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Mallard
socks
[Started 20th December]
This
is another "birds" colourway in WYS
Signature 4 Ply [75% Wool / 25% Nylon: 100g=400m] I bought
(see below), which I bought at John Lewis in Kingston. This
sock, along with the seemingly endless mending of sock heels,
(essentially reknitting the heel and grafting it in) will
see me through to the end of the year - and beyond.
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Last
of the Austermann Socks 2018
[Started 1st December: :Completed
9th December]
I have started on my final 2018 Austermann Step socks from
the Love
Knitting package.
Colour 88 Nautilus Maskulin "sea and shore" I think.
[100g=420m : 75% wool/25% nylon with Aloe Vera and Jojoba
oil].
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Heirloom
Shawl
[Started 12th September: :Completed
26th November]
I don't always try out the free vintage patterns I put on
line, trusting that they are properly written (and in some
cases adding corrections to glaring errors if I see them).
However I have had a number of queries about the Heirloom
Shawl over the years, so I thought it was about time I made
it, knitting from my own instructions. Our neighbours are
expecting the proverbial bundle of joy in January which gives
me a good opportunity along with plenty of time. I'm using
King Cole Baby Comfort 3 ply [60% Acrylic / 40% Nylon: 100g=670yds/616m]
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Soumak
Wrap
[Started 26th August: :Completed
23rd November]
This is a Lisa
Richardson pattern published in Rowan
54. It was originally written for Rowan
Fine Tweed yarn (a kind of 4ply weight, now discontinued),
but has been reconstructed for the new Rowan 40 Iconic
Hand-Knit Designs in Felted
Tweed - which you may spot is a DK weight yarn, yet they
use the same 3¼mm needles as for the original; I guess
they figure it makes little difference for a wrap.
I am using up some solid DK colours that I already have in
hand, but of course it does not emulate the lovely soft tweedy
look of the "real thing".
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Tasteful
Self-Striping Socks [Started
21st August: :Completed 1st December]
This
is the other more conventional Drops sock yarn that I bought
at Fibre East: Fabel
in colour 912 Soft Chocolate,
[75% Wool / 25% Nylon: 5g=205m]. A less interesting
colour than Bluetit perhaps, but the kind of neutral that
chaps (sadly) tend to prefer.
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Luxury
Railway Socks [Started
16th August: :Completed 20th
December]
I bought some Drops yarn at Fibre East - Nord,
in colour 09, Deep Ocean, [45%
Alpaca / 25% Wool / 30% Polyamide: 50g=170m/186yds],
stated as 24sts to 10cm/4inches. However, this pattern uses
2mm needles: "Gentleman's Socks in Railway Stitch"
(a kind of rib),
which I last made in 2008 from Nancy
Bush's book of Vintage Socks.
I took them with me to Edinburgh to knit on the train and
then found I had only 3 needles with me - this made life very
difficult - I managed the welt in 3 hours. However, while
in Edinburgh I went to Kathy's
Knits and bought some 2mm
Zings in a lovely pink colour - perfect to work with fine
dark yarn.
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Bluetit
Socks [Started
11th July: :Completed 15th August]
This
is another "birds" colourway in WYS
Signature 4 Ply [75% Wool / 25% Nylon: 100g=400m], which
I bought at Woolfest along with a ball of the plain colour
Berry for a different project. I've made the usual "man's"
sock hoping it's not too bright in colour for a "man"
to be happy with. (Actually, Terry is colour blind so it's
really my sister it has to please.
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Colourful
Kit Bag [Started
25th May: :Completed 8th July]
This is my Pattern
of the Month for July 2018. It's a delightfully amusing
idea from 1944 for a bag made in crochet from oddments of
yarn.
I used some of my more colourful left over chunky yarns, but
then totally ignored the concept of "making do"
by using thick leather for the base and detailing.
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Austermann
Socks 2018 No 3 [Started
11th April: :Completed 10th May]
Third pair from the Austermann Step package from Love
Knitting.
Colour 18, Vulkan,
[100g=420m : 75% wool/25% nylon with Aloe Vera and Jojoba
oil].
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Baa-ble
Hat [Started
18th March: :Completed 23rd March,
and 26th March]
This hat was the official hat pattern for Shetland Wool Week
2015. I am am making one hat in each colourway:
Jamiesons
of Shetland Heather Aran [100% wool: 50g=92m/100yds] in Autumn
998, Natural White 104, Black 101, Highland Mist 1390 and
Jamieson and Smith Worsted Aran [100% wool: 50g=61m/66yds]
in Peat, Snaa White, Coll Black, Silver Grey.
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Eliza
[Started
25th February: :Completed 25th
April and 21st May]
Eliza is a design from Quirky:
Thrown Together Again by Kim Hargreaves which was current
when I first planned to make it - Winter 2012. At that time,
I bought the correct yarn (now discontinued) as a bargain
pack from Black
Sheep, and then the project remained in the queue. I am
making it, as I originally planned, for Deborah (purple),
but the design is of course not so highly fashionable
as it was then - however, still not unacceptable now, I hope.
The yarn is Rowan Alpaca Cotton [72% Alpaca/ 28% Cotton :
135m/147yds=50g], which has a lovely lofty texture when knitted,
but somehow not as pleasing to knit as I had hoped - although
the pattern is very easy.
