caissa

Earlier this year Anne Hanson asked me to do a test knit for a kimono style sweater.  Sight unseen, with only a hint of what it was going to look like, of course I agreed!  After all, Anne's patterns are fantastic and very well written.  Hints of what it would look like would pop up on her blog from time to time.  Little snippets of knitted fabric, hints about the shaping, and photo's of the yarn kept me on pins and needles!  Last month an email from Anne came and it was time to begin. 

 

It took me just a little over a month to complete my caissa and I really enjoyed every minute of the pattern.  It's straight forward, easy to follow and like all of Anne's sweater patterns, fit's perfectly. 

 

We have had a couple of cool nights here and Ive already had a chance to wear it.

 

 

It's the perfect sweater for wearing with jeans and a light shirt in the fall.  And this winter it will layer nicely over a long sleeve shirt.  Ive checked to see that it's light enough to fit under my coat which will make it perfect for car trips. 

 

The pattern should be coming out soon.  Keep an eye on Anne's blog for the details. 

 

If you would like to meet Anne and have a great learning experience, she will be at the Shalimar Yarns Studio on Friday September 21 for the Knitspot Finishing Series.  More information and the link to sign up is here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Labor Day

Our Labor Day weekend was very relaxing and enjoyable.  We went to Dish for dinner with Shannon and Rob and then walked around downtown. Taking pictures of each other and having a great time.

 

Andy really spoiled me all weekend by taking me out to lunch Sunday and Monday.  I really enjoy cooking, but it's so nice to have a break.

 

It rained for part of the weekend which means prime knitting time!  I made some real progress on my Cassia test knit that Im doing for Anne.  It's a fantastic and straight forward pattern which makes it perfect for tv watching or knitting when company is over.  I did a quick dry fit last night to check the sleeve length and I absolutely love how the sweater fits and looks!  Pictures to come soon! 

 

I did manage to squeeze in a few hexipuffs.  The grand total as of yesterday is 164.  Still a long way to go, but they seem to fly off the needles.  Each one takes about 20 - 30 minutes.  The Fair Isle ones take about 45.

 

Ive also discovered a new favorite wine.  No, not all of them!!  It's Flip Flop Moscato.

It's light, slightly sweet and even Andy who is not a fan of Moscato seems to like it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Knitting!

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to take Anne Hanson's Sweater Fitness Class at the Shalimar Yarns Studio in MD.  Ive always been particular about my clothing and how it fit's.  Anne's class really helped me to get to the next level in my knitting.  When I returned home I immediately cast on for Sprossling in Breathless Hemmingway.  My goal was to have the sweater completed by TNNA so I could wear it while working in the Shalimar booth. 

Because the pattern sizes didn't match my measurements, Anne showed me how to make adjustments to ensure a proper fit by changing needle sizes in one area.  Since I prefer a lower neckline I dropped it down by two inches.  In the past Ive been hesitant to make changes to a pattern.  What if it didn't look right?  Or the fit was off?  Knitting can be ripped back, but Im one of those people who is in constant denial if something isn't going right.  I just keep knitting and ignore the problem until sleeves are miles too long or a hat is so big it could fit a giant.   I did make some mistakes on the decreasing and increasing and had to re-knit the fronts of the Sprossling.  I kept telling myself that ripping back was the right thing to do and I wouldn't be happy with they way the finished sweater looked if I kept going.  It was worth it!  I wound up with a beautiful sweater that fit's really well. 

Here is the finished Sprossling on our manniquin.  Her measurements are actually very close to mine, but she does have an annoyingly smaller waist.  She must spend more time at the gym that I do, which would be anything over five minutes!

Andy, Kristi and me in the Shalimar Yarns booth at TNNA

I also started a fun project that uses up left over sock and fingering weight yarns.  It's the Beekeepers Quilt by TinyOwlKnits.  It's really popular on Ravelry and I couldn't quite figure it out until I saw one of them in person.   Once you start the little hexipuffs you won't be able to stop.  Ive knit sixteen of them in two days! 

I can look at each hexipuff and remember what the yarn was originally used for.  The variegated pink, green, yellow and brown is from the very first skein of  Zoe Sock that I purchased.  The colorway has been discontinued - Pillow Mint.

Happy Knitting!

My New Favorite Sweater

A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to be a test knitter for Anne Hanson's newest sweater design; Blümchen

I love my finished Blümchen.  Not only does it fit perfectly but it was such a fun and very easy knit that Im currently shopping for yarn for a second one!

If you are looking for a well fitting and flattering sweater this is the way to go.  I used Knitting Notions Classic SuperwashMerino in Pumkin Spice. 

The finished sweater may give the impression that it was difficult or challenging to knit, but I promise it was quite easy.  The lace pattern is easy to remember and I knit the majority of it while watching tv with Andy in the evenings.  I even brought it to our knit group and worked on it while catching up with the girls.

What Dreams May Come

I had a really horrific health scare late in the summer that required a biopsy.  There were sleepless nights for my husband and I before and after and quite frankly a lot of worry. 

A couple of nights before the biopsy I had a vivid dream where Anne Hanson told me that if I joined her Fall in Full Colors club my breast would be fine. 

Now, Im not into reading into your dreams or fortune telling or anything like that.  But I figured, what the hell.  It's yarn and patterns by one of my favorite designers, how could I go wrong?

Well, Im not saying that the Fall in Full Colors club has magical healing powers, but my biopsy turned out just fine. 

The last time Andy and I were out on the boat the leaves were just starting to turn a beautiful yellowish green.  With the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains the colors were spectacular!  I was thinking that it would be great to find yarn in these colors:

Since I work for Kristi I knew the September shipment would be Shalimar Breathless.  But I had no idea of the color.  There was such a happy dance when this arrived:

Fantastic, yes?

The pattern to go with it is for Hazeline a stunning shawl.  I can't wait to get started on it and will be winding the yarn today.  I have one cuff left to finish on the Vodka Gimlet that Im doing in Honey Worsted Black Truffle and then will get to cast on for the Hazeline.  Im proud of myself for showing restraint and not casting on until the Gimlet is finished.