2010

Wishing everyone a very happy and peaceful 2010. I have my first FO of the year, the Maximus cowl by ChicKnits. Inspired partly by the very cold and snowy weather we are currently experiencing in the UK, and partly because I got some lovely Rowan Big Wool in the now legendary Kemps Rowan bargain packs, just before Christmas.



Last year I took part in the 24 in 2009 challenge i.e. knit 24 items/projects in one year. I'm pleased to say my final total was 27, the last two being a Sock Yarn Slouch hat in Yarn Yard Hug organic merino, and the Charlotte capelet from Rowan 38 in Big Wool (bargain packs again):





I also started using the Knitmeter last year to keep track of how much yarn I knitted up. In total I knitted 6.92 miles of yarn (12180 yards). It will be interesting to compare this year's output with that total. I'm not aiming at 24 in 2010, just aiming to knit up some of my stash! My current garment-size project is the Elfin cardigan from Rowan 34. It's the first time I've knit with Felted Tweed and I love the fabric it creates. I was also lucky enough to score 500g-worth of mixed shades in KSH in the Kemps £5-a-bag Rowan bonanza, and happily there is some dark brown that I can use for the ruffled edgings and cuffs on this cardigan. It should tone nicely with the light-ish brown "Cocoa" in the Felted Tweed. I also plan to knit another Felicity hat, for myself this time, in some brown Lamb's Pride. Hopefully it should tone in nicely with the cowl.

Overall I don't have too many specific "objectives" for knitting in 2010. I'm looking forward to working on whatever takes my fancy, in the main. I'd like to buy less yarn, but am not enforcing any kind of "diet" - rather am continuing with my policy of thinking about things for a while before purchase. It has worked quite well so far, compared to past yarn-buying habits. I think I will try to keep count of yardage "in" as well as yardage knit, which will be enlightening if nothing else!

I also intend to learn crochet this year, and have already made quite a reasonable start. I bought the introductory copy of The Art of Crochet, and worked through the getting started instructions with some success. Given that in the past I have struggled to manipulate hook and yarn, I can now hold hook and yarn and "pick" the yarn with the hook to make stitches. I won't be continuing with the partwork but it has certainly helped me over some hurdles.

Cranford mitts and Felicity hat

Cranford mitts, knit in Yarn Yard Hug (organic merino). A great pattern, very well written and with a very elegant solution to thumb shaping! The gloves fit like, well, a glove, I'm sure there will be another pair of these somewhere in my future.



Another Felicity hat, knit as a gift in Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. I modified the pattern by casting on 90 rather than 70, keeping the same needle sizes, and increasing up to 140 stitches. I also carried on the decrease rounds further than the pattern suggests. I'm very pleased with the end result and think I will make another for myself this time, in some brown Lambs' Pride in my stash. I am definitely on a hat kick at the moment, my current WIP is a sock yarn slouch hat using the grey Hug as seen in the Cranford edging.

The Cranfords mark my "24 in 2009", now exceeded! Next year I am planning to participate in the sock yarn challenge on the CTnY forum - any item knit using sock yarn each month. I may not make one every month but I do have lots of lovely hat, glove and shawl patterns queued up as well as socks.

Feather scarf

This blog is starting to resemble buses - nothing for ages then two turn up at once.

My latest FO is the Feather Scarf, knit in Artesano Alpaca Inca Cloud. This is a dream to knit with, it's so soft. It does shed a little though! The fabric opened up a lot on blocking, going from 44" to 52" long. I used a little less than two skeins, and the scarf was knit on 4mm needles.



Last night I cast on for a pair of Cranford Mitts. This is now a p/hop pattern so I will be sure to make a donation once I've finished them. Not much progress to show but I do love these colours - Mysteron (grey) and Smile in Yarn Yard Hug organic merino (something like a sport weight).

Yet another Clapotis and other FOs

Playing catch-up with FOs again, as I seem to end up posting pictures everywhere else and forget to blog them!



Another Clapotis, knitted in Mirasol Hacho shade "Northern Lights". This is a DK so I went down to 4.5mm needles, although 5mm would have worked just as well. There are two extra repeats in the straight section, and this is around 70" long by 21" wide. The Hacho is a great yarn to knit with, quite tightly plied, and pure wool to boot.

