Friday, April 22, 2022, Issue 244: Happy Friday!

Sarah Schira has a new Mystery Gnome Knit-along that starts in May.

Gnocchi is pretty pleased to feature in Season 3 of the hit Gnetflix cooking show, “It’s a Chef’s Life.” If you’ve seen the show, you’ll already know that instead of her famous gnocchi recipe inspiring her nickname, it started in childhood because of her nose (gnose?). You’ll also know that she’s very opinionated about the way that spices are sprinkled at the edge of a plate.

Gnocchi features stranded colourwork – a wonderful way to add details to a gnome. It’s like sketching or doodling, and I had so much fun coming up with the patterns. (By the way, if you’ve seen Gnome is Where You Hang Your Hat, this gnome has less colourwork than that one.)

Gnomes are wonderful places to practice colourwork. If your floats are a little wonky, well, wonkiness is gnominess. The name of this pattern is official permission to get things a bit wrong while you work on this skill!

Dates
Clues May 13-29
Last day to enter for prizes: June 8

Link to PreKAL chatter

Skills Used
•knit and purl
•working in the round
•stranded colourwork
•kfb, M1L, M1R
•k2tog, ssk, CDD
•k tbl
•slipping stitches
•kfb, M1L, M1R
•grafting
Extensive video tutorial support is provided. Including two available right now:
Stranded Colourwork Tips and Tricks
Basics of Chart Reading

Materials
Yarn Amounts
3 x 20 g of fingering weight

Needles
US 1 / 2.25 mm and US 2.5 / 3 mm needles for working small circumference in the round

Kits can be found HERE!

 

 

Trepassey by Jennifer Beale is a new pattern this month and immediately came to the attention of Nicole and Sandi who purchased their yarn last night to knit it together! Trepassey is a top-down, saddle shoulder construction full of detail. The sleeves are seamless and slightly set-in, and the body has a flattering and drapey A-line flare, complemented by the visual outline that the Stepaside pockets provide from the front. You can easily add buttons and use the eyelets along the selvedge as buttonholes or simply leave it as an open front cardi.

Sizes

(1, 2, 3) (4, 5, 6) (7, 8, 9) with finished chest circumferences (worn closed):

(74, 79.5, 85.5) (93, 100.5, 108) (119.5, 135, 150)cm / (29, 31.25, 33.75) (36.75, 39.5, 42.5) (47, 53.25, 59)”.

Intended to be worn with -5cm to 5cm / -2” to 2” of ease at chest. Sample shown is the Size 3 on an 89cm / 35” chest, corresponding to 3.5cm / 1.5” negative ease at chest. A list of measurements is provided.

Yarn

approximately (965, 1005, 1080) (1160, 1255, 1330) (1440, 1610, 1740)metres / (1055, 1100, 1180) (1270, 1375, 1455) (1575, 1760, 1905)yards.

Gauge

21 sts and 29 rows of Back Chart to 10cm / 4” with gauge-size needles after blocking (or needle size required to match gauge).

Needles and Notions

3.75mm (US 5) or as required to achieve gauge

 

 

Sommerknus by Elsebeth Judith is a round yoke sweater worked from the top down that I included in my April 1st newsletter / blog. I showed her white version knit holding a strand of cotton fingering and a strand of mohair silk together. This version is knit using a single strand of Sandnes Garn Line (coming soon). Garnstudio Drops Belle is and alternative or Sandnes Garn Tynn Line held double.

 

Since I posted this, Patti, Diane, Donna and Rosemary have purchased yarn to knit this! Patti will be using Navia Bummull, Diane and Donna will be using Hikoo Cobasi and Rosemary is using Garnstudio Drops Belle.

 

 

WIPs and FOs

 

 

 

I cast on a mini Ranunculus by Midori Hirose for my great niece.

Mostly I followed the mods by Knitmatician but I wanted a smaller size than a 2T for my great-niece’s first birthday gift and somehow, I missed a couple of her mods. My mods can be found HERE. I used 2 balls of Garnstudio Drops Belle with very little left.

Here is the finished mini Ranunculus with the little dress I got to go with it. Pictured at the top are my niece and great niece wearing it!

Here is the progress on April 13th of my Hello from my Colours Crop by Jessie Maed Designs. I tried it on for size using my set of Purl Strings!

I knit the longer length and finished binding off the 6 rounds of ribbing for the body. I just have the sleeves left but I am modifying them to make them longer than cap sleeves.

I am so happy with my choice of yarn! I used one skein of SweetGeorgia Tough Love Sock in Natural and a Party of Five in Spring Fling. If I wasn't modifying the sleeves to make them a little longer, I would have enough of my main colour. I have 6g left. In order to do the modifications that I want to make, I am using a mini ball of Katia United Sock (25g) and will leave my remaining 6g of my main colour too use for the sleeve ribbing.

KNIT GROUP AND GALLERY

The current Knit-Alongs are the Any Sweater / Shawl KAL and the Knit Any Project: our everlasting knit-along to encourage and support you to knit which is running from January 1 to April 30, 2022.

Remember to post photos to the finished object (FO) thread when you finish a project during the Knit-Along so that you will be included in the next draw! We will also add the option of posting your finished project to Instagram using the #sue2knitskal so that I can find them!

I missed last week and guess what? We have an extraordinarily large number of finished projects this week! These are not all of them!

This is my sister Mary’s second Koivua by Caitlin Hunter knit using The Fibre Co. Arranmore Light and Schoppel Wolle Zauberball Starke 6. Our other sister has her first and her daughter is taking this one!

My sister Mary knit her second Ranunculus by Midori Hirose using Manos Fino held double with Garnstudio Drops Kid Silk.

Linda (lmcnorton) finished her second Pink Velvet by Andrea Mowry using Manos Fino and Malabrigo Lace.

Jen (zjewell) finished her Síðsumarskápa by Védís Jónsdóttir for Ístex using Istex Lettlopi. This was her first steek!

Angie brought two FO’s in today! This is Seraphine by Lucy Sweetland with gorgeous cables!

Here’s Angie’s Itatiaia Cocoon by Beatriz Rubio knit using The Fibre Co. Arranmore Light.

Angie also knit and felted this super fun bag using her own pattern and a skull chart she found!

Christina (@thebusyknitter) finished a Breckenridge Topper Cardigan by Jessica Reeves Potasz.

Debbie (@love.knit.spin.weave) finished her Harbour by Quail Studio. Yarn is Rowan Softyak DK.

Debbie came to our Knit Afternoon wearing her Dakota by Trudy Van Stralen (originally Louet and now LoftyFiber site) knit using her special indie dyed Euroflax Sport.

Debbie finished her gorgeous Archer by Elizabeth Doherty knit using Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light!

It’s bunny season! Liz finished Snow Bunnies from an old Beehive pattern.

Beverley was inspired by Jan’s pair to knit Petty Harbour by Rayna Curtis. She combined the ZYG Serenity 20 Frosted Lilac and Heritage Silk Peruvian Tones in Eggplant.

Patti (@patnelann) finished these Leftover Sneaker Socks by Anja Heumann in Opal Yarns Magic Sky Sparkle.

Patti (@patnelann) finished these two Blushing Cardigans by Heidi May, knit using Berroco Vintage DK and Garnstudio Drops Kid Silk.

Victoria (mamavictoria) finished Drachenfels by Melanie Berg using Malabrigo Sock in Jasmin, Fiona and Diana.

Rita (ritz) finished Barred Wrap by Heidi May of The Velvet Acorn to gift using Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in the colourway Danger Will Robinson from the shop and a Navy from her stash.

Katherine finished her Green Shoots Tam by Kate Davies using Koigu KPM fingering.

Sandi (sandima) finished the Sea Glass Hat by Wool & Pine using a wonderful assortment of a main colour and bits and bobs!

UPCOMING EVENT!!

Gentle Reminder to mark your calendar - Saturday, April 30, 2022 for Local Yarn Store Day! Local Yarn Store Day is a celebration of local shops around the world!

The Ric-Rac Shawl is Casapinka’s LYS Day 2022 pattern. Free by unique coupon code if you buy it from a LYS in-store and online on April 30. Codes will work April 30th, 8 am until May 1st, 11 pm. The pattern is available for customers who buy 2 skeins of fingering weight yarn from. Please download the code right away, as it will expire, as stated above.

The Ric-Rac shawl is a 2 color boomerang shaped shawl that requires 800 yards of fingering weight yarn, 400 yards of each color. It can be variegated, speckled, solid, or whatever you like. It also doesn't need to have a lot of contrast. It uses 4.0 mm (US 6)) needles.

The Coterie Shawl by Jessica Ays (@doublethestitches) will be free with the purchase of the yarn on weekend of April 30th for LYS Day. You will receive a unique discount code to download your pattern which will be active from April 30, 8 am EST to May 2, 12 am EST.

Coterie is a crescent-shaped shawl, knit from the bottom up. The shawl begins with an elegant lace pattern, interspersed with soothing stockinette sections and reverse stockinette lines. The shawl shaping is created using simple short rows and easy decreases on a background of garter stitch.

YARN:
Fingering Weight Yarn, approx. 860 yds/786 m

NEEDLES:
3.75 mm (US 5) 32”/80 cm circular needle. A long circular needle is needed due to a large number of stitches.

Vestiges Shawl by Ambah O'Brien Kits from Koigu are available. Grevillea Shawl and Ocean Mooon MKAL Kits also available.

Linda is working on my Vestiges Shawl sample using the Chamomile colourway!

This is Koigu’s LYS Day 2022 speckle colour Life!

There will be lots of kits, yarns and accessories as well as a couple of draws!

Happy Friday, Happy Knitting, Crocheting and Crafting!