skein

East Coast Line shawl

As part of the Stitchnerds ravelry group kal for October, I chose this pattern from the Scotch Knits collection. 

A more than semi-circular shawl, it's another easy and quick knit.  Plain stocking stitch, a mosaic pattern and then a border.  I opted for an alternative 1x1 ribbing and a plain row. I just couldn't bear the thought of a seed stitch knitting session!

A quick knit too, started on 8th and finished on 12th October.   I must say, I really like Felted Tweed for shawl knitting, at a looser tension.  I have three packs left, reserved for garments, but I'm very tempted to use a little more for shawls!

Very pleased with this. It should make a nice cosy shawl for those cooler evenings.

Orange socks for MrC

He likes bright, and these are!

Plain, top down socks.  Bright orange!

Next ones will be stripes.  I find them less boring. and knit them faster as I can see progress.  I've tried stitch markers on plain socks, but keep forgetting to move them!

Casting off a few things

Still no daylight photos!  I thoguht I might get some of the Antler cardigan, but it was still a bit damp. I'd forgotten how long things take to dry at this time of year, before the heating is on. 

I finished socks for Mr C for December, but haven;'t darned in the ends.  It always surprises me how quickly one can knit a plain sock if you work on it and not leave it in the UFO pile!  I think his next pair will be striping socks.

 

And last night I finished my East Coast Line shawl.  A great knit. Plain stocking stitch and an eas border knitted in mosaic stitch.  I chickend out of a long seed stitch border though!  Did the ws rows as purl!  Felted Tweed. Wateru amd Scree.  My monitor is showing a slightly more greener Watery thank it really is...

 

This leaves Mr C's yellow Herbiover, on hold, and an Antler toddler version.  I'm still looking for cardigan patterns for the rust Rowan Worsted wool, Maybe I'll cast on this weekend. Really enjoying the cardigan buzz!

One garment down, and another started

... just not an adult one!  I enjoyed knitting Antler for my mum (which now has buttons and is drying redy to post to her) and so I've cast on another one, in pink, in size 2-4 years.  I need a quick cardigan for a friend's grandaughter.   Said friend will be visiting London at the very beginning of November so it needs to be finished by then.

It's Cascade Superwash again (I know the needle size for this tension!) and the first little sleeve is nearly done. 

I'm finally at the mosaic section of my shawl. There's just 34 rows of this bit, and I've done eight, so *hopefully* this section will be finished over the weekend.  I'm also going to look for antoher cardigan pattern for mum's second cardigan. Can't believe I've gone the whole year without knitting a cardigan and then there'll be two in a row!  And I need one too, mine are starting to look a bit ratty!

Weekend knitting

Not as much knitting done this weekend as I'd have liked (story of my life), especially as it was wet and cold outside!

Mr C's orange socks are progressing. Those pesky heel flaps. I worked them five bleeding times!  My fault, kept leavng my knitting on the side and kept pulling needles out of knitting. I'm being very careful now. Will do the gussets this week. Keeping up with my plan to finish them this month.

Herbivore - not going well.  I may give up on this shawl.  It's in UFO status... not sure why I'm not feeling the love.

Stitchnerds East Coast Line shawl is going well, A few rows here and there, It's the same as on Friday, only bigger.  I'm thining of doing a swatch of the mosaic pattern using the three or four contrasting colours to see which I prefer.

Antler cardigan - the knitting was done last weke, but I grafter the underarms and darned in most ends. Jusst buttons and a wash and it's done!

Last night I cast on another Antler! This time it's for a three year old though!  I'm using the same yarn and will stick with the same needles.  Pink...

I LOVE bottom up seamless knitting, Expecially if it's plain and has the interest in the yoke.  It means the boring bits are done and the last bit, just when I'm flagging, is the best but, The only issue I have is when my tension's out, and I have to restart the whole width of the body. Not too bad with mum's Antler, she's several sizes smaller than me and the yarn's knitted at 18sts/4inches. 

This week I'm going to work on all four things (excluding Herbivore!).  I'm going to block Antler, reach the border of East Line (and possibly have decided on which colour to use), finish the socks (eeeh) and do a good bit on the toddler Antler,  Trying hard not to cast anything else on,  I've given away a lot of my fingerless mitts and may need to do some quick ones for work, and the call of Christmas knitting is quite loud, I might have to start mum's next cardie!

Two new shawls

Here are the two shawls I've just started.

The first one is for MrC.  He insists it's a scarf, not a shawl. He thinks shawls are something you drape around your shoulders, whereas he'll be winding this around his neck.

It's the third Herbivore I've knitted!  I'd really like to do another pattern but he loves this shape and the pattern. So here it is.

