Audrey A-Long

A late joiner

I've been wanting to knit Audrey since I bought mag 35 in May last year, but Calmer is quite expensive here in Sweden, so I did't really feel like I could afford it.
Anyway, since I have the best friends ever, I got a gift certificate for the store in Stockholm that carries Rowan on my birthday in February! So I went a-shopping!
I decided on shade 464 because it looked like a nice spring-time greenish colour. When I saw it in proper daylight I was horrified! It's yellow! Me, wearing yellow!? Get out of here!
However, I think I've calmed down and decided it's not yellow. It's greenish-yellow. So there!

I've finished back and front, and with help from all you girls, I got through that without tears. I'm almost finished with first sleeve and it looks good, but it's awfully long!? But I suppose it has too be since it reaches over the shoulder...?

I wasn't able to upload any photos, I'll give it another try later. You can see some photos on my blog:
http://katarinawiberg.blogdrive.com

Audrey's Audrey

I'm knitting Audrey for my daughter, also Audrey, and she found this blog fo me. It's my very first attempt to blog or chat on the internet (email has been a way of life for several years). I have enjoyed looking at all the Audrey pics and reading the different suggestions for approaching the knitting.

So far I have completed about half of one front (or back) but I have a sad problem which I don't think has been mentioned by anyone. My Audrey is coming out too fluffy! My hands are rather dry and it seems I've been forgetting the fingertips when I apply handcream. So I've been giving them lots of intensive treatment and wearing rubber gloves for cleaning, gardening etc. which has resulted in some improvement (they are 60 years old, used a lot and have always tended towards dry).

Does anyone know any other ways around this problem (that is, apart from treating my hands)? I'm planning to start again in an attempt to get all of Audrey looking the way she should but it will be slow work if I have to have perfect fingertips every time I want to knit. (Becky's Audrey as shown on her website is a marvel of even stitches and smooth finish).

Getting Closer

I have just finished the second sleeve. Now I will need to assemble Audrey and then do the neckband. It is going awfully fast.

Shelley

Knit On! No-Sew Lace Edging

Here is an explanation of how I knit Audrey's lace edging directly onto the neck edge. Please keep in mind that this is my own idiosyncratic method (with emphasis on the idio!). The symbols I use are not entirely standard and if something is not clear, please let me know and I'll do my best to help. If you find a mistake in the chart or directions, I'll make a correction and repost.

I knit Audrey in the medium size (36 in/91 cm). As I mentioned in my earlier post, I decided at the "shape armhole" point to join front, back and sleeves and knit in the round to the neck edge.

At the underarm, front and back each had 102 stitches and each sleeve 76 (356 total). I cast off six stitches at each edge (the five stitches called for in the pattern plus a selvedge stitch). I combined the four pieces on a circular needle and commenced working in the round on 308 stitches. I ended up charting the decreases because the differing rates of decrease on the front/back and sleeves kept confusing me. I was traveling a great deal and it was very helpful to be able to check off the rows as I completed them.

I arrived at the neck edge with 216 stitches--70 stitches each, front and back; 38 stitches for each sleeve. Several participants had mentioned 21 pattern repeats so I made the executive decision that I would work that many too. I needed a multiple of 21 stitches, so on the last round, at the center of each sleeve, I knit 2 knit rib stitches together, purled 2 purl rib stitches together, and SSKed the next 2 knit rib stitches together. You can see the result at the arrow in the photo below. This decreased the neckline by six stitches (three on each sleeve) and gave me 210 stitches total. My reasoning was that since I was going with a wider neckline, "cupping" the shoulders slightly couldn't hurt anything and the reduction would be less visible there.

