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Getting gauge for Earthly

I am knitting Earthly in Patons Linen (cotton, linen, viscose) and it’s my first time working with linen.

Swatching: Using #6 needles I cast on 44 on size 6 US 32” circular needles, knit 40 stockinette rows. Swatch measures 7.5” wide by 4.75” tall.
Gauge is 24st =4”, 33 rows =4”.
Did another gauge swatch with size 7 needles…got close to gauge! 20st=4”, 30rows=4” (Goal gauge is 20 stitches and 28 rows = 4 inches, so it’s close.) Using EZ PZ Gauge Ruler (Crazy Cat Designs) to measure.

I was told, and everything I’m reading, and watching on YouTube emphasizes the importance of blocking my swatches. I hand washed in warm water with agitation, and am tumble drying now. After it’s dry, I’ll machine wash and dry the swatches like Y will when he’s living with the finished sweater. The swatches have become very soft, it’s going to be a very nice sweater if I can get the sizing right. From what I read the swatch will grow with the first blocking, and then the swatch will draw up narrower and longer than the original size.

Planning to make an XL (size 46” chest) depending on what happens with the swatches, since according to Google, I can machine wash and it will shrink up to 10%, (which would make the XL a 43.2” fit) but I had a bamboo tape top shrink to child size in my washer (still sad about that, the pre wash size was perfect!) so I’m gun shy. Son will probably machine wash it in hot at some point if he’s left to his own devices.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/earthly

Finished back panel! I will look for my foam tiles to wet block to confirm it measures to the schematic; then block by machine wash warm and tumble dry when sweater is finally assembled, I made a size bigger (xl instead of lg so if it shrinks 10% it should still fit.)

Back panel of Earthly
Front panel of Earthly

Finished front panel, misread directions so there is an extra ladder on the upper right shoulder. That’s fine.

Went to a Yarn Basket knitting/crochet meetup at Lazarus this morning, saw a group of people leaving as I was coming in, wearing furry legwarmers/boots and fur vests, Viking helmet; one guy had a Lucia liber mask; a couple of the women were in dresses with floral crowns; they all got in a painted school bus and left. Not sure if they were headed to Sherwood Forest Faire, or just going around in costume as part of their sxsw experience. I love costumes and wish people would dress up more!

One of the yarn basket crew I sat next to showed me some nice linen/wool blend yarn she was working with (so soft!) and she was wearing a linen top (maybe cumulus?) and said it hadn’t shrunk when washed but did grow in length. Still glad I sized up Yoshio’s sweater, because I don’t think he’d be comfortable in a really fitted, bodycon sweater.

3-29-2025

Finished Yoshio’s Earthly sweater yesterday, washed in hot water and tumbled high heat and no shrinkage, like there wasn’t with my swatches. I had Hiro try it on for size as I’m going to knit him one as well (in gray), and it’s a little shorter in the body than he’d like, will make his 3” longer. I have enough of the blue Sky linen yarn to make another sweater 3” longer for Yoshio as well, in which case I’d keep this shorter one.

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Finishing projects

On New Year’s Day I made a list of my studio projects in progress, and wip’s (works in progress) and have been trying to work on finishing them whenever I’m taking a break from the studio, before starting new projects, and revisiting my wip list frequently.

I finished a latch hook kit I started Christmas of 2020 or 2019, and today I made a pillow case with an envelope style opening using some canvas that matched one of the leaves. It worked out great, and I was glad to have a walking foot sewing machine.

I’m also finishing up knitting projects, I finished up an am wet blocking a Hardly Harness in glow in the dark yarn.

In the studio I organized the things I had in progress and made sure all the parts are together, and I will be finishing those projects too, fitting them in between the new pieces I’m starting. Sewing like the wind!

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Recent projects

I bought some cute vinyl from a designer that had leftover from an upholstery job, and made some card case wallets. Zippies coming up next!

And I am mostly done with a pair of socks (just need to do the second heel), knit toe up with an afterthought heel, knit two at a time using a long circular (magic loop.) Got a little bit of laddering, maybe using a longer circular than what I was using would improve the next pair. Trying to use up yarn in my stash. Pattern is Vanilla Socks (Toe Up & Afterthought Heel) Ravelry link

Also helping work on a project for a SXSW client. Weather has been amazing, temperate after a few cold days, but it’s going to rain over the weekend/next week, wrapping up some painting and staining outdoors.

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Winter Reset

Had a good show with the Blue Genie Art Bazaar and am waiting for the weather to warm enough to used my glue and get back to working in the studio, it’s been cold and rainy. I have a few more small Star flap bags in progress ready to join inner/linings to outer sand add straps, but the glue doesn’t behave right when it’s too cold and rainy, since I do my gluing work outside for ventilation. So I’ve been knitting some and planning for the new year. I have some stock left, and will be building up stock again for the upcoming Blue Genie May Market.

Here are some projects I recently finished: