Aug 03 2005
Tweed Devotion
Balmoral cardigan Started: February 2005 Completed: August 2, 2005
Pattern: Dale of Norway book 115
Yarn: Dale Sisik in 1031 Aubergine
Needles: size 3 and 5 Addi Naturas (29" and 40") Some detail shots:
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I can officially say that this is my favorite thing that I have knit so far. This cardigan is so ME! I love the color, the tweedy yarn, the velvet ribbon! I am also very happy with the overall fit. Far too many of my knits sit in my closet because they did not turn out how I wanted them to… this will not be the case with Balmoral. This knit will be my staple in fall and winter, and I can even wear her now in the chilly Archives where I work! I did modify a few things… I made the neck a little wider and did not lace the ribbon around the neck and sides. I thought that the hem and waist were enough detail.
I started Balmoral back in the winter, after making the book/yarn purchase at All About Yarn. For some reason, I set her aside, and when I returned for good about 10 days ago, I knew this would be my next finished knit. It was a great joy to knit… even on the small needles!
The velvet ribbon detail is one of my favorite things. I really lucked out to find such a perfect color match at Joann earlier this year!
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This same book, Dale Adult 115 has another great pullover with some simple lace detailing (hard to make out in this pic) but this is definitely on my list off fall/winter knits. The yarn is wonderful and I love working with it, and I just happen to have enough skeins of blue Sisik in my stash!  |
With this lovely cardigan all knit up, I will probably begin my Knit Picks Hourglass in the next few days.
However, I may take a quick detour for this… 
I found this pattern through Libby. She searched for a bolero pattern and came up with this freebie from YesterKnits. That site is amazing! I was so impressed with the patterns they have. I requested the pattern and received 4 documents in return: instruction sheet, schematic, info on YesterKnits, and a photo of the finished bolero. I have some stash yarns that will be well-suited for a project like this–I am thinking red for this baby!
Around the house, we have been reaping what we have sown… We have had a nice crop of cucumbers and tomatos in recent days. We are also reaching the peak with many of our pepper varieties. Unforunately our zucchini got some sort of wilt and died, but it did produce three zucchinis before doing so. Kris made our first batch of pickles with the cucumbers and some of our dill, and this past weekend, he made some jars of his award-winning chipotle salsa. Last year, he canned about 20 jars of salsa… and all of them are gone. It was high time for some new stock! I daresay that this batch is better than last years! He really knows the right combo for yummy salsa.
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Updated to add: The recipe that Kris used for the salsa is here:http://www.homecanning.com/usa/AlRecipes.asp?R=369 (he added the chipotles to the mix by himself–determined by taste!)
The pickles were canned using the standard "Refrigerator Dills" technique, which can be Googled for lots of results. HAVE FUN!
Hope to get some natural light pics of Balmoral soon… stay tuned… have a happy Wednesday!
That is a lovely FO! It really suits you so well, the colour is lush. Congratulations, go forth and feel fab.
Zuchinis! Ha, the only darn zuchini my plant has produced this Summer was eaten yesterday by a passing squirrel.
congrats on a beautiful cardi! you look great!
yum, chipotle salsa …
well, how good do you look?
the crowd goes wild!
Lauren-great cardigan-i was thinking it would be great for chilly days in our library-hmmmm. dill pickles are my favorite-does kris share his recipes? take care…
Balmoral looks great. I love the ribbon details.
And canning. Pickles and salsa? Your husband and my dad must be cut from the same cloth. Those are my dad’s specialties also. Can’t wait for our next visit so we can help him with the canning.
I’m making progress on the Yesterknits bolero. I can’t wait to see how yours turns out.
Gorgeous! And Balmoral looks great too! How happy are you to have a knit you love? I’m jealous! Wear it well. Wonderful knitting.
Balmoral looks great. I like this color.Wonderful knitting
FANTABULOUS!
Looks very good on you! love the ribbon detailing!
muy excellente!
Oh it’s beautiful! I love seeing wearable knitting projects — and that one looks very wearable to me! With jeans and a T for the weekend. With a nice skirt and cami for work. It’s beautiful. And you finished it plenty early to get a full season’s wear out of it. Nice!
Gorgeous! I love the tweed. Congratulations on such a beautiful knit. It looks fantastic on you. That vintage shruge looks fabulous!
It’s absolutely perfect! I love, love it on you!!
Funny on the garden cause the only thing I’ve been able to grow is zuchini. I just picked three biggies this morning… now I’m off to search for a zuchini bread recipe.
You look marvelous.
I love the tweedy yarn and the hem detail. Very unique and fabulous.
Lovely sweater on my lovely Lol! Sorry about your zucchini but sounds like the cukes are in good shape. Sarah had a “hankerin’” for cukes and cream cheese (with dill of course) and so we had some the other day. She was in heaven. Dad and I picked them up at a roadside market when we went to the Eastern Shore the other day. Yummy! XXOO
Love it! The color is great and the ribbon details are a nice touch.
