Dear Ann,
Hoo boy, there’s a lot going on out there in the knitting world. I’m just going to unfold my travel scissors and start hacking through the tall grass of all the stuff I want to tell you about.
Denim People Have Feelings, Too
This news is over a month old, so maybe you’ve seen it. I have the feeling people have been trying to keep it from me, to protect me. I’ll just lay it on you, a painful clip from Graham Norton’s New Year’s Eve show:
It’s hurtful to see one of my all-time favorite Rowan books, Denim People, treated with hooting mockery and scorn. I’ve knit from that book; I would love to knit anything in it. (Well, maybe not the “eyeball” pullover. Now that they’ve put that image in my head, it’s hard not to see it.) I blame the champagne. Youthful high spirits. They didn’t mean it. Let’s knit them denim sweaters.
Heirloom Chevron Throw Contest
Let’s talk about something pleasant. The random number generator has drawn a winner in our Heirloom Chevron Throw giveaway: Megan M. of Vashon, Washington, come on down! (Actually we emailed her.) Congrats, Megan. Please knit up all that Fancy Tiger Heirloom Romney in the next week or two, and get back to us with a photo, ‘mkay?
Grumpy Old Men (in Classic Sweaters)
Our Bang Out a Sweater knitalong continues to bang along, filling up Instagram and my brain with glorious photos of Stopover Icelandic. I have lopapeysa fever, like never before.
So I kind of thought I might be dreaming when I started seeing ads and articles about a lopapeysa-centric movie.
(Photo: Cohen Media Group)
Long-time reader and friend Carolyn McGraw even clipped out the Los Angeles Times article about the film Rams, and mailed it to me. It’s a story of beards, sheep and brotherly hate, according to the LA Times. And sweaters. Here’s the official trailer:
It’s a comedy, by the way. Now showing in theatres. Double-dog dare you to wear a lopapeysa.
Bang Out A Sweater: Finishers Get in Formation
(Kat (@askatknits on Instagram) finished her cardiganized Stopover in 35 hours including steek and buttonholes.)
Over on Instagram, we have a new hashtag: #bangfinishers. It would be great if people would use this hashtag to post pictures of their finished Stopover sweaters, so that you and I (and all knitters, and the whole world) can glory in the sight of them all together. (I started to realize that many people are too busy to stand on their bed getting a flat shot and email it; Instagram takes two seconds, and its nifty hashtag system automatically groups them all together. If email works better for you, I will gratefully receive all triumphant photos and collect and share them.)
So that’s all you need to do: post a photo of your finished Stopover on Instagram with the hashtag #bangfinisher.
While some people are finishing their sweaters, others are up to their necks (literally) in Léttlopi (me for example), and still others have only just received their yarn (you for example). The party will continue over on Instagram for as long as people continue to knit and post pictures to the hashtags. (I’m certainly going to check our hashtags daily for the foreseeable future.) But at the end of next week, we’ll have a little wrap-up celebration here on the blog. Just a heads-up. Don’t let’s get that end of camp feeling too soon. Bang on!
Love,
Kay
I misread the header for the chevron throw contest winner and thought it was another contest and we were going to to have to “throw” those skeins of yarn in the photo somehow.???? (Why aren’t there knitting emoji?) I’m going to get that movie on Netflix. Back to banging.
Good idea for a contest though!
Still trying to get guage on the Manos.
The Lopapeysa Lure is strong, I see more banging in my near future! Most addictive knit ever! Stopover is the new potato chip knit! Can’t stop with one!
Kat, that cardi is lovely! Can I ask what you did for the button band? I can’t tell if you crocheted as recommended or made some other type of edging. Love the colors, this is what I wanted to knit! And still may…I feel a sweater coming on, and the Lure is is indeed strong.
How nasty of Graham Norton. I’ve toyed with the idea of knitting Eddie’s zip-up jacket myself. Why do people laugh at the idea of someone knitting a sweater?
Thanks for this post. What a fun read, look, and listen you put together!
It would be great if people would also include which yarn they used to knit the sweater. I’d like to see the difference between the plötulopi and the léttlopi knitted up.
so proud to have my #bangfinisher in the post today – – love the knit and can’t wait for my second batch of lett lopi to arrive from Iceland so I can cast on number 2 (this one may be the cardigan like KatKnits made)
Stopover honest-to-God looks cute on everybody. Congrats on finishing!
