Swatched!

Hi everyone,
I've been a member of this blog for a while but haven't participated in one of the official knitalongs. I did do the SKB but signed up with the other KAL that Pixie Purls hosted before this one started. I'm working on the Somewhat Cowl now, so I guess I'm officially behind the times.

I am going to participate in this KAL though, as I have the yarn for Eiffel and just swatched. I got gauge on the ribbing part of the pattern on size 5 addis. Is everyone going to also swatch the lace pattern, or just use two needle sizes smaller than for the ribbing? I noticed my ribbing swatch looks pretty "hole-y" after washing.



Also a sizing question - I usually like my tops pretty close fitting and so
usually knit them to my actual measurement or even with negative ease. This yarn is pretty drapey/unstretchy so I thought maybe I should go with the medium size instead of the small that I would normally do. My bust measures 34.5" but my hips are 38". I'm worried if I do the Small (35") it might be too tight on the bottom. However, I am short waisted so I will probably need to adjust the length of the bottom section as well to hit in the right spot. Anyone else grappling with these issues?

Knit From Your Stash 2007

Knit From Your Stash 2007 - uh oh, I already have a plan to fall off. See I was thinking that my 1776 socks, my top-down sweater, Clapotis aren't done, but if I take a class - I was thinking the men's top-down sweater - I might ACTUALLY finish!

Top Down Sweater $40. I was asked to schedule a class for a man’s sweater. This sweater works for man or woman. Ellen is knitting the sample in scrumptious Misti Alpaca Chunky to create a cuddly and toasty warm sweater. Basic knitting skills required. Fee includes pattern.
Sun. 1/21 3-5pm and
2/4,18 3/11 3-4pm

Phil's favorite color is olive green - this might be close.

Was also thinking:
2Socks –2Circulars $60
Don’t care for double pointed needles? Knit two socks on two long circular needles. When you are done you have a pair completed. Basic knitting skills are required. Fee includes pattern. Tue. 1/9,16,23,30 6-8pm. But Tuesday evenings? I think not. Might wait and see if it offered in the summer.

Participating This Time!!

I will be able to participate this time....WHOOOPPIIEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll be doing Eifel, but I do have a question. I do not want to do mine in hemp, mainly because I cannot afford to right now. My question: approximately what weight of yarn is the called for hemp? It'd to know this in choosing a substitute yarn.

Hello All

Hi I am new to this KAL but love the concept. Thanks so much for inviting me in. I will read some the most recent posts and try to catch up. I know both Eiffel and the corset are on my list....my blog is
knitting-nut.blogspot.com

I would love to buy the yarn for wicked as well. Anyone know how many skeins will be needed for the project?

Susan
http://knittersdelight.blogspot.com/

Where is Wicked?

Is it me, or is the Wicked pattern not available yet? I was all set to buy the pattern and start yarn shopping, but the Zephyr site says the pattern still coming. I hate it when I want to buy yarn and can't. Maybe I should buy some anyway....

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

Well, it looks like we'll have another "double knit along" this time with the two patterns who received the highest number of votes (Wicked and Eiffel). Knit either or both! Congratulations to the pattern designers for both of the fantastic patterns! I know that Sarah and Rachel check this board frequently and I'll contact Lana to see if she will be available for pattern support here as well. (Designers, please feel free to post and introduce yourselves to the rest of the ladies including how you can be reached for pattern support.)

There have been a couple of comments regarding bra straps showing with these (and other) sweaters so I'd like to throw my 2 cents in here, if I may. Like most of you, I despise seeing and showing bra straps, so if and when I wear something that I fear might expose mine, I choose a camisole with a pretty lacey strap to go over my bra straps. If you don't own a camisole such as this, they're everywhere and I highly recommend you invest in one especially since the layered look is so big these days. They're usually not expensive and frequently come in many colors. Some do and some don't cover the bra straps well, so try a few on before you buy one. I own about 5 white ones (as well as many other colors) and wear them often. The lacier you can find the straps, the more obvious it will be that this is NOT your bra strap showing. Also, the Zephyr gals have posted that a pic of Wicked can be found on their site (being modeled by a live person) and say that the sweater comes up higher on the shoulders than it appears to on the mannequin. With Eiffel, due to the laciness of the bodice, it's obvious that a camisole is being worn with it, so this should help with the bra strap issue as well. Perhaps we could post some links here on the SKC to some nice lace-strapped camisoles for those who are interested in adding some to their wardrobe. I bought most of mine from Abercrombie and Hollister, but I don't know if they have the exact same style any more. The ones I found have straps that are about 1.5 inches wide and cover my straps very well.

