skein

Ravellenic games, my final project

It's TGV (High Speed Knitting), though mine is not going as swiftly as I'd planned. In fact, it might be a rush to finish this by Sunday's Closing Ceremony!

The yarn is Easyknit's DW Plump, in Honey, a heavy 4ply/sport weight yarn.  The shawlette calls for one skein of sock yarn (though of course you can knit this in any weight and any yardage)  so I thought that I'd use both skeins and knit a larger shawl.  

Attempt #1: knitted  on 3.75mm, but thought the garter stitch section could do with being a bit looser.  Frogged.

Attempt #2: changed to 4mm needles.  Knitted the garter section and was a few inches into the ribbing section when I spotted a little bit of uneven garter, where I'd picked up a dropped stitch and missed out a garter ridge.  It wasn't too obvious on the WS, where there was an extra purl stitch, but quite glaring on the RS, with a knit stitch, so I tried to frog back a and rectify.  Except it looked a bit shoddy and uneven!  Frogged it all.

Attempt #3 (so far so good!).  I'd seen some TGVs in self striping yarn - those yarns with looong stripes.  And managed to hunt down the three balls in my stash!  Noro Kureyon sock, Noro Silk Garden Lite and Zauberball.  Zauberball on 3.75mm needles it is then.  

I'm really pleased that this has happened.  Although the Plump looked great, it's only after using a finer yarn that I realise I prefer the drapier look, and that if I'd chosen the Plump, I should have gone up to 4.5mm needles.  So all's well.  I think I can knit 400 odd yards in a weekend, can't I?

Babette tada!

I have finally, finally finished Babette!  Unfortunately the photos are rubbish!  I tried to get some shots over the weekend, but my mobile has gone the same way as my camera, seems to overexpose unless I get close.  Oh well, you get the gist.

 

I used the remnants from Groovyghan,  Stylecraft Special DK ACRYLIC.  Which works out fine for crochet blankets.  I had to buy extra balls of yarn, some colours which I'd used more than others in the Groovyghan.  Turquoise, red, yellow orange... 

 

Instead of plain trebles, I did granny squares, clusters of three trebbles. Much easier to do and less fiddly on the corners, crocheting into spaces!

 

This was started in September, and finished in Gebruary, as part of the ravellenic games.  It has been sitting in a bag in the living room for months. I nearly lost motivation but am so pleased to have finished at last.  The sewing up of the squares, and darning of the ends very nearly killed me!  But I'm so pleased to have a Babette at long last!

 

I may have more in my future, just not for a while!  I'd really like to try one in more subtle colours, and 4ply.  I once crocheted a koigu square. Blocked out wonderfully.  That's what wool has over acrylic.   

 

A few ravellenic FOs

Phew!  A few finished projects, at last!

First up is the dishcloth, the usual plain pattern, which I much prefer (to knit and use).

The challenge here was to knit the thing!  I've been thinking about knitting it for months.   The yarn is Anchor Magic, a gently striping cotton.  OK, but my favourite yarn for dishcloths is Rowan's Handknit DK Cotton.  I'm starting to regret using most of my stash up on a crochet blanket! 

This little item qualifies for the green eventhome, and purple events eventskein and eventstash!  

The second FO is the From Russia with Love Cowl,  It's a simple mosaic pattern.  I haven't blocked it (probably won't but will wash and lay flat this weekend, to even out the stitches).  I haven't managed to get an outdoor shot either!  But at least the purple doesn't look as pink as it does at home under tungsten lights!  The colours are purple and a light lime, though the lime looks washed out in these shots.

The yarn is Biggan Wool dk, the last two balls in stash!  I gave a lot to a friend who was crocheting blankets, and some to my niece.  Glad I kept these two they're ideal for this pattern.   

Another shot of the ciwl.  It looks quite light, close up, but actually overall looks purple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This is entered in the green eventcowl, and purple eventstash and eventcolorwork!

 

 

Ravellenics days 1, 2 and 3

NOT a great start to the Games!   More training needed!

I  thought that I had it sussed.  Get in from work, get changed, eat, sit down and cast on.  Well, I dithered a bit.  Even napped. So it was 10pm before I sat down to knit From Russia with Love, a mosaic cowl pattern from Stitchnerd.  

Saturday saw me frogging it.  I swapped the MC and CC, so that the lighter colour was MC.  Knit, knit, knit, all afternoon.  Time for a change. Let's cast on another cowl.  Except I needed to choose another pattern, and that meant getting onto ravelry and investigating projects for each patttern.  my space-time continuum distored, and before i knew it, many hours had passed.  

Sunday morning was yarn choosing day.  I'd dug out a lot of the dk 'cowl'  yarns, but wanted to see them in daylight.  Narrowed it down to a handful.  Decided that the red 4ply for the TGV shawl wasn't what I wanted, and found some Easyknits DW Plump, in Honey (not as orange as this, but certainly an orange rich honey shade).

