knitted-on cast on

Hello, Everyone,

It is a beautiful, clear Monday night.   I'm listening to En Aranjuez con to Amor by Joachin Rodrigo, London Symphony, James Galway, Flute.  So beautiful.  I copied this from the XLNC1 website and it gives me interesting blue bars and boxes I can't make go away.  Hmmmm, I'll push them to the bottom of the page.  No extra charge.

Yesterday I talked about a knitted-on cast on and I got questions about how to do it.  So here is the 411.

Knitted-on cast on: Slide a slip knot on the left hand needle. Insert the right hand needle from heel to tip of the left needle through the loop. Bring the yarn around the needle and pull it through the first loop as if knitting the first stitch. *Do not remove the first stitch, instead, rotate the right hand needle so it lies parallel with the left hand one, heel to heel and tip to tip. Slip the left hand needle through the new loop, so both needles lie heel to heel and tip to tip again. Snug up the yarn around both needles. Draw the yarn between them and draw up a loop as if to knit a stitch. Repeat from * for desired number of stitches. This creates an open, lacy cast on, especially useful for lace work.  

The painter finished today, but he messed up the front door.  I'll have to talk to him. 

Lilo is far away sitting on a gopher hill, I'll see her later when she gets cold.  Interesting, I typed her name and she came inside the car door.  I swear that cat is psychic.  

More tomorrow...

G'night ,
Julie

Kissing Cousins - the beginning

Hello, Everyone,


Well, it's a cold and windy Sunday night in San Diego.  I feel just fine.  I'm listening to Chris Botti play a very sweet trumpet.  I had a nice dinner at Szechuan House in Mira Mesa, thanks to Dare.  You know you lived right when your kid picks up the check.  Eating there reminded me of why we used to go there often, the food is really good.  I especially like their take on Peking duck, juicy meat and crispy skin.  The Sizzling Double Happiness is shrimp and scallops in a spicy black bean sauce, yum.  Kung Pao Beef, spicy and full of peanuts.  Nate loves to go there, he has the house special Lo Mein.  That boy loves his noodles.  Nice wait staff, too.  


The bedroom is the warmest room in the house and the computer is in the dining room, hmmmm.  Maybe I'll go get the electric lap blanket and plug it in by the computer.  Be right back.


Ok, That's better, nice and warm despite a drafty house.


The Kissing Cousins Shawl is maybe 1 hour from done, which is nothing on a big lace shawl.  Time to write about it.  It is a horseshoe shape in oh-so-soft lime green baby alpaca lace weight from Misti Alpaca with a bit of mohair (Kid Merino ) for interest half way through.  The ends are rectangular and the center section is a semicircle.  

Kissing Cousins is worked from the outer edge in to the center edge.  I cast it on in the alpaca by making the pretty beaded lace outer edging and then picking up stitches all along its top edge.  There are stitches on each side edge kept in garter, some along each of the straight rectangles, and more in the center section.  Periodically the center section is reduced by K2tog across.  Several straight forward patterns create bands of beautiful lace between the decrease rows.  Half way through the yarn switches to cloud soft, fuzzy, baby mohair.  After a bit of fluffy mohair lace, the yarn switches back to the alpaca and finishes off with more lace.   The top edging is for the most part a simple eyelet edging, with a bit of beaded lace at each of the ends to visually tie into the beginning outer edge.  It turned out great!  I can't wait to see it blocked.


The edging, Beaded Lace:

It begins with a knitted-on cast on and goes for about 1000 rows, LOL.

This is the end of the first installment.
More to follow later...


Lilo sez g'nite!

Bye,
Julie


 

Kissing Cousins

Hello, Everyone,


It's windy, overcast and cool this afternoon in San Diego.  More like the central California coast than the Southland.   Let's all pretend we're in Solvang instead of San Diego.  I'm listening to 30 greatest hits from Elvis and drinking hot tea to keep warm. 

I'm working on the edging of the Kissing Cousins Shawl.    The edging is a quick way to bind off that provides a very narrow lace edging.  It is a straight  edging, but could easily be blocked out to points if desired.  

Here is how I am working it:

Eyelet bind off: 

Pithy version :
Row 1: Slip 1, K1, YO, K2tog, P2tog, turn
Row 2: Slip 1, K4 turn. Repeat rows 1 and 2 until all shawl stitches are consumed. Bind off 5 loosely.

