skein

Cross Country progress

I didn't do much knitting (again!) this weekend.

I went home this wekeend.  I like to take garment knitting with me. I've been doing this since the eighties, though in those days Intarsia was all the rage, and the colour charts were all symbols.  These days I take plain knitting, which I can do mindlessly whilst I chat.

Unfortunately I couldn't take Cross Country as it's knitted from a cone, so it's been on hold for seveal days.

But the horrible 1x1 border ribbing is done. Five inches of it. On shorter than I would have liked circulars. 

I'm a bit bleh about this cardigan. It's very similar to Effortless, but with 1x1 and not 2x2 ribbing.  I've tried it on and it's a bit snug, but I'm hoping that it'll relax a bit after washing.

Just the sleeves to go! 

Adama cowl

This is the shawl/cowl hybrid.  I couldn't work out how to pin it out to block as it's joined, so washed it and then held it out so the water weight pulled the lacework out and laid it flat to dry on a sweater dryer. 

So easy to wear. I'm still going to knit the Sharflower cowl and I see others in my future, though I reckon it might be better to do soemthing like texture or variegated yarn or stripes rather than lace.

I had to blog this one afer the crdigan!

The yarn's Dream in Color Classy from stash. i'm not sure what eh colour is - I have a bag of wound up blues with some lovely green. More cowls?

Effortless cardigan

Apologies for the poor photos.  MrC was on his way to the boat and in a hurry to get there (now that the winter's over he needs to get going on the annual maintenance). I had asked him if the cardigan looked ok and he said 'yes', but after seeing the photos I see that I'm all skew-iff!  I obviously can't dress myself!

Effortless Cardigan by Hannah Fettig.  Top down, raglan shaping.

A few points:

The sleeves are 16 inches. I'm nsot sure what length that makes them - bracelet?  Certainly not wrist length.

The fronts are very wide. Wide enough for a wraparound! I'm sure that I could have kntited this with narrower fronts and used the extra yarn to lengthen the sleeves. 

The borders (bottom, front edgels and the collar - which is super lojng as it takes into account the wide fronts - are really long. If you don't like 2x2 ribbing then it's not the cardigan for you.  As I was counting yardage for Mad Dash I can tell you that th collar alonge took up 98 yards of yarn!

It's very easy to wear, but there's probably a bt too much frontage for me to potter around in the house (thinking of seting myself alight whilst cooking!) but overall I like it.

The yarn is Skein Queen's Oosie, which is put up in 250g skeins. I sued just over two skeins, but probably  could have used just eh two.  The colour is Holly Berries, which I bought in the December update, and cast on over the Christmas period as my Christmas knitting.  Lovely yarn. Springy and woolly and warm. And I can wear it next to my skin, not scratchy!  I suspect the springiness is why the sleeves are looking shorter than they are. As I have another skein left I'll certianly lengthen them before next Autumn. And buy more Oosie!

 

How to waste precious knitting time

As I've mentioned countless times before, I do most of my knitting at weekends.  During the week I'm lucky to get in an hour each day, and that has to be mindless.

Last weekend was a complete waste of knitting time.

I didn't get MrC to try on the socks which looked far too small unti lI was pas the heel of the second sock. Still, I was shocked when he said they were no good!  Frogged.

I then wasted an entire Saturday looking on ravelry for cardigan patterns.  My plan involved the cone of Cashmerino Aran.  Not really my colour, but as it was newly discovered stash it had my full attention.

I wanted a simple, seamless, top down aran weight cardigan. Once I'd narrowed it down to about ten I then had to look at the projects and yarns used.  Jut before bed I had another look at this cashmerion aran cone. Thought it looked a bit thin!  Cast on and knitted a tiny tension square. Not convinced it's aran! 

Woke up on Sunday and dug out some Debbie Bliss cashmerino for comparison. yes, that's thicker! Rather than start on ravelry again, I picked up the other cone of '100% Merino Aran' i a much brighter colour and cast on.  I'm not convinced that this is aran, either, but it's a bit thicker than the so-called Cashmerin Aran! 

I'm knitting a pattern called Crosscountry, by Alicia Plum. I've knitted one of her designs before, Sandshore, and this is remarkably similar. Raglan shaping, a patterned panel down the back, with a horizonatal panel around the body.

