skein

A few new projects before the end of the month

OK first the easy knitting.

I started my 11th NaKniSweMoDo last Sunday. It's a stranded cardigan, but has nearly 4" of ribbing.  That tided me over for a while, but when I hit the stranded knitting it was no long a portable project, so I've started some plain socks.  From the Get Knitted Lorna's Laces sock club, this colour's called Laendler, blues and pink. As usual, they're striping!  I lurve LL colours, especially as, so far, they always knit up for me as narrow stripes, no surprises.

 

And the next garment for NaKniSweMoDo!  It's #11!

I fell in love with Rowan's silky tweed when we were in Peter Jones a few weeks ago.  Unfortunately, I did not have my knitting thinking head on at the time.  I chose to knit a Rowan stranded cardigan.  I do not get on with Rowan when it comes to stranded colourwork.  Their patterns are worked in pieces. Their colour patterns often mean odd rows of colours which are then broken and rejoined at the other end.  Their charts are dismal. And silky tweed is nearly aran weight. Give me 4ply and steeks!  This pattern has increases at the sides, which mean the pattern is disrupted. Set in sleeves mean the pattern isn't matched exactly either, another bug bear.

Chart problem - I reworked it in excel, so it's now a very much larger colour chart.

Aran weight stranded colour work - I'm doing it with a heavy heart.  That's another thing about knitting with finer yarns - you can knit more stitches before having to catch up the strand. I've decided to weave in every 4th stitch if I need to, which isn't often, there's only 3 out of 20 rows where there's more than 3 stitches.

Pieces - I'm knitting the body in one piece up the armholes, which means each row takes a long time.  I think I'll knit the rest of the body in pieces.  The nearest I can think of to match sleeve pattern with body is to ensure that when I cast off the sleeves for the start of the armhole shaping, I am on the exact same row as I was for the body.  The very top of the set in sleeve cap won't match of course, but it will look a lot better.  I'll be able to measure the body for a very good length estimate for the sleeves, to see whereabouts in the pattern I cast on. I will have leeway - the sleeves have about 4" of ribbing, which I can adjust.

I've been dragging out this knitting, didn't like the look of the pattern, the colours together, but it's amazing what a quick steam press can do!  The pattern shows up more, and it looks quite even.

 

I like it now, even the row with three colours!

 

I'm tempted to cast on another cardigan in Felted Tweed - stop me!

Neck down scoop t-shirt - NaKniSweMoDo #10!

Pattern: Neck down scoop neck t-shirt by Knitting Pure and Simple

Started: 12th August

Finished: 22nd August

Needles: 3.75mm

Yarn: Elann Sonata, mercerised cotton, 8.5 balls.

Modifications: I decreased stitches on the sleeve at a faster rate, as I wanted sleeves a few inches shorter than in the pattern.

Highly patterned!  I do like this pattern, it's so simple, and I thought it could handle the variegated yarn! Oh, that crease down the front?  I gave it a quick press before putting it on, just not very well.

I'm now knitting up #11, with plans for #12 (well I have plans for #12 - #14!).  I think, though, that after #12 I will have a month of knitting small stuff, like hats and gloves. 

Number 11 will be blogged tomorrow, Sunday. Until I steamed it a little I had mixed feelings about it, but now it's pressed I love it!  More tomorrow ;)

Muse - NaKniSweMoDo #9

Pattern: Muse from Rowan Classic Reminiscence.

Yarn: Rowan Pima Cotton dk, colour Skipper, 11.5 skeins

Needles: 3.5mm

Started: 30th July

Finished: 22nd August

Modifications:  I knitted about 1.5" less on the sleeve length, and they're still long!

 

I don't think that I added length to the body, but it seems a bit longer than the modelled pose in the book. 

Border:  I picked up far less stitches than specified in the book. This is a garter stitch border, and good old Martin Storey wanted me to pick up pracically a stitch per row. I originally tried 4 sts/5 rows on the straight bit, and 5 sts/6 rows on the sloped bit, but I thought it was a bit baggy so went back and picked up 3sts/4rows and 4sts/5rows on smaller needles, much better.

 

Buttons - three smaller instead of two larger. 

