Blankets in July

July is not the most usual month to make good progress on blankets, but this has not been the most usual July.  There have been days when being under my ripple blanket has been lovely.  Having started it last September I have now reached the half way stage, so I am not the world's fastest crocheter.  Though I am getting better, I can crochet for longer without my arm and hand hurting now which is an improvement.  I cannot wait until it is finished and I suspect neither can Willow, she has been sitting on it whenever she gets a chance and she joined me for the half way through photos.





But not content with one blanket I am making a start on a second blanket, this time in Drops Paris cotton, bought in the Drops cotton sale (ends on Friday!), using the Hexagon pattern from Attic 24.  I have gone all out brightly coloured for this one so may need sunglasses to look at it when it is finished.  Again I am prepared for this to be a long term project, but when it is I should have summer and winter blankets for my bed.  Of course, now I have blankets on the brain there are plenty more I would like to make like Vivid from TinCanKnits and a giant multi-coloured granny square blanket for the sofa.  Think I'm going to be busy for a while yet!

Ripples

My swatch

For a while now I have had a box of double knitting weight super-wash pure wool sitting in my room waiting to become a blanket, I had tried doing granny squares but got bored, especially of constant colour matching decisions.  So instead I am trying my hand at the ripple pattern from Attic 24's blog and I can see why so many people have made blankets like this, it is great fun!  My other projects are now suffering as I hook my way up and down the stripes.  As you have to look at what you are doing more with crochet than knitting (in my experience anyway) it makes for a relaxing and immersive experience.  I would recommend it.  Five stripes done, only 80-something to go, hopefully I will feel as enthusiastic by row 70 or 80!

The real thing

Odd Socks

This month I have finished two socks, unfortunately they are not a pair though.  The first to be finished is a very plain, "vanilla" sock in Four Seasons Grundl Hot Socks, a German self striping sock yarn.  There is sometimes something wonderfully soothing about knitting a sock round and round, feeling the wool slipping between your fingers and watching the colours stripe themselves as the sock grows.  I did a good bit of the foot of this sock on my way to and from Sussex on holiday, a plain sock is perfect train knitting.



Meanwhile the other sock, finished today, is at the other end of the scale, a gloriously complicated sock full of twisted stitches and cables, which I find equally, though differently, enjoyable.  Sometimes it can be wonderful to focus and be present in the moment, following the instructions and transferring a chart on the page into 3-D reality.  The pattern is a mystery knit-along from the designer Rachel Coopey, the first of her patterns I have knitted, although I have admired her work for a while.  I was especially drawn to this pattern because it was inspired by the Brighton Pavilion, the most glorious confection of a building, to which we were often taken as children.  Brighton is a place dear to my heart, so full of life and our nearest seaside.



Throughout knitting this sock I have enjoyed the challenges offered and the yarn, Toddy by The Yarn Yard, is a delight, bright and soft, making the twisted stitches "pop".  I would definitely recommend pattern, designer and yarn; I have plans to try Rachel Coopey's Mixalot pattern using some of my sock leftovers.  Once I have finished both second socks that is - I have the leg done of the second Pavilion sock and have begun the second sock plain sock.



Of course with a number of friends expecting babies I should be knitting baby gifts, but sock knitting has this way of taking over.

A Set For A Special Baby

I like knitting brightly coloured clothing for babies and I think this yarn is truly excellent for baby clothing.  It is Aire Valley DK, a 75% British wool, 25% nylon blend from West Yorkshire Spinners, soft, washable and excellent value; I could see myself using this for many more baby knits in the future.  The pattern is the classic Baby Surprise Jacket by British born, American ground breaking knitter Elizabeth Zimmermann.  As you knit the jacket looks nothing like a garment, but a neat piece of folding and two short seams later it has magically transformed itself, the closest knitting gets to origami.  This yarn is just right for showing off the mitres in the pattern - Elizabeth Zimmermann adored mitred corners - and it has made a cosy, colourful jacket, without being utterly overwhelming (to me anyhow).