I also took part in this year's Woolly Wormhead Mystery KAL, as last year I just didn't have the time. There were two hat patterns to choose from, with a great deal if you bought both (the prices are still reduced until the 30th of November). I chose to knit hat A, as this was described as a slouchy hat with lace pattern. I even had the called-for yarn in stash, Stylecraft Pure Wool DK. This was bought several years ago and it was nice to have a good project to use it for.







I love the finished hat, and the crown shaping in particular is very pretty. I'd certainly make it again, probably in a more "squooshy" DK.

Tonight I'm planning to cast on for a pair of Cranford Mitts, using Yarn Yard Hug bought back when the pattern was first released. There is a glove KAL on the CTnY forum at the moment and this is a good excuse to finally make these! I'm also quite keen on mittens and "proper" gloves so hopefully will be trying a few patterns out in the near future.

Finally, I've created slideshows on Photobucket for my 2007 and 2008 FOs. My Flickr Pro subscription ran out at the end of October and I didn't see a reason to renew it, now that Ravelry has a number of options for uploading pictures. You can only view the latest 200 photos uploaded to Flickr, so in future I will be using a combination of PB and direct uploads.

Heather Hoodie Vest

Pattern: Heather Hoodie Vest, Knitscene Fall 2009
Yarn: Sirdar Denim Chunky, shade 509
Yardage: 5.08 skeins
Needles: 6mm straights and 6mm circs

Another garment that I am very pleased with indeed. The yarn is a wool/cotton/acrylic blend, handles very well, washes well and keeps its shape, and the cables really pop. It's also very cosy! The hood is of elven proportions and would certainly keep your head dry in a rain shower. The pattern is one I would knit again, maybe in a dark leaf green. The Mr thinks it looks like a top from the latest Robin Hood series and I'm inclined to agree.

Another recent finish was the Piper hat from Twist Collective:

Knit in Sublime Merino Silk Cashmere aran, a gorgeous yarn but a bit drapier than I think this needs. I made the slouchier version too and would knit this again using a wool yarn. The piping was done in Cascade 220.

I also turned the heel on my sock!

The decreases have also been completed and it just needs the main foot section completing next. I've also knit the right front section of Tender, my KSH cardigan, and am aiming to finish that before Christmas.

My current project is another Clapotis, using some Mirasol Hacho bought at the Black Sheep Craft Barn shop (a wondrous place to visit, there is a huge yarn pile amongst other things!). I'm going to the theatre in a couple of weeks' time and decided I'd like a more moody, autumnal scarf/wrap to wear. The photo doesn't do the colours justice, hopefully my next progress shot will be in better light.



The blog has also had a revamp, I hope you like the new look!

Basil

I finished this sweater a couple of weeks ago and forgot to blog it. The pattern is Basil from the Rowan Summer Tweed Collection by Kim Hargreaves, knit in Summer Tweed shade "Shark". The colours are not that good in the photo as it was taken in poor light - it's a darker grey base with flecks of blue-grey and black.

I love how this turned out, it's a wonderful fit and very soft and comfortable. I found the Summer Tweed fine to knit with, it didn't cause me any problems at all. The main mods to this sweater were (1) adding 4 extra rows after switching to the larger needles front and back, before the waist decreases, and (2) convering the shoulders to short row shoulder shaping. This is a method I will most definitely use in future, it significantly improves the look of the shoulders. A three-needle bind-off is used to seam the shoulders and again this gives a very neat finish.

I've just finished the last body piece for the Hoodie Vest, so my next job is joining the shoulders (three-needle bind-off again, but there's no shoulder shaping in this design) then blocking the body out to size. As well as knitting, I've been making chutney and marmalade! First off was Green Tomato Chutney (Delia Smith recipe), using our homegrown cherry tomatoes. We had to make sure we went out and picked all the greens off the plants just for this recipe, as they were all ripening up so well! Next was Mango Chutney, using a recipe by Marguerite Patten. We opted for the version without apples and hence using more mango. It turned out beautifully and tastes fabulous, although it's currently maturing for a month before we use any.

