Made In The Shade

I’m always looking for ways to tweak our decor.  Knit afghans and pillow covers are the usual ways to add color and texture to a room, but I’ve also turned my attention to many of the plain (and inexpensive) off-white lampshades on our small table lamps and vintage floor lamps.

Plain white store bought shades are rather boring and add no character to a space.  They also tend to allow the light to be too bright.

Now, we’re not ones to use 75 watt or larger bulbs. Most of our lamps are fitted with 25 or 40 watt bulbs, a few have 60 watt bulbs, but with even the lower wattage bulbs, I prefer the light to be a bit softer.

Years ago, I achieved this softness by wrapping the shade with wool yarn – it may well have been an idea I saw on a Martha Stewart episode, or in her magazine.

Years later I decided that I would improve on this idea by knitting shade covers.  Of course I could sew them, and I may well get to that one day.  I’ve had these 2 Katrin Cargill books a long time, waiting on me to utilize some of the ideas.

Knitters, though, can create anything they wish while comfortably planted on the sofa or in a comfy chair, where sewing always seems to require standing to measure, cut, pin, and iron.  I don’t mind the process so long as I’m sewing en masse!  I tend to not want to deal with the process just to sew one thing.  Hence, knitting.

I knit these lampshade covers years ago, but never got around to finishing the pattern!  I am offering it here for free.

 

 

I particularly like that the shade covers can easily pop on and off, as needed, to swap out for another color cover, or just when more light is needed.

My favorite is the pale yellow one, which covers the shade on the floor lamp in my bedroom/office.  It softens the light *just enough*, and complements the yellow of the counterpane afghan on my bed.

The striped shades came next and show how the shaping within the shade can be highlighted with color.

I used heavy worsted/aran wt. wool yarn for all 3 shades, as it is the weight of yarn I always have on hand.  Naturally, one can knit the shades in a lighter or heavier wt. yarn – just do a gauge swatch and apply it to the size of the shade needed, to get your CO stitch count.

About The Design
The shades are knit flat and shaped with short rows. The CO and BO edges are seamed or grafted, then the top and bottom edges are finished with I-cord.

Measure the top and bottom circumferences of the shade you wish to cover, then determine the ratio of increases needed (via short rows).

It is easiest to measure the top and bottom diameters, then use an online calculator to find the circumferences, such as this one.

The next step is to work a garter stitch swatch.  Garter stitch *tends* to have twice the # of rows for the stitch count, or said another way, it tends to have the same # of *ridges* as sts per inch.  (If your swatch fabric appeals to you and the # of ridges is slightly less, as mine is, don’t fret – it is not critical.)

Then multiply your sts per inch by the depth of your desired shade.  

It is best to err on the side of an extra st or two, rather than less sts.  Even though the I-cord trim at the top and bottom adds a smidge of depth, and despite that knitting IS stretchy and malleable, a couple extra sts will help maintain the needed depth if a bit of width-wise stretching is needed to fit your lampshade.

Shade Style: Empire

Sizes and Yarn Amounts
Sample 1: The yellow cover has approx. a 15” top circ. a 28” bottom circ., and is 7.3” deep.  The shade it fits has a 4” diam. at the top and a 10” diam. at the bottom.

It was knit with Kraemer Yarns Naturally Nazareth Aran wt. (184 yds/100 gr.) in Y1323 Sunshine, and took 85 gr. (3 ozs. yarn.  (This yarn is now discontinued, but some colors can still be found in Ravelry stashes.)

Samples 2 and 3: The blue and cream covers were knit with Peace Fleece Worsted in Galooboy Blue and Antarctic White.

Sample 2 (the narrow blue and white striped cover) has approx. a 13” top circ., a 26” bottom circ., is 7.66” deep, and used 93 gr. (3.25 ozs.) yarn.  This cover also fits the specified lamp shade.

Sample 3 (the wider striped cover) has approx. a 16” top circ. a 29” bottom circ., is 8” deep, and used 113 gr. (4 ozs.) yarn.

One less pattern rep would yield approx. the same size cover as the others.

Needles
Straights, circular, or long dpns, size 8 or 9
Shorter dpns in the same size
Tapestry ndl

Gauge
Naturally Nazareth: 18 sts and 16 rows (8 ridges)/4” in garter stitch with US size 8 or 9 ndls or size to give gauge.

