Whitby in Tweed

Pattern: Whitby from Knitting on the Road
Designer: Nancy Bush
Yarn: Regia Tweed 6ply in #32 Burgundy
Needles: Size US 2.5 (3.00mm) DPNs

I worked on these socks steadily for days, and only set them aside recently to start on some sweater projects. I worked on them during my trip to North Carolina, and we even toured the historic part of town together. They knit up very quickly on the size 2.5 needles, and the cables, the purl stitching, and the ribbing, made them a fun and enjoyable knit. The Tweed was pretty good too – I bought this particular yarn at Stitches East 2006 from the WEBS booth. Initially planned for knee socks, I decided that the yarn would look good in this cabled pattern. Of historical note:  Nancy mentions in the book that this particular pattern, the rope cables and the diamond motif in between, were inspired by a fisherman’s sweater she saw in Whitby, England.

These are my fifth Nancy Bush project this year. I got a crazy notion to cast on for some mittens next. There are some lovely patterns (both NB patterns and many others) out there, and they would be a portable project during my travels over the next month…

*I was greatly moved by your comments on my last post. I thank you so much for taking the time to write out such thoughtful responses. This item is weighing heavily in my mind as I am running down the list of things to do before we leave in two weeks.

Two reds have completely captivated me during this round of Project Spectrum… deep rich burgundies and fresh tomato-ey reds. Funny how certain projects can take on both of these colors in different lights!

The Blue Sky Alpacas Bulky has lived in the stash for a few years – it was one of the first blog contests I won, back when I started blogging in 2004. It was one of the most magnificent yarns I had ever seen at the time, and it still is quite lovely! I didn’t quite know what to do with it – it is only 45 yards per ball, so there is limited pattern support for such a bulky yarn. Then I was reminded of the super-simple Uptown Scarf from Weekend Knitting. It calls for the same yarn. Isel made the scarf a few years back, and the simplicity really appealed to me.

Garter stitch is like an old friend.

Rockin’ the Size 35 needles! Long time readers may recall that these beautiful wooden needles were a Christmas 2005 gift from my parents. They found the needles at an antique shop.

Beautiful solid wood with a really nice point. Once you get used to the bulk of the needle, they are quite pleasant to work with… especially with the wooden clinking sound

… and on much smaller needles, I recently completed my first Whitby sock…

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What red wows you?

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You may have seen Sandi Wiseheart’s recent announcement about the Knitting Daily blog tour in the daily email. Sandi will be stopping by LollyKnitting Around on Wednesday, July 4th, for a little interview! I am compiling some questions, and I would be happy to include questions from you (if space and time permits).

Please feel free to leave a question in the comment section, or you can email me, if you have something to ask!

Three particular knit projects kept me busy at the beach: I made some progress during the drive, sitting by the docks as Kris and the family fished and crabbed, and a little early morning knitting while watching the sunrise. One knit in particular is a secret knit for my sister’s birthday in two weeks… the other projects were socks – the ultimate portable knit.

Whitby in Regia Tweed

My sister-in-law asked if I ever knit anything else, saying that she has only seen me knitting various socks over the last few years… this was all before she asked me to show her how to knit on her own!

…I was already looking for an excuse to go to the Delaware yarn shops, and her interest in learning was the catalyst. She walked away with some size 8 needles and some Encore to practice garter stitches. I walked away with these…

Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed and Austermann Step

Both of these yarns are from Sea Needles in Bethany Beach, DE. The shop has some great things, and I always enjoy stopping by when I am over at the shore. The Silky Tweed was an impulse buy, I must admit. I spotted it from across the room when I walked in the door. I worked with its equally lovely sister yarn, Silky Wool, for my Glee tee, and I was hoping to find some more of this yarn for a cardigan. The Step was purchased solely for the fun factor of the flashy colors in the stripey pattern. I have heard some good reviews of the yarn, so I will give it a whirl. Regular yarn diet resumes from now till my next vacation in August.

I was really hoping that the shop would have the new Norah Gaughan collection, as they carry a full Berroco line… alas, it is not in stock yet. I can wait a few more weeks

However, the little shop on Fenwick Island, DE provided some great pattern inspiration in the form of Patons booklets. The Spinning Wheel is a small shop in a roadside strip mall, and if you blink, you will miss it. It is right over the Delaware state line (coming from Ocean City, Maryland) and carries some lovely needlework kits. Their yarn selection is quite small (and rather paltry) but their patterns! ahhh… some lovely out-of-print booklets, and then some “hot off the press” booklets too!

You have to click to see the details – so worth it!

You can see even more of the designs on the Patons website. Funny how the heat and humidity are at the highest point today, and I am thinking about these wool pullovers…

The beach pictures are downloading now… we got some good ones! Stay tuned!

Like peanut butter and jelly…

Tweed and cables just go together.

Who am I to deny them?

I cast on for the Whitby socks from Knitting on the Road, another great sock book by Nancy Bush.  The yarn is Regia Tweed 6-ply that I bought at Stitches East last fall.  I bought the yarn with a different pattern in mind, and then realized that the 6-ply has much less yardage than the 4-ply.  I backtracked and was able to find another pattern pretty easily - one that matches with the yarn even better than the first.  The pattern is forming quickly on the size 2.5 (3mm) needles, as I finished the cuff and the first cable repeat in about an hour last night.

Yeah, so I am one day early for the cast on for Summer of Socks… I just couldn’t wait any longer for a sock project!