WIP Wednesday

Left it a while again before blogging. It's been a difficult few weeks. There are a lot of draft posts knocking around, I've just not felt that they've been 'good enough' (whatever that means). So, let's just dive in with what I've been working on:

1. I knitted a sleeve on Spoke.

This is my long-term garment project; a pattern from Knitty that I'm knitting in [now discontinued] KnitPicks Wool of the Andes Tonal that I bought when I went to the US in 2012. I've been enjoying knitting it (though not photographing it, the yarn is difficult to capture), but there were a few things I wanted to change about the pattern. The sleeves were knit flat and I didn't want them flared at the bottom, so I've done a provisional cast on at the top of the flared part, knit them up to the shoulder. Plan is to knit a second one to the same point, attach them to the body and then see what I should do to finish the bottom end of the sleeve.

2. Simplicity cardigan

Loving this one! This pattern is one I've heard a lot about [rav link], but my brain went 'pssh! when are you going to have time to knit a laceweight cardigan?'. I bought a skein of Easyknit's Slink in the colourway 'Viola' when I didn't get to go to Woolfest last year, thinking I'd make a shawl. I tried a few things and didn't get on with any of them, then after a few hours on Ravelry I decided I'd try this. I'm a tiny bit worried about yardage as I've only got the one skein which might be a bit short, so I've put the body on hold and started on a sleeve.

3. Green seagrass socks

These have been a bit of a slog, but I've only got to sew up the toes and block them. The pattern is the Hourglass socks from Knitty, and the yarn is Spirit by sparkleduck in the colour Sea Quine, bought at Woolfest 2013. This has been a slow knit, especially the last little bit. I have had some brilliant yarn from sparkleduck and this is also great, but it does dye my hands blue as I knit with it. I'll do a citric acid soak as part of the blocking process, as described here by Jasmine from the Knitmore Girls, but there is nowhere from which to buy a small amount of citric acid round here, so I'm waiting until I go to my parents' in July. This has not given me much motivation to kitchener stitch the toes!

4. Trillian

And finally, my most recent cast on is Trillian by Martina Behm [pattern on Ravelry], in Deeply Wicked by Easyknits (yes them again), in the colourway Killer Queen. Loving this, it's perfect for going to work, taking to knit night, etc. I'm a tad worried it might go through a phase of pooling too much, in which case I'll rip it out and do a Hitchhiker instead, but for now - loving it. 

FO: Socks x 2

Once again, thing have been  busy around here - and they're not showing signs of stopping, so reader you have been warned: sadly blogging will remain intermittent for the foreseeable future. Partly I've just been too busy to sit back and take stock of things, and partly I've been too busy to knit :( I have managed to get some bits and bobs done in quiet moments though, and so I'll tell you about some socks I finished.

First off, I knew a long time ago I wasn't going to be able to go to any knitting festivals this summer. Firstly, Woolfest fell right in the middle of my midterms so that was out. Secondly, Unwind Brighton was clearly out as it was the day my bridesmaid was getting married herself [and I returned the favour ;) ]. Harrogate Knitting and Stitching is out as it's going to be too hard to get to come November when I'm back living in Scotland and working full-time. Finally, it's not yet certain that I'll be able to make it to Yarndale, because it's the weekend before my new job starts at the other end of the country so the logistics may be tricky. I love these events: the projects, the yarn, the colours and most importantly, the company. Going to them makes me happy.

I needed a plan that was going to reduce how much I missed going to them. This plan has three stages:
1) Knit with yarn I have previously bought at a festival
2) Knit a pattern inspired by a festival
3) Buy yarn from a vendor I'm missing out on visiting

Parts 1 and 2 are accomplished by these socks:

Pattern: Pavilion by Rachel Coopey [rav link]

Yarn: EasyKnits Deeply Wicked in Crystal Blue bought at Woolfest 2013

Pavilion was a mystery knit-a-long (KAL) intended to coincide with Unwind Brighton, with a design inspired by the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. I have loved the look of a lot of Ms. Coopey's designs, but not quite managed to bite the bullet and make any of them yet. I've also never done a mystery KAL. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to decide if I liked the designer's style and the idea of a mystery KAL and the upshot is: LOVE THEM. Also love the yarn, the colour is delicious and they feel like they will be great socks (not yet tested as it's way too warm for woolly socks!). 

