Another Roundabout Leaf Tank

Hi all! My name is jillian, and I'm making the Roundabout Leaf Tank as my first project. It's a gift for my sis's birthday at the end of June. I'm using Berocco's Cotton Twist, and so far am enjoying the project and yarn immensely!

As I started this pattern, I realized that this was truly an instance of knitwear not just mimicking the shape of a garment made of fabric but of using the unique properties of knitted fabric to create a garment. Read more about this WIP at my blog, sknitty. I adore this book, and almost can't decide what I would do next. Seeing all of your beautiful works is inspiring!


Tags: Roundabout Leaf Tank_

turbulence blocking its heart out

thar she is. may i confess that doing the front cable chart is insanely absorbing and absolutely magical! i always do all my cables without a cable needle, which shaves off a huge amount of fiddliness and time. i am such a sucker for textured and cabled knits...

one teeny mistake in the pattern: row 36 of the chart is missing. no biggie, you just go back the wrong side and knit the knits and purl and purls (basically the form of every WS row in the chart). in the writeup, you can tell there's one row amiss because the chart ends on a RS (row 35), it instructs you to do two more rows (one Ks, one Ps) and the next instruction is to begin a RS row. so, ostensibly, you really should finish the chart with a WS row.

sleeves and seaming to go! :)


Tags: Turnbulance Pullover_

Vortex Pullover coming along

This is where I was at earlier this month:


And now the back is done to the armpits. It's been pretty boring st st on size 5 needles with a little shaping. But once I get the 2 front side pieces done I can do the cable panel. So that part should be fun. I do love the yarn I'm using (Jo Sharp Silkroad Tweed DK). So this is a good while watching movies at home knit for now.






-Amber


Tags: Vortex Street Pullover_

Free Nora purse pattern

Just thought I would post this, in case anyone wanted to make this.
It's a purse designed by Nora for berroco.
http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/brea/brea.html


Tags: Brea Bag_, Other Norah Patterns_

Asymmetrical Cardi + Ultrasilk

Hi All

I'm thinking of using Berroco Ultrasilk for this cardi. Anyone have any experience with this yarn? What do you think about using it for the hex-patterned cardi? It's kind of a big purchase if the yarn isn't right...

I've also got my eye on a shorter version of the serpentine coat, using Dale Sisek (just happen to have 3 colors in my stash), and oh, about 3-4 other patterns in this book...

Tree
(sadly blogless but hoping to change all that in the next month)


Tags: Aysmmetrical Cardigan_

cable chart?

hi all - i feel completely obsessive asking this favour - but i took my knitting with me for here-and-there times tonight (and i wont be at home to consult the book). i didnt bring a copy of the turbulence pattern since i thought it was easy to remember, but now my memory's falting a bit and it's freaking me out.

anyone with the book handy -- could you flip to the turbulence pattern at describe the small cable chart? i know it's 8 sts wide, 2purl 4 middle 2purl. and the first row of the chart is a 2cross2 cable. however, how tall is it (the repeat)? how many rows do you do because you cross the cable again? in my mind it's four, but somehow i'm worried it's wrong and it'll come out more twisty (which matters once you get to the top larger chart part).

thanks everyone. i just need confirmation before i go batty... :)


Tags: Turbulence Pullover_

Can´t let my fingers off that book

I saw this phantastic book at Lolly´s Blog 2 weeks ago and my chops fell down looking at all the nice models. The next action I took was ordering it at the internet. It said I´ll have to wait for 2 to 3 weeks :-( , but I got it in just 6 days. I brought it to my local knitting group in Frankfurt, Germany, and the others girls were fascinated too. My girlfriend Claudia and I planned to start with the largest project in the book, the Hex Coat. Next week we want to choose the colors and than place the order for the yarn, Lett Lopi, an island wool with 100 metres per 50 grams skein. You all will read about our efforts right here :-)



Tags: Hex Coat_

Hello!

I have cast on and begun work on the back of the Ram's Horn Jacket. I love the book, want about 32 things out of it, but have very little time to knit for myself, so I think my progress will be slow. Modifications so far: yarn change - I am using Dale of Norway Sisik, which I got for $2.99 a ball. I also changed the depth of the hem to 2", and lengthened the jacket by about 2 inches so it breaks below the hip line - my hips do not need extra attention! I am making the second size. So far it's fantastic, straight foreward and easy to understand and knit.
HOPEFULLY more soon!


Tags: Ram's Horn Jacket_

turbulence is flowing

yay!

here's the back piece of the sweater, completely to measurement specs. i cannot be more happy about this. i know this doesnt look like much, but it's hours spent completing a good chunk of the sweater!

