Knitting – Page 12 – Ink, Yarn & Beer

Spring Cleaning in the Land of UFOs

Last weekend’s enumeration of the many UFOs has been quite a bit of an eye-opener. It’s nice to hear that I am not the only one going to knitter’s hell for an overabundance of unfinished objects. CaffeineGir l has the same thing going on, and other people are ‘fessing to the same crime.

Certainly this has been a satisfying weekend. The plum tree was transplanted, madder seeds from 1802 found and planted (now let’s see if they sprout, and if I remember to water them), the very, very woolly dog shaved and bathed, several loads of laundry done – dishes, too! – and egg bread made and being eaten. And, in between, I really did accomplish a few things . . .

Victorian Shawl

All done! I didn’t have enough yarn to comfortably embark on the lace edgings, so decided that the simplest thing to do would be to crochet along the edges, and create a short fringe of 20-25 crocheted stitches before rejoining the chains to the shawl body. I like the way it turned out. All the edges are woven in, and it is light as a cloud, and comfortably warm for a cool evening. I cannot believe it has taken me two years to finish this.

Cardigan

I finished the last sleeve, threw it into the washer and dryer, and now can see that I need to tighten up the back neck a bit with some crocheted edging. other than that, all I will need to do is sew on the buttons. Once that is done, then some pictures.

Mittens

I knitted up the mittens I’ve designed using up some Cascade 220. The initial pattern was pretty accurate. A few changes need be made, but they will be easy enough. These are for a friend of mine up in Oregon, and I hope to get them to her in time for her birthday. What I like is that the pattern is the same on the palm, and on the back of the hand – and so they can be worn on either hand.

Somethin’ from the oven . . .

And finally, the other half heard my plea for another batch of the egg bread from a few weeks ago. This time, instead of rolls, two beautifully braided loaves to enjoy.

Now that I’ve become so annoyingly virtuous, I better finish up the rest of my stuff!

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?

Top Down Beret, vi

I finally found my 40″ circular needles, and transferred this never-ending beret to them. Spread out, this is an ugly item! Too much open space between verticals and cables. Too many stitches. Way too big even for the 40-inchers! Maybe I’ll felt it.

Despite that, the progress has been educational. I think my original pattern with a lot of cables would be far more interesting to look at, though admittedly I am rather tired of them right now.

Winter’s Night

Yesterday was a sunny day, I had some Cascade 220 lying around, I didn’t want to think too much, and I had a delicious book to listen to, and it all worked out together.

For quite some time I have been eyeing the Sanquhar knitting patterns, which are attractive geometric designs with contrasting colors. I chose the traditional white and black (mine is really a cream and dark charcoal grey). I imagine these designs could be quite stunning in all sorts of colors. From the time I sat down with my needles, to the time I finished this hat, was about 5 hours. I was amazed at how quickly 110 stitches knit up, and how easy it was to memorize the pattern once it was set up. The pattern used for this hat is called the “Duke” pattern, which is very pleasing to the eye.

If you are interested in learning a bit about Sanquhar knitting, you may visit the Future Museum, which has a wonderful collection of different samples of Sanquhar patterned clothing. If you would like to read about making gloves using the pattern used in Winter’s Night, take a look at tata-tatao.

I guess I can focus again. Yesterday I made a hat. And my husband looks great in it!

Basic Beret: Creating a Top-Down Beret, v

For the last couple of weeks knitting has wandered in and out of my day, along with my sourpuss attitude. This latter has, I hope, been vanquished, even if temporarily.

I’ve been really frustrated by this pattern, so decided to try it from the bottom up. And, it began to make sense. The pattern has changed rather considerably, but the lacy mock cable and top down construction remain. I’m not doing as many cables – considerably less. Where I had planned a number of cables, I am now using simple a line of knit stitches on a purl background. All knit stitches are now knit through the back loop except for a couple, which will be seen in the pattern.

The most interesting element is just how much simpler the pattern is, and so much easier to knit as it grows more organically once a certain level is reached in the stitch increases.