Kaya Tee - Finished!

After a marathon session on Friday I completed adding the length and grafted the two pieces back together again.  Everything went well and you can’t even tell that I did the surgery.  I also added stitches to the sleeves before I extended them, picking up three extra stitches on either side of the underarm in that section of knitting that always seems to get stretched out and distorted regardless of what you do and is always a source of holes that need to be closed up again.  I’ve picked up extra stitches in this area before, but this time I did not decrease them away as I needed that extra circumference and I am pleased with how they came out.  I think it gives a smoother underarm and will use this technique again in the future.  After blocking I checked my gauge again on the completed tee, and my gauge swatch did sort of lie, but really only because I knit the gauge swatch flat and this is worked in the round.  I didn’t think my gauge was that different but apparently it is different enough (in this case 1.5 stitches and 2 rows tighter over 4 inches).  Lesson learned.  The top fits, not much positive ease, but at least not negative, and the yarn (Extrafine Merino Wool) is very soft and feels great against the skin.

Pattern:  Kaya Tee by Megumi Shinagawa

Yarn:  Araucania Yarns Huasco Multy Botany Lace

Needles:  US 4 (3.5 mm), US 6 (4.0 mm), Hook G (4.0 mm)

Kaya Tee - Body Done!

And it is too short!  I tried it on, I am not into the cropped look, and not even an aggressive block is going to save this one.  To be clear, my gauge swatch did not lie, I just wasn’t listening to it the way I should have been.  I did know that my row gauge was tighter (32 rows vice 28 rows per four inches) and I added extra length to make up for that.  I just didn’t add enough extra length.  I also added extra length to the yoke, and that did work out.  While I was pondering what to do to solve this problem I went ahead and worked the sleeves, adding extra length to them as well and using up most of the purple yarn (2.6 grams left).   My stitch gauge is also a little tighter, so there is not much ease, but at least it is not negative ease!

Fortunately I have a convenient place to take the knitting apart to add length, right after that first blue section on the body.  So, I put in two of my Clover Circular Stitch Holders and started pulling out the row in between them (the last blue row of that section).

I really love these stitch holders.  I use them as after-thought life lines, and to put stitches on hold (I have two shorter ones holding the sleeve stitches in the first photo).

Here is a photo part way through the separation process.  I ended up cutting the piece of yarn that I was pulling out once it got too long to handle easily.  I didn’t need it, and it was getting a little worn.

And here are the two pieces separated.  I’ve put the stitches from the top back onto my needle, attached my yarn ball to the tail of the yarn that I ripped out and have started knitting.  I’m going to just do stockinette.  I thought about repeating the motif, but just don’t feel like working it over and over again.  Once I’ve added enough length I’ll graft the two pieces back together.

Pattern:  Kaya Tee by Megumi Shinagawa

Yarn:  Araucania Yarns Huasco Multy Botany Lace

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm), US 6 (4.0 mm)

Kaya Tee - Yoke Done!

This past week I focused on this project to give my hands a rest from the sock knitting and the crochet and I finished up the yoke.  I will confess that I was get a bit tired of the textured patterning, even though I do like the look and was relieved to get to straight stockinette (which lets me read while I knit!).  Turns out my gauge was not quite as spot on as I thought it was, my row gauge is tighter than the pattern calls for (32 rows vice 28 rows), yes I know that is a fair bit of difference.  If I had gone up to a US 7 maybe I could have made that gauge work, but I doubt if I would have liked the fabric (too loose, I’ve knit fingering on US 7 needles, and it is always too loose).  So, I’m sticking with what I have.  I like the fabric and it fits.  It might have a little less ease than the pattern calls for, but that is okay, so far it fits me just fine, and it looks like I’ll be fine on the yarn usage as well, even though I will use more.  And if I do run short I have some of the same base in the teal that I used for the gauge swatch that I can use if I absolutely have to, and I know just where I would use it.  I enjoy these kinds of knitting challenges.  Overall I like the pattern and am thinking of making more with some of the Artyarns that I have in my stash, although I may skip the patterning and just do the lace.

