A Very Easy Shawl

 

A few years ago I chose 2 shades of Debbie Bliss Rialto Luxury Sock yarn to make a shawl but never knitted it.  One is pink and brown and the other is green and a brighter pink (Shades 17 and 02). 

Now I need some knitting to do that is very easy.  The pattern is Garter Stitch Triangle Wrap by Pat Strong which I found in an old copy of Knitting magazine.

I say it is an easy pattern but it wouldn’t be if I wasn’t knitting it in 2 shades.  The original design is one shade and it is a 4 row pattern with a different increase or decrease on alternate rows.  If I was knitting it in one colour I would lose concentration and get confused.  As it is – I know that I do the first row in one colour and the third row in the other colour. 

I am hoping that there will be a bit of time to do some knitting when I have sorted out the last few Christmas things.

A Jumper that Turned into a Shawl

 

Over the years I had collected together some shades of black, cream and grey to knit into a multi-coloured jumper.  At some point I had added a ball of cerise as a contrast colour.  This yarn has sat in a bag for years. 

The yarn is all DK – various mixtures of mainly wool and man-made fibres.  The cream is also part alpaca.  It includes some of my all-time favourite yarn - Sirdar Highlands and Islands which was a lovely mix of wool and acrylic and the equally old Hayfield’s Grampian Tweeds DK.  It also includes the more modern Stylecraft Luxury Wool Rich DK and Alpaca dk. 

During the second UK lockdown I was knitting things I was supposed to be making for other people but wanted to knit something easy  - so not a jumper – something that I didn’t notice I was knitting.  I have a couple of Jacqueline Van Dillen shawl patterns that I was going to knit one day and so I decided that “one day” had come and I would have a go at one using the yarn I had collected for the jumper. 

The design doesn’t seem to have a name but it is a biased striped shawl which was published in Designer Knitting magazine Autumn 2018.  I seem to be knitting a lot of 2018 patterns recently – probably because I have a backlog since then.  During 2019 and 2020 I didn’t really get much knitting done and my blog posts became less and less frequent.

This is the start of it.  It is knitted from point to point.

I have now finished the shawl but it needs blocking – it is still a bit curly in places.  I haven’t got the space to do it yet.   I didn’t completely stick to the pattern  - I had to make changes to fit the yarns that I had. Also when I knit the pattern again (which I intend to do) – I will make some of the sections much shorter.

I have now started another even easier shawl to make while I am working long hours in the run up to Christmas.

Two Finished Cardigans

I have finished the cardigan which is a present for my mother.  I hope she will like it.  Normally she puts a new cardigan in a drawer – to keep for best and carries on wearing her usual ones.  I am the same in a way – if I don’t immediately start wearing something new – I forget about it.

 

This second cardigan has been unfinished all year – but it is also now finished because I have sewn on the buttons. 

I found during lockdown that I had a button shortage – I have got a lot of buttons but none of them were suitable for what I was knitting.  As soon as Banbury Sewing Centre reopened – I went in and stocked up on metals buttons which can be used with any yarn.

This week I have also ordered a Christmas present for me!  During this lockdown I have had a chance to think about what I would like to knit next.   When I say next – I probably mean next year.    I choose some more shades of Rowan Felted Tweed with the idea of knitting 2 shawls and a scarf.  I did an email order to Oxford Yarn Store and my parcel arrived on Friday.  I haven’t opened it yet.  I will save that for Christmas day.

Ella by Sirdar

For the last few weeks I have been knitting a cardigan as a birthday present for my mother.  Her birthday is in December.   I have knitted this design before a few years ago.  I am not sure where the pattern comes from – it has been cut out of a magazine.  It suggests various Sirdar double knitting yarns that could be used.   My mother needs something that is machine washable which will also survive the tumble dryer.   

The yarn I chose is Stylecraft Life dk Vintage Look which is 75% acrylic and 25% wool.  This shade is called Prairie.   Unfortunately the yarn is discontinued.  When I saw it in my local yarn store – it reminded me of my mother because these are the colours she normally wears.  I only bought 4 x 100g balls.  I thought it ought to be enough – mainly because that was enough last time I knitted this design in the smallest size.

Yesterday I was doing that favourite knitter’s habit of knitting faster because you think you are running out of yarn.   It was very close. When I finished the second sleeve – having already done to neck and front bands -  I had about 2 metres of yarn left!

I did have a plan B for if I ran out of yarn.  The first plan B was to unravel the whole cardigan and knit a design which used less yarn - but that was  bit drastic if it could be avoided.  My second plan B (or plan C) was to reknit the sleeves making them slightly narrower.  I always find that shop bought cardigans have much narrower sleeves than handknit patterns – so there is always scope to do this without the sleeves being too narrow.  However – I am really glad that I haven’t got to do it. 

