Cablepalooza

This yarn has been sitting in my stash for quite some time. I picked up eleven skeins of Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in a grey-blue colourway called “Faded Quilt” when I was passing through New York City on the way back from Charleston a couple of years ago.

I may have fallen in love with the name as much as the colour.

It’s been waiting for just the right project – and I think I’ve found it. This is a diamond cable saddle shoulder sweater from the Patons Australia book 1252 Weekend knits, featuring more than a dozen sweater patterns for men and women.

The patterns are written for Patons Zhivago which, at 20 stitches to 10 cm, is a perfect match for Shelter.

As Steven will know, I started out originally with a different pattern from the same book but had a panic that it might be coming out a little on the small side and if I had to go up a size I was worried that I might not have enough yarn. So I swapped to this pattern instead, and I’m actually quite glad that I did (although I like the other pattern too – for another time).

I appear to be the first person to knit this design and I had to add it to the Ravelry pattern library myself, which is odd because it’s a great pattern and I’m hoping I might encourage some other knitters to join me in knitting it. It’s also pretty straightforward, although I should take heed that I haven’t got to joining the saddle shoulders yet – something I’ve not yet attempted. So far the back is done and I’ve started on the front and it’s all going surprisingly quickly.

I also decided to cast on for a slightly more complicated pattern alongside this one.

Ilam is a design from the Rowan book  Autumn knits in Cocoon. Isn’t this a great colour!? “Seascape” is a beautiful deep blue green that I absolutely fell in love with.

I usually purchase more yarn than recommended but with my last Rowan sweater I had almost four skeins left over at the end so this time I went with the recommended seven skeins. I still had a horrible foreboding feeling that it might not be quite enough, which was borne out by a couple of other knitters on Ravelry so I bought one extra skein to be sure – different dye lots, but in my test swatch I couldn’t spot any difference. My plan was to use the odd dye lot for the ribbing, so that if there was a subtle difference, the break in textures would hide it.

Ilam is a beautiful cabled men’s vee-neck sweater. These cables are way more complicated than anything I’ve done so far, with the front and back featuring panels of 8, 20 and 24 row repeats. I had to borrow Wayne’s coloured pencils to make sense of the it all. Having started though, I think the beautiful deep blue-green Seascape might not be the best choice. The dark colour makes it difficult to “read” the knitting, and it also makes it difficult to see the cables – which is at least part of the point of tackling a project like this. A lighter colour would show off the complex cables, so I’m thinking that Ilam might get put aside for another yarn, and the Seascape Cocoon might end up being used for another pattern – perhaps Askrigg.

Now that I’ve bought the extra skein, I’ll have enough yarn.

Short ribs

A small diversion from the Christmas decorations to Christmas knitting for Day 7 of the #blog12daysxmas challenge.

There was a very confusing set of instructions at the very end of the pattern for my Marash sweater which I decided I would just ignore, but as I’m now almost at the finish line it seems that I finally must turn my attention to them.

Marash features a ribbed collar, which I’ve done before on other sweaters, but this one is more sophisticated using short rows to add shape to the back of the neck.

My knitting helper, Kuma

It took me ages and I lost count of the number of times I ripped back before I finally figured it out and settled on a method for wrapping and turning.

The trouble, for me anyway, was that all the short row wrap instructions I found referred to the “knit side” and the “purl side” and my short rows are in 1×1 rib. Some of the instructions were a little sparse too on how you should pick up the yarn wraps to hide them, and they all talked about hiding the wraps on the purl side or the wrong side and I didn’t have a purl side. Hmmm.

After experimenting with Japanese short rows I decided to go down the traditional path, wrapping and turning and catching the wrapped yarn on the return row – although I’ll definitely try out Japanese short rows another time.

To adapt the instructions for wrapping and turning to 1×1 ribbing I worked in rib to the point of the turn and worked as if I was on the side for the last stitch before the turn. So if I wrapped on a purl stitch I used the wrapping instructions as for the previous knit stitch which kept my yarn in the right position. Then when I came back  to pick up the wrapped stitch I followed the instructions for that stitch, so if it was a wrapped purl stitch I used the instructions for the purl side.

It worked out well – it’s quite magical really how the short rows turn knitting into a three dimensional shape – but I seem to have ended up on the collar’s right side when I should have ended on the wrong side, and I’ve also spotted one stitch that I didn’t “unwrap” correctly. This is something you need to do at a quiet time with no interuptions.

I know that the great Elizabeth Zimmermann said that if you couldn’t spot the mistake while galloping past on a horse, then don’t sweat it (I may have paraphrased) but I know that things this this worry me so I’m going to consider this the practice run and I’ll rip the collar back and do it again properly. On the weekend.

* My knitting helper Kuma has decided that he likes to snuggle his nose into my current knitting project, while I’m knitting it. Not really helping.

Day 1: Julekuler

Day 1 of twelve days of Christmas decorations for the #blog12daysxmas challenge.