Last up was Grapefruit Marmalade (another Marguerite recipe), as I have great difficulty finding this in the shops, and tend to avoid oranges. We used pink grapefruit, and soaked the pith etc. for 24 hours before use. As it turned out this was a good thing to do, according to the collected wisdom on t'internet. I'd never made marmalade before (or mango chutney), so I was rather winging it on things like setting point - especially without a jam thermometer. Again it turned out really well, I was a bit worried it might never set but it has made a lovely thick marmalade. I have a partial jar in the fridge at the moment with the rest stored and it tastes wonderful. We have since invested in a proper preserving pan and thermometer, rather than the stock pot we've used this time. I will definitely be making my own marmalade and mango chutney again! I don't have any photos as my husband very helpfully put all the jars back into the boxes they originally came in, and they are sitting on top of the kitchen cupboards! They do need to mature though, especially the green tomato, that needs to be left for three months.

Purple

One of my favourite colours! First up is the completed Robin beret in RYC Cashsoft 4ply, shade Loganberry:





This only used 1.3 out of 2 full skeins, and I didn't add the contrast pompom. I knit this flat on straights as per the pattern, but it could easily be converted to a seamless pattern in the round. The RYC Cashsoft is beautifully soft, as per its name. A lovely beret for the winter and a great fit.

More purple, this time some yarn I hand-dyed for my swap partner in the current CT'n'Y Summer Secret Santa. It's a 100% merino laceweight, which I snagged as a bargainous cone.



I used Procion MX dyes bought as a kit. The first dye run gave some lovely shades, but there were paler patches that I wasn't happy with. The yarn was then overdyed with one shade of purple which gave a rich semi-solid. I'm very happy with the end result, as this was my first "proper" acid dye project and I wasn't expecting anything quite so good!

Not purple - this is my latest WIP, the Heather Hoodie Vest from the current Knitscene:



The yarn is Sirdar Denim Chunky in a cream/beige marl shade. It's the first time I've knit with it and I'm very pleased with how it knits up and handles.

My Basil sweater in Summer Tweed is complete, and waiting for me to finish seaming the sides! It's too hard to see under electric light, but I'm hoping to finish the sewing up tomorrow in daylight.

Finally, I had a lovely surprise last week, as Simply Knitting had reviewed my blog on theirs! This was most unexpected, my thanks to SK for their kind review!

Noro Striped Scarf & Shawl That Jazz

Pattern: Noro Striped Scarf by brooklyntweed
Yarn: Noro Kureyon shades 138, 159, 164 & unknown
Yardage: 4 skeins'-worth in total, 2 of 138, 1 of 159, part-skeins of 164 and unknown
Needles: 4.5mm

I've been wanting to make one of these manually-striped Noro scarves for a long time. I love how this turned out. I cast on 41 stitches for a 1x1 rib scarf approx. 7 inches wide.



Pattern: Shawl That Jazz by Samantha Roshak
Yarn: Mirasol Hacho shade Scarlet Pimpernel
Yardage: 8 skeins approx. 1096 yards
Needles: 5mm

Another cosy winter woolly! The shape of this is lovely, a gentle curve achieved by using short rows. I made the border around 3 inches deep, a little bigger than the size in the pattern. If I made this again I'd leave out the decrease row after picking up the border stitches, for a more ruffly effect.

My current projects include Basil from The Summer Tweed Collection, a sweater I've wanted to make for a while. This is the first time I've knit with Rowan's Summer Tweed, and I'm pleasantly surprised with how it handles. I was expecting something awkward but after the first row I find it great to knit with. The fabric is makes is rather nice too, a bit "scrunchy" but with a softness too. It will be interesting to see how it feels after washing. I'm also making the Robin beret from Amber: A Winter Gathering by Kim Hargreaves. The kit had been in stash for a wee while!

Finally, I would like to wish Felipe Massa all the best for his recuperation after the awful crash during Q2 at the Hungaroring. It was a very worrying time but thankfully he is now on the mend. Once again we can be very thankful for the safety improvements in F1 over the years, in this case the new helmets in particular. I'll keep the picture at top right on the blog until Felipe is back racing again.

Tempest

Pattern: Tempest by Ann Weaver (published on Knitty)
Yarn: Violet Green Socrates Merino 4ply in Seascape
Yardage: 1101 yards for size E
Needles: 4mm straights and 3.25mm straights for edgings

This cardigan is all about the finishing. It takes some time but is worth it for the end result. This has turned out beautifully and is an excellent fit.