Now for the next cowl.  I've chosen Swithways, whic seems suited to a nearly solid yarn.  I've chosen Manos Maxima.  Cast on, knitted an inch, and arghhh! I've knitted in some wool from the other cowl, which I'd left lying on the floor next to me, not in a knitting project bag!  So more frogging.  As of bedtime last night I'd knitted an inch. BUT have now decided to frog this too, and restart on larger needles!  I had a needle cull a few years ago, gave away a lot of the larger needles, and most of my needle sets, which would have been so handy right now!  I must learn that I flit between favourite needles, and what may be out of favour one minute might be in favour the next!  I do have larger sizes, but not many in 60cm length, and quite a few cables have become more rigid over the years. 

Tonight I'll work on From Russia with Love.  I'm about a third done.  The colours are lime and a red purple, Biggan dk.

 

 

Ravellenic Games begin today!

Unfortunately I'll still be at work and will be at least three hours behind.

I thought that I had it sussed.  Two WIPs, a dishcloth, a shawl and a cowl, to begin.  But last night Follow my Arrow was frogged.   

My needle unscrewed from the cable, and I didn't notice until half of the row had fallen off!  Under normal circumstances I'd have slowly picked up the stitches, possible tinking back a row if too many SSK had come undone,  But I had a few reservationa about this shawl. 

1) Having seen the spoiler photos I much preferred the single colour shawls, especially  in lighter shades which show off the lace and texture.

2)  I chose my two shades as contrasting - light and dark, anticiapting a narrow striped shawl, rather than one with bit bigs of one colour.  

3) It would have looked a lot better if Colour 1 was the lighter colour.

I took a photo before frogging, which shows off the asymmetrical shape.  Pattern options were BBB.

This is the second project I've frogged this year!  I wonder if I'm becoming a bit more selective, or impatient! 

So it's frogged, one less WIP to do for Ravellenics, leaving me with just one WIP!! Really!  It's the Babette blanket and I WILL finish it!  I've decided on a plain border, just granny stripes.  I'm limited to colours so (so far) it's yellow and turquoise.  I have  raspberry, orange and red in large enough quantities.  I'm thinking of either orange or raspberry at this stage.  

Ravellenic Games, here I come!

February knitting plans

Ravellenic Games!  Yes, I'm participating again. A few months ago Yvonne mentioned a ravelry group, Stitchnerds, to me, a friendly group with easy carry-along cowl, scarf and shawl patterns.The  Ravellenic Games seems an ideal time to start knitting these designs, so Team Stichnerds it is!

This weekend I started the preparation.

Stash diving in the dk oddball stash, thankfully not a large stash! I've selected a small bag of possible yarns for cowls. 

Clearing the decks - I've frogged Kraka!  Love the finished design but the knitting mojo had gone. I found it nigh on impossible to summon up any enthusiasm for this project, so the needles have been pulled out and the Kauni returned to stash.

Babette time!  Another not much loved project. I find if it's hanging around for months I lose interest.  Not a person who has any old UFOs!  When I pulled this out though I was pleasantly surprised to see just how much work had already been done.  All of the squares were crocheted.  Eight of the ten strips were completed.  Just squares for the final two strips needed to be sewn together.  Did I say 'just'?  It took me nearly a whole weekend!  But they're all done. I've even joined nine strips together. One more long strip to sew to the rest of the blanket and the centre is done.  Just borders to do.  That's decision time, too.  I keep thinking that I ought to use all of the small balls up, doing a sort of multi-coloured round, but it might be too busy.  I do have enough of a few colours (I think!) to work complete rounds. That might be the way to go.

And now for the February knitting plans.

Anyone not familiar with the Ravellenic events just ignore that bit!

1) Finish Babette (WIPs Wrestling)

2) A Stitchnerd shawl. Probably TGV, or Hogwart's Express (Short-track Shawls)

3) From Russia with Love cowl (Cross Cowling)

4) Another Stitchnerd cowl pattern (Cross Cowling)

5) A dishcloth (Alpine Abode Enhancement)

6) Finish Follwo my Arrow MKAL (WIPs Wrestling).

7) In the rare event that I'll finish all of my Ravellenic projects, and have nothing on the needles AT ALL  onn 24th February, this will be what I;ll be knitting heading for March!

In addition to these events, there are Purple events, sub categories of the main events.  I intend to enter these too!  So far it's Nordic Colorwork Combined, Single Skein Speed Skate, and Stash Skeleton.  I'm hoping that I can also enter (depending on the pattens) Lace  Luge, Cable Cross-country and possibly Beading Biathlon!

Tough call, but the great thing about not having too many things on the go is that every so often I can cast on lots more!