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?

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.

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 

From trial and error comes good things

Recently I consulted the Knitting Brains Trust about my disappointment on a project I was working on, specifically that the colours weren't working the way I had imagined.  The response was consistent in the opinion that the colours were too closely matched tonally, and of course - you were all exactly right!

Look at this black and white comparison...

This visual sealed the fate of the project, and I ripped out the grey yarn and turned it into this sweet beanie for my dear friend, modelled here by Lily.

This is a free pattern from Drops, called Sweet Caroline.  I made some small modifications, using a twisted rib on the band, and shortening the lace section by half a repeat.  There's plenty of slouch at this length, so I'm glad I did.  

It's a much better use of the yarn, definitely. The Milla Mia gives a very crisp definition to the lace pattern, which is lovely but I'd like to also re-make this hat at some stage in a fuzzier yarn, like alpaca or kid mohair, I think?  

Progress has also been made on Miette this week too.   We have reached blocking stage! Pre-blocking is seems to fit well.  Snug, but no more than as it is supposed to be.  I'm only doing a very gently block, so fingers crossed. 

Hoping to have a proper "finished" photoshoot completed by next time we talk.    It's raining and miserable lighting here today, so a black and white image is the best I can manage of this project.

Next week I promise a proper post on my Shibui beanie too - for a sneak peak though you might like to keep an eye on the Sunspun blog this week ;-) 

slightly off topic...

I am easily distracted at the best of times, and I definitely like diversity in my knitting projects, and lately it's felt a bit like all-sweaters, all-the-time.

So despite needing to sew up my Peasy, and having a Ferris Wheel to finish...not to mention a Miette on the needles as well, I decided to take a slight detour this weekend and work on some instant-gratification projects.

Firstly, I whipped up not one but THREE of these wee little baby hats.  Knit in the round using aran yarn, they zoomed off the needles and into the blocking bath. I made all three in a 24-hour span.

The pattern is the Garter Ear Flap Hat, a freebie from The Purl Bee, and I used some Rowan Pure Wool Aran (pink) and Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran (grey and teal).

Super cute!  I just need to add the tiny tassels to these and they are ready to go in the gift stash box.  I think I've even got enough leftover from each ball of yarn to make another two to three hats, probably with some colour blocking.  This pattern is definitely a win, in my books - free, quick, small yarn usage, and CUTE!  I think it's turned my baby-knitting mojo back on, for sure.

I also had a delivery of some Murano wool from Bendigo this week, that I bought because it was on special, and I wanted to make a blanket of some description.  I toyed with a mitred square pattern, and a knitted chevron, but in the end I decided to give crochet one more crack and try my hand at the Round Ripple Baby blanket.

And with all the stars miraculously aligning, I managed not to stuff it up!



This is a really simple pattern, and I found the instructions very clear and straightforward - perfect for those among us that perhaps struggle with crochet terminology, or reading stitches.  I usually always end up with extra chains, or not enough, and I'm never exactly clear about which is the "next stitch" the pattern asks me to slip stitch to!!

The yarn is great for this type of blanket too.  Self-striping in fairly long repeats; it makes impressive work out of something really rather simple.

As far as blankets go, this is also working up very fast.  In two evenings work, I have just finished the second 200g ball, using a 5mm hook.  I was debating whether to stop here, as it's probably big enough for a baby blanket, but I think I'll persevere and use up the third ball I ordered so the finished blankie is nice and snuggly.

shoes for scale...

And the best thing is, now that I have got that instant-gratification out of my system, I feel like I'm ready to knuckle down to seaming and probably a bit of garment knitting. 

What's exciting your needles this extra long weekend?  I'm working at Sunspun tomorrow, then we are shut for Good Friday but will be open 10-5pm Easter Saturday, so pop in if you're in the area?   I had the pleasure of finally meeting missfee last week, after probably 7-8 years of "knowing" each other online (hope your yarn purchases are bringing you much happiness, lovely lady!).  I really enjoy meeting more of the people I regularly chat to but have never met in person, and I feel like Sunspun might just end up being the great facilitator...