In playing with this I came up with a version I did not use for the shawl because it caused the edging to fold over and flip back to the wrong side.  Eureka! This is not useful for this shawl, but it is perfect for many hemming situations... Here it is written up:


Eyelet hem

Row 1: Slip 1, K1, YO, K2tog x 2, turn
Row 2: Slip 1, K4, turn Repeat rows 1 and 2 until all shawl stitches are consumed. Bind off 5 loosely.  Let the edge curl to the backside and stitch it down to the main fabric, creating a neat hem.  It flips back on the second K2tog.

I like the eyelets on the inside of the hem because it is easy to insert the elastic or drawstring if one is being used.  There are eyelet holes everywhere to use.  Easy to replace the elastic, when needed, too.  

The house smells so good.  I'm cooking a vegan dish from Tibet for Curried Cauliflower (and some other veggies).  Last night I was watching a travel show on Tibet and it reminded me that I have this dish I like and some cauliflower in the fridge.   I'm not usually vegan, but I like this one.  So here we go.


Curried Cauliflower

Put 1/4 cup good EVVO in the crockpot and set to high.  (This can also be done in a regular large pot if you are careful to regulate the heat.)  Now, if we want to be really authentic we can use yak butter, but I thought the olive oil was easier to source at the local megamart, LOL. 
Cut up 1 head of cauliflower, including the stems, core and leaves.  Be careful to cut any woody stems thinly across the grain. Add to the pot.  The pot will be more than half full, but as is cooks a bit it cooks down, so you will be ok on volume by the time you get everything cut up and in the pot. 

Trim, chop up and add to the pot:
10 ounces Crimini mushrooms (the brown ones, but any mushrooms are good.  Never met a mushroom I did not like)
4 stalks celery
3 carrots
1 large onion
3 large cloves garlic
2 dried California Chili pepper pods
1 red bell pepper
2 large potatoes 
3 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
freshly ground black pepper to taste (Dan likes it so I add a lot)
Stir and let brown a bit.

Add in:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups water (more in a regular pot, the crock pot hold moisture in very well)
salt to taste


Let cook until soft (couple of hours in a crock pot) and enjoy the smells in the house!


Serve over rice.  Try not to spill the sauce on yourself, it stains bright yellow like the dickens.  Ask me how I know. 

Someone in my crochet group made this.

Cute, huh?

Lilo is hiding from the painter again.   She'll be back later. 

See ya,
Julie

Lime Llama?

Hello, Everyone,


It's a nice mellow early Sunday morning.  I can't sleep, so I may as well knit.  And blog about knitting, LOL.  Music is Austin City Limits on KPBS.

I had Nate for a day and that was great!  Took him back to his mama after dinner with Anita and Peter.   I'll have to do a toy roundup tomorrow before I step on something sharp.  He was so cute.  Anita ordered a nice, healthy salad, so he offered to share his french fries with her.  Sweet boy.


I was looking for a pair of #3 needles, the ones I had just gotten were not working in the sport weight stockings I was making.   The slippery texture of the new #3 needle caused the gauge to open up so it was as if I were using #4 or bigger needles.  Couldn't get the fabric I wanted for the stocking to save my life.   Ever had this happen?  Frustrating, as these were new #3's bought just for this purpose.   So I started digging about in a bag of UFO's looking for something on #3's I could steal use.   I found this lovely lime green horseshoe shaped alpaca shawl and realized that (a.) it only needed a lace edging bind off to be done and (b). it was on #3 needles, nice wooden #3's with a normal texture that would work great in the stockings. 

So I started in merrily in to finish the lace edging muy pronto, only to find that I hated working it.  So I changed the edging to a simpler one I made up that I call an eyelet bind off.  I like it much better and I'm about 1/2 of the way done now.

I was working on this at a friend's house and she said it reminded her of her lime green llama.  She is a partner in a wonderful deli in the Hillcrest neighborhood of San Diego called the Deli Llama.  (Great sandwiches, BTW, stop by if you are ever in the area.  She doesn't skimp, only the best of everything.  Yum!   And the sweets are really yummy, too.)  The deli has a circus theme and painted on the mural above all is the lime llama, as I recall.  Well, the shawl is close to a lime llama, it's lime alpaca, with a lime mohair (goat) band in the middle.  Cousins of llama.  Cousins of camel.  Just cousins.  Maybe even kissing cousins.