For Christmas 2012 I found under my tree Arne and Carlos’s wonderful book 55 Christmas balls to knit featuring designs and instructions for 55 stranded colourwork julekuler. I confess that I never actually thought I’d be able to knit them, but by chance I saw a post on KnittingSarah’s blog for a year-long knitalong through 2013. It’s much more fun learning something new with friends so I signed up right away!

By another chance I saw that Martine of the iMake podcast was planning to learn stranded knitting in 2013 too so I mentioned that she might like to check out KnittingSarah’s knit-along too – and the MerryKAL was on the way.

I tried my first Christmas ball with Patons Australia Bluebell which was, frankly, a bit of a disaster. If you can knit with that stuff all power to you, I found it dreadfully splitty and gave it away in frustration and instead ordered some Millamia wool yarn in snow white, Christmas red, and a little bit of mossy green for good luck.

While I was waiting for the new yarn to arrive I practised with some scraps of Rowan Felted Tweed. It was really rather lovely, but I ran out before I could finish the first ball, so when the Millamia yarn arrived I switched to that and finished about twenty balls by Christmas-time.

It was great fun knitting the Christmas balls through the year, and getting to know Sarah and Martine, and even sharing comments on Instagram with Arne and Carlos. Along the way too I met perhaps the most enthusiastic Christmas crafter of all, Pam of the Gingerbreadsnowflakes blog. Lucky Pam even got take a class with Arne and Carlos in Portland.

In 2014, looking back at that first attempt at a Christmas ball with Felted Tweed, I thought that it might be nice to create a whole set of tweedy Christmas balls so I started again back at the beginning knitting a set of tweedy julekuler.

I got 19 done by Christmas and they’re now hanging on the tree and I’m planning to keep knitting all the others through 2015 (and maybe a bit longer if I don’t get them all done!). Pam is going to join me and I think we have another taker too – join us on Instagram #merrykal if you like. The more the merrier!

Disaster averted

I usually seem to finish up my knitting projects with at least a ball of yarn to spare, and sometimes a lot more. For one of my early sweaters I ended up with more than four balls left over at the end which I couldn’t figure out at all – it’s not like I forgot to knit a sleeve or something – and I’ve got more than three skeins of Rowan Kid Classic left from my Brown Bear pullover. At least that’s enough for a scarf.

I seem to have tempted the knitting fates with my Thwaite cardigan though, where I substituted yarns and bought what should have been just enough only to run out right near the finish line. Yikes!

I’d bought the yarn at the Morris & Sons sale a year ago so it was with some trepidation that I headed into town today to see if I could at least find one more ball in the right colour. What a relief, not only a few balls left in my colour but one from the same dye lot.

I now have a new resolution – to always purchase enough yarn for the next size up, which should always leave me some to spare.

Bodie

Bodie is a stranded colourwork tote bag by Martin Storey from the Rowan book Nordic knits. It’s a gorgeous book featuring mostly patterns for accessories with some beautiful colour combinations, and this may be the first time I have ever knit a pattern using the suggested yarn and the suggested colours: Rowan Felted Tweed DK in “Pine” and “Gilt”. These colours remind me of the gilded screens with painted pine trees at Nijo Palace in Kyoto.

I hesitate to call the patterns in Nordic knits Fair Isle because, like all Rowan stranded colourwork patterns, they’re knit flat and I’d always thought that traditional Fair Isle was knit in the round. Knitting in the round would certainly be easier. It seems that most British stranded colourwork patterns are knit flat, and Australian patterns seem to follow their lead. For Bodie you knit the two colourwork side panels, then join together with a flat band in green “Pine” for the bottom, sides and handle, before lining the bag with a stitched fabric insert.

I’ve gotten the two handed stranding technique down reasonably okay when knitting but purling is a pain. I could do it, but the position of my left hand always seemed to be getting in the way when working with both hands so in the end I worked out a variation of thumb knitting for my left hand when purling, using a description of the technique from June Hemmons Hiatt’s The Principles of knitting.

When I cast on a couple of weeks back I’d thought this was going to be a long-term project but got one side done in a week so then got bold and cast on for the second panel right away. I thought I’d got the second side panel done yesterday but it was only when I got to the very end, reducing for the garter rows at the top, that I noticed I had completely messed up the stitch count for the second panel. I got the first panel right, casting on 107 stitches, but only cast on 97 for the second one, and I hadn’t noticed because the pattern repeat still looked correct. Oh good grief.

The second panel is now ripped out completely and I’ve started over today, having very carefully checked that I have 107 stitches and 21 pattern repeats this time.

I’m juggling a couple of other projects… my Snawheid hat is back on the go now that my new needle has arrived in the post after I snapped the first one. This is a lovely design, proper Fair Isle knit in the round using Jamieson & Smith jumper weight yarn in a lovely greeny-grey-blue and white. 