We will begin this knit along January 7th, so start gathering your supplies soon. We'll end the knit along at the end of February.

I'd like to wish everybody a wonderful holiday season. Whatever you celebrate (and even if you celebrate nothing at all), may this season bring you all joy, peace, and LOTS and LOTS of yarn :-)

Blessings!

Links to pics/patterns

Cherry

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Combo Corset-T and/or Tank Top

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Eiffel

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Flicca

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Heart Turtleneck - Knit 1 Magazine

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Marilyn's Not So Shrunken Cardi

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Ruffled Top - Knit 1 Magazine

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Wicked

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Simply Marilyn

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Ivy

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Bella Paquita

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Alexander McQueen Knock Off

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Intolerable Cruelty

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Suzette

I want to vote!

Trouble is, I don't know what they all look like is there somewhere I can find pictures?

Take Two!

Okay, let's try this again! I'm pretty sure I got all of the consumer friendly pattern nominations on the list this time. Voting will end at midnight on December 22nd so vote quick and spread the word! No sense in dragging this out any longer than we need to!

Choose Your Favorite Consumer Friendly Yarn Pattern
	Cherry
	Combo Corset-T and/or Tank Top
	Eiffel
	Flicka
	Heart Turtleneck
	Marilyn's Not So Shrunken Cardi
	Ruffled Top
	Wicked
	Simply Marilyn
	Ivy
	Bella Paquita
	Alexander McQueen Knock Off
	Intolerable Cruelty
	Suzette
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Uh oh!

Okay ladies, it's been brought to my attention by a couple of you who are VERY "on the ball" that at least two patterns were accidentally left off the nomination list. Also, there seems to be some ambiguity about which pattern is the "aran off the shoulder" pattern. So. We'll have to re-do the list and set up a new poll which I will try to have done by tomorrow. I'm terribly sorry about this (these) oversights and will do my best to get things up and running a.s.a.p!

Friendly Brown Sheep

I spoke with a representative of Brown Sheep Company, Inc. today about their keystone pricing policy. Here's what I was told: Brown Sheep yarn co. only makes reccomendations about the retail pricing of their yarn. They distribute yarn to a vast territory in the U.S. and abroad and believe there is no way they can tell a retailer what is appropriate to charge in the retailers particular part of the country or world.
So, I think this makes Brown Sheep a consumer friendly yarn company. Unfortunately, I got this information too late to be able to nominate Cleaves for the next KAL, but at least now we know about another company's friendly status. I'll pass this on to the Consumer Friendly Yarns website.

Let's Vote!

Here are the official "consumer friendly" pattern nominations for our next knit along. Many thanks to Pamela who compiled the list and verified the "friendliness" of each nomination for us!

Voting will end at midnight on December 21st so please help spread the word! If you're unsure which pattern is which, just scroll down through the previous posts and you should be able to see references to each pattern. If all goes well, we should be able to start this knit along the first week of the new year!

Woohoo! Let's vote!

Choose Your Favorite Consumer Friendly Pattern
	Cherry
	Combo Corset-T AND/OR Corset Tank Top
	Eiffel
	Flicka
	Heart Turtleneck
	Marilyn's Not So Shrunken Cardi
	Ruffled Top
	Wicked
	Simply Marilyn
	Aran Off-Shoulder Sweater
	Ivy
	Bella Paquita
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Another Nomination

I would like to nominate "Cherry" from My Fashionable Life.




The yarn used is Jo Sharp Summer DK Cotton. I emailed Jo Sharp and this is there response word for word:

"Hello Lara
My apologies for the delay in replying - we have had photo shoots the last 2 weeks and I have been a bit distracted!

In Australia we provide our stores with a recommended retail price however it is illegal for us to attempt to enforce any pricing policy.

In the USA & Canada I believe the situation is similar.
If you contact our distributors,
USA - JCA ph 978 597 8794"

I can try to phone the USA distributors and see what they say but it appears that they do not enforce a pricing policy.

