Knitting by Candle Light

I love knitting lace but over the last couple of years I've discovered that much as I like the idea of it, I don't enjoy using laceweight. I do love sock yarn though and there are so many beautiful yarns out there. I always think that it's a shame to hide them away in your shoes though. If you buy something that pretty, why not show it off?

So, this is a little something that I've been working on for a while and when the lovely ladies from my knitting group offered to test knit my latest pattern, who was I to say no? So with extra thanks to Christine for knitting and modeling the two versions pictured, I bring you my Candle Light Shawl.

I designed it to be made from one 100g skein of yarn, you know one of those pretty indie dyed ones that we all love (mine included!). Why hide it when you can wrap yourself up in it and show it off? It's quite a simple lace pattern to remember and so it's a great pattern even if you're just starting out knitting lace. Maybe I'm overdoing the enthusiasm a little but it's my pattern and I do rather like it, I hope you will too. If you want to knit it yourself you can buy the pattern for £2.50 through Ravelry. Here's a little link that should take you there, whether you're a rav user or not.

The pink version was knitted in the Natural Dye Studio Nino using 4mm needles and the pewter coloured one was made from Posh yarn Lei on 3.5mm. They're both beautiful but completely different in size. It always amazes me how much difference needle size can make to lace, personally I like to use 5mm with sock yarn as I like mine nice and open. It all comes down to personal preference though. Anyway, happy knitting :)

FO - Forest Canopy No 3

Two finishes in one day, well almost. It's more a case of it's nice camera friendly weather today, a quick respite between this weeks gales and the rain that's forecast for the weekend. So here in all it's glory is the latest of my Forest Canopy shawls and once again, it's for someone else. sigh Modelled by the mighty midget in his usual cheeky style. This time around I'm using some 4ply out of my own dye pots in a rather nice shades of blue, purple and mauve. I do have virtually a whole skein of this left and as there's not going to be quite enough for another shawl, it'll probably end up as socks. I think I might have to repeat this colourway as it came out really well and I have some rather nice undyed merino 4ply lurking in my stash. Back to the shawl, after blocking it measures 56" x 25" (or in new money that's 142 x 64cm) which works out to thirteen pattern repeats plus the edging - two more repeats than the original pattern. Shame I have to give it away really, I'd better wrap it up quick before I change my mind.

FO - Ganomy hat

After much faffing around and copious frogging, my modified ganomy hat is finished at last. It's warm, it fits but I'm not entirely sure it's all that flattering. I think it could do with being a bit shorter in length but the top shaping is pretty much there. There's a little picture of me wearing it at the bottom. Actually it doesn't look as bad in the picture as it does in the flesh. Maybe I'm just being too critical?

I very nearly cast on again for another to make yet more modifications but instead I returned to my UFO pile and picked up a pair of socks I'd been working on.

I'd been putting off grafting the toe but as I couldn't cast on the next until I'd done it, I just bit the bullet and got on with it. I don't know why I didn't do it before, the first sock knitted up super quick and I don't usually suffer from second sock syndrome these days. I must have been sidetracked by something else. Can't remember what though now :s The pattern is called Socks of Kindness and has this lovely textured lace. I've finally found a pattern that stands up to the Opal Neon!

Anyhow in other knitting news, I'm officially a designer, or so it says on Ravelry anyhow. I don't know whether anyone will actually want to make my rocket but hey, it's just a bit of fun. Now I have to get down to the serious job of converting my scratchings for some of my bags into proper patterns.

Musings on a hat

I seem to remember that I mentioned previously I had started a hat and now having finished my latest FC (it's blocking on the spare room floor btw), I've picked up the hat where I left off.

The thing about diverging from a pattern is that you're never exactly sure how something's going to work out. I know in my mind's eye what I want it to look like but getting there is another thing entirely. Having decided I rather liked Fiona's variation on the ganomy pattern, I thought I'd have a go too. I quite like fitted hats and also, I decided that unlike EZ in her rather "pithy" instructions, I didn't really need a ping pong ball in the top to make my hat float in emergencies. Yes really. So how to shape the top to fit my head then?