The yarn is easy on the hands, but splitty. The cardigan is surprisingly very comfortable to wear, despite having long, floppy sleeves.  I thought they'd drive me mad, but I don't notice at all.

I'm now on #10, and it's going well, though the pooling is rather alarming!  What to start next?  I was going to start a woolly one, either one for me in the new Rowan Silky Tweed, or one for a friend, in some Cascade 220, but our summer has returned, so I may put it off for a week, instead concentrate on a little something (socks, baby or scarf). We shall see how the day progresses!

NaKniSweMoDo progress

Nothing finished!   I'm quietly knitting away on number 9 (Muse) and have started number 10 (Scoop neck t-shirt).  It's weird not having a portable small thing to carry around with me, but I'm determined to have a go at finishing both of these this month, and starting on number 11!

So, new one.  Number 10.  It's the Top Down Scoop Neck T-shirt (ravelry link) from Knitting Pure & Simple.  I've knitted this pattern before, in Rowan Damask, and loved it.  The yarn is ... busy.  Variegated black, pink, mushroom and white.   Really, this has to be knitted in st.st. Nothing else would show up!  It's Elann's sonata, a mercerised cotton.  It's a nice change from Rowan's Pima cotton, which, although easier on the hands, is splitty.

This photo was taken on Sunday, 4 balls in. I've not worked on it since (trying to finish Muse!)

I've knitted the crew neck top down t-shirt in Elann Sonata too, black and white, so I know what to expect with the patterning.  I'm hoping to work on this over the weekend, see if I can get the body done (though that's a tall order!)

Now for Muse.

I've knitted back, two fronts, using short rows to shape the shoulders and joining with a three needle cast off.  I finished the first sleeve last weekend, but thought it looked a little long, so I tacked it into place and it is too long.  So I'm going to frog back and start the armhole shaping an inch earlier.   I always have this problem!  I don't have short arms, but I suspect that a lot of the Rowan models have monkey arms :).  Although I ought to have checked out the photo.

 

Well past her wrist and there's that excess material by her elbow!  I don't really do very long sleeves, can't abide them on my hands (and they interfere with dpns).  I've shortened them by a good 5cm.

Not the greatest photo. It was 7am this morning, I was in a hurry, and the concrete 'grabs' the knitting, so they aren't really as different in length as shown here.

Unless something seriously distracts me from my knitting this evening I'm hoping to finish both sleeves tonight. Then it's border, buttons, seaming and ends.  So close to finishing #9.

Waterlily socks

Pattern:  Waterlily socks by Sivia Harding (available as a ravelry download here)
Started: July 26th
Finished: August 8th
Yarn: Yarn Yard's Toddy
Needles: 2.25mm

Lovely pattern, lovely yarn. I made no modifications.  Sometimes it's lovely to just have a teeny tiny bit of lace and a few beads.

I have no socks on the needles!  I intend knuckling down and concentrating on NaKniSweMoDo09 for the rest of the month (with possibly a small baby garment break). 

I've started the sleeves for garment #9, Muse - ravelry link (boring bit now).  I've started #10, Knitting Pure & Simple's Scoop neck t-shirt (but the yarn is quite lively and variegated, still not sure about this one!), and want to start #11 by the end of the month, better get knitting!

Oh, and a very happy birthday to my brother John, who is 46 today!

Mystery Blanket August squares.

Another five squares completed.

34 some colour changes and texture

41 - beads, bobbles, cabling

44 - beads, bobbles and a bit of texture

46 - same as square 44 but different colours

45 - beads and swiss darning

Here's the blanket at the moment, with the first three strips sewn together.

Just another two months to go - that's nine squares plus border.  I'm presuming it'll be like last years, and in our last package we'll have the four remaining squares of the central stripe (including the unique centre square) and the border, so next month we'll be able to sew the last three strips together.  It's gone so fast!  An ideal way to knit a small blanket, this mystery blanket knitalong!

Striped socks, and progress on Waterlily socks

I'm determined to knit up some of my self striping yarn, and this has been in my stash for years.  No wonder, I don't like the colour at all!

Pattern: top down, plain with 64 stitches, heel flap and gusset.
Needles: 2.25mm circular
Started: 27th July
Finished: 7th August
Yarn: Socka 2000 Cotton Colori

I believe that this was in a mixed box of yarn ordered from a German supplier several years ago, before it was readily available in the UK. 

