Tag Archives: Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill

Stora Dimun Shawl

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This is a Faroese-style shawl, designed by Cheryl Oberle. She calls it Stora Dimun. It’s included in her wonderful book, Folk Shawls. I used the recommended yarn, Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mills Silk Blend. This one is the red poppy colorway. Very yummy 75% wool, 25% silk sportweight. Silk and I don’t typically play well together. But this stuff has totally won me over.

In fact, this is Stora Dimun #3. So I guess the pattern has also won me over. Here’s Stora Dimun in the same yarn in chesnut, and this one is natural cream.

I know, I should try another folk shawl. And I will. Maybe someday soon. It’s just that this one comes out so nice, stays on the shoulders, and is large enough to tuck an infant under while Sawyer’s mom is holding him close. This Stora Dimun was gifted and is being much appreciated by a knitworthy young mom.

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Knubbelchen

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This is Knubbelchen, the brainchild/needlechild of a designer known on Ravelry only as Pezi888 of Erding, Bayern, in Germany.  The pattern is free on Ravelry (but you will need to join the site–as if every knitter hasn’t already). It’s available in German, Dutch and English. The English translation is excellent–no errors at all in the boy version. The pattern includes a girl version, with a knitted-on skirt. I haven’t tried that yet, but I intend to. The only translation oddity is that after the pattern says to hold stitches on waste yarn, you are later told to “unhold” them. Totally clear, just an atypical way of explaining that you are supposed to remove the stitches from the waste yarn to begin knitting with them again.

What is extra nice about this simple pattern is that, when you finish the knitting, there is almost no sewing up. You stuff the head (and only the head), close up the the top of the head, stitch through the neck to draw it in a tad, stitch on the hat–and you’re done. Of course, you can stitch on a face if you like. But I like the simple look of no features, especially for a young child. Later, you and the child can decide what the face should look like.

My Knubblechen is knitted in sportweight Blackberry Ridge wool left over from my Stained-Glass Window Mesi Hat. The pattern calls for sockweight. That would be excellent as well. This is a great way to use up small amounts of yarn–in any weight you decide will work.

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Cozy slippers

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gray_slippersI know, it’s warm now. Even in Michigan. But feet can still get chilly in warmer weather. These are Anne Bosch’s “Quick Knit Slippers.” The pattern is available through Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill or on Ravelry. About 185 yards of bulky weight yarn will do the trick. Mine are knit of Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Bulky, an 85% wool, 15% mohair blend that’s been a Brown Sheep yarn since Kelsey was a pup. (No, I don’t know where that expresion comes from either. Does anyone but me know it? It means a long time.)

These slippers are a very quick knit, on two needles. The only modification I made was to switch to 4 needles for the top roll, and to make it roll with all purl rounds (preceded by a few knit rounds), rather than garter stitch. That avoided the seam on the top of the slipper.

gray_slippers3How did those bears get in here, anyway? They are Pat Kreiling’s double knit Jiffy Bears. Here they are all dressed up.

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These “Lounging Slippers” are from an out-of-print Workbasket Magazine booklet called “The Classic Collection: Fun Family Footwear.” The only attribution for the design is “by the staff of Workbasket Magazine.”  One cool thing about this old booklet? It’s printed in what seems to be 18 point type. Easy to read.

These slippers are also easy to knit. Mine are worked in Cascade 220 wool. I decided I’d stick to the idea that matching things are boring. But it’s still nice to signal when something’s a set. They are possessed of an unfortunate elfin quality off-foot. But they mold nicely to the foot once feet get poked into them.

Stora Dimun Shawl

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Not to toot my own horn, but I think this looks totally cozy. It’s Cheryl Oberle‘s large-sized Stora Dimun Shawl from her wonderful book Folk Shawls. Knitters have to buy the entire book to purchase this pattern, but it’s well worth the price. There are 20 shawl patterns inspired from folk shawls around the world.

Stora Dimun is one of Oberle’s Faroese Island shawls. You cast on stitches for the bottom edge of the shawl. With regular decreases, a triangular shawl emerges with a center panel. Subtle shaping helps glue the shawl in place even if its wearer is active (or even if its wearer is snoozing in a comfy leather armchair).

Mine is knit in the yarn Oberle suggests: Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mills Silk Blend, in the chesnut colorway. This is a 75% wool, 25% silk sportweight. I normally eschew silk, as in “deliberately avoid using, abstain from.” Silk and I typically find each other’s company icky. But this yarn is enough to make me change my mind. Unlike typical silk, it doesn’t suck moisture from your hands and won’t send you scurrying to your body butter after every knitting session. It’s lightweight and warm–just like the large Faroese Island shawls are supposed to be.

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Stora Dimun (This Knitter Stinks At Lace) Shawl

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This is Stora Dimun, Cheryl Oberle‘s rendering of  a traditional Faroese Island shawl. Actually, this is a not-so-close approximation of Stora Dimun. And, no, I don’t know what Stora Dimun means either. I royally flubbed the easy lace edging. That’s too bad because, other than that, this came out quite nice. It is knit in Blackberry Ridge silk blend sport weight. That’s a 75% wool, 25% silk mix. I generally steer clear of silk because I don’t like yarn to be dry in my hands or squeaky on my needles. But this blend was nothing like my prior experience with most silks (Noro Silk Garden being another exception).

I learned a lesson from the wide expanse of wannabe lace worked over 449 stitch rows. Even on an easy pattern, put stitch markers across the row to mark the repeats. Unfortunately I didn’t learn that lesson until I had moved beyond the lace. The beginning rows of the lace took 30 minutes each to knit and and an hour and a half each to unknit. I did that, the unknitting part, twice before I gave up and just decided to press on.

The good news is that this shawl is too sloppily knit for me to be even tempted to give it away. I will have to keep it and wear it in dark theaters, sitting around the fireplace in dim light, and in places where no other knitters lurk. This is supposed to have a beautiful zig zag lace border. Mine is, well, mostly free form. But with just enough not free form to look all screwed up.

It is an easy pattern despite my difficulties with it. Cheryl’s Folk Shawls book is a wonderful collection of traditional shawls.  This was the first I’ve knit from the collection. More are likely in my future, including another Stora Dimun or its little sister Litla Dimun.

This will be a warm, but lightweight, comfort shawl.