skein

Knitting revisited - The first Mystery Blanket

I'm amazed with myself. I literally sign into Typepad and then decide on which knitting I'll write about, no dithering at all.

This week it's the first Debbie Abrahams Mystery blanket, In the Country.   On Jill's recommendation I signed up for Debbie's first Mystery Blanket.  She knew Debbie, had been at her workshops and thought it would be a great pattern.

Which it was.  Each month we'd get a parcel, with yarn, pattern for several squares and sometimes beads. There's a ravelry group too.  January to October 2008 (or longer, if you didn't keep up!)

The yarn was mostly Rowan's Wool Cotton DK and it was such fun to knit.  The first few months we all tried to guess the theme / name of the blanket. Several people backed theirs too. I don't have the sewing skills necessary!

I signed up for the next Mystery Blanket too, and even knitted Mr C a blanket from one of her blanket books.  I was very tempted to join this year, but by the time I got around to looking it was full! 

Ravelry link here, blog link here.

 

 

Sideways Babe

This is a pattern I've had a while but was uninspired to knit until a few weeks ago, when I went home to visit my parents and wanted an easy knit.  It's a seamless, sideways knit baby cardigan, with a garter bodice and a garter ridge pattern on the bottom half of the cardigan. 

Pattern: Sideways Babe

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK, 3 balls from stash

Needles: 3.5mm

Size: 9 months.

There are two sleeve options, short or long, and I chose long. There's also detacheable long sleeves, which are attached wtih buttons to the short sleeves,  I couldn't rally imagine this as a summery cardigan, with the dk wool, so opted for the long sleeves. 

This photo shows the texture a bit better. It's draped over a bush (so the light hits it sideways) hence the odd shape!

The finished cardigan is lovely. I can see me knitting more of these in the future!  It's also from my ravelry library, I'm trying to knit up a few of the patterns I keep buying! 

 

This weekend I've...

finished my 20th book (I include audiobooks so they don't imp0ose on knitting time)

sewn buttons on Audrey in Unst, finally

knitted a little bit on my sock

Knitted up to the armholes on Honeybee

... and started the sleeve

Knitted not one

but three dishcloths

I needed a few more, and prefer the single, lighter colour dishcloths.  The darker, multi colour one is for Mr C for the boat. Great to use up oddments of yarn. 

So back to three wips.  I'm going to work on Honeybee and socks this week, ready for new projects in July!

Knitting revisited - Striped Illusion scarf

I've decided on a  scarf today. Not an Epic project (I have several 'scarves which I think of as Epic!), i fact rather a quick and easy project. The Striped Illusion Scarf.  The illusion bit comes from the clever way the stripes of colour are knitted, so that it looks layered. 

This was a surprise Christmas present for Mr C, which is why he is blindfolded (his pirates neckerchief, I think!).  He knows he gets socks, but I wanted an extra gift.  It's Artesano Aran, a nice warm yarn.  I modified the pattern so that it has a ribbed bit for the back of the neck, and worked the pattern on the two tails.  

Considering that this was a stealth project and I couldn't knit it with him around, I did quite well, knitting this in four days in November 2009!

Ravelry link here and blog post here. 

Olearis baby cardigan

I've had this finished for a while, just haven't gotten around to taking photos.

It's for 18 month old Polena, but I've knitted the 2yo size so she can wear it in the cooler months (ha! but she lives in Moscow, sometimes they have hot summers)

Pattern: Olearis

Start / finish 19th May to June 4th

Yarn Louisa Harding Kashmir DK, 3 skeins (I think, but might be 4. it seemed to eat up the yarn)

Needles 3.5mm, but 2.75mm for some of the garter edgings.

I can't say I'm keen on this yarn. I've used it before for baby stuff, didn't like it then either.  I had a pack of this colour. Not sure if I should get rid of the rest or keep trying to use it for small stuff!

This pattern has ruffly bits - where you double the stitch count and then after several rows decrease back. Can't say it's my favourite knitting either!  It's a seamless pattern though. If I knit it again I'll use some sort of lighter yarn as this Kashmir seems a bit heavy to me. (Yes, it's 50g with the same yardage as other dk yarns, so that doesn't make sense does it?)  

I have more of this in Ink ...

 

Honeybee cardigan process over the weekend

Not much knitting done this weekend.  I finished off another baby cardigan, meaning that on Saturday I had ONE WIP on the go. 

It's the Honeybee cardigan, which I haven't really picked up for a few weeks, had to have a quick look at the pattern again to remind myself!

Six more repeats done, meaning that it looks like this:

Apologies for the dismal photo, taken this morning in dim light. Where's the sun gone?

