green bin and gone

This picture represents how good I've been at making things in this month's Project Spectrum colour, green. Er, rubbish. I'm surrounded by green things, plants, trees, bins, but no knitting. I did buy greenish sock yarn, not done anything with it yet. Next month is blue. I have one blue project waiting to be finished (Angelica, she needs arms. I knitted half an arm, it took ages, I didn't like it. The armholes are huge, I want close fitting arms, I can't think of a way of decreasing that won't look rubbish, so I think I'm going to do short sleeves and call it a day), another sort of blue project I might start (lace shawl in blue-grey cashmere sock yarn). Roll on July and purple. I can do purple.

ta da!

purple cotton cardigan, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

(Apologies for the state of the bathroom mirror.)

I present, the Time Traveller cardigan. Started 6 May 2006 while watching Dr Who, finished 27 May 2006, just after Dr Who, worn to work for the first time today.

Pattern: made it up as I went along. I swatched, I measured, I knitted, I ripped, I guessed, I did maths. Jenna Wilson's Knitty articles (part 1, part 2, and especially part 3) on the maths of set-in sleeves were very useful. I ended up with a vaguely 1940s sleeve top, which wasn't quite what I was going for, but I decided to keep it and try to work out how to make my next sleeves better.

Yarn: Araucania Nature Cotton, about 650g.

Needles: 6mm straights and a 5mm crochet hook for the edging and button holes.

Notes: This was a very quick knit, even though I reknit some of the pieces several times. Nature Cotton is lovely stuff, very soft (although this does mean it sheds fluff everywhere and I expect it's going to pill). I used metal needles because they're the only 6mms I have, but I think that helped. As usual, I had to look up how to crochet and it took me several attempts to get it right, but I think I actually ended up with something that's almost an official crochet stitch, even if I can't remember if it's single or double. (I think it depends which side of the Atlantic you're on). The buttons came from the bead and button shop in the Real McCoy Arcade in Exeter.

If I knit this again, I'd add some bust shaping and improve the armscyes and sleeve cap shaping. I'm please with the result though, I have what I wanted, a v-neck cotton cardigan for summer and I've learnt a lot about making things fit in the process.

still knitting

Hello there. Sorry, no progress pictures today, but there has been knitting. Purple cotton cardigan is finished, but for the buttons. I'm hoping to buy buttons from the funky button shop in Exeter and finish it this weekend while visiting HP. Somewhat cowl body is finished, I'm doing the neckline next, and the arms last. I like how it fits so far, although curious to see what the collar does to it. Pre-collar, the neckline's so low it's unwearable in public.

What was May's Project Spectrum colour again? Oh yes, green. Not much green knitting going on, but I am surrounded by green leaves. Here are leaves (and pigeons) as seen from my favourite town centre chain sandwich place.

this morning's post

This morning, I was late enough (or he was extra early) to still be at home when the postman came and he brought socks! Hooray! Here they are, beautiful Boysenberry Pie socks knitted by Judy of Dragonflyknits. Yay! They're beautiful! They're beautifully soft and just my colours. Thank you!

And that's not all. She also sent beautiful stitch markers, look. Pretty! As I was dancing round the kitchen and taking pictures of my feet (as you do) there was an item on the radio about online communities and how they affect people. This knitblogging thing is a little odd, perhaps, but it's fun thinking of all those socks flying around the world, all those connections that wouldn't have been made otherwise. Big round of applause for Alison for making it all possible!

oh look, another purple thing

In my defence, I'll be able to wear this one as soon as I finish it (assuming I do finish it.) I went to the HipKnits shop on Saturday which was interesting, especially when my car refused to start to take me home. (This was actually a good thing since it meant the AA came and looked at it and discovered the loose battery terminal which has been causing the car to refuse to start reliably for several weeks.) I bought this stuff - Araucania Nature Cotton - and following Dee's suggestion I'm using it make myself a summer cardigan. I swatched not long after I got home and knit about halfway up the back while watching Dr Who (Slightly bonkers episode, 18th century France, clockwork robots and a controversial snog) and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (not a brilliant chick flick, but mildly amusing). I'm making it up as I go along and surprisingly, it's not a top-down raglan. (Gasp!) I've no idea whether I've got enough yarn for a long sleeved cardigan, I've got 7 skeins and the back looks like it's going to take at least 2. So I'm hoping 2 skeins for the back, one each for the fronts and a ball and half for each sleeve. It'll need buttons or something, so I might have to buy some more yarn to do a button band or a crochet edging. Anyway, it's fun making it up as you go along.

