skein

Accessorise!

We had a very quiet Bank Holiday weekend.  I spent most of Saturday playing catch-up with sleep. occasionally knitting, and no cleaning or cooking.  Sunday hardly any knitting, but lots of cooking and freezing meals.  Monday was my day off, and I chose to stash dive.  Now most of my yarn is 4ply, apart from some thicker garment quantities of yarn and a large vacuum pack of single skeins and oddballs if DK and thicker.  The good thing about finding this vacuum pack is tht it has been hidden away for the past six months, so it's like finding new yarb,

Now this has me enthused about accessories.  I've finished my first Simple yet Effective cowl, nearly finished the second (much less fun, in a plain dark colour),  I've pulled out several skeins of dk and aran weight yarns. Hats. cowls and mitts here I come!

Oh, and I've finally cast off my Stripe Study shawl.  Still need to darn in ends and block it. I think Im turning into one of those knitters who finishes the knitting but not the finishing.  I have a cowl, a scarf and FOUR cardigans not finished and photographed!

And so it begins (Christmas knitting)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've officially started Christmas knitting.  Nothing too difficult or time consuming.  I don't want to start a winter garment, and I have a shawl on the needles, so thought it moght be time to do some 'filler' knitting projects and what better than to get ahead on the Christmas knitting,   I always overestimate how much knitting I want to do for others.  I'm usually fed up after a few things!

This year I'm keeping it minimal

One hat

Two pairs of socks

One pair of mittens

Three cowls

The socks will be plain and I've not decided on patterns for the hat or mittens.

But the cowls?  They'll be teh Tincanknits Simple Yet Effective pattern.  I've finished teh one I started last week and LOVE IT.  I used a whole skein of Countess Ablaze Lord of Silk DK, so it's nice and long.  The bands of knit and purl mean that it bunches up nicely but can be pulled right up over the head or bottom of your face.  Great for cold weather.

I've gone through what's left of my CA Lord of Silk DK stash (not much)  and picked out two colours fo the first two cowls.  One is very dark and plain (for Billy) and one is variegted and bright (for his girlfriend).  One (the dark one) is already on the needles.  Berlin's a bit colder in winter than London so they'll be put to good use. 

I'm already thinking that this would make a great stashbuster cowl for partial skeins. I could knit the purl bands in contrasting colours...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cowls :)

I cast off Hamlin Peak cardigan last weekend. Still not bblocked, but off the needles. And as I didn't fancy starting a new cardigan  (too late for a summer cardigan and too early for a winter woolly one), I've cast on a cowl. 

This one is a free ravelry download, Simple yet Efffective by TinCanKnits. Another easy, highly adaptable pattern.  Rounds of alternating stocking stitch and reverse stocking stitch,  I've cast on fewer stitches and will knit until the yarn runs out. I only use soft yarn for cowls and I've found some matureed Countess Ablaze varieegated Lord of Silk DK (I think!  Will have to look at the label when I get home) and it's lovley and squishy. I have soem 'boring' colours in this base which will made super cowls for conservatives :) I can see this becoming a repeat pattern.  Any weight yarn, any width, length and a simple enough pattern to carry highly variegated yarns, which we all love to look at in the skein but never seem to knit up.  

 

 

What's on the needles

Seriously.  It's the latter half of the year and I hardly have any FOs!!! Yikes. So many things knitted and frogged.  I'm determined to get a move on this month and DO SOME KNITTING.

 

I have three WIPs.  I started a cowl yesterday, and had managed to cast on, join into the round and knit a few rows of ribbing, until MrC came home, when I started droping stitches, wrapping the working yarn (somehow) around the circular.  It appears I can't knit and talk, knit and jump up to do cooking.  Frogged,  Not much actual knitting done, more time wasted. 

My three WIPs:

• Plain socks, in old stashed sock yarn.  So far, so good. I've knitted the leg, the heel and am now set for the foot.  That was Saturday afternoon's knitting.
• * Stripe Study shawl,  Third shawl. Really, I've knitted this one three times right up to the border, twice to cast off.  I like ht pattern, very relaxing. This has been my go-to knitting, when I've been tired -or had that extra glass of wine or G&T, There are mistakes, when I've dropped a stitch and can't be tbothered to pick it up in garter.  I'm on the border, It's a good bit of knitting and it's been languishing whilst we have hot weather, I just don't fancy knitting with hairy yarn!  All set up for a cooler day!
• * Hamlin Peak cardigan.  My second cardigan.  Rember the first attempt in Summer Tweed? Where I managed to stretch one front more than the other?  MrC washed and stretched out the other side, tumble dried it to soften it out.  I (quickly, in this heat) tired it on and it's fairly even each side, but it hasn't softened up as much as I would have liked.  It's also got a lot of postitive ease.  Thre fronts are too long for me.  But I can at least wear it now.  When the wether cools I'll try to get some photos.Number two is knitted in RYC Cotton Jeans. I want a smaller cardigan, to wer with maxi dresses, 3/4 s;eeves amd shorter fronts, which don't hang down as low.  I'm not bothered about it meeting in the middle, so I've gone for two sizes down from what I'd knit.  It's small, exactly what I want,  First sleeve knitted and second on the needles. 

I'm hoping to get this finished by the end of the week,  Not sure when I'll wear it with this heatwave!