The first obvious mod is the lack of stripes, of course. I'd knit this again but am still in two minds about whether to do a striped version - I'm not sure they'd be as flattering! The sleeves have a few rows of garter stitch as an edging. The pattern doesn't specify any edging for them and I didn't want the ends curling. I guess you could also add the hem to them afterwards as per the lower edge but the GS does match the button bands. The latter turned out well, especially with the sewn bind-off.

My only slight gripe is that the buttonholes would have been better as YO, K2tog rather than binding off 2 stitches and adding them again on the next row. This seemed to cause a bit of gaping around a few of the buttonholes. It also meant I couldn't use the sweet little purple buttons I bought (too small). This cardi needs 14 buttons and in the end I used a mix of green and purple buttons of the same type. They are a little larger than called for, I think, but I like the effect.

In other knitting news, I've finished the first large section of Shawl That Jazz. I'll be tackling the rest of it as soon as I get the Noro bug out of my system for a while. I started a Noro Striped Scarf the other night and as usual, it's addictive watching the stripe colour combos evolve. I can see this being finished fairly quickly, it will be a great addition to my winter woolies.

Tender is coming along nicely, I have the back and one front piece completed so far. My sock project is on hiatus but I will come back to it, probably with one of the short Addi circs I bought. I'm also waiting on tenterhooks for the new Rowan 46 to arrive, having seen the preview pictures there are a lot of things I like in this issue.

Sloochie

Pattern: Sloochie by Woolly Wormhead
Yarn: Wensleydale Longwool Sheep Shop Aran
Yardage: 153 (around 88g of 100g)
Needles: 4.5mm DPNs and 16" circ.

Knit as part of the July Vertical KAL in the Wormhead's Hats group on Ravelry. I made the largest size with no real mods (body ended up a little longer) and it fits very well. I love the pixie style. This was the first time I'd knit a top-down hat, and for once I did OK with DPNs, changing over to a circ at around 90 stitches. The Wensleydale is lovely wool, quite "heavy" in its own way but it makes a good fabric. I may knit this hat again in a "loftier" wool.

As promised here are a few photos of the animals at Woolfest.

Just been shorn!

These two young 'uns were having a head-butting contest with the black sheep next door!

Gorgeous alpacas - they look like they are knitted when they've been shorn

Petersburg

Pattern: Petersburg from Rowan 42
Yarn: Rowan Cocoon, shade Scree
Yardage: 5.74 skeins for size M
Needles: 7mm & 6mm bamboo straights, & 6mm circ for front borders

I decided to finish off Petersburg this past week, as I'd started it back in January when the weather was truly cold! Given the damp day we're having today, it was nice and snug to try on. I'm pleased with how this turned out, the Cocoon is a lovely yarn, very soft and squishy. It does tend to shed some fibres (mohair content) though.

Ms Marigold

Pattern: Ms Marigold by ZephyrStyle
Yarn: Rowan Calmer shade Kiwi
Yardage: 188g (less than four standard balls)
Needles: 4.5mm Addi circ & 4mm for the neck and arm edgings

This turned out very well indeed, the combination of a stretchy yarn and making a size smaller gave a good figure-hugging fit. This tank/top is knit top-down, and surprisingly I didn't have to make any mods to the pattern as written - I was expecting to have to add extra before I rejoined the armholes, for example. My only real mod was to finish the arm edgings with 3 rows of rib, rather than the crochet edging and ruffle. I'd look a bit of a numpty with ruffles at the top of my square shoulders!

I would definitely make this again, the Calmer is a delightful yarn to work with. The top was hand washed, then spun in the machine inside a mesh laundry bag, and line dried as the weather is so lovely. No stretching out of shape or any other problems. My next version may well be in a wool yarn, although I'm tempted to make one in deep pink Calmer too.

Last weekend I started a mini shawl in variegated DK on large needles, and that has now been frogged. I realised I wouldn't really have enough to finish it in that shade alone, and decided a toning border/ruffle just wouldn't be quite right. It had been a choice between that and Ishbel, so I cast on the latter a couple of nights ago. I'm using Posh Yarn Eva 2ply, in a deep red which according to my records was the PY Lace Club November 2006 yarn. About time it was knitted with!



This is the larger version of the shawl, and I'm hoping to have enough yarn left over to make the beret too.