Pattern:  Kaya Tee by Megumi Shinagawa 

Yarn:  Araucania Yarns Huasca Multy Botany Lace

Needles:  US 6 (4.0 mm) and US 4 (3.5 mm)

Kaya Tee - Cast On & Chart A Done!

What?  Casting on another project?  I am supposed to be reducing the number of projects I have on the needles, not increasing them!  But, yes, I did cast on another project this past weekend.  Since I retired I have been working on two things (among many others), finishing up (or frogging) unfinished objects, and knitting from stash.  Being an engineer, and also not a fan of expending energy making decisions that ultimately don’t really matter, I simply grabbed the first box of fingering weight yarn in my stash and opened it up, determined to knit everything in there.  At one point I had gone through my voluminous stash and sorted and cataloged (on Ravelry) and boxed everything that I had (at that time).  I sorted by fiber weight, and then alphabetically by fiber manufacturer/maker, so this box (F1) has yarns that start with the letter A.  My Lightning Thief shawl was knit with yarn that came from this box, and so is this project.  In fact it is the exact same yarn brand - Araucania Huasca.

I also bought this yarn from Earth Faire as a kit 10 years ago, and according to my Ravelry stash page it was supposed to become a Vestland Shawl, but when I went and looked at that pattern my response was “meh”, maybe not.  I have lots and lots of shawls, so how about a tee?  A quick Ravelry search led me to the Kaya Tee by Megumi Shinagawa.  Two colors, and some pretty lace, to which I can add the beads that came with the yarn.  Yesterday I pulled the pattern in to knitCompanion, grabbed my leftover yarn from my Lightning Thief shawl, and knit up a gauge swatch.  The pattern calls for US 4 (3.5 mm) and US 6 (4.0 mm) needles, with the gauge given for stockinette on the US 6.  I knit my swatch with US 4, US 5, and US 6 needles, matched the US 6 gauge and, more importantly, like the fabric.

I caked up my two skeins (a lovely blue and lavender) and cast on.  It took me two tries to get the join looking neat because you actually knit one row after the cast on before joining in the round, but paying careful attention to the tension at the join was all it took.  Setting up the charts in knitCompanion was a little problematic as they were obviously not made using charting software as the columns were not a consistent width.  I briefly considered recharting them (I have charting software on my laptop computer as well as my iPad), but decided that I could work with what I had and it just wasn’t worth the effort.  I am delighted with how it is looking so far.  As preparation for taking the photo I put some Barber cord on the needles and stretched it out, and then popped it over my head and turned to my husband with a big smile and said “there!”.  Unfortunately he had just taken a sip of coffee and he started to laugh at the little collar over my t-shirt, which resulted in coffee up the nose, which got me laughing, and apologizing.

So why did I cast on, when I just picked up an unfinished object (the Taliesin Socks)?  Because working on socks for too long (and I will, just as I will crochet for too long) will cause muscle strains in my hands and forearms, plus the pointy needles poking my fingers (because I like pointy needles for working socks) make my fingers sore, and switching what I’m working on is the best way to avoid that.

Pattern:  Kaya Tee by Megumi Shinagawa

Yarn:  Araucania Yarns Huasca Multy Botany Lace

Needles:  US 4 (3.5 mm) and US 6 (4.0 mm)

Lightning Thief - Finished!

As is typical for me, once I get to a certain point in a project I focus on it until it is finished.  So last week I focused on finishing up Lightning Thief, working the rest of Chart B, and the bind off.  The bind off was a bit of a slog.  Not hard, per se, once I saw the pattern and got into the rhythm, but it still required focus, and time.

Blocking also took time (an hour), as every one of those picots had to be pinned out.  To do it I put three fingers of each hand into the loops (like a cat scratching) and pulled to stretch out the knitting, then I switched my left hand to the first three loops while I pinned with my right hand, being careful to pin into the picot.  Once they were pinned I repeated for the second three loops.  Once all the picots were pinned out I could then do the fine adjustments to get them all laying neatly, make sure my pin was solidly in the picot, and make sure things lined up neatly.

I did make one modification to the pattern, adding a bead on row 40 over the CDD so that the line of beads terminated neatly.

