Year-Long Afghan II (official)

I really love everything about it. The colors especially. It's so bright and happy. And, because each square is only 14 inches, you're never working one technique long enough to get bored!

The great news (for me!) is that the class is full! Then I added another session, and it filled up within a couple of days! It's going to be a fun year!!

For those who didn't make it into the class and who still want to knit the afghan, here's your chance.

I have created an e-book on Ravelry: Year Long Afghan 2.  It will work similarly to the class in that the patterns for the squares will be released monthly and added to the e-book as a separate pattern. This will be just the concise pattern as you would see a pattern published anywhere. It does not include the class handouts, in-depth description of techniques, or one-on-one instruction. When an unusual or complicated technique is required, resources (websites, books, articles, etc.) are cited to offer additional help.  At this time (May 20, 2014), purchasing the pattern will allow you download the Introduction sheet, which lists a schedule of release dates, materials, and other information. Instructions for individual squares will be released monthly, beginning on June 21, 2014.

Some of you may recall that I'm designing scarves to go along with the afghan for those who don't really like afghans. The Year of Scarves pattern will be available separately, and I will post more info once all of the scarves are knit.

If you'd like more in-depth information about the afghan, read on!

Materials:
The pattern is written for 6 colors, but you can use as few as 2 or as many as you like. The sample was knit with Cascade 220 in the following colors and quantities and required a total of 2913 yds.

Cascade 220:
7814 Chartreuse: 524 yds + 100 yds for assembly, 3 skeins
8910 Citron: 292 yds, 2 skeins
9467 Delphinium: 348 yds, 2 skeins
7808 Purple Hyacinth: 389 yds + 400 yds for edging, 4 skeins
7824 Jack O'lantern: 493 yds, 3 skeins
Schachenmayr SMC Northern Wool (discontinued):

1737 Lavender (a good substitute is Cascade 220 8912, Lilac Mist): 327 yds, 2 skeins 

 

Finished Size

Approximately 48" x 62", using Cascade 220 to make twelve 14" squares plus border.

Month 1 (June 2014): TEXTURE
An excellent introduction to reading a chart, this square involves simply knitting and purling in various combinations to create a lovely textured pattern.
Materials: 185 yds (Delphinium), US 6 needles 

Month 2 (July 2014): SHORT ROWS
This square is very fun to knit. Learn the German short-row technique while creating a square with undulating stripes.
Materials: You can use as few as 2 or as many colors for this square as you like. I used all of my colors, with Jack O'lantern as the main color with stripes of the other colors. About 224 yards of yarn in total, distributed as follows:   Jack O’lantern: 104 yds, Delphinium: 31 yds; Lavender: 27 yds; Purple Hyacinth: 22 yds; Citron: 20 yds; Chartreuse : 20 yds.US 6 needles, 4 each of 3 different stitch markers (these will be Marker A, Marker B, and Marker C). 

Month 3 (August 2014): MOCK CABLES 
It looks like cables, but it's actually traveling stitches, an effect created by strategically placed knits, purls, increases and decreases.
Materials: 160 yds (Chartreuse), US 6 needles

Month 4 (September 2014): LOG CABIN
Log Cabin knitting is completely addictive. It's simply a knitted version of the well-known quilt block, but with so many options and variations, the opportunity for creativity is limitless.
Materials: This square uses multiple colors. You can use all of your colors if you like. For mine, I used one color for the center square (the homework), and 4 colors for the bands around the center square.  I used a total of 229 yds distributed as follows: Jack O’lantern: 7 yds, Purple Hyacinth: 47 yds, Lavender: 53 yds, Chartreuse: 62 yds, Citron: 60 yds.  US 7 needles.

Month 5 (October 2014): TWIST STITCHES
Often confused with cables, twist stitches are accomplished by (what else?) twisting stitches and rearranging them through unique stitch manipulation. While this can be accomplished with a cable needle, this method is easier and faster.
Materials: 185 yds (Lavender), US 7 needles

Month 6 (November 2014): ENTRELAC
Accomplished by knitting small connected squares, entrelac looks like basketweave.
Materials: About 37 yds each of 6 colors for a total of 222 yards. If you are doing this square all in one color, you will be able to do it with one skein of Cascade 220.  US 6 needles

Month 7 (December 2014): CABLES
Find out how easy cables really are.
Materials: 235 yds (Jack O'lantern), cable needle, US 7 needles

Month 8 (January 2015): MOSAIC KNITTING
It looks like stranded colorwork, but only one color is carried per row. So easy you won't want to stop!
Materials: 100 yards each of two colors (Chartreuse and Purple Hyacinth), US 7 needles

