Twist

Finally Cast-on (for real)!

I finally got Twist cast-on today!  The ribbing is working up beautifully in the Eco Wool.  I'm really looking forward to seeing this piece shape up!  I have about 3 1/2 inches of ribbing on the back, and I'm hoping to finish up the ribbing and start the patterning tomorrow.

How does your Twist go?

Finally Started!

I finally got the swatcing done for Twist, and I'll cast-on today!  Holiday knitting got in the way, and I know that many of you out there also had holiday deadlines to meet, so Purlescence Yarns will be extending the Twist KAL through the end of February.  I am using Cascade Yarns Eco Wool, and the gauge is quite lovely and perfect on a 5 mm needle.  I did find that I have to use a knitback technique to keep the tension smooth - I think the yarn would rather be a bit tighter and so this gauge doesn't give it the best structural stability.  Yeah, I know, this yarn is supposed to yield up 3 1/2 sts per inch, but it just doesn't.  That's okay, I think it's going to be lovely.  I'm just trying to decide if I'm going to change my mind and cast-on the lavender color rather than the natural white!

A little bit about me: I am a lifelong knitter, having knit for somewhere around 36 years at this point.  The thing I find most amazing about this is that despite all these years knitting and collecting tools, I still end up buying a new set of needles for almost every project!  Where do they all go? 

I learned to knit from my mother, as well as crochet (which I actually learned first, but find much less passion-inspiring), and thus spent much of my youth as an undiagnosed combo knitter.  I am ambidextrous, so I knit in both directions and carrying the yarn in either hand.  I do try to avoid switching techniques mid project, but sometimes my best intentions don't work out!  I learned to seriously pattern draft some ten or eleven years ago when I first knitted the Sweater of Doom (SoD), which some of you have seen.  It's my favorite example for students of what not to do!  I adore things patterns and techniques that are new and different.  I knit all the time.  Someone commented to me yesterday that I probably tried to avoid fiber during my off time, and I got to tell them that no, in fact, fiber is my passion!  If I don't knit, I get cranky and my family starts asking when I last knit!  I am also a spinner, using both drop spindles and wheels.  Both are wonderful, and I really don't have a preference for one over the other. 

So, I'm off to knit Twist!

About time....

for me to get around to introducing myself!

Hi everyone - my name is Kathy aka Queen of Purple Yarn and my Ravelry ID is KathyInSanJose. I am loving this pattern! If I hadn't realized yesterday that I left my pattern copy at Purlescence, I would have bound off the back yesterday. Pictures will be forthcoming.

I'm using Brooks Farm Four Play for mine, in a wonderful mix of light blues and lavender. The color is very similar to the Annie color on their webpage, but without the cream.

Hmmm, about me - I'm a school librarian by day, a mom to a 15-year old boy Dork (trust me, that's his name!), and obsessed about fiber at all times. Oh, and I have a husband and a dog, too. I'm a crocheter, knitter and spinner, and hanging out at the shop only enables me more!

Off to knit!

The Twist Flunkie

That's me!  I finally just got signed up on this blog-I realized I was having problems because I was forgetting to put my birth year in!  So now I'm here, but my Twist is nowhere nears started!

My name is Leslie and my Ravelry name is tapmouse2.  I have a blog-mostly yarn acquisition, then knitting, then other hobbies (in much smaller quantaties!) It's just the way it has worked out... Celia (Nartian) and I work together, which will explain (should you notice) why we seem to see one another so often.

I am looking forward to starting my Twist, if I can finally get my gauge going correctly!  I've been in swatch mode for days and at the same time trying to finish a few presents, so I probably won't get started (or at least very far along) any time soon.  I'm using the Stahl Wolle "Big" in colorway 7841, a very medium purply color.

Thanks for starting this up Nathania!  I hope I can actually participate and get going on this project!

Checking in

With the holidays fast approaching I'm not sure how often I'll be in the shop to knit with everyone, so I figure I'll say Hello here! My name is Celia, but online I'm Nartian since it's part of my blog name. 

I'm knitting Twist out of the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in wine that I had originally intended for a different cabled cardigan, but was too lazy to do the math to make the sleeves fit.  So far I haven't made any mods yet, but it's too soon in the process.  I still have time to figure out if and where I need to add an extra inch to the body since I have a long torso. 

A Little Bit of Progress

Here's what I've done so far. Admittedly not much, but holiday knitting is still eating my brain. I'm using the Plymouth Royal Silk Merino and really enjoying the feel of it in my hands. The cables are not quite as crisp as I'd like them to be (though they are much sharper in person than they are in the photo - I think the silk reflects a lot of light back from the flash), but overall I am quite happy with the result.

A note on modifications, I added several rows to the straight section of the waist shaping to accommodate my longer torso. In actuality, I knit a bit without paying any attention to the pattern and forgot to begin the increases, but this works better for my body shape, so I'm sticking with it as a mod rather than a mistake.

How's your Twist coming?

By Way of Introduction

Hello, everyone! The needles are flying. We had several people come in last Saturday to cast on. I recall Jasmine working with some gorgeous Sundara yarn. The color is amazing! Celia was in too, though I don't think she's cast on yet. I cast mine on in the morning using a pumpkin colored Royal Silk Merino from Plymouth Yarns. I was knitting with needles afire and got through the first cable repeat by the end of the day. I haven't knit much on it since - there's way too much holiday knitting to dally with projects for me. However, there is an end to the holiday knitting in sight. I'll post a progress picture as soon as I get one taken.

I encourage you all to post a brief introduction. We at the shop know most of you, but you may not know each other. Let us know if you have a blog or Ravelry ID, and which yarn you're using. Include a picture if you like. I'll start us off.

My name is Nathania and I blog at Purls Beyond Price. That's also my Ravelry name (sans spaces). I live in Sunnyvale, literally five minutes from the shop. I've been knitting since I was a child, but with a great fervor since I was 16 and lived in Norway for a year as an exchange student with AFS. While there I knit a Fair Isle sweater, my first real knitting project! My husband Kevin also knits. I have two daughters (12 & 10) and another baby girl who is due Jan. 9. I probably won't finish Twist before the little one is born, but it should be a cozy sweater to wear afterwards.

Now it's your turn. Happy knitting!

Ack! Swap, Anyone?

I thought I'd be able to knit Twist from stash (a necessity) but I can't make gauge with any of the yarns I have.  Is anyone interested in a yarn trade?  I'm looking for some Cascade or anything that's the right weight.  If you want a sweater's worth in exchange, I have some Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool and also Silky Tweed, some Yarn Place Clouds (DK weight) and, if you want to trade something higher end, I have Noro Cash Iroha.  I could also trade for some non-sweater stuff like Habu Cotton Linen Spiral (laceweight), or a combo of smaller amounts of nice stuff, whatever. 

If you're interested let me know!  Email is rachel at maubydotcom.

The List is Growing!

Already we have several participants who have joined the insanity fun. Make sure you let us know when you have chosen your yarn, so we can update the list on the sidebar, and tell us if you have a blog too, so we can link to that. Nathania and Chloe will be working on their Twists in the shop today. Advice and help getting started is available from 3-5pm each Saturday for the next 6 weeks, so whether you're casting on now or waiting until after the holiday knitting frenzy dies down, we'll be there to help.

P.S. You don't have to be local to join the knit along. Be a part of our virtual community by knitting along with us!