A Summer Cardigan!

I have finally finished something instead of constantly starting things and then moving on to something else.  Earlier in the year – in early summer – I knitted a cotton cardigan in 2 shades of Noro Kibou – it has been mostly finished for a couple of months but I hadn’t sewn on the buttons nor the pockets. 

This year I spent some of my birthday money on a decorative mannequin.  “She” is modelling the finished cardigan.

I am still knitting several other things but at least one is finished.  I probably won’t get to wear it until next summer.

My friend who owns the quirky gift business All the Fun of the Fair wants me to knit her some more tea cosies so I will be starting them before finishing anything else. 

Tedious Knitting!

I have been away visiting my mother and have not done much knitting.   I have been doing terrible things like “gardening”!  I know a lot of people don’t knit so much in the summer because they spend time on gardening but I am not one of them.  However my mother needed some help with her garden so I had to stop knitting and attack the plants.  Given free rein to cut down anything – I can cope with gardening – it is if I have to decide whether a plant is wanted that there is a problem.  I know a lot about yarn and knitting but practically nothing about plants and gardening.

Apart from gardening I have also been reading the Nathan Dylan Goodwin book shown below.

It is the fourth in a crime series about Morton Farrier, forensic genealogist and if you like family history and crime stories – you will enjoy it.  The reason I mention it is because the main character Elsie Finch complains about her married life in the 1940s was “ghastly routine” and mentions “dreadful knitting patterns given to her by her mother … Baking, tidying, washing, cleaning, knitting. Endlessly.”  Thankfully things have changed since the 1940s and knitting is much more exciting.  However a lot less people knit – in the 1940s everyone did it – now I meet lots of people who have never tried it.

I have done some knitting during the last week – in fact – I have just checked and I have just completed row 401.

I am not going to say much about this as it is a birthday present for a friend – who may be reading this and I want it to be a surprise.  However it is quite hard for me to knit – it is just row after row of stocking stitch – which I will admit can be a bit tedious!

Multi-coloured Knitting Samples

This week I have been continuing my latest attempt to reduce the amount of stuff that I have accummuated.  I haven’t looked at my wool.  I know I have got a lot of it – but I will knit it one day!

I looked under the bed (I have got one of those beds with drawers at the bottom and the sides) and found a few things that I knitted about 10 years ago (and then put under the bed).  I don’t actually remember knitting any of them.

I know that when I knitted this jacket – I was trying out a blending technique involving knitting with 2 yarns at the same time.

The following photo shows a little Fair-isle jacket that I knitted as a sample.

And this is a little jumper I knitted using a two-colour technique – I suppose it is Fair-isle as well – but it may have another name.

I have sent the first 2 to charity – but I have kept the last one for the moment.  I love this technique – many years ago I knitted a black and white jacket that was like this.   It was much admired and I would like to make another one.  It will go on the list!

Double Knitting

Yesterday I went to Oxford for the latest meeting of the Oxford branch of the Knitting & Crochet Guild.  This month’s topic was the technique of “double knitting”.

I have admired designs produced using double knitting – such as those by Australian fibre artist Annette Fitton.  I would like to knit one of her designs – but I think I will have to do a lot more practising first.

Several members of other branches came to Oxford to try double knitting – which is easier to learn with a teacher rather than from videos or from a book.   This is my sample piece.

Some of it is OK.  I got the idea of knitting both sides at the same time  –  but when I changed colours in the middle – I went wrong.  For instance -  I can see that  I have got my yarn at the back when it should have been at the front.   I have done something different wrong on the other side I have a white stitch that should be black.  I think you need a lot of patience!  I will have another go at trying to get it right.  Perhaps I will be able to change colours if I concentrate more.  I think I was talking when I should have been paying attention!

Everyone else did better than I did and a couple of people are intending to have a go at larger projects.  I think I will get back to a bit of easy stocking stitch.

English Adventure – Poppy Throw Progress Report 3

It is finished.  On Tuesday I took the throw to Oxford Yarn Store and Karen Draisey took some photos of it – which are far better than mine.

If you want to knit one – the pattern is the same as the English Adventure throw I knitted in Kureyon  only this time I used odd balls of lots of different aran weight yarns.

I haven’t done much knitting this week as I am decorating.  For some reason I decided to use a red and green colour scheme – I think I have been looking at poppies for too long.  The real reason is that I love poppies and decided to use them as a feature.  My walls have been a beige colour which is tasteful but boring.  I decided they looked a bit dirty as well as dull and so I have chosen a light green wall paint which is much more exciting then beige and will contrast well with poppy throws and red curtains and cushions. 

I bought a lot more yarn on Tuesday – I would love to knit another throw and several more scarves/shawls – with the amount of yarn I bought – I may finish them by January!  I know it has been said before but it is so true – “so much yarn, so little time”!  Perhaps I should knit a sign that says that!

English Adventure – Poppy Throw Progress Report 2

This week I have got back to the poppy version of the English Adventure throw.  There isn’t that much to do.  I have just got to knit the last few shapes to complete the 7^th row, add the 2 part shapes to complete the top, and finish the edging.

Yesterday, while I was knitting, I thought about how this design could be adapted for a scarf.  I could have a go at one to use up the left-over red and green yarn.  It could be used as a small sample project for those who would like to try the technique without the cost and effort of making a throw.

As the weather is still quite warm I decided it was an ideal time to wash the poppy throw that I knitted last year.  I used Noro Kureyon which becomes softer when it is washed.  I decided to be brave or reckless and put it in the washing machine on a cold wool wash.  It is OK.  It is also dry now.  Unfortunately while it was stretched out to dry – I thought: “Isn’t it lovely – I could make another one using different colours!”  I will add it to the list. 

I remember writing a list of things to knit at the beginning of the year – I think the only things I have finished - or even started – are those which were really works in progress rather than unfinished or new projects.  Nearly all of the new projects I have completed this year weren’t on the list!

A Portable Knitting Project

Now it is August - it seems more like summer at last and I have been travelling about.  I needed something portable to knit.  I am still knitting my latest throw when I am at home, but I needed something that is light to carry about and only uses one ball at a time. 

At this time of the year I usually start thinking about decluttering – and taking bags of unwanted items to work to pass on to the Cancer Research charity.  I found a scarf I knitted years ago and thought – that could go.

It is knitted from 3 mitred strips of multi-coloured yarn and is an ideal portable project.  I thought – I will go to Banbury Sewing Centre and buy 3 balls of suitable yarn to knit another one.  (Did you notice that instead of getting rid of a scarf – I have now acquired 3 more balls of yarn?)  They were in the sale!

They are Rico Creative Reflection which is 46% wool, 46% acrylic and 8% polyester.  The shade (003) is quite subtle, but will go well with black. 

I have knitted most of one strip of the scarf so far – I expect it will be finished later in the month.  I will type up the pattern then for any of you that would like to knit one.  I can’t seem to get a good photo of it yet.  At the moment it looks like a knitted snake!