Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Farewell to the King

If I could and dared I would be performing cartwheels now on the lawn!

First and foremost, the cable that connects this world to yours was fixed yesterday. It was broke for almost two weeks.

And for the second I finally cast off Henry, did the finishing and here he is collecting sun rays in the August afternoon.

Henry VIII A Kit from Virtual Yarns

Our last moments together were quite painful... I even managed to make the most stupid mistake of all... I attached the other sleeve so that the sleeve seam was on the shoulder. Undoing the seam did not improve the quality of this sweater. I knit the sleeve from the cuff upwards and picked stitches from the sleeve opening and did the three needle bind off when attached the sleeves to the body. So that part, three times. Then there are several other mistakes that I have found but let's not discuss about them further.

...because there are really many reasons why I'm quite happy. First of all, this was my first big-scale fair-isle. Knitting this was a challenge for me and I managed. The outcome of workmanship is not nearly perfect, maybe not that good even, but the fair-isle seed is planted.

I feel like I'm becoming a real knitter now. I had lots of tension problems in the beginning but finally when I transferred the stitches to bambu needles, they were more or less solved and I could enjoy the knitting. I tried to knit the sleeves on dpn's but was wise enough to try on two circulars and that was again one step forward. I love drawing and knitting fair-isle is close to drawing so I will continue my journey with knitting pictures.

So this was the final entry on Henry. The first stitches were knit already early in May and he took most of my sparse knitting time during the summer months. When looking back, I don't think I could have spent my knitting time any better or wiser. One final glance and then towards the new beginnings.

PS. The little sock knitting bags are by the Lantern Moon.

96 comments:

  1. Lene, Henry is SO gorgeous. I'm speechless! It looks really beautiful, and must be worth all the hard work you put into it. It's almost enough to make me think of tackling a Fair Isle... :)

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  2. Anonymous16:12

    I was just missing your delightful posts and wondering how things near Rovaniemi were going, when you arrive back on the scene with the most gorgeous FO! I love the fair-isle seed stitch, too: small and tidy but still somehow extravagant.

    Kaunis, kaunis, Lene!

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  3. Wow, the sweater is beautiful. Stunning. I can appreciate how much time (and love) went into the knitting! Well done you!

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  4. This is really really impressive knitting. I'm in awe!

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  5. Henry is one fabulous sweater and well worth working through all the trouble. He is fery, very beautiful!!

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  6. Anonymous17:03

    Oh my! Henry is WONDERFUL! What an accomplishment! CONGRATULATIONS!

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  7. You have taken my breath away! What a great accomplishment - I might even be inspired to try something like this myself.

    Thank you so much for sharing!

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  8. I bow to thee, King Henry VIII! You are the fairest in the land, dear King!
    Welcome back, Lene.
    I love how you spent your summer vacation, and now you won't have to write an essay on the first day of school, just wear Henry!

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  9. 'He' turned out most beautiful, well done! Was it not worth it? And please find another stunning project, I enjoy looking at your work very much!

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  10. Anonymous17:43

    What a magnificent sweater. Henry is my favorite sweater by you know who.
    Well done!

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  11. Anonymous17:47

    Onpas kaunis neule! Haastetta ihan varmasti kerrakseen. Mutta kaikki neuleethan täällä on aina olleet kauniita, en ole vaan ennen kommentoinut. Onnea uudelle!

    Marsvin
    http://www.marsvin.vuodatus.net/

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  12. Lovely! you should be very proud. No mistakes, just design elements.

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  13. Congratulations on your first finished big fair-isle project! Your pictures of Henry are gorgeous! You have done a great job.

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  14. OMG how beautiful!! congratulations.
    best wishes from Iceland
    Frida

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  15. Laritza is right! Just design elements that make that Henry, your very own. And a gorgeous Henry, he is.

    You should be pleased with yourself. You didn't begin with an easy one but plunged straight in to one of the fussier ones. Congratulations of the fantastic job!

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  16. Anonymous17:56

    Oh Lene, what a thing of beauty! Just seeing it is a glorious way for me to start the day. I shall dream of Henry all day long. You have once again outdone yourself. Hugs from Calif.

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  17. Anonymous18:06

    Oh Lene, Henry is a stunner! What an accomplishment for your first large scale Fair Isle project. So now you have been bitten by the Fair Isle bug. We knitters are a bug bitten lot, lace bugs, sock bugs, bead knitting bugs and now the Fair Isle bug. I am sure you will feel like a Queen when you wear this sweater.

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  18. How could that have not taken a year to knit? It is so beautiful and intricate. Fair Isle still scares me but it sure looks tempting. What a gorgeous sweater. Yay you!

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  19. Henry is absolutely gorgeous! Now I am inspired to try this kit.

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  20. Your Henry is beautiful! Congratulations!

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  21. Anonymous18:39

    Aivan uskomattoman upea!!!

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  22. Anonymous18:48

    It's just beautiful! You did all of that in a few months? Amazing!

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  23. To second what everyone else has said, what a gorgeous sweater! You did a fabulous job. It is just stunning! Congratulations on a job well done.