(sorry for the amorphous blobshape, i tried to pin it quickly but the edges were curling like crazy)

now onto the fun stuff... :) i will delectably enjoy each and every cable and twist...



here's the surface of the stockinette. i'm using nashua handknits creative focus worsted in oatmeal.

the yarn is great, though can be at times a bit 'rovey'. the spin is not very tight, so sometimes my needle picks up stray halos. do you think the pocked texture will smooth out during blocking, or will give it some wooly charm?

according to this knittersreview article on ply/spin, i believe this yarn falls into woolen single ply, and all the beauty and shortcomings of it!


Tags: Turnbulance Pullover_

Basalt tank mistakes.

I have discovered an obvious mistake in the pattern...please note:

If you are knitting this tank, make sure you count inbetween your markers after the eyelet rows. You will know what I am talking about because it doesn't work out evenly...atleast in this size....and you sometimes have to k2tog when the stitches are on either side of a marker. You will see.

Also...the mistake in the pattern is this

Inside Section.Rows 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17 PURL.

I am progressing, slowly...



Tags: Basalt Tank_,

Errata_

Ram's Horn Jacket!

Hi all, I just joined! Love to see all the projects coming along, I think this is one of the best knitting books to come along in a long time! I'm making the Ram's Horn Jacket, and here's an excerpt from my full blog post about this project so far:

here's what it looks like in the book:

I rarely knit from other’s patterns, so falling head-over-heels for this little jacket kind of caught me by surprise. And aparently all the stars were in alignment because I happened to have just ordered the perfect yarn to make this out of: Cascade 220 in a gorgeous navy blue.

I like this thing so much, I already finished the back and one front. See?

The color is very true on my monitor, but needless to say it’s hard to photograph such a dark color accurately. I’m actually surprised you can even see the hem’s turning row in this photo!

The pattern so far is perfect and easy to understand, and I really like the proportions and sizing. I’m knitting the smallest size and am pleased to report that she’s got shorter armholes (8″ on this size) and narrower sleeves (12″) than most knitting patterns, which happily means I don’t have to alter a thing! How refreshing! I'm spot-on gauge with this yarn sub, which is also refreshing.

In my mad love for this little jacket I've also been daydreaming about sewing a lining into it. With maybe a pocket inside one of the fronts, to make it more like a “real” jacket. I’m imagining a slightly-inapropriate fabric choice, like maybe huge 70’s polka dots or that sushi fabric I’ve seen on some websites . . .

Tags: Ram's Horn Jacket_

Full speed!

Could it be that mine is one of the first Knitting Nature FOs? I truly loved knitting the Swirled Pentagon Pullover, and I'm extremely pleased with how it came out!


I used a cotton/acrylic blend called Gedifra Korfu, and knit the smallest pattern size with only a few modifications. My favorite part of the sweater is of course the pentagon yoke. Look how cleverly the pentagons come together, including a raised back!



All the details you could possibly want on my blog.

I'm already thinking about the next project from this book (although I won't be starting it for some time). Until then, good luck with your projects, everyone!

Grumperina


Tags: FO_, Pentagon Pullover_

Getting That Sinking Feeling; Need Advice

I started joining the body on the Roundabout Leaf Tank and I've knit almost all the way around once. It's 36 inches wide, but I'm starting to get nervous. I think it's going to be too big. I've "tried it on" but it's hard to tell how it's going to hang.

Perhaps this is a classic case of TMI, but here are my measurements: I have 38 inch hips, about a 28.5 inch waist and a 35.5 inch bust. Do you all think that a sweater that is 36 inches wide -- with no shaping -- is going to look like a tent on me? It would make me sick to frog this, because I love the style and it's fun to knit. But it would make me even sicker if I finished the darn thing and it made me look like the side of a barn. Advice?


Tags: Roundabout Leaf Tank_

Just Got the Book

I just got the book from Knit Picks on Monday, and I love it.

Here's my favorite top.

It's the Ogee Tunic. I love the Eastern feel that it has although I will use another color. I think a sandy color would be nice.

My first project will be the Basalt Tank. It's a funky summertime top.

Tags: Ogee Tunic_

spiral scarf beginnings

pattern: spiral scarf
yarn: artyarns supermerino, colour 115 (persimmon)
needles: size 6 susan bates circulars (two circulars when it gets cozy)

the 1x1 ribbing goes slowly, but i like the vortex-like momentum of working inwards, so you're ever decreasing and eating up more stitches on the needles.

can i confess my complete and utter distrust of dpns? i have no patience for those tips that keep slipping and dropping stitches at the ends...

knitting from the outside in really tripped me up, especially late last night. i must have cast on and picked up stitches about five times. now i know that i pick up with right side showing, and no matter how wonky it looks, once you twist it into the correct orientation, the sides should align and be in correct facings.