Hope to see you one of these days soon xx

Transition

It's raining in Melbourne today.  Not pouring; more drizzle, but constant.  This week past I have really felt the transition of the seasons, and it's felt exciting and fresh.  I am so ready for Autumn; for the mild sunshine and crisp afternoons, the necessity of a light cardigan whenever heading out of the house just in case, and toasty warm hand-knitted socks for snugging on the couch of an evening.

It seems the perfect season for me as I also transition, from full-time, big institution type employment into something more gentle, somewhere I feel I'm a person, not just a small cog within a huge machine.  So far I am loving being surrounded by wool all the working day, talking to people about their projects, their inspirations, and planning - oh, the planning!  Before I can feasibly think of adding more ideas to my list, I need to concentrate on my current ideas, though.  

My Autumn cardigan - Peasy -  is done bar the blocking and buttons.  Once I got onto the body, it zoom-zoomed along and Monday night I found myself casting off.  Most excitingly, it fits really well. 

I have been very gentle with the blocking, as the yarn is Rowan Felted Tweed, and I don't want the alpaca content to grow too much.   I love the pattern - Heidi Kirramaier writes beautiful patterns, but it's the colour that is the most amazing part of this garment. Such a perfect indigo hue.  I can't wait for it to hurry up and dry so I can wear it!

With the completion of Peasy, it was also time to start on my next sweater for my 2014 sweater project.  For Winter, I chose Miette using Cascade 220 Worsted in "Yakima Heather".  I even managed to find buttons in my stash.

I'm hoping that a worsted weight sweater on 5mm needles will go fast, because I'm feeling the need for some smaller projects at the moment!   April feels like the season for beanie knitting, and maybe some socks?  We will see...

On the subject of completing current lists, I've also been making a concentrated effort to finish my second Ferris Wheel cardigan.  This is the larger one, for my 10yo niece.  I used Bendigo Woollen Mills 8ply Cotton which has a beautiful soft touch, but as always, my tension is *crap* when knitting cotton.  I'm hoping a good block will help those tram tracks settle...

It's a lovely soft grey and I've only got the sleeves and the front bands to go now.  I've always loved making things for these girls, but I'll be honest - I don't think I'll ever attempt back-to-back projects of the same pattern again!  

I tried knitting them simultaneously for a while, but as soon as the smaller one was done, I just could not make myself pick up this one straight after. My hands and mind were craving different stitches, different textures.  Luckily this pattern is kind of an all-seasons one, and will be great for layering.  I've given myself an unofficial deadline of Easter to get this finished, because I'd dearly love to give them to them soon.

(and maybe start those socks!!)

and then it was done

ahh, in my traditional fashion the completion of my Show entries was a chaotic, frenzied, mad-dash!

After staying up till after 11pm putting final touches on pieces, I ran out of work this afternoon and made it to the Pavillion with 8 mins to spare.

That said; I'm very happy with my 2014 submissions.

A baby's garment (under 18mths)...

Baby booties...

An adult garment...

A tea cosy...

and an "Other"...

There seems to be a prevalence of "pink" in this year's entries too.

Graffiti Alley Baktus

ahh, holidays....and all that lovely knitting time.  Glory days of Summer, for sure.

One thing I love doing over my Summer break is casting on a new project on New Year's Eve -  it’s like a promise to the new year ahead. This year it’s a Baktus using Christmas gift yarn from my Mum, the Colinette Jitterbug "Bright Charcoal" I showed you last week.

This project has been my constant companion, from NYE fireworks near the Yarra, to Monopoly marathons and evening movies, and all the multitude of activities it takes to entertain five kids of varying ages over the course of last week.   

It's been with me at breakfast, at lunch, and at dinner, and every snack (Christmas cake, anyone??) in-between.

Naturally, all this close companionship has meant this WIP is now a FO - in just 7 days, BAM!

Oh my, how much do I love this scarf?!

I love that it's "grey", but there is so many flecks of colours that it seems to pick up on whatever I pair it with.

I love that it reminds me of the graffiti of Melbourne, with the riotous mix of layers of art and all the colours blurring into a kind of kaleidoscope

I love that it's made from wool my Mum gave me for Christmas

and I love that it's my first 2014 accessory FO.

I used the mod notes from mustavilla to make it a Lacy Baktus, and I think the addition of the eyelet rows really gives the scarf a little more oomph.  It also helps make the repeats go faster, of course. 

