KOLSVA SWEATER

Pattern: "Kolsva" from Noro Revisited
Designer: Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton
Yarn: Noro Kochoran #17 colorway
Source: WEBS purchase, Stitches '06
Needles: Size US 9 and 10 Clover Bamboo
Started: November 9th / Finished: November 24th
Completed for the Norovember knitalong!

Detail Photos: 1. Kolsva Sweater, 2. Sleeve and Neck Stitches,
3. Set-in sleeve detail, 4. Kolsva Sweater 2

I started this one on the five-and-a-half hour flight to California, and the bulk of the knitting progress was done on the l-o-n-g flight back from California (remember?) I bought this book specifically for this pattern last December, and I am happy to say that it is now a part of my wardrobe.

Kolsva was quick, and fun. The yarn was wonderful, much like the other Noro yarns I have worked with. The only caution: if you don't like fuzzies and lint on your clothes, don't knit with this yarn. It is a 50% Wool/20% Silk/30% Angora blend, and that angora will get all over your clothes. Carry a lint roller with you! The good thing about it? My orange cat, and my white dog can rub against me, and their fur won't show on this sweater!

I finished the body of the sweater the night before Thanksgiving, and let the sweater block while we were away for the holiday.

Soaking and blocking brought out a rather harsh smell – kind of a mix of gasoline / plastic (!) and wet dog (or sheep, in this case). I was not happy about this, and resoaked the pieces in the sink for a while with some wool soap. Luckily, it is now "stink-free" and much softer than before. It blocked out well, and I began to pick up the stitches for the cowl neck on Thanksgiving night, after the festivities. I stayed up late putting the finishing touches on her!

I carefully seamed her up, and she went out with me yesterday to meet up with my sister and my parents. (Sarah even tried her on!) I am happy with the results. I love the color palette of the Kochoran, and the random striping, and I am happy with the fit. Like my other Noro sweater, Klaralund, the horizontal striping is the only "hang up" as I am already self-conscious about my mid-section, and horizontal striping is notorious for making one look bigger. Of course, I knew this going in, and I followed the shaping in the pattern. I hope the stripes are small enough to lessen this effect. I have about 3/4 of a ball left, probably enough to make a hat, or some wristlets…

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

…Making the best of a bad situation… that was the name of the game on our cross-country flight back from San Francisco. I have never had a bad airport/airplane experience, so I guess we were due.

We arrived with plenty of time to spare at the SFO airport – it takes about an hour to drive south to San Francisco from Napa Valley, and we did hit some morning rush hour traffic, but as Beltway drivers in DC, this was “old hat”. The weather was foggy and overcast. A harbinger, perhaps? We sat and chatted with family members on the cell phone and ate brunch before going to our departure gate.

The first sign that something was wrong: only two crew members from our flight were on time – and neither one of those two was the actual pilot or co-pilot. Evidently, their earlier flights had run into the fog and had a delayed arrival, causing our Baltimore-bound plane to have a delay as well. When the crew showed up, there were a few disgruntled passengers, but Kris and I were not among them, as we had just had a fabulous vacation, and were content to read and knit the time away.

Right after take-off, we noticed a very bad electrical/chemical smell. It was quite strong, and not the kind of smell you want to encounter when you are 37,000 feet above the earth’s surface. They narrowed the problem to the personal entertainment circuitry – which means no in-flight movies, or sound. However, due to regulations, they had to make an emergency stop for a mechanic to assess the situation. All in the name of safety.

We were diverted to Reno (I thought of you Nessie!) and sat on the tarmac for two hours while men in flame-retardant suits evacuated the first-class cabin to check on the circuitry. There was talk of switching planes, or possibly spending the night in Nevada, but things appeared to be fixed. By this time, there were some crying children and rumbling stomachs. The Reno airport was small, and could not handle an influx of 185 people descending on the one fast-food restaurant that happened to be open. A few passengers made a mad dash – Kris and I waited like good little citizens…

One of the attendants said they ran out to a discount store and bought granola bars for everyone. It was a nice gesture, but did not really alleviate the situation. Right before we left Reno, they made another announcement :

“We are going to be stopping in Denver. Due to FAA regulations, some of our crew must get off and be replaced by new crew members.”

So, we stopped in Denver. I completely understood the need for a replacement crew. Unfortunately, other passengers got rude, and began booing. The crew did the best job possible, and I was very impressed with their level of service.

