Tag: gloves

Project Inventory

Today is nearing the end of the spring break.  The weather has been wonderful, with a day of rain to clear the air, and sunny days with wind and fair skies.  The trees are budding into leaf, the birds are making love songs, and the squirrels, well, are going nuts.

And in the middle of all this, I have managed to get a grip on things, meet up with people for lunch, read a bit, knit, and think about (but not do) some gardening.  I have a fig tree and plum tree which need attention, a vine to move, and so on.  And a lot of knitting projects.  When I have time to play, I like to begin things.  But do they get done?

Owls

All I need to do is sew on the buttons – but I made a mistake in the darts so, rip it or not? This is a pattern by Kate Davies at Needled.

Buttoned Cardigan

Only a few inches left on the sleeve and I am done. What’s taking me so long?  This is a cardigan by Eva Weichmann, owner of Eva’s Needlework in Thousand Oaks, CA, which I’ve mentioned before.


Top Down Beret from Hell

I’m beginning the decreasing toward the brim . . . not soon enough!

Hat in Design Mode

I found an issue here – bobble placement. Back to the drawing board.

Golden Autumn by Lucy Sweetland

Just a gorgeous hat, but I got sidetracked.  Lucy is one of my favorite designers and photographers.

Gloves

One hand down, another to go.

Mittens in Design Mode

Out of my Cascade 220 stash.

The Relentless Scarf

So boring I can’t stand it.

Socks

Lots of socks.  Too many.  And this is not all the inventory, either.

Socks to be Ripped

The yarn is from Riihivilla in Finland, naturally dyed with cochineal and indigo.  I’ve decided that the yarn is too pretty to hide on my feet, so now all this is sitting on my desk while I reconsider how to use the yarn to show it off.

Victorian Lace Shawl

Nearly done. It’s been sitting on a shelf for two years. I don’t know what is taking me so long, but I think it will get finished pretty soon.  It is a beautiful yarn, perfect for the pattern, and the colors have a lovely iridescence.

What’s a girl to do?

Double Knitting

In the past few months I’ve given thought to double knitting, which is the creation of mirrored patterns on a double layer of fabric. I’ve found some patterns that really have caught my attention. What really got me more interested was one called Cheesehands, by Julia Mueller. I really like the design – it’s a small project – and I have someone in mind who likes warm hands.

It also has a matching hat, so the temptation to knit is there! The pattern is quite cheerful, I think, and certainly worth the effort of learning double knitting.

Also, if you like gloves, Julia Mueller has incredible patterns, from whimsical to classical. Her other items include socks and hats. Check her stuff out on Ravelry.  Her cable and twisted stitches are different and intriguing.

The current edition of the Twist Collective has a lot of gorgeous patterns, and a hat called Four Winds by Alasdair Post-Quinn.

The article he wrote about double knitting is quite good.  What is even better are the videos embedded within.  These videos enhance reading about the whole process, including his incredible cast-on that allows the knitter to begin knitting immediately.  For me, the long-tail cast-on like this has always been confusing.  For some reason, it makes sense here.  (My long tail is very different.  I think it is easier.  Maybe I’ll film it one day.)

Here are the three videos in the article.

Double Knitting Cast-On

Double Knitting – Regular and Twisted Stitch

Double Knit Decreases

Interestingly, when getting the links on YouTube for Alasdair’s videos, I found that there are quite a few from the Twist Collective which I plan to check out.

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In the meantime, I plan to finish a few hats and a shawl and a sleeve before I take on double knitting.  And paint a few pictures.  And prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday.

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Addendum: I lied.  I started playing with double knitting.  Here is a link with some good tutorials:  Golden Apples.