And he makes his own chipolte salsa and cans it himself! Oh, you do have a keeper there!
Balmoral-Oh my goodness, does that sweater not look awesome on you???I knew you’d get it finished quickly and look how great it turned out! Fabulous darling!
Balmoral is beautiful!!!! The color is so rich, and suits you. Congratulations on finishing such a great cardi!
And that pattern from Yesterknits is great! I can’t wait to see that one knitted up!
Yippee!! Congrats on finishing it. It looks spectacular on you.
Amy
I think the details on that sweater really make it! Fabulous work. I also love that bolero, I think that is one that I would actually wear!
Yay! Balmoral looks great!
That bolero pattern looks really interesting. And I’m totally jealous of your garden. Wish I had someplace for that sort of thing. Fresh veggies are so much better than store bought. Hope you’re having a great week!
Thanks for the great link to the Yesterknits site!! I will check it out!! Sounds like I am going to need a new cartridge for my printer!!!
The Balmoral is lovely. You and I have the same coloring and I love the Aubergine color.. (mentally putting it on list).
MMM…salsa…is he willing to share the recipe (or is it a family secret??)
Balmoral looks great!!
Lolly, it’s great! The color is gorgeous on you. The ribbon detail and the matching color are impressive, and make it look really professional. Bravo!
Balmoral is so pretty. Love the yarn and the color. I’m gonna check out Yesterknits as well. Thanks for all the knitting inspiration!
Love Balmoral! Gorgeous color. And it looks totally fab on you! I especially love the velvet ribbon. It gives it the perfect touch. =)
That really is the perfect sweater for you - it looks great on and is loaded with Tweedy Goodness. I love the vintage shrug. It’s loads fo fun to knit from crumbling, yellow patterns (or in this case, a nice, clean printed copy which is easier to read and won’t have parts missing).
PS I am totally trying out the salsa!
Wow, you have been finishing things non-stop! Balmoral looks great! I like the turtleneck sweater too.. You will be all set for fall!
Don’t you look fob!!
I love it! And I love that you love it! And that ribbon!
Love the cardigan! That’s a perfect cardigan pattern!
Balmoral looks great on you! I love that ribbon!
Thanks for the link to the canning recipe. My husband and I love salso and he has been wanting to try canning!
balmoral looks great! tweedy yarn is so gorgeous - and that color is perfect for you
Yes, a very flattering fit! Love, love, love, the ribbon embellishment.
Balmoral looks great, the ribbon detail really does finish it perfectly. Job well done, as usual.
Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday!
P.S. Thanks for your kind words about Clapotis. I do love it and I had fun taking the photos.
Lolly…Balmoral came out fantastic. Love the color, the tweed & the fit! Doesn’t it feel great to have finished her?
The salsa & pickles look great. Did you save me a jar of each?
I just LOVE your afgan!!!
See you tonight!
Balmoral is absolutely beautiful on you! I love the pretty ribbon detailing. It will be a great piece for fall!
Your cardigan is beautiful!
Too cute! It looks great on you, too! What a wonderful and versatile FO to have : )!
Wow! You look incredible in purple - great job on the sweater! I love the pics of the afghan too - isn’t seeing someone put your knitting to work the best feeling? Looks like they LOVE it. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve bottled up salsa - I really should do that this year. We go through it like crazy and I like knowing exactly what is in the bottle. Now I’m off to surf yesterknits - looks like a great site.
WOW! That turned out so amazing. You just inspire me so! You are truly so talented!
oh lauren that is super cute! you did such a great job…
Sweater is so beautiful! Congratulations on your perfect sweater!
I am so copying you on that shrug.
You have a man who make salsa? SO JEALOUS!
Lolly, that velvet ribbon is the perfect accent. Isn’t it great to have a FO? Kris made that salsa? WOW!
That cardigan is smashing! It’s really flattering. And doesn’t the tweedy goodness just make you ready for fall? (fall? come on, fall…)
Balmoral, the pickles, and the salasa all look fantabulous. Don’t you love old patterns, I have about 100 old pattern books in my library, they are just so much fun to look at, however I have never kntited anything from them, although I’m tempted to knit some socks or mittens.
Lolly, it looks great! I can tell that it’s going to be perfect, it feels so nice to have one of those cardis that you can throw on for any occasion.
Love the salsa too- we’ve been whipping up our own, although using canned tomatoes as we haven’t had a single garden one yet.
And- great minds- I got that bolero pattern too, from Jessica at Fig and Plum. Very cool, what color will you do yours in?
You go Lolly! Balmoral looks absolutely fantabulous on you! Love the details on the edging and especially that ribbon.
Salsa…yum, yum…save some for when I come over;)
See you tonight!
Wow! Balmoral turned out really lovely! I love it!
balmoral is delish. the color is divine, and it looks fabulous on you. good job!
Balmoral is gorgeous! Congratulations on finishing her up!
