Liesl: finished! Maybe.

Could it be?



After months of marinating, I finally finished Liesl!

Maybe.

Let me be a smug cheeseball for just a moment more...



...and I'm spent.

I'm going to stress that the issues I have with the finished sweater are all due to choices I made. I like the pattern layout and the way it is written and many, many knitters have successfully knit a Liesl.

In my case, the choices I made included using a vintage wool (Pingouin Fleur de Laine, not sure how old but I'd guess at least 30+ years). It's nice enough yarn, but it pre-dates the lovely merino breeds available today. It's not terribly scratchy, but it is scratchy enough so I won't wear it over bare arms again. I am also seemingly unable to count to four, a necessary skill for this lace pattern. This has become a running joke for the Aloha Knitters. "Nice enough girl, such a pity she can't count past 3." There is at least 2.5 sweaters worth of knitting in this as a result. Did you notice I still have the lifelines in the photos? Then I hit the first sleeve (right) and raging frustration ensued. I finally got it done and then shoved it in a bag and out of my sight until recently. The left sleeve had to be ripped back a few times, but I got it going smoothly last week and got it done in a final burst. I think there's something about the way I picked up stitches that threw things off; what worked for me was starting the round with *k2tog* twice, *yo, k1* twice, following the instructions in the * * and then ending with *k2tog* twice, *yo, k1* twice. Notes I'd scribbled on my pattern indicated that the swatch grew, so I had knit the body and the sleeves shorter than I wanted the finished results to be (and didn't weave in the ends, as you can see in the photos). After washing, the sweater grew to just the right length, but it's also looser than I'd like (which may have something to do with my losing about 30 lbs. between casting on the neck and binding off the second sleeve).

Then while trying it on again and admiring my work, I realized that the first sleeve had at least one mistake in it. On closer inspection, more than one. I am not posting photos, not yet, anyway. I plan to wear it a couple of times, and then if it makes me too crazy I'll rip back and re-knit that sleeve. I had also planned to dye this sweater, either dark blue or dark red, and I am leaning towards blue...and not chancing a dye debacle until I figure out if I am okay with this sleeve (right now I am not okay with it).

Pattern: Liesl, by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Pingouin Fleur de Laine, 4.5 skeins
Size: 46" (if I did this now, I'd go down to at least 38")

Yarn: Tasted!

So the yarn-tasting at the Hawai'i State Library downtown this past Saturday went well - but I didn't take any pictures, and when I realized that, immediately thought "great, now nobody is going to believe me." I had capped attendance at 25, figured we'd be lucky to get 20, and then 30 people signed up (and I think a couple more showed up).

Fortunately for me, Nadine Kam from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin was there, took photos, and blogged about it (thanks Nadine!)

Yarn 'Tasting' at the library (Fashion Tribe)

There were a couple of things I wish I'd managed to do differently - I'd wanted to talk more about knitting/crocheting for charity, and I also wanted to chat more with the attendees! I did get to talk briefly with a few people, but I wanted to hang out with *everyone* who attended - I hope I'll get to see some of them at an Aloha Knitters meeting, 'cause like I said at the tasting, you people are the ones I need to talk to - you don't need to be listening to me. Seriously, you should have seen some of the gorgeousness being kipped/cipped in that crowd! Thanks to all who attended, and for reals, I want to hang out with you all.

Most of the yarns in the tasting came from Isle Knit. The Maui Yarns came direct from Sara, and the Peaches & Creme came from Wal-Mart (and as I mentioned at the event, Wal-Marts nationwide are closing their craft departments - Ben Franklin has Sugar 'n Cream; if they don't have Peaches & Creme you might want to ask them about carrying it).

Oh, and someone had asked about a knit clothes hanger cover pattern in a book - I knew I'd seen at least one.

Twinkle's Weekend Knits by Twinkle Chia, and Glamour Knits at Home by Erika Knight both have a pattern. However, the library doesn't have those books at this time. There's a free online pattern by Sara Golder (Easy Coat Hanger Covers), though!

Yarn Tasting at the Hawaii State Library

My current plan is to have a short talk on the library collection of knit/crochet books and specific books particularly applicable for our climate, and then a quick review of the yarns. I haven't chosen and acquired all the yarns yet; Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton and Skinny Cotton, Cascade Eco Wool, Lana Knits Hemp for Knitting, and a seacell/silk blend are on the for-sure list, though.

