Knitted Mohair Shrug

 

I have a very special event to attend this autumn and I've been thinking very carefully about my outfit.

My little sister is getting married in Santorini and I've got no idea what the weather will be like.  I'm assuming it will be warm, but the venue is on a cliff top and I'm thinking it might have a cooling wind in the evening.  I can hope.

So I decided that a shrug might be a good addition to my outfit, just in case.

 

I spend ages looking for something that was elegent, and not too thick and would work with my outfit.  In the end I came across this mohair shurg pattern. 

It looked just right, but then I needed some yarn.

I visited the wool shop in the village.  It's just been taken over by someone else, so I wasn't sure what it would be like now.  They'd moved everything around, but when I told them what I was looking for, they were very helpful and found me the most beautiful yarn.  Rowan Kidsilk Haze.  It's 70% mohair and 30% silk so is very soft and fine.  It was also the perfect pink colour.  The lable didn't have a colour name but I think its Shadow (653).

 

I've never knitted with anything so fine before and it was a bit tricky to start, but once I got the hang if it, it was OK.  And the pattern was super simple.  I really should have finished this earlier, but in the very hot weather I don't like knitting with sweaty hands, and so it didn't progress.

But its done now and I think it's just what I need for the wedding.  We'll see in September. 

Powdermill Cardigan

 

 Last September I got started knitting the Powdermill cardigan by Kate Davies.

It had been on my list for a while and I thought I'd have it done by Christmas.  Previous cardigans and jumpers have taken 3-4 months.

Today (May) I finally added the buttons (glass buttons made in my studio)!  That's only 8 months in the making!!

I knew it might take a little longer than normal, after all it's got quite a detailed pattern and is only using a DK yarn.

However, it is knitted in the round which speeds things up a bit, but did mean I had three steek's to deal with (one down the front and one for each arm hole) which then slowed me down.  

Then when you think you've finished, you need to add a neck band and two bands down the front, and I sewed ribbon into the front bands too to stop the steek from unraveling!  And all the sewing in ends - as you can imagine there were a few.  And there might have been pauses for other projects along the way, but they weren't very long.

 

I used Stylecraft Special DK and love the colours!  Lipstick, Royal, Citron (one ball of each) and Graphite and A Hint of Silver (two balls of each).  That blue and red remind me of the drawings of princesses I used to draw as a kid, for some reason a colour combination I loved. 

The only slight annoyance is the right front button band which has the button holes in it.  I was using a 2 stitch icord, but the holes were too small so I made them bigger, but I should have made the icord bigger too.  This means the edge is slightly distorted which is annoying. 

 

As I was working on it last week, I didn't think I'd get to wear it any time soon as we enjoyed a mini heatwave, but the wind has turned so maybe I will.  It is a bit thicker than some of my other cardigans.

I'm not sure I'd wear it into the office.  It is very in your face, but I think it will work well round the house or maybe walking the dog?

 

I'm glad to see the back of the making of it and move on to something else.  But I have a confession.  While making it I couldn't help wondering what it would be like if I made it in a different colour way, and didn't keep to the strict colour pattern.  I've got a bag of left over yarn from making a crochet blanket a couple of years ago and think the colours would work so well.  So this evening I may well be casting that on.  But I know it will take a lot longer than this one, as there are too many other projects on hold right now!

Antwerp Pullover

 

I can't remember the last time I bought a jumper.  I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.

However, I am always on the look out for a cosy, interesting jumper.  So when I found the Antwerp Pullover pattern on a website, while looking for something completely different, I had to add it to my basket.

Unfortunately the material I chose to make it from, while a lovely colour wasn't really thick enough (I think I'll make it into a dress maybe?) and so I put it to one side while I decided what to do.

 

With a week off booked for Easter I decided to try again and so ordered some needlecord fabric in a stunning ochre (yellow) colour.  Still not as thick as I'd hoped, but I decided to try it out anyway.

