Multi-coloured Child’s Cardigan

I have finished this cardigan at last.

I can’t believe it has taken me 2 weeks to sew it up and sew the buttons on!

I have been knitting other things – more about them another time.  I told myself – if you don’t get on with this cardigan – it will be too small – the child will have grown.  I am not completely happy with it – there are too many stitches in the button bands.  I should have used less but I followed the pattern.  In the photo illustrating the pattern – I could see that the button bands were not right.  Actually mine are not that bad – but they could be better.

I have finished re-reading Susan Gordon Lydon’s book The Knitting Sutra – and in that she talks about carrying on following a pattern even when you think it isn’t working.  I often try to follow a pattern and then give up when it isn’t working out how I had hoped.  With this little cardigan – I mostly followed the pattern  but I didn’t use the suggested colours. 

Last weekend I attended the first Saturday meeting of the UK Knitting and Crochet Guild in Oxford.  The meetings will take place on the first Saturday of the month from 2.30 to 4.15 at St Giles Church meeting room on the Woodstock Road.  It is quite near to the Oxford Yarn Store – but I managed to resist the temptation of going along there as the weather was cold and it kept raining.  Later in the year I will probably be unable to resist the temptation.

Rowan Brushed Fleece Cardigan

I have finished my latest Rowan Brushed Fleece Cardigan.   I am pleased with the finished result and I did decide to use the buttons that I bought in St Albans.  The cardigan is such an odd colour that it was unlikely that I would find any that were a better match.

 However, I did have a few problems with this cardigan because some of the balls were faulty.   They looked OK from the outside but when I started using them the yarn suddenly became thin and had lost all its fluff.  I had to keep taking rows out when I realised how thin the yarn had become. 

The other problem was knots – I used 9 balls for the cardigan and about 4 of them had at least 3 knots in them.  This is not good either.  Rowan yarn used to be better than this.  However it is not just Rowan – I bought some Sirdar yarn to knit a child’s cardigan and the first ball I looked at had some paper glued to the yarn – so I had to cut a length out before using it.

When I buy cheap yarn and it has faults – I think – well you get what you pay for – but I expect better of the well-known yarn companies.

Cardigan for a Little Girl

I am cutting it a bit fine this year – I am still making Christmas presents!  I have just finished a cardigan for the niece/granddaughter of some friends of mine.

It is a Sirdar pattern intended to be used with Snuggly DK – but I have used Robin Bonny Babe.  They are both  manmade but the Robin yarn is much cheaper.   I only needed one 100g ball for a cardigan to fit a 2 year-old.

I have found the knitting a struggle – since I have been ill my tension has been terrible.  The bit that looks the hardest – the edging – was actually the easiest bit to knit.   Now fingers crossed that it fits.

I have one more present to finish but as it won’t be delivered until January – it is not so urgent.  I am looking forward to just knitting – rather than making things for others.

Rowan Brushed Fleece Cardigan

Things have not been going that well recently.  I have been ill for several days and am still trying to carry on as normal.  I don’t even seem to have the energy to knit.  However I have finished this cardigan as a present for my mother.

I had done most of the knitting in October but I hadn’t sewn it together.  The yarn is lovely – Rowan brushed fleece – which is 65% wool, 30% alpaca and 5% polyamide.  This is shade 254.  It is sort of a dull brown – not at all exciting – but I am hoping my mother will like it.  I think I should call it “understated”!

The pattern is a very old one from Littlewoods.  The original design did not have pockets, but Mother likes to have pockets so I have added them to the front hiding them in the pattern. 

Every year I seem to forget how tired and stressed I get in December – note to self: do not knit Christmas presents next year!

Some More Noro Kureyon

I have finally finished the jacket I have been making.  I am not sure that the collar is exactly how Debbie Bliss intended it to be but I am happy with it.  I find that knitted garments fall into 2 categories – either I finish them and wear them immediately or I put them in a drawer and never wear them at all.  I finished the jacket on Tuesday morning and then wore it immediately.  

I went to Oxford to visit Oxford Yarn Store, and owner - Karen Draisey took a photo of me wearing it. 

Karen’s shop was full of beautiful yarn and it was lucky that I knew what I wanted (more Kureyon) so I just tried hard to concentrate on that.  It would have been very easy to buy something else as well that I hadn’t intended!

You may have seen the “Hearts” throw that was in Issue 5 of the Noro Magazine (Fall/Winter 2014) –when I saw it I liked it but instead of knitting hearts - I have decided to have a go at knitting poppies.  I have done a little chart on graph paper which I have altered several times.  My first sample is shown below.

