Daily Fiber

FO Friday: Forestry Cardigan

Posted on October 15, 2021 by Laura Kate

I’m pleased to unveil this cardigan which I started back in May. In March of this year, I had visited Ewetopia Yarn store in Veroqua, WI. Noticing this yarn on sale, I picked up enough to make a sweater. In fact, I purchased all skeins available in this colorway.

Roslyn is a blend of 65% wool and 35% silk. It is so soft that I posed for this photo shoot wearing the sweater next to my skin – in other words, no shirt! The finished fabric is very drapey. It almost lacks enough structure to be used in a cardigan.

This pattern came from Vogue Knitting: a retrospective on seventy years of the magazine’s history. Forestry originally appeared in the 2008 Fall edition but it strikes me as having a vintage vibe.

I had some trouble with errors and vague instructions in the pattern. Even though I researched it in Ravelry’s database, I don’t think that all the errata had been discovered and corrected.

…….specifically, the shawl collar did not come out right. It was after I had finished my knitting and scrutinized the photograph closely that I realized I had placed the stitch markers for shaping the collar in the wrong location. By then I had lost all interest in ripping the collar out and starting over again.

I made adjustments in the best way that I could. I added a loop closure near the collar’s beginning so that the neckline wouldn’t gap open.

Despite its imperfections, this cardigan will be a nice addition to my sweater wardrobe. I have a vintage wool A-line skirt in a darker moss green color that will work nicely. Adding a chunky necklace like the one worn by the model and my brown leather boots and I’ll be good to go.

painting

Special Delivery Sunday

Posted on October 10, 2021 by Laura Kate

The doorbell just rang and I knew that my package from Amazon was here.

I have enrolled in a class on printmaking. While I have made a few stamps to use in my painted fabric projects, I have never been very satisfied with my efforts. Part of my difficulty was due to inexperience, but mostly it was due to poor tools and materials. So when my art association offered a class I was keen to enroll.

Beginning Printmaking with Justine Cherwink

The instructor suggested that students purchased this Lino-cut kit.

It seems to have every tool needed to cut and stamp a mono-print, except the paper, of which I have plenty.

And while I was looking for something else to buy (you know, so I could get free shipping,) I found this porcelain palette at a very affordable price.

I don’t need 18 wells, but I do need a large area for color mixing. In the past I’ve tried larger plastic palettes, but was disappointed by their tendency to get stained. This porcelain palette will not stain. And Bonus! When I turned the palette over,

…the reverse side had 12 mixing areas. That’s a useful option.

Now, of course, I’m itching to get out my watercolors. ‘Bye!

drawing

Sunday Sketching: Belize Journal

Posted on October 3, 2021 by Laura Kate

My week in Belize was filled with wonderful experiences and unforgettable sights. After getting in very late Friday night, it has taken me almost two full days of rest to recover my energy.

I thought today I would sketch in graphite one of the sights I saw in paradise. I chose this fellow:

On our last day at the resort, I took a late morning walk with the goal of photographing some picturesque scenes that might inspire my artwork. Nearing the end of my stroll this iguana appeared on the sidewalk ahead of me. Seeing me, he froze momentarily. I slowly moved into position and snapped a couple the images. He cooperated quite well. As you can see the light is harsh giving very strong shadows. I had to lighten the image just to see his face clearly enough to draw it.

**Some background details hastily penciled in**

I have to say, this is the first reptile I’ve sketched. Getting the proportions right took me a few tries. The wrinkly skin was the most fun to draw. I liked it.

knitting

Finished Object Friday: Sea and Sand Reveal

Posted on October 1, 2021September 30, 2021 by Laura Kate

I had great plans on revealing this new shawl with a few last comments on its constructions. But my plans changed last Friday when we got on a plane.

My husband and two good friends and I are in Belize for a week of sun and fun. I took the shawl along and Bill did a photo shoot with me and the shawl on an actual Caribbean beach.

So in this post, I’ll just give some narration to accompany these lovely photos.

As you see here I added a lace border in a very pale yarn. This is Knit Picks Gloss in colorway Clarity, fingering weight. The lace pattern is from my stitch dictionary, called Spiral and Eyelet Panel. The only adaption I made was to insert a six-stitch panel of spiral eyelets between each 24 stitch panel. It worked pretty well with my ultimate stitch count of 320. The bind-off I used is the same as in the Water shawl pattern I knit earlier this year. You can read about that here:

https://wordpress.com/post/dailyfiberfun.wordpress.com/3400

I’m happy with the curviness created by the 24 stitch center panel. An element of waviness came along with the lace border. It reminds me of the foamy waves as they roll onto the sandy shore.

Now that I am actually standing on the beach, I find the colors on the shawl are a fine representation of those found in the warm waters of the lagoon inside Belize reef.

Sand and Sea Shawl final dimensions: 23″ high by 59″ wide. It took eleven different colors of fingering weight yarn (roughly 50 yards each color) plus slightly more than half the ball of Gloss for the border. If all goes well, I plan to publish the pattern, once I get home and have time to write it up.

knitting

F.O. Friday – Cowl

Posted on September 25, 2021September 23, 2021 by Laura Kate

I finished the Show Me Your Spots cowl a few weeks ago, but was unable to get myself photographed wearing it until this week. So here we are, in all our glory.

As I mentioned in my cast-on blog post, this pattern was chosen because it is a stash-buster. Lauren Sauvage publishes it on Ravelry, but also makes it available on her blog as a free pattern.

Pattern: Show Me Your Spots Cowl

Now that it’s finished, I kinda like the way it fits and looks on me. So I reserve the right to keep it for myself, and not gift it.

Next week you get to see the stash-busting shawl that I am making. It is also a stash-buster. I’m improvising the design as I go along. It is looking great and I’m very keen to finish it up and show it off.