Well, it seems it's a case of trial and error. Plenty of trial and lots of error - hence the rather fetching green lifeline that I have now added. I'm finally happy with the shaping of the front, now I just have to do something about the step in the back. Of course, I could be lazy and just add a giant pom pom to cover it up but I'm not sure whether I'd actually wear it then. Ah well, back to the drawing board then. it's a good job I've actually been taking notes this time.

the one where I ran out of wool

It was all going so well, the MM picked the colours, I picked the pattern. Changed my mind, re-wrote it. Mum said, I'll knit it if you want, I said ok. Mum started, got sidetracked by a new aran cardi in a fab raspberry colour and I ended up knitting it anyway.

Mum had done the back and part of the first sleeve so I picked up where she left off. Knocked off the sleeves quick smart and zoomed through the two fronts. The ball was starting to look a bit on the small side so I started to knit both at the same time from either end of the ball. I love knitting kids cardi's in DK. They grow so quickly, you can easily knock one out in a week.

Anyhow, I digress. The ball got smaller and smaller then to my horror, about an inch from the tops, ran out! The ball band was of course missing by now but I drove down to my LYS in the vain hope that they'd still have the same shade. Which, of course, they didn't. Nevermind, it's blue thinks I, I'll pick up a close match and stripe in in or something. Of course when I got home and took another look at it, the shade was so completely off that I put it down and haven't looked at it since.

Well, until yesterday. I have a school jumper to knit up so I thought I should probably take a look at this before casting on (yet) another project. I am trying to reduce the number of WIP's again. So I dragged it out from under all the Christmas debris. "You know", I thought to myself, "those fronts look rather big....." and that's where i got out the tape measure again. At some point between doing the sleeves and starting the fronts my tension changed. Overnight literally. Whether it was the speed I was knitting at or the other projects I was doing at the same time, who knows. It's not out by much probably about half stitch per inch but the two fronts together measure a good 2 inches more than the back. 2 inches!!

So there's good new and bads news. I will obviously have to frog both fronts (grrr) but I may now have enough of the original yarn left to complete the cardigan. Yay!

Anyhow, I cast on for the school jumper instead. Fickle, me? lol

My second Forest Canopy

I'm all excited I've finished knitting it already - and in only a week! I'm very pleased with myself, can't wait to block it. This time it's in 100% wool 4ply and it's the first of my hand dyed yarn that I've knitted up. The colour's perhaps a bit bright but it'll look really funky, well as funky as a shawl can. There's been a bit of a happy accident with the way that the colour has pooled in places.

I know that I wanted to use as much of the yarn as possible with it being hand dyed (well, I wanted it as big as possible too) but talk about cutting it a bit fine, there's only about 2 metres left! I did three extra repeats in the end and I kept weighing the ball after each one. The last repeat took almost 10g which left me about the same again for the border. I wasn't sure whether I might have to do one less border row but in the end, I managed to complete the pattern. Just. hehe

Anyhow, hope to get it blocked in the morning so that should mean pictures of the finished article over the weekend. Yay.

Now just have to decide which of my UFO's to work on. I think I might break out the sewing machine and get my Noni bag finished. I'd love to be able to take it along to the knitting group next week and show it off again.

What a lovely weekend.

So much so that not much knitting got done. I really am a fair weather gardener and have been making myself busy trying to get on top of the weeding. I think I might even be beginning to make some progress.

So back to the knitting. I have finished the socks for DS and yes, they look like they're different sizes to me too. I was so careful about writing down what I'd done for the first pair as well. Anyhow, you live and learn. So far he has refused to try them on. Typical, and after all he made all that fuss about me making him a pair as well! So here they are. I will try and gt him to model them at some point. The little monster!

I have been a bit naughty too, I started another project. I know I'm supposed to be clearing the UFO's but I just couldn't resist and my brittanys were calling out for a new project. So, the Tabi socks it is then or Lickety Split from Knitty as they are actually called. I haven't actually bought any new yarn for these so it's not all bad (Who am I trying to kid!) and they are probably going to be given to my sister. Well, the yarn was bought with the intention of knitting her some socks. I'm getting around whether to match the striping (not an unmitigated success last time) by using Opal Uni for the toes, heel and cuff. If the stripes come even part way close after that, it's a bonus. I think she'll be pleased as they're looking pretty funky so far.
I took them along to my first Stitch and Bitch meeting in Colchester last night and have actually turned the heel now too. They're a lovely bunch of ladies and hopefully I'll be able to get along to the next meeting too. It's great to be able to see other knitters in action as I've not been very brave about knitting in public so far. I have no idea why, it's not as though I'm actually new to it or anything. So here's to a new and braver me. I'm a knitter and I'm not afraid to show it!

