and I was just saying how I didn't like variegated yarns... silly me



Klaralund from Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton's Book Two, in Noro Silk Garden

---

So, it's official kick-off day for the Klaralund-along...

whoops, I finished!

I couldn't stop myself. We're off on our trip to Germany in a few hours and I didn't want to leave her unfinished, so I seamed her up in record time and here she is. Now I can leave her. Maybe when we get back we'll start having some weather where I can even wear her. I can't tell you how unpleasant it was doing a photoshoot in 80 degree weather in silk garden. But it's going to be so great to cuddle up in this sweater in the fall!

On to the details... This sweater is really cleverly constructed. It's just so neat that it's four rectangles, no decreasing, no increasing, no caps or curves or anything. Simple, simple, simple to make, the sewing is a breeze and still it ends up looking great. It's brilliant! I love how unique it is too. It doesn't look like any other sweaters that I have or see at the Gap and other stores. For example, I love how the cast off edges of the sleeves form the v-neck and how they're just sewn together a bit in the back.

Such an elegant solution for the neckline, which is usually a complicated detail. The big, bell sleeves are fun to wear and the little droop on the sides actually gives it a nice shape. Amazing. No more tittle-tattle, fiddle-faddle, making fun of Ms Tuttle Hamilton's name for me.

With that, I'm off to "Goimny" (as the boys say), with what seems like half my stash in tow. I'll update in a few days, so "Wiedersehen!" for now.

Klaralund, front and back. Look, they don't match. (stay calm) And I'm just fine. (deep breath - in - out) Really. (twitch) I can do this.

It's the first of September - is it okay to be knitting Klaralund now?? I want a count of how many of us have already started. Who else is willing to 'fess up?

I will step forward and admit that I started on a sleeve. The body pieces seemed kind of boring, so I thought I'd start one of those fabulous sleeves. And I'd hoped that doing the sleeves first would keep me from fretting over the sizing too much. So all of you who've yet to start and are wondering how a super-long, rectangular sleeve is ever going to work, here's an approximation.

even blurry, I do love these colors

This thing knits up in no time. You sit down, watch a little tv and next thing you know half the sleeve is done. I just can't help myself. Klaralund is on!

Some people (I won't name names - but a certain knitalong co-hostess comes to mind) have done a little more than swatching on their Klaralunds. I've been wanting to start mine so bad, but have been focused on my Olympic finishing marathon and jess obsession. Now that they've opened the door for, let's call it, "extended swatching", and I'm taking a break from jess to rest my hand a bit, I thought I might start up Klaralund afterall, as I think she'd be a good candidate for some right-hand relaxing, continental knitting.

Smile - you're knitting with silk garden!

I've swatched and have gotten some of the gauge issues and sizing decisions out of the way (for other Klara-alongers, I'll be using US9's and making the small size) and have moved on to dealing with my own personal issues with variegated yarns. We all remember that variegated yarns and I don't get along too well, mostly because I can't precisely control the finished look of the garment. Self-striping Noro yarns are better for me than truly variegated yarns, but since there's no guarantee that the skeins start at the same point, have the same stripe width, or are even wound in the same direction, I've still got some control issues with them. I put in some time into my Kureyon sweater, unwinding skeins searching for the right color and cutting out longer sections of a specific color, to get the pieces to sort of match up. The Klaralund pattern pic shows that they haven't done that. The sleeves don't match and I'd even suspect that the front was done with two skeins that were wound in different directions. But I like it! So I'm going to try to let things be this time.

Just let me sort these a little first.

Okay, maybe I need just a little control. I'll try to let things be, um, once I group together skeins that seem to be wound similarly and start in roughly the same spot. I can use them together to keep the stripe sequence in tact through a single piece (like the back or a sleeve), but I'm not going to force front and back or the two sleeves to match. (oooh, I'm really letting go aren't I?)

What could be better than a call from the yarn store saying "your yarn is in"?!

cotton angora, yummm...

Here's the Debbie Bliss yarn that I need to make mom's Jess sweater. All lovely in army green. I would never have picked out this color when just looking at the balls on display, but when knitted up, like the sweater Purl had on display or the models in the book, it looks really good. Much more like a neutral than like army fatigues!

Okay, I'll tell you what's better than your yarn order arriving, the store having just enough of another yarn that you were looking for.

Silk Garden, double yummm...

While in NYC, my mom and I spied the awesome Klaralund pattern in Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton's new book. And what do you know, but Wendy and Froggy start up a Klaralund-along for September AND my LYS had exactly the right number of skeins in stock for me. Count me in!

September's shaping up to be a great month for knitting. But first I gotta make it through my August knits. The Olympics to the rescue! Karen suggested an Olympic knitalong, which she was calling "a Herculean Effort". I wanted to join, but couldn't imagine starting another project now. Then I thought, if I really want to make a Herculean effort, I could try to finish up all the projects that are right on the verge of being finished. That's the giraffe jacket, the habu tank, the daria bag, and ava. I got two weeks. Let the games begin!