skein

A few new projects on the needles

I've started a few more things!

Socks - nothing major, just some plain socks for me. These were meant to be carry along knitting but my second project is quite easy (a garment), so for the moment they're stuck in my knitting bag waiting their turn.

The yarn's Opal Rainforest, shade Zebra, though this is a very loose description; more white with random black dashes, rather than true zebra stripes.  I'm slowly working my way through the self patterning yarn!

Second new thing started is Erin, by Kim Hargreaves, knitted in Calmer's Slosh.  I'd read on ravlery that this knits up large (Calmer is quite stretchy, so Calmer cables have a bit more give than wool ones.  I've gone down to a 36" size (which I ain't!) and it seems as if it will fit me. I've finished the back and am now thinking about what size to knit the fronts - 36 or 38?  I may just knit the 36 and if it's looking snug, make slightly wider button bands.  It's very easy knitting, a cable every 12 rows.  TV knitting. Not reading knitting - my brain can't count 6x5 ribbing!

 

Now for the fronts!

Marvels of the Sunless Sea progress

One of my April knitting goals was to start the second half of this stole - knit the edging and then try to knit about half of the border (it's called the border, but it's the bottom section of the stole).  Well, it didn't happen.  I was more interested in new garments and getting through Foolish Virgins!  So this has been on hold throughout this month. Until Saturday, when I picked it up again. I knitted the edging on Saturday (sooooo boring!) and the rest today.  I'm very pleased with my progress, I've worked through the frist few charts and am nearly finished with the third one. Just have to find and wind that second skein of yarn!

 

It's not as interesting to look at as Foolish Virgins, but they're about the same level of knitting as each other, just different techniques.  Next time I take a photo of this I'll do it before the light fades and do a better close up!

New socks for Chris

Another pair of socks finished.  These are for Chris.  I hauled out the self patterning sock yarn box and asked him to choose the yarn. Me? I'd have rummaged around the box, shortened it down to six or so and then dithered for half an hour before making my decision.  Chris?  He just took two balls off the top of the pile, looked at them for three seconds and chose this one!

Yarn: No label, but it feels like a Stahl / Fortissima one. Softer and a bit thicker than Opal. Orange, brown, red.

Needles: 2.25mm dpns.

Pattern: Top down, ribbed socks with a heel flap and gusset. 

Started 30th March, finished 22nd April.

 

Not my colours, but they look much better knitted up! 

Foolish Virgin Scarf progress

Yes!  I've finished the front of the scarf! 

 

The left side is looking a bit scruffy, that's because I haven't yet given it a light steam press to stop it curling.

My favourite pattern to look at is the central part of the scarf.

 

I'm so pleased to have reached this point. If I wasn't knitting a backing the scarf would be done.  However, I'm still aiming to knit a striped back out of the remaining yarn - and I have a lot left!  I had to buy a second ball of the navy blue, and the apple yarn is nearly all gone, I possibly have enough to knit one stripe!

Not sure yet how I will attach the backing. I'm thinking that I will knit it separately, then join the sides with a narrow I-cord.  It would look great with the two sides back stitched, but the edge stitches are a bit uneven.   I might have a few weekends off first though. My lace stole has gone out of the window, for the moment, and I'm having a garment moment.  I've started Erin, a Kim Hargreaves cardigan, and have ordered yarn (what happened to knitting from stash?) for Preppy 2, from Rowan's Studio Nine. With the next three lined up under the coffee table. And of course if the weather gets very hot I'll be looking for summery garments as well. Eek!  

 

Neck down wrap cardigan

Pattern: Knitting Pure & Simple's Neck Down Wrap Cardigan (ravelry link here)

Started: 24th March, finished 16th April

Yarn: Dream in Color Classy, Wild Sea Flower (blues and purples mix)

Needles: 4.5mm

Modifications: Carried on casting off another 8 stitches on the sleeves, every 12 rows once I'd finished the pattern decreases.  My tension was 20sts, not 18sts (yes, I should have gone up a needle size!) so I knitted the next size up, sort of.  The Icord is attatched to the right front and is meant to go around your back, then in via the hole on the left seam to tie to the shorter I-cord on the left inner front. I decided to attach shorter i-cords to the right front and left side seam, as outer ties, and added ribbon t the left front and right side seam for inner ties.   I had a bit of a nightmare matching up skeins for the sleeves, I had two blue ones and one very purple one, and ended up doing two rows of blue then two rows of purple so the sleeves matched the body!

 

A lovely pattern, and easy knitting. 

I went to John Lewis yesterday and met up with knitting pal Jill. Of course we visited the knitting yarns!  Although the new Amy Butler range looked lovely and bright, instead of the insipid colours for some of their other ranges, I walked out with a pack of Wool Cotton instead, in a lovely fresh summer shade.

That's a lovely shade of green, not yellow!

I haven't cast on yet!  I've started my next garment for IntSweMoDo2010, number five. It's in Calmer, but I need to do more than an inch before I decide if it's a keeper or not!

Foolish Virgins progress

Another Saturday's knitting.  I've 22 more rows of Chart 2 to complete, and I find this chart a real pain, so I'm very pleased to have managed to get this far in one knitting session. It's such slow work.