Next, I had to figure out how to distribute the decreases at the neck edge as I went along. The lace pattern has 12 rows, and every other row (the odd-numbered rows in the diagram below) would meet the neck edge. So those six rows would have to consume 10 edge stitches in each pattern repeat to use up the 210 stitches evenly. On rows 1,3,7 and 9 I would consume two stitches from the neckline (using SSSK) and on rows 5 and 11 I would consume one stitch (SSK). I used the crochet-chain method of provisional cast on to cast on 12 stitches. This method of casting on is explained in the Winter 2002 issue of Knitty.

I turned the edging and worked Row 1 (from right to left) of the chart below ending by working the last lace stitch with two stitches at the neck edge in the SSSK at the end of the row. For Row 2, I turned the edging and worked the chart left-to-right. The chart can be worked exactly as written; no reversing is necessary for the "wrong" side. Row 3 was worked also using SSSK but when I got to Row 5, I only worked one stitch from the neck edge with the last stitch of the lace border using SSK.

Mind the Gap

I started knitting Audrey several months ago, but found myself terribly frustrated over the uneven stitches with my ribbing. Feeling defeated, I decided to try to find some other project for which I could use my Calmer yarn--one which didn't involve any ribbing. This meant more swatching and testing out different needles.

Something happened while I was knitting swatch after swatch. I gradually became comfortable knitting with this very elastic and slippery yarn. My stitches evened out and I began to enjoy myself. From all the rave reviews I had heard about the yarn, I knew this had to be possible and I'm glad that my persistance has paid off.

Because I've finally got into the groove with this yarn, I'm going to resume knitting Audrey. I'm feeling really inspired by all the photos of the beautiful sweaters you have been posting here!

Unfortunately, I've run into a bit of a problem. I'm just now starting to work the increases on the back piece and I keep ending up with huge holes in my fabric. I'm just doing the standard right- and left-leaning M1 increases where you pick up the strand of yarn between two stitches and twist it when working it so you theoretically prevent any holes from forming.

Has anyone else had this problem? What did you do to correct it?

Portrait of Audrey

You've got to love photoshop. A too-dark photo transformed into a lovely Audrey painting. Anyway, my main point with this post is - wouldn't she look great as a boat neck shell? Sew up the sides, sew a tiny bit at the edges of the shoulders and audrey is seaworthy! (Notice the navy blue scarf - it's a motif, my friends...)

When I reached the point where both front and back were complete, I had to engage in the pin them together and try them on ritual. Particularly with Audrey, who is so long and skinny with that 2x2 ribbing. It's hard to imagine that she will really fit! But she does and looks great. I really think you could use the same body with a light cotton and take a sail.

Other details: For those who are interested, I substituted Jaeger Extra Fine Merino DK for Calmer and it is going swimmingly. My stitches are wonky on the rows where I have increased or decreased, but that should all come out in the blocking. I'm on the sleeves now and have decided to go 3/4 length like Jenny. My calculation method is a little different, but the principle is the same. More on that as I go along.

Thank you all for your inspiration. I've lurked more than I've posted, but I've loved seeing all the finished Audreys. You girls are great.

Last but not least, for more on my Audrey, come visit my blog, Mind of Winter.

Measuring a Ribbed Gauge Swatch

Hello Everyone:

I'm getting ready to start Audrey (so glad I'm not the only late starter!) and have been making test swatches in ribbing to try to get my skills up to par. I haven't received my copy of Rowan #35 yet, but my Calmer did make it last night. It's even softer than I imagined it would be.

Since I'm a relatively new knitter, I really just wanted to get used to knitting ribs and measuring my gauge against a pattern for which I already had the yarn and pattern. What I'm finding is a little perplexing, and I'm hoping that some of you more experienced knitters can help.

The ribbed swatches are so elastic that I can get just about any gauge measurement I want out of them. (It's a p2, k1 rib in a light cotton yarn.) I did about 5" x 5" swatches on #5 and #6 needles, and both seemed to measure in at 4.5-5 sts/inch. The needles were both Denise tips on the same length of cord, so that can't be right, can it? How do you measure a ribbed swatch reliably?

