skein

Polka Dor Stole

This is my ninth shawl for 11shawls2011.  It ought to have been the Westknits Mystery KAL, but I'm afraid the colours really weren't working out.  It didn't help seeing some lovely colour choices on the revelry group!

So.  I had a quick look through my shawl patterns last week.  I fancied a summery shawl, chose the yarn as a wool.silk blend and a nice (to me!) summery colour.   The shawl I've chosen is one which I've had in my pattern stash for years.  I've not really given it much thought, it's in a colour which I don't much like and it's got kntted balls on the ends.  I've decided it will be MUCH better in pale green and minus the balls. 

It's a fun pattern, big and small circles.  

One point to note: the chart symbols  aren't the usual ones I expect from charted instructions.  I'm used to seeing a blank square as 'knit on rs, purl on ws' and in this instance it means 'knit on rs and ws'.  Took me a while to get used to this!    And so many charts - I'm sure they can be cut down (something like 18 charts!)  Some are only a few  rows long.  I'm on chart four now, and think charts two and three could have been put together.  Apart from this, it's a great pattern.

 

This part, the little circles is easy-peasy, and a bit addictive!

Mitred Crosses blanket

 

Pattern: Mitered Crosses blanket

Started: April 10th

Finished:  August 24th

Needles: 4mm

Yarn:  Noro Kureyon, shade 89, pink purple, five balls from stash

            Cascade 220,  Lavender, seven skeins

Although it has taken me four months to finish, it's actually a fairly quick knit. This is a  good portable project, just garter stitch mitred squares, and garter stitch rows. 

 

Because of the very slight difference in thickness of the two yarns  I had to wash and block each square to stop the Noro from bunching in the middle. This is not something I have ever done before, and not something I intend to do again!   I would far rather just steam block each bit, and seam.  Mind you, the Noro had been lying around for years.  Needed a wash!

I chose to join the blocks as per the instructions, picking up stitches on the edges to be joined,  then doing a three needle cast off, right sides facing. it leads to a little ridge in between the squares which I quite like.

 

Love this project, it's ideal for Noro and so easy to knit.   And proceeds for the pattern were for Japan.  Good on all points.

 

Mitred Crosses progress

It's done!   I've spent the little knitting time I've had this week knitting I-cord, dullest knitting in the world, as far as I'm concerned.   Last night I stayed up extra late (and slept in for work this morning!) to finish it all off and sew in the ends.

Tada!

Poor mobile photo very late at night.  I'm going to try to take some photos this weekend, hopefully our wet weather will improve enough for me to go outside and lay the blanket on dry grass.

This means I have four wips on the go - Chickadee, which has been neglected since the interesting bit has been knitted, two socks, and one lace stole.  I'm going to try to keep my wips down to four, see if I can finish something before casting on anything else, it's very tempting!

Cria

Cria is done!

 

Pattern: Cria

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino  11.5 balls (instead of just over 10!)

Needles: 3mm

Started: 19th June

Finished:  6th August

 

This is a top down design. You start at the garter stitch yoke, work short rows for the shoulders, incorporating set in sleeves as you go. 

 

Modifications:

* worked two extra rows before working the one row buttonhole.  As there is no edging/neckband I didn't want the buttonhole at the top. 

* worked 3 stitch buttonhole,  closer to the body of the garment, not so near the edge of the garment. I like my buttonholes to be slightly off centre, away from the edge,  so the buttonhole band isn't stretched out as much.  I don't like the ripply effect!

* worked short rows for the bust.  Rather than use Ysolda's calculation of where to start the short rows by your underbust measurement (if you have the book you'll know what I mean), I  measured from my shoulder for a rough idea.  My bust level fluctuates, depends on the bra! 

* the sleeves seemed quite wide, so I worked a size smaller, decreasing down across the first round after starting the sleeves. I omitted the plain rows before the first decrease too, though now I've finished the  sleeves they are still far too long. See below ...

* cuff buttonholes were 3 stitch, and worked further in from the edge.

* picked up and knitted stitches around the neckline, then knit the second row, decreasing down by a third.  Cast off tightly.  this was to pull the whole garment up and stabilise it a bit.

 

Baby cashmerino was not an ideal choice, though I like it much better now it's washed.  It's a droopy yarn and grows a lot. I've only ever used it for baby things, and the thicker weights of cashmerino in cable patterns, so didn't realise how much this would grow.   the sleeves have grown quite a bit, think it's the weight of the garter cuffs and buttons!   I'm thinking of cutting the cuffs off close to the start of them and pulling out about two more inches of sleeve, and grafting.   I really prefer my sleeves bracelet or wrist length, not covering my hands.   We took lots of photos trying to show off the cuffs:

 

and

but we thought this the best one:

And if I made this again?  I'd not cast on as many stitches at the very top of the sleeve (you knit front and back into this section, doubling the stitch count).  Probably omit the pockets too, but keep the pocket garter tops as decoration.  Nothing wrong with the pockets at ll, I'm just not a pocket person. 