Month 9 (February 2015): EMBELLISHMENT
Embellish stockinette stitch to bring interest to an otherwise plain square. Techniques: Surface crochet and a number of embroidery stitches.
Materials: 155 yds main color (Citron) plus scraps of other colors (don't feel like you have to limit yourself to your afghan colors!), US 6 needles

Month 10 (March 2015): FAIR ISLE
Cast on the perimeter of the square and knit to the center while working stranded color work.
Materials: MC (Main Color; this is the color I used for the patterning; Jack O’lantern): 110 yds. CC (Contrasting Colors, these are the colors used for the background; in mine, I striped all of these colors): A total of  120 yds, divided as follows: Chartreuse: 25 yds; Citron: 20 yds; Delphinium: 15yds; Purple Hyacinth: 35 yds; Lavender: 25 yds. , US 7 needles (Set of 5 DPN, 16” and 24” circular; some knitters might like to have a 32” or 40” circular to start on), 4 stitch markers (one should be different from the other three)

Month 11 (April 2015): LACE
Anyone who knows me well knows that lace is my absolute favorite form of knitting. This square is a good introduction to lace, beginning at the center and working in the round to the perimeter.
Materials: 150 yards (Purple Hyacinth), US 8 needles (set of 5 DPN, 16” and 24” circular), crochet hook 5mm, 4 stitch markers (one should be different from the other three).

Month 12 (May 2015): INTARSIA
Create vertical and diagonal stripes while knitting with only one color at a time.
Materials: 120 yds Main Color (Chartreuse), 80 yds Contrasting Color (Delphinium), US 6 needles

Month 13 (June 2015): FINISHING AND ASSEMBLY
I'll describe my favorite ways to join the squares and give directions for a lovely seed stitch border.
Materials: 100 yds (Chartreuse) for assembly; 400 yds (Purple Hyacinth) for border

So, if you are interested in purchasing the pattern, it is the Year Long Afghan 2 on Ravelry.

Revised, Revamped and Redesigned: Year Long Afghan II

It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since I designed and taught the first session of the original Year-Long Afghan. In those 10 years, I've learned a lot! I've grown as both a knitter and as a teacher. I've added techniques to my own repertoire through classes and books and patterns, and I try to find fun ways to pass those skills on to other knitters. I've also spent a lot of time thinking about the original YLA and what I would do differently if I could do it all over. Then I realized that I CAN do it all over!

Enter Year-Long Afghan II. (This is just a working title. It's boring. I'm open to suggestions.)

What's a YLA?

It's a series of classes lasting one year and meeting once a month. Each month, a new knitting technique is taught in the form of a 14" afghan square. (The original YLA has 16" squares.)

How is the YLAII different from the original YLA?

There are more techniques and skills. You'll really learn something new every month. The original YLA repeated some skills (Fair Isle and Cables had two squares each!), and it even had one square that was just garter stitch using leftovers. This repetition has been eliminated. As a result, there are 12 square classes and 1 finishing and assembling class, for a total of 13 classes, each presenting something different from the squares before.

Awesome idea, but I'm not much for knitted blankets.

I got you covered! :) Each month will also have a scarf or cowl pattern teaching the same skills. 

I'm interested. How does the class work?

The class meets once a month, on the third Tuesday, 7-9pm. You can sign up for as few or as many of the classes as you like, but if you sign up for all 13 classes at once, you get a break on the price AND you'll receive an electronic copy of the final pattern booklet for free. (Details on price are in the information sheet linked below.)  I've already been asked if there will be an online option for this class, and unfortunately, the answer is no. This is a very hands-on class, and I don't feel I could give quality service to online students.

Are you intrigued? Check out the information sheet for all of the details. As stated on the sheet, I'm still in the process of designing the squares--8 are complete and one is nearly done. So, I don't have final, official, accurate yardage needs calculated yet. However, the sheet does show how much yarn was used for the squares that have been completed as well as rough estimates for what remains. I hope to have final, accurate quantities by mid-April. 

In the meantime, here's some eye candy. 

What? You want to actually see the individual squares? Okay...

June: Texture Stitches with a focus on learning how to read a chart. The top picture is actually a much more accurate representation of the color.

 July: Short rows. This one is still in progress, but here's what it looked like yesterday afternoon:

August: Mock cables

September: Log Cabin

October: Twist Stitches

December: Cables

January: Mosaic Knitting

February: Embellishments. Clearly, this square is just plain stockinette and has not yet been embellished.

 April: Lace

You've probably noticed that there are a few months missing. I haven't knit those squares yet. They are November: Entrelac, March: Fair Isle, and May: Intarsia. Pictures will come as soon as I have them completed.

Ravellenics Sweater SUCCESS, Finishing Other Things, and a Crazy Cat

Great news! I finished my sweater on Friday night (day 15)!!!  By the time it was done Friday, I was too tired to deal with blocking it, but I did that Saturday morning.