One more ball gone from the self striping box!

I've also made some progress with the Waterlily socks - both heel flaps and gussets are finished, just the foot left.  I'm hoping to have these finished by the end of next week, just plain knitting now for the commute.

Now onto serious garment knitting.  I'm working on Muse, still, on the left front.  Hopefully finished today. 

I did buy some more yarn yesterday, which is sitting here next to the knitting chair tempting me!

It's Rowan's new Silky tweed - looks wonderful.  I haven't even tried it out yet, but I've bought a garment's worth of yarn (and as it's a colourwork sweater there'll be enough for other things, such as hats or gloves).  I'm thinking hard about the design though. As with all of Rowan's designs, it's knitted in pieces, not a great idea for a stranded design.  And usually I find that the sleeves don't match up.  I can't see from the design, will need to investigate.  One option is to possibly change the design to a yoked cardigan, or a raglan, where I can knit the body in one piece to the armholes, then join sleeves and body and knit a yoke or raglan. I'm going to think about if for a few weeks, if I can hold off starting it!

On the needles

1)   NaKniSweMoDo #9 (I can't believe I'm on #9!)

Here's my next garment - it's Muse from Rowan Classic Reminiscence, knitted in Pima Cotton DK.

The back:

That was taken at the weekend - it's not been worked on at all this week, as I've been trying to get my Mystery Blanket squares finished (three down, two to go). Quite a quick knit I started it on Thursday (had the day off work) and finished this back Sunday afternoon. 

2) Plain boring socks

Socka 2000, cotton color, and I've handwritten 'Folklore' on the label (yes, it still has its label!).  Not my colours at all, but I'm trying to get through the sock stash.  I expect these will go in the gifts box.  I've since finished sock #1 and am at the heel of sock #2. 

3) Waterlily socks

I'm trying to knit one leg, then the other, and I'll be working on both heels at once (on separate needles; two socks on one long circular does my head in).  A lovely pattern, with beads and lace - but nothing too complicated. The yarn is Yarn Yard's Toddy, a merrino/nylon blend, very nice to work with. This colour's a teal/grey mix.

Not the best pictures, I was in a hurry trying to get a little bit of daylight and avoid the rain!

This week I'm working on the blanket squares, but I should have the weekend free to work on either 1, 2 or 3 (or all!)

July round up and August knitting plans

It has been another great month for knitting! But how did I do?

July's goals
1) Finish Hey Teach cardigan for NaKniSweMoDo #7. Done!

2) Start NaKniSweMoDo #8.  Louisa Harding's Tide, in Glimmer. (Ravelry link). Done!

3) Debbie Abraham's Mystery Blanket July squares.  And seam strips 1 and 2.Done!

4) SolidSocks knitalong - blue socks.Change of plan!  I used the blue sock yarn to knit a Milkweed shawl.#

5) Socktapus socks - done!

6) Knit some dishcloths. Done!

7) the little extra.  Turned out to be a pair of Lorna's laces socks. Done!

 

A very successful month! 
That's not all.  These were all finished with a week left! So I've started another few pairs of socks and a garment ...

August Goals

1) Knit the Mystery Blanket squares for August.  Just September and October left. It's gone so quickly! No new surprises at this late stage.

2) Finish NaKniSweMoDo #9.  Yes, it's already on the needles!  It's Muse, in Rowan's Pima Cotton DK.  I've already had to start over as I'd forgotton some of the shaping right near the cast on.

3) Rip out Krista (did I blog about this? It's lovely but I decided I'd prefer a more solid fabric, otherwise I'd have to buy some suitable underwear to cover the bra.  Use the yarn, Elann's Coto Canapone to knit another summer top (should we get hot weather).  This should be a quick knit - it'll be NaKniSweMoDo #10!

4) Finish (yes, these are started) some Waterlily socks.

5) Finish some plain self striping socks. I've started these, but the colours just aren't me.  I'll probably save them for gifts.

6) Start NaKniSweMoDo #11! I have no idea what, yet.

7) Another little something, to be decided.

Better get knitting!