what to knit when you're shrinking

You won't have noticed yet, but I'm losing weight. Inspired by my incredible shrinking sister, I'm going on a diet.

So, what shall I knit? There doesn't seem much point in knitting something that may not fit me in a few months time, but I don't know how my body's going to change so there's not much point in trying to guess and knit something in a smaller size. The next few things I'd mentally lined up to knit were the Sunrise Circle Jacket and a v-neck jumper (long running saga of the navy lambswool-cashmere) but now, I think they're going on the back burner.

The solution, I suspect, is socks and shawls. I shall finish Forecast (which is designed to fit very snuggly, so shouldn't look silly if I get smaller) and then think lace projects. The first thing I'd like to make is something with this gorgeous mohair from Skye. It's not laceweight, it's more like a light dk (worsted) weight, with thinner and thicker bits. But I'd like it to be something airy, lacey, a pattern with movement to it, more organic than geometrical. Any ideas where to look for inspiration? I've been looking at the 1st and 2nd Books of Modern Lace Knitting (another acquisition from my Grandma. The patterns are mostly square (table cloths) or circular (doilys and circular table cloths) but there might be something I could adapt to a triangular shawl. Yarn Harlot Stephanie did. I think that's the shape I'd like. Although I'm not totally against the idea of a stole-type wrap. Your thoughts?

first FO of 2007

I've got a new hat. Hoorah!

Started: 3 January 2007

Finished: 14 January 2007

Pattern: Shedir from the Knitty Breast Cancer special edition. (pdf from here)

Yarn: 1 and a bit balls of Rowan Calmer in a gorgeous purple colour that seems to be new, since I can't find it online anywhere.

Needles: 3.25mm circulars (UK size 10s, a new acquisition from my Grandma's knitting treasure trove. I must show you all the things she gave me.)

Modifications: 2 extra repeats of the straight section so it keeps my ears warm. Actually it's a little bit too deep and tends to poke up above my head as you can see here. But I'd rather that than cold ears.



I think of this as my SeaChange hat since most of it was knitted in front of the tv watching SeaChange with my housemates. (It's an Australian drama series about a small coastal town. We're borrowing it on video from a friend.)

last Christmas FO

I think these are my favourite of this bunch. My mum's name is Eleanor, so she had to have some of these.

Started: November 2006

Finished: December 2006

Pattern: Eleanora Socks by Miriam Felton

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Cranberry

Needles: 2.5mm dpns and circulars

Modifications: I substituted an eye-of-partridge heel because I thought it complemented the leg pattern.

Notes: I loved knitting these. The pattern is very well-written, with very clear charts. The yarn is gorgeous, smooth and silky, just enough variation in colour to make it interesting without detracting from the stitch pattern (colour not quite right in either photo. Probably nearest in the bottom one, but a bit washed out). I love the diamonds at the top, and the way the toe decreases are written to maintain the pattern. (see below) I loved knitting something with a historical connection. I think I might knit another pair for myself sometime.

comfy cashmere Christmas socks

More socks, this time for my sister Debs.

Started: 2 December 2006

Finished: 6? December 2006

Pattern: Toe-up, 64 stitches, spiralling slip-stitch pattern inspired by Ysolda (my version slips every 8th stitch every other round, shifting along by 2 stitches each time), short row heel (over 38 stitches, short rowed down to 12 stitches), 2x2 rib, sewn cast-off.

Yarn: HipKnits cashmere sock yarn.

Needles: 2.5mm circulars and dpns.

Notes: I love the softness of cashmere sock yarn! This was a cashmere club skein, or rather two. When it arrived, I thought it was all one colour, but it turned out to be two skeins, one 60g-ish peachier one and one 40g-ish sunshiney yellowier one. So I made socks with a contrast toe, heel and ribbing.

I'm pleased with how the heel came out. I like the convenience of short row heels, but when you've got big feet like me (or my sister), sometimes they make the sock pull too much over the instep with no gusset. Using 60% of the stitches to make the heel instead of 50% helps it to fit better. I love these socks, but I don't really wear orange.

Here's a detail so you can see the stitch pattern. Colours are more accurate in the top picture.

knitting goals for 2007

Right, I've had a think. This is what I'd like to do in 2007.

Only have 2 projects on the go at once, one portable and one not.
Now, a look at my sidebar would suggest this is already not happening. But it sort of is. There's one lovemeknot sock which has been waiting a very long time for a mate, but since it's not actually on the needles, it doesn't count. I decided making myself a new hat was more important right now. When Shedir's done, I'll knit another lovemeknot. And the garter stitch shawl is a long term using up scraps type project, so that doesn't really count either.

