All Stars

My Fana is inching toward the finish line.  Yesterday I worked the neckline and center front steeks.  Wanna see?

If you've read your Elizabeth Zimmermann, you'll recognize this as a "Kangaroo Pouch" construction (Elizabeth didn't invent it, though, Norway and/or Scotland did). I worked a cylinder of knitting up as far as the base of the square neckline (the lower edge of the big star border).  Then I put the neckline stitches on waste yarn holders, and cast on a new steek in the following row.  

Here's a closer look at my neckline steek.

It's easier to understand the kangaroo pouch when you see it folded along the center front and center back.  See the square neckline?

Here's another front view.  Like my sexy red crochet steek?  I always use contrast yarn for crochet steeks.  Don't know why.  Just like it better that way.

After this photo, I cut the steeks open and sent it for a well-earned, relaxing bath in the kitchen sink.  When the yarn got wet, it actually smelled like sheep and hay.  Pure bliss.

View fullsize

After its luxury spa treatment, I made it straighten up and fly right.  One pin every inch, every edge.  I'm always amazed at this point how much knitting is in a sweater.  It's just so much acreage when it's all stretched out flat.

I'd call this roughly the halfway point.  Next I'll make sleeves, then armholes, then do the finishing.  

I made a mistake with my uppermost border.  It actually should have been another set of stripes, rather than more checks.  I'm not sure why I failed to check that detail before I knitted it. Looking at photos, I can't find a single Fana with checks up there; it's always stripes.  But you know what? I like the checks, and it's already cut, so there.  And it's a non-traditional Fana anyway, because I couldn't control myself and put those red stripes in.  Save me a seat in Knitting Jail.

Fanatical Coat

The fruits of my research are beginning to pile up.  I've isolated some books that mention Fana sweaters, and marked their pages with sticky notes.  I'm waiting for two more books in the mail (old ones from Norway, via Germany and Australia) that hopefully will round out the collection.

But this week's big breakthrough was on the internet.  I had searched for Fana information high and low, using every engine and every word or combination of words I could think of.  Or so I thought.

Turns out if you're going to research a topic whose name is not in your native tongue, you should actually make sure you're translating that name properly.  Yep.  It seems that "Fana Sweater" (English) will deliver a few hits from the google-nator.  But "Fanakofte" (Norwegian for "jacket in the style of Fana") will really bring home the bacon.

Duh.

And then once I found the ten million blog posts from every modern Norwegian knitter who's made a Fana in the last few years, all I had to do was implement Google Translator to make sense of them.  But not exactly.  Because I don't speak Norwegian, and Translator doesn't speak Knitting.

Google Translator: "I made my Fanatical Coat for this the traditions technical."

Probably Means: "I made my Fanakofte using traditional techniques."

It's pretty hilarious.  Poor Translator is trying so hard, but it doesn't know knitting things at all. "Masker" means "stitch" in Norwegian, not that the knitter was wearing a mask.  I've had to take a few giggle breaks between attempts.  But thank goodness, photos are helpful in any language, and knitbloggers are great at showing what they mean.

Meanwhile, my own Fanatical Coat progresses.  I'm pretty in love with it so far, although the checkers were acting really corrugat-y at first.  I knew I'd left enough length in the floats, but the unblocked fabric still sucked in like a supermodel's stomach.  Scared me a little, so I finally broke down and hit it with some steam on the ironing board.  

Just as I had hoped, the checkers lay flat, given a little persuasion. Bullet dodged.   Can you imagine if I'd been lying to myself about the length of the floats and had to start over?  Thanks, Knitting!

I promised myself after nine stripes (1/2 of the number I need before it's time for the shoulder border) that I could go button shopping.

Man, I am a cheap date.

Yarn at Last

It's been remarked that I've been *somewhat* on edge while I waited for yarn to arrive.  And by *somewhat*, they meant that I was chewing the table legs.  What can I say? The heart wants what the heart wants.  And in my case, it's string.  Specifically, This String:

It's Rauma Strikkegarn, from Norway, via the Yarn Guys.  Yep!  I'm starting the sample Fanakofte for my Stars and Stripes class!  And this is a particularly virulent case of start-itis.  I haven't knitted a stranded colorwork sweater in at least a year and a half: Much, much, too long for me.

And I *may* have anticipated the need for applied trims in this project.  Anticipated, yes, but not actually decided on one.  In a rare moment of clarity, I pulled the trigger on an entire collection, knowing I will use them all at some point.  Really.  I will.  Look HERE for yours.

And with that, it's time to get going.  Start your engines!