So, as soon as I finish the Kissing Cousins Shawl,  I'll post pictures and then write up the pattern.  It's my own design, so I may as well write it up and offer the pattern on Ravelry.  Here are a few detail pics to tide you over. 

The impossible fussy lace edging  on the outer edge (with 3 pearls placed with a crochet hook per repeat).   I did not want to repeat it on the inner edge.

The eyelet bind off I did on the inner edge.   Floral design below the edge is one you have seen recently....Remember?

1 skein Cousin mohair (Crystal Palace Kid Merino) kissing 2 cousins Misti Alpaca Lace.  Estonian Nupps in the section below.  More details to follow.  Just wait until you see it all blocked out and showing the pattern...  Hmmmm....  I wonder how you block out a horseshoe shape?  I'll find out, won't I?   News at 11!


Lilo sez "G'nite".  She's wanting to to sit on my lap a lot and tell me how terrible it is that there is a painter putting lime green paint on the house trim.  What's with the lime green right now?  Must be mystical, LOL.

Bye,
Julie

Birthday Stockings

Hello, Everyone,

It's a lovely clear Friday night.  Well it's after midnight, so I guess it's really Saturday morning.   I feel fine.  No music, just Dan listening  to economic politics.

The magenta socks are done and have their ribbons...

See how the pattern is on the top of the foot, so you do not have to walk on any lacework, and then swirls around at tbe ankle so that the pattern goes up the sides of the calf, not the front.  Notice the light pink German heart heel.  Heel shaping and decoration all at once.

Closeup of the lacework.

Closeup of the action where the pattern swirls around the ankle to he side of the calf.

Aren't they great????!!!!


Lilo sez "Hi" to Everyone.  She's eating a lot now that the house is quiet and she is home.  She is very pleased and has no idea the workman will be back tomorrow to work on painting the house. 

Ta-ta,
Julie

2 new Omamori covers

Hello, Everyone,

Today is a beautiful, warm, sunny, Friday afternoon.  I feel good.  Flowers are blooming on the hillsides, the Jacaranda trees are crazy purple with blooms everywhere, the birds are twittering in the trees and there is a gentle breeze.  Isn't it great to be alive in San Diego in the spring time?

This is for you, Evelyn:  The other day I finished 2 cute little Omamori Gohonzon covers. These assume that you want to use the steel chain and white case that comes with the Omamori, and just use these covers for protection and cleanliness and to keep the plastic off the skin in the summer heat.  If you wanted to make these into an amulet bag you could add a cord or strap, or you could make the tie 30 inches long, so that even after tying the bow it would be long enough to go around your neck.  I have also done them that way for someone who no longer had the white case.  Just be sure whatever you do is secure and strong.  The long tie should be securely attached to the bag and then the top tied shut with the ends.

The Omamori cover on the right is crocheted with a # 1 hook out of beadspread cotton and the one on the left is knit on size 1 needles out of Skacel lace weight merino wool. Both with beads of course. The knit one looks small, but it really stretches.  I call it an "Omamori sock".   For those who want to make one, here is a "pithy" pattern, as EZ would say.   I have another knit one in work in dark teal, same beads as the white one.

 For the knit one I threaded some #11 randomly mixed brown, peach, gold, and yellow  beads onto a leftover bit of lace weight wool.  Then I CO 10 stitches with #1 needles, did 6 rows garter.  Gauge must be about 10 stitches per inch or a bit tighter.  Then I picked up around the sides and bottom of the garter patch, about 30 stitches total around.  I knit around up about 2 inches, some rows plain garter and some rows K1, P1 ribbing, beads whenever I felt like it.  I kind of mixed it up a bit to get a brambly texture.  Next the Eyelet row: *K1, K2tog, YO, repeat from * around for 10 eyelets.  Then a couple of rows garter and suspended bind off.  Crochet a tie (chain 10 inches and SC)  and lace through the eyelets.  Cute as a bug's ear!


The crochet one is made from bedspread cotton, thread on the beads, chain 17, 16 SC in the top of the chain, 16 SC in the bottom of the chain, in total 32 SC all around.  SC on around for about 2 inches, adding in beads as the spirit moved me. 

The beads will fall to the backside of the work, so either work in the usual way and turn it inside out when you are done, or work it "inside out" by crocheting on the far side of the bag sticking the hook from the inside outward.  Your choice.  