I really love this pattern and will knit it either way!

I nominate.....

I will nominate this cardigan again...I think its great...I know we can also buy the yearn from the same link/place...called GARNSTUDIO

Updates

Wow, what a great batch of nominations we have this time! Y'all have done a terrific job of finding patterns calling for consumer friendly yarns!

A couple of things I'd like to mention:

First, we are going to extend the nomination period for another week in order to allow those members who nominated patterns with "unrated" keystone policies to contact the yarn manufacturers to find out where they stand regarding this issue. The new nomination deadline will be December 17th.

Second, patterns that call for "unrated" yarns will not be included in the official pattern nominations for this knit along, so if you're interested in a particular pattern and don't know the yarn manufacturer's keystone policy, please feel free to contact them and post that info here.

Third, the winners of the last Simple Knitted Bodice/Sizzle knit along are Nancy Hough from Bird's Nest Knits and Lisa St. Hilaire from Knitnzu. Hop on over to these gals' blogs and congratulate them! And congratulations to everybody who finished these beautiful sweaters -- you're ALL winners!

Fourth, I'm looking for volunteers to help me organize the "official nomination list" for this next knit along. Anyone interested in helping, please email me.

Fifth, as promised, here is the "better" scan of the article featured in Yarn Market News referencing the Sexy Knitters Club! Be sure to maximize the pic (by hovering over the lower right corner 'till you see the "maximize" icon) for easier reading.



Finally, since we've extended the official nomination period and since I just got my new issue of Knit.1 in the mail today and since the cover says, "40+ Flirty Knits", I've got a couple new nominations to add to the list.

These are both "consumer friendly yarn" patterns:

Ruffled Top -- Lion Brand Romance yarn (be sure to maximize)



Heart Turtleneck -- Lion Brand Jiffy (be sure to maximize)

Want to get this in before the deadline ;)

Not like we need more suggestions...There are so many wonderful ideas already that I am going to have a very hard time choosing..
But I wanted to get my 2 cents in.
I know we have done 2 of her patterns before...But I would like to nominate Marilyn's Not So Shrunken Cardi (remember how fab Gay's looked?) And the recommended yarn is Consumer Friendly..Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed:

I am also desiring to do Wendy's Something Red as well...But not sure if Blue Sky Alpaca is considered Consumer Friendly...It was not on the list..However we could always sub!
Can't wait to find out what wins for this next KAL..I don't know about you but I am excited for this one!

Brown Sheep

Just wanted to let you all know I have emailed Brown Sheep yarn company to inquire about whether they require retail keystone pricing. If they reply and are indeed consumer friendly, then we can nominate Cleaves for the next knit along.
What are we going to do about all of the nominations for patterns using yarn that does not have a rating on the Consumer Friendly Yarns website?

Another nomination... Wicked!

The pattern includes instructions for a worsted weight and a lace weight mohair sweater. It also includes instructions for cap sleeves, 3/4 sleeves, long sleeves and for adding a pocket... This patttern truly is a "choose your own adventure" knit, no matter what your skill level may be.

Wicked is adaptable for any season as well as any body type, you can simply pick the version that will work best for you! It is knit from the top down and in the round. If you choose to add the pocket it is knit separately, then knit into the bottom of the sweater, requiring very little seaming and there is NO seaming for a pocketless version! The small cable detailing is beautiful and so easy to create - you don't even need a cable needle!

Pattern includes sizes: 28-32" (32-35", 36-39", 40-43", 44-47", 48-51", 52-55")

Suggested Consumer Friendly Yarns:
(All of these yarns are suitable choices. To obtain the correct gauge with your chosen yarn you may need to change needle size)
• Artyarns Supermerino
• Patons Classic Merino Wool
• Knit Picks Swish Superwash
• Karabella Lace Mohair

There is more pattern info at the Zephyr Website. It should be available before christmas. So perfect timing for anyone who wants to get a head start on the KAL.

Sasha

I wanted to nominate this skirt - I have it in my stash to knit, and can't wait for Christmas knitting to be finished so I can start it. It's done in Euroflax Linen, which is not listed on the consumber friendly site yet - not sure of the process needed to go through to get it on there as friendly or not, but I'm SURE that the crafty, sexy knitters out there can find suitable substitutes that are guaranteed to be friendly!

I love this skirt!!!

