Friday, March 13, 2020, Issue 138: What is on your needles?

• Posted on 13 March 2020
• By Susan Wong-Tsang
• Posted in knit-along, Malabrigo KAL, March 2020, on our needles, winter knitting
• 0

Lately it has started to feel like spring outside with cold days sprinkled in between! With the fluctuating temperatures, sunny and then gray, overcast days, are you winter knitting or spring knitting?

Karen just finished her Ranunculus by Midori Hirose...She couldn't wait to be able to wear it even though she hasn't blocked it yet! It looks fabulous on her!

She used Diamond Luxury Collection Mulberry Linen held double with Garnstudio Drops Kid Silk. Kits are also available for purchase in the same yarn (different colour) but it can be knit using a variety of yarns for a winter Ranunculus or a summer Ranunculus. At the moment, Ravelry has 4687 projects posted!

The above Ranunculus project knit by tma of Ravelry has been in my Favorites since before I knit mine! She knit hers using Hikoo Rylie and Sweet Georgia Silk Mist which I don't carry. Substitute Garnstudio Drops Kid Silk, Shibui Silk Cloud or Lichen and Lace Marsh Mohair.

Jennifer Steingass’s new patterns Goldwing is a top down and seamless circular yoke sweater with colorwork sleeves and an applied I-cord cuff. This project knits up quickly with DK or worsted weight yarn. Using just 2 colors, the contrast and main colors switch at the midway point of the yoke for both dark on light and light on dark colorplay. Options for your choice of rolled or ribbed neckline are included. This pattern is suitable for stranded colorwork beginners with rhythmic and easy to knit motifs. The feathers and colors were inspired by the Golden Snitch from Harry Potter!

Goldwing is designed to be worn with positive ease: Choose the sweater size that is 3-6” / 7.5-15 cm larger than your actual bust circumference. Gauge is 20 stitches and 28 rounds = 4 inches (10 cm) in stockinette st, in the round, on size 3.75 mm (US 5) needles. Ribbing is knit using 3.5 mm (US 4) and colourwork is done using 4.0 mm (US 6) needles. Adjust your needle sizes to get gauge.

Hinterland is also by Jennifer Steingass. Hinterland is inspired by the northern lights in Norway. This sweater features easy top down and seamless construction, is knit entirely in the round, and options for a rolled or ribbed neckline are included. The sample above was knit using a solid main colour and a colour changing or self-striping yarn as the contrast colour to give the illusion of more colours being used. This one is designed for a fingering weight to sport weight yarn for a lighter weight sweater. The gauge is 22 stitches and 32 rows = 4 inches in Stockinette using the same recommended needles as for Goldwing.

Justyna Lorkowska’s Heart Warmer Shawl is her big sister design for last year's Heart Warmer Cowl.

The Heart Warmer Shawl is meant to be your go-to neck piece this winter and spring with a finished size of approx. 220 cm/86.5” wide and 60 cm/24” long at center. The shawl begins at the top center and is worked outwards to the border. There are two yarn-over increases in every row which create a long banana-like shape. The shawl is worked in sections, each featuring a different texture or lace stitch pattern.

The shawl requires about 1000 yards of fingering weight yarn. Gauge is 22 stitches and 34 rows = 4 inches
in Garter stitch and while gauge isn’t crucial on this project, the differences will affect the finished size as well as the required yardage so it is strongly recommended to make a swatch and adjusting the needle sizes as necessary. 3.25 mm (US 3), 3.5 mm (US 4) needles are suggested for the shawl and 4.0 mm (US 6) needles for the bind off.

WIP's and FO's

I finished my Rug by Junko Okamoto! Oversized and cozy, I know I will love wearing it!

Last week, I noted that I was going to knit it shorter that the pattern but I actually knit it longer that the pattern except for the sleeves which I knit shorter. I worked five rounds of 1x1 rib for the cuffs of the sleeves using 5.0 mm needles so that they would be narrower. I only worked 8 sets of decreases instead of 12 on the sleeves. 12 repeats would have made my sleeves much too long. After I did the ribbing on the sleeves, I decided to pull the bind off from the body and add five rounds of ribbing there too!

Progress on my Odyssey Shawl by Joji sample for the upcoming Malabrigo KAL starting April 1st! I finished the first section with 5g remaining! Whew! I am a loose knitter so I went down a needle size like I usually do to get the required blocked gauge of 13 st and 26 rows to 4”.

Sign up

ARE YOU IN? Please join us and sign up here: malabrigo KAL

Prizes

KAL participants are invited to share their progress and photos on Ravelry and Instagram during April for the chance to win weekly prizes. Please, use #malabrigokal in all social media channels.
Of course, the garment has to be knit using Malabrigo Dos Tierras.

For those of you who also want to sign up for upcoming class with Kathy on Wednesday afternoons for the added help, register HERE.

I knit my swatch using Berroco Elba using first 3.75 mm (US 5) needles and then 4.0 mm (US 6) needles to try to get a blocked gauge of 18 stitches and 26 rows = 4 inches in stocking stitch.

I cast on my Antonia by Cocoknits for the Cardigan Class that starts tomorrow morning with Kathy.

KNIT GROUP AND GALLERY

The current Knit-Alongs are the Butterfly / Papillon KAL and the Knit Any Shawl KAL and the Knit Your Project: the everlasting knit-along to encourage and support you to knit is running from January 1 until March 31st. Don't forget to post your finished projects so that you will be included in our quarterly draw!

Bev finished her Nightshift! She used the same two colours of Noro Ito as Alma but it was amazing how different each looks and how different the amounts they both had at the end and while they were knitting!

Alma had very little yarn left while Bev still had quite a bit!

I didn't get a chance to take a photo of the socks everyone knit for Jen's Magic Loop Sock Class but Jocelyne wore hers to Knit Night yesterday!

Carole knit these socks with Timber Yarns “Spectrum” which is one of 2 Twin Sock designs created in support of Autism Awareness Day on April 2, 2020. I ordered a skein of each to support Autism Awareness as well!

teevee01 from Australia has been knitting along with Jen and Heidi! Here is her Shambala Shawl blocking that she knit along with them!

Linda knit her Charmaine by Emily Wood, a beaded shawl using Malabrigo Mechita! Looks and feels fabulous!

Linda also finished Trek by tincanknits that she knit for her sister using Bergere de France Ideal! Love it!

Marie decided to try to use up some of her cotton stash...and voila! A garden of colourful dishcloths! Pattern is the free Flower Dishcloth by Coats Design Team

CLASSES and Health and safety Precautions

For now everything here at Sue2Knits is business as usual. Things seem to be changing daily so I’m going to take things as they come. If there are any changes I will let you all know immediately. In the meantime, we should be cautious and prepared. In the coming days and weeks, if you need yarn, needles, books or anything else but feel uneasy about social mingling and public spaces or if you are under the weather for any reason, you can shop online and we can carry it out for you.

Jen has asked me to postpone the Learning the Magic Loop Sock Class with Jen-April. We will see how the upcoming weeks are and reschedule.

Other Classes will be as scheduled for now. I will let you know if anything changes or if you would prefer us to reschedule.

Happy Friday, Happy Knitting, Crocheting and Crafting!