Peace Fleece Worsted: 18 sts and 20 rows (10 ridges)/4” in garter stitch with US size 8 or 9 ndls or size to give gauge.

(I either used a smaller ndl for the Peace Fleece covers OR the 2-ply PF knit denser rows than the Naturally Nazareth, which is a 4-ply yarn.)

Note
I am specifying wool, just for safety’s sake, as lightbulbs, at least the old style, give off quite a bit of heat, and wool is much more fire resistant than synthetics or cotton.  I am likely just being extra cautious, as commercial lampshades certainly *aren’t* made of wool, and are often made of some kind of synthetic fabric or plastic.  I also find that wool doesn’t seem to get dusty.

Special technique - Wrap and Turn (w&t)

Directions - Single Color Cover

Long Tail CO 30 sts, which counts as row 1.
Knit 3 rows = 2 ridges.

* Short Row 1: K10, w&t, k10.
Short Row 2: K20 (knitting the wrap with its st), w&t, k20.

Knit 2 rows = 1 ridge, knitting the wrap with its st on the first row.

Short Row 3: K20, w&t, k20.
Short Row 4: K10, w&t, k10.

Knit 8 rows (4 ridges), knitting the wraps with their sts, on the first row.

Rep from * 23x more.

There will be 60 ridges around the top of the cover and 108 ridges around the bottom of the cover (5 ridges at the top for every 9 ridges at the bottom – a 5/9 wedge.)

BO, then seam the CO and BO edges together (or graft the edges together).

Applied I-Cord

Using 2 shorter dpns, CO 3 sts, then slide the sts to the other end of the ndl.
* K2, slip 3rd st, and with same ndl, pick up 1 st along the edge, then ssk the slipped st with the picked up st. Slide the sts to the other end of the ndl.

Rep from * around the edge.  Graft the end of the I-cord to the beg.

Rep for the other edge.

Directions - Two Color, Narrow Stripe Cover

With blue (A), Long Tail CO 30 sts, which counts as row 1.
Knit 1 row = 1 ridge.

* Short Row 1: K10, w&t, k10.
Short Row 2: K20 (knitting the wrap with its st), w&t, k20.

Knit 2 rows = 1 ridge, knitting the wrap with its st on the first row.  Break A.

Short Row 3: With white (B), K20, w&t, k20.
Short Row 4: K10, w&t, k10.

Knit 2 rows = 1 ridge, knitting the wraps with their sts, on the first row. Break B.

Rep A and B wedges 15x more. There will be 64 ridges around the top of the cover and 128 ridges around the bottom of the cover (2 ridges at the top for every 4 ridges at the bottom – a 2/4 wedge.)

BO, then seam the CO and BO edges together (or graft the edges together), then work Applied I-cord.

Directions - Two Color, Wide Stripe Cover

With blue (A), Long Tail CO 33 sts, which counts as row 1.
Knit 1 row = 1 ridge. Don’t break A.

With B, knit 2 rows = 1 ridge. Break B.

With A, knit 2 rows = 1 ridge..

Short Row 1: K11, w&t, k11.
Short Row 2: K22 (knitting the wrap with its st), w&t, k22.

Knit 2 rows = 1 ridge, knitting the wrap with its st on the first row

Short Row 3: K22, w&t, k22.
Short Row 4: K11, w&t, k11.

Knit 2 rows = 1 ridge, knitting the wraps with their sts, on the first row. Don’t break A.

With B, knit 2 rows = 1 ridge. Don’t break B.
With A, knit 2 rows = 1 ridge.  Break A.

With B, knit 2 rows = 1 ridge.

Short Row 1: K11, w&t, k11.
Short Row 2: K22 (knitting the wrap with its st), w&t, k22.

Knit 2 rows = 1 ridge, knitting the wrap with its st on the first row

Short Row 3: K22, w&t, k22.
Short Row 4: K11, w&t, k11.

Knit 2 rows = 1 ridge, knitting the wraps with their sts, on the first row. Don’t break A.

Alternate the A and B wedges with the all B wedges 7x more.

There will be 80 ridges around the top of the cover and 144 ridges around the bottom of the cover (10 ridges at the top for every 18 ridges at the bottom – a 5/9 wedge.)

BO, then seam the CO and BO edges together (or graft the edges together), then work Applied I-cord.

