spring socks done

spring socks done, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

Finished and enjoying the spring sunshine.

Started: 6 April 2007

Finished: 26 April 2007

Pattern: Elfine's Socks by Anna Bell

Yarn: Curious Yarns sock yarn in Sprung

Needles: 2.5mm circs. I used magic loop for most of it and 2 circulars for the heel.

Modifications: After making my first pair of Elfines for my sock pal last year, I decided I'd need to make them bigger to fit me. I increased the number of stitches to 68, leaving the lace pattern unchanged, but adding an extra knit stitch. On the legs, this means the purl column at either side becomes purl, knit, purl. I also did an toe-up flap heel. They're actually a little baggy at the heel now, so perhaps just one of those changes would have been enough.

spring sock

spring sock group portrait, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

Elfine's socks* by Anna Bell, Curious Yarns sock yarn in Sprung. Perfect for seaonal socks. Funny how some socks take forever and others just fly off the needles. I started this one a week ago and finished it on Wednesday night. Sock 2 is already growing.

I was going to give this sock an outdoor photoshoot in the garden, but yesterday's sunshine has disappeared, to be replaced with grey mist. Instead, here are a snake, a horse and a sheep from a string of animals representing the Chinese calendar.

*I wonder what socks Elfine would wear after Flora Post takes her in hand and transforms her from a wild marshticket to an elegant maiden? Fine silk stockings perhaps, with a secret border of leaves and sukebind.

tangle

tangle, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

I've got myself into a lovely tangle winding this skein of laceweight silk. It's pretty big, about 2000m and it's taking a long time to wind by hand. I don't have a swift, so I started with the skein round my knees and then moved it onto a chair. I'm winding onto a kitchen roll tube and my first attempt (you can just see it down in the right hand corner) was a bit loose, so now I'm winding from the other end. It's going to take a while, but it's getting there.

reorganisation and joining in

I've been reorganising my blogs. They still look a bit cluttered, but there's more space to write in. Let me know if there's anything that looks odd.

The sign-ups are open for
They have been for a while, so if you haven't signed up yet, go now!

FYI Walthamstow knitters

The Scope shop on Walthamstow High Street has lots of knitting needles for £1.50 a set, including lots of dpns in various sizes (Inox and Addi) and some Addi Turbos (a few, mostly 50cm).

finished lovemeknots

finished lovemeknots - hearts, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

At last!

Started: 10 August 2006

Finished: 4 April 2007

Yarn: Cygnet wool-rich 4 ply. Most of 1 ball of black, 2/3 ball cream

Needles: 2.5mm circs (magic loop) and dpns (for heel)

Notes: I had a serious case of second sock syndrome with these socks. I love the result, but I don't like the process of shadow knitting. I think it's the ratio between having to pay attention (rows with knits and purls) and just plodding on (plain knit rows). There's not quite enough of either. Anyway, they're done and I'm wearing them today and amusing myself by wiggling my feet to make the hearts appear and disappear. Nice pattern Alice!

Ooh, go and look at Alice's cat socks from her winning entry to the Purlescence story competition.

felted Bible case

felted, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

Finished, except for a closure.

Started: 19 March 2007

Finished: 25 March/1 April (knitting/felting)

Yarn: Hand-dyed Shetland X merino blended with mohair, bought in Ardvasar on the isle of Skye on holiday last year.

Needles: 4mm circulars

Pattern: make a swatch, felt it, measure it, calculate numbers to fit, knit, felt.

Notes: The yarn doesn't felt (OK, full, technically) as completely as some others, you can still see some stitch definition. But the fabric it makes is firm enough for my purposes and the mohair fluffs up nicely. At some point I'll add a button, or poppers, or a ribbon to keep it closed.

prefelting

prefelting, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

Work in progress. I sent this through the washing machine last night and it's currently drying. Here's a prefelting pic so you can see how it shrinks.

Ester

ester front, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

I finished Ester.

Started: 8 March 2007

Finished: 18 March 2007, (just in time for Mansfield Park on ITV).

Pattern: Ester by Alice.

Yarn: 5 or 6 balls (I lost count) of cream coloured aran wool, unlabelled.

Needles: 4.5mm circulars

A very quick knit, simple shape, the cable pattern keeps it interesting.

