I know, I know, you were worrying about it only being cast on and no stitches done for quite a while now, but rest assured, you can breathe easy now! I’ve actually done some more on it!
I finished the moss stitch border at the bottom and am now on the main pattern part, which aside from the moss stitch sides is all stocking stitch on 4mm needles so is going a lot faster.
I wasn’t in the mood for much knitting or anything at all last week, all things considered (I spent the time recuperating after surgery) but this week I feel awake and much more mobile so I’ve been working away at the green top and even started a new crochet project!
But I’ll show that in another post. For now, here is what I have so far and a pic of what it is supposed to look like when finished…
Yes, it’s not a huge amount done, but it’s something! And there is absolutely no rush for it to get finished.
I’m finding that after a good six months of hardly any projects on the go at the same time, I’m really liking casting on a lot of things at once!
I could never be a truly monogamous knitter. I guess it’s shiny new object syndrome!
You knit the bottom parts of the back and the front and then you join them to knit in the round before splitting again for the the front and back yokes, which I think is really interesting. I’ve never tried a jumper in the round before so this is a good in-between project!
It looks ‘easy’ and seems to be one of those projects where you can just knit without having to look at the pattern instructions every five minutes.
I’ve got all the bits and bobs ready, I’ve marked the sizing on the pattern. I’m all ready to go!
This will be the 3rd jumper I’ve ever knitted after my first 2 last year.
I’ve almost lost my knitting mojo recently, so this feels good to be planning and almost casting on a completely brand new project! I wrote this yesterday and as of today, I’ve just cast on the stitches for it…but it’s getting late, so I’ll have to continue with it tomorrow!
So, I make that to be a jumper (sweater? I never know whether to use UK or US terms on here…) and a pair of socks on the go. Along with a sock yarn shawl which will take literal YEARS to finish at this rate!!
3 knitting WIPS is kind of manageable I think!
Have a crafty day x
This post contains affiliate links. This means if you click the link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission on that sale at no extra cost to you.
I’ve talked about my orange jumper a lot that I’m currently knitting and I also have a knitted baby cardigan and a sock yarn shawl on the go and am about to cast on an entrelac heirloom baby blanket.
What else have I been saving lately?
I’ve been looking at shrugs and boleros, something light to put over a top as the weather gets a little bit warmer and I came across this bad boy on Ravelry.
I even looked at other people’s projects of this design and they look really pretty, especially in a deep purples and wine colours. Although the light and dark grey look good too.
The pattern says to use a lace weight yarn and a 4 ply yarn held together, which to my count makes a 6 ply yarn.
I was thinking of using a DK weight yarn, which is 8 ply and see how that goes.
If I followed the pattern I might go for a XL size, if I’m using thicker yarn then I think just a large? I’m not sure about yarn substitutions and sizing, but I love the look of this pattern so much, I’m willing to have a mess around with it.
The pattern says to use a 5mm needle and a 4.5mm for the rib so I’m sure DK would OK with that size…if not I’ll change needle size.
And since it’s only a shrug, it doesn’t matter if it’s a bit too looseor doesn’t have an amazing fit!
I’m not keen that you have to follow a chart, and I think the pattern could definitely be laid out a lot better to follow it. I spent 10 minutes trying to figure out where to put the chart in my head in the pattern before seeing a tiny A1 slipped into the pattern paragraph. That being said, I’ve queued this on Ravelry, which is a feature I don’t use on there very much.
I think I’ll have a go at this pattern in the winter sometime once my current WIP’s are WIP’s no more!
I have some DK yarn going spare, so I think I’m going to earmark that for this project.
Please excuse the shoddy pics, but what I have going spare is a couple of balls of the Hayfield Bonus DK or a ball each of Stylecraft Special DK. I like the Hayfield one for this project.
Incidentally, if you want to say hello, my username on Ravelry is @chronicleofellen (my old blog name which I closed down ages ago). I admit I’m not on Ravelry an awful lot, but I am trying to find autumn and winter potential makes at the moment, so I’m on it a bit more than usual!
