Knitted Throws

This week I have been working on my latest shawl.  I have almost finished it – so I have been thinking about what to knit next.

I have got 2 ideas for knitted throws – one strips of cable and the other using lots of old yarns that I have got left over from other projects.  I am not sure which one to knit first – I may do neither because I quite fancy making another bag.  I have some lovely shades of red and pink which I would like to use.  It is a project that I have been planning for a couple of years – but nothing has happened so far.

I have been clearing out my yarn or more accurately – moving it around my flat.  I have discovered some yarn that I had forgotten about all together as well as sorting out some yarn to give to my friend who does charity knitting.  All the odd balls that I am hanging onto could make lovely knitted throws.

I also found the poppy version of my English Adventure throw.  Over the years I have knitted a lot of things with poppies on – but when I decided to knit something specifically related to World War 1 – I largely avoided using them.

I know where my other poppy throw is – because it is on my sofa and I see it every day.

I still like the original English Adventure throw – it is a great example of what you can do with odd balls if you buy a main colour to hold the design together.

I am not sure where to store all my throws – I had thought of just putting them on the spare bed – producing a “princess and the pea” effect.   I could store them in plastic boxes – if they weren’t so full of yarn!

Another Shawl

I know – it is another shawl – and I have got lots of shawls, but I like shawls.  I wear shawls.

Originally I saw a pattern in Knit Now magazine that I liked.  It used one ball of Debbie Bliss Rialto Sock yarn and 3 balls of Debbie Bliss Rialto 4ply.  The design used white as a contrast colour which I was not keen on – so I am using grey.

I started knitting following the pattern – and it was fine – then I got to a bit where I was supposed to knit short rows – I am not sure why.  I seems to make the pattern unnecessarily complicated.  I just wanted to knit an easy garter stitch shawl – and so that is what I am doing.  I have stopped following the pattern.  I may go back to it for the edging – I don’t know yet.

King Cole Riot

For the last few weeks I have been knitting a scarf in King Cole Riot DK yarn.  I have decided that it is finished.  The yarn is 30% wool and 70% acrylic and this shade is called Reggae (1842).

I didn’t have a pattern but I cast on 52sts using 4.5mm needles and worked a 2 row pattern as follows:

Row 1: K1, P1, K2; rep to end.
Row 2: K2, P1, K1; rep to end.

I had 3 balls of yarn but I only used most of 2.

As with most scarves I found it difficult to knit because it is so boring!  However, if you are very tired and not paying much attention – it is an ideal project!

Also this week I have finished another project that I started years ago.  I have started my annual clear-out and found a few unfinished projects which do not require much to actually be finished. 

This is called Isis by Jan Henley and was published in Let’s Knitting magazine Issue 72 in 2013.  I liked it as soon as I saw it and bought the yarn on my way home after reading the magazine on a train.

I knitted it straightaway.  It is also knitted using King Cole Riot – but this was chunky yarn and used 4 shades 2 balls of Seashore (653), Dawn (652)and Lava (662).  I cast off and then forgot about it.  

Actually every time I came across it since 2013 – I have intended to finish it – all it needed was the ends sewing in and buttons sewn on.  I have finally done both of these things this week.  I won’t be wearing it but now it is finished I can send it to the local charity shop.  I hope someone likes it.  Otherwise it could be unravelled and the yarn reused.  I did think about doing this myself – but I have got too much yarn.  I enjoyed knitting it.  I am a process knitter.

I am now knitting something that I do intend to wear.