I very nearly gave up on it when I looked at my sotcking stitch, I couldn't understnad why it was so uneven.  the last time I knitted like this I was about seven!  then I thought about it. I'm knitting from a sock blank, where the yarn is knitted and then dyed.  The yarn's all crinkley!  I'm HOPING that this is why my stocking stitch is so wonky!  I'll perevere.  The colour change is from light yellow to orange. Right up Mr C's street.

The second shawl I've started is my Stitchnerd's October KAL. I've chosen East Coast from her Scotch Knits e-book.  It's a semi circular shawl, all stocking stitch until the mosaic border. I'm knitting it in Felted Tweed, Watery. and have yet to decide on the border colour. It will be Scree, Rage or Paisley.  I might have to swatch!

This weekend I'm going to try to knit two heel flaps on Mr C's orange socks, work on East Coast, maybe start a quick toddler garment and possibly do a little on Herbivore. That depends on whether Mr C has a day at the boat so I can do secret knitting!

 

Knitting catch-up

I haven't knitted as much as I thought I would, ove rhte weekend.  This weekend sorting out summer.winter wear and stash.

Now most of my stash is kept out all year around, but as  I live in a tiny flat, the packs of summer yarns are vacuum packed and put away each Autumn. That's about two bins of stash.  I fill the empty bins with the wool packs, and get reacquainted with it all.  Mr C has spied some Unpsun Buffalo wheels and has asked for a vest type thing. He's looking for something which he can wear under his coats.  Many years ago I knitted him a super bulky jumper out of this yarn, and it nearly killed me.  The yarn twists as you knit it, but breaks very easily when  it's caught on anything.  I chose to knit that jumper in parts and then sew up with thee yarn. Urgh!  This time around when i get around to knitting with it, it'll be one piece and NO seams or picking up stitches.  No pickets either. he seems happy with that. It's the only way he'll get this knitted!

I had a brief play with my Rowan Felted Tweed, which has resurfaced after a few years.  That'll be another garment (for me!) in the pipeline.

I think that I like rummaging through stash as much as knitting! 

Never mind, teh Antler cardigan is nearly done. Just one button band to pick up and knit, and buttons and ends.  That'll be finished and washed this weekend. I'm not sure how to take photos of the finished cardigan though. I think I can get itno it (wool's very stretchy!) but it might look a bit odd, not sure i'll post a photo of me in it on ravelry! 

And socks. I'm again knitting two at a time, and the legs are done, and heels will be worked on this weekend. 

I have a day off tomorrow and plan on knitting that Antler band, and casting on antoher Stitchnerd's pattern. This month's KAL is any pattern from Scotch Knits, I was lucky enough to win a pattern in last month's KAL.  There aer two crescent shaped and two tirangle shaped shawls, just have to make up my mind which to start. Oh, and the colour of the yarn. It's going to be Felted Tweed, just not sure if I ought to knit a dark shawl with lighter colour border pattern or the other way around...

 

 

 

 

September knitting and October knitting goals

I did rather well in September!

Blog:

1) Stripetastic  Done!

2) Quaker Yarn Stretcher boomerang. Done!

 

Finish:

3) Socks for brother S. Done!  

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4) G'Day boomerang scarf.NOT done. 

 Start and finish:

5) Stitchnerd's September KAL. It's Deep Stash KAL.  Done!  

6) Inspiration knits September KAL, Knit Nights shawl, I have FIVE yarns shortlisted!  Done!

 

Start:

7) Tincanknits goldfish cardigan. Done!

And finished!

I may have failed at one thing, but finishing this cardigan, AND starting some new socks for Mr C AND knitting nearly a whiole adult cardigan (not blogged yet!) more than makes up for it!  

 

Now for October. I wonder if I can do as much????

 Finish:

1) Mr C's socks. These are bright orange!

2) Mum's cardigan.  Just front bands and finishing to do!  i've finished the yoke and collar.  Do-able!

Start:

3) A toddler cardigan, trying to keep up with Christmas gifts!

4) A shawl for MrC.  My third Herbivore.  Hel liked the one I did for myself so much that I knitted one for him,  He likes that one so much that I'm knitting another one for him,. Yellow and orange this time around.

5) Antoher cardigan for mum. this one will be for Christmas.  In Rowan's worsted superwash wool (though my tension is coming out as more like aran weight)

6) A Stitchnerds pattern (I bought so many that I want to knit them!). Not sure what yet, possilby a cowl. 

7) Not sure what the seventh thing will be.  I might join another KAL. I might make some mitts.  I'll see what I feel like knitting further along i Ocotober.

I'm thinking that this might be the month where ALL of my knitting projects are gifts.  Trying to get stuff done for December!