Friday, August 31, 2007

Intro and Yarn Sub Idea

Hi everyone! My name is Elizabeth, and I'm very pleased to be joining this knit along. I don't have a blog (yet!), but I have been knitting for several years. I actually have very little experience with fair isle though; I mostly work with texture stitches and cables. I think the Mirepoix Bodice is so pretty though, I had to try! I'm glad I'll have some "buddies" here to help, if I run into a rough patch though.

I wanted to let everyone know about an idea I had for yarn substitutions. It hasn't been released yet, but in the Elann Newsletter they showed a new line they will begin selling on Sept. 18. It is a sportweight 100% alpaca called Peruvian Pure Alpaca Fina. They have colors very similar to the Louet Gems shown in the magazine. You can look at the preview here (WARNING! .pdf).

I will be using oregano as the main color, with peridot, sepia, amber, smoky grape, sierra, and spiced wine for the other colors, but I think there are actually a few choices you could make there. They aren't an exact match (especially the amber and the smoky grape) but I think they are very close and the price is nice too! I was actually thinking of tea dying the amber, to see if I could tone down the yellow, but I guess i should probably order it and swatch first. :P

100% alpaca might be a bit too warm for some people, especially double stranded (actually, it might be too warm for me!) but I've got my yarn coming in at about $50, and that's just too nice to pass up. I hope this helps someone; I know what a pain color substitutions can be.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Swatching


I swatched with the Knit Picks Swish DK, and I got perfect gauge, but I'm not in love with the 'nutmeg' instead of 'mustard' substitute. I think all the other colors work great, but that one doesn't transition like the Gems colors do. I could substitute KP's 'pale lemon.' I'll let you know how THAT goes. Sigh.

These colors remind me of my mom's old Tupperware. LOL

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Fair Isle Article

Hi all,
Just thought I'd let you know that there is an article on fair isle technique in the newest Rowan magazine (#42). They cover holding the yarn with one hand and with both hands.

Have a great day!

Robin

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Bodice Beginnings

Hi, I'm Jennifer, and I got my yarn last week--I ordered the Louet Gems in the exact colors specified, because the thought of trying to find a suitable substitute that offered a large enough color palatte, and then trying to pick complementary colors, scared me more than the price tag of the Gems! Plus, I do happen to think the colors chosen are quite pretty.


I started knitting the 2x2 ribbing on Friday. I've only got about 5" so far, but I'm enjoying the mindlessness of it, because I know I'll have to concentrate once I get to the fair isle part!


I look forward to seeing what everyone else is going to produce--especially if they were brave enough to attempt yarn/color substitutions!

Monday, August 20, 2007

Got my yarn too!


Here is what the KP Swish DK colors really look like (the KP site's colors aren't *quite* accurate). I think they're going to work perfectly! The only color that they didn't have a good match for was the mustard (I subbed nutmeg). I almost gave myself a migrane thinking about what to do about the color difference until I remembered to relax; It's just knitting.

Jenny

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Yarny Goodness

This was my "Wordless Wednesday" post a few weeks ago! Just thought I'd share it with a group who will *really* appreciate it!

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Buttons!

Hi all -
We've got a while before the KAL starts, but if anyone knows how/would like to make buttons, please feel free to do so. Just send 'em to me or Maryanne - our addresses are in the sidebar.

Thanks!

Friday, August 17, 2007

Nervous and Excited....

I'm excited about this KAL and I'm nervous because this is my first sweater. I know with a little help from my KYS, I should be okay.

Okay, I'm on my way to purchase the magazine and to pick yarn....

Happy Knitting....

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

~ Intro ~

Hello,
I'm so excited about this KAL since I've been in love with this sweater since I first saw the previews. This will be my first knitted sweater and I'm looking forward to getting help from all you veterans. I'm planning to reverse the colors for mine and I'll let you know which yarn I use once I've selected it. I will probably sub my yarn too for various reasons.

I'm off to make copies of my pattern and look for some yarn subs. Thx for putting this together and I look forward to working on this with all of you.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Steeking

As you may know from reviewing the pattern, steeking is one of the techniques we'll be doing. I have only done it in a weekend workshop, but it was no big deal. Seriously! You have to remember you won't be cutting into your actual knitting, but some additional stitches (the "steek") that you've cast on at the edges and reinforced using either a sewing machine or hand sewing/crocheting.

There is a great article by Eunny Jang in the Winter 2006 Interweave Knits that walks through the various steeking methods, and I highly recommend checking it out! One thing I read in that article was that the steeks for superwash wool (like the recommended yarn) or other non-feltable fibers should be machine sewn for additional security. I don't remember if our pattern says this specifically, but I thought I'd point that out. I do think that if you don't have a sewing machine, a hand sewn or crocheted steek should be fine, provided you go over it a couple of times.

Ok, Let's talk yarn subs

I checked with Robin to see where she got her yarn from & she said handknitting.com. Then, I saw the price of this stuff. After I got up off the floor from falling out of my chair, I started looking for some subs. It's not like I've never spent $100 on yarn before, but I'm new at this fair-aisle stuff & I'm not spending $100 on an experimental sweater. So, I found out Knit Picks has this new DK merino superwash yarn called Swish, and they have very similar color choices (and total yarn cost is $46--that qualifies you for free shipping!), and breathed a sigh of relief! Has anyone else thought of subbing? If so, what are you going to use?

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Welcome To The Mirepoix Knitalong!

Hello everyone!

Robin and I thought it would be fun to do a knitalong for this gorgeous sweater that just came out in the Fall 2007 Interweave Knits. We are looking at starting the KAL on October 1st, when the weather starts to cool a bit, and would love to have anybody who's interested join us in knitting this beautiful sweater. We're posting early so people have time to get their supplies and buy the magazine if they don't already have it. At this point there isn't a deadline as far as finishing the sweater and we can have the KAL continue as long as there is interest in it. Also, if you have already started the sweater and would like to post here, you are more than welcome to! Thanks for stopping by and we do hope you'll join us for a fun time chatting, knitting, and posting everyone's lovely FO's and WIP's! Stay tuned for updates.....

Happy Knitting,
Maryanne