Here’s my latest Medium article on Affiliate Links.
It’s a whopper at 2799 words!
Fun to write though…and my writing has definitely improved compared to the first article on there!
I love the colours and the feel of the yarn- so soft!
The pattern was from a book called Shabby Chic Crochet by Agnieszka Strycharska and the yarn is Stylecraft Cabaret DK, I used a 4mm hook and it crocheted up quite quickly really, despite the fact I only seemed to do a row or two here and there.
It is big enough to wrap around your shoulders comfortably and keep your neck and shoulders warm.
Here is what it looks like:
I already have the same shawl in blues and rainbow colours, so I’m not sure what to do with this one! I just made it to use up the yarn to be honest 🙂
Now I have 3 knitting projects to finish and I will be mostly caught up. A jumper, a knitted shawl and that neon Fair Isle bag. I think that one will be finished before the others but we’ll see. I’ve been doing so much digital work lately that crafting has just been put to one side.
But, it’s Spring, it’s Easter and there have been days last week that felt like Summer. So, it’s time to get crafting again. I do love to sit in the garden in Summer and do some knitting!
Yes…I am doing lots of about turns as regards my plans and intentions for knitting and crochet this year.
I originally said no more new projects and no more crochet for a while and I have just ignored that completely!
I have 5 balls of Stylecraft Cabaret DK [shade 1095 – Underwater Rainbow] to use up after I unpicked a knitted jumper that I had done about 20cm of and then got bored of.
So, what to do with all this yarn? I didn’t want to cast on another jumper as I am going to finish the orange one I’m doing at the mo and then have a break from big projects like that for a bit. And I have enough scarves, cowls, hats etc.
So, I thought I would do a crochet shawl, as I really like the one I made for myself last year with the same brand of yarn, just in another colour, and also, I can crochet WAY quicker than knit. So, even though a shawl can be quite a ‘big’ project, it really won’t be as it won’t take that long to do!
I LOVE the colours of this yarn…very autumnal!
2021 Shawl
It’s a simple Granny Square pattern that I dont even have to think about as I’m doing it and it is from a book called ‘Shabby Chic Crochet’ published by MakerCo and designed by Agnieszka Strycharska.
The last shawl I made used 4 balls of yarn and is just the right size…so I will have one ball leftover to make something else…I don’t know what yet though!
Below is the shawl I made last year, so you can see what the finished shawl will look like, just in a different colour.
I have a few FO’s today (that’s Finished Objects for the uninitiated). Yes! I’ve actually finished stuff!
Knitted Jumper
The first is my Christmas Jumper which has dragged for the last part and had to have a real push to get it done. I had thought I was buying just a basic jumper pattern and when I got it I realised that although the front was a simple stocking stitch pattern, the back was like a cardigan with buttons and everything! Who the heck wants to wear a backwards cardie?!!
The pattern was by Stylecraft Cabaret DK, I think number 9181, and the wool I used was an acrylic one called Glitz by King Cole in their Christmas colour way.
That was so weird that I thought I would do 2 fronts and make up the collar myself, which I did and it looks OK.
I have finally mastered mattress stitch and the actual sewing up looks good for once. I do have some issues with the collar though, which I may unpick and re-do at some (much later) point, namely that I think I picked up and knitted the stitches from the inside not the outside if you see what I mean, and that I may have picked up stitches on either the front or the back, and then picked up AND KNITTED stitches on the other side so it looks a bit wonky to me. I can sort of live with that though.
There are two main negatives to this jumper in that the wool, which I loved and had all the same dye lot, sometimes had a different striped pattern in the SAME BALL OF YARN! And I didn’t realise this until I came to sew it all up together, so parts look slightly different. but that’s not the end of the world, I think I notice it more because I made it and someone who hadn’t wouldn’t necessarily hone in on it straight away.