To go with the jacket I made the matching bootees and bonnet, which are less startlingly made but still fun knits, I will be interested to see how well the bootees fit and crucially stay on because that seems to be the crux of the matter with baby footwear.  I would recommend these patterns, the jacket is available as a separate pattern from School House Press and in the UK from the Knitting Parlour and Knit'n'Caboodle does kits.  All three patterns appear in her book The Opinionated Knitter, well worth the price, like all her books it is an enjoyable read in its own right as well as containing lots of useful information and great patterns.  School House Press have recently brought out a more detailed version of the pattern too, for those who find the original writing style a little short on detail.

Now I want to knit another, there's something curiously moreish about garter stitch in brightly coloured wool.

Actual Knitting Content

Now we have not had much actual knitting content in a while have we?  Most neglectful on what was originally supposed to be a knitting blog.  So, on the needles, Dad's jumper very much on the back-burner, more to the forefront is a cute 1950s cardigan from a pattern I bought in a charity shop.  I am extremely pleased with this purchase, not least because it contains the pattern for the matinee jacket with hearts and embroidery featured on last year's BBC 4 programme Fabric of Britain.



The cardigan I am making is called Rogue in Raglan, a name I suspect inspired by the wonderful expression on the little model's face in the photograph.  My alteration to this neat little textured cardigan has been to lengthen the cardigan by a good few inches to make it a full length cardigan, although as it is it would make a lovely cardigan to go over a girls' empire line dress.  The pattern is fun to knit, now I have got the hang of how it works, creating a very stretchy variation on rib; it would work well on socks, something I may have to consider in the future.  I am using the delightfully soft Patons Fairytale Dreamtime 4ply, in a discontinued colour I got for £1 a ball at Black Sheep Wools ages ago, I do love a good bargain.  For authenticity and practise in making up I am making it in pieces, even though a raglan cardigan is so easy to do top down.  May Elizabeth Zimmermann forgive me!



As the summer is upon us I have resurrected the double v cardigan I put away last year after it went wrong one too many times at a point in the year when I was never going to have it ready for that summer.  Mercifully I managed to sort out the problems I was having, despite initial confusion over whether the piece on the needles was a front or a sleeve and I am powering on nicely with it.  Part of a front and one sleeve left to go, then making up and hopefully I will have a new summer cardigan.  The yarn is Nikkim by Vinni's Colours from South Africa, bought at Purlescence, the colours are gorgeous, although it is hard on the hands being 100% cotton.



If I get my act together and sew on some buttons there may soon be a Baby Surprise Jacket and attendant bonnet and bootees to show off soon.

My personal, partial guide to yarn buying in the UK

I thought it might be helpful to put together a brief guide to where I tend to buy yarn in the UK, which shops I find reliable, which yarns I've particularly liked.  Naturally this can only be a brief guide, we seem to be enjoying a time of abundance of yarn shops and yarn varieties.

First off, a guide to yarn weights, which can vary from country to country, a guide to substituting yarns, and the importance of swatching (checking that your gauge or tension matches that of the pattern so that it turns out the right size - not something to miss out).

I do not tend to use acrylic or artificial fibres, except in blends, as I prefer natural fibres, so I will focus on them.  Natural fibres (wool, cotton etc.) do not have to be significantly more expensive than many of the acrylic yarns and I prefer knitting with them and wearing them.

Good all round shops

Modern Knitting - good for having its yarns organised well, sells a wide range of yarns from cheap basics to some higher end yarns; especially good for sock yarn.  My particular favourites from here are Cygnet Superwash dk and the King Cole Merino Blend range of yarns, both of which are good quality pure superwash wool yarns.

Wool Warehouse - good wide range of yarns including the full range of Drops yarns, a Norwegian company, who are excellent value for money and very good quality natural fibres or blends.  Drops have regular discount times when a range or type of yarns will be on sale, which are well worth looking out for.  Also do a good range of German company Rico's yarns, which are at the good value end of yarn buying.  My favourites here include Drops Alpaca, a light, soft, drapey yarn, one of my favourites ever, their other alpaca based yarns are good too; Drops Karisma superwash, another good quality superwash wool yarn and Drops Fabel, their sock yarn.  Drops Paris and Rico Creative Aran cottons both deserve a mention as they are good for dishcloths and crocheted blankets as well as baby clothing and are very easy care.