 

I do believe that the next knitting session will be the final one for the front of the scarf!  After that I'll be able to work on this in the evenings (striped backing and no charts) and whenever I feel like picking it up.  I might have to have a Saturday knitting on my lace stole - it's in danger of turning into UFO status!

Wrap cardigan progress

I finished the body on Monday evening, and it's now Sunday and I'm still on the first sleeve!

I had a few hiccups. 

I thought I'd knit two sleeves at once, which turned out to be a bit fiddly when you have the body of the garment in-between!  I thought this might help with any variations in the handpainted yarn.  It's Dream in Colour, Wild Sea Flower, mainly blue with dashes of pink and purple, quite subtle.

After a few inches I noticed that this skein didn't have much pink/purple, and was mainly blue.  So I found another skein of yarn, with much more pink/purple, and thought I'd use this one instead.

After another few inches I realised this has far too much pink/purple!

See the difference - I promise, these are both Wild Sea Flower!

Never mind, I'd knit two alternating rows.   Great, but my knitting soon became a tangle. 

Cut the yarn on one sleeve, and only work on the other sleeve.

I change the rate of decrease.  The pattern has a lot of decreases at the start (top) of the sleeve, so the decreases will be finished by the time I reach the elbow.  I think it will look better with a slower rate of decrease.  Until I try it on and the sleeve is too baggy! 

Frog and start again. That's why it's taken me so long to knit a sleeve! 

 

Taken at 2pm.  I have succumbed to casting on another garment (just the cast on row!) but I think I will work on this one first.  Can't have too many WIPs!

I'm using the Hiya Hiya interchangeables, which come in a 40cm length, great for the top of the sleeve, and the cable is so flexible they're also great for magic loop. 

Not sure yet about the I-cord. It's meant to wrap around the back but I think I might not do that. I'm thinking of using a ribbon for the inner tie, securing the overlapped front, and a short I-cord to secure the overlapping front. 

Foolish Virgins progress

I'm getting there!  I've just started the mega Chart 2, and this will probably take me several weeks to complete. Then it's fairly quick knitting for the rest of the scarf. Oh, I've forgotten, I have a back to knit! 

 

The photo;s a bit dark, but that's because I took it tonight at 7pm. Some benefits to BST!

Meanwhile, I'm plodding along on the Neck down wrap cardigan.  Body is finished, and I'm trying to work both sleeves at once.  A bit awkward when there's a garment in between them! 

As if that isn't tempting enough I've just received Kim Hargreaves' new book Misty.  I love it!  I'm dithering between Peace, a cardigan in Rowan's handknit DK (I have the kit) or Erin, which is from her Heartfelt book, in Calmer (I have some Slosh in my stash).  Trying to resist casting on ...

Ulmus Shawl

(a bit windy!)

My third shawl for 10 shawls in 2010. 

Pattern: Ulmus

(ravelry link here)

Started: March 16th, finished knitting on April 2nd, blocked April 4th.

Needles 3.5mm

Yarn:  Handmaiden Casbah in greens, Nimu sock yarn in purples.

Approximate yardage used (based on weighing the remnants):41g of Casbah (115m) and 70g (280m) of Nimu.  Total metreage is therefore about 395m.

I enjoyed knitting this, once I'd deciphered the slip stitch symbols!  For some reason we have two different symbols when in fact one would have done for slipping the stitch.  This confused me as well, I started wondering if I should slip the stitch with yarn in front (towards me) or should I slip the stitch with yarn in front on public side?  I'm not the only one who was confused!  Anyone knitting this - you always slip the stitch with yarn in front (towards you) whether it's a wrong side or right side row.

I had three attempts at colour choices before settling for a green / purple. Love it!

 

Thanks to Brigid for bringing her shawl to IKL and getting us all enthused about this pattern!

A productive Easter break

I've had to change my usual Easter plans because the weather is so cold and wet and miserable. Usually I take this break as a chance to tidy up a bit.  Lots of spring cleaning, including windows and curtains.  Sort out winter clothes and pack them up. Get out summer clothes. Wash winter woollies and put them away. 

I've done a bit of light housework, but I'm still wearing the winter clothes!  And no way would any knitweear dry in this weather.

So I've been knitting.  Friday - finished Ulmus.  Saturday worked on Foolish Virgins and started the second half of Creatures of the Sunless Sea shawl (just). Sunday managed a good bit of plain knitting on the top down wrap cardigan, and blocked Ulmus.  

Today?  I thought I'd work on Foolish Virgins, but I think I may have to hunt the cotton stash!  I think it's vacuum packed under the bed sofa (and under the bed) but it's not with the rest of the packs of yarn. 

Meanwhile, here's the start of Creatures of the Sunless Sea.  Just started and knitted a few pattern repeats. This is the boring bit!

A new sock, started last week. I gave Chris the box of self patterning yarns, he picked up two balls (from the top of the box, no rummaging) and in about two seconds had chosen this one as his next pair, talk about an instant decision!  I'm not that keen on the colours, but then I'm not going to be wearing them.

My neckdown wrap cardigan is going well,. I have about 4" of knitting to do to complete the body of the garment (long rows, it's a wrap cardigan!) and then the sleeves.

 

This is why I'm getting a bit eager to rummage in the stash; at thsi stage I'm looking for the next garment!

We tried to take photos of Ulmus this morning, nice day, no rain - but - it's far too windy to hold up a shawl!  Shall try later on!