A very interesting knit all in all, the work that has gone into the pattern's amazing!  I love Ysolda's way of showing the different sizes, with tables, right up my street!

Aestlight Shawl

Pattern: Aestlight

Started: July 31st

Finished: Augusts 14th

Needles: 3.5mm

Yarn: Natural Dye Studios Nymph, the second offering from the IKL (not just) Sock Club.

I'm keeping up!

(I don't normally wear shawls like this, unless they're the long shallow type)

A well written pattern, clear print, written and charted, and simple. 

 

Starting off with a garter stitch triangle, with an easy lace pattern, more garter stitch and then a simple lace edging.

 

I thought I might run out of yarn, so omitted the last two garter stitch rows before the edging. I need not have worried, I had 8g left over.

 

My eigth shawl for 11shawls2011.  Alas, my Westknits Mystery Shawl is no more: the colours weren't working out, looked a bit bright and garish to me.  Never fear, I have another shawl on the needles already!  it's  a stole, so won't be a quick knit.  More when I have photos!

 

Mitred Crosses progress - row 3

Another row is completed,   I have just one more row to go, and that's only two rectangles.  Then the I-cord. 

Getting bigger! 

I'm hoping to have the last two rectangels blocked by the end of the weekend. Soon!

 

Lorna's Laces socks

Well it took me a while, but they're now finished!  I usually knit a pair ofplain socks each month, but these have taken a few months, just other things getting in the way.

 

Plain top down socks, 60 stitches on 2.25mm needles, with a short row heel.  The colour's Hawaii, a much more vibrant colour than shown below  I seem to have misplaced my camera and had to use the mobile phone.

Started July 3rd, finished August 14th.

 

It's been a few years since I joined any sock knitalongs, but SKA (sock kniter's anonymous) are starting their next annual KAL in September, and I'm thinking of participating. Not that I've finished any of the current 2011 knitalongs or anything ...

 

Westknits Mystery KAL

If you're knitting this and don't want a surprise, click away now!

This is a mystery kal, in four clues.  The first three have been published.

I wasn't impressed with my final colour choices at the end of clue one, but thougth it best to knit more before deciding if this was a keeper or not. 

Clue two:

That's red, not pink.  I wasn't too sure of the blue.  I like the green.

When clue three was published last Friday, I decided to reknit the first two clues with a different colour choice - red, green and dark teal. 

MUCH happier with these colours.  This had been my first choice of colours, but when the dark teal arrived I thought it might be a bit too dark.  Not so. I am rubbish at choosing colours! 

I've only this and Chickadee on the needles, so hopefully will get a good bit of shawl knitting done this week, ready for the final clue!  (That means that my Aestlight shawl is blocked, and my socks are finished - more blog fodder!)

 

More Mitred Crosses progress

It is slow, but I'm getting there!  I don't enjoy this bit, so I mix it up with lots of other nice stuff, like knitting.

Row 2 consists of two rectangles, squares with extra garter stitch bits attached.  Which means I have to do just one join.

 Then I can join the two rows!

 

Halfway there, apart from the edging.

Westknits Mystery KAL, Aestlight Shawl, Chickadee

A knitting catch up.  Although I don't have many things on the go at the moment (well five, but that isn't many, is it?)  I don't seem to be making much progress!

New garment alert.  Chickadee! 

I'm on the boring bit now.  It's where the rows are still getting longer, before I start working the sleeves and body separately.  I'm past the yoke pattern, and only realised last night that I'd misread the chart and missed out a red stitch.  I'm going to swiss darn it, no way am I frogging all this work!  My fault, there is a funny stitch, shown as the bird colour but with a circle in it, and i misread the instructions, thought that I had to work this in background colour. 

It's all scrunched up and messy looking at the moment. Doesn't help that my needles are 80cm length! 

Aestlight Shawl

This is knitted in the IKL (not just) sock club yarn.  IT'S NOT THIS COLOUR!   My camera refuses to photograph the correct green, which is much fresher, more yellow This is very blue.  It's more like the green int he Westknits Shawl below.

I've done the boring garter stitch and am now on the Bird's Eye Lace bit, which I am not enjoying, can't get into it at all. I have one more pattern repeat to do.  The pattern itself if very clear and well written, it's the lace bit I don't like knitting!

 

Finally, Westknits Mystery shawl KAL.

This is after clue 2.  Main colour is red, with green and blue being secondary.  I thought I might knit three samples, each with red and green, but with a third colour teal  and lupin.  I think I'll stick with this one though.  It's bright!

Clue 3 is up already, so I may get going on this over the weekend (if Chickadee and Aestlight aren't calling to me).