Everything I have Ever Knitted - for My Parents

For the last couple of weeks I have been working on the modular knitted jacket that I started last November.   It is not that far off being finished but I still need to do the button band and the cuffs.  I hope it will fit me – but I have got to the point that I just want to finish it.

In-between times – I have been knitting little samples for my Everything I have Ever Knitted project.  This is a V-neck.  In the 1980s I knitted my father 2 pullovers to wear under a suit for work.  He was very fussy and wanted them to look right (so did I) – and I was particularly pleased that he wore them every winter thereafter.  One was grey and the other was dark green like this sample. 

Over the years I have knitted lots of things for my mother and finished items that she started and got stuck with.  The following sample is from a cardigan that I knitted for her.  I think she may have knitted some of it.  It was knitted in this yarn which is a copper coloured Sirdar Country Style.  I remember finding the basket work pattern difficult especially when decreasing.  Although this cardigan was knitted many years ago – I saw my mother wearing it in the last few months.

I was thinking that the first things that I knitted have stayed in my memory long after the garments have gone.  Each one was precious – I had to save up for the yarn – and each one was a learning experience.  The following is a sample of reversed stocking stitch knitted in Wendy’s Chignon. 

I loved this yarn and knitted the very plain jumper to show it off.  A few years later I knitted the pattern again when I discovered a similar yarn.  I would knit it again – if I could find the yarn.  It is chunky but is very light-weight and the colours are very subtle.

Duck Feet

After months of struggling – I have finally finished the duck feet that my work colleague requested for her baby. 

When she asked me if I could knit her some duck feet – I said – “yes” – I mean - how hard can it be?!  I downloaded the pattern.  It is  a design by Jeny Staiman and has very comprehensive instructions.  The question is – what do they mean?!  I think the pattern is actually very good – the problem is that I am not a sock knitter so most of it is written in a foreign language.  If you are a sock knitter – you will think it is OK.

Having said that I found the pattern hard and the duck feet have taken me months to knit – I have managed to knit them.   I don’t think I knitted them exactly correctly – but it is close enough.

I am now back to knitting something much more to my taste – a modular knitted cardigan – which I started last December.  When I have finished that – it will have taken even longer than the duck feet – not because it is difficult – but because I have been knitting other things and haven’t touched it at all since last December.

A Selection of Hats

Recently I have been neglecting this blog again, but I have been knitting.  The Knitting and Crochet Guild want items to sell at a Christmas Fayre – so I have knitted some hats.

They are quite similar to the tea cosies that I normally knit - but I think more people wear hats than use tea cosies!  Knitting a hat is quite satisfying – it can be done quickly and does not require difficult techiques. 

100 Yarns Throw – Finished Version

I have finished this throw.  I am pleased with it and think it is a good way of using up odd bits of yarn.

I knitted a border on the throw but decided that it curled up too much – so I unravelled it and crocheted a simple edge – like one of the throws that inspired this project.

The idea for this throw was originally conceived while I was knitting the colour blocks blanket from Martin Storey’s Afghan Knits book.  The difference being that the colour blocks throw is knitted in garter stitch rather than stocking stitch, in 4 colours rather than about 100, has 63 squares rather than 42 and no border.  There are 2 main similarities.  I cast on the same number of stitches – 89 (although using 6.5mm needles instead of 4.5mm) and I knit the squares flat and then sewed up the seam on each one to make a square.

Before I knitted the colour blocks blanket – I had seen a throw in the book Knitalong by Larissa Brown and Martin John Brown.   This was a “Barn-Raising Quilt” knitted where each square had been knitted by different people.  The appearance of the quilt is similar – in that it is squares arranged in groups of similar colours and I knitted the same number of squares - 42. The differences are that the Barn-Raising Quilt was knitted in the round on four needles and using sock yarn.

So although I was inspired by 2 other knitted throws – mine is different – in terms of needle size and yarn used.  The general weight of yarn is between aran and chunky.  I have included sock yarn but in combination with something else to make it thicker. Each square was cast on using a main colour to make the squares easy to sew together.

100 Yarns Throw – Progress Report

There has been a bit of a gap in this blog – for 2 reasons – firstly I have been away, but secondly my camera has decided to stop working.  Whilst I was away I didn’t get much knitting done.  This project is not very portable.  In theory it should have been because I have knitted 42 individual squares – but they each involved so many different yarns – it would have been too difficult to carry more than enough yarn for a couple of squares.

I have now knitted all 42 squares.  I know it sounds odd – but this throw really knitted itself.  I just decided to knit a green square or an orange square – picked some yarns and knitted it.  I didn’t plan it at all.  On Sunday I arranged all the squares on my bed – and then I rearranged them and rearranged them.  I decided that I had better stop doing that and start sewing some of them together.  I sewed them into groups of 6 or 9 and then washed and blocked them.  This was easier than blocking individual squares.