I think I am going to take it out and make it a bit narrower.  I originally intended the squares to have more background and less poppy – but I quite like a fairly large poppy.  It is odd that this square looks much smaller than the garter stitch squares I was knitting last week but in fact they are a very similar size.

Noro Kureyon Jacket – Progress Report

I am still knitting the Noro Kureyon jacket that I started last week.  I have knitted the back and the 2 fronts and I am now working on the sleeves.

I decided to knit both sleeves at the same time so that I can make sure that they end up similar.  I was going to say “the same” – but that is very difficult to achieve with this yarn – I just want to make sure that each sleeve has a similar number of stripes and that the colour changes on approximately the same row.

With Noro yarn you can either try to achieve a match or you can go completely the other way and make sure the sleeves and fronts of a jacket are not similar at all.

I am glad that I had so much yarn because I have found that several balls have knots in them.  This wouldn’t matter so much if the ball then continued with the same colour but it doesn’t.  I can understand that the yarn might break in production but I don’t understand why it isn’t knotted at that point instead of attaching a completely different colour.

I want to try to finish this jacket before I get bored and start something else.  I still have 3 partly-finished jackets on the bed in my spare room – I don’t want this to be another one.

I read in the latest issue of Simply Knitting magazine that designer Rita Taylor likes to knit while listening to sport on the radio.  This week I have been doing the same.  If the sport is on the radio – it is being described to you and so you can concentrate on your knitting without having to look at the screen!

Noro Kureyon Jacket

About 3 years ago I bought 22 balls of Noro Kureyon in Shade 242 – which is black, grey, red, green and brown.

I intended to use the yarn for a coat using a Sally Melville pattern.  However, I didn’t start it and now I think I probably wouldn’t wear it – so I have found another pattern for a jacket instead.  It is a Debbie Bliss pattern from her book called Home.  I was surprised to find garments in this book – as the title suggests cushions and throws etc.  It does have those as well, but it has a few clothes.

I have started the back.  It is double moss stitch and I may take it out yet, but at the moment I am happy with it.  I was a bit worried about the sizes – I was going to do the middle size of 3, but I have decided to make it a couple of inches smaller – and so I am now doing a size which is larger than the smallest size, but not so large as the middle size!  This means I will have to alter the fronts correspondingly.  I am terrible – I can’t leave a pattern alone. 

Colinette Arizona Dreams – Yosemite – Jabba Juice

I have now finished the other Yosemite throw that I was knitting.  I have taken a few photos of it. 

I think this colourway – Jabba Juice is my favourite of the Arizona Dreams kits that I have knitted so far.  You would not think the photos were all of the same throw.  I think this last one shows the most realistic image.

What shall I knit next?  I think I will go back to the odd ball throw that I was knitting at the beginning of April.  I would like to get that finished before it gets too hot.

Colinette Arizona Dreams – Yosemite – Heart Sing

I have finally finished the first of two Arizona Dreams kits in the Yosemite design that I have been working on for a couple of weeks.

This one is knitted in the Heart Sing colourway which is mainly plum, turquoise, lilac and orange.

When I started knitting it I was not sure whether I liked it, but it grew on me.

I like the variety of the Yosemite pattern – it is a bit like knitting 3 throws in one.  I finished off the edges with some tassels. 

I hope it will not be another week before I can show you a finished version of the other Yosemite throw that I have been making.

Knitted Snooker Tea Cosy

I am a big sports fan and my idea of a perfect afternoon is knitting in front of the sport.  The World Snooker Tournament starts this weekend and I intend to spend the following 17 days knitting. 

A couple of years ago I came up with some sports themed tea cosies.  It seems an appropriate time to show you my snooker tea cosy.  Three images of it are shown below:

The reds look a bit odd in the photos – in reality they look better.  The basic tea cosy is a square green shape with a brown trim.  I then knitted the 15 reds for the top – the baulk colours on one side and the blue, red and black on the other.

Knitting Poppies

I was asked if I would have time to knit some poppies for the local British Legion.  I was provided with the pattern, the yarn and the needles!

I have knitted the whole ball of red yarn (100g) and it made 17 poppies – 16 of which are shown below!  I have still got the leaves to make and a bit of finishing off to do – I hope to finish them today if I don’t spend too long on the computer.

Seeing them laid out like this reminds me of that wonderful installation at the Tower of London last year.  I do love poppies despite their sad connotations.  I remember when I was a child  - I was always pleased to see one when it appeared in the garden.