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  24. Anonymous19:06

    That is absolutely beautiful!! Very good work, you must be so very proud. Lovely.

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  25. Anonymous19:08

    Brava! Brava!

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  26. very beautiful, well done:)
    amber in england

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  27. It's a beautiful sweater! I'm so glad you took the plunge into the world of Fair Isle sweaters. Think of how much enjoyment you get from wearing it. It will keep you warm and comfortable, and gorgeous to boot!

    I'm wearing my Alice Starmore vest today at work. It's quite chilly in the office. My co-workers are complaining about the cold, but I am just comfortable in my wool vest, with wool socks on my feet.

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  28. Wow, Henry is just incredible!!

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  29. Anonymous19:34

    The real Henry was a king, but your Henry makes me think of a cathedral -- architecturally gorgeous, intricate, a true work of art. Well done, you, both on the execution, and especially on having the courage to jump in with both feet on your first fair isle attempt!

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  30. Just wonderful! Someday...

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  31. Anonymous19:47

    Henry is gorgeous! Every time I see someone's Fair Isle, I think I'll start. Then I remember all the floats, yarn ends, balls of yarn hanging from the item and I go back to lace and cables! I'm sure you'll enjoy him even more this winter when it's cold and snowy.

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  32. Anonymous19:50

    Absolutely beautiful!

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  33. Anonymous20:14

    WOW!! It looks perfect from where I sit. Your Henry is gorgeous - a beautiful, wonderful sweater!!

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  34. A spectacular job! I can only dream of knitting such gorgeousness!

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  35. Anonymous20:43

    Henry is so majestic and rich looking, no wonder you call him the King. Wonderful job of knitting. It is like a beautiful painting, always some thing new to discover when you look at it.

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  36. Oh sure, you're just becoming a real knitter now - LOL.

    It's really a work of art.

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  37. No words!! So absolutely wonderful !! Congratulations !!

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  38. Aivan ihanannäköinen neule. Onnittelut siitä.

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  39. Anonymous21:54

    Wow, that is one beautiful sweater. Trust me, you will be the only one who sees imperfections. it looks better than the one in the books.

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  40. Overwhelming. Absolutely. Congratusations to this masterpiece!

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  41. Anonymous22:12

    Siitä tuli upea, onnittelut!

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  42. Er. I mean: Congratulations.

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  43. Your sweater is beautiful!!!

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  44. Anonymous22:41

    It's positively amazing. Truly a magnificent sweater. I'm so impressed! :-) And did you lengthen it a bit?... It looks like it might be tunic length, but I'm not certain.

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  45. ...Lene, Henry is beyond beautiful. The colours sing, and the knitting from where I'm sitting look to be perfect.
    I'll do some cartwheels for you! (I taught GS Conor how to do them last summer...:^)
    I'm going to just sit here and look at your photos for awhile, absolutely stunning FI sweater!

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  46. This may well be the most beautiful sweater I have ever seen!

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  47. Henry is so incredibly beautiful!

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  48. Anonymous01:04

    Stunning! It makes me think back to one of the first posts of yours that I'd ever read, the one about wearing and using handknits versus guarding them as precious heirlooms, packing them away, and, (as my Aunt Lois says of anything we make for her) "keeping it for nice." I'd be torn between wanting to shelter Henry from any number dangers to wearing him incessantly, marveling at the beauty and artistry of him, both of the design itself and the execution of the design.

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  49. Anonymous01:08

    Incredible - breath-taking - beautiful beyond words! Congratulations! I can't believe this was your first fair-isle...and accomplished in months rather than years! I enjoy your writing so much...thank you for continuing to share and inspire!

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  50. Anonymous01:43

    Henry looks so regal! A true work of love and faith...and a mighty big project for your first. Kudos on your lovely accomplishment. I am so glad you are reconnected to our knitting world...it would be lonely without you.

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  51. It's gorgeous! What an accomplishment!

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  52. It's stunning. STUNNING. Thanks for sharing pics of your beautiful knit & congratulations!!

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  53. The sweater is gorgeous! With or without errors, it looks terrific!

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  54. Beautiful! Well done!

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  55. Congrats on a stunning sweater! Henry is truly an inspiration to this fair-isle phobic leftie knitter.

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  56. Wow, Henry is awesome! I can't wait to see your next sweater!

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  57. Congratulations.. it looks like a watercolor. You must spend hours just looking at it. So lovely!

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  58. you have made a stunning jumper and it looks so beautiful. you are very clever.

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  59. Anonymous11:16

    Beautiful! And such an accomplishment. It makes me want to go and start a stranded color knit project. Congratulations.

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  60. Anonymous11:21

    Wow, He really glows. Bet you can't wait for it to get cold enough to wear him. What an accomplishment. David at www.sticksandstring.wordpress.com is also knitting Henry, as I'm sure you know, he'll be most impressed!

    Congratulations,

    Serenknitity

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  61. Anonymous11:57

    What a commitment, and what a treasure to show for it. Henry is amazing!

