FO: Wee Levenwick

This monogamy thing is magic!

I finished off my Wee Levenwick cardigan last week, and it sat for a few days without buttons, as I had a feeling that I would find the perfect match at Unravel. Wee Levenwick is a kids' version of Levenwick, both designs for Brooklyn Tweed by Gudrun Johnston. I've had the great pleasure of working for Gudrun a few times, and I love her pattern writing, and design aesthetic.

This cardigan was lovely to knit. It's worked from the top down, and I just flew through it (once I'd cast off the other bits I had been working on). The New Lanark Aran was just as lovely to knit with as ever - I've got a ball or two over, which I have a plan for as well...

I noticed as I sewed on the final buttons that I'd done the pocket the wrong way round. The main part of the pocket should be reverse stocking stitch, whereas I've done it in stocking stitch. Hey ho. One of those things that makes my project unique - the joy of handmade. :)

As I expected, the Textile Garden stand at Unravel was pure button heaven. I found buttons for this project, as well as for another little cardi, which I'll show you tomorrow. And I may also have stashed a few more button sets, while I was at it!

FO: Alva Sweater

So far this monogamous thing is really working for me! In the space of just 4 days, I knitted a kids sweater. From start to finish. In just 4 days! Here I am having cast on on Thursday evening...

A kind friend sent me two balls of the lovely deep blue Alafoss Lopi, as well as a ball of Orange in the same yarn. I had been skimming through Ravelry looking for projects using just a small amount of this yarn. I wasn't too keen to make a hat (I have far more of those than I need!), and I stumbled upon this beautiful project: Purpurschnecke's Justus I loved the colours she had used and could quickly see that all I would need was a ball of cream Alafoss Lopi. I downloaded the free pattern (Alva by Maria Vangen), ordered the extra ball of yarn from Meadow Yarn (great service) and set straight to work.

By Saturday morning, I had a body, and I was well on the way to two sleeves!

Lopi knits up far more quickly than sock yarn... who knew?! Well I did of course! But it's been such a long time since I knitted anything more chunky than socks, that it was a lovely surprise. When I started knitting, I quickly learned that knitting would be a very expensive hobby if I didn't switch to finer yarns. So for many years I have mostly knitted with 4ply. But since the kids arrived, my knitting time has been drastically cut, so I can now indulge in some chunkier knits without bankrupting myself, and it's proving very satisfying!

Here's the sweater blocking on Sunday evening, after a pleasant day of knitting at a chess tournament! 

And last night I finished it off with a "Hand knitted with love" label. I embarked on this project without a definite recipient in mind. The pattern was only in one size - for a 3 year old - and thus too small for any of our kids. It was just something I had to make. It was the perfect project and yarn combination and I was powerless to resist! I think I've found its owner, but we need to try it on.

In the meantime, I'm working hard on the next kids jumper. I'm still surprised at how quickly it's going!

FOs: Snawheid and Dave socks (and notes on knitworthiness)

When you just knit on one thing, it's amazing how much more quickly you finish it! I managed to churn out the plain socks in just over 3 weeks. That's far more impressive than the 6 months it took me to make my Betula socks - simply down to polygamy of projects...

Here they are, blocking on my steel sock blockers (I got mine from Loop), and hanging on the curtain rail in the living room. I used the Dave sock pattern from Rachel Coopey's new book, Coop Knits Socks vol 2. I will tell you more about the book in a future post, as I had the pleasure of editing it, hence the head start on knitting from the pattern.

You may remember that I was knitting these for a very special teacher. And actually, they aren't the only thing I've knitted for this teacher. Just before Christmas I knitted up a Snawheid (by Kate Davies) for her as well. Here's a picture of it blocking, before I added a fluffy TOFT alpaca pompom to it:

I regularly get asked to knit things for people, and I almost always say no. I tend to explain that knitting is like sex - if I love you it's free, but if I don't there's no amount you could pay me to do it!

So how is it that this teacher has ended up with two lovely projects in such a short space of time? Well, she has gone above and beyond, and repeatedly proved herself to be thoroughly knitworthy. How did she do that? First up, she didn't ask. I wanted to make something for her, and we chatted about what she might like (I threatened to knit something hideous if she didn't provide some pointers!!). She was very respectful of the amount of time it takes to knit a gift. Many people assume that it's quick. It really isn't (as I'm sure most of you know!). She has been a very important person to our family. She helped me to grow in confidence as a parent, and she goes above and beyond to ensure that our kids are as happy as possible at school. We really couldn't have asked for a better teacher, and as such I wanted to thank her in the most meaningful way I could. I don't know of a better way that this. As a knit recipient she has also aced it on all levels - I see her wearing them. Daft I know, but I get a sense of loss when I give away a project I've enjoyed making. I don't expect people to wear things I've made when we're meeting up, just to prove they wear them, but it is lovely to see those projects again, and to know they are being enjoyed (and not languishing in a drawer waiting for BEST).

So there we go. Two projects in just a few months for a really special teacher. Who do you knit for? And why?

The monotony of monogamy

It's not very interesting to blog about really. I'm being monogamous. I'm talking about my relationship with my knitting of course... I've cleared the decks and I'm focussing on one thing at a time.

Just now I'm working on the plain vanilla socks for the most knitworthy teacher I've ever met. And I'm just knitting on the socks.

It makes for deathly dull blogging, but really, it's exactly what I need. Nothing too exciting. Just churning through the sections. Cuff done. Tick. Leg done. Tick. Heel flap done. Tick.

I'm on to the second sock now, and working through the gusset decreases. It won't be long before I catch a glimpse of the end. The grafting together of the toe stitches. The sweet joy of another finished project, and then the delight of the next one.