Tags: Spiral Scarf_

Pentagons: almost done!

I'm simply smitten with Norah's Pentagon Sweater design! Not only do the pentagons cleverly form the yoke, there is an additional half of a pentagon to bring up the back of the sweater:


After blocking, I ironed the pieces of the sweater to make them flat and streamlined:


The sleeves are finished, too, it’s only a matter of time until the whole thing is seamed and done!

More details on my blog

Grumperina


Tags: Pentagon Pullover_

Starting the Basalt Tank.

Hi everyone...I've started a pattern, so I am joining your KAL!
Here is the beginning of the Basalt Tank.



I am wondering about knitting the sections in the round...I may leave my first section and do the second in the round.

I am not really liking the seam on the inside of the garment.

Tags: Basalt Tank_

leafy asymmetrical cardigan

here's a swatch (okay, well, an almost complete left front) of the asymmetrical cardigan in norah gaughan's knitting nature.

the pattern calls for a bulky cashmere (how i wish!) yarn, 13sts = 4", and my swatch is in knitpicks sierra in leaf i think the yarn is quite suitable for the project, and i will need to use needles 9 / 10 (instead of 9 / 10.5 as shown here), but the colour is just not doing it for me. i think this sweater would look dowdy (horrors) in anything other than a lightcoloured or neutral shade. the icy blue in the book looks amazing because of the model's eyes and the beach situation. oh, how i wish for a beach situation.

i'm debating colour because i have some leaf-coloured sierra already in my stash, but somehow this dark green all-over texture just screams oldskool christmas. (and am i the only one who sees hundreds of stars of david in this stitch pattern?) or perhaps can i spin it as vintage or add nice big tortoiseshell buttons? what do you think?

Tags: Aysmmetrical Cardigan_

stirring up trouble: turbulence

hi everyone!

i am *tickled pink* at norah's book. absolutely beautiful stuff, luscious photography, and a great, well-researched crop of mathematical and scientific references. as a geekgrrl, i definitely appreciate all the hard work that went into these designs, and i appreciate how norah sometimes stretches the hard and fast number theories so that the garments actually drape well onto the body. the balance between art and science, between geometric and organic, is what makes it so impressive. i remember speaking with her at the boston knitout last fall, and she was so excited about her new publication!

i sticky-noted no less than ten projects in the book, and swatched for the turbulence pullover this weekend:



i am so rocking my gauge, because i am dead on (22 sts = 4") pre- and post- washing. w00t. i'm using size 7 susan bates silverado.

yarn: nashua handknits creative focus worsted, oatmeal, from windsor button. it was one of those impulsive choices, where the hand was tempting (75% wool, 25% alpaca), the colours were decent, the price was right, and yet i had no clue whatsoever on how this yarn might fare (as i am one who researches yarn reviews at an excessive amount). it's very wooly and sweatery, in the best way! übersoftycozy.

also at my LYS i picked up two skeins of artyarns supermerino for the spiral scarf. i cant remember the exact shade from the top of my head, but i'm guessing from the website that the colour is 115 persimmon. that scarf is so fun and exquisitely constructed.

speaking of scarves, must give a shoutout to my girl diana eng of project runway fame. she's doing a lot of science-based designs, and go check out her mathematical knits! tell her i sent you :)


Tags: Turnbulance Pullover_

Range of sizes?

I really like the look of what I've seen of this book and am thinking quite hard about buying a copy, but I just want to check that the patterns are given for larger sizes. I'll be blunt: do the sizes go up to a 44" bust?


Tags: General Issues_

Some more pentagons!

I've made a good amount of progress on my Pentagon Sweater since the last time I posted. I now have a front, a back, one sleeve, and a partial yoke!

I'm not sure if anyone else is knitting this pattern, or planning to do so when it gets a little cooler, but I want to tell you that I had some trouble knitting the yoke. Based on the schematic I knew the size of pentagons I wanted, but following the pattern's directions didn't give me the desired size.

I can't say for certain whether it's some kind of typo, or whether I simply cannot achieve the same gauge as the designer in the pentagon section. Sadly, the pentagon gauge is not specified in the pattern, only the stockinette gauge is.

