knit garter stitch squares for this afghan, now seamed and I-corded, but it hasn’t yet had it’s bath, I mean, wet blocking. 

 

I don’t consider anything I knit or weave as finished until it’s had a bath, been hung or laid flat to dry, then pressed, if needed, as wovens tend to need.  So, please forgive any lumpiness you see – stitches becomes much more cohesive and smooth with a bath. Washing large afghans and blankets is so much easier once it’s warm enough outside, so they can be draped over the line.

The afghan has been done for months now, but the need for more easy knits still reigned.  So, what else does the house need?  Hmm, could use some pretty, and decorative (though not just decorative!) face/bath cloths.  

We may decide to rent the entire house out next summer (as this IS Cape Cod), or, perhaps list it for sale before then, and although I am working towards unifying color and design through the entire house to exude a coastal farmhouse style (a large enough project!), I also want the house to exude personality and not look sterile, like a stager has been here.  

This means showcasing hand-crafted textiles throughout – from the bathroom to the kitchen and bedrooms.  Bits of color, pattern, and texture, so, either guests or prospective buyers will remember the house as looking expectedly coastal, but with unique, handmade touches that say it’s a home, not a showroom. I can never imagine myself living in those stripped down to almost nothing houses - it’s as bad as trying to imagine living in an empty house.

When I need design inspiration, or my knitting mojo has temporarily lost its oomph, I often turn to other textiles – needlepoint, sewing, and quilting books, like these 1980’s vintage quilting books, the spine of one long ago split the book into two.  Quilting was one of my first ventures into the making of textiles.

Simple (and some not very simple) geometric quilting patterns translate well into knitting and especially into garter stitch.  There ya go – next knitting pattern decided.

Here are the face/bath cloth samples I’ve knit thus far, though to be honest I think these are more than enough for a written pattern!

I worked to present quilt blocks in a knittable way.  Some blocks would require far too many color changes, and hence, ends to weave in afterwards, but if I really like a particular block, I play with it’s size or repeat to achieve a pleasing and easily-workable interpretation.  

I also look at each quilt block or repeat of blocks to consider the best construction method – should it be knit in one direction or from varying directions? Totally seamed later on, or picked up and knit as you go?

You can see from the photos above, that just as in hubby’s buffalo plaid afghan squares, I prefer the textural interest which comes from changing knitting direction on each afghan square and each segment of the garter stitch face/bath cloths.

They make for pleasant, easy knitting, even in the 100% cotton yarn I used. I was never fond of knitting cotton, but this cotton (Knitpicks Dishie) is really lovely, soft, and smooth.  The blocks could also easily be knit in varying weights of wool yarns, to become an afghan or blanket, which I may get to one day. Although, on the To-Make list, for many years now, has also been the knitting of a queen-sized wool counterpane – LOL, once I find enough patience to want to knit the same square over and over!

As I am currently detoured into spinning and knitting up winter/holiday items for sale, the pattern for these face/bath cloths may take a few months yet. And, who knows, I may find yet more quilt blocks I really want to knit up!

Onward!

In Two Shakes of a Lamb's Tail.

(originally posted on WP 11/10/20.)

It’s been a busy week since my last post (when is it not!)  As of yesterday morning, I had almost 7 rows and columns sewn together.

By last night, all 9 rows of 5 squares each were all sewn up.

Today, I need to weave in all the WS tails, and begin the edging, likely in the creamy white, as the 17 ozs. of Samantha-Katya Pink Peace Fleece is used up, and there’s only 60 grams left of the Lanaloft Bulky in Wheat from the almost 35 ozs. I began with.  

Not sure why they call this color Samantha-Katya Pink, as it’s a red wine color, but there you have it.

All the Peace Fleece yarn came from deconstructed design samples, and the LLB was a 1/2 price bargain buy from LittleKnits.com.  The creamy white handspun, which filled in for the only 5.75 ozs of PF in Antarctic White I had, was some 2 ply Domestic 56’s top. which I had no other use for, so the afghan cost me very little in outlay – a good thing, as the hubster may or may not like it.  If he doesn’t, I’m sure I can use it.

I made stitch and row adjustments to each square (and hence to the seaming sequence), to accommodate the varying yarn grists.

So far, it is about 39-40”wide x 69-70” long, weighs 4.66 lbs. and is about 17 days in the making, with perhaps 2 days’ work remaining, so will meet my expectation of a 2 to 3 week afghan easily!

Onward,
Dawn

A Dathering of Garters (or a Skyscraper of Squares?)

(Originally posted on WP 11/3/20.)

Only 11 left to knit since I took this photo, this morning.

Was considering a quilt block layout of some kind, but as it's meant for hubby, I think a classic buffalo plaid layout would suit.

Kitchen table only holds 4 rows – there will be 9 rows.

I could have knit them as strips – either lengthwise with 9 blocks per strip, or crosswise with  5 blocks per strip, BUT, I thought the texture would be more interesting if the blocks alternated their garter stitch directions. Had I worked the squares diagonally from corner to
corner, then alternating the blocks could have resembled a faux broken twill, though the constant increasing then decreasing of each square would have tested the limits of evening brain power!

