What a difference a weight and/or a needle makes!
We are in the full swing of October now and our Annual Open House is behind us for another year. BIG thanks to our wonderful demonstrators and staff members for making our Columbus Day Saturday a huge success, once again. Also a great big thanks to our many amazing and loyal customers for their yearly pilgrimage to visit us for our big day. We already have big plans for next year – I heard talk of an in-house scavenger hunt… Stay tuned and mark your calendars now for Columbus Day Saturday 2010! Here is Beth to talk about our Noro infatuation.
A couple of years ago Gwynn and I made sweaters, she for Meredith and I for my granddaughter, Sydney. It was a very simple short-sleeved cardigan and as I knit, I kept thinking that I would love a sweater like that. I decided it was simple enough that I could create a larger version–simpler than I thought! Sydney’s sweater was out of Sockotta sock yarn on, of course, small size 2 needles. I found that just by going to a worsted weight (in this case, Debbie Bliss Luxury Tweed) and size 8 needles, I had an adult sweater! (Well, the beginnings of one–it is among my unfinished projects right now!)
The same kind of thing happened with the ‘Easy Side to Side Cardigan’. You may recall the picture of Gwynn, Susan and me all wearing our Patagonia cotton sweaters. I was determined to make an easier version of the pattern that should have been very easy, but wasn’t. Finally I came up with a more straightforward pattern, still using Patagonia and was very pleased with the sweater which garnered lots of compliments! But, alas, we have discontinued P
atagonia and I had to find a current yarn. Noro Iro is so reflective of the splendid fall colors of Maine this year that I chose it in shades of red and really whipped it up. I subtracted 3 from the added stitches because this was a bulkier yarn on larger needles and still wound up with a very different sweater! The initial revision was a hip length ‘shawl with sleeves’. Noro Iro is a more sophisticated version reaching to my knees, still very comfortable, versatile and warm. I can’t wait to try another juggling numbers, but the pattern will be ready to go next week! And you can follow it or play with it easily!
Gwynn and I are both still working on the Einstein Coat from Sally Melville’s “The Knit Stitch“. And again, yarn makes a difference. Gwynn’s in a very colorful Noro Iro (the one I would have used if she weren’t already!) is beautiful and fun! Mine is in a subtle color path of Noro Kochoran 
giving a more classic impression. Several of the women in our Monday night ‘Sit and Knit’ group knit this coat through the winter in varying shades of Lopi, Lamb’s Pride Bulky and Jane even did a beautiful coat holding Victorian Brushed Mohair and Victorian 2-Ply Wool together. We could all wear them to the same function and probably not have anyone comment on everyone wearing the same coat!
Thank you Beth for figuring out that side to side pattern and knitting like a crazy person to get it ready for us. Here are the pics of our progress – mine is the rainbow version and I have one sleeve left to do. Beth’s is darker and much more elegant; she just started her first sleeve. What we really want to know is what are you going to make yours out of??
