green appeal

This is the time of the year when I become enamoured of green. Though it is very nice to have so much white around this winter, even while we shovel it, I find my gaze lingering on the houseplants.

No note necessary to tell which sweaters were made in February and March.

This week as I was making another Lumio hat in the new green I discovered the free pattern missing from the reverse side of the ball band. No problem.

You can find the said free pattern on the Schachenmayr website . It is so easy to make, you might not even need to print it out. I found more free patterns for Lumio, so I see a natty glowing scarf in the near future.

Today I am knitting a fiber rich, calorie free pink hat, very sweet!

A vanilla cardigan improves

At the Whitby Knitting Guild meeting I was kindly invited to give a demonstrtation of blocking so I made a vanilla cardigan out of King Cole Aran. The yarn is a mix of acrylic and wool and very washable. I used Kate Buller's excellent book, Style Your Own Kid's Knits.

When it was all sewn up I thought is could use a bit of colour. First I imagined a young man wearing it, so blue buttons were sewn on.

Pockets, are so handy. Making the cardi used exactly two 100 gram balls and I mean exactly, I had only about 6 inches of yarn left after making up.

So I knit pockets to match the button colour using Bravo DK. Casting on 19 stitches, always knitting the 3 outer stitches (garter stitch) and moss stitching the middle (for sturdiness).

After blocking, I placed them, 5 stitches in from the center and 4 stocking stitch rows up from the rib, first marking the spot with pins then basting them in place with (temporary) Wonder Tape. You see the pockets upside down to illustrate the position of the tape. I flipped them over and applied a bit of pressure to make the basting stick. The tape will wash away.

I tested the stitch using the Bravo tension swatch.

Straight stitch, a lighter presser foot pressure and matching thread, using the even feed foot on the sewing machine, also for sturdiness.

A cardigan is born, ready to warm up some lucky young lad!

A useful hat making process

Edith is sporting a hat marking my accessory season finale. I enjoy the practice of short knits. They are great opportunities to try out a yarn and enrich the gifting stash. However it is now fairisle jumper time for me. A change is as good as a rest, my Aunt Joan used to say.

We stocked King Cole Big Value Chunky this year. The price point encouraged us to stock the full colour range. It is cheerful yarn, easy to care for and suitable for childrens wear.

Cast on 72 stitches and knit 2 by 2 rib in the round for 24 cm.
Narrow for the crown; Knit 2, Purl 2 together, around.
Work 3 more rounds on the stitches as they appear (Knit 2, Purl 1).
Next narrowing; Knit 2 together, Purl for a round, work 3 more rounds on the stitches as they appear. Final narrow; Knit 2 together all around, knit one round.
Clip the yarn about 12 cm long and thread through the stitches, draw tightly together.
Tidy up the cast on edge and add a pompom.

So by using a different yarn (weight) and making an educated guess about the number of stitches to use, a ribbed hat is straighforward to accomplish. Next season I am going to work the knit ribs as a twisted stitch. That is, knit the second stitch first and the first stitch second, every 4th round, just for a change.

Speaking of pompom's, as I finished this hat, the loyal opposition suggested using a contrasting colour, hmmm. Great idea! Out comes my trusty Clover pompom maker.

He is absolutely right, the matching blue ones look nice.

These ones change the look completely. What do you think?

Pom pom festival!

Mobius(s)

In the knitters world the "Infinity Scarf" is also known as a Mobius scarf. We like the Cat Bordhi method of using a 48" circular needle and knitting from the center outwards. You can purchase her excellent book with it's plethora of creative versions, and in the meantime get started with her simple, ingenious speedy cast  on available as a you tube video.

This month I made one out of King Cole Galaxy, a brushed acrylic/mohair mix which is also threaded with sequins. I used an Inox 6 mm/48" circular needle and cast on 120 stitches.

For fun, I am also making one with the same yarn, 2 related shades, doubled, on the same 6mm/48" needle. 

The most favorite mobius we have at the shop is this one, made from(vintage) Pingoin fine angora. I used the sawtooth border as the cast off which I found in a Knitty magazine design called Justify. I find it tricky to cast off loosly enough, and this alternate border adds lovely interest plus it is completely stretchy.

After casting off the mobius, block by stretching as far as it will comfortably go, then lay on the end of the ironing board (because you only want to gently steam one layer at a time), keeping the width consistent, going round and round, section by section. Galaxy has quite a bit of man made fiber and is senstive to heat, plus knit purl ridges don't want squashing.

Once again I use the trusty wet (Australian) tea towel and steaming thoughoughly yet gently. The piece should feel warmly damp.

When completely dry, use a brush to improve the nap of the fabric, stroking the stitches with the horizontal grain of the stitch pattern. Done! There are lots of other infinity scarves out there, most notably on the Garnstudio website.