I started out 1 bead every 7 stitches and then beaded more and more frequently, so that I ended up with a bead in every stitch in the last couple of rows.  I was going for an ombre effect on the beads.  

Then 2 rounds plain SC.  1 round DC, end off.  Chain a tie and SC in each stitch, end off.  Thread the tie into the DC row and tie the ends in a bow.  Just for fun I used a different color for the tie, and #20 cotton thread.


Have fun making one...  They're like potato chips... Can't do just one...  I need to get some pink cotton and white pearls to make a girly one for a friend...


The workman is busy painting the house, making all kinds of banging noises, so Lilo is nowhere to be seen.  She'll turn up later after he leaves.


Gotta run.  Heading up to Orange County to see the grandson this afternoon.  Lucky me.

Love,
Julie

floral lace scarf

Hello, Everyone,
It's a lovely balmy night after a great sunny day.  I feel great.  I'm listening to xlnc1.com play classical music.  

I wrote up the pattern for the floral lace shawl.  Here the promo for the new pattern I posted today on Ravelry.  http://www.ravelry.com/designers/julie-lanner

Floral Lace Scarf for Mother Anita

This reversible dainty lace scarf is perfect for spring wear when warmth is not so much desires as style. Feminine and sheer, it dresses up a top with a dainty floral pattern. The sheer lace scarf weighs next to nothing as it floats gently around your neck, 6 1/2 inches X 72 inches.  The diagonal ends trail off into delicate points.  I made it for my hubby's mother, Anita.  It is a lovely gift, an easy, quick knit and so feminine.  This makes the perfect first lace project.  Eyelets edge the scarf, making it easy to block out into points if desired (as pictured).  Or it can be blocked out with wires through the eyelets to make straight edges.  Instructions allow for a wider scarf if desired.  Instructions included for suspended bind off and blocking. 

Teddy modeling for us to show off the points...




Size: 6 1/2 inches X 72 inches.  May be made wider (10 inches) if desired (instructions included below)

Gauge: while gauge is not important for this scarf, I got about 4 stitches per inch after blocking.

Materials:
1 ball lace weight yarn, I used Skacel Merino Lace in white.  The scarf used maybe 150  yards from a 1700 yard ball, so this is great for using up lace weight "leftovers".  Or that single pretty hand painted ball you always wanted to try lace with...

size 4 needles, I used Addi lace points, but there are no tricky nupps, so any needles would do.

size 6 crochet hook for bind off.  Can be done with size 4 knitting needles, but you must take care to bind off very, very loosely if you use the size 4 needles.

14 stitch markers, I used no-coil safety pins.

Scarf in progress,  unblocked.

All done!

Lilo finally turned up after the workman quit banging on the house.  It's going to look really nice after he paints it!  Chill, Lilo, it's ok.

See you,
Julie

FO City

Hello, Everyone, 

It's a lovey breezy spring midday in San Diego and I feel fine.  Listening to Respighi on XLNC1.com.   Finally a nice sunny day!  Birds are twittering away in the garden.   I thought winter was going to revisit us forever....  Yesterday afternoon was somewhat sunny for a while, so I was able to wash and block out some recently finished knitting, plus my "wedding shawl" which also got its annual bath while I was in block out mode.  Last night I could not sleep, so I went on a finishing spree, so today I have a wonderful list of finished objects to show you. 

FO list for today: white floral lace scarf, red alpaca shawlette, tall magenta lace panel stockings, 2 cute little beaded Omamori "socks" 

Let's start with this one:

Here is the floral lace scarf I was making for my mother-in-law.  

Here is Nate's teddy bear modeling for me.  The ends are diagonal points.  I love how lace transforms when you block it out.  I'm working on the pattern and want to post it on Ravelry soon.  It weighs nothing, like a feather.

Here is the red alpaca  shawlette, a reprise of the red tango shawl.  Notice the gold beads sparkling on the top edge.  It's a Finnish leaf pattern I found on the 'Net.  I don;t speak Finnish, but I read knitting chart.

The red shawlette blocked out to be about 53" x 34". 

Here is the shawl I made for my own wedding, all fresh and clean.  Notice the same floral pattern I used in the white scarf above.  Also, lily of the valley with nupps, Russian chained hearts.  The edging is print o' the wave.  It was kind of a lace knitting pattern sampler.  Basically I could not decide on just one, so I did them all.  Maybe not great design, but meaningful to me. Cream laceweight wool from Knitpicks.  

