skein

November knitting and December goals

I've done it!  A post each day for November for NaKniSweMoDo!  It's actually easier than I think, and I always think that I'll blog much more frequently afterwards, but it doesn't happen. I'm a 2-3 posts per week person.

So, how did I do?  I think it's been rather successful! I opted for 11 things this month, as I knew that I'd be knitting smaller things.

November goals

1) Finish grey cables cardigan.  Done!

2) Take photos and blog about the Mystery Blanket.  Done!

3) Finish some dk socks for Chris. Done!

4) Finish a baby beret.  Done!

5) Finish my Multnomah shawl (ravelry link). Done!

6) Woollywormhead's Mystery Hat KAL, version A. Change of plan! Instead I knitted another scarf.

7) Woollywormhead's Mystery Hat KAL, version B. Done!

8) Knit a square for a secret project done!  (no piccies but they are on my blog, and two not one)

9) Knit some more wrister. Done! 

10) More wristers!  Not one but two pairs done!

and

11) Something else, not sure what will grab me - done!  A scarf for Chris' birthday this month. (he's blindfolded so he doesn't see it!)

And ... I've nearly finsihed the Vine Yoke Cardigan - everything is done except a wash and buttons.   

And ... started a cowl!  

I can't surpass that!

December knitting goals.

Not as many!

1) Finish Harmonia's Rings Cowl

2) Knit a pair of plain socks for Chris - this time for his Christmas present.

3) Finish my Lorna's Laces plain socks for me.

4) Buy buttons for Vine Yoke Cardigan and blog about it.

5) Start some lace. I've not done much this year.

6) Knit a baby boy outfit for a friend.

7) (I have to have seven things!)  Not sure what yet, surely not another garment!

I'm having a break for a few days, ah the luxury!

Harmonia's Rings Cowl

I've started a new project!  I keep a big bag of stash under the coffee table, which I rotate quite frequently. It tends to be stash which I may knit up in the coming month, and as I've been knitting wristers and small stuff recently, I'd put some Malabrigo in there. Last winter I knitted several Malabrigo wristers, and I've half a dozen skeins left over.  The red (two skeins and already wound, a big plus when it comes to choosing a new project to start now) was calling to me.  Harmonia's Rings Cowls looked ideal for the yarn, especially after checking out the Malabrigo versions on ravelry!

It's my first time knitting a Moebius strip, and wow!  The cast on is just amazing!  There's a link in the pattern to a Cat Bordhi video, very clear instructions. It took me two goes to get it right but I just love the concept.

With this knitting you need an extra long needle and cast on over the cable and the needle tip, and when you knit you are knitting a coiled needle (hence the very long one), and you're also knitting double the number of stitches, as you're following the edge, up and under.  

 

This is after two pattern repeats, just before increasing.  I know you only have to look at Malabrigo and it bobbles but I just love knitting with it, and it's the yarn of choice for neckwear, so soft and warm.  I cannot wait to be wearing this! I took this photo a few hours ago when we had some light (another gloomy, wet day in London).  I've worked the first lot of increases, and am eagerly wondering how to 'get out of the moebius' and do plain rounds.  I never read a pattern beforehand!

Vine yoke cardigan - the penultimate post

Because the next post on this garment will be the FO post!  It might not be for weeks yet, I need to give it a washing, a good blocking and find buttons.

But the knitting is done!

 

The sleeves are grafted and the two short underarm seams are sewn up.

 

I need to sew in the ends, find buttons (that's the one which will take a few weeks, involves me getting into town to see what there is) and a good washing/blocking.  I haven't been working on this long enough for it to get dirty, but the excess dye keeps coming off on my hands, so a wash might shift a bit more.

Surprisingly, apart from being a bit short, it's so stretchy that it doesn't feel snug.  I remember some wonder tops, which were barbie sized (practically) but could be s t r e t c h e d to fit, and this feels just like those tops.  One size fits all!

A very quick knit.  Can't wait to finish this off.

 

The next problem - what to do now!  I've only socks on the go at this moment!

Back to the Vine Yoke cardigan

I'm still knitting, but it's nearly finished!  I'm more than halfway through the left front - just another 20 rows of pattern and 15 rows of garter stitch for the button band, then the knitting's done.  Graft the sleeves, sew a short underarm seam, give it a wash and find buttons.  I suspect the latter will take weeks!  I think I may hold it up before washing to show how tiny it is. 

Here's the progress, taken last night without flash.  It's TEAL, not blue, but this shows the texture better.

and with flash, a better representation of the colour, though it's more saturated than this of course.