Eiffel

Edited to update consumer friendly yarn info...

I nominate Eiffel. I just saw it in the new Winter Knitty today. The pattern calls for Hemp for Knitting yarn. Since this yarn was not listed on the Consumer Friendly Yarns website, I e-mailed Lana at Hemp for Knitting and she told me they have no required keystone pricing policy. So yay! This can count as an official nomination.

a few nominations!

Edited to add consumer friendliness comments:

1. Matilda Jane from ysolda:




















The pattern calls for any dk or light worsted weight yarn and recommends Rowan. Not sure if it's consumer friendly but I assume it must be as you can get discount Rowan on Ebay.

2. Flicca from Amelia of My Fashionable Life: (pattern just became available - yay!)



















Uses Sirdar yarn which is consumer friendly.

3. Alexander McQueen knockoff by Calista:

The yarn Calista used is Knitpicks Andean Treasure. Knitpicks is of course only available from the Knitpicks website so a consumer friendliness rating would not be applicable here. But the whole point of Knitpicks is cheap yarn, right? (I'll be subbing anyway as the only ship to the US)

Nomination

This was on Knitty Gritty and is called the Combo Corset-T! The pattern is a simplified version of the original Silk Corset top and is FREE here (pdf)!



The pattern calls for ArtYarns yarn which is consumer friendly, although it looks like any worsted weight yarn might work. Annie offers great pattern support as well.

Skirt

What about something other than the tops.
Intolerable Cruelty

Cleaves

My suggestion is Cleaves from knitty.com's Spring 05 collection. It's an easy knit and can be worn as a shrug. It uses Brown Sheep yarn company's Lamb's Pride Bulky, which has no rating on the Consumer Friendly Yarns website, but perhaps we could find out about Brown Sheep or substitute? Lamb's Pride comes in so many gorgeous colors!

Corset Pullover

I've loved this pattern forever - and its done up in ArtYarns Regal Silk. Its an intermediate pattern with some charts involved - so it would be challenging for most people - but its beautiful.

Some nominations:

this is Arisaig from knitty.com, I think it's a gorgeous wrap around sweater that will be flattering on all, don't we love that?

as to yarn, i'm sure there are many cheaper substitutes, but i believe the yarn that the pattern calls for is a 4ply 100% merino wool.

I also really like

from tahki yarns

and lastly this:

this is just breathtakingly beautiful...the Lana Grossa wrap around cardigan

I second cabernet ribs

I thik cabernet ribs looks very nice indeed. Easy to replace with all sorts of different yarns, especially good for stash use. Zara is a standard double knit tension and baby kid can be replaced with so many different things. Would be good for everyone on whatever budget. Ruby

Another nomination

Ivy from the current Fall 06 Knitty.

It's made with Elann Peruvian Collection Quechua. Elann sells yarn at wholesale prices, which are definitely consumer friendly.

I wrote to Elann's customer service and they are expecting a new shipment of the Peruvian Quechua at the beginning of the year-- so I hope there will be colors to suit one and all.

Next suggestion: Suzette

It's Berrocco's so it shouldn't be a problem :-)
It's pretty and fairly simple, comes in many sizes and is free :-D

Suzette

Adinkracom

Test. Do I still have a blog?

Cabernet Ribs

Hi All- I want to nominate Cabernet Ribs (the 3rd project on the page) from this winter's Interweave knits. It's a cool weather garment, but it's got some sexy elements to it- fitted with sheer sleeves. The consumer friendly yarns sight doesn't have a comment about Filatura di Crosa yarns, but I would think substitutes could be found if anyone is concerned.

Simply Marilyn

I nominate Simply Marilyn (warning - PDF!)

It is suitable for someone who is relatively new to knitting, and who may have missed the bandwagon originally. The off-the-shoulder design is fun and flirty, but warm and not overly revealing. It looks nice on a wide variety of body types, and can be dressed up or down. Debbie Bliss is listed as a "Friendly" yarn, but it would be easy find suitable substitutes.

Thoughts?

Finished Early, Posted Late

I finished my SKB in early November but am just now posting photos of it. Here is the always classy bathroom mirror self-portrait.

The gory details regarding the voodoo math I used to modify the size medium to fit a size large bust can be found on the blog here.

My suggestion for next KAL

Bella Paquita