Part 3 of the plan was achieved by some late-night yarn shopping which ended in me getting the yarn to make these guys:

Yarn: Easyknits' Cherish in Hockney.
Pattern: Nutkin by Beth LaPensse [rav link]

Also love these socks. The yarn has a little bit of cashmere in so it feels delicious. It's also bright-flippin'-yellow, there's no two ways about it, and I would challenge anyone to feel less happy after looking at that colour. The pattern is easy enough when you get the hang of it, and has a new-to-me short-row heel plus a toe that involves the (also new-to-me) three needle bind off. While I'm probably never going to do another three-needle bind-off, I'm glad to have had a stab at it. They've gone to a well-deserved home back in Yorkshire where I hope they're well loved :)

Thanks for stopping by x

FO: Dunkerton Sweet and Vorticity

Despite my absence, worry not: I have been knitting. It has been quite a productive month in terms of knit the queue - first off, I have finished four socks. So I don't overwhelm you all, that's all you're going to hear about today.

Pattern: Dunkerton Sweet by Jen Arnall-Culliford [rav link]. Really well-written pattern; I found the lace logical and pretty easy to learn, and the nearly-new thing to me was that they had 'footedness' - I've only done that once before and frankly, I was worrying about other things with that project. 

Yarn: Skein Queen Entwist in Beauty Berry (cranberryish red), the last of the three skeins of sock yarn I got at Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show 2012. Delicious stuff to knit with, high twist and beautifully semisolid, perfect for socks.

If I had my time again, I might make the leg longer as I had plenty of yarn left - but it would only be by half a pattern repeat and, as they're top-down, that would mean I'd have to think about it. Generally loved the whole project though :)

And here's the second pair...

Pattern: Vorticity by Alice Yu [rav link]. I will admit, it did stretch my brainpower in places, but once I'd got my head around it, not too bad. Delighted with the result.
Yarn: High Twist BFL/Nylon by Wharfedale Woolworks. The inimitable Steph had it custom dyed for me in a colourway called 'A Typical British Summer's Day', so of course it is the colour of the sky just before a thunderstorm kicks off. Fabulous stuff to knit with; I heartily recommend it.

These are a bit of a geeky project, given my love of the weather, particularly storms and wind. Vorticity is a quantity that measures how much 'spinniness' something has - if you can imagine a tornado, it has a lot of vorticity! There is quite a lot of it knocking about in thunderstorms and the sort of things I work on. It seemed like a perfect match.

Both great patterns, both great yarns, and how I have more cosy socks! Hope you stop by again soon to hear more of my knitting exploits.

When Knitting (and life) Attack!

This post comes with a massive caveat that things round here have got a little too busy. I'm getting a little stressed as I watch all of the plates spinning, just waiting to drop one. Knitting has been used for stress relief in the past, notably towards the end of my Masters and just as I started my PhD. I will try to avoid this turning into The Blog Of A Crazy Lady but let's just say - you've been warned! It's probably better to not ask how I'm doing.

It has not been a great week knitting-wise either: my main story is definitely a When Knitting Attacks. I tried to knit a hat - a simple enough task in theory, but in practice not so much. I have had to frog it completely, twice. The yarn is some red Sublime Merino DK, which I love as it's more or less the same as what I knitted Lauriel with (less wool content, different colour). First, I had a go at the Rylands Cabled Hat [rav link] and didn't get past the brim as I got muddled at the transition. Then, I tried another pattern called Haywire [rav link] and got past the brim, but the hat was just turning out the wrong shape. The yarn went into the naughty corner, but might not have spent long enough there. I've started the Godric's Hollow Hat [rav link] but I fear it is a little on the large side; I've knitted for maybe an inch since the brim, and the brim is a bit slippy. I've not got far enough to check my gauge, but I think it's heading back to the naughty corner for a little cooling off time.

And an extra bit of bad news is that I've been meaning to design and knit a cosy for a teapot, bought for me by my other half. This week, I have totally failed to find this teapot anywhere :( not only am I sad because the teapot has sentimental value and I'm really worried it's been left somewhere in a housemove, I was really looking forward to having a go at designing, too.

