Gansey sleeves

Say Aaron, are you planning a classic 7/8 sleeve length for your
gansey? I got my first sleeve finished early, though I need to rip
the cuff back to the "fast decreases" round and adjust up my stitch
count just a bit for a good fit. I did make a 7/8 sleeve, so the
(short) ribbing lands about 1" above my wristbone. As with the
wearers of old I think this will be a good length, as during
sweater-wearing weather I tend to push my sleeves up to about there
anyhow to keep them out of harm's way.

And as an extra little tidbid, it occured to me to report that I
knitted the welt (Channel Island cast on followed by 1x1 standard
ribbing) as well as the one cuff that I'm ripping tomorrow on my
12"x2mm "vintage" Phildar sticks. The rest of the sweater has been
made on 2.5mm Addi circs.

One cuff and one sleeve to go. It ought to be a sweater by this time
next week!

+++++++++++++

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"Wooly" wrote in message
...

One cuff and one sleeve to go. It ought to be a sweater by this time
next week!

Will there be pictures???

Shelagh

On Tue, 1 Aug 2006 01:51:02 -0500, "Shillelagh" spewed
forth :



Shelagh


When it's a whole sweater, sure! Right now it looks kind of silly
with just one sleeve on!

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On Tue, 01 Aug 2006 14:01:15 GMT, Wooly spun a fine yarn

On Tue, 1 Aug 2006 01:51:02 -0500, "Shillelagh" spewed
forth :



Shelagh


When it's a whole sweater, sure! Right now it looks kind of silly
with just one sleeve on!

(grin)
We-ellllll.................
You could say it's FOR a one-armed person/bandit, LOL!
Noreen


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You are a way faster knitter than I am. Wow!!

I have not even thought about the sleeves yet. The last fisherman's
sweater that I knit had 3/4 length sleeves so I could handle trolling
weights under water without getting the cuffs wet. This gansey will be more
for mooching, so the sleeves need to be long enough to cover my wrists even
when I hold my arms straight up. I expect that earlier schoonermen and
dorymen might well have had such longer sleeves, so I am not too worried
about the authenticity.

I expect to reknit the cuffs as they wear.

Everything is being knit on (Extra Virgin) 2.3 mm (spring) steel DPN
supported in a knitting sheath producing 7.3 spi from 960 ypp, 5 ply yarn.
Smaller spring steel needles did not seem to produce a tighter fabric with
this yarn. I think a firmer (handspun) yarn would give a tighter fabric and
is the way to go. (I gotta lean to spin!)

The yarn is cream colored, but I will dye the whole thing navy-blue to
improve its ability to dry while being worn.

Aaron

"Wooly" wrote in message
...
Say Aaron, are you planning a classic 7/8 sleeve length for your
gansey? I got my first sleeve finished early, though I need to rip
the cuff back to the "fast decreases" round and adjust up my stitch
count just a bit for a good fit. I did make a 7/8 sleeve, so the
(short) ribbing lands about 1" above my wristbone. As with the
wearers of old I think this will be a good length, as during
sweater-wearing weather I tend to push my sleeves up to about there
anyhow to keep them out of harm's way.

And as an extra little tidbid, it occured to me to report that I
knitted the welt (Channel Island cast on followed by 1x1 standard
ribbing) as well as the one cuff that I'm ripping tomorrow on my
12"x2mm "vintage" Phildar sticks. The rest of the sweater has been
made on 2.5mm Addi circs.

One cuff and one sleeve to go. It ought to be a sweater by this time
next week!

+++++++++++++

Reply to the list as I do not publish an email address to USENET.
This practice has cut my spam by more than 95%.
Of course, I did have to abandon a perfectly good email account...

On Tue, 01 Aug 2006 18:12:40 GMT, spewed forth :

You are a way faster knitter than I am. Wow!!

I have not even thought about the sleeves yet. The last fisherman's
sweater that I knit had 3/4 length sleeves so I could handle trolling
weights under water without getting the cuffs wet. This gansey will be more
for mooching, so the sleeves need to be long enough to cover my wrists even
when I hold my arms straight up. I expect that earlier schoonermen and
dorymen might well have had such longer sleeves, so I am not too worried
about the authenticity.

I normally despise sweater sleeves that ride up to expose my wrists.
I'm making these sleeves intentionally short at 7/8, however, to help
keep them out of things. I don't mind washing my woolens, but red
fades so easily...


I expect to reknit the cuffs as they wear.

Same here. I'll have ample leftover from my 4th 200g/580m hank of
yarn. I'll just toss it in the stash and have more cuffs and patches
for the life of the thing. One of my knitting cronies covets this
shade of red, she may inherit the two full hanks and should be able to
eke out a nice vest.


