cards cards cards

I got a good amount of them today

 This one is my favourite of the season ~

 "...it's topsy turvy, like you..."

This is one I bought in Latvia, but it's not for me

finished

Last night I finished the second of the purple socks I began knitting earlier in the month.
This one got done a lot quicker than the first.
Day off well spent.

I haven't knitted socks for over a year now, so I didn't really bother with a tension square, or a complex pattern.

They'll definitely get a lot of wear though, if a touch on the slouchy side.

I got the pattern for free from this blog or you can find it on Ravelry.

mohair pullover

I went back to my family home a few months back and one of my favourite things to do, is rummage through the shambles of my old bedroom (I left it in such a mess!), find old projects & remind myself of the substantial wool stash still there.  I found this half-finished project, from maybe three years ago.  I'd done it all - the knitting, the side seams, everything except sewing up the shoulder seams.  I have to idea what stopped me (read: distracted me) but I brought it back to my London space and have finally sewn it up.  Now it just needs it debut wear (which I think will have to happen today).

I improvised this pattern and can't remember the details; but here is how I appear to have made it...

 There's a K2 P2 rib an inch high at the bottom edge to help give some shape.

 The front & back were knitted in two separate pieces, just plain stocking stitch [I was letting the yarn do the talking with this one] then sewn together down the sides.

However, around halfway up the front piece I knitted a row of purl stitches, which gives the impression of a seam - I'm not too sure if this was purposeful, but I like the appearance of structure it creates.

The shoulder seam is only a few inches wide, allowing the sleeves to hang naturally.

I'm really happy with the volumous shape that the knitting creates - the front has more fabric then the back piece does, which presensts itself as a cowl style neck.  The pullover measures roughly 19" long and 22" wide.  The best thing is, I also found a fair amount of this yarn left, so there's room for some matching items too...

Here is it on Ravelry [with a few extra pics]

[white]

Making PomPoms

1:

 2:

3:

4:

 5:

6:

How To:

1:
Cut out two cardboard circles the same size as you want your pompoms to be and cut a circle out of the middle of them too

2:
Place them back to back and thread your yarn through the centre and begin to wrap it around the circles (I thread my wool onto a darning needle as I find it easier - especially if you are making smaller pompoms like I was - these ones are 1.5")

3:
Keep going until you can't see anymore cardboard - the more yarn you wrap around, the fuller the pompoms will be

4:
Carefully slip some scissors along the edge of the flat pompom and cut the yarn all the way around

5:
Taking a seperate length of yarn, slip it in between the two cardboard discs and tie it really securely around the centre of the pompom (this is what will hold all the threads in place)

6:
 Carefully cut the cardboard discs off the pompom, fluff it up and trim any excess lengths of yarn.

Then make more!

Super Cosy Aran

Made from the mega-size ball of aran yarn I bought at the Creative Stitch & Craft Show last month.

 

Cables + chunky bobbles + soft acrylic yarn = super cosy

Photos of the knitting of:

 Beginning with a K1 P1 rib, stitch markers are then placed to keep track of where the cable pattern is placed and where the bobbles lie.

 After the first pattern repeat, the rest of the legwarmer is knitted in needles one size up.

 Knitted using flat needles, then a reverse mattress stitch to sew up once they are completed.

 I wore them out and about today and they are sooo good.  Been wanting to knit these for ages now, just been waiting to find the right yarn.

The pattern is called Luscious Legwarmers; another from Knitted Sock Sensations.

On Ravelry here!

... And the ball of wool is still huge!

(James C. Brett Aran Tweed)

 Matching gloves & hat, perhaps???

This yarn is sooo ace, it's 100% acrylic but really doesn't feel like it, it's so soft! A great discovery and definitely one I reccommend to vegan and other knitters alike.

Slash Neck Top {finished}

The finished result of my Slash Neck Top project ~

 I began knitting it from a pattern I had been handed down, in amongst a bunch of second hand knitting needles, a few years back.  It had been typed up (on a typewriter!) and had no photo or picture to show what the top looked like.  So I decided to find out.

 I used second hand wool I had from my generous stash...

 The pattern calls for 2 x 100g ball of DK; I didn't have a whole 200g in the same colour, so opted for this 100g ball of sky blue acrylic yarn and this not-quite-a-full-ball of 100g mid-blue.

 The only amendments I made to the original project was to down-size my knitting needles; as I always need to do this to achieve the correct tension square for projects.  Although no tension measurements were given in the pattern, I decided it would be wise.  I also kept track of how many rows it took to knit the 2" rib, so it would match perfectly for the front and back.

 I knitted the back half of the top solidly in the light blue yarn; for the front, I had to mix both the shades in to make them last.

  So for the front, the rib was knitted in the light blue and then I joined in the mid-blue for the bulk of the stitch pattern.

 When it came to the sleeves; the pattern calls for extra stitches to be cast on and these knit in moss stitch.  I used a stitch marker to keep track of where the pattern changes.

 For the front; I cast on these extra stitches in the light blue, as the mid blue was running out...

 The darker shade lasted for a few more rows; then I completed the rest of the top in the main light blue colour.  It actually worked out really well in relation to where the colour change sits on the top and also in terms of the effect it creates.  The change in colour picks out the wave effect created from the lace pattern.  Perfect.

And it's a perfect fit, too.

Bobbles + Bright

One of the several pairs of 'Easy Knit Socks' I've made up from my Textured Knits book (Julia Cooper)

I've also made myself some sparkly purple ones & a green pair, with alternate coloured bobbles; as a present. They went down a treat.

A classic case of 'runnning-out-of-yarn-at-the-end-of-the-second-sock' scenario that sometimes occurs when knitting socks from the top down.

Oh well.

RECYCLED SILK

I got this bundle of colourful joy from a shop called 'Happy Herbal High' in Cairns, Queensland, Australia.

 Look at the colours!

They have a store in Camden too. 

Which is good, as I feel I need more than the one ball already.

Cord.Knitted.Necklaces.

A few necklaces made from hand knitted cords.

The first was made from the leftover yarn after knitting a pair of socks.  I began french knitting to see how long it would be.  It was very long; so then I crocheted a chain with the cord using my hands instead of a hook.

The second is made from a knitted i-cord (using two double pointed needles).

 To begin you knit a large 'bead' and then again when the cord is long enough to finish.

These were my very first attempts at knitting beads, so I could use a bit more practice but overall am happy with it.

This second necklace I knitted from the pattern Gaucho's Lariat from Domiknitrix by Jennifer Stafford.

Lacy Summer Socks

I knitted these over a year ago... You may be able to see they have been well-worn if you look closely at the photos, so thought I'd better post them already:

 These were the first socks I knitted from the toe-up and was so happy with the sleeker result.

 The top edge is cast-off loosely and due to the nature of the pattern they create this charming, flowing cuff:

I think they're one of my favourite pairs of socks and definitely ones that get the most compliments!

The pattern comes from Knitting Lingerie Style (Joan MGowan-Michael), I'm also in the midst of finishing a knitted bra from the same publication.