I started by working out what size I wanted and cutting out all the pieces, before following the instructions and carefully putting it all together.  I've made a few clothing items before so I had an understanding of how it would go together but I didn't think the instructions were as clear as they could be.

I also found that the needlecord would stick to itself, which wasn't very helpful.  And it left lots of little yellow bits of fluff everywhere.  As I don't have a good way of finishing edges I assume I'll have little bits of yellow fluff with me for some time to come. 

 

I haven't decided if I like the end result or not.  I love the colour and the feel of the needlecord.  But it's quite a light weight jumper and not very snuggly.  It might be good for the week of warm weather we might get if we're lucky.  However the fit is pretty good and I could probably have gone down a size if I'd wanted something a bit more fitted.

I'm thinking about making it again in a thicker material.  The design also came with a collar option instead of a hood, which might be better with a thicker material too. 

I need to live with it for a bit first I think.

Decisiveness Super Bulky Scoop Shrug

 

 A couple of years ago I knitted the Portland Cardigan, and while I liked the stitch used, I didn't enjoy wearing it - it was too bulky under the arms.

Seeing as I wasn't wearing it and it was taking up room in the waldrobe, I unravelled it and balled it up and kept my eye's open for a new project which might have a better outcome.

It took a while but then I came across the pattern for the Decisiveness Super Bulky Scoop Shrug by Brome Fields on Esty.

 

I've been working on a very detailed knitting project since September so at the beginning of the year I decided to give myself a break to make something that would knit up quickly.

As my yarn wasn't as bulky as the pattern and I didn't have big enough needles (although they were perfect for my yarn) I made some slight changes to the pattern based on guesses and a rough sizing square and got going.

 

I wasn't sure how much yarn I'd need but decided to use up what I had and then buy some more if needed.

I used up all my yarn and thought I'd finished.  I sewed up the arms and started to sew in ends, but in my heart I knew it was too big and I wouldn't use it as a shrug in this format.  It would either need to be a blanket or I would have to start again.

 

Much to 'im outdoors horror I undid it all, and set it aside for a bit before trying again.

This time I kept much closer to the pattern, just going up one size.  And ended up with something much more suitable, although I think I could have probably gone up one more size.  Don't worry I'm not going to undo it all again!  

 

Because I was using recyled wool I had a few more ends to sew in than I'd have liked, but better to reuse the wool into a nice new project.  All gave me joy to make, hopefully this one will also be joyful to wear.

I think it's going to be perfect for this spring weather where it can be so lovely and warm and then cloud goes over the sun and it's cold again.  Something to just slip over the shoulders to keep me warm.

 

I've still got a few balls left so will have to think of something to do with them too.

St Catherines Cardigan

 

For the last couple of months I've been working on St Catherines Cardigan by Kate Davies.

I love her designs and this one had caught my eye with its stripes, some of which don't do what is expected of them.

 

So off to the the wool shop I went and got myself some Stylecraft DK in Graphite and A Hint of Silver.  I used just under 2 balls of each.

Once I'd worked out my gauge and the size needles I'd need I got going.  Being garter stitch it was mostly knit, with a little purl when working on the arms and the edging.  There was a bunch of picking up stitches to do which I hate! And it is finished with a 3 stitch i-cord bind off which is pretty straightforward but seemed to take forever.

 

It's come out pretty well, but there are a few things I could improve on.  For instance some of the stitches I picked up on the collar are not very neat.  And somehow I managed to do an extra row of graphite stitches on the second arm, only noticing when it didn't line up with the first.  Doh!  No way I was undoing all that to correct it.

But as a cardigan to wear around the house, especially when I'm having hot/cold moments I think it'll do just fine!  I like how chunky it is.

Evendoon Cardigan In Plum

 

After the success of my first Evendoon Cardigan I wanted to have another go.  This would give me another colour to wear and allow me to make a couple of small changes that I've thought of from wearing the first one.