Tea Time cardigan

Pattern: Tea Time by Martin Storey, from Rowan Classic Summer
Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton shade Citron
Yardage: 7.56 balls
Needles: 3.25mm and 4mm straights

I finally found a great pattern to use the 8 balls of Wool Cotton that have been lurking in my stash. I made size M after checking the schematic, as these designs tend to run large, and it's a good fit. There were a couple of mods, the first intentional (adding one inch to the overall body length), the second accidental (missing the last 4 stitch decreases on the neckline). Both seem to have worked out well.

I'm around half way through knitting a top-down seamless garment, Ms Marigold by Zephyrstyle, in Calmer. At the moment it is round-and-round stocking stitch!

Porom beret

Pattern: Porom by brooklyntweed
Yarn: Jamiesons Double Knitting shade Leprechaun
Yardage: 170 yards (2 x 25g + 7g of a third)
Needles: 4mm and 5mm Addi circs, and 5mm DPNs

Great pattern with extremely clear charts, I love the finished result. I decided to use the original yarn, in the shade used for the Druid mittens, and also bought some Spindrift at the same time for said mitts.

My Tea Time cardigan is now awaiting seaming, so it should be finished very soon. I also started a Ms Marigold tank a couple of nights ago. This is a Zephyrstyle pattern and is knit top-down. I'm just at the point where I knit the two fronts and back separately until they join back up after the armholes end. There were some lovely examples in Calmer on Ravelry so I'm using the Kiwi shade again. It should only take around 3 to 4 skeins. Tanks/slipovers make great layering pieces so I'm hoping to make a few in the near future. My next one may well be in Kureyon sock.

I also finally got to grips with the sewing machine. I've wanted to learn how to use it for years, and finally took the plunge. I found I could indeed sew a straight line! There are plans for bag linings and skirts, and also fully-sewn bags, but I think my first project will be a sewing needle case. I've had my little selection of needles on a piece of scrap fabric for years, so it seemed a good starting point to make something respectable for them to live in.

Next up, learning to warp up my rigid heddle loom and using some sock weight yarn to make a scarf! I'm loving what knit and tonic Wendy has been making on her loom! And also very excited about the new F1 season starting at the end of the month, despite the very dodgy rulings on points/wins announced this week.

Alhambra

Pattern: Alhambra by Anne Hanson
Yarn: Posh Yarn Eva 2ply shade Rhyme
Yardage: just under 40g of a 55g skein
Size: 39" x 12.5" after blocking - 15 pattern repeats
Needles: 3.25mm bamboo straights

Very pleased with the finished result! The scrolls are such a striking design, and well worth the lace pattern on both sides (no purl "rest" rows!).

The KSH knitting is going well (thanks for asking CA!), and I've also started a more summery cardi in Rowan Wool Cotton. This is yarn that I've had in stash for a couple of years so again, nice to use it. The pattern is Tea Time from the RYC Classic Summer book.

Traversa beret

Pattern: Traversa by Woolly Wormhead
Size made: M
Yarn: Cascade 220
Yardage: 0.8 of a skein
Needles: 4.5mm 16" Addi circ & bamboo DPNs

This took me a little longer to complete than most berets, as it involves 1-stitch cables on almost every row before the crown decreases. I've not yet practised the art of cabling without a cable needle, something I will do on a piece of "scrap" knitting, not a proper project! The original design is for a silk/wool blend, giving the finished item more drape/slouch. As I had the Cascade in stash, it seemed daft not to use it, and I'm very pleased with the end result. It holds its shape well while still allowing enough slouchiness - it was blocked over a dinner plate and you can still see that "fold line" at the moment. The stitch definition is also great, I definitely foresee more 220 in my future. This hat is part of the February Vertical KAL on the Wormhead's Hats group on Ravelry, if you are interested in making one.

If you're thinking of making a donation to help those affected by the Victorian bushfires, please do visit serendipity.

I've also added a widget to the sidebar for p/hop, raising funds in aid of Medecins Sans Frontieres. There is a Ravelry group where you can also get involved if you have anything you'd like to "hop" and generally add your support. MSF are also now on Twitter and are aiming to reach 500 followers as their next target.

Finally, I am making progress on my KSH knit, Tender. Since the picture below was taken yesterday I've added another few inches of st st, and also found that wearing my glasses helped quite a bit with the night-time knitting. I normally only wear them when I'm working on a computer, and don't need them otherwise, but for close knitting work with fine yarn they are a big help.