Let's end with a positive! What I've mostly been knitting since I last wrote to you has been socks. These socks have been going like a dream, and like the oasis in the desert I have been devouring them. The lace pattern is a bit complicated for it to be 'brainless' knitting, but in all honesty that isn't what I need at the moment. When I knit, what I need is something that absorbs me enough that I don't think about all of the other things I'm supposed to be doing. These socks are doing just that, and they're flying off the needles!

The Kindness of Strangers

Another week, another finished object. I cast these guys on back in February, knowing that they were going to be a slow-burning project. This is just down to the fact that the pattern involves a lot of cabling; one in every 4 rows is cabling every single stitch. Not something to do in half-light or when half-asleep.

I knitted away, finishing the first sock back in April. I carried on and then disaster struck: I ran out of yarn, at possible the worst point. I was so invested I couldn't rip back and knit another pattern, but not so far that I could get away with just minor adjustments to the pattern I was using. The socks got sent to the naughty corner, and we had a cooling off period.

Mid-August comes and I start to have an assess of  what was lying around and what was going to be easy to finish (though I was a bit slack in blogging and only confessed how bad things had got on the 28th). Dig out the socks, and decide that the only real solution is to get more yarn. In the hopes of not having to buy a whole new skein, I get on ravelry and do a little stash-searching, trying to find someone local who had a little bit to spare. Enter, hawthorn. She is the kind stranger that the title refers to. She's made a beautiful Baby Surprise Jacket in this yarn. This left her with had a little bit of yarn to spare, which she was willing to send to me.

Hoorah! It was enough!! It's not the same dyelot but it doesn't bother me. Six months is too long to have any pair of socks on the needles. I wanted them away. Needless to say, I am very happy with the result. It's a great combination of pattern and yarn, and has made some really cosy socks.

WIP Walk of Shame*

The number of WIPs is getting a bit out of control (for me) these days. Officially, there are ten (!!) things that are not totally finished, or that I'm not totally happy with.

Back in the fold for the past few weeks has been Lauriel. I've been putting off reinforcing the button band for months now, but have finally bitten the bullet and started sewing (using this Knitmore Girls video). The saga of this cardigan has been much-chronicled over the past 2 years, with problem after problem, so was condemned to the naughty corner. Now back in the fold, and fingers crossed I can get it finished before we lose the light evenings.

Skelf has also had a few stumbles on the way; nothing big enough for the naughty corner, but a few time-outs were needed. It's getting big enough that it's difficult to take out and about (where most of the knitting happens these days), and is large enough that it can get a bit too warm to knit in the summer.... excuses, excuses, I know! A slightly cooler week just gone means I've progressed it,  doing the neckline (again) and hoping that we will be ready to do the cast off at the shoulders before too long! [Apologies for the focus on this photo - proper photos when it's finished!].

I've made some good progress on the Vorticity socks I cast on on holiday, though progress has stalled a bit as I don't have enough brainpower at the moment. I am really enjoying the pattern and the yarn, and the two work brilliantly together.

I've also been knitting a shawl, accidentally, as it is not part of the my Knit The Queue plans - oops! I'll tell you the story from beginning to end in a future post. It is very compelling knitting, and progress is good.

I'm also knitting some grey man socks - more on why another day. They are standard vanilla socks in Regia 4ply, that I got with a whole load of other 'man sock yarn' in the Hobbycraft sale. Some excellent mindless knitting, though not currently my favourite project.

The navy and white gloves for OH are not merely on a go-slow as I said in July, but have actually stopped moving at all. Hopefully, taking them away with me this weekend to see said OH will bring back the magic.

Then, there are a few things that are in actual hibernation. First up, we have The Socks With No More Yarn, which I'm still gutted about. However, this week I have actually managed to face them, and get myself stash surfing on ravelry. Fingers crossed, I might actually be able to finish them before too long!

Next up, a glove in yarn that was a present, of which there is only one and I'm not sure I have enough yarn to knit a second one. I'm going to have a bit of an assess (and time with the kitchen scales), and see if we can manage it. Else maybe rip back and turn it into a headband-type thing. 

