Field Trip: Knitting Along the Viking Trail Exhibit

The "Knitting Along the Viking Trail" exhibit opened at the American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia in March 2011 and closes July 3, 2011. If you are reading this when I actually wrote it there is still time for you to dash down there and see it. The trip would be worth your while.

As I was preparing for the visit to mom's house and the museum over Memorial Day weekend I wracked my brain to figure out why I didn't go in March when the exhibit opened and Elsebeth Lavold was there doing workshops. Then I remembered it was the same weekend Hubby and I left for our March Break trip to Park City, Utah (which I never told you about). Well, a girl can only do so much.

Since we were there on a Friday afternoon, mom and I had the exhibit hall to ourselves, which gave me plenty of time and space to run from one end to the other examining each piece from many different angles. It was very exciting to see in person the sweaters I've been mooning over for years in the pattern books.

Trud
I discovered Lavold's designs in 2004, pretty soon after I learned to knit. Even at that time I knew cables would be a love of mine and bought the "Viking Patterns for Knitters" as soon as I saw it. Seeing the sweaters in person gave me a new appreciation for how they are put together and the details that went into the designs. It seems silly to say that seeing them in person allowed me to see them in a new light. Of course the sweaters look different in person than in a picture.

I was especially excited to see the Trud sweater, which is from the first Viking Knits Collection book. I fell in love with Trud in 2004 and bought the book and the yarn even though it was beyond my skill level at the time.

Then my skill level caught up and I wondered if I really wanted all that fabric from the pleats around my hips. So I started considering other ways to use the yarn, but kept coming back to Trud.

Well, seeing the sweater in person I found that the pleats don't add a lot of bulk after all. The Silky Wool yarn is light and has good drape so there isn't really a massive amount of fabric around the waist. That was very exciting to see. Trud was back on my to-make list! All I have to do is scale down the top. The size small has a 34" inch finished chest, which will be around 3" of ease for me and a tad more than I like.

Hoods
The other change in perspective I had was from seeing Vigdis from Viking Patterns for Knitters and Skjalf from the Second Viking Knits book.

They both have these form fitting, detached hood. I always thought the hood on Vigdis was a little goofy looking in the book. Turns out they are really cute in person! The Vigdis one is just plain stockinette stitch, but the one for Skjalf has cables on it.

In fact, mom and I left the museum discussing how practical they looked. They keep you warmer than a hat since they cover your ears and neck, but they don't block your peripheral vision and catch the wind like a traditional hood would. Having seen them in person I really want to make one now.

Dragons!
It was also inspiring to see the dragons in person that I want to use in my Celtic Critter Cardigan. There don't seem to be patterns for Urd and Saga, the sweaters I'm standing with in the first picture on the post. But they gave an idea of what can be done with the cables. Getting to examine the details of the sweaters up close and see how they were put together was very informative. I took lots of close up pictures of shoulders, sides, collars, and other parts unseen in the pictures in the pattern books.

Well, I could go on and on about how wonderful all the sweater were, but I think you get the idea.

I'll wrap up by mentioning the blanket picture from my last post.

The afghan was massive! It was all her swatches from Knitting Along the Viking Trail sewn together. Once again, some of the patterns that didn't impress me in the pictures in the book turned out to be very attractive in person.

But I think my favorite part of the blanket was the filled in spaces. Little areas where the swatches didn't come together square that were just filled in with grey garter stitch. That amused me terribly.

I guess because those little grey spots showed it was handmade.

My Kind of People

And just what kind of people is that?

Why, fiber enthusiasts, of course!

For the first week or two up here it seemed I was tripping over them every time I turned around, which is pretty awesome.

They were pretty easy to find. Especially considering it was still summer so it's not like I was wearing my handknit sweaters or anything. Although I have been identified as a knitter by my socks.

As you know when you meet new people, at least here in the States, the usual question is "What do you do?" This is even more sensible in our situation. Obviously Hubby is teaching, which is why we're here, so how am I occupying myself in this rural area?

Of course my main answer is I'm a freelance writer. Then when I mention I'm running the social media presence for a yarn distributor that usually prompts a response about their own knitting or crocheting.