The second thing is that it only fits without any top on underneath!! (obviously still wear a bra!) I do think my tension changed slightly and I did just cast on my size, which I did wonder if I should go up a size? But maybe it’s something to slim into? (Not that that is the way to look at it…) It does fit but it’s definitely on the tighter side and I have to say I don’t usually wear fitted/ tailored garments. It is in the wardrobe until Christmas 2021- hurray it is done!
And for a first jumper, I am actually quite pleased if you ignore all the whinging above, it’s just there are a few bits I would go back and change…I guess that’s called experience! I still haven’t blocked it either.
It is done…Huzzah!
I also unpicked another jumper I had started – the same pattern in a different colour – but as I cast on the same size, I thought, you know what? I’m just going to unpick it and make something else with the yarn.
So…that means I am down to just the orange jumper and a simple shawl on my needles.
Knitted Hat and Headband
Except that’s not true… I also bought a couple of balls of a chunky yarn called King Cole Big Value Chunky in a mustard colour (shade 3486 turmeric) and made myself 2 short projects.
The first was a simple knitted 2×2 rib stitch hat and the second was a knitted knotted headband using up the remainder of the wool.
The hat pattern was from a magazine I ripped it out of years ago and the headband was a free Ravelry download. I like them both, but I haven’t worn them out yet, typical how the weather warms up when you knit something woolly!
It is called Twisted Turban Headband by North River Knits.
I just needed something quick and different to the tiny stitches of the finished jumper and I love the colours of the hat and headband- although no matter how many times I took the above picture the colour isn’t true to life…it looks much better in reality!
Knitted Fair Isle Bag
I also cast on what I though would be a quick-ish project but I can see now will take a week or two because it is stranded colour work.
I have a book of knitted bag patterns and was flicking through it last week when I saw a Fair Isle bag pattern that I thought would look good in neon because why the heck not?! I forgot how fiddly more than one colour is though 🙂
From How To Knit Beautiful Bags by Sian Brown
The pattern is from a book called How To Knit Beautiful Bags by Sian Brown and I’m doing the bag in the top left hand corner that you can see on the back cover of the book. Just for something different and colourful.
War and Peace
I have also finally made a start on a book that has been on my shelf for YEARS – WAR AND PEACE. I am about 500 pages in and I have to say, considering I know nothing about the Russian side of life in the early 1800’s I am quite enjoying it. I have put this book of for so long thinking I needed to really concentrate, but the style of writing is actually quite easy to understand.
I think it’s like Charles Dickens for me. I’m quite well-read but had never tried Dickens until maybe 5 or 6 years ago, thinking he was too hard and the language would be too hard etc. But he was really easy to read and understand and wrote in a modern way…surprisingly so does Tolstoy. I shouldn’t be too surprised really as I’ve read Anna Karenina and enjoyed it, but it is not as…shall we say CEREBRAL as I expected it to be.
I have had to look up what the difference between a Hussar and a Cossack was though…and everyone is a prince or princess – which I now know is a title like Duke or Duchess and NOT actual royalty!! Having Youtube to watch scenes after I’ve just read it is interesting too…search for the I Challenge You scene and the duel…poor Pierre, he is such a good character!
I haven’t done anymore sewing, I feel I am on a knitting binge now.
So, current WIPS are:
Orange lace and cable jumper
Simple garter stitch sock yarn shawl
Neon colour work bag
To be cast on soon/ still looking for patterns:
Socks with new sock yarn and old orange sock yarn
Something with recycled aran yarn
Something with yarn from unravelled jumper (5 balls of Cabaret DK by Stylecraft)
Phew! That’s all I can think of for now, thanks for sticking with this essay to the end…give yourself a pat on the back if you did! You made it! 🙂
Head Over Heels (Stylecraft) sock yarn was half price so I had to. I HAD TO!!!
And then I saw some recycled aran wool from King Cole called Forest and thought that would be good for a Fair Isle cowl I have been wanting to do for ages, and the colours are natural looking shades (but they have been dyed). It feels soft but sturdy.
Each colour way is named after a forest and is made from 100% recycled materials.
35% wool, 20% acrylic, 20% polyamide and 25% viscose
Woolly Orbit 