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Churchmouse Classics Simple ‘Tee’ in Shibui Rain
Pattern: Churchmouse Classics Simple ‘Tee’
Yarn: Shibui Rain
Color Blocking: Sally Melville’s Knitting Pattern Essentials
I don’t usually go for color blocking.
I did not have enough of one color to make a whole sweater and decided to give it a try.
This yarn is from the last time I went to The Weaving Works when they closed the shop. I found this yarn in a basket, not enough of a single color for a garment, so I picked two colors thinking I could do something with it.
I considered stripes, but remembered some color blocking tips from Sally Melville’s classes and chose Churchmouse Classics Simple ‘Tee’ with it’s basic shape to work with color blocking.
MODIFICATIONS:
Added 2 rows stockinette curl around the neck. The plain (un)finish of the neckline did not look great with this yarn. 100% cotton is heavy yarn, the extra knitted band provides structure to support the neckline.
1) Pick up stitches evenly around neckline on the Right Side (RS)
2) Knit 2 rows stockinette (RS) on garment needles size (#7)
3) Bind off on larger needles (#10)
Added 5 rows of stockinette curl to the cap sleeves. The sleeves were insistently curling into my armpits (yes, after wet blocking), the extra band of stockinette curling the opposite direction tamed that.
1) Pick up stitches around the armhole (RS)
2) Knit 5 rows stockinette (RS) on garment needle size (#7)
3) Bind off on larger needles (#10.5)
Added color blocking using proportion tips from Knitting Pattern Essentials by Sally Melville.
p.s. Madrona Fiber Arts Retreat 2016
June Hemmons Hiatt was there.
I’m a fan, loved her book since way back.
I got the knitting belt; I tried it out, it felt pretty good, seemed like a good idea to alleviate some knitting aches I get and avoid long term damage…
Who am I kidding? she probably could have sold me acrylic yarn and a gun if she wanted to.
Good times at Madrona Fiber Arts Retreat 2016
Excellent classes I took:
Cat Bordhi – Developing, Writing, and Publishing
Fantastic teacher, very experienced, knowledgeable, and generous. She understands what you need to know, what is important, and provides that information. Lot of information packed into a mini class.
Amy Herzog – Sweaters: Deconstructed
As good as I’d heard. She teaches how to get what you want when knitting a sweater:
A sweater that you want to wear and makes you happy
How to get the right fit and style.
And.
I guess I knew this would happen someday.
And of course it happened at Madrona.
I was only curious about spinning; someone said I should see Sarah Anderson demonstrating in the rotunda. *Sarah Anderson* said with meaning and nods of approval all around. So I went to see Sarah Anderson.
I was mesmerized.
She was knowledgeable and encouraging and clearly knew what she was doing.
Someone else showed up, sat down and started spinning angora on a drop spindle.
I said, “I don’t spin, yet”. “Yet”, they laughed. I don’t even know why that word came out of my mouth, but apparently they did.
Next, someone walked up to talk about an upcoming retreat in the woods with Sarah, very rustic and inspiring.
I wondered if this was a racket, with the spinning wheel, dropping words like angora, cashmere, spinning spindle, retreat in the woods…spinning, spinning…
Next thing I knew, I was standing at a booth in the Marketplace looking at spindles, confused. The person looking at spindles next to me, decided to teach me to spin right there and then.
At Madrona, these people just appear.
And now I own this.
Greensleeves Damsel Monique spindle
Around the corner, my new spinning teacher helped me pick out roving in beautiful natural colors.
Roving from Island Fibers
clockwise from top – Shetland, Targhee, and a Polwarth/Silk blend
(because she said I really should try some silk. Because. Silk.)
Typical Madrona, there’s always an expert, or twenty, around to show you how it’s done, and happy users ready to enable, with a Marketplace so you don’t have a chance to sleep it off.
So that happened.
Knitting In Mind 