Edited to add: I made the M size and blocked it to the schematic measurements. I'm actually in between the M and L sizes, so it looks a little small on me. If you're knitting this, decide whether you want to be able to fasten in front as in the pattern photo, in which case you might want to add some ease. The bust sizes given seem to be the size of the finished garment, rather than the size of the wearer.

Here's a back view.

swatching

swatching, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

This is what I've been doing with banana yarn and cotton. The swatch on the right is just banana yarn. I started with plain stocking stitch and then tried out some seed stitch and some bobbles. It's nice and shiny and gets softer when washed, but I'm not too sure what to do with it on its own and I've only got 200g. My first idea was a bag, specifically Coco from Magknits, but trying out the lattice pattern made it clear the yarn's just not smooth enough for the cables to show clearly.

Then I remembered the purple cotton I used last year to make a spring/summer cardigan (not worn much and now too loose since I've lost weight). So I experimented with putting the two yarns together. Holding them together gives just a little bit of shiny silk sparkle and adds weight. The bobbles were done with just the banana yarn. I like the effect, it would make a good sleeve border. Possibly not round the bottom of a cardigan though. I also tried some split stitch, as used in Revolution, although I hadn't quite thought about the maths and ended up with more stitches than I started with. I like the effect, when I get it just right, but getting it right is a fiddle.

I'm still not sure what this is going to be. A cardigan would be useful.

train knitting

loveme knot in progress, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

I've had a lovely weekend in Exeter and as, I thought, got lots of knitting done on the train. On the way into London, the small girl sitting next to me was fascinated by the hearts on my lovemeknot socks. She played with the finished one for a bit, making the hearts appear and disappear and made me show her how you make stitches and how you knit round in circles.

I like the way knitting is a conversation starter. On the way home I was knitting the heel (short rowed) and the man sitting next to me was interested in why I was knitting with only 2 needles when he thought socks needed 3.


Ester detail, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

Also growing is Ester. I've done the back and I'm one repeat into the front. It's an easy pattern to memorise, so this will be my tv knitting for a bit.

new knitty, new knitting

I did cast on the second lovemeknot sock and I've started on Ester, which you'll notice are both by Alice. There's something friendly about knitting objects designed by someone you've met and she writes such intriguing patterns. Ester is simple, but a clever shape. I'm about 2/3 up the back already, using some of the huge bag of creamy aran wool I got my Grandma's stash.

Other things I'd like to knit:

Carolyn. It's a cute cardigan, I like the stripiness. I'm thinking of charcoal grey and lilac stripes.

Isabella. Such a pretty spring top. Lilac or a pretty pink mercerised cotton.

Queen of Cups, Clessidra: I love a good sock pattern. I've never knit knee-high socks, but the pretty cables up the back of Clessidra would be fun to try.

So many things I'd like to make! Progress pics on Monday, after lots of train knitting time.

no knitty no knitting

I have nothing on the needles at present (with the exception of the long-running garter stitch shawl). I'm not going to start anything new until I've knitted that long-awaited second lovemeknot sock. I'm going away for the weekend, so I've got a couple of long train journeys in which to knit, so I should make a good start on it.

I've been playing around with banana yarn and cotton. The Time Traveller cardigan I made last year is now too big, so I'm thinking of ripping it out and making something new. Hopefully the soft cotton won't fall apart too much. I'm thinking either another cardigan, or a v-neck sleeveless jumper, using the banana yarn to make interesting edgings.

It's nearly new Knitty time, which is always fun, but there's no sign of it yet. Ho hum. Patience.

Edited to add: It's up! Hoorah!

another Clapotis

another Clapotis, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

And another FO. I wasn't feeling well over the weekend, so spent lots of time knitting.

Started: 2 February 2007

Finished: 4 March 2007

Pattern: The ubiquitous Clapotis

Yarn: 300g of Scrumptious from Fyberspates

Needles: 5mm bamboo straights

Modifications: Twisting the stitches on purl and knit sides. (The stitches you knit through the back loop on the right side get purled through the back loop on the wrong side). This makes the edge next to the ladders even neater. I didn't bother with stitch markers since it was easy to see which stitch was which.

Clapotis is boring to knit: even dropping stitches becomes less exciting by the end, but the result is worth it.

I'm not wearing a hat, that's my dressing gown. Must remember to think about the background I'm standing against.

monkey monkey

monkey monkey, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

Another Monday, another finished knit.

