For the love of Faux-isle

Arne and Carlos for Regia; colourway "Summer Night" 

If you follow knit-bloggers or are active on Instagram, you'll probably be feeling like these Arne and Carlos sock yarns are just everywhere at the moment.  I've seen dozens of posts featuring the beautiful self-patterning fair-isle in gorgeous Scandy-colourways and was pretty keen to get my hands on some to try for myself.  

Although not normally a fan of faux-isle yarn, I must admit I adore everything about this yarn for a number of reasons. Regia has always been a favourite sock yarn of mine.  It's got a sturdy fibre content with the inclusion of 25% nylon, knits to a decent mid-size gauge, and is good on price point too.

The self-patterning yarns do give you maximum impact for minimum effort too.  I had many converations on the train with people fascinated by how the pattern was emerging, and almost disbelief when I told them it was no knitting magic skill but just the yarn.  The most I did towards the patterning was to wind a bit off before starting the second sock so I could manage to get them matchy-matchy.  Still, impressive apparently so who am I to argue?

I worked them toe-up, starting with a Turkish cast-on and then following on from my pledge to keep trying new things, I decided to try the Fish Lips Kiss Heel.   I had been wondering about this heel method for sometime, as it had been mentioned of several of the podcasts I follow and people were singing it's praises.  

It is very simple to work - don't let the 16 pages of pattern notes put you off - and it fits my heel rather well.  I have rather skinny heels and ankles (as can be seen in the first photo!) and to date I haven't had good results with the fit of short row heels in the way I find a heel flap fits me.  This heel still struggles a little to address this, however the detailed instruction within the pattern notes on how to determine when to place the heel has resulted in a more accurate foot measurement, and that has definitely helped in this instance.

I will be interested to see how these wear in comparison to a slipped stitch heel flap, as my feeling is the stocking stitch heels may not be as sturdy along the "seam"?  As mentioned the yarn is true sock yarn, so I think it has been given the best chance possible and I remain hopeful. This is a limited edition colourway, so I am keen to have these socks last.

The sock drawer is looking decidedly healthy again now, but they are such good projects for the train so I think I'm just going to keep knitting them and start a little stockpile for gifts.  There is no shortage of sock yarn in the stash, and there are only so many socks and shawls one person needs, right? 

Do you ever have a quandary of the need for knits and the need to knit?  I'd love to hear all your methods of managing it, if you do?

Jitterbug Perfume

Way back when I was in my early 20's, I was handed a copy of "Jitterbug Perfume" by a housemate who was moving on and told "here, take this.  you'll love it".  Thus was my introduction to Tom Robbins and his body of work.

At that stage I'd never read anything like his style of writing and I was completely entranced. I subsequently read all his available work in fast succession.  However as they say in the classics, you never forget your first and JP has remained a sentimental favourite, re-read and re-pondered more than once in the 20+ years since the initial encounter.

Fast forward to 2009 at the Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show. It was my second trip to the Show, and I'd spent a good two days wandering around and adding to my stash with glee.  I had all but spent my budget but was doing that one-last-look-around before leaving to head back to Melbourne and I came across the Stranded in Oz stall.  The majority of the skeins were laceweight, which wasn't on my list at all, but one in particular jumped out at me with such force I had to pick it up for a closer look.

A symphony in shades of mandarin and lavender; it was just gorgeous.  But it was expensive and my budget was almost gone.  I went to put it back down when suddenly I noticed the colourway name.  

Jitterbug Perfume.  

I think I gasped, because the stall owner Melissa came over quickly and then we both had a fandom moment exclaiming how much we loved that book, and that was that.  I knew it was coming home with me.

For nearly 6 years, I have safely stored this precious yarn.  I've aired it each year, making sure it's protected from moths and any damp.  I've pondered all the possibilities of what it might become (other than a precious skein).  At one point, I actually decided it would never be knit; that it was perfect just the way it was intact in the skein.

But of course, that was not what it was purchased for and this year during the Summer of the Single Skein I pulled it out again with the firm intent of Finding The Project.

Thus the Jitterbug Perfume Cowl.