I want to see the Icelandic movie. But I live in the sticks and it won’t be coming here. 🙁
Remember when it was the custom to wear your purse in your lap when you sat down in a skirt that short? Jennifer needs an intervention. Eyeball sweater nothing compared to the work the camera operator must have had to do. Handsome actor came off better in Denim People.
As for the movie Rams, well, not for vegetarians. Long estranged human family members however do strike me as funny. It is not the Scandinavian side of my family but the Welsh that has them, however. Welsh ladies hats are very funny but not knitted, as far as I know.
I’ve watched that whole episode and the skirt was her stylist’s choice – I don’t think she realized how tricky it’d be on a talk show couch until she got to the talk show!
good point Dianna. I hadn’t even thought of a stylist. It was actually Jennifer Lawrence’s job to look sexy there. I probably would have gotten very drunk if my career had depended on that kind of thing, and bombed out. And I don’t even drink much. Hope she fired her stylist.
I don’t use Instagram and have not a clue how to use it. It’s too bad, would have liked to have seen others’ sweaters.
But I finished my sweater last Sunday after starting it on Monday at 3PM when the needles finally showed up. Love it to distraction! Fits perfectly and I plan on doing more of them and some cardigans as well.
Thank you for the Bang out a Sweater Knit-a-long it has been a lot of fun and very productive!
I don’t know how to post pictures onto it either, but you don’t have to join to admire and envy everyone else’s color choices. Just click on the link: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/bangoutasweater/
Or you can google bangoutasweater and go to the entry on the list with the Instagram address.
Beware: It’s addictive.
I have been properly warned…..thanks!
Opps that was suppose to be a reply to Pam.
Don’t worry, Syd, I will post a bunch of them here on the blog. We can’t have the party in just one place!
Thanks Kay!
If you don’t have an Instagram account, you can still go look at the sweaters.
Just go to http://www.instagram.com and put bangoutasweaterkal in the search box. It is so inspiring to see everyone’s progress!
Thanks! I will check it out!
I must see that movie. In a theater, for the full impact of Icelandic scenery.
My yarn finally arrived yesterday! Woo-hoo! Working on gauge at the moment. So excited to finally be banging out a sweater.
It’s hard to take seriously anyone who holds up “Denim People” and refers to wool. Obviously that’s why everyone was laughing.
Perhaps now my Denim People will become a collector’s item!
I love Eddie Redmayne! Jennifer Lawrence, not so much. I wish I had that issue of Rowan …
Loving all the sweaters! including the “classic demon” ones.
This comment goes out to anyone! I have avoided mixing colors for most of my knitting life due to very bad memories of making a child’s bunny sweater with tight, tight bunnies and a very loose body. Do I have a chance of “banging out a sweater” with the stopover pattern and its multi-colored top? I look at the pictures and want to knit one oh so badly. Help!!!
Yes, Whitney, yes! Over at the Ravelry group called Modern Daily Knitters, there are plenty of knitters doing their first colorwork with this sweater.
Hi. OT. I revise my knitting influencer answer to include Norah Gaughan. How did I forget? Knitting Nature was a revelation in its day.
After looking at the instagram photos I found myself browsing for yarn and about to punch the buy it now button on the pattern!!! Oh my gosh, you guys are pushers (isn’t that what they used to call drug dealers?). We are in the middle of a home remodeling project, so now is not the time for me… I’m sure I will succumb eventually. The sweaters are all so beautiful and those of us who aren’t participating this time are still getting our fix!
I’m so sad that I can’t participate in the Bang Out A Sweater fun – I broke my thumb 2 weeks ago and haven’t been able to knit a stitch. My only consolation is that I get t let the rest of you try out color combinations to get ideas for when I can finally knit again.
Rams was playing here in our very cool old cinema (it’s called “Stabukker” in Norway) but I missed seeing it. Will have to hope for a repeat showing!
“…and then they knit it for you….a Christmas nightmare…” I think my feelings might be hurt a little. Good thing they’re not my family.
just back from Rams its fabulosu… fantastic knitting on display.. and rams and sheep… but take an extra pullover – you’ll feel FROZEN by the end
Wow. Graham Norton is a hater. Who knew?