If I had one thing I'd change, I think I'd slip the first stitch of every row to make a neater edge, but I didn't think of this until I was too far along to rip back.  The edge is fine as is, but I do think it would give a better finish done as a slipped edge. 

Now, if only the Melbourne weather would cool so I could wear my very-Melbourne scarf!

Kris Kringle, knit-style

I cast off my Gingko Crescent shawl Monday night and thanks to warm Melbourne weather, it was blocked and dry by the morning!

Being the only thing I worked on this week, this project went rather quickly and by about Saturday I had a good feeling I was going to make it in time for our knitting group's Kris Kringle at the Christmas dinner. 

The recipient seemed very happy with her new shawl, proceeding to wear it for the remainder of the evening.  It actually even matched the colour of her top, which was pure coincidence as we did a random KK, where each parcel was numbered and we all drew a number to be allocated a gift.

The wool is Knitabulous 50/50 merino silk.  Such a beautiful base, and lovely for stitch definition in the lace.  It's soft to the touch, and didn't seem itchy at all.  The colour is "Tokyo Rose" and it was part of a yarn club Knitabulous offered a few years ago now.  I really liked working with this yarn and I have a decent amount still left to work on another small something one day.

I was lucky enough to receive a beautiful Maluka shawl as my KK  gift, made in Madelinetosh Merino Light deliciousness. The light has faded here tonight, so I've only got this shot so far unfortunately.    This is quite an accurate representation of the lovely russet colour of the yarn (Byzantine, if you're wondering), and it shows off the lacework just beautifully.

I'm so excited to receive a knitted gift, I can't tell you.  When you knit yourself, you don't often get knitted gifts.  My guess people think something like "Oh, you can probably knit it yourself if you really wanted it"?  

I know I'm more inclined to give my knitty friends knitting-related items, like needles, project bags, patterns, but I think after experiencing the sheer delight of having something knit by someone else, I will be changing that and will start giving my knitted items to knitters too!

and you guys - you know what this post means don't you?

MY 24-IN12 CHALLENGE IS DONE!!!

*happy dancing in circles*

a small amount of procrastination...

I seem to have skipped a week somewhere along the way, sorry - time has got well and truly away from me at the moment.

However, I do have some finished pieces and new works to show you though!

For a 24/12 update, I went to cast on the Tears of Bronze beanie only to find issues with the pattern link.  As in, it doesn't seem to be available any longer?

I went scrolling through Ravelry looking for a substitute, but after no luck finding something I really wanted to make, I finally thought - pfft, how many beanies have I knit?  I can totes do this on my own!

So I did.

MossyHearts is a pretty basic stocking stitch beanie, with a twisted 1x1 rib band and a cable panel of hearts and moss stitch centres finishing with a simple cable up to the crown peak.

The wool is Madelinetosh DK in "Baltic".  Oh dear lawd, this colourway is FINE.  I'm pretty pleased with how it came up in this beanie, it seems to show off all the variations and has minimal pooling/striping.

Once the was finished, I decided it was time I knit my two beautiful nieces a cardigan each.  Coincidentally, this thought came almost simultaneously with Tikkiknits releasing a set of summer cardigans AND offering a coupon discount as part of the Indie Design Gift-a-Long that's happening on Ravelry at the moment.  

I ordered some BWM 8ply cotton in a pale grey and vibrant fuschia (to match their individual personalitites!) and got started.   I've just separated for the sleeves on the grey and the fuschia is only a few rows in, but I'm already loving the pattern.  It's got enough interest in the form of some lace details to keep you motivated, but it's simple enough to suit my modern young fashionista's taste.

I don't think they'll have them for Christmas - I'm making sizes 8 and 10 so these aren't toddler cardigans - but I'm hoping to get them both done in time for summer holidays at least.

THEN, just as a bit of a quick fix project, I dragged out some stash cotton and made a couple of dishcloths!  I love knitted dishcloths.  They are so soft and squishy, and I think they stay "fresher" than chux-like ones you buy at the supermarket?

I made on knitted one in a chevron stitch, and two crochet ones, because I'm determined to master crocheting from a pattern and I figure a dishcloth is probably a good way to practice.