I had decided the intensity of the colours needed to be tempered somehow, and so went looking at the wonderful palette of Isager for inspiration.  As luck would have it, not only was this plummy purple a good foil for the oranges, the Isager Spinni (another laceweight single) was also a good match in both fibre content, ply and weight.

I could not be happier with this colour combo if I tried.  The Spinni just knocks the edge off the Jitterbug in such a perfect way while simultaneously allowing the variegated to really shine.

I worked this up on my knitting machine, which in itself was a bit of a steep learning curve.  There were multiple attempts at casting on, and much frustration at getting the colourwork to flow but we got there in the end. This simple diamond pattern wasn't my first choice, but again - I think it's right.  I had been trying to replicate the Jasmine perfume bottles in the book, but it was just too fussy overall. 

I worked half the cowl with the solid colour as the base and half with the variegated as the base, then handstitched the two panels together to form a long reversible cowl.  It's not the prettiest construction, but it does the job and once on you really can't see any of the flaws anyway.

I still can't decide my favourite side!

Colourwork in a flash

I've spent some time this passed week getting to know my knitting machine, and having a bit of a play around with punch cards.

Colourwork is incredibly quick on a machine.  Well, when I say quick, I should clarify.  

Once I get passed the 2 days of frustration and bewilderment as to exactly why it's not working; the numerous cast-ons only to realise I've forgotten to flick a switch to position B, or I've threaded it wrong, or the tension is too tight/loose, or as I pass the carriage over for the seemingly simple row, half a dozen $*&#% stitches jump off the hooks and run aalllllll the way down - then, after all this, it's incredibly quick.

I was determined to pass on at least some small thing to the very friend that I got this sweet machine off, before she sets off on her adventure to live in Scotland.  It seemed only fitting that small thing be a piece of machine knitted colourwork.  It tied in a good deal of things I've been lucky to learn from her since meeting up in 2013, and I felt very proud to hand these over to her last week at lunch.  I did not, however, manage to get a photo of them completed!

Once I found my stride, I went in search of more yarn and came across two balls of Jo Sharp Alpaca Silk Georgette.  I think this yarn has now been discontinued?  It's a lovely alpaca blend in sportweight and I'd picked up these two contrasting colours in a sale. Two balls of sportweight isn't quite enough with which to do much, though.  I settled on a small cowl, buttoned for ease of getting on/off.

The yarn went through the machine beautifully, and the high contrast swan white and charcoal have worked together in such a perfect way.  I handknit the ribbed bands because although I know you can simulate rib, and create buttonholes on a knitting machine, my skill are not there yet.  I personally also like the blend of machine and hand.

Buttons gleaned from my recently felted (sob) cardigan were a perfect match, and the cowl was quickly snaffled up by Lily with her now-patented trick of "Oh! Did you make that for me?!".  I might secretly decide that we'll share it though.

There was even more colourwork experimentation, but I might save that for the next post.  It involves a Very Special Skein, and I think this one deserves it's own day in the sun.

I did a quick progress shot of my Summer of the Single Skein progress yesterday and I'm happy so far.  Depending on your interpretation of when Summer "ends", I feel like we are at the halfway mark?  March seems like as good a time as any to wind things up and start thinking about Autumn, don't you think?

How are all your special skein plans working out?  Are you planning or winging it?  I'm doing a little of column A, a little of column B.  Don't forget to tag your projects with #summerofthesingleskein on Instagram, or do a bit of show-and-tell over on the Ravelry group - we've got over 100 members to date, and lots of inspirational posts, chat and encouragement.

All about the marle

The Summer of the Single Skein is rocking along nicely, thanks to everyone who's jumped on board!  There's an enthusiastic lot of discussions going on over in the Ravelry group with people posting their plans, WIP's and FO's.  It's always so exciting to see not only what others are making but also their gusto as they embrace a new project or concept.  Feel free to come and join the discussion!

I'm really enjoying getting some things on (and off) the needles, and finally using up some of my special skeins.  It's funny too - what's "special" to me.  It might not look like anything out of the ordinary to others, but to me there is something about that yarn that has kept it in the must-find-perfect-project section of the stash.

This fortnight, I've really gravitated towards my collection of marled skeins which, again, have been too precious to use for some time now.