Irregular Striped Scarf Version 3!

I have finished another one!  This time I used some green Rowan Magpie yarn from my stash instead of the Rowan Aran otherwise the yarn is the same – 2 balls of Rowan Silk Garden. 

This has produced a more subtle version of the scarf.

I am going to stop now and knit something else!

Irregular Striped Scarf Version 2 - Pattern and Finished Version

As expected this scarf did not take very long to knit. 

 

It is a bit bright – I can hear my mother saying something like that.  However I like the fact that it can be twisted in different ways revealing different colours.

In the end I decided to only use 2 balls of Noro Silk Garden which means that this scarf is a bit shorter than the original version.  It also means I have enough yarn for a third version of the scarf – which I have already cast on!

The pattern for this version of the scarf is give below.

Irregular Striped Scarf Pattern Version 2

Colour A 1 ball x 50g ball Noro Silk Garden Shade 84 (100m)
Colour B 1 ball x 50g ball Noro Silk Garden Shade 314 (100m)
Colour C 1 skein x Rowan Fine Art Aran yarn Shade 545 (170m/186yds)
6mm needles
 
Rib Pattern
Row 1: *K3, P1; repeat from* to end.
Row 2: *K2, P1, K1; repeat from * to end.
This pattern forms an open rib.

Using yarn A, cast on 36sts and work in pattern for 6 rows.

Continue in the rib pattern throughout following the colour sequence as given below.
Rows 7-12: yarn C. (6 rows)
Rows 13-18: yarn B. (6 rows)
Rows 19-24: yarn C. (6 rows)
Rows 25-74: yarn A. (50 rows)
Rows 75-80: yarn C. (6 rows)
Rows 81-86: yarn B. (6 rows)
Rows 87- 92: yarn A. (6 rows)
Rows 93-98: yarn C (6 rows)
Rows 99-100: yarn B (2 rows)
Rows 101-102: yarn C (2 rows)
Repeat the last 4 rows until 50 x 2 rows stripes have been completed (96 more rows)
Rows 199-204: yarn B (6 rows)
Rows 205- 210: yarn C (6 rows)
Rows 211-216: yarn B (6 rows)
Rows 217-244: yarn A (28 rows)
Rows 245-250: yarn C (6 rows)
Rows 251-256: yarn B (6 rows)
Rows 257-262: yarn C (6 rows)
Rows 263-268: yarn A (6 rows)
Rows 269-270: yarn C (2 rows)
Rows 271-272: yarn A (2 rows)
Rows 273-274: yarn C (2 rows)
Rows 275-276: yarn B (2 rows)
Repeat the last 4 rows until approximately 320 rows have been completed or there is only a small amount of yarn B left.

Cast off in pattern using yarn B.

Sew in ends.

 

Irregular Striped Scarf Version 2

The last time I knitted an irregular striped scarf I remember thinking that I would like to make a Noro version and I asked for some Noro as a Christmas present so that I could experiment.  Anyway – I have started this new version.

 

It is hard to put down.  I want to see what the next bit will look like.  I am using 2 shades of Noro Silk Garden (Shades 84 and 314) and Rowan Fine Art Aran (shade 00545).  I did originally intend to use all Noro, but thought that the Rowan Fine Art Aran in this shade went particularly well with the Noro.

These colours are so bright and cheerful on a gloomy winter day.

 

It is interesting that because the yarn is so multi-coloured the stripes are not very clear.  I think they may be more obvious when I have knitted a bit more.

Finished Version of Colinette Arizona Dreams Yosemite Throw

This week I finished this throw.  I spent one evening sewing ends in and making tassels.  This colourway is called Mountain Hues.

 

While you are knitting it is hard to see what something actually looks like – when I stretched out this throw it reminded me of one I knitted about 10 years ago.  The previous throw was knitted in shades of mauve and purple and included sections of a holey pattern.  I think it is currently occupying the bed in my mother’s spare room.

Although Colinette recommend using 2 straight needles to knit their throws – I recommend that anyone else attempting the Yosemite design uses a circular needle for the woven sections so that the knitting doesn’t pucker up too much.  The tension is hard to judge when you can’t stretch the knitting out.

Mauve Knitted Baby’s Coat

I have just sewn the buttons on the coat that I have been making for about 3 weeks.  It is a Stella Smith design that I cut out of Simply Knitting magazine a few years ago.  I have just looked more closely at the pattern and have noticed the date of July 2006!