Oh and I signed up to Sockapalooza 4. Yay my first sock swap. Definately a good excuse to get some practise in.

Do not change your needles half way through a project!

As I said yesterday I picked up the sock I had on the go again over the weekend. I've been merrily knitting away, turned the heel last night and am now on the final straight for the second sock - the leg itself. All fine and dandy you might think, well it is, sort of. I'm using one of the Opal Element colourways which is knitting up nicely but as there was such an obvious stripe around the toe, I decided to match the socks.
Having knitted the first sock (all bar the cuff) I decided to start the second on my new Brittany Birch dpn's. Well, to cut a long story short I think my tension for the second sock must differ slightly, not by much but enough to throw the striping out after the heel. Ho hum. So am I going to frog them? No dammit! I still like them and DS won't care either way.

So, the moral of the story is.... Do not change your needles half way through a project!

Project Amnesty... part 1

As promised, the start of my "Project Amnesty" otherwise known as the "to do" list or "those things I have started and haven't finished yet". Pictures will have to follow separately as I'm sure there's going to be a few things I might have missed. I'm hoping that this list isn't going to give the impression that I have the attention span of a goldfish. It's just that if I buy something new, I just HAVE to start it otherwise it sits and calls to me.

So here we go:
Noni Lattice Bag - still needs lining
Noni mini bag - needs decorating
Lorna's Baby Shawl - in progress
IVY - needs some lighter weight needles (hehe Denises?)
Aran hoodie
Aran fingerless gloves
T's Socks
T's Stripey jumper

hmm, only 8 things? Hopefully that's the lot but this is just the things that I can remember starting!

Lorna's Baby Shawl

Here's the first pictures of the baby shawl I'm making for my friend. She's due in May so I have about another month to get it completed. I looked through all my baby patterns (I have lots of "vintage" pattern books) but I couldn't find one I liked and as I couldn't find one online either, I decided to make one up. I'm using Sirdar Baby Bonus 4ply in a lovely lemon yellow, it's very soft and snuggly and washing machine safe.

I keep seeing all these cute photos of babies posing on top of fabulous circular shawls - I don't remember DS ever being like that so what on earth makes me think that other people babies are like that, I don't know! Anyhow, I decided to make a round shawl with a sort of pinwheel effect in the centre. Once it's big enough the plan is to knit a lacy border around the edge. Simple enough you would think (and it is knitting up nicely if I say so myself) but I'm being hampered by the fact my needles are too short already and it only measures about 10" diameter atm!

Forest Canopy KAL

My Forest Canopy shawl finally complete and blocked. I've really enjoyed knitting up this pattern and I'm sure it won't be long before I do another. It's a really quick knit and the pattern is far simpler than I had originally thought - it's certainly very effective. I think I might use some of the yarn from my first dye batch to do a second.

Here's the pint sized model showing how charming he can be. Must be something about boys. Anyhow I think it actually fits him far better than me - even with the 3 extra pattern repeats. I've decided that I like my shawls to be big. Will just have to do another!

I have already got another lace project on the go. I forget who warned me that lace is addictive but they were certainly right! One of my old school friends is expecting so I've decided to knit her a baby shawl - it's lemon yellow, circular and I'm not using a pattern. I must be crazier than I thought - oh and my needles are not long enough already. Looks like I might be buying those Denises sooner rather than later although I have now discovered Knitpicks too. Pricey but far nicer looking - the Denises are definately ugly! It's a shame that there's not a home brand of these interchangeable needles as it's a bit of a pain having to get them shipped over.

Anyhow, back to the knitting and I must check up on the midget as it's all gone quiet.... I'm thinking I should probably be worried.

Spring Cleaning.

Ok, now that I've finished my first Forest Canopy I have decided it's time to have a bash at my stash and have a bit of a clear out. Locate all those half finished projects and actually make an attempt to get some of them finished. I have a feeling I'm going to end up scaring myself silly at the pile of stuff but it has to be done! So coming soon to blog near you .... The Project Amnesty.