One woman on campus has even had her crochet patterns published in a few magazines.

Indeed, word has spread about me and some people sought me out in the cafeteria and other social events. Today over lunch the business manager told me she's starting a baby sweater and she might track me down if she needs help. :-)

We Run in Packs
During the first week of the month, when school was starting so Hubby was in meetings and we had to stop unpacking 24 hours a day, I ran off to the library to get my card.

It happened to be a Friday. I asked where the craft books are? And the librarian immediately informed me that the knitting group meets from 3-5 on Fridays.

How convenient.

Obviously I had to go back.
I put on my Coquille Shawl, which I'd just finished knitting, so they would know I was serious, and grabbed my ball of Debbie Bliss Glen so I could crochet swatch with it.

The yarn, an alpaca/wool/microfiber blend, is very nice. My swatch...not so much. I was trying to work a ripple/chevron stitch without a pattern and made a hash of it.

Anyway, the women were nice. There were three sisters and a rotation of two or three others who came and went during the time. They had fun peppering me with questions about where I was from, and why I was in town, etc.

And they all admired my shawl, as you would expect.

The next few weeks I was busy on Fridays so I couldn't go. But I put my foot down and went this past Friday and it was nice and relaxing. With the bonus of they remembered me. :-)

I keep hearing rumors about a craft group starting on campus, but they haven't set a date yet. Totally understandable if they are half as busy as Hubby has been.

I'm happy I've found them all. Of course I have my online yarn friends to talk to, but that isn't quite the same as the constant contact I had in CT working in local yarn store and all.

Although I suppose the new arrangement is better for the budget. hmmm.

Still getting to hang out with other fiber people in real life will prevent me from needing to crawl into the credenza with my hoard in order to feel surrounded by yarn.

Aliens!

We were invaded by aliens Friday night!
But fear not!
Hubby knew how to deal with this chocolate menace from Mars...he bit off the leader's head!
Then mom, my niece,
and I joined the resistance fight.
We quickly beat back the invaders.
On Saturday, Hubby and I began the task of dismantling their spaceship.
We have not found a homing device or other emergency distress signal.
Which is a shame, because they were rather tasty.

Mean Aunt
Yep, mom and my niece came up Friday afternoon to reclaim my brother's Wii.
We were debating getting one, so he let us borrow his first. That did the trick—not what we were expecting. We were buying into the advertising about it making exercise fun, but it didn't work out that way for us. Although, to be fair, we never set up the Wii Fit or the Outdoor Adventure kit. Which shows you how quickly we lost interest.
We will continue to invest our money in wine and yarn instead. :-)
Anyway, I was cranky on Friday because that crazy weather last week was playing havoc with my head.
I got home and passed out for two hours, then after dinner I pulled out the second Damn Doily to finish the edging.
My niece says, "Teach me to knit."
I say, "No. I tried once and it was a disaster."
She says, "Pleeeease."
I say, "No. You're not old enough."
She pointed out she is almost 11. At that point, mom intervened and told her to leave me alone. So she got her book and sat quietly reading on the couch.
Then I started to feel guilty.
After all, I'm the only one on this side of the family who knits or crochets. If I don't teach her, who will? Really, I have an obligation.
Still, in my defense, it really was a disaster last time.
The attempt was a year or two ago with her and her younger brother.
They grabbed the needles at the far end, like baseball bats. For the life of me I couldn't get them to choke up on the needles and hold them near the points like pens.
As you can imagine, they made absolutely no progress at all. It was rather frustrating for all involved.