A few days ago I tried to take some photos of the blue and green squares – but my camera would not work.  I knew that my phone ought to take photos – but I had never tried to use it.  Today I did – and the photos in this post are from my phone.  I didn’t really know what I was doing (you can probably tell) and I could not get them to save into the right album – but I have succeeded in taking some photos to show you the current state of the throw.

The varioius pieces need to be sewn together and then I want to knit a border around the edge.  I should get this done in the next few days. 

100 Yarns Throw

At the moment I am trying to clear out my flat – which seems to be an annual event.  I have been looking for yarn for my Everything I have Ever Knitted project – but I have also been thinking about creating yet another throw made from yarn leftover from other projects.  I am calling it the 100 Yarns Throw but I think it will in fact include many more than this.  

I have taken Sally Melville’s advice about using up old yarn – which is to first buy some new yarn to hold everything together.  I bought 6 balls of Adriafil Stella Alpina classic in a dark brown shade.  Because I am not really planning this throw at all – it is just happening as I find yarn that I like – I am knitting individual squares which I will sew together afterwards.  I am using the dark brown as an edging and I will then sew all the dark brown edges to each other.   Here are some examples of squares that I have knitted so far.

These are definitely an answer to the question - what can I do with odd bits of yarn that I can't bear to throw away.

Bauhaus Throw – Rough Pattern

Two weeks ago, when I finished this Bauhaus throw, I took it to Oxford Yarn Store.  I was encouraged to write a pattern – so that others could have a go at the throw if they liked it. Therefore, I am including the rough pattern below.  I hope it doesn’t contain any mistakes. The photos have been stolen from the Oxford Yarn Store Newsletter.  When knitting the throw – I turned the postcard on its end – so that I could knit 2 columns of 3 large squares one on top of another– rather than 3 columns of 2 large squares.

Materials:

9 Shades of Rowan Pure Wool Worsted (100g/200m) – 10 balls in total:
I ball of Mauve (158), Blue (146), Gold (133), Black (109), Lime (125), Grey (112), Rust (106), Red (136) and 2 balls of Cream (102). [I used about 80g of each ball.]

Needles: 5½mm

The throw is made up of 6 large squares made up of 36 small squares – there are 4 squares of each colour within a large square.

This throw has been knitted in one piece – there is no sewing up.

Start in the bottom left-hand corner. [On the postcard above that is the top lefthand corner]

Instructions for Basic Square
Row 1: Cast on (or pick up) 23sts.
Row 2: Knit.
Row 3:  K10, slip 1, K2tog, psso (pass slipped stitch over), K10 (21sts)
Row 4:  Knit.
Row 5:  K9, slip 1, K2tog, psso, K9 (19sts)
Row 6:  Knit.
Row 7:  K8, slip 1, K2tog, psso, K8 (17sts)
Row 8:  Knit.
Row 9:  K7, slip 1, K2tog, psso, K7 (15sts)
Row 10: Knit.
Row 11: K6, slip 1, K2tog, psso, K6 (13sts)
Row 12: Knit.
Row 13: K5, slip 1, K2tog, psso, K5 (11sts)
Row 14: Knit.
Row 15: K4, slip 1, K2tog, psso, K4 (9sts)
Row 16: Knit.
Row 17: K3, slip 1, K2tog, psso, K3 (7sts)
Row 18: Knit.
Row 19: K2, slip 1, K2tog, psso, K2 (5sts)
Row 20: Knit.
Row 21: K1, slip 1, K2tog, psso, K1 (3sts)
Row 22: K3tog and fasten off.

Next knit the square above the first one by picking up 11sts from the top of the first square and casting on 12sts to make 23.  Then complete from Row 2 onwards. 

I worked the first 6 squares in a column, and then started at the bottom again – where you need to cast on first and then pick up sts from the side of the first square.

When I had completed all 36 little squares – I picked up and knitted 72sts across the whole large square and knitted 5 rows in the main colour.  I then knitted large square 2 above the first square and then another 5 rows of main colour and then Square 3.  You can divide the 72 sts into 6 groups of 12 and then you just need to cast on or pick up 11 for the left-hand side of each small square on the base row.

When I had completed 3 large squares, I then picked up 204sts along the right-hand side of the 3 large squares and the 2 strips and knitted 5 rows in the main colour for the centre spine. I left these stitches on spare yarn and then used them as necessary for the side of the next column of squares.

I then knitted the 3 large squares on the other side, starting by casting on 12sts and then knitting 11sts from the central spine.

When you knit the horizontal strips on the left-hand side of the throw you can join them to the spine by knitting the edge stitches together or you can sew up the small hole.

When all 6 large squares are knitted – knit the edges.

Side Edges: In main colour – pick up 204sts and knit 5 rows.  Cast off.

Bottom and Top Edges: In main colour pick up 141sts across the squares and the edge of the side edging.  Knit 5 rows and cast off.

Sew in ends and block the piece.