In any case, knowing the finished size of the pentagons that I needed, I created them any which way I could, even if deviating significantly from the written instructions. In my case, I used needles the same size as the rest of the sweater, and made each pentagon side 15 sts long. I also switched from working the pentagons in 1x1 rib to making them stockinette. Here's how the ribbed pentagons are intended to look like, and here's how my modified stockinette ones came out:

The work-in-progress is on top of a white sweater I have which fits me very well. You can see how cleverly the pentagons form the top of the sweater, and the fact that the dimensions match reassures me that the finished thing will fit.

Some more details on my blog

Grumperina


Tags: Pentagon Pullover_

Hi!

Hello all! I haven't started my first project yet, but as I twiddle my thumbs, I mean, wait patiently ;) for my yarn to arrive, I thought I would drop in an say Hi. I'm Nonnahs from A Little Loopy. And, I don't know about you all, but I had the darndest time deciding on what to make first! I lllove the Turbulence U-Neck Pullover, and plan to knit that up, maybe in a few months, but with it being Spring and all, I decided a tank would be just the thing. But then, which tank? I noticed that a few you have already started the Roundabout Leaf Tank, which I was immediately drawn to as well. But, after some thought, I decided to switch it up a little and go with the Shell Tank from the Spirals chapter.

I'll be using Tahki Cotton Classic in a light shade of lilac...once it arrives. I'm so looking forward to see all the patterns that show up here, and to watch everyone's progress. From what I see so far, it looks like this is going to be a great KAL!

Tags: Shell Tank_

Hello!

Hi everyone! I'm Laura from Affiknitty and I'm really excited to see what everyone will be working on from this gorgeous book.

I have started the Roundabout Leaf Tank; here's a little detail of what I have done so far. I am using Knit Picks Main Line, which is 80% pima cotton and 20% merino, in Silver Sage. It's a nice yarn and I had no problem getting gauge.

Before my Knit Picks yarn arrived, I also swatched for the Turbulence U-Neck Pullover. I'll be doing that later, when fall draws a little nearer.

Tags: Roundabout Leaf Tank_

Vortex Street Pullover

It was hard to pick a sweater to start with... I really love a bunch of them. So hopefully someone else will make and post photos of those as well :)

I'm 4 rows into the back of this sweater using Jo Sharp Silkroad tweed DK in emporio:

here is a better color swatch:


Should be fun!


-Amber

Tags: Vortex Street Pullover_

Pentagon Pullover, here I come!

I hope everyone here is as excited about this book as I am! Isn't it fantastic? Different? Intriguing? :)

 

I've chosen to knit the Pentagon Pullover from the pentagons chapter, and I will be using a cotton/acrylic blend yarn called Gedifra Korfu. I wrote a full blog entry, including a mini book review, my plans for the sweater, and pictures of some of the other designs in the book on my blog.

I think I'm most excited about seeing all the different designs on this blog :). I see Lilikoi is making the Roundabout Leaf Tank, which I think is gorgeous - can't wait to see your progress!

Grumperina

Tags: Pentagon Pullover_

I've got my yarn!

Yesterday I went to Stitches From the Heart and purchased enough Denim Silk for the Roundabout Leaf Tank. The yarn is discontinued, and not many places seem to have any, but I knew Stitches from the heart had some, though there weren't many colors they had enough in. I debated between the Raw Linen and the Carob color, and ended up with Latte, which is a nice compromise.

Not sure when I'll be able to swatch. There are a few things I'd really like to finish before I pick up something new and I am also being tempted by this.

Tags: Roundabout Leaf Tank_

My first project from the book

I believe is going to be either the shell tank,
or the Ram's horn Jacket. I should do the shell, summertime and all,
but I just love that ram's jacket.LOL. this is just the beginning.

Tags:
Ram's Horn Jacket_

Flickr Group

I've also created a Flickr group where people can share photos.

Flickr Group


Tags: Notes from the Mod_

Button...

I've created a button for people to use with a spiral detail. Please feel free to create more and (if you want) share them. I'd love to get one that matches each of the chapters (Hexagons, Pentagons, Spirals, Pyllotaxis, Fractals, and Waves), but just don't have the time right now.

And, as normal, please download and save the button to your own server.




Tags: Notes from the Mod_

Welcome....

Welcome the KAL for Norah Gaughan's wonderful book, Knitting Nature.

I think my first project will be the Roundabout Leaf Tank (p. 108), but right now finals should be taking priority!



Please bear with me as this is the first KAL I've hosted and there may be some kinks to work out as I figure this out.

If you wish to join please email me at lilikoiknits@gmail.com or comment here with your email address and the web address to any blog you'd like included.

Thanks!


Tags: Notes from the Mod_
, Roundabout Leaf Tank_