A hat that I made up the pattern for, but is too short for me. I have more yarn, I just have to rip back to before the decreases. However, it was knitted to match my seriously cold-weather-only coat, which didn't wear at all last year. I reckon that might change this year as I might be further north, so guess I'd better sort this one out as well.

And finally, mittens that are too short at the cuffs. These are waiting on me to finish with some white/cream DK, either from the navy gloves above or from last post's Waterhouse Mitts [rav pattern link]. I then intend to use that to pick up stitches, knit a little stripe and then return to purple. Don't worry, it will sort of match the hat.

So there we have my WIP walk of shame. A lot of it is psychological problems of not being able to face picking up a project that I thought I'd finished, but if I actually want to be able to use the stuff I guess I'd better get cracking!

*With thanks to Steph for the title of this post.

Knit The Queue 2013

This month, I have technically only finished one project from Knitting the Queue. I did additionally make some grey socks for my Grandpa, but as they weren't in the plan I'm not sure if they count - equally, him getting ill wasn't in the plan either :(

On a brighter note, we are down to ten things in the queue! Woohoo! I'm glad to be at this landmark, even if it seems a bit insurmountable at this point (particularly given how many WIPs I have - more on that story later).

Four things I know exactly what they're going to be: the three in the photo are [l-r] Waterhouse mitts, Dunkerton Sweet socks, and Susie's Reading mitts. I also have the yarn and pattern ready to go for the Spoke jumper, but feel like I need something else off the needles first.

Three things I know what they're going to be ([l-r] gloves, hat and hat), but haven't totally settled on a pattern yet. I'm pretty sure the hats are going to be one Rylands Cabled Hat and one Cafe au Lait Tam, but don't know which way round yet - opinions welcome.

There are also a few things in my queue that I'm definitely going to make, but don't have the yarrn yet:

1. the Bandana Cowl means I have to buy yarn, and don't know what brand/colour to go for. A trip to the yarn shop for a little contemplation is clearly needed ;)
2. the Star Tea Cosy is something I intend to design myself, in order to make it match my teapot. Needs a little research and time for the ideas to form properly. I know the colours so could probably go yarn shopping tomorrow, but otherwise I have no idea where I'm going with it!
3. the little knitted stars I plan on making for Christmas need me to finish with some white/cream yarn, from (1) the navy blue mittens I'm making for my OH, (2) the Waterhouse mitts above, (3) the star tea cosy.... alternatively, I might have some standard acrylic white DK in my stash somewhere, so I could just go digging. Though that would defeat the object a tad, of getting rid of scrappy little bits of yarn. 

That all seems fairly under control, right? And not at all impossible by New Year's Eve.....?

Holiday Knitting Plans

Dear readers, I have a quandary. I am going away for a few days but none of my projects are ideal. Let me review for you:

First up, Skelf. This is on hiatus until this warm weather ends - it's just too hot to sit with most of a worsted-weight jumper on your lap! [Yes I will keep thinking of excuses not to knit it.] Even if it were cooler, it is not sensible to take an entire jumper away for a week - unless I'd have a lot of knitting time. We're flying to a city break. Next!

The gloves I'm knitting for OH are also on a go-slow. I'm not enjoying these at all at the moment; scared of running out of yarn and keep having to rip back every time I knitted a finger, he tried it on and it was too small. Lost the loving feeling, but at least OH will be on the holiday to keep trying them on - though as I said, it is quite warm at the moment and whether he will want to try them on is another matter!

My blue criss-cross socks are definitely in time-out. I was doing so well and going great guns...

...and then, disaster struck:

Oh yes, that is how much yarn I have left to finish the second sock. A real moment for curse words. Shoved them into time-out until I work out what to do with them.


So what am I actually knitting at the moment, since everything is too rubbish / too hard / too big? The answer is some lovely socks, in a pattern called Kalajoki [rav pattern link] in Yarn Yard Yarn I bought two years ago. The colour is called Haar, named after the sea mist that affects the east coast of Scotland [according to Wikipedia] and it is beautiful to knit with. I'm racing through these with their just-addictive-enough pattern and slightly-larger-than-normal needles.