Within this group, I had two balls of Zara Chine which is your fairly standard 8ply merino I guess, so what makes it special?  This particular shade reminded me of composition notebooks from the minute I saw it, and I had big plans to make chunky slouchy socks with it but could never bring myself to cast on.  Truth be told, I'm not really a great fan of DK weight socks and I didn't want to waste my precious skeins. 

In the end, I made a squishy ribbed beanie in the style of Sons of Anarchy's Opie (oh how I miss that tall drink of water).  

It was a good decision.  I absolutely loved the way the wool knitted up into a subtle marle fabric, and the resulting beanie is exactly the type I like to wear.

The pattern was a freebie found here.  For a simple beanie, it was well written with a nice variation on the crown shaping and a good amount of slouch.  It's one size only and I'd say it's a men's but I have a head on the larger side of women's standard sizing so combined with the 2x2 ribbing, it fits me really well. 

Adding to the marled knits this week was some more socks, using Lang Jawoll that I specially ordered last year from England.  Then promptly put into the Precious Stash Section.

The colourway is Baker's Twine and I fell in love with it from the get go.  It's one of those perfect blends of blue and white that makes me think of vast oceans and coastal skies.  

As a sock yarn, this one is on the lightweight side (think Opal) which does make them good for Summer, however I think if I use the other skeins I have of it for more socks, I will most likely go up in stitch count and down in needle size though.  The fabric is almost too loosely knit as I have done it, and I do worry about how they might stand up to wear?

Because I was keen to let the the marle stand on it's own, I decided to use my standard 60sts/2.5mm pattern base in a 3x1 rib.  To avoid too much purling, I knit the leg cuff 3 knit, 1 purl then when I got to the heel flap I flipped it inside out so the previously purl stitches became knit stitch spines.  Once I hit the foot, there were only the top stitches to purl so it really wasn't any more painful than knitting any other stitch pattern on socks.

Again, I really like the marled fabric this wool created.  It makes me so happy to see those flecky stitches coming together, and got me thinking about all the other skeins in my stash that I could probably combine to create the same effect.  Possibilities abound.

It's one of my favourite parts of the creative process, those moments when one thought or experiment begets another and so on and so on.  I need to remember to look for it more often and take notice when it unexpectedly pops up, one of my goals for 2015.

What's exciting you this week, and getting your creative flow going?

Well, that was unexpected

So, if anyone is even still reading this blog, apparently I took a little leave of absence for a month!

I kept meaning to post, I swear, but you know those times in life when you really just need to take some time out and stare at your navel?  Well, yeah - November was that for me.

I am slowly coming out of my contemplative, introverted state (fog?) although I would hesitate to say refreshed or with significant clarity...yet.  I know myself, and I can tell there is still more to be processed and I will just have to ride this path to the conclusion.  No point rushing things as from experience that just leads to a bigger crash further down the road. But for now at least, the black dog is sitting with his head patiently resting on my lap, requiring the occasional pat but otherwise being undemanding.  That my friends, is a significant improvement.

I have been turning to knitting for respite, although it's not always the comfort one would imagine.  Many days I find it brings me no joy, or at least not the satisfaction I had anticipated.  I'm reading a lot, and doing an inordinate amount of yoga which seems to be the helpful activity I need to occasionally quiet my thoughts.

I did manage to finish my Year of Sweaters by Season though, through determination and a little leniency!

My Fieldwork cardigan is the final in the series.

I started strong with this one,  working through the back quite quickly.  There were some issues with the pattern, be warned, and the errata actually further confused the issue.  I love pompom magazine patterns but I do think there is room for them to have more resolve and finishing.  This is the second (both lace, to note) pattern that I've noticed some fudgy areas in.  Experience in knitting lace and garment construction will help with the Fieldwork pattern, once the knitter is aware though.

I seamed up the pieces I had and decided not to do bands as I liked the drapey feel of the lace as is.  I also could not be arsed picking up stitches and knitting rows and rows of garter stitch, let's be honest!  When you're done, you're done, and there was little chance I was ever going to be convinced to do anything more once it became a feasibly wearable garment!

