Elliebelly Knit Along – Page 6 – Elliebelly Knit & Dye Works

Casting On: Ollie’s Crayon Ragman Sweater

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Joyce Makes Art

The Elliebelly Knit Along starts today, and I'm on top of it.

is going to become this sweater, Donna Higgins Ragman.

I'm off to a good start.

A very bad swatch indicated I would get gauge on size 9 needles (I've knit with this yarn before so I knew that and was too lazy to do more than just quickly confirm it.)

57 stitches, casted on using the long tail method.

And, on to the set up row for the raglan increases, followed by the insertion of pretty yarn jewelry (stitch markers).

The only hitch in the process involved our large black cat, squirt, who became enamoured with the "new toy" Mom got him, and suddenly wandered off with the ball of yarn, trailing my needles behind him.

He was very disappointed when I took it back. Poor kitty!

Elliebelly Knit Along: Ready, Set, and Go!

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Joyce Makes Art

Since we are just hours away from August 13, I thought I would compile and post "the rules" for the Elliebelly Knit Along. Here they are:

1. Official Name. We will call this the “Elliebelly Knit-n-Telly”. It was Siobahn’s idea and she explained “Kinda like a play on show-n-tell for what you made with your yummy yarn.” What a fun name! Thank you Siobahn!

2. What We Are Doing. Knit any pattern of your choice in any Elliebelly yarn (including handspun from Elliebelly fiber). Have lots of fun along the way.

3. Post in the sign up thread. Once you decide what pattern you are going to knit, post here. Feel free to share pictures of your yarn or anything else. Get your groove on and go sign up! It's not too late.

4. Cast on on August 13 and post in the cast on thread. Or, start later if you’re on vacation and knit extra hard to “catch up”. Whenever you start, introduce yourself in the cast on thread and share pictures of your cast on project.

5. Post in the Progress Threads. There will be various threads to post about your progress – make sure you check in every day and update the group on your knitting.

6. Are you a Blogger? Blog about your WIP and post a link in the blog thread, so we can all enjoy your blog.

7. End date? Um, not in my world. Working moms (and aren’t we all, one way or the other) have plenty of deadlines as is. Let’s enjoy our knitting and encourage each other’s progress. I’ll come up with some fun and cheesy prizes for both quick and slow knitters.

Getting Ready For The Elliebelly Knit Along: A Post In Which I Expand My Choices Instead Of Making A Decision

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Joyce Makes Art

I have a number of favorite patterns and potential choices for the Elliebelly Knit Along, which starts Saturday so I'm getting to the point where I really, really, really need to make a decision here. I hope you'll consider signing up and knitting along with me! You can knit any pattern of your choice in any Elliebelly yarn, with lots of fun along the way. Sign up here.

Instead of deciding from among the patterns I looked at a few days ago, I have a couple more possibilities to add to my list.

I adore Karin's Simple Ribbed Cowl pattern. I can't help but think it would be wonderfully warming on a cold winter's day, and I do have just enough bulky Cashmere to knit this one, although I would have to do some quick dyeing as it is still in its natural state. (This is actually not much of a disincentive, because I love dyeing and I love dyeing Cashmere).

Then there is Pinkobbit's shrug. She used the Shrug This pattern, which uses just 153 yards of an aran weight wool. I could probably get gauge double stranding some of my Eco Alpaca.

I also think the black and white colorway Pinkobbit used is fantastic, and it occurs to me something like that, or yarn dyed in my Urban Myth colorway would be nice for this pattern.

We are coming up on decision time here, and I don't seem to be any closer. I'm still eyeing the Sea Three (Seacell and Silk) as the yarn I would most like to dye with. But I haven't hit the perfect pattern for it yet, and the patterns I have found are so tempting, that I suspect a number of them are going to hit my needles between now and the end of the year.

Hopefully a few of you are doing a better job than I am of deciding what to knit. Remember to go ahead and sign up officially once you make your decision.

Indecision: What Am I Going to Knit For The Knit Along?

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Joyce Makes Art

A few of you smart, organized knitters have already decided what you are going to be knitting for the knit along. [Quick catch up: The first ever Elliebelly Knit Along starts Saturday, August 13. Knit the pattern of your choice using any Elliebelly yarn. Have lots of fun. Knit with fabulous knitters. More details here.]

I'm not that far along. But, after obsessing over lots of different yarn in my stash in my last post, I've spent some time on Ravelry looking at potential patterns. Here are the ones I'm giving strongest consideration to, in no particular order.

First up are Rachel Calado's Symmetrical Braided Gauntlets. (Her Blog is very cool too). The pattern is written for an aran weight Silk/Merino blend. I'm thinking this might be just the pattern for my orphan skein of Copper Patina Silk/Merino, if I can figure out the yardage.