Knit from stash more often than buying new yarn
I'll start by working out what I've got, mentally assigning some to projects and perhaps getting rid of stuff I'm never going to use. I've got some gorgeous stuff waiting to be knit (handspun mohair springs to mind) and some lese gorgeous stuff (various shades of red and burgundy superwash aran weight, none of which is enough to make anything out of on its own, but none of which really goes with any of the others).

Try stranded colourwork
I love how it looks, but I'm a little scared of it. This might be a good way to sort out my idiosyncratic and inefficient throwing style, or to learn to knit Continental. There are some pretty patterns in the latest Knitty that might be a good place to start.

Knit more lace
I've tried it in 4-ply/sock yarn. Now it's time to try it with proper laceweight.

Knit less
I got a bit overwhelmed with knitting in the autumn and winter, partly because I set myself too many things to do. Once I start my Open University course again in February, I need to spend more of my free time on that and less on knitting. Knitting should be relaxation, not something I feel I must do, but something I enjoy doing.

more exciting Christmas socks

These ones were for my little sister, HP.

Started and finished: sometime during December 2006

Pattern: Toe-up, 64 stitches, stocking stitch sock, short row heel (backwards yarnover method) worked over 36 stitches, garter stitch cuff.

Yarn: oddments of various sock wools

Needles: 2.5mm circulars and dpns

Notes: These were fun! I just used whatever colours I felt like. The best bits are where I used three colours at once, in spiralling stripes as demonstrated by Ysolda. I used magic loop technique, (as I do for most socks now. I'm so used to it, dpns feel odd) so my stitches were divided across two needles. I think I pulled a little too tight at the corners, especially when I had multiple colours, so the first sock particularly has a definite line of tighter stitches running up each side. I corrected it to some extent on sock 2, but something to watch out for.

the first of many Christmas socks

These are the ones I made for my Grandad.

Started: 18(?) December 2006

Finished: 26 December 2006

Pattern: Based on Thuja, but worked over 72 stitches.

Yarn: Trekking Pro-Natura

Needles: 2.5mm circulars, 2.25mm dpns

Notes: If you look closely, you'll see the tops of the cuffs are slightly different. Both use a tubular cast on, but with different techniques. For sock 1, I used the tubular technique from a knitty article which I can't find since the archives got reorganised, but for sock 2, since I'd forgotten to bring the right needles, I used the fiddly but clever Italian tubular cast on from FluffBuff's useful tutorial. The first step took me a while to master, but then something clicked and I got it. The tricky bit is knitting the first row and making sure that you're knitting something that's meant to be a stitch each time. If you get it right, the result is neat and stretchy.

belated scarf

My sister Debs (who doesn't knit, but does blog) kindly took some photos of my mum's birthday scarf which missed a spot on the blog. So here's my mum in her scarf.

Started and finished: some time in June/July 2006. I know it was finished before I moved house in early July.

Pattern: Feather and fan lace scarf pattern from HipKnits cashmere club.

Yarn: 150g ish of HipKnits aran silk. I just picked the largest ball I had and knit until the scarf was a good length and I ran out of yarn.

Needles: 5mm bamboo straights

Here's a closeup of the lovely wavy end.

last year's goals

I've just looked at my knitting goals for 2006 post from last January. You'll have to read it to make sense of this one. How did I do?

Angelica was never finished. That gorgeous lambswool/cashmere yarn is currently sitting waiting for me to decide what to do with it. I did start Ivy, but my gauge was off and it was too big and then I decided I didn't like it (the crossover comes too low, I think it would look odd on me). So I think I'm make a simple v-neck jumper, possibly by using the back and sleeves of Ivy, but rewriting the front completely.

The silk top got ripped out pretty soon after that. I used some of the yarn to make a silk scarf for my mum (which somehow never got blogged) and the rest is still sitting under my bed.

I finished the second Jaywalker sock and I love them. I even made another pair.

I haven't used any of the bag of cream aran, or made Leaves in Relief, but I have used quite a bit of the yarn from my Grandma's stash, and I've learned how to cable and read cable charts.

I never did try entrelac. Too much fiddle. HP did though.

I did design and knit myself something from scratch, my purple cotton cardigan. Very satisfying. It's not perfect, but I did wear it a lot in late spring and early autumn.

I did knit socks (many socks) and one baby jumper, but not another Clapotis. Still working on finding a yarn I like.

Right, let's think, what are my goals for 2007?

Happy New Year!

I'm back blogging again. Did you miss me? I've got some Christmas knitting that can now be revealed since it's all been given away.