As for the joining, I don't like all the starting and stopping of joining just 2 squares together until each row is done.  That's just too tedious.  What I will be trying is * joining across 2 rows of unattached squares; rep from * down its length, until all squares are attached horizontally.  Then join down each column of squares.  This way, the joining rows will be continuous, with FAR less ends to weave in.

Undecided yet as to which way to join – seam them or crochet slip stitch them together.  I will likely try both and see which looks best and irks me the least!

Then the border.  Again, I may try 3 – a knit up then immediately BO edge, an I-cord edge, and a crochet slip stitch edge.  The I-cord and crochet edges will use more yarn, so the amount of yarn I have remaining will help determine the edging choice.

Onward,
DAwn

The Easy Two Week Afghan (not!)

 (Originally posted on WP 10/25/20.)

I have a variety of lists usually going at the same time - the chore list for that day, the fiber to-do list, the household sewing list, and the household needs-rearranging before it makes me nuts list. This last list I am needing to ignore, as the house, particularly the living room, for some time yet looks more like a hospital room than a living room.

On my fiber to-do list has been the making of a long-enough wool afghan/blanket for hubby.  Originally intended for when he is stretched out in his recliner, although lately, and for some time to come, he will need it for all the resting he needs to do on the loveseat and
then the hospital bed which should be coming at some point, which will be put into the living room.  

Like me, of all the quilts and blankets in the house, he prefers wool.  I'd be lost without my wool afghans!

I had intended on weaving him one, and had cogitated about the pros and cons of either putting a warp for one afghan on the floor loom (bah), or weaving 3 panels on the RH loom (triple bah).  

But, as sometimes can happen, this decision has been made for me.  I have been far too busy during the day spinning yarn, and dealing with current life and household work, to warp either loom. Not to mention that there really isn't room in the dining room/studio to  *both* spin and weave. If I'm spinning, the loom needs to be pushed out of the way.  That poor kitchen towel warp is still on it, since July!, with one towel left to weave, sigh. What I need is something easy to work on in the evenings when I'm resting with my feet up, before bed.

So, I pulled out Barbara Walker's stitch dictionaries.  And noped my way through them.  Stitch patterns either too busy, too small, too modern-looking, or too complicated for a weary brain and body to handle. I briefly considered EZ's garter stitch blanket, but the idea
wasn't tickling me, either.  

I want something classic, traditional, which doesn't involve stranding, cables, or slip stitches. I love stranding color patterns, but not only do my hands naturally want to knit color work quickly (which isn't relaxing!), but more than likely I’d run out of yarn.

I am needing to work with *just* what I have on hand, which is about 18 ozs. of Peace Fleece Worsted in Samantha-Katya Pink, which is a lovely wine color, 7 ozs. Antarctic White (although I can supplement with plenty of handspun creamy white 56’s and long wools), and 38 ozs. Brown Sheep Lanaloft Bulky in Wheat.

These 3 colors just happen to coordinate with our living room area rug. If needed, I have some lt. olive Naturespun Chunky, or doubled Lamb's Pride Worsted I could add in here and there.

So then, garter stitch.  Simple, cushy, no wrong sides.

I love quilt patterns, and remembered I had seen the Flying Geese and Log Cabin patterns knit up, so I checked.  I had a feeling the triangles in Flying Geese

https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2015/04/13/flying-geese-knit-baby-blanket/

would catch me up, causing me to spend too much time ripping out, from not paying attention, so then I considered this classic Log Cabin, but I don't have the right proportions of yarn available. (Scroll down to Cloth #1.)

So, I sketched several layouts of squares – the simplest, least stressful thing one can knit! I knit a few gauge swatches, and am in the process of knitting up 40-45, 8" squares. Well, 7.75" squares, but I'm not gonna fuss over the 1/4", not for an afghan. And unlike my usual designing modus operandi, the final design is not written in stone.  Once there’s enough squares knit, I’ll just lay them out and play with the order, until I like it.

Now, the LLB is a thicker yarn *by weight* than doubled PF worsted, but is a thinner yarn by grist. Don't we knitters just love these odd yarn idiosyncrasies! Not to be deterred by a small difference in gauge, I simply worked a couple more sts and rows in the LLB. We are the masters of our knitting, not the other way around!

Unlike stranded colorwork, I find garter stitch to be slower knitting, which is good for me right now, made slower still by the thickish yarn, ndls, and gauge. It’s the push-past-the-purl-bump bit!  To me, those purl bumps want to be purled into, not knit into, so it has taken several decades for me to have some appreciation for garter stitch – not until I saw this Classic Elite design on the back cover (if I remember right) of a Vogue Knitting issue 9 yrs ago!

I haven’t knit it, but filed away the idea that garter stitch *can* look sophisticated.

The last thing I needed to figure out was how long it would take to knit up the squares and either seam them or crochet slip st them together, then I-cord around the entire thing.  If I knit 3 per evening, it could be done in two weeks.  I *cannot* hear or write the words 'two weeks' without this popping into my head.

It would be a miracle, indeed. Realistically, at 1 to 2 squares each evening, it'll take about 3 weeks. Done by Thanksgiving. OK, I'll need to live with that, as I only have about 1.5 hrs each evening to knit.

These days, don’t we all need something simple to make? Something repetitive which doesn’t tax our energy and resources. Something that allows the mind to relax and wander, to dream of better times to come…

Onward,
DAwn