As it's scrunched up on the needles I haven't measureed it properly, and it's looking a little snug. I know my row tension is out and I'm having to add a few rows here and there, but as it's an open cardigan I'm not worred about it being a little narrower than I am :)

There are three FOs washed, blocked and ends darned in waiting for their photo call. A pair of socks for MrC, Adama cowl abd Effortless cardigan.  I may well have to resort to bringing these into work to get daylight photos!  

Milo vest

A great pattern. Quick and seamless. You knit the gareter stitch top in the round, increasing to form mitres.  A choice of cables in the pattern (or you could do your own thing).

This is sized for an 18 month old. Consolation prize for the new baby brother :)

Weekend knitting plans

Hmm. Weekend knitting plans.

• sew in ends of Effortless - nope
• start some felted clogs - nope
• start a cardigan - nope
• finish some socks - yes but they[re di so ot much knitting time
• start a cowl - yes, but late Sunday

What happened???

MrC decided that he didn't want felted clogs, he wnated something with backs this time and I spent too much time looking for my Felted Knits book. Couldn't find it so that menat time on rvelry lookng through patterns, checking ratings, yardage, projects etc. I've settled on some felted slippers by Fiber Trends.

yarn selection is Jamiesons aran weight (I think). I hope it felts well.

The whole process ate up most of Sunday. Stash sifting takes time too, have to find the correct bags!

Lots more time spent checking out ravelry for a cardigan pattern. 

When I got home from work on Friday I found a bag of stash in the middle of the bedroom.  MrC had been sorting o ut some of his messy corner and found a bag of yarn!  It's several years old and I'd forgotten that I had the stash. Saturday I had a rummage. A pack of Summer Tweed (which I usually dont' knit with, but this is a whole pack). Two packs of Rowanspun DK, some Jamiesons lacewegiht, an anonymous ball of silk laceweight, several scarf kits bought at Ally Pally, a pack of Silk Garden.  And remember years ago when someone was selling kilo cones of cashmerino?  I found four cones. Two cashmerino aran, one wool aran (the only nice colour!) and one Cathay.  

Sweater head on!  I'm  not that struck by the colours, but I'm not looking at knitting a cashmerino aran cardigan (or jumper).  I just fancy a cosy garment.  After that it'll be summer garments most likely, and not as snuggly.  It's sooo nice to find stash!

February knitting and March knitting goals

February's been a funny month.  I've accomplished nearly all of my goals without doing much knitting!  All little projects I suppose.

Feburary

BLOG

1 Christopher's Hat - done!

FINISH

2 Effortless cardigan - done!

START AND FINISH

3 Hatathon hat #1 One Night Hat - done

4 Hatathon hat #2 Hipster - done

5 Hatathon hat #3 Graham - done

6 Hatathon hat #4 Stashbusting Helix - done

7 Hatatho hat #5 Silly Silly Shroom - done

8 Milo toddler sized vest - done

START

9 Shawl . cowl hybrid  Startflower - fail. Well, I started it and then frogged it.  Does this mean that I've failed or successed in starting it? :)

I joined two challenges.

Hatathon, where I planned tMad Dash 17, which started on 10th February and finishes at the end of March.

Not too good on yardage this month. I want to knti 3000yards, but have spent the past few weekends not doing much knitting!  Lots of tinking and frogging and reknitting.  My yardage for February was only 831 yards, which means I need to get a wiggle on!

 

now for March

I wetn into March with no knitting on the needles! And I'm making this list u pas I type...

BLOG

1 Milo vest

2 Effortless cardigan - this needs ends darned in. Blocking was a wash and a lie down flat on a sweater drier. I'm hoping that's all it needs.

START AND FINISH

3 Socks for MrC.  Again nitting from stash, but this stash was Christmas stash, from MrC. He chosed the yarn and colours.  Cast on this morning.

4 Felted slippers, a good use of yardage!

5 Shawl/cowl hybrid, Still want to knit one, but will probably go for Adamas which is a worsted wegiht version

START

6 A cardigan! I'm so tempted by the new cardigans that have recently been published. I may well have to buy a pattern!

7 More socks

That's it.  I've  had a very quick look at KALs on ravelry, nothing is grabbing my attentin AT THE MOMENT. Thinks migh change, but it looks as if I have my hands full!