Swatching Alyce

Bill took his bike for service today at the very wonderful Morton’s BMW. Since it’s such a nice drive over there, and I’m always looking for an excuse to ride my bike, I decided to go along. The service takes several hours, and of course, that means time to knit. But what to bring? My Symphony Jacket only travels with its entourage of glamorous components, so I had to find something else. Something small. Hey, I could swatch for the Alyce Tee. Like I need an excuse to start yet another project. But hey, I need something small to bring.

The pattern diagram and chart looked daunting, but I figure, hey, I’m just going to swatch it. I grab a ball of Grace, my pattern, and needles, shove them into a bag and strap them down with a bungee cord. When we get there, I settle into their comfy leather couch and cast on. I get 5 stitches to the inch on a 7, so that's where I start. Pretty soon I'm engrossed in CNN on the giant plasma screen tv, and my swatch comes along quickly. Even though Grace is billed as a DK weight yarn, it works well at a worsted weight too. Single ply will bloom as much as you let it, so I know it will be fine at this gauge.

Then I take a quick peek at the pattern chart. Hmmm. Twenty-one stitch repeat. Nothing too weird. I give it a try. It's good. There are two yarn overs in a row which is different, but it gives a nice big eyelet and a kind of lattice effect. the central motif makes a leaf. Very pretty.

There are still a couple of rows in the pattern repeat, but you get the idea. There's waist shaping in the pattern to accentuate the positive. This woman really knows how to enhance a woman's body. Thank you, Joan.

Knitting to Rhode Island and back

We took our DD to Brown today for a summer session. She's excited to be studying computers away at a real college for a month, and I'm excited to have had 17+ hours to knit in the car. My DH took the scenic route so we could enjoy the beautiful scenery through New England. While he drove (bless his soul) I finished the back

and right front of my Symphony Jacket and worked about5 inches of the left front.

Did I mention that this garment is addictive to knit?

Secret Garden Vest is complete...

...even the buttons.


Thanks to Ty who helped me select these cool fused glass buttons, the vest is a finished, wearable object. I love this design, and the yarn is my favorite - Alchemy Synchronicity. Just luscious to work with, and the colors are so saturated.

This knit up so quickly that I'm planning another one in Ellyn Cooper's Homespun, a slightly heavier gauge silk and wool blend. There's something very perfect about the combination of equal parts silk and wool in a fiber. It's like ice cream and chocolate sauce or strawberries and whipped cream, or some other combination of totally yummy things in perfect balance making the whole much greater than the sum of its parts. What decadent synergy!

Symphony Jacket started

Ever since last fall when Chris Bylsma taught the Symphony Jacket class here, I’ve been pining for one of these little confections. So I started gathering up my scraps and orphan skeins. And guess what I found? Most of my pile was pink! I know, big surprise. Cast on for the sweater Friday night so that I could knit on it at WWKIP Saturday. Who knew how addictive this is! I haven’t been able to put it down! I’m almost finished with the back, and I totally love it.

This is one of those things where you really have to surrender control - just close your eyes, reach in the bag, and pull out whatever you touch. Cut off some random amount and tie it on. Very freeing this is. I might have to make another one.

Secret Garden Vest

This is a pattern from White Lies Designs- we carry nearly her entire line at the shop, and I must have every one of her patterns queued on Ravelry! Anyway, here's the pattern.

It's done in a bulky cotton, but since it just takes around 400 yards, I wanted to treat myself to something rich and decadent. I selected Alchemy Synchronicity in Red Run. Finally got to cast on May 25th as we were driving up to Mt. St. Mary's to pick Elizabeth from her HOBY weekend. It's about a 2 1/2 hour car ride. Here's what I got done on the ride up and back. The yarn is so rich and buttery, and the pattern is an addictive variation of feather and fan, so it's gone really quickly. I put it down for a while and then I changed my mind about how I wanted the lace to look with the shaping. The knitting is done except for the button bands and the armhole edging. Maybe I should have picked a better towel for the blocking! Oh well.