Congratulations on your finished Balmoral! The feeling of making your first really great-fitting garment is so satisfying. Be sure to let it sink in. It looks awesome! That bolero should look equally awesome.
Mmm, fresh salsa. You’re luck to have a good cookin’ man.
Beautiful Balmoral!!!
Yummy Salsa — I’ve never canned salsa — but it’s high time for me to can a batch of my spaghetti sauce. Hmm…I wonder if I could can my mango salsa (which usually needs to be in the fridge…as the spaghetti sauce does too (when not canned.))
And — my dear — tag your it (see today’s entry in my blog!)
I knew it would be lovely and it is! That purple tweed is so perfect for your blondie complexion. I’m so glad you are so pleased!
Thanks for sharing the salsa recipe. Definitely gonna have to try that one!
That is so beautiful! I love tweed and that Aubergine looks great on you.
Fabulous looking Balmoral. Beautiful yarn! The vintage shrug looks great, I’m sure it’ll be a fun knit.
Pickles and salsa! Chris is quite the guy. I’ll definitely need to go to the farmers market this weekend.
Lolly it’s lovely! But isn’t everything you make? I’m so we’ve had this class together this summer. We must get together this fall to knit and complain about school.
You look great in Balmoral. It is beautiful.
I love that YesterKnits pattern. Thanks! I emailed them right away to get it. They have some cool stuff, man.
That cardi is adorable on you. Just perfect. And the projects on your to-do list are great. You have great fashion sense.
I love it! It looks like such a great cardigan!
Cute cute cute bolero!
I love it, Lolly! The color looks fabulous on you and the details are wonderful.
wow!! what a great knit!! its so wonderful when they turn out to be gorgeously wearable pieces for you wardrobe - like i know what that feels like
The ribbon is a perfect match too. It really adds that extra touch of professional garment class. A great knit Lolly!
Balmoral looks awesome!!! I absolutely love the velvet ribbon.
Congratulations, you’ve knitted a beautiful sweater! I’m so in envy right now!
I’m over half way finished with the Yesterknits bolero, and I’m becoming more and more optimistic. My only concern is that I changed the gauge and am merely knitting to the measurements that are given, but I also tried to shorten it a bit (I’m really short). My concerns are from the fact that I wasn’t really sure what each measurement on the fabric corresponded to on my body until last night. Hopefully I’ll finish it by the weekend.
Your Balmoral looks GREAT! Isn’t it wonderful to knit something that you thoroughly LOVE? Hey, that bolero is super, too. Can’t wait to see it knit up–red would be a striking color.
Umm, I love homemade canned goods. I used to can tomatoes, pickles, and peaches. Just looking at yours makes my mouth drool.
Good luck with the bolero!
Liebe Lolly,
Balmoral steht Dir sehr gut, mir gefällt die Wolle besonders, Tweed ist immer schön anzuschauen.
Hier in Montreal ist es immer noch heiß - da wären Tortilla chips mit etwas hausgemachter Salsa genau richtig für eine Fiesta am Abend! Wir haben keinen Garten, deshalb müssen wir weiterhin gekaufte Salsa essen, zu dumm!
Viele liebe Grüße,
Mona
Totally darlin’, darlin’! Now I’ve got a hankering for salsa and it’s not even 8am yet.
Go Lolly, go Lolly! Balmoral rocks! And your canning looks very yummy. Makes me miss all of the canning and freezing that I’d do with my mom and grandma every spring and summer. Can’t wait to see what yummy goodness (both edible and knitted) that you crank out next
Tanya
lolly, balmoral looks fantastic! congrats on a wonderful fo!!! and a big thanks for the yesterknit site… lots of yummy knits there.
have a great weekend!
Lolly, it’s lovely! Good job
Wowwie zowwie Lolly-she’s smashing! Wear it with pride, and expect lots of compliments. When people ask “you MADE that?” give them a great, big “you betcha”!!
It’s beauteous Lolly! Balmoral really turned out so nicely. I keep telling you, I love the velvet ribbon stitched on , that’s just the greatest detail. I think you will love this sweater and it will be a staple in your wardrobe. Great job!
Balmoral looks really great! It is so satisfying when something fits and you know you will wear it.
I love the Yesterknits site as well and have planned to make one of their patterns probably in September.
WOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! gorgeous — cogratulations!
Balmoral looks wonderful! I have a soft spot for anything that rich of a purple, and the fit is excellent! Congratulations!
wow lauren that looks great on you! i am swatching my hourglass tonight:) sending you good vibes:) my husband chris would like to start canning and pickles will be the first…we are gonna use that web site thanks!
Do you put the pickes into jars in patterns? I read a book once where they did that, and always thought it sounded interesting.
your Balmoral is fantastic!!!! And it looks beautiful on you!
UTTERLY FABULOUS!
Yummy salsa! I copied the recipe down as we will have a bumper crop of peppers this year!
The Balmoral Cardigan turned out lovely!