This time I wanted to make the arms and body just a little longer.  And I made the ribbing at the bottom of the body a little longer too.

 

Although I think this is a very straightforward pattern, I still managed to mess it up twice and had to undo it - once where I turned half way through a row when I got distracted and put it down for a bit!  So it did take a little longer than the first.

This time I was using Stylecraft Special DK in plum - 3 balls.  And I made glass buttons in black.  The black isn't really black, but a very dark transparent purple which you'd see if you held them up to the light, but looks black here.

I'm pretty happy with it, but the real test will be in the wearing.  Roll on my next day in the office.

Evendoon Cardigan

 

This week I've been wearing my new favourate cardigan!

I started knitting Kate Davies Evendoon Cardigan just before Christmas and found it a really easy knit.  It helps that it's not the biggest either!

Once I saw how fast it was knitting up I decided to aim for a meeting I was due to attend in the actual office on 12 Feb.  Could I do it?  Yes I could.

 

On top of knitting the cardigan itself.  I also wanted to make matching buttons.  The pattern said I would need between 7 and 12, so I had to make them in batches.  

 

I have special button hole mandrals, but I only have 5.  So over January I made batches of 5 buttons each time I was in the studio.  This gave me 20 buttons, although a couple broke and some had sharp bits.  I had plenty to find my perfect 7. 

I used 3 balls of Stylecraft Special DK in Cypress and really love the colour.  My buttons are effetre glass - ivory with transparant light turquoise dots. 

 

I'm very pleased with the fit.  I was sure it would be too small, and I was worried the buttons would be too heavy.  If I make it again (and I am tempted to make some in other colours) I would make it a tiny bit longer in the body and the arms, but otherwise I'm very pleased with the fit and the buttons were perfect. I'm looking forward to my next in-person meeting already.

Seaside Sweater

 Over the summer I came across the free Seaside Sweater pattern from LoveCrafts to use with their PaintBox Yarns.  This was a crochet pattern and seeing as I'd just spent months on a frustrating knit, I thought it might be good to switch over for a bit.

 

It's a very straightforward pattern, and once you get it in your head, very easy to follow.

I was slightly thrown when I started to make the back to find it wasn't the same size as the front, but when I spoke to the very helpful lady in my local wool shop she said it's because cotton stretches as you use it.

 

I had decided to go with the suggest yarn - PaintBox cotton mix DK in Pebble, which is lovely and soft and has a nice drap to it.  I used about 4 1/2 balls, although I did make the arms a little longer than suggested.

The thing that really slowed me down was then having to sew it all up.  I hate that, especially when you've got to go slow to find the right stich to sew into.  It was very strange, having started this project in August, to be finishing it up in December while listening to Christmas carols.  Especially as this is a summer item! 

 

While sewing up I was a little worried that it might be too tight, so I didn't sew all the way to the bottom on each side, which I think looks nice.

I'm hoping that we have a better summer next year and I actually get to wear it!  Fingers crossed.

Bubbly Sweater

 This year I've been knitting the Bubbly Sweater from Isabell Kraemer.  I say year as it's taken much much longer than I would normally expect a sweater to take.  

I must have started it after I had finished the Kiss of North project as I try to only have one major project on the go at a time.  And this week, only 6 months later, I've finished it!  (I'd normally expect a jumper to take 3-4 months to complete.)

 

Some of it was all the running I was doing.  I was covering a lot of miles, which in turn left me feeling very tired by the end of the day, my normal knitting time.  With a pattern this complicated you don't want to do it when you're tired and bound to make mistakes.  It was only complicated round the yoke and the ribbing, but it still slowed me down.

 

Plus there has been the excitment of the glass studio being finished and so I've lost some time to making glass beads (which I'm very happy about).