Thanks in advance for any tips that come my way! Hopefully, I will have some real Audrey progress to report soon. :o)

PS --I hope this post isn't outside the scope of the Audrey a-long. I don't think so since I'm trying to figure this out so I can start the project, but if it is, my apologies!

Happy Mistake

I've never been so happy to find a mistake in my knitting . . . I realized about halfway through beginning the sleeve knitting that I had started the yarn from the wrong end of the Calmer skein. I finished the rest of the first 6 sleeve rows and found this:

Now that I have a visible boo-boo, I have an excuse to start over from the CORRECT end of the skein!

I still love the way this knits and as I knit these rows, I'm noticing that I certainly chose a deep shade of PURPLE! Within the very FIBER (heehee) of my being, I really wanted to knit this in white, but people gasped when I said that. Ah well. I figured I can make the purple one first -- then the white.

Swatch Finished

JOY arrived in the mail today, courtesy of Rob & Matt at Threadbear; I was able to achieve gauge with my first try on size 8's - aluminum straight needles. I am truly loving knitting with this and I think the color will be awesome; perhaps there are TWO Audreys in my future.

Updated: As a color comparison, here's a photo of the yarn from the Rowan site:

Swatching

When I first got my Calmer, I started looking at the Audrey instructions for the tension information.

21 stitches and 30 rows over 4" on 5.0 mm (US 8) needles.

Cool, I thought, big needles, reasonable gauge. I'll whip out this swatch and be on my way to a sweater. So I got out my trusty 5.0 mm AddiTurbos (definitely the work horses of my needle collection), cast on and got going. It was a little slow going, but tolerable. And my tension?

20 stitches and 30 rows over 4"

First I thought this would be just fine. Then I realized that that would add an extra stitch every four inches... which meant adding almost an inch more width to my sexy little sweater. I really do want this sweater to emphasize my curves (I'm a little minimalist on top), so extra fabric didn't seem like a good idea. Okay. Out came the 4.5 mm Addis.

20 stitches and 32 rows over 4"

Hmmm... this was not an improvement at all. Now both my stitch and row gauge were off. So I looked at the pattern and decided that I would go with the 5.0 mm needles and just cast on the number of stitches for the extra small and use the length of the small size. This wouldn't disrupt the armholes, but would keep the sweater the width I wanted it to be. I'm woman enough to remodel a pattern to suit my needs.

And then I started playing around with the decreases. And because my 5.0 mm Addis were finishing up something else, I cast on to my 5.0 mm Denise needle. After all, I was just going to mess around so the gauge didn't matter all that much.

This actually turned out to be a very fortuitous bit of messing around. My Calmer really liked these needles a lot better. There was a lot less resistance and my stitches seemed to be a lot neater. So, I figured what the heck. I hadn't started Audrey yet. Could it hurt to make a third swatch on the 5.0 mm Denise needles?

21 stitchees and 30 rows over 4"

I guess the third time's the charm.

The Difference Needle Composition Can Make

Not only did I get gauge, but I think the fabric of the third swatch is much nicer than my original two attempts on my Addis. Notice how well behaved the stitches look in the swatch on the bottom, as compared to the two on the top that look like they have a little bit of gapping between the V's?

One thing it took me a little while to figure out in my knitting life is that not all needles are created equal for every fiber experience. While I will always reach for my AddiTurbos before I reach for almost any other needle, there are some cases where they aren't the best surface for the job. I've found this to be particularly true of yarn that contains some acrylic or microfibre. It has a lot of resistance (at least for me) over metal surfaces (I'm sure there's some lesson in electrostatic physics here, but I'm a biologist and avoided physics whenever possible). And if I am fighting my yarn and my needles, I don't really love the knitting process, and often I don't like the finished garment when I am done. I guess the addage is right: plastic does love plastic. Because when I switch it onto my plastic needles, the Calmer practically knits itself.

And I think that's the way this lovely little sweater should knit. Who wants to fight with their knitting needles on the road to creating the perfect summer top?