I modified to knit the back all in one piece, to eliminate the graft down the centre back, but left the seam along the top of the sleeves.  You might remember my partner-in-KAL decided to do the alternate - eliminate the seam; keep the graft.  Reflecting, I think if I had my chance to do-over I would probably eliminate the graft AND the seam if I could.

To do a final wrap-up of the project, these are the collective sweaters from the challenge

1. Autumn - Peasy

2. Winter - Beeline

3. Spring - Miette

4. Another shot of Fieldwork, to show I do still remember how to smile ;)

I switched out a cropped cardigan I had planned for the Summer project, and added Beeline in to become the Winter project.  Both good decisions, especially the Beeline which got significant wear this Winter.  It's like a big cosy hug of a sweater, and a great weight for Melbourne in Winter.

I really did enjoy this year-long project. Along with a lot of other things, I've ended the year with 4 beautiful, wearable sweaters. I'm thinking of doing something along the same lines next year, though probably with a different overall theme to keep it fresh for both me and you.  

Right now I'm pushing to finish an Aranami shawl for Mum for her Christmas gift.  I've used Bomulin, a cotton/linen blend from Isager and I'm eager to see how it softens once washed and blocked.  The anticipation is it will be a sublime dream (no pressure).

Other than that, there are a few small projects on the go.  A hat to add to another gift, some socks for a friend...

Right now it's the perfect amount of not a lot, and that's the right place to be.

Hope to see you in the New Year; stay safe and happy and love yourselves xx

Woodland Hoodlet

Right in time for the hot weather, I've finished Lily's Woodland Hoodlet.

I felt overheated just watching her wear it while we got photos today.

Made in Rowan Big Wool, and covered in cables and bobbles - this really is a season-specific knit (and this ain't the season in my neck of the woods).  My kid has the patience of a saint when it comes to photographs and knitwear, I gotta say.

The pattern, for those who missed my first post, is from Tiny Owl Knits' lovely book - "Woodland Knits".  It's called Woodland Hoodlet, and for possibly the first time ever, I knit in the specified wool and the pictured colourway.  Unheard of, but that was her request and who am I to argue?

I had no issues with the pattern, once I *cough* realised my own errors and I will concede the big needles/bulky wool did knit up quickly.

That said, this pattern is a fair way off what I usually gravitate towards, and as a result I think really cemented a few things in my knitting brain whilst working on this piece.

#1 I definitely prefer smaller gauge projects over bulky knits.  Wrangling the bulky wool on 10mm needles was, in short; hideous.  My tension got shot to pieces as a result and overall I wouldn't say I'm greatly pleased with the finished look of the fabric.  I also have concerns about the way it's going to wear as it feels quite loose for the soft, loosely plied yarn...

#2 I don't hate cables as much as I remembered (but on bulky wool/needles, I still hate. Oh, how I hate).  I think there may be (small) cables in my near future

#3 There is nothing like making something for the one you love the most 

Paintbox

It seems that a heap of people I know are currently taking part in #operationsockdrawer on Instagram, and it's made me take stock of the current status of my own sock supply.

I sorted out my favourites, the ones in high wardrobe-rotation, and then did a good cull of those I no longer wear (for varying reasons; too big, too old, wrong colours).  I was left with about 5 pairs of socks which obviously is not nearly enough, so I went through my sock yarn stash and it seemed there was also a serious shortage of good sock yarn! 

That wasn't hard to rectify (ahem) and now the coffers are well and truly replenished,  I was able to select with delight a super-bright skein of Colinette Jitterbug in the "Paintbox" colourway and cast on.

I posted a progress photo of these socks on Instagram recently, with the caption "Nothing even remotely tasteful about these socks. Or subtle. I love them"  

And I still do.

They are just complete *fun*, and the pops of all the 1980's highlighter colours were a joy to knit.

I deviated from my normal 64st vanilla sock pattern for these, instead using the Madder socks from Nancy Bush's excellent book "Knitting Vintage Socks".  I really do love this book, with all the wealth of information and history contained within it's pages, but to date I have possibly read it more than I have knitted from it.

The Madder pattern uses a Dutch or Horseshoe Heel and a Pointed Toe, so I thought it was a good opportunity to try something different and see if I liked it.

The upshot was I didn't.  Well, I didn't like all of it.

