Tag Archives: Levitate Wrap

Home Again, Home Again

Posted on by
2
Monday, March 16, 2026

Not a particularly beautiful welcome home weather-wise but it was so good to sleep in my own bed despite my snoring partner. LOL. I had a wonderful family visit in New York City, got to spend time with all of my kids and their significant others; the dogs, too! Nothing feeds this mama’s soul more than spending time with my adult children – they’re really terrific people and I’m so proud to be their mother! And now I’m home and this is a three-day work week for me as it’s my Saturday to work so I’m trying to get myself cleaned up and organized but also save some of my energy for the end of the week.

While I was gone, I finished my Thistle on the Moor vest. I am so pleased with the finished project! I knit this vest in Berroco Lanas Light, a sport weight 100% wool yarn with really great yardage (383 yards to 100 grams). I used only two balls for the fourth size thus making this project very affordable at $23.00. I will have to wear this to work on Thursday to try it out! The vest pre-blocking had some really wonky stitches but it’s gorgeous after blocking and it feels gloriously soft for a 100% wool that’s neither super wash nor merino!

Thistle on the Moor Vest on the blocking mat

I have also made a couple of purchases while I was away (or just before I left). I bought a sweater worth of Rauma Garn Finull in a beautiful heathered lavender for my second Vanilla Sweater by Corrine Tomlinson. This time it’s for my college roommate. I am excited to knit another version of this sweater and I love the colorway she chose.

I also ordered a total splurge yarn from Tribe Life Yarns in the UK. It’s a hand-dyed Art Yarns silk mohair with which I’ll be making a pullover that their Millie designed and it was free with the purchase of the yarn. The yarn was incredibly expensive, even for me, a self-proclaimed yarn snob, but I hope it’ll be a gorgeous sweater and a joy to wear. And I loved their packaging! The yarn is a creamy-white, blue, and shades of brown, beige, gray-ish and almost peachy. It’s quite different from any sweaters that I already have and if it’s really wonderful, I may have to buy some more! Oops.

I have ordered a new pouch to keep my bullet journal planner/calendar in, too. It hasn’t arrived yet but I hope it will be a favorite “tool” going forward. It’s by Soolla and appears to be a good weight of canvas with lots of outside and inside pockets where I can keep my pens, etc. A good way to carry those essentials that I need when I use my bullet journal. (And I never like to be without it!)

Last night I worked on my Frabjous Fibers socks again. I’ve turned the heel and completed the gusset decreases so I’ve just got to finish the foot and toe of the first sock and then get the second one started. I was pretty tired after my drive from CT to ME yesterday so I didn’t stay up late. I’ve got a bunch of chores to get done today and I’ll work on the socks and get the Vanilla Sweater cast on. I will be knitting a sweater for my daughter, too, this week. She’s asked for (and I’ve swatched for) Levitate Wrap by My Favorite Things. I’m excited to get started on another couple of sweaters.

I got home to some very dry plants and my Clivia up in my studio was covered in white mealy bugs. I gave it a good wash with some diluted soap and have done a shallow dive into how to treat mealy bugs on my Clivia plant … looks like I need an insecticide and some antibacterial dish soap so I’ll be back at it again today. Meanwhile, three of my four orchids are blooming and they’re being soaked in the kitchen sink because it’s been awhile! I’d best wrap this up and get back to it.

Gone knitting.

Swatching … for the Levitate Wrap

Posted on by
2
Monday, February 16, 2026

My mother had a Clivia plant when she was alive. When I saw one at the garden center, I had to buy it. I’ve kept it in my atelier, apart from my other plants, because it was covered in that white sticky buggy germy stuff and I didn’t want it to spread. I’ve bathed it a couple of times after spraying it down with water mixed with a little bit of castille soap and that seems to have helped. All of this love and care has finally paid off with a beautiful orange bloom! I’m thrilled.