So the next little assignment, for those playing along, is to show off your swatch. Getting gauge is most definitely glam.

P.S. to those who don't have your yarn yet... you can do this whenever you want -- we'll wait, and we'll enjoy the rainbow of colors that show up.

Color

I thought I would kick off this party with a post about color. After all, besides the yarn itself, that's the first thing you have to decide on. What color will suit you and give you just the look you want. Here's some pics of Calmer color cards to show what's available in this yarn line -- and to use as reference when someone introduces their color of choice for their Audrey.

Summer 2003 Calmer

Summer 2004 Calmer

I will leave it to others to talk about colors appropriate to the 50's Glam Woman, and instead share some information that I learned from one of my favorite knitting books -- Maggi Righetti's Sweater Design in Plain English. Even if you never want to design a sweater of your own, this book gives you lots of hints about how to make sure that you get the garment that's right for you. And whether in the 50's or in the 00's part of what makes a garment look excellent and glamorous is having it fit you in the right way.

One of my favorite parts of her book is how to select color. She explains that there are basically two types of skin -- skin with yellowish undertones and skin with redish or pink undertones. It's those undertones in your skin that determine how good certain colors will look next to them. To quote from her book directly:

"We usually look our best -- most vibrant and alive -- wearing the color that is OPPOSITE our underlying skin tone. If the underlying skin tone is sallow (yellowish), choose colors that have red in them. If the underlying skin tone is ruddy (red or pink), choose colors that have yellow in them."

When I read this passage in the book, I suddenly realized that I have yellowish undertones in my skin. Put something yellow next to my face and I will not look healthy and happy.

She also makes another point that I think is very interesting:

"It is interesting to note that almost everyone looks good in aqua-turquoise (a blue-green-white blend) and apricot-coral ( a red-yellow-white blend). If you do not know the underlying skin tone of the intended wearer, you can hardly go wrong with those two colors. Another intriguing fact is that few people look good in khaki and camel, both of which are devoid of red and yellow."

Finally, she also discusses the effect of warm and cool colors. Warm colors are in the earth tone range -- browns and reds and yellows and oranges and golds. Cool colors are sky tones -- blues and purples, reds tinted with blue, aqua. Warm and cool colors have different effects on your eyes. When you look at them, warm colors seem to expand, while cool colors seem to shrink. (If you want to try an interesting experiment, put different colors in similar size areas on a sheet of paper and see which ones look bigger to you).

And she provides two basic rules for the use of warm and cool colors:

"If you want to look larger, wear warm colors. If you want to look smaller, wear cool colors."

Of course, this is not an exhaustive discussion of color. Other things play into it -- your hair color, eye color, etc, all play a role.

I believe being glam very much means looking our most vibrant an alive. It also means accentuating our best features and minimizing those that we are less pleased with.

So knit-a-longers... here's your first assignment. You don't need yarn or needles to do it. Tell us what you think your ideal Audrey color would be. There's no right answer and you don't have to pick a color out of the Calmer range. You don't even have to pick a color that you actually bought for the garment. Just use your personal experience and visualize.

To get things rolling... here's mine:

I'm definitely a yellow undertone sort of girl. In spite of my wishes, I have never been able to wear yellow, orange, tomato reds or Shreky green. The colors that make me happiest, that I gravitate too while shopping are blues and purples and bluey greens. But blue makes me happiest. I love blue things, could live in Denim. I'm not quite an hourglass. I've got the hips, but not the bust for it. And I like to minimize my hips so that I can have a more balanced look. More support for a cool color. And the big kicker -- my eyes. I've got big blue ones. I think they're one of the nicest gifts my Dad ever gave me. And the right blue makes them shine. I'm definitely a cool blue girl. So it should come as no surprise that I'm making my Audrey in NightSky -- a deep cool denimy blue that Rowan discontinued for 2004.

Have a great weekend folks! And don't forget to do your homework!