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Robin
(limited edition!) socks
[Started 30th November: :Completed
24th and 31st December]
Two new balls of the "birds" colourway in WYS
Signature 4 Ply [75% Wool / 25% Nylon: 100g=400m]. Bright
and cheerful "Robin" for the limited edition Christmas.
I am making two pairs of men's socks and hope to have enough
left for a tiny pair for myself...
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Alex's
Christmas socks
[Started 21st December: :Completed
30th December]
Opal
Handwork & Hobby 3 4 Ply [75% Wool / 25% Nylon: 100g=
425m /465yds ] in colour 9644 Carpenter. They all seem
to be named after trades, and this one is destined for a bricklayer,
but they don't seem to offer that as an option. Anyway I think
it's a suitable enough set of jeans-compatible colours.
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Hidden
Gusset Mittens (for Karen)
[Started 24th October: :Completed
1st November]
Hidden
Gusset Mittens - a perfect gift! These are made to co-ordinate
with the Verdigris Scarf, in left over Tosh Sock [100% wool;
100g=361m/395yds], colour "Filigree". These are
the fingerless version of the mittens in the medium size -
very quick to make... So much so that I immediately knitted
a second mimimalist pair in what is really just a scrap of
sparkly yarn from a long forgotten wool swap (really nice
yarn from iKnit - the same type I used for a Hitchhiker scarf
long ago - but just so little of it - I'm amazed I got 2 tiny
mittens out of it).
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Anastasiya
[Started 13th October: :Completed
30th October]
Having revisited Orkney from Rowan
Knitting & Crochet Magazine 52, completing a second
cardigan on my knitting machine, (it's a long story), and
having a fair amount of leftover felted tweed (Orkney, Auden
and other projects), I decided to make another Marie Wallin
design from the even older Rowan Magazine 48. Although a bit
dated, it has worked out very well I think. Paisley pink in
the design is no longer available, but I had tremendous success
in dyeing some of the colour "Clay" using Dylon
in Rosewood. I was concerned the colour would not take but
in fact it is if anything a little too dark - and in my enthusiasm
the "felted" tweed got a bit more felted but this
seems to have made no noticeable difference to the result.
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Auden
[Started
14th August: :Completed 20th
September]
This is a Martin
Storey design that I instantly fell in love with when
the latest set of Rowan books were delivered in August. It
features my favourite
Felted Tweed DK, [50% Merino / 25% Alpaca / 25% Viscose
: 50g = 175m/191yds]. It's a sea-themed striped sweater (of
course), and I meant to go with the exact colours specified,
but I purchased from a John Lewis store rather than on-line
- and I'm very glad I did as I changed my mind when I saw
the colours "in the flesh". I used Seafarer 170
(as specified) but went with the old favourite neutral Clay
177 instead of Stone 190, which has a greenish tinge I did
not like. I also declined to purchase the (expensive) Kidsilk
Haze to knit double for the eyelet patterns - choosing to
continue with Clay.
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Arne
and Carlos Christmas socks
[Started 31st July: :Completed
3 pairs 20th October]
I feel like a chain smoker - I'm half way through my last
stock ball of sock yarn, and I have lit up another. I bought
6 bargain balls (again!) and could not resist the temptation
to try out these lovely colours; this colourway will make
my Christmas sock for this year - they look cheerful.
Regia Design Line by Arne and Carlos - two pairs in "Garden"
3760 [75% wool / 25% Polyamide; 100g=420m/460yds], and one
in "Summer Night" 3657, all purchased from Laughing
Hens,
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Wrapped
in Love blanket
[Continued 29th June: :Completed
6th December]
This is a blanket wrap made using a pattern given out by a
hospice. It was started by Fliss's sister but, (along with
some other things), unfortunately, she was unable to finish
it. I have completed 2 other items and now I am tackling this
- it's in rather a bright colour but there is not enough for
the whole thing, so I will have to mix it with something.
There are 8 completed squares and 28 are required in total.
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Weaving:
Woodland Scarf
[Started 30th July]
This is "Blewit" - almost the colours that inspired
Janet Phillips as featured in her book Designing
Woven Fabrics. This time using a limited edition skein
from A Verb for Keeping Warm which I bought at SOAR in 2012
[100% wool; 100g=361m/395yds]. The weft is Erika Knight British
Wool ..... Blue Faced Leicester and Masham purchased at Fibre
East - too coarse and fluffy really but I went with the colour..
... I have wound a 2m warp - enough for a scarf length plus
fringe. The sett is 16 - doubling up in my 8 dent reed.
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Wood
Pigeon socks
[Started 12th June: :Completed
10th August]
My last ball of the "birds" colourway in WYS
Signature 4 Ply [75% Wool / 25% Nylon: 100g=400m]. A lovely
soft set of colours - again yet to be allocated to a male
recipient. Again I went on to this as a background project
of "easy" knitting, following the completion of
"Owl".
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Granny
Squares Cushion Cover
[Started 16th May: :Completed
8th August]
This has the two-fold purpose of making a rather nicer cover
than the current one in my artist's garret, as well as using
up some of my vast store of acrylic yarns. I have taken inspiration
from (that's about the best I can say of my efforts) a beautiful
blanket that Alison crocheted for me using similar colours
- though her project used far superior yarn I might say.
The pattern is the same one I used some years ago from an
older Rowan book Purelife
Home.
