Gansey Update - 8/19/06

Now for a quick update on the "progress" of the Gansey from Hell:

As you can see - the first buttonhole - with one of the beautiful silver Celtic Knot buttons from Stitches poking through.


And here, we have the beginnings of my initials which are on the far left front side - about 2" from the side "seam."

I've been doing some reading about the Ganseys origin. These are fishing sweaters, knit (as this one is) with 5-ply wool. These are tiny plys, since the yarn is as thin, if not thinner, than sock yarn. They are knit on small needles - in this case US size 1s so the finished fabric is tight woven. This makes them water and wind proof, pretty much. Of course, if you're knocked overboard by a huge-ass wave, or pulled into the drink by an enormous fish, it won't keep you dry! That's where the initials come in. When your body washes up on shore, the initials give some clue as to who you were!

I get a big chuckle out of all of this, and realize that this is a very traditional garmet, one that will no doubt take me until the end of time to complete, and, if given the chance, it will be worn with great pride.

I'll post more pictures as this thing progresses, and share more tidbits of the tradition as I can.

Well - Welts!

No, not Lawrence Welts (Ugh, bad joke).

Yes, not only do I now know what welts are, I've even finished knitting a couple and have one more to go before my #1 dpns become entirely too small. Here's what we have so far:

The largest one is the back of the sweater, top one is the left-hand side, and bottom still being worked is the right side. Once I finish this one, I will knit across all three, adding stitches until there are a miraculous 410 stitches total. Apparently, this is what is meant by "split garter welts."

Then the real fun begins with the patterned stitches. Thank goodness the body of the sweater is knitted flat!






It will include seed stitch initials, definition ridges, starfish and diamond motifs, two-stitch seed seam stitches, gussets, unshaped neckline, shoulder straps, and a ribbed neckband. Whew! Now - considering it's taken me 3 days to knit what I have so far, any bets on how long it will be before this is finished? I'm guessing if I get 10 rows finished a day . . . . . . . it will be completed sometime just near retirement! (But it will still be just as pretty!)

A Day of Two "Firsts"

Progress on the Koigu socks has come to a total standstill - not enough yarn. Eventually may rip it out and try something else.

Today was boring, so it became a day of firsts.

My very first swatch - is the Guernsey yarn for the Grace's Cardigan. Actually came out right on the money! Notice the "Channel Island Cast On" that makes the nice little picots on the edge. Decided to throw those into this just to see if I could do it.



Following that success, I then tried my first "toe up" sock - not too bad for a novice!

Let the Knitting Begin!!!

If you've come from visiting my original blog (see link at right) you know that today was my last day working a temp job held for the last nine and a half months and that I've come to love a great deal.

Ok - so now I'll be home, unemployed, for a while. If you're on MSN Messenger and have me added as BlueLady486, you will see my personal message "Will Work for Money."

So - I bought this 4,500 yards of 5-ply Guernsey wool from Frangipani in Cornwall, England (I've truly lost my mind). It is a beautiful teal color named "Deep Ocean" and I'm planning to start knitting the Grace's Cardigan (link below) during this period of unemployment. I am also working on a pair of socks now, and may start another pair.


















This from the lady who tries mainly to knit one thing at a time and complete that project before I begin another. I know - I know - My niece is a bad influence on me! So, I will begin the sweater once I get the required needles and figure out exactly what a "welt" is!














This is the beginning of the Koigu socks. Bought at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival by my niece last May, is kind of mill ends and neither color is enough for a pair, so I will knit this band at the tops, the heels and toes out of this nice periwinkle. Think they will be stunning!

Ok - St. Louis has officially been declared a disaster area - and my house is part of it. Have been without power for 63.5 hours, and still counting (posting thanks to the generous use of my sister-in-law's computer).

Anyway, wanted to show you what my life's been like since the beginning of the storm last Wednesday night:














And here's a lovely picture of my yard and all the limbs and branches (and wires) down:















And here's one - a GREAT SHOT, I think - of me knitting while waiting for the power to come back on. See? I've finished the striped sock and started a new Koigu one!


Seriously, I will post some pictures of that AND my new yarn that's just arrived from Cornwall, England for a Gansey sweater I plan to try soon. Hopefully, we'll all survive and have power back soon!