How Irish R U?

what a beautiful pattern!

I challenge You! I want to use this pattern in a sweater design but can't find it anywhere!

Does anybody out there know what it's called? Or, better yet, where to find a graph of it?.

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The Boot Socks: Super Duper! If I wasn't addicted before I'm a goner now...

Comments (7)

click on picture for LARGE version...

Mystery SOLVED!

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Since I couldn't find this exact pattern anywhere (many thanks to all who sent in suggestions), I first just tried to graph what I saw. Many funky graphs later, I sat down with the garment on my knee and just started knitting a swatch. For some reason, I could knit it, but not graph it.

After one pattern repeat, I started writing the pattern down, which is what is given below. The double whammy is what I called the T7F, which I've never seen anywhere. This however, doesn't mean you can't do it!

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T3F (Twist 3 Front) = slip next 2 sts onto cable needle and hold at front of work, purl next stitch from left-hand needle, then knit sts from cable needle.

T3B (Twist 3 Back) = slip next stitch onto cable needle and hold at back of work, knit next 2 sts from left-hand needle, then purl stitch from cable needle.

T4F (Twist 4 Front) = slip next 2 sts onto cable needle and hold at front of work, purl next 2 sts from left-hand needle, then knit sts from cable needle.

T4B (Twist 4 Back) = slip next 2 sts onto cable needle and hold at back of work, knit next 2 sts from left-hand needle, then purl sts from cable needle.

T7F (Twist 7 Front) = slip next 2 sts onto cable needle and hold at front of work, P1, K4 from left-hand needle, then knit sts from cable needle.

T7B (Twist 7 Back) = slip next 5 sts onto cable needle and hold at back of work, K2, then K4, P1 from cable needle.

C4F (Cable 4 Front) = slip next 2 stitches onto cable needle and hold at front of work, knit next 2 sts from left-hand needle, then knit sts from cable needle.

C4B (Cable 4 Back) = slip next 2 stitches onto cable needle and hold at back of work, knit next 2 sts from left-hand needle, then knit sts from cable needle.

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Irish Chic Cable
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Pattern worked over 23 stitches.

Odd Rows are Wrong Side

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Row 1 (WS): K1, P2, K3, P4, K3, P4, K3, P2, K1

Row 2 (RS): P1, T4F, P1, K4, P3, K4, P1, T4B, P1

Rows 3, 5, 7, 9, & 11: work stitches as they appear

Row 4: P3, T3F, K4, P3, K4, T3B, P3

Row 6: P4, T7F, P3, T7B, P4

Row 8: P3, T3B, K4, P3, K4, T3F, P3

Row 10: P1, T4B, P1, K4, P3, K4, P1, T4F, P1

Row 12: P1, K2, C4B, P3, C4F, K2, P1

Repeat Rows 1 through 12 for pattern.

Comments (7)

Monday Morning Mirth

everybody's a little Irish on St Pat's in Chicago!

Although this Irish lad grew up in London,
as a young man he moved
back to Ireland.

WHO is this mighty hunky nominee
(ChicKnits thinks Winner!)
for Best Actor Oscar?

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click HERE for the answer...

Comments (4)

Celtic Redux

I am on a Celtic binge. I think it's gonna be a whole week of cables and Arans - I'm inside editing this week at work and can dress girlgirl.

It's been a little warm here so I've pulled out the white belled jeans, my Celtic Cabled Pullover made from Rowan AllSeasons Cotton, navy wool flannel Pea Coat and chrome Gucci sunglasses...

OK, I've been reading a lot of the vintage patterns I have from Mon Tricot and Phildar. Everybody has sunglasses with ATTiTude...

I can do that...

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Tiddles & Bits: As I'm writing this this morning, I am in the middle of finishing the collar for the Sisyphus Pea Coat! All the other pieces are knit. Wow! I actually see the finish line! OOPs. The needles I've been knitting with for the last 6 rows are #10s. They should be #8s. Must've forgotten I used the 10s as stitch holders because I needed the 8s to make that Mystery Aran Swatch. Grrrrrrrr. Sisyphus Strikes yet Again!!!