Here, for Rosie, is the tea-cosy I made for my Grandma.

Started: 17 December 2006 (while watching Miss Marple, which seemed highly appropriate)

Finished: 23 December 2006

Pattern: It's based on this stripy Noro hat pattern, as used by Adrian, but with added crocheted steeks (I made steeks! For the first time ever! Very scary.) so the spout and handle could stick out.

Yarn: About 1 and a half balls of Noro Kureyon, shade 52

Needles: 4.5mm circulars and a 4.5mm crochet hook.

Modifications: Those exciting steeks and a crocheted loop at the top. I followed Eunny's directions for crocheted steeks.

This was a fun knit. I recommend Saartje de Bruijn's pattern to anyone who wants a fetching hat or tea cozy. If I made this as a tea-cosy again, I'd plan the steeks in from the beginning since they need a line of knit stitches, which I had to make by laddering down and reknitting with a crochet hook. Not impossible, but fiddly.

Grandma likes it. She says she's not going to use it until she's bought a new teapot because the old one drips.

Christmas in progress

I've moved to blogger beta, so apologies if things look a little odd or if anyone has trouble commenting.

It's a week until Christmas and I've still got a pair of socks (one started) and a tea cozy (about 1/3 done) to knit. This is the parcel of yarn which arrived from Get Knitted on Friday. The Noro Kureyon is for the tea cozy, the brown Trekking Pro Natura is for socks for my (non-blog reading) Grandad and the purple stuff will probably be socks for me (perhaps Pomatomi) one day and will sit in the stash until then.

Two socks in a week. Or perhaps less, depending on when we go to see my Grandparents. Doable? Bearing in mind I'm working all week? We'll see.

Diamond Fantasy Shawl

It proved impossible to take a picture of me and the shawl which flattered us both, so here it is, hanging on my pinboards. Click for bigger.

Started: 22 July 2006

Finished: 1 December 2006 (knitting) 7 December 2006 (blocking)

Pattern: Diamond Fantasy Shawl by Sivia Harding

Yarn: Most of one 100g skein of Cashmere sock yarn from HipKnits.

Needles: 3.25mm (I think) straights.

Modifications: None. I did 7 repeats of the main pattern.

Notes: Love it! This is my first proper largescale lace project, if you don't count Arisaig. This size is just about right for a small shawl, but I'd love to make a bigger one, using proper laceweight yarn. 7 repeats was as much as I could cram onto straight needles and it got a bit tricky at the end. It's also hard to tell how big it is before you cast off. The lace repeat was too long to memorise completely (40 rows, I think, half of them plain purl) but there were really only about 3 or 4 different sorts of patterns, so once I'd worked out what sort of row I was on, I could just get on with it without having to consult the pattern all the time. Lace charts are very useful and make it easy to see your mistakes. As far as I know, there are no mistakes in the finished object.
I'd happily wear this myself, but it's going to my Grandma. I hope she likes it.

Updated to edit photo.

Because I'm impatient and like showing off

Here's the back of DFS. In the dark, in a mirror.

I know we all know blocking is magic, but I'll say it anyway. Blocking is magic!

it's been a while

Has it really been that long? Well, I've been knitting knitting knitting, but all of it is secret until after Christmas. But I have finished a couple of things I can show you. This was our living room last week. It's a good thing I have lovely housemates who don't mind if I take up the whole of the floor with towels for blocking.

Updated: Sorry, pushed publish too soon. Here, from the top right, you can see Diamond Fantasy Shawl (present for my Grandma), a swatch for Sunrise Circle Jacket (got gauge first try, woo hoo! I'm using an oiled yarn, Troon from Texere in Cranberry, and when washed, it puffs up nicely, giving me just the right dense fabric), Jaywalker socks, which aren't new, but happened to need washing and Cobweb (for me, using up the remains of a skein of cashmere sock yarn). Modelled shots when I've convinced said lovely housemates to take some.

worth learning crochet for?

Take a look at these amazing crocheted hyperbolic models from the Institute for Figuring. Me and crochet have never got on well, but if we did, I'd definitely try out one of these.

Here's an article on hyperbolic geometry and crochet from Cabinet Magazine.

yes, I'm still knitting

Hello! Bit of a news blackout, sorry. I have been knitting, but not taking pictures.

Currently being worked on:
Cashmere Diamond Fantasy shawl for my Grandma. I'm 5.5 repeats in. The pattern suggests 6 repeats for a scarf and 10 for a shawl. So far, there seems to be loads of yarn left, but it's a point upwards pattern, so the rows are getting longer. I'm pretty sure I can get 7 repeats out of it, possibly 8. It's quite hard to tell how big the shawl is since I'm knitting it on straight needles. I might transfer it to waste yarn and stretch it out once I've got to 7 repeats. And then I'll take a picture.