And my Thwaite cardigan has been languishing somewhat, which is ridiculous really because it’s almost done. I’m just knitting the button bands and then I can join it all together. I really should get cracking so I can wear it, we’ve had glimpses of warmer Spring weather and our almond tree is in bloom which is always the first sign that Spring is almost here.

I also need to get these projects finished because I have become ridiculously excited by the My Favourite Things scarf knitalong that Martine from iMake is hosting and I’m not going to start on that until I’ve cleared the decks at least a little bit!

Thwaite

For the last day of #blogjune in which I embark on a new knitting project.

This is the men’s version of Thwaite, a cardigan designed for Rowan Purelife British Sheep Breeds Chunky yarn by Marie Wallin from the Rowan book British sheep breeds collection.

It’s a simple cardigan but with some neat detailing around the collar and the button closures. I would have been very happy to knit this in the Rowan yarn but this is one of those Rowan publications where they omit the smallest men’s size so those of us not built like rugby players are in a bit of difficulty. I wish Rowan would at least list the sizes they do have in their books.

I’m getting around the sizing problem by substituting a similar yarn with a slightly smaller gauge. The Rowan yarn knits to 13 stitches over 10 cm and I’m using Morris Norway which knits to 14 stitches which should come in at just the right size. I picked up the Norway on special at the Morris sale last year. It comes in a range of “natural” colours, mine is charcoal grey.

 

Finishing line! Mustard jumper and Garden vest

For #blogjune – Some knitting projects finished

I’ve finally finished two projects that have been hanging around for a while. The seemingly endless mustard jumper, that I seem to have knitted three times, was finished last weekend. My head fits through the neck! Even better,  the rest of it fits me too. Yay!!

Although I only decided to rip out the crew neck and reknit it with a v-neck to deal with the practical problem of my head not fitting, I’m now really glad with how things turned out. The v-neck is pretty handsome, will just now need to find some shirts to go with it.

(There will be photos but I  soaked and blocked it and, what with chunky yarn and cold damp weather, it’s still not dry.)

Last night I finished a vest and I’m really pleased with how this came out too, so much so that I wore it to work today without even washing or blocking it at all.

This is the Harrison vest by Martin Storey from Rowan Dalesmen. The pattern is for Rowan Alpaca Cotton but I knit mine from a little over six skeins of Rowan Felted Tweed Aran in grey-green colourway”Garden”.

This is the first men’s vest pattern I’ve knitted that includes waist shaping. In the smallest size you cast on 73 stitches and then gradually increase to 81 stitches giving you a 40 inch/100 cm finished chest size at 16 stitches to 10 cm. It fits me perfectly – although I may need to do just a little waist shaping myself.

The aran weight vest is actually a great layering item for cold days like today with a warm coat, and I even got to wear a scarf on the train ride home tonight.

My head fits!

For day 11 of #blogjune – in which we are nearing the finish line on the mustard jumper saga

I was a bit stumped for ideas for a blog post for #blogjune but Kay and Janice on Twitter last night suggested a jumper update.

I am very happy to report that my head now fits through the neck of the mustard jumper! I realise that it would be an unusual v-neck jumper in which one’s head would not fit through, but I still consider this an achievement.

I now just need to finish the seams and weave in some ends so it’s almost finished.

If you’re a listener of the Stash & Burn knitting podcast this might remind you of those seemingly endless knitting projects that drag on for years, like Nicole’s Dad’s sweater or Jenny’s Bourne sweater. Anyway, it will be nice to finally wear it. The weather is getting cold here now so it will be great for early morning dog walks and working in the garden.

Dovre

For day 9 of #blogjune – the eighth tweedy Christmas ball

If I’d thought about this, I really should have tried to make the eighth Christmas ball the topic for day 8 of #blogjune, but then I didn’t quite have it finished in time anyway.

To go with the tweedy snowflakes I’m making for the Snowflake crochet-along, I’ve decided to start over on the Christmas balls from last year’s Merry knit-along, this time making them in tweedy rustic Rowan Felted Tweed. The colours are cherry red “Rage” and neutral “Clay”, and I love how the flecks of black and blue set these colours off.

As Arne and Carlos say in the book, 55 Christmas balls to knit, Dovre hints at patterns on mittens but on a Christmas ball looks like a glass bauble. Lovely design.

 

 

Mustard jumper progress

For day 7 of #blogjune – an update on the mustard jumper situation 

For those of you following along at home, the saga of my mustard jumper continues. Looking for the silver lining, this should at least provide a few days’ worth of blogging for #blogjune.

My attempt to add a couple of extra stitches to the neckline didn’t really work out so Plan B, C, D, E, F, whatever… is to change it into a v-neck. That way my head is sure to fit!

I’ve undone the neckline completely and ripped out the raglan shoulder seams. The top parts of the back and sleeves had gotten a bit ragged so I ripped back a couple of rows and reknit those, and then I’ve ripped out the front down to the armhole decreases. It’s chunky weight yarn so it shouldn’t take too long to reknit the top part of the front.