In this photo, the ribbed fronts/neck are folded back. Once it was dry, I didn't like the crease that was formed, so I steamed it a bit to remove the crease. I love it so much. It's warm and cozy, but looks really nice too.

Inspired by the fact that I finished a complete sweater in 15 days, I started looking at my other projects to see what else I can finish when I put my mind to it. Saturday, I finished my Dreambird Shawl.

I promise better pictures of both items as soon as I get a chance. My iPhone just doesn't take stellar pics.

So, having completed that, I went for something a little more difficult. Back in July 2012, I started the Evenstar Shawl. The body of the shawl has been done for a long time. Well over a year. I just needs an edging. So, I pulled it out. About 10 repeats of the edging were done. That's when I gave up. I love the way lace edgings look, I just don't enjoy knitting them. It's the same few rows over and over and over again until you feel like poking your eyes out with your knitting needles. Well, guess what! The time has come for me to just suck it up and get it done.

Each repeat of the edging (one of those peaks) takes about 18 minutes. The shawl requires 56 of those buggers. That's 1008 minutes of knitting just those 20 rows over and over and over again. That's almost 17 hours. I have 23 repeats done. It would take a lot longer if I were adding the beads (as called for in the pattern). But I'm not. Thank God.

In other completely unrelated news, one of our cats has taken to keeping me company when I shower in the morning. It's the weirdest thing. He jumps up between the fabric curtain and the plastic curtain liner. Then, he walks to the back of the tub and sticks his head into the shower. He meows at me the entire time I'm showering. It's like he warning me about the evil water I'm standing in. It's hilarious.

Ravellenics Sweater: Day 13

I still don't have anything terribly exciting to report. Knitting 1x1 rib over 371 stitches for 8" of depth is sort of like knitting the Great Wall. It feels like it will never end.

Doesn't look a whole lot different from yesterday. But, trust me, there are a good 2 or 2.5 more inches of ribbing now than there were before.

I don't have anything on my schedule this evening once I pick my daughter up from her flute lesson at 5:30, so maybe (hopefully!) I will get the ribbing done tonight.

When I was laying my sweater out to get the photos above, I was struck again by how much I love the Phoney Seam.

In this picture (more than the ones from the other day), you can really see how the "seam" almost sits on top of the fabric, encouraging it to fold there. I just love it. It looks so nice and finished.

I'm really excited about finishing this and seeing how it looks!!

Ravellenics Sweater: Day 12

I don't have any brilliant advice to share with you today. No pictures of special techniques or information about how to calculate anything. Just a picture of my sweater and a few of inches of ribbing. It's going faster than I thought it would and isn't eating as much yarn as I feared it might. I don't think it will get finished tonight because we have too much going on, but maybe tomorrow....

Ravellenics Sweater: Day 11 and Phoney Seams

Yesterday was wonderful. Due to being able to knit at work for a while AND our evening plans being cancelled due to snow/ice, I had tons of knitting time yesterday. The main body of the sweater is DONE!

First thing this morning, I picked up a gazillion stitches up the right front, around the back of the neck, and down the left front. Now I get to knit 7.5" of 1x1 ribbing all the way around. I have about 288g of yarn left, which should work out really well with a minimum of yarn left over.

Let's talk for a minute about Phoney Seams. These were an "unvention" of Elizabeth Zimmermann (unvention instead of invention because she didn't believe there was anything in knitting that hadn't already been done by someone, even if it hadn't been recorded). Phoney Seams were the result of people complaining that seamless sweaters didn't hang right because they were missing the seams, which gave a certain amount of structure and support to the garment. I like Phoney Seams for that reason, but also because they give a definite fold point to the side "seams" when blocking. To see exactly how to do a Phoney Seam, follow the link above. I just wanted to show you a couple of pics of how mine turned out.

First, dropping that one stitch down always makes me cringe a little. It's not like I'm worried I can't fix it or that I'm stressing about it not being right. I'm not sure why, but cringe I do. Look at that wide gap where just one column of stitches used to be.

But, then, after spending a few minutes picking the stitches up with the right ration (1 bar, 2 bars, 1 bar, 2 bars, and so on), it looks like this:

See that nice line of Vs that stand out from the rest? Lovely and perfect.

Ravellenics Sweater: Days 8, 9, and 10 and More Math and Injuries

Now that I'm working on the body, I probably need to start thinking about how much yarn I will need for the wide ribbing that will go around the fronts and neck of the sweater. I know it will be 1x1 ribbing and will be 7 1/2" deep (at least). How do I make sure I save enough yarn for that?

Well, if I was knitting the sweater on the same size needles with which I swatched, it would be pretty easy. Remember the swatch? Here's what it looked like:

See that bit of 1x1 rib on the left? I could count the number of rows and note how many stitches wide it is, then measure it. Note all those numbers. Then unravel it and see how much yardage was used for that bit.

