Blocking Baby
Blocking is genius. It takes bubbly, nasty-looking knitting and makes a beautiful smooth and even fabric…even on the backside! I wet-blocked the body of the norgi by soaking it in cool water for about a minute, blotting away the water with a towel and then pinning it to my blocking board. I steamed it very lightly so that the hem would (sort of) lie flat.
If you look closely, there’s a darker line in the background of the moose/trees picture. Why? I got curious and tried to “weave” rather than “float”. Bad idea. The woven colour tends to peek through and show on the right side. Even when the colour doesn’t show through, it’s positioned so close to the cream colour that you and kind of “see through” the cream.
Why did I try weaving? Well, traditionally in fair isle you don’t carry a colour more than an inch (7 or 9 stitches or so). In this pattern, there are some pretty long floats that I thought would look wonky, so I tried to secure the floats better by weaving. I don’t know if Norwegian patterns have this rule against long floats, but in any case I won’t be weaving anymore.
I started the tiny tiny sleeve and I’m using magic loop rather than DPNs. I think the magic loop may be distorting the fabric a little because the circumference is so tiny. Some DPNs might be on the shopping list now.
I love your baby norgi. It’s so cute!
I’m on my first fairisle sweater right now too. I love doing the colorwork, it’s so rewarding and fun.
That’s absolutely gorgeous! Fair isle is like the last horizon of knitting for me.
That is absolutely gorgeous! Fair isle is the last horizon of knitting for me.
It looks gorgeous! I’m so jealous, as I’m working on a fair isle now, and can’t get my stitches that even. I know blocking will help, but yours looks truly spectacular.
I started fair isle mittens a few months ago, but put them on hold because I was having so much trouble with my fair isle tension on DPNs. I read advice that it’s a lot easier if you weave at the last and first stitch on every needle. Best of luck!
This is so adorable! I’m so impressed. You’re making me want to go try Fair Isle.
Your Baby Norgi is SO cute!!
I am so impressed that you are knitting this just to learn the technique rather than for a specific recipient. I think that must be a refreshing way to knit - knit for the sake of creating. Its beautiful so far, love the colors and the floats.
Amazing! Just like all your other projects. I just learned magic loop for socks and I love it, but I can see where it wouldn’t be great for really small things.
Wow! The back looks perfect.
wow, looks really good! i, too, had some problems with tension when weaving in instead of carry the yarn through for fairisle knits. i may ask my norwegian friend how she usually knits fairisle.
you may want to try knitting on two circulars for small circumference?
can’t wait to see you start the steek process!!
That sweater is coming out beautiful! I never heard the floats measured in terms of inches, as in, a float can be about an inch long at most, but it seems to make more sense than saying, a float can be 5 sts long at most. In any case, the sweater is beautiful :).
That looks great! I’m still trying to find a good first fair isle project and this may be it. The only thing is that I’m on a yarn diet! boooooo! Can’t wait to see your steeking process!
sigh…………..you make it look so easy! But I will have to try fairisle! I think mittens first though. I love the inside of the sweater as much as the outside! Beautiful!
The fair isle looks beautiful, and so…clean inside! great job.
Beautiful Fair Isle!
astounding. really, really beautiful. very inspiring.
also, howdy!
Where did you find this pretty pattern for the baby sweather. It is beautiful. Thanks.