All I have got to do now is sew it up.  I had better get on with it rather than start knitting anything else. 

Vanessa by Marie Wallin

Vanessa is a cardigan that I have been working on for more than a year.  I first noticed the pattern in November 2018 when I was in Oxford Yarn Store with my World War 1 Memorial Quilt.  I wanted to have another go at knitting a fair-isle cardigan. I still haven’t actually finished it.  I have finished the knitting unless I need to alter the sleeves but the garment is still in bits.

The cardigan is knitted in several shades of Rowan Felted Tweed – which is a lovely yarn.  I made a mistake and used the purple colour for the diamonds when I was supposed to use blue.  The chart is so small – I misread the symbol.  However I think it looks more cohesive to use the purple twice.  Also it demonstrates a point that Kaffe Fassett makes that colour look different depending on the colours that they are next to.  I think the purple looks like a different shade further down the pattern when it is next to the pink.

I don’t think I have ever finished a fair-isle cardigan  for an adult – I remember trying to knit a Debbie Bliss design in cotton.  I never finished that.  I have knitted lots of little fair-isle cardigans for babies and small children and I have knitted a fair-isle jumper that I don’t think I ever wore. 

In order to make this cardigan more wearable I have knitted the sleeves downwards (so I didn’t exactly follow the pattern - I knitted the instructions backwards).  This means that if the sleeves are too long (or too short) I can unravel or knit more rib.  I know I should measure them and I do but somehow I often still have problems. 

I have been to my local yarn stores more recently – and on one of my last visits to the nearest one (Banbury Sewing Centre) – I bought a lot of buttons.  For many years I have said I must start a cardigan with the buttons and then get the yarn to go with them because I always have problems the other way around.  Also although I have a lot of yarn and lots of odd buttons – if we have another lockdown – it would be good to be able to finish garments because I had already bought the buttons.  I still haven’t finished a jacket I knitted during lockdown because although I have now bought some buttons – I haven’t sewn them on.  I need to keep up the momentum on a project or it just drifts.

I have started knitting a few things for Christmas.  I did do some in April but now the deadline is a bit closer.  This is good because it does focus the mind on finishing them.  I hope I am doing better this year because – at least it isn’t December yet.  Unlike some knitters who are still knitting on Christmas Eve – I have to be more organized because most things need to be posted – so I have to complete them before the last posting date!

Afternoon Tea Throw – Butterfly Cake and Flapjacks

I know it is ages again since I wrote anything – I have been working on a fair-isle cardigan which I hope to finish soon.  Now it is getting chilly – it would be good to wear it.   However I also took a break from that project and knitted 2 more blocks for my Afternoon Tea Throw.  

This first block represents a Butterfly Cake.

 

My mother used to make Butterfly Cakes.  I remember when I was small being fascinated that by just cutting off the top and cutting that piece in half – a cake could have wings!

The second block represents 2 flapjacks – probably not a feature of a posh afternoon tea – but we used to have them whenever we visited my mother’s sister. 

I have a few more ideas for edible blocks – but I also want to include some that represent china.  I also ought to include tea and sugar – and even a tea-cosy!   However – I think before I do any more for this throw – I had better finish the cardigan I am working on and make a few Christmas presents. 

In the last week – I may not have written this blog but I have been to all 3 of my local shops which sell yarn and have ordered some online.  I always say I am going to use up some of my yarn mountain but then I haven’t quite got the right yarn – so I have to buy some more.

Jewelspun Tea Cosy

I am aware that I haven’t written anything for weeks.  I haven’t done much knitting recently. My cousin asked me if I would knit her a tea cosy for her tiny teapot.  This is what I have come up with.

It is double-sided.  It is 2 tea cosies in one.  This means it is very thick to keep the tea warm and she can decide which side she likes the most.   The teapot is about a 2 cup size.  I made the pattern up as I went along.  I used 4mm needles and Sirdar Jewelspun yarn  which is aran weight.  The shade is 844 which is blue and pink, and green and orange.   The balls are 200g in size – so I have quite a lot left over for something else.

The tea cosy is mainly made up of diamond modules.  I cast on 17 sts and the first row was K8, P1, K8.  I then decreased in the centre on the front facing rows maintaining the centre line on each diamond.  I fill the base with triangles which I made up as I went along.  I shaped the top by using a 3-needle cast off to join the diamonds together.

I am now going to knit some more blocks for my Afternoon Tea throw.