Everything is being knit on (Extra Virgin) 2.3 mm (spring) steel DPN
supported in a knitting sheath producing 7.3 spi from 960 ypp, 5 ply yarn.
Smaller spring steel needles did not seem to produce a tighter fabric with
this yarn. I think a firmer (handspun) yarn would give a tighter fabric and
is the way to go. (I gotta lean to spin!)

Handspun yarn always produces a superior sweater, IMO. A smooth tight
worsted-spun is truly something amazing to work with, especially when
the yarn is the product of one's own hands.

The yarn is cream colored, but I will dye the whole thing navy-blue to
improve its ability to dry while being worn.


Hope you've got a big kettle! I bought a 10-gal stainless kettle
during "turkey frying" season a few years ago. It's big enough that I
can produce a single-dyelot adequate for a BIG sweater, and big enough
that I have to fire it on a propane-fuelled "turkey burner" outside!

+++++++++++++

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"Wooly" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 01 Aug 2006 18:12:40 GMT, spewed forth :

You are a way faster knitter than I am. Wow!!
snip. (I gotta lean to spin!)

Handspun yarn always produces a superior sweater, IMO. A smooth tight
worsted-spun is truly something amazing to work with, especially when
the yarn is the product of one's own hands.

That is what I learned at Lambtown. Made the whole trip worth while!

.snip

Hope you've got a big kettle! I bought a 10-gal stainless kettle
during "turkey frying" season a few years ago. It's big enough that I
can produce a single-dyelot adequate for a BIG sweater, and big enough
that I have to fire it on a propane-fuelled "turkey burner" outside!

Turkey Burner? I thought you would put it out in the July sun and let sun
bring it to a simmer.

Aaron

+++++++++++++

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On Tue, 01 Aug 2006 19:00:04 GMT, Wooly spewed forth :

Hope you've got a big kettle! I bought a 10-gal stainless kettle
during "turkey frying" season a few years ago. It's big enough that I
can produce a single-dyelot adequate for a BIG sweater, and big enough
that I have to fire it on a propane-fuelled "turkey burner" outside!

Also should have said: I'm not doing any outdoor dyeing right now.
We've had no rain worth mentioning in ... gosh, the last rain I
remember was in early June. It's really dry out there and even if
propane is "safe" I won't fire the kettle and then mind it for hours
in this hot weather.

+++++++++++++

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On Tue, 01 Aug 2006 22:52:51 GMT, spewed forth :


Turkey Burner? I thought you would put it out in the July sun and let sun
bring it to a simmer.

Eh well, sun tea only takes about 10 mins right now, start to finish.
I've done some Easter Egg pill dye jars in the sun, and some Koolade
dyeing with the neighborhood kids. It hadn't occured to me to "cook"
the big stainless pot on the driveway, though I'm sure the neighbors
would think I had put out boiled babies or something. That's the sort
of reputation I have with the adults, doncha know.

The boys on the block thought the Koolade dye thing was a nifty trick.
This week we're making the old charcoal-ammonia-salt-blueing crystal
gardens, though I'm having to babysit them quite a bit to be sure they
don't dry out in the low humidity we're having. I've identified (with
the help of all the myriad Interwebs) lots of bugs this summer, too.

We (the Collective We) just got back from the pool and I'm awaiting a
free shower so I can get rid of the chlorine itch, then dinner and
back to my sleeve...

+++++++++++++

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This practice has cut my spam by more than 95%.
Of course, I did have to abandon a perfectly good email account...

Really, I was thinking of trying 'solar' dyeing by putting the wool in a 50
gal black plastic trash bag with a couple of liters of dye, burping all the
air out, leaving it in the sun, and rolling it to agitate every hour or so.
I think on a good summer day I could get 150F for 4 hours. That means, it
would have to sit in the sun for 2 or 3 really hot days. Any thoughts on
whether it might work?

Aaron


"Wooly" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 01 Aug 2006 22:52:51 GMT, spewed forth :


Turkey Burner? I thought you would put it out in the July sun and let
sun
bring it to a simmer.

Eh well, sun tea only takes about 10 mins right now, start to finish.
I've done some Easter Egg pill dye jars in the sun, and some Koolade
dyeing with the neighborhood kids. It hadn't occured to me to "cook"
the big stainless pot on the driveway, though I'm sure the neighbors
would think I had put out boiled babies or something. That's the sort
of reputation I have with the adults, doncha know.

The boys on the block thought the Koolade dye thing was a nifty trick.
This week we're making the old charcoal-ammonia-salt-blueing crystal
gardens, though I'm having to babysit them quite a bit to be sure they
don't dry out in the low humidity we're having. I've identified (with
the help of all the myriad Interwebs) lots of bugs this summer, too.

We (the Collective We) just got back from the pool and I'm awaiting a
free shower so I can get rid of the chlorine itch, then dinner and
back to my sleeve...

+++++++++++++

Reply to the list as I do not publish an email address to USENET.
This practice has cut my spam by more than 95%.
Of course, I did have to abandon a perfectly good email account...