I'm Not All Bad
With guilt in hand, I trooped up the attic and dragged out some lavender acrylic, probably Red Heart, and some coral Wintuk.
Then I went to my notions drawer in the living room endtable and dug out sets of US6 and US9 aluminum needles I bought at a yard sale when I first learned to knit.
I was very bad and cast on for her—I didn't think I could handle the stress of trying to teach her the long-tail cast on.
This is "bad", in my opinion, because I believe you can't knit if you can't cast on.
Really, always having to have someone else start your projects? And you call yourself a knitter?
I think people who teach other people to knit but don't teach them to cast on aren't doing the learner any favors.
Which just shows you how cranky I was to skip this important step.
Then I demonstrated a knit stitch and handed her the lavender yarn and the US9.
She actually picked it up fairly quickly.
Oh sure, things were slipping and dropping, but she persevered.
I ended up switching her to the US6 and coral yarn and that worked out better for her. I think the US9 was too big for the weight of yarn.
The slippery aluminum needles probably weren't helping, either.
Mom has some thicker yarn and US15 bamboos at her house. We think that will make it a little easier for the niece, since the bamboo needles will have more traction.
So I may have unleashed a new knitter on the world.
We'll see what happens. I don't think she has anyone to help her out or encourage her. But you never know.

Delayed Reaction

Oh my. Things have just fallen to pieces lately, so I haven't had time to blog. Real life activities should level out a bit next week, though, and get back to normal. (Oh, wait, I have that article due.)

Anyway, since I'm just working on the second New Year's sock which looks strikingly similar to the first sock (thank goodness), I thought I'd catch you up on some other fiber fun from over the holidays.

First up is the cute blue scarf P made me. The picture doesn't do it justice. She said the pattern is from Luxury One-Skein, but I haven't had a chance to look it up. The yarn is Tatamy Tweed from Kraemer Yarns. It's a Cotton/Acrylic blend, which is good since some wools make me itchy. And she remembered that I like blue! (hmm, maybe I shouldn't wear my pjs when taking pictures for the blog.)

What I didn't tell you about that Saki yarn I bought in mid-December was that I ended up giving it to P for a Secret Santa exchange. Well, I couldn't tell you until after the exchange because I didn't want her to know, obviously, because it's "secret."
We do one every year at the store. I pulled her name, had an idea which fell through, and was wracking my brain for a new one. When I bought the yarn she said I saved her from having to buy it, so I was like "score!" Still she was surprised when she opened it. hehe.

Another Gift
Next up is this adorable little crochet bell D gave me. I should ask her for the pattern. She also made a mix CD of happy music, but I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet.

Aren't these people terribly generous?

For my actual Secret Santa I got yummy Godiva hot coco. Girl can never have too much hot coco mix. And Cynthia gave me a gift set of fancy popcorn, which goes well with the fancy popcorn maker she gave me two years ago. Hmm, I should make some this weekend, we have lots of movies and TV to watch.

Stash!
And I got new yarn as well!
Hubby and I decided that instead of buying each other presents for Christmas he would get wine and I would get some yarn. After all, those are the things we really want, had to give up in favor of a new roof and central air unit, and the other person doesn't feel comfortable buying.

We are, after all, a wine and yarn snob and we only know enough about each others hobby to be intimidated. (Of course we each benefit from the others knowledge. He gets nice scarves and socks and I get yummy wine to drink!).

So I bought myself this lovely Koigu PPPM you see on the left in a blue and white colorway I've been coveting for years but never got around to buying.

And I bought this delicious Smooshy Sock yarn from Dream in Colors you see on the right. We haven't had this in the store before. I couldn't get an accurate picture of the color at all. It actually goes from light blue to purple. The dark patches are actually purple.

Yeah, more blue yarn, what a surprise. When I was buying this we had some nice green colorways in the Smooshy, and I almost bought one. Then I thought, "Why force myself to buy a different color just for variety?" and I went with the one that was really calling to me.

Of course, I have tons of other projects I have to get through before I get to these. sigh.

All Wrapped Up
Well, you know me, I could go on for ages, but it is crunch week at work so I should get back to it. I just wanted to take a moment to point out that today I'm wearing Coronet, my Poncho, a sweater that predates the blog, my blue Jitterbug socks, and my Hooray For Me Gloves. Which is 5 handmade items.

Yippee!