The Dutch heel is, as the alternate description implies, quite horseshoe shaped which I found too boxy for my heel.  It also pooches a bit, despite blocking.  Add to this the fact that the heel flap is knit in stocking stitch rather than a slip stitch, and overall; it's a heel that I don't like and don't think is going to wear particularly well. 

I've done Pointed toes just recently and again, they aren't my favourite, so rather than add a non-favourite toe to a non-favourite heel I decided to go with my usual decrease-either-side front-and-back method.  It fits my stubby little toes rather well.

I find Jitterbug a really "plump" sock yarn, does anyone else think this?  I usually get a result somewhere between a fingering weight and a sport weight when I knit it on 2.5mm needles, so the Madder pattern (60sts) was probably a bit big too, not helping it's cause.

If I go down a needle size I don't like the fabric though - too stiff.  I think next pair I might try a 54-56st, see if I get a snugger fit.  As I said though - these are destined for house socks so the roominess doesn't really matter.  I probably should have worked the leg and foot in the suggested rib, if we're being honest.

It's always good to try something new though, and with my mods and different gauge, it's probably best to take this review of Madder socks with a grain of salt!

Nightingale

I've been steadily working away since last post and this week I have managed to finish another WIP - my Nightingale Vest.

The pattern is from Helga Isager's Bird Collection book, which is truly a beautiful, stylish collection of knitwear.  Aesthetically, there are so many designs within that I would love to make.

I love the fit of this vest, and the detailing on the back (twisted stitch rib so the knit stitches form a beautiful spine sequence across the back) contrasts the feminine, almost frilly bell stitch pattern of the front in a very flattering, pleasing way.

I used Isager Highland in Ocean, held together with Isager Alpaca 1, which formed a plump 4ply/light sportweight yarn.  This is the suggested yarn combination for the pattern, and it's worked well in giving a slight halo to the vest, yet still sturdy enough to carry the weight of all those bells!

There is a lot of discussion about the problematic nature of the Isager patterns; largely, I feel, due to the translation to English.  Looking at people's project notes, those who have worked from the original Danish instructions have had far fewer issues than those working with translated versions.  This is also a bit of an older pattern book, and I do feel perhaps a few of these glitches may have been teething problems, since rectified.  I certainly had no problems with a little baby hat I knit from the childrenswear collection - All you Knit is Love.  I think it's also good to remember that there are different methods of writing pattern instructions around the world, and this may also impact on translations.  Sometimes the format of the steps seems foreign to the way we are used to being told how, leading us to question, "what do they actually mean??". This isn't really a flaw of the pattern, though.  It's just different to what we're used to. 

All this in mind, I had no trouble with this vest until I reached the instructions for shaping the neck and armholes.  At this point the numbers began to not add up, however it was not something that anyone with a bit of experience knitting garments could not work through.  It was mainly that the guides on how many decreases to make, and which row of the bell pattern repeat you would be on at key points, did not (could not) match up.    There was also a point where  I worked out that the row 2-15 pattern repeat had suddenly reverted to row 1-14, without notice.  That caused a few head scratches until I twigged!

Overall, I'm pleased I persevered though.  I love the resulting garment, and the colour is so very perfectly heathered.  The weather has obligingly warmed enough to be able to wear this comfortably over a light top, which is also pleasing.  Nothing worse than finishing something only to have to put it into storage until the season is right.

I think I'll definitely have a go at some of the other patterns in this book, now I feel a bit more prepared for things I may or may not encounter.  The designs are worth the effort, and perseverance, and a challenge is a good thing for the mind.  If nothing else it keeps things interesting!

of Llamas and other such stories

Many years ago, I borrowed this book from my local library, captivated by the beautiful patterns based on traditional folk knits - mainly bags - of the Andes region.   Admiration however, was about all I could offer. I was completely intimidated by the technique and skills required for many of the projects.  I remember the feeling of inability well; I couldn't even make sense of the instructions.

On a recent trip to the library, I spotted this book and picked it up again, mostly just to admire , but to my surprise I found myself with a brand new perspective both of the projects within and my skillset. Instead of being intimidated, I found myself assessing construction methods with a nod of comprehension, and noting the simplicity of much of the colourwork.

