Coco by Martin Storey

At the moment I am knitting a sample garment for Oxford Yarn Store.  It is a fairly plain cardigan design called Coco by Martin Storey from a booklet called Ocean Blue.  I can’t show you a picture of it because I only have a typed pattern.

The rib is quite interesting – you knit into the back of the stitches on the front – which makes the rib stretch out more than it usually does.

The yarn is Rowan denim revive.  It is made with recycled denim and recycled cotton.  Officially the yarn is 95% cotton and 5% other fibre.  I think the original garment was knitted in a shade of blue but this is a off-white.

I would like to show you a photo of a finished cardigan next week – but that is probably wishful thinking. 

Honeycomb Hug by Brian Smith

Sometimes I receive the latest copy of Knitting magazine and I want to knit several things in it.  That happened with Issue 191 which was the March issue.

When I saw the cover design, I looked around for some yarn to use to knit it.  I seem to have got into a cables mood.  I used 2 stands of an aran weight Noro. 

The finished version is a bit too short to join in the way shown, but it is still wearable when the weather is cold.  I could put button along the bottom to produce a crossover effect, but I don’t think I will.

Along with the cover design – there was another Brian Smith shawl design in a booklet which accompanied the magazine.  I have sorted out some yarn to use to knit it but at the moment I have no time.  Perhaps I might squeeze it in later in the year.

I still haven’t finished the Creative Cables throw – I am working on the edge pieces.  

I think they could take some time!

Creative Cables Throw – Last Strip

I have finished knitted the last strip of the Creative Cables throw.  This is Strip 3 in the pattern.  I thought it looked the most difficult and so I left it until last.  In a way Strips 1 and 7 are more difficult but I went wrong most often on this strip.  I kept forgetting to knit the bobbles.

I am now sewing the strips together.  This is what the throw looks like so far.  I am pleased with it – it is much better than the original colours.  I chose colours which were different but had the same tone.

When the sewing is finished I need to knit some edge strips.   I have not started this yet because I have been knitting a box for a workshop in April.  I have also been crocheting a bowl.  Me crocheting!!  At this moment it is in the washing machine being felted.  I wonder what it will turn out like.

Everything I have Ever Knitted – First Pieces

When I was staying with my mother recently – I took some more photos of the patchwork quilt that I helped to knit for my sister in the late 1970s. 

I tried to take photos of all the blocks that I knitted but some of them have not come out very well.  It is typical of me to learn to knit with colour-work rather than something plain.  It was partly out of necessity – I didn’t have any money so when I knitted I had to use odd bits of yarn left over from other people’s projects.  

The following photo shows a small striped piece which is a reknitting of the block I remembered (which is shown above).  For some reason I associate it with toothpaste!  

The other piece is black stocking stitch with garter stitch ridges which is to remember a black tank top which I knitted in about 1979. I think this was my first proper knitting project.  I know I didn’t want to knit a scarf as they were boring!  The garter stitch ridges made it interesting.  The pattern came from an easy knitting book which I will find again one day.  It was odd because the design had a V-neck and a garter stitch edge to the neck rather than the usual shaped rib.  

Thinking back to my first pattern book – I don’t think the designs were that easy.  Several of them were mainly garter stitch but there were also cables and other textured stitches and lots of shaping.  I think designers probably intend to produce an easy pattern book but they forget what is easy and what beginners struggle with.  Saying that I don’t remember struggling (although it was a long time ago) – I think I found it a challenge which I enjoyed.

This week I have discovered some of the original yarn which I used for some memorable garments – so I hope to get a few more pieces knitted in the coming week as well as finishing the last stripe of the Creative Cables throw which I have been knitting.