Went to a store across from work to get a Hot Turkey Sandwich (the real deal; they roast about 5 turkies a day) and saw in their awesome flower department four-bloom per plant huge purple hydrangeas for sale. Is it just me, or are these one of the most beautiful flowers around!

Besides being addicted to knitting, I am addicted to Photoshop and love playing around with, currently, making selections (those who use this alot know it requires practice, practice, practice). For grins, I made a single panel out of the Irish Chic Cable by removing the middle purl stitches. Click HERE for fab double panel...

Comments (9)

Just Wear 'Em...

This is the ATTiTude I was talking about. Simple Sportswear notched maximum with a ton of make-up, flipped hair and SHADES. (Do we care that this is from about 40 years ago? NOT! I just won this book on eBay!!!)

This month, the shorty coifs on the tres chic heads about town are definitely flipped and gelled. BUT, they are NOT really retro. I had my hair cut last Friday - my ususal cutter Jasmin (real name Rebecca but the salon made her change it (!)) is on LOA for 2 months and has gone to Spain for a holiday. I am desperate so I take an appointment with an unknown cutter.

This, of course, just makes me go fetal. Throughout my lifetime, I've gone through more haircutters than all of my friends. They rib me non-stop about it. BUT - it's my hair - it's finicky - and I have peculiar cowlicks. My Mom calls them KookaDeeKooes. Really. (AND, I find out later from my stand-in haircutter, a real word! Probably spelled much differently...)

So I go to Triocci's on the Mag Mile, and who meets me but a very young haircutter named Oksana. Now, methinks, this cannot be her real name, what with the Jasmin farce. But, indeed, as she speaks with a Ukranian accent, it can't be too far off. She just roars when I ask her to "please help me tame my kookadeekooes." Seems like this is the Russian word for cowlicks (actually cock's comb as in rooster)! My Mother is Polish and as the crow flies, originally not too far away from Oksana's home.

I leave the salon with the FlippaDee DO du jour. Not as short as most about town, but kicky all the same. I can wear it sleek or curly (my nats are rather wavy).

Comments (11)

Join Hands...



the Tree of Life

The best thing that's happened to me since I began writing on these pages has been you. I have met so many wonderful people from around the world!

The Tree of Life of our knitting has joined us without boundry or cause. People have reached out to each other with kindness and generosity unexpected. Words of support and wisdom are offered without tariff. Humor and distress are equally shared and our hands offer reassurance and support.

I will do what I always do today. I will work with purpose, focus and resolve. I will love my family. I will try and love my neighbor.

I will knit and with the stitches, hold the whole world in my hands and think of us all...

Comments (15)

The Queen of Diamonds

I've been having great fun digging around the web looking for cable gold... Over and over, the people who have written offering suggestions and ideas have mentioned one name:

Janet Szabo !!!

This accomplished designer, author and teacher is also the Brain behind "Twists and Turns: the Newsletter for Lovers of Cable Knitting." My friends Sarah Palmer and Corinne Niessner (she of Lucky Penny Handmade) are big fans and turned me on to the Cable Side of Janet...

I was already a groupie for "The "I Hate to Finish Sweaters" Guide to Finishing Sweaters" book, the number one reason I LOVE FINISHING SWEATERs now that I know they won't turn and devour me like flesh eating pirahnas...

In Fact, I just finished the Sisyphus Charcoal Pea Coat last night (backflips, bells + whistles, claps of thunder all around PLEASE!) using many of the techniques from TIHTFSGTFS. This means that I can now go play at Janet's website Big Sky Knitting and subscribe to Twist and Turns AND give those ideas roaming about the wide open spaces of my brain a place to land...

Her "Handbook of Aran Sweater Design" book is the perfect starting point for me to understand the whys and wherefores of these easy but complex knitting puzzles that fascinate me to distraction!

All Hail the Queen!!!

Comments (9)