I am surprised at the leaps I've taken with my knitting, I have to say.  If you'd asked me, I would have agreed my finishing and attention to the finer details had certainly improved, but I doubt I would ventured to say my knitting proficiency had changed in any significant way.  It was a nice moment, to be able to acknowledge the growth.

Armed with this newfound confidence, I checked out the book and cast on this sweet little Llama bag using some of my recent Bendigo purchases - 100g of Karoa Fibre.

(It seems I must be a sucker for small, fiddly novelty knits)

The construction of this little bag is something that first time around, I would have been totally bamboozled by.  The legs are worked similarly to afterthough heels on socks, something I'd never even encountered all those years ago and there is absolutely no sewing up - all the little pieces like the face, ears, tail are knit either from live stitches or by picking up stitches directly in place.  

The legs of this bag are actually unas, small pouches traditionally used by market stallholders for things like sorting change by denomination, storing talismans' or keys, amongst other things. 
As well as being visually beautiful, the book is also a lovely read as the author goes into good detail on the history and purpose of the bags in traditional cultures of the Andean region, as well as providing background on fibres and the roles animals such as llamas play within the communities.

I just love those ears!!

What would you say are your shifts in perception over the years of working creatively?  Do you forget to reassess yourself and your talents every now and then, allowing that things change so subtly over time that they sneak up on you too, like this? 

All about the accessories

After recent back to back adult sized garments, I've been ready for some quick and dirty projects with lots of instant gratification! Plus I've identified a bit of a hole in my accessories collection, namely hats and shawls/scarves.  And by hole, I mean I'm sick of all the ones I've knit previously and I'm ready for a refresh.  There's not seriously a lack of anything knitted in this house, trust me.

Sunspun have just started stocking Shilasdair yarns and I've been keen to try them. If you're not familiar with this yarn company, they are based in Skye, Scotland and produce a beautiful range of luxury-base yarns dyed with natural botanicals. 

I chose the 8ply weight, in the Fleece Cloud (natural) and Atlanic Blue (pale blue variegated) colour ways for this cutie-pie snowflake beanie, and the glorious Uig Sea-Green in the same weight for a Winterberry shawl.  

Good sturdy accessories, adept at keeping the bracing winds out, I feel.

I recently ordered a hard copy of "Journey", the collection by Jane Richmond and Shannon Cook.  This is a wonderful collection of patterns, including socks, a hat, a large shawl, some wristwarmers, a cardigan and a jumper. 

I've already made the socks (as a sample for the shop), and this week I quickly whipped out the wristwarmers, using some Bendigo Woollen Mills Rustic 12ply in a deep cobalt blue. They are toasty warm and I love the honeycomb stitch pattern.  There are also plans afoot for the shawl and beanie too, and when I'm ready to go back to jumpers, I've got some lovely, rich alpaca earmarked for the jumper.

It's been wonderful to have these little things flying off the needles, and the accessory drawers are once again full, a happy state of affairs indeed.  

It did get me to thinking though - what does one do with all their handknits that they no longer wear/want?  Some of mine are perfectly fine still; the lack of wardrobe rotation is more an indication of colours I no longer wear, or too many similar styles of that particular item at the time.  If you have any tips or bright ideas, leave me a comment and share! 

Until next time, stay warm x

If I was a flower growing wild and free all I'd want is you to be my sweet honey bee...

I seem to be getting rather theme orientated lately and this week's post is no exception, as will soon become apparent...bear with me.

First things first - there was a slight detour from the Year of Sweaters by Season project.

Instead of casting on my Spring sweater (a light and lacy little cropped cardigan in fingering weight alpaca), I decided to make a Beeline in some lovely fuzzy Creative Focus, and it has barely been off my back, so comfortable and warm that it is.  Warmth being the key word, given how freezing it's been in Melbourne this past week!

This was another great pattern from Heidi Kirrmaier, backing up after my Peasy.  Her attention to detail is spot on, not only in her pattern writing but also in her design aesthetic.  There's the lovely eyelet detail on the raglan increases that is also echoed in the bias line mirroring both sides of the front.  The neckline has just the right amount of scoop, and the slightly tapered body means it's roomy without looking oversized.   Very flattering and very wearable, on a number of body shapes.