Oh my gosh! It's sooo cool. I went and checked my just now and there was some mysterious looking message about a pending purchase. But something must have clicked in the back of my mind because I opened it and it was a message from PayPal that someone had bought my Eyelet and Feather Scarf pattern on Ravelry!
phew! deep breath.
So I had to go into PayPal and figure out how to accept the payment and upgrade to a premier account so the fees would be less. I considered staying a personal account, but I am hoping to put more patterns in my Ravelry store so you never know I might have more than 5 transactions and it looks like it's free to be a premier account so what the heck, right?
Oh, it's bad to get this wired up right before bed time.
So now I have $3.48 in my PayPal account, after they took the fees. It's not really the first pattern I've ever sold. There were all the Rainbow Swirl Socks for the sock club, but they were good faith purchases. And my scarf sold really well while it was the special of the month in the store. And I know several of the people who bought it. That was cool, because people kept asking about it while the sample was out on the counter while it was being test knit and going through the design process.
But this is like the first random purchase by someone who just saw it and liked it.
Of course I totally had to go scope out her profile and projects. She's got a lot of nice stuff queued. I'm in good company. giggle.
Ok, phew, I have to go get ready for bed now.
But first. I've worked 40 rows on each Girlfriends Cable Sock. I think 8 to 10 more rows will bring it to 6 inches and I can start the heel.
I still have to felt the other wine cozy.
Goodnight!

To The Point

As I was charting the ribbing decreases last night, it occurred to me that since I wanted to go from 6 stitches (K2P2K2) to 3 stitches (K1P1K1) the fastest and easiest thing to do would be decreasing a stitch in each column.
So I did.
It is, perhaps, a more abrupt decrease than I would normally use, but I didn't see the point in fading the ribbing.
As for the ribbing on the back of the leg, there wasn't a graceful way to convert it to a 4 stitch cable to match the other cables. It would not have been balanced with P2 on either side and then K2 beyond that. I would have ended up with K1 columns or some other, unbalanced pattern. I briefly toyed with the idea of eliminating 2 stitches from the back as well, but dismissed it.
What I did do is change the center back K2 column into a 2 stitch cable with the twist on the same rows as the bigger cables.
Since I didn't want to start from scratch, I just dropped the two stitches in question and reknit them the way I wanted them. It was a little fiddly but I have to imagine faster than going back to Row 1.

Double the Pleasure
Now the pattern is written for what looks like ankle socks using 2 skeins. So I bought a third skein so I could make them taller.
Before I made my changes I was scoped out other Girlfriend's Cable Socks on Ravelry to see whether anyone else had modified them (especially to make them smaller). One person used the 2 skeins and said she had just barely enough to finish. She also mentioned that she altered the heel, but didn't go into detail about how.
This made me glad that I had bought a third skein and was going to make the smaller anyway, because I shouldn't run out of yarn. Still, it made me nervous. After I finished messing with the first sock I turned around and cast on for the second sock. Having multiple pairs of dpns in the same size comes in handy. I was able to work through Row 8. I didn't wind all three skeins when I bought it and then I forgot the yarn at home on Saturday so I actually had to wind it by hand, which was a bit of a delay.
Although I stopped knitting because it was bed time, I probably would have stopped at that point anyway. The 2 st cable on Sock 2 doesn't look the same as on Sock 1. I'm thinking it is because the former is being worked from scratch and the latter is a little distorted from being dropped in after the fact. Still, I'm taking a hard look at my row counter and wondering if I was advancing it properly. Hopefully I'll be able to figure it out this evening in some better lighting.

Possible Tactical Error
Felted Wine Cozy V is working up much quicker than Felted Wine Cozy H did. I have about 15 more rows to go to finish the body. I did scale V down a little based on the shrinkage of H and more rigorous bottle measurements. But it wasn't by that much, so I'm still surprised. I don't know if the difference is because I'm working this one flat and the other in the round; or whether it is a perception thing because I'm working V during the commute in chunks, while H was a marathon over the weekend.
Regardless, I was working on it while doing to online reading/research and realized if I kept going I might not have anything to knit on the ride home. I didn't bring my socks or a back up project because H took so long. The real flaw in the plan however was that I didn't bring my US 10 dpns so I could work on the base. If I had those I'd be all set. But then I wasn't expecting to need those today.
In the mean time, I've stopped working on it for now to preserve it for the ride home. Since the wine cozy is so close to being done, I might skip the socks tonight so I can finish the cozy instead.