socks sent

The socks have arrived with my sockpal, Knitting Iris. I think she likes them! :-)

I like finishing things

Really I do. I just don't seem capable of finishing anything other than socks. Starting stuff though, I'm very good at. Like this. A Somewhat Cowl in Debbie Bliss Maya, which is a beautiful colour and will be too hot to wear for months. I love it though. The yarn is just thick enough to make progress at a satisfying rate and the colour is just subtly variable enough to give it depth and interest.
But I still haven't finished Angelica (she's got half an arm and may have for a long time yet. Knitting arms is boring. I need a long and dramatic film or several. Or a really long train journey) and Forecast hasn't got any further than this. And what I really need right now is a little, lightweight v-neck summer cardigan. Maybe like this once Ysolda puts the big sizes up. Or maybe I should just invent something. But I'd need to buy yarn. Or maybe I should finally get round to making Arisaig, which I've wanted to make ever since I saw it, but have been scared of the lace. But now I've knit lace, I can see it's not scary at all. So maybe I should do that. Or maybe I should write the essay that's due in a fortnight.

wave your feet in the air

cashmere socks in the air, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

Especially if they're clothed in newly completed cashmere socks.

Pattern: make-it-up-as-you-go-along. Toe-up, 64 stitches. Zig-zags made with k2tog YO and YO ssk holes, short row heels, k1tbl p1 twisted ribbing, picot cast off (cast on 2, cast off 4).

Yarn: yummy cashmere sock yarn from Hipknits.

Needles: 2.5mm Addi turbos

Soft, colourful, fun.

stripy cashmere socks

stripy cashmere socks, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

Thanks for all the lovely comments about the Elfines. I posted them off this morning. They're going far far away.

This is what I've been working on lately. The yarn is Hipknits cashmere sock yarn. It's gorgeous! So soft and the colours are yummy. And, when I've had to rip it back, it seems to grip on to itself well, so it's dead easy to rip back and pick up stitches. This skein was a small one, about 65g, which is why these are ankle socks. Definitely worth splashing out for a full-sized skein I think.

Ooh and these are counting as my yellow/orange thing for Project Spectrum.

Elfine's socks finished

Elfine's socks as modelled by HP, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

At last! Sock two is decidedly more orange than sock one. I hope my sockpal doesn't mind.

Pattern: Elfine's socks by Anna Bell

Yarn: Fybrespates hand-dyed sock yarn in orange and green.
Needles: 2.5mm Addi turbos (love 'em! Magic Loop is great and very fast!)

Modifications: none

This is a beautiful pattern. I'd never knit lace before but the directions were so clear that it wasn't hard. I want to make some more of these for me. I can just about get my feet into these, but I think I'll try doing a placket heel instead of a short row heel so they fit me without being too stretched.

Now to wash and block.

new knitalong

I've not yet finished Angelica or the sockpal socks, but I was craving something with a little more thinking involved, so I started Forecast. Seed stitch! Cables! Bobbles! (I'm being wimpish and doing three stitch bobbles like everyone else I've seen so far. The five-stitch ones did look a bit too much like some sort of growth.) Angelica will do for mindless knitting, like sitting in front of the telly, as will Elfine now I've pretty much memorised the lace pattern.

Here's my forecast progress so far.

HP and her knitting

Hannah and her knitting, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

Look, some knitting that isn't my Eflines! It's the Easter holidays and HP (my not-so-little-anymore little sister), being a student type, has a long long holiday to do nothing (maybe some work) in. She's currently staying with Debs (my middle sister) and last night I went round for tea. I was under strict instructions to take my 12mm so needles so HP could start knitting her cardigan, and here's proof that she did. It's in Colinette Point 5, bought last year at the Colinette Mill Shop whilst on holiday in Wales. It's going to be a zippy cardigan, very warm, very green, very HP.

And the Elfines? Still growing.



me and some socks, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

one elfine done

one elfine done, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

I acheived my weekend goal of finishing Elfine sock one and starting sock two. Sock one is still attached to the ball because I want my smaller footed sister (whose feet are almost exactly the same size as my sockpal) to try it on for size first.

Ball two is much more orange than than the first ball of yarn. Just in time for Projct Spectrum's April colours of orange and yellow.

Detail of the stitch pattern and yummy colours.


elfine stitch pattern, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

elfine in progress

elfine in progress, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

My sockpal sock number one has been growing slowly. There were some setbacks. I don't seem to get on with the wrap method for short row heels. My first attempt was messy and too small since I decided for reasons best known to myself to knit it on 2.25mm dpns. The current heel is attempt 3 or 4, still using the wraps method, but on 2.5mm dpns. I think it's OK. Sock two will have a backyards yarnover short row heel though. I seem to get on with those better.