West Yorkshire Spinners - buying direct from the manufacturer, this is a comparatively new find for me but I have just made three projects in their yarn one after the other and am impressed.  Good value for money, I especially liked the Aire Valley DK, a wool/acrylic blend which is machine washable and uses British wool.  I really want to try their newly released sock yarn, I have long thought that a British wool standard sock yarn was missing from the market so hopefully this will fill the gap.

MCA Direct - an established Scottish company who sell a good range of yarns including a wide range of Rowan yarns.

Pavi Yarns - has a good range of Cascade 220, an American brand of worsted weight yarn, often described as a "good work horse yarn", was for a long time Ravelry's most popular yarn, among other yarns and some good buttons.

Get Knitted - an established Bristol yarn shop selling a whole range of yarns, good for sock yarn, although their lack of stock control system (things appear to be in stock on the website but then turn out not to be) has put me off lately I will admit.

Stash Fine Yarns - good wide range of yarns, mostly big brand names, some good sales and discount codes, their bargain section is always worth a look.

Deramores - fast gaining ground thanks to aggressive marketing, stocks a wide range of yarns but are often more expensive than other shops for the same product.  They have a lot of voucher codes which make the yarns more affordable, but on the whole I do not shop here much, but thought they were worth mentioning.

Addicted2Knitting - I should declare an interest as this shop is owned by a friend, particularly good for Zauberballs, good range of clover accessories and Knitpro needles.

Kemps of Sunderland - great for bargains, sell yarns companies are clearing out, really worth keeping an eye on

Black Sheep Wools - the other good shop for bargains and clear outs of stock

Sock Yarn Shop - does what it says on the tin, mostly sells sock yarns

Great British Yarn Shop - stocks a range of yarns including some exclusively spun for them, as well as being the sole UK stockist of popular US yarns Knitpicks

Purple Linda Crafts - specialise in crochet, great range of crochet hooks

Higher end shops

Meadow Yarns - a well curated range of interesting yarns from the everyday basics to true luxuries and exotic yarns not sold elsewhere.  Also has the widest range of my favourite Knitpro knitting needles, I like the symfonies (the spelling makes me shudder), which are wooden.  I would like to try the Hjertegarn Lima, a good value worsted weight wool.

Tangled Yarns - lots of lovely yarns, including the luscious Malabrigo yarns, they do a 10% off jumper quantities of yarn too

Loop of London - sells mostly luxury yarns from overseas, can be pricey, sole UK retailers for some US brands like Quince Yarns and Brooklyn Tweed

British Yarns

The Woolsack website lists retailers of British yarns far more comprehensively than I could ever hope to, but I will briefly mention:
Blacker yarns who sell rare breed yarns
John Arbon, an expert spinner with some gorgeous yarns
Maple Tree Yarns (again owned by a friend) for a wide range of British yarns
Jamieson of Shetland and Jamieson and Smith both specialise in Shetland yarns (amazing stuff)
New Lanark, brilliant value British yarn spun at the world heritage site of New Lanark mill, not the softest but very hard wearing

I hope that helps as a start, I will add to this and do a post at some point on my favourite independent yarn dyers.  I accept no responsibility for yarn bought as a result of this post!

Ever wondered...

Ever wondered how they get the stripes in self-striping socks?  Let this video enlighten you.  It's in German but the pictures are fairly self explanatory.

On the needles

As it has been a while since this blog, supposedly about knitting, has had much on it about knitting, I thought i would do an update post on what I have on the needles.



A couple of days ago I finally finished this pair of socks, which, embarrassingly, I started in February.  The delay was owing to how long it took me to get the hang of the pattern and also various interruptions, but now they are finished I am very pleased with them.  The pattern is Elm by Cookie.a and the yarn is from one of my current favourite indie-dyers, Countess Ablaze.  Although I do increasingly enjoy a plain "vanilla" sock, particularly in stripy yarn, I do sometimes enjoy a more challenging sock, particularly by Cookie.a whose designs are so clever, I often marvel at how she does it.