Secret Christmas knitting. Only one project of several planned ones is currently happening. It's gorgeous, but secret until after Christmas.

Cashmere shawlette. I'm copying Kerrie and knitting a Cobweb out of some leftover cashmere sock yarn. It's pretty and easy, perfect for TV knitting and non-wool.

Forecast. I'm about halfway down the ribbing on the body. I'm planning to get this finished once all the Christmas knitting is done, or use it as a mindless project when everything else is too complicated. The yarn's wool and not particularly soft, but I don't think it'll be too much of a problem since it's not as close fitting on the arms as Arisaig, apart from the wrists. Maybe one to wear with a long sleeved top.

Thanks for the sympathy about woolly itchiness. Some googling suggests wool allergy as such is rare, but lots of people have sensitive skin and react badly to itchy wools. The yarn I used for Arisaig, although fine, isn't very soft. It's the sort of very grabby wool that would work well in fairisle knitting or something you wanted to steek. But possibly not the sort of thing you want to wear next to the skin. I think I'll think harder in the future about the texture of the yarns I use. It intrigues me that most of the time I haven't knit things to wear next to the skin. Without thinking too much about it, I've chosen non woolly yarns when I want something soft, e.g. a silk Clapotis. I've been intending to make another Clapotis out of something less drapy than silk for ages, but I've never found anything that's both structured enough and soft enough to consider wearing round my neck. Perhaps I already knew that wool was a bad choice and therefore, subconsciously or consciously, avoided it. Anyway, enough navel gazing. Moral of the story - when choosing yarn, think about texture and feel against the skin as well as colour, gauge and the overall look.

itchy itchy

I've got a horrible feeling I might be allergic to wool. After wearing Arisaig most of the weekend, the skin on my forearms is itchy and covered in little insect bite type lumps. Oh dear. Yesterday I was wearing it over a long sleeve top, but on Friday and Saturday I wore a three-quarter length sleeved top and I wasn't itchy before that, so I suspect wool might be the culprit. (Any wool allergic people out there? Do my symptoms sound like yours?) That would actually explain a few things, like the unseasonal 'insect bites' I occasionally find on my ankles and wrists. Mostly, apart from socks, I don't wear woolly things next to my skin, more by accident than design. It's just annoying to find yet another thing I'm allergic to. No, it's not a long list (cats, nickel, raw apple, tree pollen), just an inconvenient one. Grrr.

arisaig finished

arisaig finished, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

I promised an FO picture, here it is!

Started: 6 August 2006, finished 17 November 2006

Pattern: Arisaig by Ysolda Teague

Yarn: 6 and a bit 50g balls of Jaeger Gaelicspun in Blackberry

Needles:2.25mm and 2.75mm straight.

Modifications: The body is knit as written. The arms are narrower than written, to make them very close fitting. Sleeve caps rewritten with lots of help from Jenna Wilson's sleeve cap maths article from Knitty. I didn't do the neckline trim all the way round, just picked up stitches for the ties on the front and at the side seam. There are four buttons on the inside keeping the inner front neatly tucked away.

Notes: I absolutely love this! I finished it on Friday evening and would have worn it all weekend, but for the fact I was singing in a concert on Sunday, so had to wear all black. The fit is just what I wanted, no ease, very close-fitting, which makes the sleeves a little tricky to get on. You can't tell when I'm sitting down, but it wouldn't hurt by being a few inches longer. However, there's very little yarn left over and although I had a go at finding yarn to match it, nothing was quite right. (Rowan Scottish Tweed in Thistle was the nearest I got, but it's darker, thicker and doesn't have the gorgeous depth of purpleyness that this yarn has). Seaming wasn't as nightmarish as I thought it would be. Mattress stitch is magic! This wasn't a quick knit, and you need to pay attention during the front shaping to make sure the decreases are in the right place. However, I think the finished result is well worth it.

Crossposted on Ysolda's knitalong page.

Christmas is coming

Secret knitting has started. I was going to show you a picture, but the intended recipient reads this blog, so all I'm saying is it's red and very pretty.

Arisaig is very very nearly there. I seamed the sleeves and sewed them to the body last night. Now I just need to decide whether I'm going to do the long neck border/ties as written or copy Princess Pumpkin by just having buttons or do something else.

FO pic on Monday, I reckon.

no news = no progress

Arisaig is still in bits and is likely to remain so for a while. I have a super busy week ahead and quite possibly no time to knit. See you in a week or so when I surface again.