Happy Knitting!
Dawn

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

A Flower Bulb Bed with a Toothy Garden Edging

January and February seem to be traditional months to start planning spring and summer gardens, and I am no exception.  Right smack in the middle of winter, I am thinking about green growing things.

But first, some deconstruction is required.  This is one of the beds I’ve been needing to revamp.  It’s 28’ long and 2’ deep, flanking the paved driveway.

We moved into this house in late 2011, so it may have been 2012 or ’13 when hubby installed this pine edging to create a raised bed, where I grew green beans for several years

 

then hollyhocks last year.

He also created 2 pine beds in the front yard, but untreated pine only has an 8-10 year life-span, before it rots and becomes ant food.  

At least a handful of years ago, we picked up a load of local free bricks.  It still amazes me that anyone would want to give them away, as construction materials are not inexpensive, but I am grateful every time I see the pile, as they make it possible for me to do my favorite garden bed edging.

Ever since I saw Martha Stewart laying a sawtooth brick edging in her Turkey Hill garden, *many* decades ago, I knew it would be the only edging I would ever use, no matter where we lived.  I used it at our Saugerties, NY house.  I've been using it here at our Cape Cod house.

The first beds to get the edging were the 2 front rose beds.  Then a few years ago, I edged the two semi-circular front-of-house beds.  There’s a lot more edging to do, as time and energy allow!

So this past February I considered planting green beans again, but, decided I needed the garden to require less work and upkeep, so I ordered a selection of spring-planting flower bulbs from Longfield Gardens, knowing I’d be re-working the driveway bed.

As I am a romantic!, I love soft colors in the garden - whites, soft pinks, soft coral, lavender, lilac.  I chose 4 spring to summer flowering bulbs - gladiolus, astilbe, ranunculus, and lily of the valley.  The 3 white tinged with pink begonia bulbs I potted up indoors weeks ago, and set them by a sunny window.

I shopped around online a fair bit, as I always do when purchasing *anything*, and found that Longfield had just what I wanted without breaking the bank.  Bulbs aren’t as inexpensive as seeds, of course, but I don’t always have good luck with flower seeds, so I looked on this as an investment, like buying perennial bushes.  

I did consider small azalea bushes for this bed, but I really wanted a cutting garden, and the front of the house has plenty of perennial bushes, anyway.

I will be covering the bulbs in late autumn with some type of a frost cloth, as the glads and ranunculus aren’t hardy in our zone 7, and I have NO intention of digging them all up every autumn and having to replant them every spring!  

It’s taken several days to get it *almost* done.  I just need to tamp the soil down directly behind the bricks to help secure them in place.  There is a small gap in front of the bricks, between them and the driveway, which hubby will fill with a special sand that hardens, but will still allow for any broken bricks to be replaced, if need be.

I soaked the gladiolus bulbs while I was working on the bricks.  As they’re the tallest of my selection, they are lined up next to the house.  The astilbe are spaced about 20” apart, with the extra glad bulbs interspersed.  The ranunculus (tiny corms, so I didn’t photo them) filled in the front of the bed.

The bed doesn’t get the same amount of sun down its length, so I grouped the lily of the valley at the far end, next to the bit of picket fencing, as it’s shadiest there.

I am hoping these little beauties will be happy in this environment and produce tons of blooms to beautify this side of the house, which is SO grey between the aged cedar siding and the paved driveway, and provide plenty of cut flowers for indoors!

Happy Spring!
Dawn

Everyday Cable Pullover

I’ve begun several sweaters for myself, as I haven’t knit myself a sweater in many years, so it’s past time!

I usually use heavy worsted (aran) or bulky wt. yarns, for a quicker/thicker garment, but for this cable sweater I thought I’d try a dk/worsted wt. yarn, in this case, Brown Sheep Nature Spun Worsted.  At 70 yds to the oz., this yarn is more a DK wt. than a worsted wt.  

It’s such a basic drop-shoulder, wide-ish crew neck design, I thought I’d post it here for free in the one size I knit.  It shouldn’t be too difficult to extrapolate further sizes - only simple math and percentages are needed.  

C = circumference
armhole depth = 25% of C
back neck = 20-30% of C, depending on whether one wants a regular crew neck or a wide one.  I used 25%.
front neck = 15-20% of C, for the same reason as back neck.  I used 17%.

