Colorful Colorica

Pattern: Colorica by Romi Hill (Link to pattern page on Designs by Romi.com🔗)

Started: June 26, 2023

Finished:

Made for: Síle aka Me

Yarn: Briggs & Little Sport (430yds/393m = 113g; 100% wool)

• ??g of "56 Mauve" (start wght: 72g; end wght: ?g) = ???yds
• ??g of " Light Green" (start wght: 94g; end wght/ ?g) = ??? yds

Needle sizes: main - 3.75mm; smaller - 3.5mm

Notes & Photos:

Joining in with the Summer of Lace KAL in @Romi’s Studio.
I really love the look of this sweater and I think it’s time to actually knit one of Romi’s sweaters; I own all of the patterns!
I’m starting with Mauve and then we’ll see where my fancy takes me. I have sooooo many colors of B&L Sport on hand

I'm also participating in the Budget Sweater MAL, which is the brainchild of Ruth at Orchard House Editing and Design, Marcella Chang Knits, and Ruth N. This is the second year, and the focus is knitting a sweater in 4 months (WIPs are acceptable; it's very relaxed; July 1-Oct 31), using stash and/or inexpensive yarns. Knowing me I'll probably cast on before the "start date" lol

Here is my starting ball of yarn; I'll be swatching later today or Sunday:

June 26: Swatching day! I'm starting with a 3.75mm; pattern recommends 3.5mm but my needle gauge is still AWOL so going with what I know the size of. I have a 3.25mm on standby. Pattern gauge is 24 sts and 30 rows = 4 inches

later (11:53pm NDT): My gauge with the 3.75mm needle is 21.5 sts & 34 rows = 4 inches. I like the fabric I’ve gotten with this needle and this yarn.

I don’t have an identifiable 3.5mm needle but I have a 3.25mm one and will see what I get with that

later (June 27: 1:58am NDT): My gauge with the 3.25mm needle is 26 sts & 42 rows = 4 inches. So closer to the 24sts but wowsers on the row gauge! I need to figure out which of these needles is my 3.5mm, and see how close it comes stitchwise. Row wise I’m going to have to go with actual measurements instead of the gauge because there’s no way I’m getting 30 rows = 4inches without using a way bigger needle and throwing my stitch gauge way off

July 3: I worked up a swatch on a 3.5mm needle Saturday night at the music before the fireworks. Time to check the gauge! 27sts & 36 rows. I'm going to retry a swatch on the 3.25mm needle. I think maybe I wasn't relaxed when I did the first couple. I was definitely relaxed on Saturday, listening to the music and enjoying the evening

July 5: Knit another swatch with the 3.75mm needle; 24sts & 38 rows. I can easily add rows in. I’m going to use the 3.75mm needle for this project. Finally! I’ll get to start! 

July 6 (12:51am NDT): I have provisionally casted on the 199 sts needed for my size (48" bust). Whew! Now I can start by knitting a row with my C1, which is the Mauve.

later (3:24pm NDT): I have finished the row of Estonian (Vikkel) braid :) And yay for learning something new! :D I started it using my working needle but found after about 10-12 sts it looked a little sloppy. Then I watched Romi's teeny tiny tutorial (I love the 3t videos! I can sit and watch them for hours) and she used a smaller needle. So I restarted the braid and it's quite cute now 

July 7 (4:55am NDT): Finished through section 3 :)

I'm so enjoying this knit. It's been awhile since I did any lace, and I think I needed the balance of it versus all the cables and denser knitting I've been focused on lately. Onto section 4, short rows, later on :)

July 8: Before bed last night, I finished the short rows :) So I have 6 rows (for my size rows 3&4 are repeated 2x) left and I get to move to C2 and section 5. I want to get a photo of the finished shortrows section first though

later (4:23pm NDT): And done the last 6 rows of section 4 :)

I’ve decided to use Light Green for my C2. I have an affinity for purples and greens together. I have 94g of Light Green

July 9

Caught up on Romi’s Youtube lives last night :) Such an incredible amount of lace knowledge! 

July 27 (4:04am NDT): Finally cooled down enough that I can knit wothout the yarn sticking to my hands! I’ve just completed row 8 (of the 15 I need) of the stockinette part of section 5. Excited to move onto section 6, and start the front of this sweater soon!

July 28 (12:38am NDT): Need to take the current live sts and put them on hold, take out the provisional CO, and get those sts back on the working needle, and then I can start section 6; shaping the neckline and shoulders. That's also a return to C1. 

later (1:24pm NDT): Didn't take a pic earlier, so here's what the back is looking like before I start section 6:

Ready to start the neckline and shoulder shaping :) A small number of short rows to get this underway...