So now I need to decide whether to start something for the holiday. It's times like these I am glad of my approach to Knitting The Queue this year; to have a selection of projects I can choose from. I've narrowed it down to two options:

First, vorticity. This pattern and this yarn (from Wharfedale Woolworks) have been wedded together for some time. Things have been holding me back, sadly: the pattern is on 2mm needles (teeny tiny!); plus, I've mostly been going down one needle size on the sock body and two for the ribbing, which I don't own. However, now my gauge seems to have evened itself out a bit more, and so I could probably knit the body on 2mm and just slightly reduce the number of stitches in the ribbing. Ready to go!

Second, daffodil. I will admit that this yarn has been giving my pause for thought when looking at my queue. I thought I would make a classic, symmetric triangular shawl but then the pooling bugged me; it was random and chaotic (good) then pooled for ~12 rows (fine), but the two together were a bit funny-looking. Instead, we're going to try knitting a cowl with it, and hope that it doesn't flip between pooling and not, but at least picks one and sticks with it! I've got a slightly odd yardage (339yds/310m) so I've gone with the Irish Mesh Cowl [rav link], which takes 220yds/201m. So this one is ready to go, too!

What say you? Should I take two new projects away with me? Or should I be a good girl and take an old project to finish? 

Addicted to Socks

Well, I may not have got back in with the jumpers, but I have actually finished some things. And yes, they're all socks.

Last year I set myself the challenge of knitting twelve pairs of socks in the year, and I did it. This year, I look like I'm pretty much on the same track. And despite my opening thoughts for knitting the queue's ten pairs, I never thought I would end up at the one pair a month rate again.

Socks fill a gap in my life. Twice a month I go see my OH in Aberdeen, which is a six-hour train ride each way. I try to do this on minimal luggage because it's train that goes a long way, which means there isn't a lot of available suitcase space, so I take a bag that can go on the rack above my head or under the seat in front. In short, there ain't space to do the journey with a half-knitted bulky jumper in tow.

Also, you can do a lot of knitting in twelve hours (there and back). A few years ago, I took a single DK hat project for fourteen hours' worth of train ride. Turns out that isn't enough knitting.

For me, socks provide the most potential knitting time for the smallest volume. This is compounded by the fact I have a knack for spotting patterns that become highly addictive, in that 'just one more row' way that I'm sure all knitters are familiar with. A cable or lace pattern that follows logic, easily learnt and not too fiddly, makes me want to get another repeat done - or half done, or two-thirds, or any tiny landmark you could possibly conjure up.

For that reason, sock knitting goes particularly well with train rides too. At this time of year, most of the ride is in the daylight so I can watch the world slide by the window, measuring my progress in miles and rows.

(1) Purple socks [project link].
Pattern: Shurtugal from Socktopus by Alice Yu
Yarn: Sparkleduck Socka in Double Trouble, from Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show 2012

(2) Socks for Grandma [project link]
Pattern: Anastasia Socks by MintyFresh
Yarn: Kind Cole Zig Zag in Aqua, from Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show 2011

(3) Magenta Socks [project link]
Pattern: 2luvcrew, also from Socktopus
Yarn: from The Yarn Yard
Actually knitted in February for a friend's birthday, but now that has passed I can show them to you.

I didn't know how lost I was

As I'm sure you know, that last was a bit of a gap between blog posts. This time, with good reason; I've been thwarted in my knitting. It just keeps going wrong. There was a point last week when every time I picked up a project, it needed fixing, tinking or ripping back (or at least it felt like that). I was going to tell you all about it, started composing a post, and then decided that nobody wanted to read my whinging. And more to the point, I didn't want to write it.

Of course, time has passed and things have improved, and I although could happily soliloquize as to whether this is luck, hard work or merely reversion to mean, I won't; I don't want to make you suffer, and I have good news. This week, I have finished two socks, hoorah! Although not a pair.

As I've said before, these are a slow-burning project. To get to this point, I have survived a lot of cabling and mostly enjoyed it; it has one of those pattern repeats that is short enough to be memorable and long enough to mean you've made significant progress after each one, that I find highly addictive. These socks are top down, but the heel construction is new and interesting to me, and gives a really lovely fit without having to pick up stitches.