Inspired by autumn's imminent arrival, I have mostly been working on Lady Marple cardigan by Nadia Crétin-Léchenne in Artesano Alpaca Aran, which is a gorgeous mix of alpaca and wool making a lovely warm, not too heavy fabric with a slight halo.  The yarn is slightly tweedy in its depth of colour - the shade I am using is called twilight and is a mid turquoise with hints of red. The pattern has a nice balance between mindless relaxation and a bit of lace to keep it interesting; it is an adult version of a pattern written for a child - Miss Marple.  As it is on 5mm needles it is making fair progress and I am currently a few centimetres from dividing at the armholes to work the back and two fronts separately, and so I am fairly confident of finishing it before the cold weather (touch wood).




Apologies for the quality of the photograph, it can be quite challenging photographing a work in progress, this was taken over a week ago too so I have progressed a fair bit from there.

In between times I have been finishing off some baby knits and really need to get more done - there seem to be a lot being born at present.

52 Weeks of Happy - Week 10 (also belatedly)

I am still behind with blogging, this time because of a week effectively wiped out by a cold in the head, a minor affliction that is capable of making one feel disproportionately unwell.  However, this post belongs to the week before this just gone, the week of toothache.  My life has been so full of fun lately.  But it is good to look for some positives even in the middle of the nasty stuff.

1. The 109 bus - I have never been so glad to see a bus in my life.  I was on my way to the dentist and had arrived in the suburb by train, walked out of the station and become completely disorientated (note to self: next time take a map).  So I managed to go the wrong way out of the station and walk for what seemed about a mile in the wrong direction.  The penny was just dropping and I was getting dangerously close to my appointment, when I found myself beside a bus stop for buses running towards the direction I had just come.  To my intense relief there was a 109 bus crawling along the road towards me that delivered me to the dentist's just about on time.  Mercifully the toothache and general jaw pain seems to be inflamed gums, rather than the more serious problems I had been imagining - note to self: do not immediately leap to the worst possible conclusion over *everything*.

One of my dad's toy buses for illustrative purposes

2. Confusion by Elizabeth Jane Howard - I have been deep in the Cazalet novels lately, devouring them greedily.  I cannot remember when I was last so engrossed by a series of books or a fictional family, I found myself truly caring what happened to them and whereas in the earlier books I had been enjoying and taking note of the writing and narrative devices, all that detail began to fly out of the window as I got further into the story.  I cannot recommend these novels enough.  For so long I have been limited in my reading by brain fog and tiredness, so to be able to regain some of my previous capacity for reading is a real joy.



3. Robins - out in the garden during some rare sunshine I saw both robins, the first boldly sitting on a branch just above my head singing lustily, the second creeping about the undergrowth and holly, battling curiosity and cautiousness, unable to resist taking a look at me despite nervousness.  I have great hopes of a nest of little robins.



4. Beautiful yarn in the sunshine - this is Mind the Gap by Trailing Clouds, Blue Faced Leicester wool yarn dyed in all the colours of the London Underground lines.  As I have plans (or hopes?) of casting this on soon I had been winding the yarn and thought the opportunity for photographs was too good to miss.

52 Weeks of Happy - Week 7

Another week has somehow rolled by, rather fast too and yet I do not feel that I have done anything definite with it.  This continues to be a good exercise, to find things to be positive about.

1. Classic Comedy - this week's Hancock's Half Hour episode on BBC Radio 4 Extra was a true classic, the first ever of the series, with Bill Kerr and Moira Lister in particular being given more of the jokes.  In this episode they often act as a double act and a faster foil to Hancock's slower style, it is a great pity that his jealousy and insecurity later got in the way of this.  Already various hallmarks of the show are in place, from the stutter at the beginning, through the incredible music, ending with Sid James being at the root of most of the trouble as ever!  A must-listen.



2. Blue skies and sunshine - it was properly warm for the first time this year today, only two days after being so cold it made my fingers cold.  I could tell it must be warm when I looked out of my window this morning and saw next door's cat sitting in the sun!  Spring is unmistakeably beginning, as I was walking home today I was stopped dead in my tracks by the first of the blossom on the trees in the street.  I will try to keep taking photos of it as it opens because it is always beautiful when the street is full of blossom.