The original design is knitted in pink with light coloured buttons.  I was asked to knit something in mauve and I tried light buttons but decided that the darker buttons looked better.  They are mauve too, but look black from a distance.  I am crossing my fingers that the coat fits the baby.  I have never seen her in the flesh, but hope I will soon be seeing a photo of her wearing a little mauve coat!

Just a few more days of Christmas preparations and overwork, and then I can get back to serious knitting.

No Time for Knitting

This is not quite true – I have knitted the back of the baby’s coat and I have thought about knitting a lot of other things!

 

This is a photo of a tea cosy that I knitted last year.  If you would like to make one the pattern is available from All the Fun of the Fair’s web-site.  

On Saturday I went to London and visited John Lewis’s haberdashery department on the 4^th Floor.  It used to be better in the past - but I rarely leave without buying anything.  I had been given some money to buy myself a Christmas present so I bought some expensive yarn to make another version of my striped scarf and a couple of balls of red aran to add to a pile of yarn that I am collecting to make a cardigan.  Whilst in London, I did also buy some Christmas presents for friends and family!

Irregular Striped Scarf Pattern

 

I unravelled the scarf again!  I knitted part of 3 strips and plaited them together and I didn’t like the effect – it was too thick and too narrow.

I decided to stop trying to be too clever and to go back to an old favourite – a striped scarf.  I didn’t do this originally because I was worried about the fact that the aran yarn was thinner than the other 2  but I found that if I only knitted a few rows at a time – it is not that obvious.

If you would like to knit a similar scarf – the pattern is given below.  I fancy knitting it again in 3 shades of Noro but that will have to be next year!

Colour A 1 ball x 100g ball Rowan Cocoon chunky yarn Saturn Shade 837 (115m/126yds)

Colour B 1 ball x 100g ball Rowan Cocoon chunky yarn Umber Shade 835 (115m/126yds)
Colour C 1 skein x Rowan Fine Art Aran yarn Shade 548 (170m/186yds)
9mm needles

Rib Pattern

Row 1: *K3, P1; repeat from* to end.
Row 2: *K2, P1, K1; repeat from * to end.
This pattern forms an open rib.

Using yarn A, cast on 28sts and work in pattern for 6 rows.

Continue in the rib pattern throughout following the colour sequence as given below.
Rows 7-12: yarn C. (6 rows)
Rows 13-18: yarn B. (6 rows)
Rows 19-24: yarn C. (6 rows)
Rows 25-74: yarn A. (50 rows)
Rows 75-80: yarn C. (6 rows)
Rows 81-86: yarn B. (6 rows)
Rows 87- 92: yarn A. (6 rows)
Rows 93-98: yarn C (6 rows)
Rows 99-100: yarn B (2 rows)
Rows 101-102: yarn C (2 rows)
Repeat the last 4 rows until 50 x 2 rows stripes have been completed (96 more rows)
Rows 199-204: yarn B (6 rows)
Rows 205- 210: yarn C (6 rows)
Rows 211-216: yarn B (6 rows)
Rows 217-244: yarn A (28 rows)
Rows 245-250: yarn C (6 rows)
Rows 251-256: yarn B (6 rows)
Rows 257-262: yarn C (6 rows)
Rows 263-268: yarn A (6 rows)
Rows 269-270: yarn C (2 rows)
Rows 271-272: yarn A (2 rows)
Repeat the last 4 rows until 10 x 2 rows stripes have been completed (16 more rows).
Cast off in pattern using yarn A.
Sew in ends.

 

More Tea Vicar Tea Cosies

I have been told that no one uses tea cosies anymore and so no one sells them!  In fact people want to buy tea cosies but not many people sell them.  My local newsagent sells hand-knitted tea cosies and they never keep one in their window for long – someone has come in and bought it.

During the summer I have been making tea cosies for the London-based business - All the Fun of the Fair.

 

If you are interested in buying them – they are available from www.allthefunofthefair.bigcartel.com or www.ravelry.com/stores/all-the-fun-of-the-fair-designs  You can also buy a pattern if you would like to knit one yourself.

Knitted Poppy Tea Cosy - Version 2

 

This tea cosy was knitted to remember the soldiers lost in the First World War – on both sides – but particularly my great grandfather Thomas Wade who was killed in 1917.

The tea cosy is very simple – a basic green tea cosy with 5 knitted poppies on top.  I have used buttons for the centres to add a bit of texture.

It is likely that I will come up with some more poppy-based designs during the next 4 years!