Category: Knitting

FO: Byatt Shawl

My Byatt has been completed since July but has been unsung on the blog since. Partially because it’s a tricky one to photo – the wingspan on mine is at least 2m (which made blocking fun) and also because it has been mostly living around my neck as we settle into the unsettled temperatures of Autumn in the UK.

But no longer! I have taken some photos and it is getting its FO post before it goes back round my neck in the arctic wasteland that is my office right now.

Knitted in an entire skein of lovely squishy Stranded Dyeworks Merino Nylon (formerly Oasis) as the MC (plus a smidgen of Debonnaire Shimmer Sock, kindly donated as an emergency yarn transplant by knitting friend J, as I played and lost yarn chicken/stuffed up the increases at some point) and Truly Hooked Sparkly Sock for the CC. The Stranded Dyework’s was purchased at a pop at YAK on LYS Day 2017 and the Truly Hooked was a Yarndale 2017 purchase. Both would be purchased again.

I’ve knitted a lot of Karie’s shawls and I always enjoy them – they’ve always got something that keeps me hooked into the knitting and the shaping on this one is a nice change from the usual triangle. I even didn’t mind the garter stitch.

This was also my Good Intention’s Quarter 3 project, over in the KnitBritish Ravelry group. I shall post more about my Good Intentions Projects at a later date but I do believe it will be running again, which is great news. I definitely have to knit from stash next year, what with shortly to be possessing a mortgage. *shocked face emoji*

 

Once Upon a Sock – October

Sneaking in slightly belatedly with Once Upon a Sock because the first Thursday snuck up and then past me. Such are the joys of being two weeks into the new Academic Year I guess.

You should join us though, there is a link round up  that is hosted by Paula at Spin a Yarn  and we are always happy to see new people!

I have completed socks! So this is a FO post for the Rose City Rollers I was working on last month. They sped off the needles ( helped by being a trainer sock!) and I would definitely recommend the pattern to anyone who was thinking about trying socks for the first time because you get to reach all the new to you bits in a sock (heel/gusset/toe) very quickly, without too much distraction. Plus, it’s got good photos and instructions.

I did a Eye of Partridge Heel Flap and a slip-stitch toe – originally I started with a eye of Partridge stitch on the toe but got myself confused so went back to doing a normal slip-stitch toe (Winwick Mum has a good tutorial for that)

They are so cheerful – I love the WYS Rum Paradise and the Truly Hooked Sparkle fitted in nicely. It was good to have a use for some leftover yarn and I still have enough to put in the repair bag for any future darns. Although I am hoping that the slip-stitch toe will help delay the damage my pokey toes can do.

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I have also started a new pair of socks, using the Uneek Sock Yarn I picked up from Tribe Yarns on the Yarn Crawl. They’re just non-pattern toe up socks, probably with a fish kiss heel and I’m doing them two at a time. It seemed the best idea for something that I can only work on in snatches at the moment as we have exchanged on our house (aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!) so must pack, pack and pack some more, so having these simple socks on the needles is great for when I collapse on the five inches of sofa I can reach (The problem with packing up a tiny flat is that there is not a lot of floor space for the boxes.).

 

They’re a bit further on than the above and so far, as promised, the stripes are indeed matching up!

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Yarnalong – September

It’s Yarnalong time, which, argh, argh, means it is September. I work in academia so this means not long until the students return, noooarrghhh.

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Knitting wise, I have completed my helical bee socks and cast on for a new pair but I shall leave that for for tomorrow’s OuaS post. What I have been doing is continuing on with my English Paper Piercing and I finished one of the two Crochet blankets I had in the WiP pile. Motivated by a) seeing my mother this coming weekend b) the thought of not having to pack and move* it. 😉

It is a Attic24 Hydrangea stripe blanket but using the colour pack from her Moorland blanket, at the request of my mother. I plan to take proper photos once I’ve handed it over.

Reading wise, I have been quite productive. I read the following:

And I’m in the middle of Handywoman by knitwear designer Kate Davies, which I would already recommend picking up.

Other than that, last Saturday saw me tromping around London as part of Team Knightsbridge as part of the Great London Yarn Crawl. I may have bought a few things but when visiting such lovely shops, how could one resist? We went to Tribe, RayStitch, Fabrications and Stag and Bow on our route and crisscrossed London in the process.

*Thoughts about house-buying process in England currently mostly unfit to print but slowly, slowly getting there.

 

 

Once Upon a Sock – August 2018

It is OuaS time again, the Monthly link up of fellow sock makers! You should join us!

Still not an awful lot of knitting happening at the moment but I have finished one Helical Bee sock. I am…not loving this particular heel on me and the foot is a tiny bit too short, which is a pity. However, I have just been back up in Yorkshire and it fits my mother, who loves handknit socks, to a tee so I shall be donating them to her once I’ve knitted the second one. Which I plan to cast on for shortly, in the hopes that it will be slightly less hot and sticky soon.

I am still loving the helical stripes though, so they will definitely make a reappearance in future socks for sure!

I am very tempted to try see if I can squeeze a pair of ankle socks out of some leftover WYS’s Rum Paradise as inspired by Paula‘s post for this month as my next pair of socks!

I might wear the full size pair I do have to Brighton Pride on Saturday (I’m in the parade, walking with Girl Guiding UK in my guise as a Guide Leader.) but I may make the final decision on the day as the weather is meant to be 27 degrees C, which might be a bit much for wool socks and a very long walk!

Yarn Along – July 2018

It is Yarnalong time!  From sweltering (who knew?) Brighton, where, I must admit knitting has been limited as I am trying not to cast on any new projects and all my other projects are either not for public consumption yet or too bloody hot to sit under/near in this heat.

IMG_3210Knitting wise, I have completed my Byatt shawl, with the kind help of my work knitting friend and a little bit of a shawl-to-shawl transplant, after I lost my game of Yarn Chicken with three and half rows/6 increases to go. Luckily, J was knitting a shawl in a very similar grey and let me steal a bit from the other end of the ball to finish the MC/CC slip-stitch section off successfully. It is blocking at the moment and then I hope to briefly take photos before I have to fling it off me again.

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I have started one WiP though, for all my bluster above, which is a Silene Shawl in some seriously ancient Stash Yarn (this being from the Des Res in West Kensington era of the Stash Archaeology so, ooooh, late 2000s. )  in the hopes that I will have a completed shawl in time for my brother’s wedding at the end of July. It’s um, possible but we shall see. It’s always good to have a goal, right?

 

Bookwise, I’ve been rereading the Anne of Green Gables series and I am making a concentrated effort to finish  Ron Chernow’s Hamilton biography. It’s not that it’s not really interesting; it’s just very dense and I have reached the Reynolds’ Pamphlet part, which if you are into Hamilton, is where I spend a lot of time clutching at my face and yelping “Yooooou fooooool, Alexander!’