But the real issue was the brioche stitch used for ribbing the bottom of the body and end of the sleeves.  I found this so hard and kept making mistakes and as it uses a yarn over, mostly ended up undoing the whole lot and having to start again.  By the end I'd got the pattern in my fingers and finally worked out how to fix a dropped stitch, but it was by far the longest part of the process.

Can you spot the mistake?

 

I'm not sad I kept undoing it, the finished piece looks great, but there is one small miskake on the right sleeve which I've left as I couldn't face undoing it and starting again.

I used 4 balls of Stylecraft special double knit in graphite with the detail in turquoise (much less than 1 ball).  It's a lovely colour combination and I'm really happy with the fit too.  I guess the only bonus of it taking so long is I won't have to wait so long for the cooler weather so I can wear it.

Fixing My Jeans

 

I wouldn't normally bother to post about a small fix to a hole in a pair of jeans.  However, I tried something a little different this time.  Rather than just patching the hole I added a little decoration, and I have to say I'm rather please with how it turned out. 

 

Normally when I see things like this on the internet and have a go for myself, I don't get quite the same effect, but for once its turned out just as I wanted.

While I've sewn a patch inside the jeans the little stars just help to secure it and add a tiny little detail which now makes these jeans kinda special.

I'm looking forward to making my next repair, although I'm pretty sure 'im outdoors won't want anything like this on his work trousers.

Kiss Of North

 

 I've been trying to stash bust my yarn.  It's harder than you might think.  You might have a nice pattern, but then you need the right yarn.  And enough yarn.  So many of my patterns need more than one or two balls.

However as I was looking through my patterns I came across one that seemed to be a match with some yarn I had left over from the Carbeth Cardigan I made a couple of years ago.

 

The Kiss of North pattern is for a seamless vest that looks perfect for taking the dog for a walk on a fresh morning, when you don't quite need a jumper but you don't want to just go in just a t-shirt.

 

It uses a stitch I've never used before to make the bottom and edges; looking on YouTube it might have been a Rosette Stitch?  Whatever it was, once my head/fingers had got the idea it was pretty quick to knit and actually makes a very pretty pattern.

 

It's maybe not quite as long as it could be, but I only had 4 balls of Paintbox Simply Chunky to work with, and only had a small amount left over.

I then finished it off with wooden buttons from the local wool shop.

 

I'm very pleased with the finished item.  It was an easy quick knit and looks great.  Also no seams which has to be a bonus.  And it used up 4 balls of yarn, 'im outdoors will be pleased.

All I need now is some warmer weather to try it out in.

Portland Cardigan

 

I loved the chunky look of this cardigan when I saw it and wanted to have a go.  I think this is the most chunky thing I've knitted yet and it was amazing how quickly it came together.

I was a little disappointed that it's knitted flat and sewn together, but it's not the end of the world, and I guess if you made it as one piece it would get pretty heavy very quickly.

I used 5 balls of Stylecraft Special XL super chunky in duck egg, and my biggest needles.  And rather than taking months it took weeks!

 

I love the fisherman rib stitch.  I was worried it would slow me down, but it's really easy and looks fantastic.  I love how chunky the whole thing is.

If I was doing it again I'd make sure I was even more loose when binding off the top of the sleeves, and I might be tempted to make the front panels a little wider, but otherwise I think its come out pretty well.  Not sure if I can wear it to the office though - it might be too chuncky to fit under my coat!

Pink Memories Jumper in Pink

 Last year I knitted myself the Pink Memories Jumper, in silver.

It's a great jumper, but once I got over the fact that it actually fitted I realised that it could be a little smaller and still fit (and maybe not keep catching on cupboard handles when I walk past).

 

The pattern is pretty straight forward so I got myself some pink wool - Stylecraft Special DK again, and got knitting, just dropping down to the small sizing.

 

But then it seemed to just take ages to knit as life constantly got in the way, but I finally finished it this week.  

It's still a great jumper but this time its a bit more fitted and looks really pretty in the pink.

 

Another happy knitted thing to add to my collection.