Jane Richmond is a very talented designer I keep bumping into on Raverly. I love her Aesderina Hat pattern. It's simple and beautiful and I want one for myself very much.

The pattern is written for an aran weight wool, but again, I'm thinking that lovely blend of Silk and Merino might feel nice on top of my head. I've also got some Foxfire yarn from Springdelle Farms I dyed earlier this year and swatched, but haven't knit up yet, that would be a perfect weight, although I wonder if I would lose the horizontal rib pattern with all of the colors in this yarn.

I've been eyeing Hanna Breetz's Storm Cloud Shawlette for quite some time now.

Doesn't it look like something you would wear every day? It's knit in a fingering weight yarn and I am thinking this:

Or maybe this little wisp of Silk and Cashmere.

I first bumped into Heidi Kirrmaier's Buttercup on a blog about Anthropologie inspired knits.

I adore this pattern.

Melanie (BlueCat on Ravelry), made this wonderful sweater for her son using an Ann Bud Sweater Book pattern.

I still owe Ollie a new sweater for this year, and this would be a nice pattern for my rugged backyard explorer in this warm Alpaca blend yarn.

Ollie has confided in me that he is rather partial to the bulky Crayon yarn in my stash, however. So despite its purple tones, I'm thinking about using it for a variation of this sweater (I love Ann's book which is easily customizable for your yarn).

I'm also eyeing Ragman by my Local Yarn Store owner, Donna of In The Making, which might be better in this bulkier yarn. I've enjoyed every pattern of Donna's I've ever knit, and this one has been on my list for a while.

This is probably the pattern I'd most like to knit, although I do have some really nice farm yarn I've been saving for this pattern, so I'm not 100% yet.

I've still not come across just the right pattern for the Sea Three.

But I am itching to knit with it! I love the 198 Yards of Heaven pattern, but am not sure I want to knit such a delicate lace pattern in a varigated yarn, so I may try to swatch a bit of it in pattern to see how it does.

Indecision, Indecision, Indecision. I'd like to knit them all, but by Saturday morning, I plan on having just one picked out and ready to cast on. I hope you will join me!

What Yarn Should I Knit With?

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Joyce Makes Art

I looked through my stash this morning, hoping to find just the right yarn to use for the Elliebelly Knit Along, which starts August 13 — next Saturday. And of course, I was immediately overcome with all the different possibilities. I forced myself to pull just a few out, and I'm going to spend the next few evenings looking at possible patterns for them so I can be all ready to cast on in time for the start of the Knit Along.

It was lots of fun doing a bit of stash tossing, and I thought I would share my candidates with you. I would appreciate any ideas you have about patterns they might work with, so please chime in with a comment!

I've got just one skein of this Silk/Merino heavy worsted weight yarn in Copper Patina. This was my first test skein for the colorway, and I love it — swatched it eons ago, but since I've just got the one skein, I've never found a good use for it. I'm not even sure what the base yarn is — I think I bought just the one skein from KnitPicks right when they opened. It's a nice yarn. I wish I could identify it! Possibly enough yarn here for mitts or a small baby/child item.

Next I found these four skeins of Premium British Merino in the Crayon colorway. This yarn is heavenly and I have never knitted with Crayon (one of those shoemaker's children going barefoot issues, I suppose). Perhaps a vest for Ollie, although I wonder if at almost 9, his dignity would be challenged by the bright colors and the purple? This yarn is definitely a contender.

Alpaca. One of the true loves of my life! This is "Eco" and I have about 3.5 skeins, having started to swatch it only to have the swatch commandered by Ollie who insisted on mitts. Maybe I should knit him a hat and a scarf to go along with the mitts, or a vest? This is a heavy worsted weight, so I don't think I've got enough left to do a sweater.

One skein of my favorite worsted weight Organic Merino, being held by one of my favorite people. This is likely enough for a newborn sweater, and I have a neighbor due with her third child this fall. It would also make a cute little shrug for a slightly older child. And, I love how the colors dance along this yarn.

This is a stunning, worsted weight blend of Silk and Seacell. It's dyed in the Paintbrush Variation of Crayon, which on this yarn developed as a soft, subdued colorway. It's been sitting on my desk since I dyed it a couple of months ago, because I couldn't bear to stash it away. I've got about 500 yards of this yarn — it's itching to become something beautiful and I can't wait to knit with it.

Here is my last option. Five skeins of undyed, aran weight 100% silk, waiting to be dyed. It could be anything from the most luxurious baby blanket ever to, well, I guess just about anything. I love how it feels. It would be an incredible pleasure to knit with.

There are the choices. What do you think?

I hope you will join me, starting next Saturday, as we cast on for the Knit Along. Use your Elliebelly yarn and knit any pattern you choose. You can find more info on my Ravelry Group or by following this blog, and, of course, you can always include any questions in the comments here. So, get your yarn and your pattern lined up, and let's get started!