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!