I used size 8 ndls, when I would normally use a size 6 or 7 with a DK wt. yarn.  The resultant fabric is stretchy, and fits my 36” chest very comfortably, and isn’t snug at all.

There are a few sets of photos.  I only had 5 skeins to begin with, which was just enough to knit the sweater with short cuffs and neck edging.

I decided I would prefer longer cuffs, for folding up, and almost a mock turtleneck, so I found one more skein, in the same dyelot, on Ravelry.  I unzipped the bind offs and lengthened the cuff and neck edging ribs.  

But, it turned out that I didn’t like the taller neck ribbing tickling my chin!, so I unzipped the BO again, ripped out the extra rnds, then worked 1 rnd, while dec 9 sts evenly around, then BO, so it would lie flat.

In retrospect, I should have worked the neck opening as a normal crew neck, instead of a wide-ish one, using 20% of C for the back neck, instead of the 25% I used, and 15% for the front neck, instead of the 17% I used, as I have narrow shoulders.

Generally, I prefer v-necks.  If you want to work a v-neck on this sweater, I would make sure the sts are arranged so that a 3-st knit panel is center front, so that when the v-neck shaping begins, there would be 1 knit st for the left and right front edges (to facilitate picking up edging sts) and 1 center front knit st to be put on hold, until the v-neck edging is worked.

Size: S-M

Finished Dimensions
chest: 34” (easily stretches to 38”)
length: 20.5”
sleeve length, with cuff flat: 20”
armhole depth: 8.5”
cuff circ.: 6”
cuff depth: 3”
neck width (with rib): 7.25”
neck depth (with rib): 2.5”
neck rib depth: 1.25”

Yarn
Brown Sheep Nature Spun Worsted, approx. 245 yds/100 gr, 5-6 skeins Victorian Pink

The longer cuffs only needed 11 gr. from the 6th skein.

Needles
24-32” US size 7 (4.5 mm) and 8 (5 mm) circular ndls
16” US size 7 and size 8 circular ndls
Size 7 double pointed ndls
tapestry ndl
stitch marker
cable ndl (optional)

Gauge
18 sts and 26 rows = 4” in St st, and 2 reps of cable patt (18 sts) = 3.5”,with US size 8 (5 mm) ndls or size to give gauge.

Substitute Yarn Weight: DK to worsted

Stitch Pattern (9-st rep)
Rnd 1: (K3, p1, k4, p1) around.
Rnd 2: (K3, p1, 2/2 RC, p1) around. Rnds 3-6: Rep rnd 1.
Rep 6 rnds for patt.

Abbreviations
ssk = slip 2 sts, separately, knit-wise, then knit them together from this position, OR slip the first st as if to purl, then slip the 2nd st as if to knit, then knit them together from this position.

p2tog = purl 2 sts together. This dec, when worked on WS rows, exactly mirrors a ssk, worked on RS rows.

p2togb = purl 2 sts together through their back loops, by inserting the right-hand ndl into the back of the 2nd st, then into the back of the 1st st on the left-hand ndl, then purl them together from this position.

This dec is a little fiddly and is often worked on WS rows, as it exactly mirrors a k2tog, worked on the RS.


2/2RC = 2 over 2 right cable (sometimes called a cross).  Put 2 sts onto cable ndl and hold in back, k2, then knit 2 sts from cable ndl.

OR

Pinch off 4 sts, hold 2 sts in front, while replacing rem 2 sts onto the LH ndl, then return the 2 held sts to the LH ndl and knit them in their new positions.

I never use a cable ndl when crossing small cables, like 2/2RC or 2/2LC, but use whichever method works for you!

Notes
The sweater is knit in the rnd, from the lower edge to the underarms, then the sts are divided in half, and the back and fronts worked flat, separately.  

After seaming the shoulders, the sleeve sts are picked up around the armhole and worked in the rnd.  The neck ribbing is picked up and worked in the rnd.

The lengths of the lower rib, as well as cuff and neck ribs are totally up to you.   I prefer a shorter lower rib, but longer cuff ribs.

Lower Ribbing
With longer size 7 ndls, long tail CO 184 sts.

Work 11 rnds k1, p1 rib = approx. 1.75”, or work to desired rib depth.