Quick update:

"Come to the library for quick reviews of knitting and crocheting books in the library collection and a yarn-tasting! Sample bags will include mini-skeins of yarns good for tropical-weather garments as well as yarns good for use in felting and making warm garments and accessories for cold-climate friends, relatives, and charitable organizations. Feel free to bring a project to work on during the presentation, or to show off afterwards if you like. There will be a brief Q&A session if you have any questions about knitting/crocheting in Hawai'i. No how-to knit/crochet/spin lessons will be given at this event; reviews of instructional books, videos, and DVDs will be included in the presentation, though, and a handout of yarn shops and where you can take lessons will also be available."

Loop cast-on improvement

I'm a big fan of the TECHknitting blog already, and this latest tip (Casting on additional stitches at the end of a row by the loop cast-on method: a trick for beautiful edges) is especially timely as I recently used a loop cast-on for the underarms of Liesl, and was complaining about the loop cast-on while I was doing it at an Aloha Knitters meeting. The general agreement there was that the loop cast-on can be quite unpleasant but there are circumstances where it seems like the best option. If you've had the same complaints, do take a look at the TECHknitting blog post, and if you're new to the TECHknitting blog, do take a few minutes to check out additional posts. The tips are excellent and very nicely illustrated.

Knitting on O'ahu (Honolulu Advertiser article)

If you are here because you read Karen Iwamoto's article in the Dec. 05 2008 Island Life section of the Honolulu Advertiser, um, hi! Karen did a great job interviewing me (she's very easy to spill your guts to - good thing I'm not in politics), and Rebecca Breyer, the photographer, did a great job too (and we even small-worlded it and figured out that she used to live in the same town in Wisconsin that one of my friends grew up in, and where I saw snow up close for the first time).

Links!
O'ahu has several yarn shops, and I know that there are shops on the island of Hawai'i (the "Big Island") and Maui. I've been maintaining a list of yarn shops and a list of craft stores that carry yarn; if I'm missing any, please let me know. The list of yarn shops in Hawai'i is also available as a free PDF download.

I like to hang out with the Aloha Knitters (and crocheters and spinners) on Thursday nights at Mocha Java (Ward Shopping Center, 7 - 9pm) Please join the Aloha Knitters Yahoo! Group for the most up-to-date information including when/where for Windward and Leeward meetings. It's free, open to all ages and skill levels, and it's fun!

Etsy is a fantastic online marketplace for handcrafts and handcrafters. I have a storefront there where I sell patterns in PDF format (you can also buy them as instant downloads if you use the links on the left sidebar of this page). Occasionally I sell finished items as well; if you really really really want a hat or scarf from one of my patterns but do not knit or crochet, you can check my Etsy Favorites for Etsy sellers who have finished items from my patterns, or use the Alchemy feature to find a crafter for hire. Etsy also has a Shop Local feature (Honolulu!) so you can find items from local crafters, like The Opalescence (handspun yarn and stitch markers) and Acornbud (project bags, stitch markers, and adorable stuffies like Snowball the Cat With a Christmas Hat).

Knitty is a free online magazine, edited by Amy Singer, with patterns, articles, and a forum. The Womb pattern was published in the Winter 2004 issue because Amy has got a sense of humor like mine; if you have any questions please check out the Womb FAQ first.

The Alt Fiber show (curated by the super-talented and always on-the-go Shannon Okey) took place at the Assemble gallery in Cleveland, Ohio, in January 2006.

The hats shown in the article were all knit using the Top-Down Ribbed Beanie Recipe, which you can download for free. It's easy to customize, and a great way to show off unusual yarns like the handspuns used for two of the hats in the photos.

Mobile Monster Piggy is in the Stitch 'N Bitch Nation book, edited by Debbie Stoller. You can find it in the craft section of most major bookstores, along with the original Stitch 'N Bitch, Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker, and Son of Stitch 'N Bitch (featuring knit and crochet patterns for men).

The crochet Sushi Pillow pattern is in the book Get Hooked!, edited by Kim Werker. It is also available through many major bookstores.

The Rosetta flower hairclip is a crochet pattern in progress, as are the scarves seen in the photos (yep, there's a lot of crochet going on in the photos - it's okay, the yarn muggles generally can't tell the difference between knit and crochet and ultimately I don't think it matters. I love both.). Feel free to nudge me into getting those patterns formatted, photographed, and published...but know that I am really, really good at procrastinating.

Interested in learning to knit, crochet, and/or spin? Check out this post for Honolulu.

...and if you still need a reason, please read Page 197, or 10 Reasons To Knit a Sweater in Hawai'i.