(Keen blog readers will notice that despite a flurry of activity, there has been no casting on of the final project on my 24/12 list - the Gingko Shawlette...  I'm procrastinating, I know.  This week will be the week, for sure!)

barley beanie

I have a small confession.  

I was a bit cheeky, calling my Morganite "finished" last blogpost.  I hadn't quite finalised my button choice, but after a hunt through my button stash, I found what I think you'll agree are damn near *perfect* buttons.

Although the weather has been (has been) lovely recently, I took the cardigan to our last knitting group meetup for show and tell, and even got to wear it for a brief moment after air-conditioning got to me in the cafe!  Hard to say where the Melbourne Spring-weather is heading, but as I look out on to rain and grey skies, I have a feeling this won't be the only occasion I get to wear it in the foreseeable future.

Despite my concerns about the amount of wool I had for this project, I ended up having enough left for a couple of small beanies.  

Actually, I probably had enough left over to have been able to knit the sleeves full length which in hindsight I would have preferred but we won't talk about that...

Instead, have a look at my darling little beanie.  I do so wish I had a wee little head to model it on though.  I need to find some willing toddler models!

Keen eyes will pick that the wool looks much browner in the beanie than the cardigan.  This was the lighter skein I've blogged about ad nauseum.

The pattern is "Barley", and you've probably seen it flooding your recent Ravelry feed.

The generous people at tincanknits recently released a set of free, basic patterns, under their Simple Collection.  There are 8 free patterns in total, all sized from baby to adult, and they are designed as "learn-to-knit" patterns.  Each pattern is accompanied with tutorial links, including instruction for things like how to cast on, ssk/k2tog, and knitting on dpn's.  It seems like if you were a new knitter, you would work your way through the collection in order and build on acquired skills with each new project.

There's a full suite of accessories within the collection, and the final pattern to be released shortly is a jumper.  All the patterns have grainy names: Maize (mitts), Wheat (scarf), Oats (cowl), Barley (beanie), Rye (socks), Malt (blanket) and Flax (jumper), and the styling and graphic design of them is equally earthy and natural.

The design and concept is simple - stocking stitch, with a garter stitch panel.  Within the different patterns, this panel gives the knitter experience in knitting garter stitch both flat and in the round, too.  

I managed to misread the pattern and make my panel reverse stocking stitch, though!  The problem with being (you think) too clever for your own good.  Looking at projects on Ravelry, a lot of clever-clogs did the same thing.

Overall, I think this collection would be a great resource for anyone wanting to start out in knitting, especially if they wanted to have a stylish finished product that has taught them a few tricks along the way.

I also really love this idea, that people are willing to share the knowledge and skills they have for free.

Whether you're a new knitter or a seasoned old-hand, it's always nice to share and be taught, don't you agree?

KAL's and gifts

As I write this, I am tucked up in bed feeling very poorly, and most sorry for myself...apologies for crappy photos, but there's no foreseeable uplift in energy levels or wellness, so it's those or nothing...

Since my last post, I've been slogging away at my On the Beach, which I really shouldn't call a slog-a-long as I'm rather enjoying it.

The body is nearly done, I just have to try it on for length, then it's just the sleeves to go - huzzah! I'm well on track to have it finished by the end of June for the MustStash KAL which is very gratifying.

Regardless of how enjoyable *any* project is though, I am not one for monogamous knitting.

To keep the interest piqued, I've also made a wee baby cardigan for a derby couple in our league who've just had their first little girl. (Charmers purple, of course!)

Knit in the round, in 8ply; it didn't take long. It's a good 6mth size I'd say, so will hopefully fit the little one while it's still cold - she's about 12wks now, I think?

I was also tasked with the Very Special Request of making a "cupcake" beanie for one of my partner's daughters. I'm relatively new to their life, so I was well-chuffed, I don't mind admitting.  I had to control my excitement, not go too crazy with my pleasure at being asked, but it was tough!

We looked at a few patterns on Ravelry, and then she carefully drew me a picture detailing what colours were to go where.

I've just got to make the cherry to top it off and she should be able to wear it this weekend coming.

Hopefully this bug will pass quickly, and I'll be back to full speed next post!