July 29 (2:13am NDT):** Completed the short rows and have started section 7. I have the prov CO 20sts and will add those to the front as per the instructions. I tried to get a pic of the shot rows but it doesn't really show them that well 

August 13 (5:28am NDT): So I stayed up to finish the C1 part of section 8. I'm on the last row! And have run out of this ball. I have another hank of this same color/dyelot, I was just hoping to not need to join it in only to cut it again. Oh well, at least I have a second hank. And this tells me if I'd started with the full hank rather than the partial ball leftover from Sistwerp's fingerless mitts, I would've had enough to not run out on the left side. Live and learn! Here's the pic:

August 22 (1:33am NDT): Found the second hank of mauve. I put it in a "safe place" *facepalm* I need to learn not to do that lol! Hoping to get section 8 finished sometime this week :)

October 29: Ok, that took me way too long to actually wind that ball *facepalm* And I needed it for less than a full row! lol

Onto the second half of section 8 (C2) now. photo to add

November 9: Sailed through section 9 and already part way through section 10! Starting C2 of this section photo to add

Tipsy Malachite and Cobalt Diamonds

Pattern: Quadrilinear by Romi Hill (no safe link yet; this pattern can be found in the ebook Year 5 Small Shawls: Asymmetry)

Start: September 1, 2023

Finish:

Made for: Síle aka Me; Special Skein KAL 2023

Yarn: Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball Crazy (75% wool, 25% nylon/polymide; 459yds/420m = 100g)

• ___g of "11532133 Holly blue" (start wght: 103g; end wght:  ) = ___yds

Gauge: 

Needle size: 3.25mm/US 3

Notes & photos:

August 31: This ball of yarn has been in my stash awhile. I moved cross country early in 2012. This was bought at Golden Willow (formerly in Regina; I believe they closed in 2015?) in at least 2011, if not 2009 or 10. I’ve been waiting to pair it with “the right” pattern.

Quadrilinear has been a favorite pattern since Romi released it. It’s simple but not dull. It can handle a yarn with personality, which the Zauberball Crazy definitely is!

This is my project for Romi’s Special Skein KAL for 2023. I’m looking forward to knitting this yarn and knitting this pattern :)

Where I’m using a fingering weight, I want to make it a bit wider than the scarf (as written for a sport weight) so I saved this from the Quadrilinear thread in Romi’s group; bless the Romiphyles for being supportive and full of excellent advice. I digress; here’s the quote:

Repeat Rows 13-18 of Chart B for each motif you want to add. For example, to go from 3 diamonds/squares to 5, repeat Rows 13-18 two additional times. Easy Peasy! From Teresa’s teresat2t notes.

I’m thinking 6 or 9. My mind functions best in trebles/triples lol

September 1: Weighed the yarn, and started on a 3.5mm; didn't like how loose the fabric was. So I've frogged the dozen or so rows I had done, and gotten out a 3.25mm. Have you really started if you don't have to frog at least once? lol

September 2 (2:14am NDT): Finished chart A! 🎉

September 4 (4:13am NDT): Got a wee bit off (missed 3 yos in a row; how? No clue, but I did facepalm), and had to tink but everything is right again  I have 72 sts on the needle after finishing a row 18. I need to add 3 more reps of rows 13-18 to get the 9 squares I want:

Salted Waves

Pattern: Diane by Romi Hill (not on her site yet)

Started: September 6, 2022

Finished: December 10, 2022

Made for: Síle aka Me/ Superstition study Salt

Yarn: Knit It! Velvety (100% polyester; 382yds/349m = 100g)

• 158g of Cream (dyelot: 27; starting wgt: 197g; end wgt: 39g) = 603.56 yds

Needle size: 4.5mm/US 7

Photos & Notes:

Sept 6: It's pretty bad when you're the one who creates the EC and you're probably the last person to start your project 😂

Because the yarn has a chenille texture I'm going up to a 4.5mm needle to knit this 😊

The beautiful Old Shale lace in this Romi pattern puts me in mind of ocean waves. And what is the ocean but a large "pool" of salt water? I think I'll tie this in with Huixtocihuatl, the Aztec goddess of salt and salt water. She was often depicted wearing garments with water and/or wave designs.

Photo caption (from Wikipedia): Depiction of Huixtocihuatl from Bernardino de Sahagun's "Primeros Memoriales", which was published in 1590 (fol. 264r). She holds a reed staff in her hand and wears garments with a water design.

Now, can I knock out enough of this pattern before the end of the 20th to count? We shall see! 

Sept 7: Took this photo earlier:

I was about 4 rows into wedge 2 at that point. I'm now 11 rows into wedge 3:

I really understand why this yarn is called Velvetty; it resembles and feels like crushed velvet. I'm picturing this little number paired with my burgundy lace dress for the Christmas show this year; and a certain mister can look at what he lost. Hmph! (Having said that, I'm grinning like a Chessy cat at the thought lol)

Sept 20: Yeah, this isn't going to be done in time for the Salt Superstition, even with the extra hour of knitting time at the hospital yesterday (June's test was inconclusive; going in for another next week sigh). Oh well. I'm still going to love wearing it!

November 25: 4.5 sections in now:

I want to finish this up so I can wear it with my new Christmas dress on the 10th to remind a certain band leader exactly what he lost by being nefarious. Hmph! And yes, I am exactly that petty lol

December 8: Trying to finish this for the show on the 10th, and use it as my Quidditch project for this match. I'm on the 8th of 9 wedges, so hopefully...

December 10: It took an all-nighter but finally at 8:37am NST my frothy bit of lace is done and ready to wear tonight 😊 Here's a "by the tree" shot; I'll have Sistwerp get one of me in my dress with it one later on:

Absolutely love how it came out. I think it could be made deeper by adding reps of 18sts (plus 2 markers per rep) to the cast-on, which would be awesome. I love the length but a touch more depth...