Ravelry – Daily Fiber

Unraveled Wednesday 3-04-26

Posted on March 5, 2026March 5, 2026 by Laura Kate

Joining As Kat Knits and the others Ravelers to update my current projects and reading. This week I have cast on a project that has been in my queue for at least a year. It all got started with stashbusting.

At left, take a look at the gold yarn. I have two of these left over from a sweater I made way…… back. Of course I no longer have the label, which tells where I got the yarn and what it’s made of. I do know that it has a large percentage of llama. Like its cousin the alpaca, llama fur is soft to the touch and doesn’t make you itch.

For more than ten years, I have wondered what to do with it. The color is overly rambunctious. It occurred to me that toning it down with neutrals might be the way to go. Hence my choice of Kate Harvie’s pattern, Color Chat – Chunky Version.

It’s an interesting knit. Using a slip-stitch pattern, the yarns are switched every row. This tactic works only when the knitter uses three balls. The neutral companions I chose for my Color Chat vest are Berroco’s Ultra Alpaca Chunky in colorway Light Gray and Wool of the Andes Bulky in colorway Cobblestone Heather. All three yarns are 100% animal fiber, so should play nicely together. Incidentally, Knitpicks now sells Berroco yarns on its site.

As for my reading efforts, I am really all over the map. Nothing currently is under my eyeballs. While on vacation, I picked up Memoirs of a Geisha from the shelf of one of our hosts and got very engrossed. Reluctantly, I left the book with its owner, but delightfully, I found the title at my virtual library so I could finish my read.

This book, written back in the 1990’s, is a novel, but presented as if it were a biography. It’s the tale of a poor Japanese daughter of a fisherman who was sold into servitude to a geisha house in Kyoto. Against all odds, she succeeds in rising through the ranks to become one of the most successful geishas of her time. Keeping within the dramatic romantic narrative, she falls in love with a rich patron who frees her. This book gave me insight into how few options women have in patriarchal societies and what sort of choices must be made just to stay alive.

Linking this post with the March 4 2026 As Kat Knits post.

knitting

First Finish of 2026

Posted on January 18, 2026 by Laura Kate

Hello friends. Despite the fact that I have been silent for more than a month, my needles have been busy. I cast on this shawl pattern by designer Andrea Mowry in early December. I cast off on Friday. The close-up above gives you an idea of the shawl’s textures and colors. In the past, I would have photographed my yarn selections as I bag them up into project bags. This project got all knitted up without any photographs of the yarn. Reviewing my yarn buying history, I found these Knit Pick skeins were purchased in January of 2025. So I’ll just link you to the vendor’s site.

Hawthorn in colorway Goddess

Hawthorn in colorway Sweet Home Tonal

Twill in colorway Lavender

I am particularly fond of the Twill yarn. Because it is a 3-ply yarn in a plump merino wool, it makes very nice stitches that have good definition. I’ve already bought more for a fun cardigan that is planned for later in the year.

Anyway, back to the finish: This shawl is Big:

It stretches beyond the width of my queen-size guest bed. I’m guessing the wingspan is about seven feet. That will make for a good couple of wraps around the neck. Iowa is COLD. I have discovered that the more wool items I have on, the better I feel.

To learn more about Andrea Mowry and her fabulous designs, click here.

What’s on your needles?

knitting

Unraveled Wednesday 6-25-25

Posted on June 25, 2025 by Laura Kate

Following along with As Kat Knits, I am posting this progress update on the project I cast on June 2nd.

This is Paper Dolls, a pullover by KDD & Co. As of today, I have knitted up from the bottom about 12 inches.

This is the point where the body is set aside and the cap sleeves are knitted on separate needles. The technique is reminiscent of Elizabeth’s Zimmerman’s Fair Isle Yoke Sweater as published in her 1st newsletter. Eventually stitches for all three parts are loaded onto one long needle and work continues for the yoke.

First sleeve cap complete and waiting for its sister before both join with the sweater body.

A design feature added by Kate Davies is the corrugated rib stitch worked in contrasting yarn for the hems of body and sleeves (as shown in my first photograph.)