3. Smooshy alpaca - I have resurrected a cardigan I began last year and have been putting in lots of work on it this week.  Despite the hours there has been only a small amount of growth as being in sport weight there are rather a lot of stitches involved.  But I have loved Drops Alpaca for a while now and this colour in particular (7240m since you ask, no I did not have to look that up, yes I do need to get out more), so I am thoroughly looking forward to wrapping myself up in soft clouds of alpaca.



4. A charity shop bargain - a 1970s Patons book of bazaar makes, there are all the classics in here including the tea cosy that looks like a gypsy caravan.  There are quite a few things that are actually makeable too, so it is not just amusing, though I am quite taken by the parrot.

Knee Highs

I did it - I actually managed to knit a pair of knee high socks!  Admittedly they are in sport weight yarn, Knit Picks Stroll Sport if you are interested in such things, bought on sale at Great British Yarns.  They used just under four balls of yarn and being that bit thicker went rather fast.  The decreases down the leg helped me get along as I kept knitting on "just to the next decrease" and so on.  I came up with the pattern myself so I could custom make them to fit me, but I will try to gather my notes and write up what I did, it might help someone else?  And help me remember what I did for future reference.  Hopefully these will keep me warm in any cold weather we get, though given the weather today I think making my own galoshes might have been more helpful.



They look rather old fashioned to me, in a good way, like something a Victorian woman might have worn under her many petticoats maybe?  Only time will tell whether or not they will stay up effectively, if need be I will channel my inner Miss Mattie (in Cranford) and try knitting some garters to keep them up.

Naturally within minutes of finishing these I was planning the next sock and I am on the first leg chart of Elm socks by Cookie.a from The Knitter's Book of Socks in the most gorgeous green yarn from Countess Ablaze (alas her shop is currently closed due to illness).



Is there such a thing as an addiction to sock knitting?

52 Weeks of Happy - week 4

This week has felt like a long, hard week.  First there was the snow, which kept me in the house for days because fibromyalgia and snow do not mix, and made the days seem endless, although the rest helped a bit.  Then my mother was ill, as referred to yesterday, which has left me feeling rather shaken and a bit emotional.  All the more reason to look for my four happy things this week.

1. Goldfinches - there were eight in the garden today, males and females, this is the largest number we've seen before.  They are such pretty birds and it is thrilling to have them in the garden.  A few years' ago I started catching glimpses of goldfinches them in a garden around the corner and so they have slowly moved up the gardens.  So far the other birds seem tolerant of their presence, even the robin, who still has occasional attempts to prove that the feeder is his and his alone.  For some reason the robin seems to go for the dunnocks a lot, I suspect because they look similar to him.  My sister took this photo this morning of one of the goldfinches on the bird feeder.



2. A good book - I have been reading Slipstream, Elizabeth Jane Howard's autobiography and it is a thoroughly enjoyable read, not only because she has known some remarkable people and done remarkable things, but also because it is so well written, quite the best autobiography I can remember reading.  She has an incredible memory, wins your sympathies and is humbly honest about her mistakes.  Yet more than this, she shares the wisdom she has learnt through her life, although not in a didactic or condescending manner.  For all these reasons and more I have been finding this compelling and having the Kindle version has made it far easier to read as it is a long book (around 500 pages), but somehow manages not to feel long.  I am looking forward to getting onto her novels.

3. The perfect green - Rico Merino Essentials DK in shade 42, bought at Deramores, a shop I've never used before but who seem very efficient.

4. Miranda - whoever put this show on Monday evenings in January was a genius, it is the perfect antidote to January.

52 Weeks of Happy - week 3

This has been a slightly strange week, during which the admonition to "Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn" (Romans 12.15) has never seemed more apt.  For my friends there has been great sorrow and also some joys and I have had the joy of my birthday, it has been quite emotional at times.

Nonetheless there have been joys this week, life at its essence is a sharp mixture of joy and sadness.  The biggest joy has been my birthday so we shall make that number one.

