Life's a Stitch

And more recently life’s a creative adventure with some travel thrown in.

recent posts

about

My knitting dream

Marina You always hear the question "If you had one last opportunity to travel where would you like to go?" My version, "If you had one last project to knit what would it be?" Let’s qualify that – there would be no budgetary limitations. My knitting dream is an Alice Starmore sweater, but realistically there is no way I can spend almost $300Cdn on a kit from Virtual Yarns.  However, I am a good shopper and found the pattern for A.S.’s Marina in a discontinued book called Woolcraft. Flora would have been my first choice, but Marina is good. Currently most A.S. patterns are only sold en kit directly from A.S. herself. Her books are available on e-Bay at over $100 US! So $13.95 for Woolcraft was a bargain.

Obstacle #2, purchasing yarn for Marina. There is a brouhaha in the knitting world about A.S. and her yarn, which used to be produced by Jamieson in Scotland. To make a very long story short, if you can find one of her patterns it can be knit with her yarn or Jamieson’s. The yarn alone is pricey either way.

Obstacle #3. Export rules have changed and the yarn format from Europe has recently changed. A.S. patterns were designed with the old "put-up" in mind which had more yardage than the new version. The price is the same for both, but you need more skeins of the new put-up than the old.

Obstacle #4. The photo in Woolcraft (as above) appears to be in a different colourway than the pattern calls for. I have found several suppliers that have the yarn, mostly in the old put-up, for the colours as specified in the pattern, not the colours in the photo.

Dilemma – Do I go for the original colourway that is brighter, a little more bluey greeny than I would like, or do I take the time to order a colour card to select my own colours and risk availability only in the new, more expensive format? Or does anyone know of a reasonable alternative yarn to Jamieson, Jamieson and Smith or Virtual Yarns? I need something that comes in many colours as this pattern calls for 24 colours.

Don’t you hate these little complications? Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket and if I win I could buy the original kit. I hear the pattern is autographed by A.S. herself.

Keep dreaming and have a good weekend.

Posted in

10 responses to “My knitting dream”

  1. Emma. Avatar
    Emma.

    I spent ages matching the colours for the This Morning book’s version of Marina ! Even if you add 1 extra skein of each colour [which I very much doubt you’ll need] itwill prob come in under £50.Nost of the matches are Jamieson’s,but some are J&S.This pattern precedes her working relationship with Jamieson’s,when Red Tomato Factory published her books – all very confusing.Some of the colours are either/or.Some are guesses.I used the colour lists from Beyond The Hebrides.If I can make sense of my scribble would you like the list ?

    Like

    Reply
  2. Emma. Avatar
    Emma.

    http://www.knittingbeyondthehebrides.com/files/index.html
    Colour charts for Starmore patterns.

    Like

    Reply
  3. Beth Avatar
    Beth

    I couldn’t possibly decide on what would be the last project to knit. Maybe a Dale Olympic sweater? I like AS too! More and more things pop into my mind. Maybe I better stick with my WIPs.

    Like

    Reply
  4. Debbie Avatar
    Debbie

    This was originally a Scottish Collection pattern. All those sweaters were knit with J & S, not Jamieson’s, although Emma is right: they predate her relationship with Jamieson’s. Way confusing, I know! You can order the yarn directly from the nice people at Jamieson & Smith for way less than you can possibly acquire it anywhere else. The color’s off in the Woolcraft picture by the way – check Wendy Johnson’s blog (finished projects) for a good look at what it looks like in the original yarn. It has 21 colors or so in it, making it a challenge to re-color. Good luck!

    Like

    Reply
  5. Ellen Avatar
    Ellen

    I’ve got a lot to learn.

    Like

    Reply
  6. jenifleur Avatar
    jenifleur

    I’m so with you. I’m currently working myself up to blowing a wad to get her fair isle book. I don’t know what you should do about the colorway. If it was me and I fell in love with that one, I know that I would never stop thinking about the original that caught my eye. If I substituted another colorway I’d never be satisfied, so I think I’d have to order the color card and do it the way I pictured it in my head. And heck, a J & S color card is a handy thing anyway, I say.

    Like

    Reply
  7. Dorothy Avatar
    Dorothy

    Boy, do I hear you! There are so many wonderful projects out there (Clapotis comes to mind), but when I look at the cost of the yarn as suggested, I almost have a heart attack! I guess if I was going to put that much effort into a project, though, I’d get the colorway that really spoke to my heart, even if I had to save up for a year. Starmore sweaters involve an enormous amount of work, so I wouldn’t “settle” on the yarn. Get what you love and what will keep you happy while you’re working on it.

    Like

    Reply
  8. LEah Avatar
    LEah

    I hate complications – but good luck with the scratch ticket! My boyfriend and I have been on stratch ticket frenzy lately (only the lower amount ones of course) but if one of us wins I will send you this kit 🙂

    Like

    Reply
  9. Rosie Avatar
    Rosie

    What a gorgeous sweater! If you do knit one, why not make the stripes going the long way instead of across. It will make us look skinnier. Notice I put the word us, as if you would knit two. Ha Ha. What lovely colors in it.
    Rosie

    Like

    Reply
  10. Claudia Avatar
    Claudia

    Hi. Wonderful blog – very enjoyable visit. I’m Sorry, but my comment is off topic – what I really want is some advise. You are a marvelous knitter and have knit some beautiful shawls. I was going to try the Fiesta La Boheme bias shawl until I read your comment about it looking like a baby blanket. I really like your “final” version in Trendsetter Dune and wonder how many skeins you used and what size needles. You might also comment on whether you think someone living in Southern California would use a shawl like that in the Summer. I don’t live near a yarn shop so can’t really get a feel for texture and/or weight. Botton line, in your opinion, would Trendsetter-Dune make a nice Summer shawl? If not, what you recommend? I’m an adverage level knitter and can follow a pattern for just about anything – excluding lace which I have never attempted. Thanks for your help and advise. An admirer of your creations! Claudia

    Like

    Reply

Leave a reply to Claudia Cancel reply