There is a workman scraping the trim on the house in preparation for painting it, so the house is full of strange noises.  Lilo is nowhere to be found.   She must be hiding somewhere from the noises.   


I'm off to write up the floral lace pattern.  I'll post more FO here as I get more photos made.

Bye for now,
Julie
 

summer piece on a cold day

Hi, Everyone,

It is a chilly Monday afternoon.   Been cold all day.  Funny winter day, like it all of a sudden forgot to be spring, LOL   I'm listening to Liszt on Iceberg Radio, drinking chamomile tea and trying to keep warm.  Not really feeling so great today. 

Friday I showed the doctor a strange looking lesion on my hand, and she said, "That's what mersa looks like,  you'd better keep an eye on it. "  That's why I showed it to her...   So, I'm looking at it, now what?    I guess if my hand falls off, at least I'll know why.

Dan had to go back crosstown to the discount pharmacy again, they missed 3 meds when they filled the prescription, sigh.  I really do appreciate that they have me on the special discount program.   Next time I will xerox the RX for him before I turn it in, so he can check off each item as he gets it. 


I finished the Storm Water Shawlettte, a free pattern on Ravelry, as Evelyn would say,  done in a double strand of crochet cotton.  It's the sort of thing to wear in hot weather as a fashion accessory that adds no heat.   Pinks and purples, a little sparkle in one layer, actually kind of pretty.  Big crescent shape, very open, mostly holes, pointy tails to tie.

Sorry for the wonky picture, best one I've got.  I'm sure I'll enjoy it when the weather gets warmer. It adds a bit of color and cheer to an outfit, but no heat.

Still working on the almost-done magenta tall socks and the delicate lace scarf.   I wonder if I have enough white merino lace weight for one more floral pattern repeat on the scarf  or not....hmmmm...  I think I'll try it and see how it goes....   famous last words...  (File that one under things that knitters never learn, LOL.)

Miss Lilo sez, "hi".  She's staying in and staying warm today, too.   Helping me blog is more fun than chasing about in the cold.   The gophers will have to wait for a sunnier day.

See ya,
Julie

lace scarf getting bigger

Hi, Everyone,

It's a coolish (60 degrees F) foggy Sunday evening after an overcast and foggy day in San Diego.  I'm listening to Julian Bream play Greensleeves beautifully on the guitar.  The silly "morning and evening low clouds and fog" never burned off at midday like it should.  I hope it rains tomorrow, my garden could sure use it. 

I'm starting to feel normal after my cold.  Tomorrow I "plan" to be 100% a-ok.  Had dinner at Chevy's with the family.  Fun, silly, almost-Mexican food. Good fruity margarita.  Thank you, Honey.

I've been knitting on the magenta thigh-high stockings and they are all done but the top eyelet row and ruffle.  I can only work on them for a certain amount of time since they are on #2 needles, or else my hands hurt.  So, I trade them off with the floral lace scarf, which is on #4 needles.   Maybe later tonight I can go back to the stockings and finish them off.  We'll see.  I'll post pics as soon as they are done.


The lace scarf is getting pretty.  Maybe I can hold it stretched so you can see the garter floral lace even before blocking, sigh.

Can you see the floral pattern starting to emerge?  I know it's hard to see before blocking.  The flower is a Russian (Orenburg) version of cat's paw. 


I'm still thinking about the lace weight Evva sent me from White River.  The shop owner double-wound the ball to avoid stretching out the spring in the yarn.  Nice and soft ball, good idea.  Can you see the color from this pic?  It's a nice deep heathery purple.

                                                    
I'm starting to see folks appreciate my patterns on Ravelry.  It's very exciting to see that.  http://www.ravelry.com/designers/julie-lanner 

Lilo kitty is prancing about, looking for some attention.  She would like to go out and hunt gophers, but she is not so fond of fog.  There are not so many gopher hills in my yard now.  She is having an impact.  Out she goes, for a little while anyway.


Bream is on to Recuerdos de la Alhambra.  MMMMM... one of my favs.


Oops, here comes Lilo back in for a quick pass by the food dish for a bedtime snack.  That was quick.   Must have been too foggy and drippy wet out there. 


See you all soon.

'Nite,
Julie