Inc Rnd: With longer size 8 ndls (k3, p1, k1, m1, k2, p1) around = 207 sts.

Rnd 2 (Setup Rnd): (K3, p1, k4, p1) around.
Rnd 3: (K3, p1, 2/2 RC, p1) around.
Rnds 4-8: (K3, p1, k4, p1) around.
Rnd 9: (K3, p1, 2/2 RC, p1) around.
Rep last 6 rnds (rnds 4-9) 9x more = approx. 11.5” from CO edge.

Back
On next rnd, patt 103 sts.  Place rem 104 sts onto waste yarn or a spare ndl.
Work back and forth for 56 more rows = approx. 8.5” from underarm, end after finishing a WS row.  (There are 9 cable rows worked plus 3 *even* rnds.)

BO while dec 1 st at center of each cable crossing (to keep edge from flaring).  Use k2tog or ssk on the center 2 cable sts.  I prefer how the ssk dec looks, but the choice is yours.

Front
Place the 104 held sts onto the working ndl, and with RS facing, continue the patt across.  

Work back and forth for 38 more rows = approx. 5.25” from underarm, end after finishing a WS row.  (There are 6 cable rows worked plus 3 *even* rnds.)

Right Front Neck Shaping
Row 1 (RS): On next RS row, patt 34 left front sts, BO next 36 center front sts.  At this point, 34 right front sts rem.

The st rem on the RH ndl, from the last BO st, stays in St st, then ssk, patt rem of row = 33 sts rem.

The left front sts can rem on the longer working ndl or place them onto a holder, waste yarn, or spare ndl, if you find them to be in the way.

Row 2 (WS): Patt to last 3 sts, p2togb, p1 = 32 sts rem.
Row 3 (RS): K1, ssk, patt rem of row = 31 sts rem.
Row 4 (WS): Patt across.
Row 5 (RS): K1, ssk, patt rem of row = 30 sts rem.
Rows 6-13: Rep last 2 rows = 26 sts rem.
Patt even for 5 more rows.
BO while dec 1 st at center of each cable.

Left Front Neck Shaping
Row 2 (WS): With WS facing, join yarn, p1, p2tog, patt across = 33 sts rem..
Row 3 (RS): Patt to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1 = 32 sts rem.
Row 4 (WS): P1, p2tog, patt across = 31 sts rem.
Row 5 (RS): K1, ssk, patt rem of row = 30 sts rem.
Row 6 (WS): Patt across.
Rows 7-14: Rep last 2 rows = 26 sts rem.

Patt even for 4 more rows.
BO while dec 1 st at center of each cable.
Seam shoulders together.

Sleeves
With shorter size 8 ndls, beg at center underarm, pick up and knit 112 sts around armhole, place marker.  The first st of every rnd remains in knit as the center underarm st.

Setup Rnd: K4 (p1, k4, p1, k3) around.
Rnd 2: K2, ssk (p1, 2/2RC, p1, k3) around to last 9 sts, p1, 2/2RC, p1, k1, k2tog = 110 sts.
Rnds 3-5: K3 (p1, k4, p1, k3) around to last 8 sts, p1, k4, p1, k2.
Rnd 6: K1, ssk (p1, k4, p1, k3) around to last 8 sts, p1, k4, p1, k2tog = 108 sts.
Rnd 7: K2 (p1, k4, p1, k3) around to last 7 sts, p1, k4, p1, k1.
Rnd 8: K2 (p1, 2/2RC, p1, k3) around to last 7 sts, p1, 2/2RC, p1, k1.

Continue around, dec 2 sts at underarm on every 4th rnd and crossing the cables on every 6th rnd, until 56 sts rem and sleeve is 17” long, changing to size 8 dpns, when the # of sts dictate.  

18 sts will be decreased before working the 3” long ribbing, so if you desire the body of the sleeve to be longer, you can continue to work around in established cable and dec pattern.

Cuff Setup Rnd: With size 7 dpns, p1, k2tog, p2tog (k1, p2tog, k1, p1, k2tog, p2tog) 5x, end k1, p2tog, k1, p1, k2tog, then p2tog using last st and first st of rnd = 38 sts rem.
Work p1, k1 rib around for either 11 rnds = approx. 1.75, or 20 rnds = approx. 3”.  BO loosely  in rib.