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Weaving:
Verdigris Scarf
[Started 3rd April: :Completed
8th June]
This is "Vineyard Grapes" - once again not
the colours that inspired Janet Phillips as featured in her
book Designing
Woven Fabrics. And again using Tosh Sock I already had
[100% wool; 100g=361m/395yds] in Copper Penny, Brisk Dust,
and Filigree, I altered sett, ppi, and the warp threading
plan to accommodate the much thicker yarn. Learning by my
previous mistake, I have wound a shorter warp (2m) - just
enough for a scarf length plus fringe. I am limited in the
sett I can use as I have only one 8 dent reed, but I have
altered the sett to use the full width of the reed so it will
not be quite so firm as my previous effort.
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Weaving:
Cotton Towels
[Started 23rd March]
I was inspired to try this project by the newsletters from
Gist Yarn
and Fiber. I would have bought their cotton but the shipping
cost from the US meant I needed to be more cost-conscious
for a simple
rigid heddle project to do in the evenings. I settled
on a real budget option which was impossibly low cost and
astonishingly fast delivery despite shipping from Hobii
in Copenhagen.
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Weaving:
Sampler Scarf
[Started 1st March: :Completed
3rd April]
This is "Scarf of Lucky Colours" - but not
in the colours that have proved so lucky for Pattie Graver
as featured in her book Next
Steps in Weaving. I used knitting yarn I already had,
and so I altered both sett and ppi to accommodate a thicker
yarn; in consequence it looks a bit clumsier than I would
have liked, but it seems to be "OK" and working
out to be not too wide for a scarf.
Both warp and weft are Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in colours Rosewood
(from the closing-down sale :o( at Yarn Dogs in Los Gatos),
and Whiskey Barrel (from Love
Knitting) - 1 skein of each [100% wool; 100g=361m/395yds]
and supplementing the dark warp threads with black.
As it turned out, the warp was ridiculously long as specified
(enough to weave a sample which was never on the cards with
my precious and limited weft yarn), and after my 66 inch scarf
I had enough to weave a further 30 or more inches - which
I did using a vintage black Jaeger 4ply. The effect of the
black has produced a much more dramatic result and what seems
to be a slightly finer yarn has produced a slightly better
drape for a scarf.
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Against
the Grain Sweater
[Started 24th February: :Completed
20th April]
This is Against All Odds by Isabell
Kraemer featuring Beyul
Fingering from Kettle Yarns which is a dreamy mix of Merino,
Yak, and Silk, [100g;400yd/366m] in colours Steppe, Yurt,
and Black Quartz.
A luxury project purchased at Unravel
in Farnham - after 3 years of careful thought...
This is 'against the grain' as it's a top down sweater knitted
at a very loose tension, neither of which are my favourite
things.
But
then it is striped....
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Owl
socks
[Started 20th February: :Completed
10th June]
My second to last ball of the "birds" colourway
in WYS
Signature 4 Ply [75% Wool / 25% Nylon: 100g=400m]. A lovely
sober set of colours yet to be allocated to a male recipient.
I started this as a background project of "easy"
knitting since I completed the sock blanks (see below) and
have now rushed to finish in time for Terry's birthday.
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Little
Bottles Quilt
[Re-started 9th February]
This is a patchwork quilt I started to make in about 2003
and in truth had done most of the hard work in appliqué.
I was undecided as to what technique to use for the striped
"curtains" - but have set off now with renewed vigour
and decisiveness.
The design is Little Bottles by Kaffe Fassett from
the fourth Westminster Quilting book (usually available from
eBay).
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Handspun
Sock Blanks
[Started 8th February: :Blank
completed 18th February]
I finished spinning the pack of broken tops I bought from John
Arbon (Blue faced Leicester with 25% nylon) at Fibre East
last summer. The spinning is pretty variable and possibly worse
when plied, but I have pressed on and finished knitting 2 blanks
which I am moderately confident will make serviceable socks
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Weaving:
Bells and Shells
[Started 27th January: :Completed
24th February]
This is "Bells and Shells" as featured in
Designing
Woven Fabrics by Janet
Phillips.
I wove both warp and weft (fairly ill-advisedly) using John
Arbon Alpaca 2-3ply knitting yarn [90% Alpaca/10% Nylon; 100g=600m].
It has worked out well - but there was a lot of fluff - that's
all I'm saying. This is my first 4-shaft project "flying solo"
so there were a couple of false starts, and some variation
in the beat, but I'm forgiving myself...
The colour combination was a little more overwhelmingly bright
blue than I had expected - I have a lot to learn about colour
weaving, even with a pattern, so I am a long way from designing
my own.
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Fairy
Lights Christmas Socks
[Started 11th January: :Completed
17th and 20th January]
This is the limited edition colourway for Christmas plus a
pattern from West Yorkshire Spinners. I love this yarn:
WYS
Signature 4 Ply [75% Wool / 25% Nylon: 100g=400m]. I bought
1 ball of the Fairy Lights (colour 849) yarn and am using it
to make 2 pairs of sock (for my little feet), as I already have
a ball of "Cherry Drop" (529) yarn in hand from last
year with which to knit the contrast heels and toes. [It should
be "Cayenne Pepper" (510) - but a ball in hand is
worth two in a bush and a blind man would be glad to see the
difference - as my Mother would have said...]. |
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Mallard
socks
[Started 20th December 2018:
:Completed 16th January]
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 originally
intended as a Christmas gift but too big for the intended
recipient so reallocated to George.
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Acrylic
Blankets - pastel
[Started 15th May 2015: :Completed
45 squares and donated 16th March 2019]
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.
2018
- update - I haven't wanted to do this pastel version enough
it seems - so next year it's love it or frog it....
2019 update - I have donated the 45 completed squares towards
a charity blanket.
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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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