It means that I have about three more repeats to go before I reach the armholes.  Then I put this aside and knit plain sleeves, join them all up and do some sort of set in sleeve and shoulder shaping as I knit the whole garment. Not looking forward to that!  But then it's nearly done, and I'll just have bands to do, minimum finishing.

I can't quite manage just on one WIP, so I've cast on some socks. Rather than knitting them plain, I'm knitting an Anne Hanson patttern, Longjohn Socks. A very subtle pattern, just adding a bit of texture and interest.  A simple four row pattern.

The yarn is Yarn Yard's SSS4 yarn.  I usually get one skein, not enough for socks for me unless they're short. Now Toddy is a favourite sock yarn, and I love this vibrant green, and luckily for me I accidentally received two skeins so socks it is!  A very cheery col0ur/ 

Knitting revisited - Bee Fields Shawl

I've chosen this project as I'm currently knitting a cardigan (MUST pick it up again) with the same Bee pattern.

It's the Bee Fields shawl by Anne Hanson. I think I may have fell in love with this shawl because of the lovely colour. I'm always surprised just how influenced I am by the colour of a pattern, rather than the pattern itself.  If it's in an unappealing colour then I hardly give it a second glance, unless someone has pointed it out to me, and then I'll go and look at the projects on ravelry and usually be swayed.

I actually knitted this in the given yarn and colour!  It's a light green with a hint of yellow.  I don't think my photos at the time were that accurate.

The Bee pattern is lace knitted on both sides, but it's a very easy to memorise pattern.  Love, love love the row where you knit all the yarnovers from previous rows to form the bee!  I remember my weakness in this pattern - it's that row, where you also have to cast on sttiches. I invariably forgot at least once in that row!  So far, with my cardigan, I've always remembered...

Ravelry link here and blog here.

Opal Surprise socks for Mr C

I had a flying visit home this past weekend, and  dod tje isia;. 

 

 

This past weekend I went home to see my parents and siblings.  As usual I took far too much knittng!

Sock - one foot to knit

Yarn and needles tor the Sideways Baby baby cardigan (three balls of dk)

Yarn and needles for the Honeybee Cardigan sleeve, should I run out of knitting.

Despite knitting a lot I only managed to finish one thing, these socks! 

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My self patterning sock yarn is running low, and Mr C's choice of yarn was pretty limited, but he chose this yarn (probalby the yellow!)

These have taken two months to knit!  Not a lot of knitting time involved, but lots of destractions in the form of other knitting!  And Mr C, after modelling them for me, hadned them back. He thought I'd be putting them away for his birthday or Christmas!  I've said he can keep these ones and I'll knit more for December.

 

 

 

 

Knitting revisited - Cheesehands

Cheesehands. I deem this an Epic Project, despite being a pair of fingerless mitts.

Why? Because this was my first attempt at Double Knitting.  ALl new to me. I had to get my head around the mechanics of it, learn how to increase for a thumb gusset (pretty awkward!), correct mistakes.  

Double knitting produces a double layered fabric.  There's nothign stopping you from knitting in one colour, or having one side with the knits showing and the other with pruls showing, or ven trying out textured double knitting (probably using one colour, though the mind boggles at the thought of textrue and colour).

The stitches for both sides sit next to each other, so you are alternating working a stitch for the near side, and then a stitch for the far side. As I was knitting in the round all of my near side stitches were knitted, and all of my far side stitches were purled, which is another rason this was epic, working mitts in rib with two strands!

Nevertheless I loved working them. I loved the colours. They remind me of an old clicek and play game called Day of the Tentacle!

Ravelry link here and blog here.

Summer Days shrug for a toddler

I love this little shrug!

Pattern:  Summer Days

Start/finish:  May 27-June 04 (I finished this in a few days, but the washing and sewing on of buttons took a lot longer!)

Needles: 3.25/2.75mm

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino  from stash about 1.5 balls.  

Size: 18months

ONE photo taken!  It was so bright outside I couldn't see my phone screen and just pointed vaguely at the shrug, hoped it was in shot!!

 This is a top down pattern, with sleeves (and puffiness) knitted as you go. I really like this method of construction. Always a pleasure to knit with Baby Cashmerino too. I found this in the stash. Thought I had five balls, but on closer inspection (ie opened bag) I found I only had two balls, and three of DK weight.

Just the thing for summer.  With a short length and short sleeves hopefully Polena will get a bit more wear out of it too, it won't look like she's grown out of it as quickly. Another pattern I'm glad to have come across and will be a useful summer child's shrug pattern.  It's knitted for a sport weight yarn and sizes range from 6 months to 14 years.