Started: 20 January 2007

Finished: 2 March 2007

Pattern: Monkey from Knitty

Yarn: Sloe from Curious Yarns who are still offline.

Needles: 2.5mm circulars and dpns

Modifications: Modified the stitch pattern to be 18 stitches wide over 13 rows. Eye of Partridge heel.



Notes: A fun knit, went quite quickly once I'd got the sizing right. The gusset decreases are very messy, I think I forgot how to count. There are 5 pattern repeats on the leg, 6 on the foot. If I knit these again I'd make the leg at least one repeat longer. The colour is brighter and more purple in real life.

since you asked so nicely

shetland triangle in action, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

Thank you for all the lovely comments. By request, here's the shetland triangle in action. From a weird angle. Must invest in a tripod, methinks.

As a bonus, here's a close-up of the brooch I'm wearing to keep the shawl closed. It belonged to my Grandma. At Christmas she decided she wanted to give away her jewellery to her granddaughters (there are 6 of us) while she's still alive to appreciate the giving. This was one of my picks from her box.

shetland triangle finished

shetland triangle blocking, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

She's done and she's gorgeous, so there's a Shetland Triangle photoset on Flickr.

Started: 21 January 2007

Finished: 23/25 February 2007 (knitting/blocking)

Pattern: Shetland Triangle from Wrap Style

Yarn: Handspun kid mohair from Teo's Handspun, bought on holiday on Skye last summer.

Needles: 5mm circulars

Modifications: 11 repeats, bigger needles.

Notes: Love it! I wanted to get the biggest shawl I could out of the yarn I had. I have a smallish ball left over, not enough for another repeat. I did go for a wet block in the end, despite my trepidation and I'm glad I did. There was a variation in colour between the three skeins of yarn. It's not noticable between the first and second skeins, but the last skein was much lighter, giving it a lighter border. Unplanned, but I like the effect. The finished size is 72" tip to tip, 32" neck to back point. It feels like the perfect size, big enough to wrap around but not so it's trailing miles down my back. Being mohair, it's very warm, it would be perfect for an outdoor evening event. All I need now is an excuse to wear it!

breaking radio silence

Wow, it's been a while. No pictures to show you, just the promise of them. The Shetland Triangle is 2 rows and a good blocking from completion. Clapotis chugs along slowly, as does the second monkey sock.

It's been a very busy week. Tonight is my first night off - I don't have to be anywhere, I don't have to write an essay, I can just relax. I plan to spend the evening on the settee with my knitting and Pride and Prejudice. Lovely!

acquisitions and beginnings

Look what arrived in the post yesterday! Lovely yarn from the HipKnits sale. The purple stuff is banana yarn. It's a bit like silk, but heavier and scrunchier. I love the shine on it. I think this might end up being a small bag. The pink is laceweight silk. I've never had any proper laceweight to play with before! I think there's 2000m in that skein. I'll have to think what to make. Probably a shawl, something butterfly-ish. Any suggestions?


Hmm, it's pretty obvious today what my favourite colours are. This is the beginning of another Clapotis in Scrumptious from Fyberspates. Love this yarn! It's a wool/silk blend and really lives up to its name. It's squishy and soft with just enough springiness for the sculptural qualities of the pattern to come out. I've just started the straight sections on this, so it'll be a while. But I want to finish it while it's still cold enough to need it, so I'd better get cracking.

fluffy sheep ate my hands

I made wrist warmers. It's COLD here in Cambridge and I've been thinking for a while I need something to fill the gap between my gloves and my coat. Yesterday was very cold and I happened to come across the right pattern and remember I had some yarn that would suit it. Then I knit these in bed last night. (I did make 2, but you try taking a picture of both your own hands.)

Started: 11pm 6 February 2007

Finished: 12.30am 7 February 2007

Pattern: Chance by Pixeldiva from Magknits

Yarn: 2 balls of Rowan Big Wool Tuft I acquired in a stash swap a while ago and hadn't a clue what to do with.

Needles: 15mm circulars

Notes: Dead easy and very quick. The pattern's more of a recipe, which suits me. They do look rather like I've got sheep wrapped round my hands, but they do the job of keeping my wrists warm. I turned them purl side out so that the fluffy bits stick out. They might be even warmer knit side out, with all the fluffy bits on the inside like thrummed mittens.

Handy tip: I couldn't find a big enough bodkin to sew the ends in with, so I improvised with a hair slide.