After an hour of sitting on the tarmac in Denver, I began wondering what Cathi, and Wanda, and the other Mile High Knitters were doing… I want to go back to Colorado under better circumstances!

Needless to say, it was a bad situation. Our flight was supposed to get into Baltimore at 9:01pm. We got in around 3:00am. My parents were SO amazing, and came and picked us up in the middle of the night. They were even smiling, and greeted us with a warm hug. Thank you so much, Dad and Mom!!

And despite the rude woman in front of me who reclined her chair back all the way (she even had two feet of room for her legs because she was in an exit row! I seriously could have knit her hair – she was that close) leaving me only about 8 inches of room to maneuver, I managed to knit. A LOT. It kept me calm and collected. It kept me nice and sweet considering the jerkies that were all around.

I left San Francisco with one Kolsva sleeve, completed entirely on the flight west. On the flight going east, I completed another sleeve, and 9 inches of the body! And I even managed to “cut” my yarn from the sleeve with a plastic knife… no scissors allowed!

Sleeve one and two in the upper left corner, and the body in the foreground. I have three more skeins for the remainder of the back, the front, and the cowl.

Looks like I just may make Norovember!

I flew the friendly skies, and while it was not exactly a pleasant flight, it could have been so much worse… thank goodness for knitting!

Have a crazy air travel story to tell? Go ahead, entertain me!

I made some real knitting progress on the plane while watching ridiculous in-flight movies starring Will Ferrell.  I laughed so hard I nearly dropped a stitch!

On the five and a half hour flight from Baltimore to San Francisco, I completed sleeve one of the Kolsva cowl pullover.  I am thrilled with the way this Noro Kochoran (#17) is knitting up. The sweater is actually knit up in reverse stockinette, so the right (wrong) side is displayed. 

Forgive the poorly-lit-hotel-room photograph. 
It does not do the yarn justice!

Cherie has also seen some action, mainly on my bus ride down to Monterey on Friday, and on the train rides around San Francisco.  I am about 8 inches into the body, with about 6 more before the arm hole decreases. 

In an absolute lapse – one that I can only blame on excitement! – I walked right out of the hotel room without my camera when I was heading to the city with Leslie for some brunch and yarn shopping.  However, Leslie in her brilliance, suggested I pick up a disposable camera at the nearby convenience store.  I did just that and captured some good (hopefully!) pictures of the yarn shop, our time together, and some surrounding my museum visit yesterday afternoon. 

So, a full report, with pictures, will hopefully follow.  I can tell you that Leslie is amazing, and so kind.  We had a very nice time talking and browsing the yarn shop.  If we are lucky, she may just start her own blog so we can keep up with her lovely knitting! (She is currently working on a Trekking XXL sock in colorway 109, and it is so nice!)   Thank you so much, Leslie, for the wonderful day!!

Kris and I are leaving for Napa Valley today, with a small detour to Muir Woods for some hiking.  I am not sure what kind of internet access we will have in Napa, so another post may not come until Friday or Saturday, when I return to Maryland. 

Best wishes!

Kris and will be leaving bright and early tomorrow morning for California, and right now, I am determining what knits to take with me. I have completed the back of Cherie, and will start on the sleeves this evening while watching the hockey game. Sleeves seem like an easy enough travel knit. I could just start on the front too…

The color in the right photo is true to life – it is a nice dark cherry red with lovely tweedy flecks and a nice shine. The yarn, Dale of Norway Sisik, is a blend of wool, mohair, silk, and viscose… so many different fibers coming together in this amazing yarn.

The knitting has been quick, as I only started this last week. This sweater is part of three knitalongs, if you recall – one of them being Shannon's National Sweater Knitting Month (NaKniSweMo) knitalong, so I need to finish this by the 30th of November. With airplane, car, bus, and train knitting on the upcoming trip, I think I can make some real progress.

In fact, I am so optimistic, I am also bringing my new Noro Kochoran. While winding it on the ball winder this afternoon, I observed the true beauty of this yarn. It is so pretty and will make a lovely sweater. Even if I do not complete the sweater for the Norovember knitalong, I can start it, and hopefully, it will go quickly on the requisite size 9 needles that the pattern calls for (the pattern is the "Kolsva" pullover from Noro Revisited collection.)

And because my life doesn't quite seem complete without some socks on the needles, the Hokusai Ribs are coming along too. They are working up so nicely in the lovely Yarn Pirate colorway!

Should I pack something else as well?