Pattern: Mince Pie Mayhem from Socktopus
Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug in Adonis Blue, bought at Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show

As I had a slow-burning project, I needed something quicker and easier for the long train ride north (and for some finishing stuff vibes, which I was in dire need of last week!). So I cast a little something on....

Though apologies for the slightly odd lighting in that photo, there is no colour grading ankle to toe - though the yarn is beautifully semisolid, in a way that seems impossible to capture on camera! The pattern is also an ideal-length pattern repeat, but with much less cabling so I can knit them for hours and hours with few ill effects.

Pattern: Shur'tugal, also from Socktopus
Yarn: Sparkleduck Socka in Double Trouble, also from Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show

These projects so seem to share a lot - yarn bought on the same day, patterns from the same book. Though to me, their major common feature is that they've seen me through the wilderness and back on the right track with my knitting.

Who knows? Maybe I will even tackle one of the jumpers on haitus before this week is out ;)

WIP update

After a much-needed week off, we are back to business as usual round here. This week off involved some knitting, but not a lot - mostly we were watching Game of Thrones Season 1 and I didn't want to miss any of it while cursing a dropped stitch! I've got one project that is so nearly an FO I'll show you later in the week, and some purchases from the Hobbycraft sale, but for now, I am going to do a WIP update. [Footnote: this excludes the two jumpers that I'm STILL working on; Lauriel is waiting for me to find the time / energy / patience to reinforce the button band on, Skelf has been ripped back to the armpits and is now waiting for me to work out what to do next].

The first WIP is sadly absent; I was knitting striped gloves for my OH, and left them with him in Aberdeen when I travelled south yesterday. Oh well, if anything there has been backwards progress on them since they were photographed in this post; had to rip back all the fingers and have only redone the little one, but have done the thumbs.

And to add to the general bum note that we are starting on, my good camera is not talking to my laptop (clearly they can't get past whatever happened while they were together in my backpack during my week away), so we are on my less good camera.

Onwards and upwards....

Mince Pie Mayhem has grown from maybe three inches to four and a half. There is a lot of cabling in this, and while it is all two-stitch cables (i.e. one over the other), I do this on trains, buses and in the car. Cable needle required. Progress is a little slow, but I am very much enjoying it; the yarn and pattern are great together, and it's one of those that requires the right amount of brainpower to entertain me on my commute, but not so much that I need to refer to the pattern every three seconds.

Though what has grown is the socks for my Grandma, but they are worryingly long and skinny, like my feet and not like Gramdma's feet. I'm hoping I can finish this one before I see my Mum at the weekend, who has more similar feet to G'ma and can give them a try on.

Also, the Stitching Bug is still going. A little cross stitch kit that I'm battling the backstitch on....

... and another that needs a few more stitches to turn it into a cat next to a flowerpot. If you squint you can see it!

Right, now for a cuppa and to crack on with some craft - I am determined to get something seriously progressed tonight!

My productivity is back!

I've been busy since I last blogged. After feeling a bit negative about crafting in general (in fact, pretty much life in general) the other week, I picked myself up, dusted myself off and started all over again.

Blueberry Pie

First off, I ripped back those socks I wasn't happy with, after deciding that they should be reborn as Mince Pie Mayhem from Alice Yu's Socktopus. Love the way they're turning out, though there are a lot of cables and I've not perfected the cabling with no cable needle technique.

If Some is Good, More is Better

And then, since that combination was going so well, I decided that more of the same could only be better. I consulted with my mum about making some socks for my Grandma - the genetic source for both my love of craft and propensity to have cold feet. She was a prodigious knitter of many decades, whose productivity has been curtailed by arthritis and general hand pain. Clearly a woman in need of socks, I've cast on the Om Shanti bed socks from Socktopus for her.

With one eye on my holiday next week, I decided to put the socks on hold for that and try something different....

OK, so those were all WIPs and I spent an afternoon finishing all four of them, but they are now done and ready to become something. Now I am trying to think what the should all be! This next one has already been decided upon, given that is was a kit, so I backstitched it and made it up:

And finally, I did this yesterday and the backstitch this morning. Another finished thing to turn into something :)

I've also been baking for Comic Relief and have some granola in the oven at the moment - I'll let you know how it turns out another day.