Thoughts On Sock Surgery

I got a comment the other day, which is terribly exciting because it doesn't happen often. :-)
Christy wrote that her very first pair of socks came out big enough to fit her dad, but then she noticed a dropped stitch and hasn't handed them over yet. She can't decided if she should leave them as is because they are her first, or frog them and rework them to fit herself.
My first instinct was to tell her to open up the toe, pick up the dropped stitch with a crochet hook, and then give them to her dad.
I suppose how much she likes the yarn would come into play. Of course she could always get another ball of it and then they would have matching socks. snicker.
She could, of course, rework them and call it practice. But she should look up articles about reclaiming yarn to get out the kinks, I think Knitty had a good one.
First socks are, apparently, notorious for being difficult and coming out weird. I base this assumption on the regular parade of first socks on the Yarn Harlot's blog whenever she is on tour. (And some day I'll figure out how to get blogger to link properly for me, for now I remain linkless.)
My own first socks where done using some self patterning Regia and a free pattern from Mary Maxim.

(Thanks Flickr for making the picture so huge.) Anyway, there they are. As you can see, they have a mutant shape. The cuff is a bit big and the foot is a bit small, but they fit and I wear them on a regular basis. My sock knitting skills have improved considerably since this pair, which were a necessary first step in learning the construction. Still, I think they are pretty good considering I was in the wilds of New Hampshire without contact with other knitters for guidance, using just books and the internet to guide me. People really need to take advantage of classes and guilds and knitting/crochet groups, it makes life easier.
And, to date, I've only reknit one pair of socks. The first pair I made using Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock yarn. I calculated the gauge incorrectly. They fit but they were a little big. I think I wore them twice before I ripped them out and reknit them at a smaller gauge.
Actually, is there a statue of limitations on frogging finished projects? I made a pair of socks from Lana Grossa Cotton Fun. I'm not sure if I did that gauge wrong as well, or if they have just grown since they are cotton, but they are starting to get on my nerves and the last time I wore them I was seriously thinking of frogging them. I have enough left over for a second pair, maybe I should make those first—at a smaller gauge—for comparison before I assault the original pair.
In the mean time, I realized on the train this morning that the foot row count from the first Joy of Charlene sock should still apply to the second sock and I'm going to aim for it. I'm thinking I'll do the short row toe, both for consistency and because it looks nice. (Whether or not the first sock is going to meet a bad end will depend on how they both end up fitting once I can wear them.) I'm closing in on the toe on the second sock, but I won't be able to try the sock on until late tonight or tomorrow. First, I'm wearing my Doc Martens today. Second, I acknowledge that trying on socks on the train is a bit creepy for those around me. Third, Hubby invited a bunch of people over for burgers before we all troop downtown for the fireworks so little knitting will probably be done at home tonight.
(Yeah, my town is doing fireworks tonight. It makes no sense.)

The Correct Train Car

Can apparently make a world of difference in a knitter's commute.
Another Ravelr made contact yesterday. She found my anti-love letters to Metro North while blog surfing and realized we take the same train. She tracked me down in Ravelry and told me a group of knitters and crocheters congregate in the first car on the ride home! I always seem to end up in the last car (there are only 3) so was unaware of this. You would think my fiber radar would detect such a gathering, but obviously it didn't.
Yesterday I again ended up in the last car, but toward the end of the ride I gathered up my toys and went questing. I'm sure she thought something strange was going on, until I swung my Ravelry bag around for identification.
She was working on two socks on two circs. They were very vibrant because she was using up all her scraps. They will be very happy and unique socks when she is done.
Sock talk ensued and she complimented my bag and asked after the pattern. When I opened it up to show her the lining she was totally distracted by the lovely colors of my Sol Joy yarn. And then it was my stop.
I will have to make more of an effort on the ride home tonight.
Boss Man says this is the true potential of social networking sites.