Levitate Wrap by My Favorite Things

I’m starting a new project soon and I thought I’d take you on a ride with me through the process. My daughter wants a wrap sweater and she’s chosen the Levitate Wrap by My Favorite Things (Louise). It’s a boxy cardigan with wrap styling. The Ravelry description calls for a DK + lace (worsted) weight yarns held double. Libet wants a charcoal grey or deep burgundy. I sent her an initial choice and she picked the Patagonia Organic Merino yarn with which I’ll hold a lace weight silk/mohair. I started the process, while waiting for more mohair lace to come into the shop, by doing a gauge swatch.

Did you know that most designers add an additional 10% to their yarn requirements for swatching? Thank you Bristol Ivy for that informational nugget. (I think it was Bristol … it may have been Lori Versaci or Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. But I digress … this time, because I don’t have my daughter to measure, I want it to be the exact measurement so it fits her. I didn’t want to take any risks. (More on that later in this post.)

I made my swatch in stockinette stitch as called for in the pattern. I cast on enough stitches that the swatch should be more than four inches so that I can measure the stitches in the middle away from any rolling edges. I didn’t knit a full six inches to measure the rows … I got tired last night after a bit more than four inches and bound off.

I measured the swatch: 16 stitches per inch and 23 rows. Close but no cigar. BUT we’re not finished yet. I have to wet block the swatch to get the bestest closest measurement of what the fabric will be like at the very end after the garment is blocked.

To measure the stitches per inch blocked I stuck a straight pin in at 1″ and at 5″ and counted the rows of knitting between the pins. Exactly 15. And because I was lazy about knitting the rows, I counted the full number I knitted between cast on and bind off and it’s just over the 22 rows. So, I’m calling it perfect – 15 sts and 22 rows is 4″. I’m on gauge.

The next question is, do I like the fabric? When I hold it up to the light, it’s quite open but when it’s flat on a surface, it’s very gray. The drape is nice, I like it. The fabric is soft (thanks to the merino) and the silk/mohair will give it some strength and “fill in” the open spots for warmth. I am very satisfied with the fabric. Now it’s time to wait for the mohair to come in and make sure the lots match color. I can exchange 2 of the 3 balls that I own for six new ones so that there’s no color change in the sweater. I can hardly wait to begin!

Meanwhile, I cast on a new project for the interim.

I’ve wanted to knit the Thistle on the Moor Vest by Carolyn Holbrook. I saw this vest on the Wooly Thistle podcast and I really loved it. It also gives me a chance to knit with another new to me yarn – Lanas Light by Berroco is 100% wool blend of South American wools made in Peru. I’ve been wanting to find a project for this yarn. Wish granted.

I didn’t swatch for this vest for a couple of reasons. First because it’s for me and I can try it on as I go. Second because it starts at the back and then goes to the shoulders and it’s not a lot of time to get this done. I know it’s going to bloom because it’s 100% wool. So, when I measured the stitches once I had a decent amount of fabric, I got 21 stitches over four inches (they wanted 20 for pattern gauge). I’m ok going with 21 sts as I’m pretty sure the yarn will bloom and be 20 inches when blocked. I’m knitting the 4th size with two inches of ease but I can also add a few stitches to the body once I connect the underarms if I’m worried (and I can try it on as I go.)

Theoretically, I would swatch this vest differently than my daughter’s cardigan. Why? Because this vest is knitted in the round where as the cardi will be knit back and forth. To swatch for this, I’d cast on around 30 stitches and knit them then slide the stitches back to the other side, carry a long piece of yarn behind the knitted fabric and knit across again. The strand of yarn at the back has to be long enough so that the swatch will lie flat … so it can be measured. One of these days I’ll swatch in the round and post about it, too. I’ll be continuing to knit this one as is for now. I’m working down to the point where it’ll be joined in the round and then I’ll maybe steam block it to see how it behaves. Yes, I’ll write about it … better than continuing with no blocking if I’m concerned at all.

Gone knitting!