Obsessed with Annis

This summer I was obsessed with a shawl named Annis created by Susanna IC. I had knit my first version with a thicker Madelinetosh sock yarn in the colourway called Hickory.

The intriguing feature of Annis is that it requires the knitter to create nupps, a bobble-like stitch used in lace. Here's a good picture of nupps, the very white ovals arches found above the open yarnovers (holes).

Photo from GCB designs blog post

I wrote about the search done in June to find a technique to make the nupp-making process easier. There are several methods and none of them worked very well for me. Certainly the first Annis was wearable, but any astute knitter would be able to examine it and find the nupps left a great deal to be desired. I took it to Minneapolis thinking it would be something to be used at a craft sale to raise money for the dog rescue group with whom one of my daughter-in-laws volunteers. But instead one of my neighbors stopped by, admired the colours and without hesitation I gave it to her. The Madelinetosh shawl has found a happy home with Kathy, despite its weakness.

Poor picture, but this Annis is a good match for Kathy

While at Knitting Camp 2017 I asked how one could make nupps that 1) didn't take forever to create, 2) where one didn't have to count sitches and 3) that stayed aligned properly. One of my fellow campers offered up suggestions with the most pertinent being thinner yarn helps make better nupps. Oh, and she made the nupp immediately after the correct additional stitches where created. With this advice in hand I began a second Annis using Misti Alpaca yarn, 100% baby alpaca lace weight in a pale, slate green colour. It was amazing how much easier this version was to make. It is true, lighter weight yarn makes creating nupps much easier and before I knew it my second Annis was complete. And it looked good, so good I felt it could go to someone with a more critical eye for knitting.

Before I show it to you, I must give a shout out to Mom's LYS, Firefly. This cozy little shop carries some fine brands of yarn, and because it is outside of a major metropolitan area, prices are good. The Misti Alpaca which contains 437 yards/or 400 meters of, remember, 100% baby alpaca, cost all of $4.40 USD, an unheard of price in Greater Minneapolis or Vancouver. The shop is often not busy so I talk to the owner about yarn, knitting podcasts, Canadian knit pattern designers and of course my experience at Knitting Camp. Often the sales bin is full of wonderful wool at bargain basement prices, like Misti Alpaca. I try to stop by Firefly every time I visit Mom.

To show the lightness and how lacy this Annis ended up being

A better photo to show the lacy edging and the nupps

The green coloured yarn would never look quite right on me, but it is well within Susan's palette. She isn't much of a lace knitter yet, so I promised her this new Annis would be hers. Here she is modelling it.

Outside on my deck and showing how well it will work as a shawl for Susan

Wearing Annis like a scarf

Susan took it home and found it matched a few pieces in her wardrobe, so I know it will get plenty of use. The experience was so pleasant I am seriously thinking about making another Annis, just as soon as a few on-the-needles projects are completed.

Anatomy of a Sock

I've been knitting socks for a relatively short time. One of the disconcerting things for me as I started following patterns for socks is the pattern designer assumes the knitter (in this case that would be me) knows all the parts of a sock. So I thought I'd devote a post to improve my own knowledge about the anatomy of a sock and maybe some of you will learn something about the humble yet necessary sock as well. Here's the names of the parts of the foot as I know them. #49 ankle, #50 heel, #51, instep, #52 ball, #53 big toe, #54 toe, #55 little toe, #56 toenail. There are some parts more important for this discussion; first the heel of a foot is generally used to refer to the entire C-shape from the ankle to the instep. Speaking of the instep, it refers to that curve near the bottom of the foot. And what seems to be missing in the design above is the sole which generally refers to the bottom of the foot in total or plantar aspect in more technical terms...

Ode to the Cat

It has been six months since Mike, the cat's, passing. I think of him every day and miss him especially when Paul is away. Mike was a being in the house with me and we were close. Grieving his death has been muddled with my Dad's passing and sometimes I feel guilty about that happening. As time passes the ache becomes less hurtful for both and I am starting to get mostly good memories in its place. Recently I helped celebrate Pablo Neruda's birthday with Jami, my poet and overall very creative friend. Guests were asked to select one poem written by Neruda to read to the small group who gathered for the celebration. I picked this one: Ode To The Cat -- Pablo Neruda There was something wrong with the animals: their tails were too long, and they had unfortunate heads. Then they started coming together, little by little fitting together to make a landscape, developing birthmarks, grace, flight. But the cat, only the cat turned ou...

Knitting-Related Guinness World Records

I had to share some of the Guinness World Records connected with knitting. It is amazing to me the type of skill, stamina and unique characteristics these record holders have in common. How about trying to knit with these SPNs?? Ingrid Wagner and her large needles and knitted swatch The largest knitting needles measured 3.5 m (11 ft 5.8 in) long and had a diameter of 8 cm (3.15 in). Ingrid Wagner, a rug and art creation artist, from the UK used the needles to knit a tension square of ten stitches by ten rows at the Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, on March, 10 2008. (And I complained about getting certain SPNs stuck in my clothes.) See how this swatch was done with merely 5 people managing the needles. And what about the yarn? It is truly ex-bulky. It looks like they're knitting in a warehouse, but with a wingspan of almost 24 feet or 7 m, you'd need all that space. Or h...

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