1. My birthday, which I managed to approach with the minimum of trepidation and soul searching about "achievements" and which my family and friends combined to make special.  I had a great many cards and generous presents and messages and feel thoroughly spoiled and humbled that so many people value me.


Birthday banana cake

2. Wonderful new yarn that my sister gave me for my birthday, hand-dyed in stripes, in the colours of the London underground lines, from Trailing Clouds.  I am most excited about knitting this, I still find self-striping yarns exciting, knitting away, wondering which colour will come next and when.  Additionally I am in awe at the hard work that has gone into dyeing this yarn to create approximately six round stripes in so many colours, by hand.



3. Coffee with a new friend and her little boy who is about a year and a half.  A delightful and refreshing combination of a good chat and some play with her little boy, who is very sweet and well behaved.  To be repeated soon I hope.

4. Beautiful snow, which has been falling steadily for most of the day, giving us more light than we have had for a while and muffling noise, creating a quiet, bright, cold world, although I feel terribly sorry for the birds.


A goldfinch on its way to the bird feeders

And so on we go through the year, hopefully I will be able to shake off the threatened depression and accompanying lethargy and "what's the point" feeling more this week.  I think the weekly discipline of looking at the good things that have happened is helping though.


A cyclamen flowers on

Titchy snowman

I sincerely hope that this is as close as I come to a snowman this winter, but he's awfully sweet.  He's from Mochimochiland's tiny collection, brilliant patterns and well written and clear to understand, I'd recommend them.  Knitted in Sandnes Garn mini duett (bought at Scandinavian Knitting Design) with a thread of Drops Glitter alongside, his scarf is rather big for him, I forgot that it was supposed to be 4ply, but at least he won't get cold?



The penny is in the picture for size reference, not because he has holes in his pockets as one of my Ravelry friends suggested!  I think I'm firmly in Christmas mode already, but if you knit presents and decorations I suppose you need to get organised early.

A blogger's miscellany

1. I'm aware it's been a while since I last posted, unfortunately I haven't been too well, I overdid things somewhat and then muddled up the date of my flu jab and turned up 24 hours too early.  This lead to me missing sleep to get up early two days running which is what finished me.  It seems that despite more than 12 years' practice I still haven't quite got the pacing thing quite right.

In order to combat my disorganisation I have purchased a diary for the coming year, it's simple, small but stylish and a great cheerful colour.


2. I have been enjoying this song a lot lately, it is simple but full of hope


3. I have done a lot of knitting lately but most of it is secret Christmas knitting, which I can't show on here just in case.  In between I have been doing some small ornaments though such as the small jumper below.  I'm also having a go at the adorable mini snowman from Mochimochiland's miniatures' collection.


4. I'm very excited about Kate Davies' forthcoming book The Colours of Shetland and am looking forward to knitting the shawl shown at the top of her blog and in the meantime am planning to knit her pattern which came out today - Snawheid hat, .  You can see her adorable dog Bruce helping with the photographs of the hat here.

I'll try not to let it be quite so long before the next post.

St Mungo's Simple Hat - free pattern

I made the prototype of this hat for St Mungo's Woolly Hat day and having wrestled with the crown decreases for a considerable period of time thought that the pattern might be worth sharing.  At some point I intend trying out a larger size for those of us (myself included) who do not fit in the "one size fits all" sizing favoured by high street shops.



St Mungo's Simple Hat
125m/137yd heavy sportweight or light double-knit yarn.  I used King Cole Mirage
4mm 40cm circular needle, 4mm double pointed needles, or your favoured method for knitting in the round

24sts/4 inches

To fit medium adult head, c.20 inches

C/O 100sts and join to knit in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.

Knit for 4 inches in K2 P2 rib (or less if you do not wish to have a turn up in the brim)

Then change to stockingette stitch (knit every stitch) for 5 inches.  If you wish to have a slouchier beanie make this section longer, but bear in mind that it will require more yarn.