 

Now my tension was nearly spot on, a little bit of difference in stitch count, which might affect length, but I've added 8 stitches so that's not a problem.  Rows were exactly to pattern tension.  So how come when I've measured the width of the garment it's only 36"???  I'm hoping it's just the way I've laid it on the table!   We shall see...

Plain socks

No pictures of the Vine Yoke cardigan today.  I couldn't face bringing it into work (to take a daylight photo).  I have finished the second sleeve though, and couldn't resist knitting two rows on the left front before bed last night.  It's looking good.  How it will look after washing and blocking is anyone's guess.  And buttons.

So I have started the vibrant socks, and this is the progress today.  Very simple knitting, an inch of 2x2 ribbing and then a plain sock.  I usually use 2.25mm needles, but I've gone up to 2.5mm needles as these are for me and if they're a bit loosely knit, I don't care.

I think my love affair with Lorna's Laces may be at an end!  I really don't like these colours, and the way that they're knitting up.

 

Never mind. Leg done, heel flap started. I normally do a short row heel with LL, so as not to disturb the striping, but in this instance it might possibly improve the sock!

Halfway through the second sleeve

I'd have liked to have finished the sleeve, but I didn't do much knitting last night. I thought that I might frog the back and restart with one of the two remaining skeins, but I'd still need a bit of this skein to finish the cardigan, and it's better of on the back than on the front.

So here is progress. Second sleeve, approximately 50% done.

It's a little too large to carry around, so I've cast on a plain sock. Lorna's Laces, part of GK sock club last year, Hula Kolili.

In the skein it was lovely, orange, turquoise and purple. On the needles it's a bit ... seventies?

These would have to be for me, no-one else would like the colour (apart from Mr C, who might wear turquoise and orange, but possibly not purple).

Back - finished!

Getting there!

I had to rush outside and take a photo at 3pm today, before the light went, so this is progreess with another 30 odd rows to do (14 short rows and 16 rows for underarm, not whole rows).

This third skein of DIC is different from the first two, there's some streaking going on, but frankly not enough to bother me, it's more obvious in the photo.  But I will wind a 4th skein and use that for the second sleeve and the left front. 

Here's the back view at 3pm.

 

It's speeding along!  I might have to have a break soon though, I like several things on the go at once!

And onto the back

This is, on the whole, a fun knit. The fun part is things like short rowing, plugging your size numbers into the instructions, knitting a button band.  The not so fun bits are the bits where you're knitting X number of rows without any extra shaping or casting on.  I'm on that stretch now, knitting the back. I'm about 1/3 of the way through the back rows.  I had to force myself to continue until the second skein was used up (rather than start a small project).  The back's on top, with the right front underneath (button band peeping out on the left).

 

So this is two skeins in. I have five, which I now know will be plenty.  I'm thinking of missing out eight rows on the back, to give a little negative ease (and my back is narrower than my front).

This is a teal colour, much greener than shown.  Every time I work on this I've blue hands and nails. I need to buy a nailbrush to get my nails looking less 'dirty'.

I'm still thinking of casting on something small, this ia a bit big to carry around now, won't fit in a handbag!

Off Sleeve Island (until the next one)

The knitting for the Vine Yoke cardigan is going well.

I've knitted the right front and the right sleeve.  It's looking a  bit wide / flared but I'm leaving it as is.  I can't face frogging 60 odd rows to do some short rowing, I'll stick to the flared sleeves! Wider than the front!  I'll probably wear this with longer sleeves underneath.

I found that the short rows which were worked on the right front just before knitting the side rows  were very loose, so much so that I've sewn them up!  I just couldn't bear looking at them. I tried wrapping them but that just made a mess.  Dream in Color is very stretchy, any opportunity and the stitches grow. I had to tuck the tops of the stretched stitches over and sew them down too.  

I'm also hoping the yoke flattens out a bit!  But I'm not too fussed about a little bit of ruffling; it adds a bit of texture and interest to the garment.  So far so good, it's a fun knit!  My only gripe is the blue hands - the dye is dropping off the yarn!  I did a quick ravelry search and the consensus seems to be that this is extra dye and after washing I should be OK.

Vine Yoke Cardigan progress

Progress, what progress?

Cast on late Wednesday evening, button band worked.

Thursday I finished the front and started the sleeve.

Friday I decided it really might be too short, even if it dropped a few inches. So last night I started again, adding another 8 stitches to the length.

At 3pm today this was the progress, pretty much what it had been 24hrs earlier.

 

Just about finished that right front, again.  It's only 8 sts more, and it's still very short, but compare:

The original one is wrong side up, btw, in case you thought the pattern was vastly different!

I've nothing else on the needles, except those failed baby cardigans which haven't been frogged yet, so I will work on this today, with the help of the first Star Trek.  Hoping to finish that front and the sleeve before the next post!