Neck Rib
With 16” size 7 ndls, beg at right shoulder, pick up and knit 1 st at shoulder, 41 sts across back neck, 1 st at left shoulder, 16 sts along left neck edge, 33 sts across front neck, 16 sts along right neck edge = 108 sts.

Work k1, p1 rib for 7 rnds = 1”, or for desired length. On next rnd, dec 9 sts evenly around, as follows: *(k1, p1) 5x, k2tog; rep from *8x more = 99 sts rem.  

BO in rib.

Happy Knitting!
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

How Not to Fall Asleep at Night!

This winter has been rather slow and relaxing aka lazy!, hence the lack of new blog posts or knitting designs.  

I do have several sweaters in the works and one cabled sweater I’ll be posting about soon, but, in general, my get up and go seems to have got up and left!  

I’m blaming it on all the oatmeal I am eating for breakfast every morning, to help lower my slightly high LDL, to get my cardiologist off my back about taking a statin, which I don’t want to do.  I’m also taking plant sterols, guggul, and artichoke leaf to help this process.  I love oatmeal, but it doesn’t seem to provide as much protein as I need to start the day.

Anyway, one thing I’ve managed to do is to begin to think about what *needs* doing in the garden, and what I *want* to do in the garden, this spring.  And these thoughts unfortunately begin when I’m supposed to be sleeping.  This needs to be nipped in the bud – no pun intended!

The best way I know to get things out of my head is to write them down.  I keep notebooks and binders for just about everything – for gardening, knitting projects (knits for self and family), home reno/repair, weaving info, weaving projects, hand spinning info,  decorating ideas, saved recipes, then there’s all the folders for new knitting designs I’m working on.  

In thinking about the garden, as much as I love to grow veg, our small property doesn’t make it easy, not unless I wanted to dig up one side of the front ‘lawn’ (furthest from the septic), which I am not inclined to do, not the least because it would mean hubby would need to make more raised beds, which ‘he’ isn’t inclined to do!  Manual labor is now much harder for him.

All the pine raised beds have finally hit the limit of their lifespan, which tends to be about 8-10 years.  So, the driveway bed and the 2 front tomato beds need to be dismantled, lest the carpenter ants begin to find our house to be their next tasty treat!

So, I am needing to rethink what will be planted in these beds, after the pine is removed and I border the beds with brick, as I’ve done across the rose bed and around the new hydrangea and azalea beds.

I’d also like to simplify my gardening chores, yet still make more headway with beautifying the garden.  To this end, I’ll be planting the driveway bed (which previously grew green beans, then a few hollyhocks), with part-shade bulbs and tubers: Gladiolus, Ranunculus, Astilbe, Lily of The Valley, and a few Begonia tubers for house plants.

https://www.longfield-gardens.com/plantname/Gladiolus-Katherina

https://www.longfield-gardens.com/plantname/Gladiolus-White-Prosperity

https://www.longfield-gardens.com/plantname/Astilbe-Assorted-LANDSCAPE-SIZE-

https://www.longfield-gardens.com/plantname/Begonia-Superba-White

https://www.longfield-gardens.com/plantname/Convallaria-Lily-of-the-Valley-Bulk

I’ve not planted bulbs yet, but how hard can they be!  It will require a small investment, but is easier than buying plants or struggling with seeds every year.  And they should, hopefully, provide tons of blooms for vases.

I’d love to plant raspberry bushes where the tomatoes used to be (as we are eating a LOT of raspberries lately), but that is ill-advised until 5 years have passed since last growing nightshades.  It will only be 3 years this coming spring, BUT perhaps this Bio Fungicide will do the job, and allow the raspberries to grow nicely.  My poor heirloom roses could also use the help, as they all end up leafless by July, despite watering every other day or so, and being fed Espoma Rose-tone .

I also found a few DIY fungicide recipes online.  I saved this one:
Mix 1 TBL vinegar with 1 cup of water
Add 1.5 TBL of baking soda
and 1 TBL of dish soap
and 1 TBL of vegetable oil

Stir this mixture into 1 gallon of water, and spray it on your roses’ foliage.  Reapply every seven to ten days, or after a rainstorm.

I’ve also read that a simple baking soda solution can be poured directly into the soil, which I may also try.

Back to knitting and a piece of fresh-baked spice cake!
Dawn