Copy-cat knitting

It's not often you see me knit a garment in the recommended yarn, never mind in the same colour as the published pattern, although some people swear by it.

This case is the exception, I'm making "Feeling Good" by Sarah Hatton, published in Simply Knitting August 2010.

Thanks to Ravelry I know that there are errors in the published pattern, such as the lacy panels on the fronts are identical and not mirrored. These are the kind of helpful things that are easy enough to fix if you know in advance to look out for them, so thank-you Rav.

I'm making it in Rowan Purelife Revive in shade Quartz. I have used this yarn before in a Montego Bay-type scarf which I've yet to show you.

I've bought extra yarn because I agree with the designer when she says in the magazine article that she thinks

it would be nice with kimono sleeves.I've never had great upper arms, and now I'm forty, well... they ain't gettin' any better, so, cover-up it is.

And thank-you for your kind comments about Swoony Multnomah. It has had a nice bath and I hope to have some modelled shots to show you over the long weekend.

That is, if I get a long-weekend, curse you Jury Service. x K

Thank-you

Thanks for all your lovely comments about "Green Shoots" on here, on Facebook, on Ravelry and by e-mail. You are very kind. x K

Sneak Preview

Here is a sneak preview of a recently finished object I am absolutely delighted with.

Happy with progress on the shawl

Here are some shots of a week's almost monogamous progress on my Hap-inspired shawl.

They come complete with marking threads and loose strands and everything.

I'm really enjoying making this and am pleased with the lovely fabric and stitch definition I'm getting from this beautiful simple yarn.

I've noticed that lots of the Hap shawls I've seen have a bright or dark section of colour scallops then in the middle there's a neutral or light section and then the bright or dark section repeats in mirror-image. I'm on the first bright section as you can see. The blue and green are very close in tone, but I'm loving the effect.

I'm well over half-way in terms of finished size, but I'm only at about 30/35% completion of the actual knitting as each row gets bigger and then there's a sideways border.

Sorry to show you it against such a "busy" carpet, but there was no way on earth I could have gone out into the daylight to take the photos. I'd have been chasing my shawl-to-be over the Solway Firth!

Recently I've been making plenty of things from self-striping and space-dyed yarns, so the contrast of this simple yarn with such a lovely handle is a really pleasant change.

More progress shots next week?
Happy knitting, x K

Waves

Ha ha, she still knits!
This is a blanket for my great nephew- or niece-to-be, maybe for when they are in their pram or buggy when the time comes.
To me it looks nice and wavy like a beach when the tide goes out. And I just happen to have an archive shot of that very phenomenon at Balcary Bay- be prepared, that's my motto. ;-)

I'm sure you can see it is made in the good old Feather and Fan stitch you'll get in any stitch library, but I have only done the eyelets on every second pattern repeat. I did start and end it with
eyelets in every section just to get the scalloped edges good and distinct.

When I first picked up the needles again in 2001(inspired by this book *) John Lewis did its own yarn under the name Jonelle which it uses for its own brand items.

The person or committee who decided to do away with that must have their head in their hands. Canning that range just on the brink of a boom in knitting and handicrafts.

Anyway, this blanket is made of 5 x 100g balls of lilac Jonelle Cotton Rich Easy-Care DK which is a cotton acrylic microfibre blend, very similar in feel and composition to Rowan's All Seasons Cotton although it's DK weight as opposed to Aran weight. Yarn snobs, before you give me pelters, remember that this for a little one and is to be chucked into the washing machine and tumble dryer.

Who says I never use up stash yarn? We were laughing one evening at the knitting meetup at the Tron Theatre that I found a receipt in the bag of yarn. April 2002!


It's 65cm across and 80cm in length so hopefully when junior arrives (s)he can be nice and cosy in the car seat or buggy.


Various views against rocks, sand and DH's beloved new rug.





*I tried to get a link to Rowan mag 29 on Rowan (as you do) , English yarns, Upcountry etc but it seems to be unavailable now. I did get a link to one available on ebay for about two and a half times the original price!

Angora Froth

Here's a close up of the Louisa Harding Kimono Angora scarf I knitted to the Rowan "Froth" pattern.
I posted a pic of this a few days ago but it was a very bland picture of it blocking and it kind of got buried in the excitement of my birthday and the debacle of the knitting group hiccup.
This is a much more true reflection of the colours.
It's dead yummy and fuzzy and certainly proved a hit at last Sunday's knitting get together.
Yes, people, this is my one and only finished object of 2007 so far!

Angora Froth

Recycling

Can you believe it is the 23rd of February and I am finally presenting you my first finished object of 2007?
I think my first one in 2006 was ten minutes after the bells or something.

Anyway, this is another version of the Frothy scarf I knitted in December. If you remember this pattern was part of a renewal gift from Rowan International a while back.

The yarn is Louisa Harding's Kimono Angora, like the Froth scarf I made and sent to Louisiana for Christmas. So I've recycled the pattern and revisited the yarn I used before. The only different is this time I have edged it in a a self colour which has been added to the range. Angora Pure shade#6

I bought these lovely yarns at Stitching Time, Hamilton.
BTW have you checked out Nan's blog yet? Nagged2k
(Nagged to knit) on the sidebar.

Nice and long at around 2m!! I enjoyed knitting this but of it was inevitably tedious doing the ruffle, but I made it and I'm pleased with it.

It's Frothy Man!

This is the Froth scarf which came as a Members' Bonus with Rowan International last year. I chose the colour "Trance" as my renewal goodie.

Here is the pattern made up in "Heavenly" Kid Silk Haze and "Medici" Kid Silk Spray. I made the scarf both wider and longer than the original pattern, but I wasn't restricted by yarn amounts as you would be if you used the two balls provided. I basically kept going with the main shade until I had virtually run out of yarn from two balls (160cm) and made the ruffles with the toning colour. I M*A*Y have been able to eke out the edging by holding both ends of one ball of the contrast, but I was working to a deadline and preferred just to use two balls simultaneously.





I knew this was a lovely pattern because I had seen various versions knitted up at my Knitting Meetup Group and I have to say I was delighted how it turned out. The silk content gives a lovely gloss to the yarn too. Bearing in mind I made the scarf larger in all dimensions than the original pattern I ended up casting off 885 stitches for the ruffle - twice!!! (One long and one short edge at a time.) That's a lot of stitches, even for someone who has knitted a few shawls by now.

This was given as a Christmas present to my father-in-law's wife, Cynthia. She was delighted with it and it made all of those ruffle stitches worth it when she said that although she had knitted for others for years, no-one had ever knitted anything for her before. Well worth it. Another first is that this is the first time I have truly been at one with knitting KSH. Re-sult!
(By the way, "It's frothy, man" was a slogan used years ago for Cresta sherbet crystals you stirred into cold water to make a fizzy drink.)