However, I did not knit the sweater on the same size needles as the swatch. So, I'll have to knit another. This one won't be as involved as the first one! I'll cast on 30 sts and knit 1x1 rib ..... honestly: until I get sick of it. Ideally, I would knit that swatch to 7 1/2" long. This would give me a very good (but probably not exact) idea of how many rows it takes to knit 7 1/2" of 1x1 rib. The weight of the sweater as I'm knitting will affect this a bit. Let's face it: 7 1/2" is a lot, and I will honestly not knit that much for a swatch.

Once the new swatch is complete, I'll do the same counting, measuring and unraveling I would have done with the existing swatch.

Here's where it gets a little tricky. The longer I knit my sweater, the more yarn I'll need for the wide ribbed band. So, it's not like I can say, "Okay, this band will take 200g of yarn. I'll knit until I have that much left over." What if knitting until I have that much left over results in needing 210g of yarn for the band? If I want to use as much of my yarn as possible with a minimum left over at the end, I'm going to have to work some magic. I'll have to go into it with a rough estimate, then measure and work the numbers regularly as I approach desired length.

If I'm willing to fudge a bit and overestimate and end up with some yarn leftover (which I am), that makes it a little easier. I know I want my sweater to be 30" long. So, I just have to figure out how much yarn I'll need to go 30" up each side and 7 1/2" around the back neck. Easy, right?

I knit a swatch of 1x1 ribbing on size US6 needles (which I completely forgot to photograph before I ripped it out to measure the yarn). I will admit to skimping a lot on the swatch. It was only 5" wide by about 1 1/2" deep (I was seriously lazy on this). The swatch used about 6.3 yards of yarn (3g). I need to knit 67 1/2" of ribbing that is 7 1/2" deep. So, if 5"x1 1/2"=6.3 yards, then 5"x7 1/2" =  31.5 yards. So, for every 5" of ribbing, I will use about 31.5 yards of yarn. For 67 1/2" of ribbing, I should use about 425.25 yards of yarn, which works out to almost exactly 200g. That's a really rough estimate. I'm going to make sure I have a bit more than that just to be safe--maybe 250g. And that shouldn't be a problem because I started with ten 100g balls.

OK! So, enough about math. Let's look at how my weekend knitting shaped up. Friday night, even though it was Valentine's Day, my son had two basketball games (he's in a rec league for middle schoolers). That was a lot of knitting time. By the end of the day Friday, my sweater looked like this:

I had made pretty decent progress on the body. At this point, I knew I was increasing at the side seams every 6 rounds because I'm somewhat pear-shaped, and I need more fabric go go around my hips than around my bust. When following a "regular" sweater pattern, I often use one size for the top part of the sweater and a size or two up for the bottom part. So, the rows are getting longer by 4 stitches every 6 rounds. Translation: the knitting is going more slowly.

Saturday morning, I had to clean my house. It was driving me freaking nuts and I just couldn't take it anymore. We also went out for an early dinner Saturday late-afternoon to celebrate the kids' golds at Solo & Ensemble, Tim's 40th birthday (which was Wednesday), and Valentine's Day, so that ate into my knitting time a bit. Even so, by the end of the day Saturday, it looked like this:

Sunday was quiet. Thank heaven! I had my usually early-morning grocery trip, and Sunday is always laundry day. At one point, my husband and kids said, "Let's all go see the Lego Movie." My reply: You go ahead. I'll just stay here and finish the laundry. And knit. And watch the Olympics. They were gone several hours (because they also ran some errands), which was glorious. It was nice and quiet and just about perfect. By the end of the day, my sweater looked like this:

I'm getting there! I honestly believe I'll be able to pick up the stitches for the front/neck ribbing before the end of the day today! I'm really ahead of schedule!

One price we sometimes pay for overzealous anything is injury. Olympians experience it all the time. When I was watching Snowboardcross yesterday afternoon, I saw two women suffer injuries that took them out of the rest of the Games. One blew out her knee. The other...well, I'm not sure specifically what got injured, but watching her crash, I was surprised she didn't break her neck. It was really scary.

While knitting injuries are rare, they usually involve some kind of repetitive stress--carpal tunnel, tennis elbow, etc. Mine is, thankfully, not as severe as either of those. I managed to knit so much that I actually punctured the skin on my index finger where I push to slide the stitches up the left needle. Apparently, I always push in the exact same spot. It's a hard habit to break. Every time the needle tip hits there accidentally, I about go through the roof. I'm making a concerted effort to pinch the tip of the left needle when I have to push the stitches up, but it's just not as fast.

It's not a career-ender, or even a game-ender, so that's good! I'm working around it, and I'm determined to finish! LOL!