Mostly I knit this to pattern, using the M2/42" size.  There's 5-10cm of intended positive ease, and I think that's the exact right amount in my finished piece.  I did add a bit of length to the body, about 5cm in total.  At the recommended length it was sitting right on a point of my waist that I know I don't like, from previous experience. It makes me feel like I've got to keep tugging at the hemline!  I also shortened the sleeves just a smidge, apparently I'm short-armed!

As for the yarn, I really did um and ahh on whether this was the right choice for the project.  There are mixed reports and reviews all over Ravelry and other forums, none really that flattering in honesty, but the colour (Golden Heather for those interested) was exactly what I wanted and I really wanted to try for myself; to make my own judgements.

I'm so glad I did!  Yes, this yarn sheds, and it has a splitty tendency; two of the main complaints against it.  It's a very loosely plied wool/alpaca blend, so neither of those statements are really that surprising.  I didn't find the splittiness as annoying as others, although I did need to pay attention.  A couple of times I had to drop down and fix a split stitch, but that wasn't a lot, or a huge inconvenience. The benefit of the yarn's blend is that there is a lovely halo of long fibres on the finished fabric, and that was part of my intent.  I wanted a slightly retro feel to this jumper, almost like the mohair jumpers of the 50's and 60's.

The other common complaint was that for an alpaca blend, this yarn was super-itchy.  I'm actually quite sensitive to wool-itch, and normally can't wear even blends next to my skin, but this jumper has surprised me in being one of the softest, non-itchy jumpers I've ever made.  I can comfortably wear it next to bare skin, even up around my neck, where I'm usually the most sensitive.  So go figure.  Whether it's the particular tension I've knitted to, I don't know.  But no issues with itch, from the Princess of Itch.  That's a win in my book.

Also, I’m shocked at how little yarn was needed, which seems to be a trend for me this year (possibly due to knitting everything in alpaca blends?). This took exactly 5x 100g balls of Rowan Creative Focus and that's good value in any language, for a jumper of this style.

Overall, a very happy detour was my sweet Beeline, and very happy I decided to see for myself about the yarn.

There was another little project I finished this week - some Honey Badger socks.  Like the Beeline, I used some yarn that I've been wanting to try for a while - Ella Rae Laceweight merino.  Despite the name, this yarn is actually a fingering weight 100% merino, not a laceweight, lest you think I've lost my mind and forayed into knitting laceweight socks!

I've had this skein of hand-dyed in my stash for a few months, having originally purchased it with the intent of making a small shawl of some type, however I had begun to think it wasn't really a colour I'd wear as a shawl.  Being 100% merino, it's probably not the best choice for socks, but I have compared it to Jitterbug and it has a similar high twist so I'm thinking it may be alright?  I'll probably save these for house socks and keep them away from my boots though, just in case.

Upon knitting, this yarn is a bit softer than Jitterbug, but it does the same lovely crisp stitch definition, highlighted by this pattern which utilises a PSSO as part of the lace pattern.  Honey Badger is a free Ravelry download from Irish Girlie Knits, and is very well written for a freebie.  The lace pattern is very addictive so it goes rather quickly too.  These took me just two weeks of not very consistent knitting to complete.  

Aside from some inconsistent pooling between each sock (what's up with that?), I'm pretty happy with them.  Oh, I did a round toe, just to give it a go.  It's OK, kinda like crown shaping on a beanie.  Will let you know how it wears, but seems comfortable so far.

So there you go. This is the week of the Honey and the Bee.  Perfect for brightening the Winter's days and lending thoughts to warmer days ahead.

I think on that note I'll leave you with one of the sweetest songs around, nearly guaranteed to put a smile on your face, and referenced in the title of this post.  Enjoy x

The fortnight in which Kylie was super productive

So productive, she forgot to blog last week - oops!!

I  finished off some lingering knitting projects...

Climb socks (samples for the shop)

Anklets - these are samples for the upcoming sock workshop I'm teaching at Sunspun in October.  Very exciting times, to be able to share my passion for handknit socks, and my own pattern, with other knitters in this format!