Heels apart, I love the stitch pattern. I'm not quite confident enough to knit without looking at the directions, but the lace pattern is pretty intuitive. I've done a repeat and a half of the leg. I'm going to see if I can finish this sock and start the second one this weekend.

angelica in progress

angelica in progress, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

I've finished the body. Looking at this picture, the darts look in the slightly the wrong place. But I quite like how it fits, so I'm not ripping the body out. Onto the sleeves!

Cross-posted on Angelica knitalong page.

secret monkeys revealed

secret monkeys revealed, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

It's been sent now, so here's that secret project - a jumper for the newly arrived daughter of my friends D and C. C comments sometimes as monkeypask, so there had to be monkeys.

Pattern: Made it up as I went along. Top down raglan with seed stitch edging and buttoned opening along the raglan line.

Yarn: Emu superwash wool from my Grandma's stash.

Needles: 4.5mm circs and dpns

Notes: This was a fun knit and a quick one. I wrote down what I did as I went along, mostly, so I could do it again. The button tabs in are slightly the wrong place, the top one should probably be nearer the neck. I looked and looked for monkey buttons, couldn't find any, so made some out of Fimo. This won't fit the baby yet, but hopefully she'll grow into it before it's too hot to wear.

Here's another monkey close-up.

aches

I've got an essay to write to post on Wednesday morning. I can tell because my wrists hurt. I was supposed to do lots of essay writing yesterday, but instead I did lots of kntting-based displacement activities and now my wrists ache slightly. Oops. A couple of days not knitting and they'll be fine again.

So what did I knit? I started Pomatomus, (above) but I decided I didn't like it. The yo holes looked huge (although looking at this version, I think they're meant to be) and I had big ladders and I didn't like the way it was pooling. So that's been ripped. The yarn might become Mata Hari socks, but I think I should finish my sock pal socks first.

Talking of the Elfines, I've reknit the short row heel on the first one about three times and I'm still not totally happy with it. I just can't work out how to knit the wraps together on the knit side. The pattern says knit the wraps and stitch together through the back loop (something like that), but that makes a big loop on the right side when I do it. Perhaps I'm just interpreting it wrong. I'm fine on the purl side (the trick is to lift the wraps onto the needle and then purl them together). I'll try the backwards yarnover method on the second heel I think. I need to get a move on. 2nd May seemed ages away when I started, but now it's nearly April.

I did loads of boring stocking stitch rows on the body of Angelica while watching Poirot last night, so she's getting nearer to being finished. I'd like to finish her soon or it'll be too warm to wear her. Not worth a picture since she'd just be a big navy blue blob.

I feel like I'm being well-behaved by only having two projects on the go. There are all sorts of lovely projects in my head tempting me to get them started, but (if you ignore the red and purple Pomatomus, which is ripped now, so I don't think it counts) I'm being good and sticking with two.

out of the dark

I decided I was fed up with the dark blue background. I like the way the colours stand out against white. It does lose the difference between pigwotflies and pigwotknits though. I'll probably do some more tweaking soon.

finished, but still a secret

I've got another finished object to show you, but it hasn't been sent to the recipient yet, so here's a little peek.

at long last, jaywalkers

It feels like I've been knitting these for ever. The first one was completed in December, but it's been hanging around waiting for a mate for long time since then. Now I've got a pair.

Pattern: The notorious Jaywalker

Yarn: Angel hand-dyed sock yarn colourway 11

Needles: 2.5mm dpns

Modifications: Increased number of stitches to 92.

Notes: I've learnt a lot in the making of these socks, about how socks fit and about how to fix mistakes. There are subtle changes between the first and second sock. I've got better at grafting, I can do it almost without thinking now. I've also learnt that you generally slip stitches knitwise unless told otherwise. On the heel for the first sock, all the slipped stitches were slipped purlwise.

The final fit is good on the leg, but a bit baggy on the foot. If making these again, I'd do them toe-up to get the fit right. I'm finding I like my socks to fit closely and I think these are a bit too baggy to wear with some of my shoes. The second sock seems looser than the first. Admittedly it hasn't been blocked yet, but perhaps my tension has changed over the last few months.

The yarn is pretty and rather more subtle than some of my other sock yarn. I'm never sure whether I like it or not. Initially, it had good stitch definition, but it gets fuzzy with washing and hanging around.

I'm not overjoyed with this socks, but I'm glad they're finally finished.