I had yarn left so also knitted the slouchy hat from Ysolda
Teague's original collection of Whimsical
Little Knits.
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Austermann
Socks 2018 No 2 [Started
21st February: :Completed 10th
March]
Second pair from the Austermann Step package from Love
Knitting.
Colour 86 Heide Maskulin "heath"
[100g=420m : 75% wool/25% nylon with Aloe Vera and Jojoba
oil].
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Matching
Mittens (for Lyn)
[Started 15th January: :Completed
20th January - 2nd pair 20th February]
More Hidden
Gusset Mittens made from the left over yarn from my sister's
Alison Ellen cardigan; these are the fingerless version with
a tiny detail in one of the contrast colours. I seem to have
plenty of yarn left, and tried making a two colour version,
splitting the mittens into two colour blocks divided by the
stitchwork; technically it worked well but stylistically it
did not enhance the design at all, so in the end I made a
second pair for Alison in the plain olive colour, (with fingers).
The yarn is hand-dyed Laughing
Hens undyed superwash merino [100% wool : 400m/437yds=100g].
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Austermann
Socks 2018
[Started 5th February: :Completed
16th February]
I have started on my 2018 Austermann Step package from Love
Knitting.
Colour 87 Schiefer Maskulin "slate", which turns
out to be a collection of mauve colours
rather than grey [100g=420m : 75% wool/25% nylon with Aloe
Vera and Jojoba oil].
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Striped
Socks
[Started 14th January: :Completed
31st January]
I bought a shirt for George that was far to big and we passed
it on to Terry, so I thought I would attempt some matching
socks, using a vintage pattern from Patons; these were knitted
with a pattern motif on 2 needles, but as I knit in the round,
I thought I would make the pattern with Swiss darning. Not
only was this more tedious than my initial attempt using intarsia
and slipped stitches, it did not look very good, so here we
have ended up with just a few restrained stripes. The yarn
is mainly
Phildar Partner Baby in colour 14 Lin, with stripes in
vintage navy Sirdar Town and Country.
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On
the 8th day of Christmas
[Started 1st January: :Completed
12th January]
This is my usual Christmas crafting project just after Christmas
while I have spare time - although it's quite ambitious: a
lovely set of mittens - purely for a decorative Christmas
banner (which I am visualising across the mantleshelf if there
is no fire!). It is "12
Days of Christmas Mini Mittens" designed by Kathy
Lewinski. You can buy a user friendly version of the pattern
from Ravelry.
I am using (truly) vintage Shetland yarn 3-4ply [100% wool]
in a cream and black, with oddments of red for the berries.
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Christmas
Sparkle Mittens (for me)
[Started 2nd December 2017: :Completed
3rd January]
Definitely my go-to mittens of the moment - Hidden
Gusset Mittens. These are made from two tiny skeins of
iKnit Ziggy
Stardust [75% Superwash Merino/20% Nylon/5% Stellina :
20g = 80m] which I was given in a yarn swap at the iKnit Halloween
party. There seems to be plenty of yarn to make the mittens
with fingers, making the smallest size and making a shorter
cuff (which I prefer).
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Acrylic
Blankets - pastel
[Started 15th May 2015]
I have finally begun my striped Kaffe blankets project. I
am working on the knitting machine and I have to say it has
not begun well. I have already had to change the method in
the same way as I did for the hand knitting - that is starting
each diamond in the middle and decreasing to a point, as this
is the only way I can get a neat edge. It is easier to effect
this on the machine though, so I am steaming - very slowly
- ahead... I plan to make all 4 colour schemes and think they
will end up as charity blankets - but it's just something
I want to do.
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Snowflake
cardigan
[Started 29th December 2011]
This is another of the Fair-Isle designs from Debbie
Bliss Magazine 7. I am using Amy
Butler Organic Aran in colour Slate [50% cotton, 50% wool;
50g:90m/98yds] as it was on sale - and also as my intended
victim is Rob who is slightly allergic to wool and I think
the wool cotton blend might suit. I think both Rob and George
were slightly dubious about the Sherpa hats - so maybe Rob
needs a fashionable Fair Isle cardi as well as George.
So
it's been a mere 7 years and this is being frogged. I don't
like the pattern (and I'm not that keen on the wool - though
I do plan to repurpose it).
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Bella
Blouse
[Started 9th June 2011]
This is the Bella Blouse by Norah Gaughan from the Knitting
Daily Pattern Library. I am using a few balls of Rowan Damask
- a yarn I love but now discontinued - for the contrast and
I found an ecru cotton blend (Patons Washed Haze) which tones
with it quite well for the main shade. As my supply of Damask
is limited I am omitting the contrast band at the bottom of
the sweater.
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Two
[Started
22nd August 2010]
This is Two
- not another cardigan! But it is, like Puzzle, from
Queen
of Hearts - in fact, the cover design. The yarn is Patons
Misty
[25g; 150m], 70% mohair, 30% polyamide. It knits to a
double knitting tension of about 22sts to 4 inches, but I
am knitting it much looser on 6mm needles. I chose this yarn
also at Ally Pally in 2009; being a dress I thought it would
take for ever but it seems to be knitting up very quickly
so I have every expectation of finishing it soon...
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