Both socks are knit using Naturally Waikiwi sock yarn, which is a blend of Merino, Alpaca, Nylon and Possum.  It's a really sturdy but soft yarn, and noticeably warmer than some other sock yarns I've worked with.

I frogged some old FO's that just weren't right, including my Whisper.  Which means I now have 200g thereabouts of beautiful Madtosh fingering weight to play with.  

I'm leaning towards a Halligarth, by Gudrun Johnston. What do you think?

I may have also purchased some more yarn...

Jitterbug "Caramel" (top) and "Paintbox" (bottom), because everyone knows sock yarn doesn't count as stash.

I've also cooked up a storm...

- lentil, bacon and vegetable soup
- country chicken casserole, in the slow cooker (yum)
- zucchini slice, a near-weekly standard in this house
- apple and oat crumble
- san boy chow
- beef chilli, another slow cooker recipe
- mandarin and poppyseed muffins
- Spicy chickpea and eggplant tagine
- Vietnamese Pork ball noodle soup

It's perfect weather for soups and casseroles, but I'm often out too late to make them each evening, so this should keep the freezer stocked for a while.

Then I planted more herbs, succulents and natives out into our backyard, as things were looking a little bare after the end of the tomatoes and other seasonals, and I tidied up wardrobes and cupboards inside.

I've caught up with loads of friends - Uni friends, knitting friends, old work friends, and roller derby friends - which has been wonderfully rejuvenating!  I really miss seeing all these people on a daily basis, but it's hard to fit everything in, isn't it?   

As tiring as the thought of being super busy can be, sometimes I need a little push to get out and make time to do things I enjoy and that nourish me.  I've found I'm actually more energised and the creative ideas and motivation has been on a high, simply by making myself tick things off my list (after making a priority list, mostly that didn't include household chores!).

Anyway, hope you're all having a great week and have had an equally productive time of it.

A Year of Sweaters by Season (Winter): Miette

Hot on the heels of Autumn comes my Winter sweater - Miette!

A cropped cardigan using worsted weight yarn knits up quickly, it seems.  Also, despite what the photos might have you believe, both sleeves are in fact the same length and width.

The colour has worked up in a lovely way, with lots of depth and undertones to the heathered khaki-bronze.  I've mentioned before how hard it is to capture on camera and today's photoshoot wasn't any easier.  Adding another degree of difficulty to the chameleon cardigan was the dress!  Between the two, I couldn't get the balance right on both in a single shot.  Hopefully between the photos you'll get the idea.

I picked this colour (Yakima Heather) specifically to work with this cotton dress, in an effort to make it wearable all year around, and I'm delighted with the pairing.  The plan is to work this back with tan cowboy boots and tights (and break into country ballads at each and every opportunity!)

Another unplanned but successful button pairing from the stash too.  Well, 90% successful.  I only had 5 buttons and I really could have used 7, but I made-do-and-mended and omitted the bottom two buttons.  I think it's fine, and as I'll probably wear a belt I would have most likely never buttoned those bottom two anyway.

I love the retro feel to the design of this cardigan.  For a heavier weight sweater, it's quite fitted and therefore doesn't feel as bulky as you might expect.  I did have hesitation on this aspect, however I'm glad I went ahead.  An added bonus was I also used significantly less yarn than planned - just under 3 skeins.  I now have a full skein and some leftover, which I think I might make a little toddler jumper or vest out of

The pattern is free, and very clearly written, however the lace border is written out line by line, and I found it a little tedious to keep up with.  It would have been difficult to chart, granted, and I don't know what the alternative would be?  I am probably getting lazy with reading written lace patterns though, having been so spoiled with the proliferation of charts in contemporary patterns.

Pattern:  Miette
Yarn:      3x Cascade 220 worsted - Yakima Heather
Needles: 5mm Addi Turbos

I'm still enjoying my Year of Sweaters immensely, although I'm feeling the urge for something different as a palette-cleanser.  I'm knitting some socks up for shop samples at the moment, so that might just be enough to clear my restlessness before starting the Spring sweater?  I've also got a little "detour" jumper in the works too, testing out a new-to-me yarn, and a shawl pattern calling my name.  

With so many options to work on, I can't decide - more knitting time, please!!