Crown decreases: (when the stitches become too few for the circular needle transfer stitches to the double pointed needles)
*K8 K2tog* around
Knit 1 round
*K7 K2tog* around
Knit 1 round
*K6 K2tog* around
Knit 1 round
*K5 K2tog* around
Knit 1 round
*K4 K2tog* around
Knit 1 round
*K3 K2tog* around
Knit 1 round
*K2 K2tog* around
Knit 1 round
*K1 K2tog* around
*K2tog* around

Cut yarn, thread it through the stitches remaining on the needle, pull tight and fasten off.

Stripes before my eyes

Five years behind the trend, I have started knitting a Noro Striped scarf, using Jared Flood's instructions and am finding it utterly compelling knitting. It is very much "just another row" knitting, or rather in this case "just another stripe".
 
I would also recommend it as a soothing, almost meditative knit. When I was planning this scarf I was worried about getting bored of knitting a knit one-purl one rib for the entire length of a scarf, so I bought some now discontinued Noro Silk Garden Chunky from Black Sheep Wools at a discount. Although the boredom has turned out not to be a factor I am still glad I went with the chunky weight. It is becoming a thick, soft, stretchy and squishy scarf and judging by the weight of it draped across my lap as I type, should be gorgeously warm.
 
Naturally being Noro there is the odd unfathomably itchy bit and the occasional bit of straw/grass/vegetable matter but I am being fairly successful at picking those out and with a wash it should be fine. Silk Garden is definitely the softest of the Noro yarns I have used so far and I am definitely thinking of giving the sock weight a whirl - Noro striped socks here I come?

 P.S. While we're on the subject of socks, I should have some finished sock photos to share tomorrow.

WIP Wednesday

Last week, after much dithering and a long time of wanting to make a shawl, I finally decided upon a new pattern called Fledge, by Megan Goodacre using some Malabrigo sock I got from a friend's destash.  Fledge is a very beautiful pattern, well written and clearly laid out and the Malabrigo sock seems to compliment it well, even now, before blocking, the lace is distinct and clear.  I have been taking a photo after each completed section and am now on the fourth section.



While the pattern requires some degree of concentration it is not so tricky that it is exhausting or that it feels like hard work.  The colour, called Solis, is very me, as a number of friends have commented.  I'm looking forward to wearing it as I think it will compliment my wardrobe nicely.  I'm glad I've had this to occupy me this week as I've been very tired from overdoing things earlier in June; though it does seem almost incredible that it is already July and the weather isn't helping the illusion!

WIP Wednesday

I am working on a baby cardigan this week, trying to come up with a prototype for a top down raglan sleeve baby cardigan that can be made in 4ply or sock yarn, preferably in under 100g, so that I can use some of my stash of machine washable sock yarn for baby knits.  After a bit of a wrestle with standard baby sizes, positive ease and Barbara G Walker's invaluable book Knitting from the Top I am a good way through the raglan increases.  I started this project this week because I needed some simple stockingette stitch knitting with which to relax, all my other projects were getting a bit too complicated.  It also makes a handy project to take out and about with me as it requires relatively little attention at this stage, providing I don't go on knitting it longer and bigger than it needs to be!



Although it is blue the cardigan is for a little girl and will receive flower buttons and hopefully some flower style eyelets around the bottom of the cardigan, before the hem, something like this.  I was inspired by the forget-me-nots in the garden, though I could not get a blue that was quite right, this Sandnes baby wool was the closest appropriate yarn.

The green scarf I started ages and ages ago is finally finished.  Well, I say finished, I still have to Kitchener stitch on the end and then block the whole scarf.  The Kitchener stitch (in garter stitch just to make things more interesting) is my next task when I have finished writing this.

WIP... Thursday

Yesterday disappeared somehow without me managing to blog, but here we are now.  A sock for a swap, the first sock swap I've ever taken part in, even more excitingly it's in Wollmeise Twin, colourway Aquarius.  The pattern is called Edgewood by Rebecca Blair, a really pretty, well written pattern, to my eye there is something vaguely Victorian in style about them.  Although mystifyingly I am the first person, other than the designer, to knit a pair.  I would definitely recommend the pattern to one and all.

My photo does not truly do the pattern justice I am afraid, I am considering investing in a pair of sock blockers for photography purposes, I do not know if anyone has any opinions on them?