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  62. Anonymous12:37

    Henry is gorgeous - congrats on finishing him!

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  63. Anonymous13:21

    Kuningas on kuollut, eläköön kuningas.

    Upea, mahtava, kertakaikkiaan tyrmäävä.

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  64. I bow to your patience and knitting genious...the name Henry is befitting for such a superb garment.

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  65. WoW! You are amazing! The king is amazing!

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  66. Anonymous15:07

    Your jumper is beautiful. You are too critical of yourself. Anything that you are not happy with you should accept as your way of making the jumper unique. Well done you!! Sus x

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  67. It's magnificient!! It must feel great to have accomplished something so beautiful. Enjoy wearing it!! I've just finished my first small fair isle project so I hope to do a Virtual Yarns kit someday as well.

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  68. Anonymous18:19

    Henry is Absolutely Beautiful!
    There are a few things to know about Fair Isle:
    1 It is never perfect
    2 Only you know where the mistakes are.
    3 A gentle wash and pat it while it drys, and the stitches line up neatly. But I can't see any bad ones in you photos - it all looks so very neat.
    Clever you!

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  69. Anonymous18:25

    This looks like a project from someone who has been knitting fair isle for years, not the first large project. Breathtaking...truly, I could stare at it for hours. Congratulations!

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  70. Anonymous19:22

    Bravo Leena, bravo!!!!!! Steam is a wonder, don't you think?!

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  71. Anonymous19:42

    Truly gorgeous.. and I have thought you a real knitter a lonnng while. I aspire to be as wonderful a knitter as you! Enjoy wearing it. In the 105F heat we had yesterday (tied an all time record high) I can only vaguely remember weather requiring a sweater.. but know that you will get lots of compliments when you wear it!

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  72. Splendid, and gorgeous all rolled into one.

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  73. Anonymous23:14

    Henry is an awesome achievement, and your colourway is gorgeous. Anything you regard as an imperfection is merely your signature. We have had some chilly, end-of-summer days here lately, and having such a garment will make the onset of fall & winter so much more desirable!

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  74. Henry is beautiful.

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  75. Henry is beautiful.

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  76. Anonymous02:55

    I don't think anyone knits without mistakes. Your sweater is truly beautiful. I love the colors you chose and I stare in open-mouthed admiration at what you accomplished (makes me look like a fish, but who cares?).

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  77. Lene... you've been a Real Knitter for some time now. We all know it, and now *you* know it. What a spectacular piece of work.

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  78. Henry is just absolutely wonderful. It looks amazing. I wish I had one too, but I don't think that much fair isle would be the thing for me to knit at this time.

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  79. Henry is just beautiful. If you're not already a real knitter, then the rest of us can just go home. You did such a wonderful job!

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  80. Such a beautiful sweater - a real accomplishment. I hope you wear it all the time and that people stop you to admire it.

    Congratulations

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  81. This is just an incredible piece of knitting art... I better go thank Diana for sending me over to see it.

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  82. henry is magnificent lene. . . i have yet to become a real Knitter myself and i admire so much that you would take on this challenge. some day i will too, but i don't know when yet . . .

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  83. Anonymous17:58

    Lene: Henry looks absolutely wonderful. The craftmanship is stunning! Congratulations on finishing!

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  84. Anonymous21:45

    Wow, what a stunning piece of work - I'm absolutely blown away! You're incredibly gifted and make truly, truly beautiful things. I enjoy your blog tremendously!

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  85. Its good to see you back again and
    Henry is absolutely Gorgeous. He looks like an incredible amount of work and I am simply stunned.

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  86. Anonymous18:57

    An absolutely stunning garment! You should be so proud of yourself, we are all proud of you! If I were to wear a sweater like that I would have to live where you do, and since I don't, I will probably never knit anything like it. I am always too warm for sweaters. Maybe someday I shall move farther north. Currently I am only at 39 degrees north of the equator!

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  87. Anonymous03:18

    Lene
    Henry is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!
    I love the subtle color shifts.
    Congratulations!
    Margie

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  88. Brava! Oh, BRAVA! Henry is utterly magnificent!

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  89. Anonymous20:36

    Honestly! A work of art. I have a Virtual Yarns/Starmore kit I have been circling like a fearful hound for a year. You have inspired me to take on the dare.

    Thank you...and congratulations!

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  90. Anonymous23:20

    Hi Lene,
    i often have visit your blog, and admired your work,
    and saw the beginning of Henri.
    Today i thought "how would it be ......
    as i opend your blog and saw Henry i sayd Oh My she really did it. !!!! This is STUNNING,
    I really am impressed(and not only me as far as i see al these comments.
    My compliments!!!! with Henry and all of your other beautifull pieces.

    Hope you wil suprice us often!!!
    Nicole

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  91. Henry is very beautiful. Good job!

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  92. Henry is simply magnificent! I hope you enjoy wearing him as much as you enjoyed knitting him!

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  93. Anonymous20:16

    Breath-taking ... worth of a half of kingdom. Even more.

    Melina :)

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