Pattern:  Lightning Thief by Lily Go

Yarn:  Araucanian Yarns Huasca Multy Botany Lace

 Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Lightning Thief - Part B, Chart 1 Done!

Last night I finished up the lace part of the first Part B chart (all those beads!) and this morning I finished up the four knit rows that separate the first Part B chart from the second Part B chart.  Still more beads!  But these are the larger size 6 beads, not the smaller size 8, which will be easier to work with.  I am excited about finishing this shawl, I looked at some of the finished projects on Ravelry and it is really beautiful.

Pattern:  Lightning Thief by Lily Go

Yarn:  Araucania Yarns Huasco Multy Botany Lace

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Lightning Thief - Part A Done!

Last night I finished up Part A of the Lightning Thief for the large size.  This morning I weighed my yarn and did the math to see if I could make the extra-large size (the designer conveniently included charts with row by row stitch counts for all of the sizes), but alas I do not have enough yarn to do that, so it is on to Part B.

Pattern:  Lightning Thief by Lily Go

Yarn:  Araucania Yarns Huasco Multy Botany Lace

US 5 (3.75 mm)
 

Lightning Thief - Third Chart - One Repeat Done!

Last night I finished up the first repeat of the third chart.  My yarn usage looks to be on target for the large size.  So far it has been pretty easy knitting, and the yarn is certainly a dream to work with.  I haven’t been working as much on this project because I’ve been working on my Tessellation Nation.

Pattern:  Lightning Thief by Lily Go

Yarn:  Araucania Yarns Huasco Multy Botany Lace

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Lightning Thief - Second Chart Done!

I’ve been working on this project because I can read when I’m working the wrong side rows.  It is also pretty good television knitting.  So, I have finished the second chart and am on to the third, which I will repeat at least once.  I’ll check my yarn usage after the second repeat and see if I have enough to work a third.

On another topic, my cat, Jezebel, slept most of the night on my chest, and in the early hours of the morning moved to the foot of the bed to sleep by my lower leg.  Fortunately I do not move much when I sleep, and often sleep on my back.  It was quite nice to have a purr monster sleeping on my chest.

Pattern:  Lightning Thief by Lily Go

Yarn:  Araucania Yarns Huasco Multy Botany Lace

Needle:  US 5 (3.7 5 mm)

Lightning Thief - First Chart Done!

I have finished the first chart - rows 1-28.  Lots of beads, which makes for slow knitting.  I am adding the beads before knitting the stitch instead of after knitting the stitch, as called for by the pattern because I prefer doing it that way.  On row 15, where the pattern has you place a bead after working a knit two together (k2tog), I placed the bead on the second stitch, so that when I worked the k2tog the bead is on top of the decrease.  I’ll continue to do that for the next chart, which has beads on both k2tog stitches and slip, slip, knit (ssk) stitches.  For the ssks I’ll place the bead on the first stitch before I worked the decrease, so it will end up on top of the decrease.

Pattern:  Lightning Thief by Lily Go

Yarn:  Araucania Yarns Huasco Multy Botany Lace

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Lightning Thief - Cast On!

I have lots of yarn in my stash, and lots of yarn that was bought as a project, and I thought it was about time that I started knitting them up.  Being the methodical sort, and not wanting to make decisions, I simply grabbed my first box of fingering (I have a lot of fingering weight yarn in my stash), and pulled this project yarn out.  When I was stashing my yarn on Ravelry I identified the pattern if the yarn was bought for a specific project, so it was easy to do.

I bought this yarn from Earth Faire back in 2015, for the pattern Lightning Thief  by Lily Go.  The yarn is not the original called for in the pattern, or any of the yarns listed on the pattern page.  It is Araucania Yarns Huasco Multy Botany Lace and is categorized as light fingering.  The color is Teal and I have two skeins, so I’m making the large size of the shawl.  Having finished my Wallflowers and started my Tessellation Nation, I felt I had enough mental attention to add another knitting project to my current WIPs (now at 11, down from two dozen).  Yes, I know I could have continued finishing up WIPs, but sometimes you just want to start something new.

Pattern:  Lightning Thief by Lily Go

Yarn:  Araucania Yarns Huasco Multy Botany Lace

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)