Joy of Charlene Socks
The Summer of Socks 2008 officially began Saturday morning at midnight. I could have cast on when the bell tolled since I left Las Vegas Friday afternoon and landed at home at midnight. But I was tired and didn't have my stuff with me (which might count as poor planing).
Anyway, I'd been debating starting with the Alchemy Girlfriend Socks, but when the moment came I pulled out my long neglected Sol Joy yarn from Catalina Yarns that I bought at Adirondack Yarns in Lake Placid at Christmas time.
(The moment actually came late in the afternoon Saturday. We slept until 10:30 am, I had a chiropractor appointment, we ate breakfast and I spent some time swatching--again--with my BearFoot Yarn. I think I've finally go that sorted.)
I've decided to use some of the techniques I learned in the Charlene Schurch class, so I'm calling the socks "Joy of Charlene" to reflect both the yarn and the inspiration.
On a US2, I did a picot hemmed cuff and knit the cuff shut, I'm using a stitch pattern out of Sensational Knitted Socks, and I did the "sexy heel" we learned in class (which is more commonly known as the Cuban Heel).
I had a bit of a set back on Sunday because when I finally tried the sock on the cuff was waaayy too tight. I had read a suggestion to use a smaller needle (US1) for the inside bit to reduce bulk and I think that made my knitted cast on too tight. We were on Long Island Sunday and I didn't have a set of US1 with me (there's that poor planning again) so when I frogged all I could do was roll with the US2. But it fits fine now and I don't know the difference of doing it the other way.
I turned the heel on the train this morning. This heel has been sort of a strange experience. It is easy enough to work, but since you continue to work the instep at the same time, there isn't that clear delineation of progress from the leg to the flap to the foot that I'm used too. So I can't decide if it is going faster or slower than normal. Although I just finished half a sock in three days, which I think is accelerated for me and probably can be attributed to the train.
Now I'm going to throw a life line in it because there only seem to be 14 sts for the sole, which seems kind of skimpy but I can't tell yet whether the pattern will flow under my foot or just down the sides. So I'll drop in the life line and keep going and if the pattern does end up under my foot I'll be able to rip it out without endangering the heel turn and refigure which stitches to work in stockinette stitch for the sole.
I totally have to take a picture already. Well, I took some of the first version when we were on LI, but I haven't downloaded them yet. I claim I'm still recovering from my trip.
Ok, looks like lunch time is just about over.

Disobeying Orders

They started a blog at work. It is there for us all to post to randomly during the day as appropriate material presents itself. It went live today (and is causing me no end of anxiety for some reason).
When it was announced about a month ago, Boss Man specifically said there would be no knitting content (although he's left the door open to the puppies, which I have to imagine is a joke). He had to realize that I would find a way around that directive post haste. Which I did with, happily, very little effort on my part.
Because over the wire today came a press release about a student art show festival at Columbia College Chicago which includes, wait for it, a hand knit car cozy. (I didn't take that picture, it was sent to me by the mastermind Kari.) As this was something quirky but a good example of town/gown relations, I of course had to jump on it. Maybe it defeated the purpose of a quick blog post, but I also had to give her a call and find out what kind of yarn she used (Red Heart--phew) and how much it took (about 150 of the Jumbo Super Saver skeins, which--I did the math--is 365 yards, or just a little longer than a football field). She also said she had 10 people helping her with the knitting--they covered the inside too. I forgot to ask how long it took (the press release said all winter and spring) or what they intended to do with it afterwards.
I did remember to tell her about Ravelry.
The bag that ate the blog
When the needle popped apart yesterday it didn't occur to me that my stitch markers at the corners would have fallen off. Which I realized when I unpacked my bag at the office today. So on all those rows I knit last night the corners are wrong. But it will be an easy matter to ladder them back down and change them to purls.
It occurred to me as I was driving home that I don't know what I'll post about after I finish this bag. I swear every post must include a mention lately. This came to my attention when I doubled back to put labels on all my posts. I guess that's what happens when you focus on one project. It's like what happened after the wedding. After a year of planning it I didn't know what to do with myself in the evenings! (Obviously I managed to find other entertainment.)
About those Klingon sock...
Hubby nixed them. He said it would be too geeky. Which makes sense, we aren't costume wearing convention attending types of fans. Still, I might have to keep them in mind for myself. And I still think my Las Vegas gift idea rocks.