This part of the project has been great for television watching, since no stitch counting or pattern checking is required. The next section will require undivided attention, and I work the very cute paper dolls while simultaneously decreasing the yoke stitches. (That makes it sound harder than it really is.)

I must add a shout-out to knitting blogger Alissa Makes who made and gifted me the cute Mer-people project bag.

I love using it – Thanks, Alissa.

As far as reading, I just finished a biography of Salvador Dali’s wife, Gala. It is titled Surreal and written by Michele Gerber Klein. I had no idea how crazy those early 20th century artists were. If you like soap operas, and are not easily shocked, you may enjoy this book. My main complaints are that it is a bit long, and could have used more photographs.

That’s it for me. During this hot sticky heat wave, I hope you, my dear readers, can remain cool, calm and knitting onward.

knitting

Cast on Monday: KDD Pullover

Posted on June 2, 2025June 3, 2025 by Laura Kate

This week-end I got out the knitting needles and settled into a new project. This one has been bagged up in my yarn closet since last year. I am putting to work some Berroco Ultra Alpaca that I purchased – oh, who knows? Anyway, here it is with its two pairings.

The Ultra Alpaca is a 50/50 blend of Peruvian wool and super fine Alpaca. I have loved this yarn since my early days as a knitter when I made a skirt of my own design using a peat moss color and several teal colors of wool from another source. Today I am working it with two Knitpick yarns – Swish in pink and Hawthorne in a speckled dye. The Berroco yarn is not a super-wash, while the other two are. Since they are all the same gauge, I don’t expect any trouble from those superwashes. The main yarn should keep them from stretching inordinately.

Now- the pattern. I’ve chosen a Kate Davies design going back into the aughts, called Paper Dolls. This has been in my Ravelry favorites for quite a while.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/paper-dolls

https://images4-a.ravelrycache.com/uploads/KDDandco/750184067/New_paper_dolls-79_medium2.jpg

Getting gauge was a problem. Using the suggested needle (US 4) I was off significantly. But the fabric I achieved with this needle looked and felt good, so I just cast on two sizes down. I’m aiming for 40 inch width at the bust. Since this is knit from the body up, I’m pretty confident I’ll know soon enough if it will fit.

If not, I have two fans of my knitting who are smaller than me. Holiday gift giving season isn’t that far off.

If you like the look of this design, I recommend that you check out Kate’s other patterns. This is my second time using a KDD pattern. Her patterns are well written and edited, and give a lot of very useful information. Her partner Tom takes all of the photographs, which are beautiful. He is an artist in his own right.

knitting, Living Life Well

Friday Finish – A New View

Posted on May 9, 2025 by Laura Kate

Today I will comment on two subjects – fiber first. You see my latest knitted finish. This cowl is designed by Nat Raedwulf, of Wolf and Faun Knits. I chose this for a travel project that exploits the virtues of slipped stitch patterns. She says “the slipped stitch colourwork creates a dense fabric, perfect for keeping one warm…”

I say “Ditto.” It is worked in a soft yarn that is equal parts alpaca, wool and acrylic. (Knitpicks Upcycle Alpaca Blend. I would link you to the yarn on KP site but it appears to be discontinued.) Rivers and Ravens Cowl sits lightly upon the shoulders. I notice some scratchiness, so will wear it over outerwear, such as a jacket or coat.

Now about the view: Our new home is built into a bluff that is at the highest point in the neighborhood. The upper level deck wraps around three sides of the house, yielding a panoramic view. It is simply stunning, especially at sunset. During the past few days, Bill and his camera are rarely indoors. The following photos are mine.

Rooftops and sky. This view extends from the northwest to the northeast sky.

In between opening boxes, we have been getting to know the neighbors and our new town. Dubuque, Iowa is a town just under 60,000 that supports numerous cultural organizations, abundant parks, good libraries and a revitalized downtown along the Mississippi river. We are slowly exploring. Last Sunday it was the Arboretum – I’ll likely have a post about it soon.

My creative projects have been on hiatus too long. Now that my materials are unpacked, I hope to pick up on unfinished works and also begin something new.

Thanks for reading.