Like I said. Not very interesting, but it's providing me with the soothing rhythm I need right now.

FO: Betula Socks

This lovely Betula Sock design by Rachel Coopey had been in my queue for ages, and I finally cast on last summer. My intention was to make them as part of Rachel's Summer of Socks knitalong. HA! Life had a way of biting plans like that in the bottom around that time. So I didn't eventually finish these until 3rd January, which was more approapriate for the Winter Sock KAL, but never mind...

I used some fabulous Sheila's Sock from Fyberspates, that I received in a sock club back in 2011 (how things linger, waiting for that perfect project!). Sadly, Jeni's not doing hand-dyed yarn these days, so if you want something similar, you'll need to use her Vivacious 4ply, which knits up quite similarly.

The stitch pattern Rachel has used makes these socks satisfying to knit - the ribs line up so that you know you're in the right place. The bobbly bits make it one of those just one more repeat projects, so when I was actually knitting on them, they seemed to fly off my needles at quite a pace.

If you want any more technical details about my project, head over to Ravelry, where the project is logged: JenACKnitwear's Betula Socks

Yokes

With all of the children now at school, I have returned to a bit of editing work. It has been lovely to pick up the threads of life before I became this new "Mummy person". I've missed my regular Skype chats with clients, and I didn't realise quite how important it is for me to use my brain for more than the juggle of family scheduling, food and clothing stock control, and washing. I love those things too, but alone they aren't quite enough.

I've been doing a small amount of regular editing and writing work for Rachel Coopey since earlier in the year, and it's kept my toes in the water a bit. However, I really just dived in at the deep end in October, and worked on the secondary checking of Yokes for Kate Davies. What an amazing project to be a part of!

For the first time, I worked closely with another technical editor, Rachel Atkinson. Not only was it brilliant fun to be back working with Kate and Nic, but having someone to bounce technical questions off was also a joy. Boy did it feel good to be back!

If you've not yet seen a copy of Yokes, and you have any interest in knitting, fashion or textile history, then go and buy a copy! It's a great read over and above having eleven beautiful garments (all with a yoked construction, but not all recognisably classic yoked sweaters). Jim idly picked it up off the sofa, and later commented what an interesting read it was! Kate's research has taken her to Sweden, Iceland and Shetland, and the stories she's uncovered are fascinating.

I'm torn as to which garment to knit first - there are so many that leapt out at me...

         

These are my top 3... Ásta Sóllilja, Epistrophy and Fintry (the photos above will all enlarge if clicked on). Of the three, Fintry is the only one that I have suitable yarn for, so naturally that should be first. However, it's also the finest gauge at 4ply compared to DK for Epistrophy and Aran for Ásta Sóllilja. So I might have to make a strategic plan...

What a treat to work with such inspiring material! I spend a lot of time at my desk wishing I could edit and knit simultaneously!

I can't wait to share the next book project I've been involved in, which is about to go to press. Yay!

All images © Kate Davies Designs and used with permission

FO: Scatness Hat

I'm aiming to catch up with myself a little. There's been a fair bit of knitting happening, but much of it has been uncatalogued here on the blog, which I'd like to rectify!

First up is my Scatness Tam.

As you can see from the photo, I finished this last summer, but I wasn't overly excited by the photos, so I put off blogging about it. Now that I'm in a New Year frenzy of catching up with myself, I've taken a few flat photos, and I'm calling it done. I really enjoyed knitting this. I realised / remembered that I absolutely love Fair Isle designs. There's something about the rhythm of them that is a complete joy to me.

I used Kate's colours, straight from Colours of Shetland (where you will find this and many other beautiful designs), apart from forgetting to use the brighter white shade in the centre of the main Fair Isle band. Doh!

I'm really pleased with the finished hat, which hasn't yet decided who it wants to live with. My knits tend to tell me these things, but Scatness hasn't yet spoken!

I'd highly recommend both the pattern and the yarn (J&S 2 ply Jumper Weight) - they were a symphony of perfection! :)

Review: Edward's Menagerie

I got my grubby paws on a copy of Edward's Menagerie by Kerry Lord and I can't get these lovely animal patterns out of my head! I have plans to try to make a small collection for Christmas presents, but I have no idea whether I will actually achieve that plan or not...

From the first moment I picked up this book I was impressed with it. Every aspect of its production has been carefully designed. The animals themselves are brilliant, but I don't think that is what caught my eye the most about the book. What made me exclaim and get excited was the way that every piece of information that I might need, in order to pick up a hook and get going, was right there at my fingertips.

The animals are carefully divided into levels, according to the skills required to complete them. I would definitely need to start with the level 1 animals, which require just one colour, chain, slip stitch and double crochet. These are well within even my basic crochet skills! But I feel confident that when I am ready to attack the level 2 and 3 patterns, all of the information and tutorials I will need are within the book. But don't worry! There aren't pages and pages of dense "How-tos", but rather 10 clearly laid out pages that will take you through everything you need for all the patterns, with excellent walkthrough photos. There's even advice on adding face details and a spread on topknots and tails, complete with fetching photos of the bottoms of all the animals!

Kerry has included 4 simple yarn weight sizing options, with a set of tables to tell you how much yarn, what hook size, finished measurements and tension information. It is touches like these that take this book from cute animals, to "where's my hook, I'm ready to get going"!

All of the designs use gorgeous Toft yarns - 100% British Alpaca yarns from Kerry's family alpaca farm. This gives the animals the feel of a proper collection, and their natural shades sit together beautifully. You could easily substitute other standard weight yarns, but I definitely believe that using the recommended yarn here is going to give you finished animals that are a cut above your average amigurumi. I certainly plan to order Toft yarns to make my own Menagerie... hopefully very soon!

Each of the patterns has a lovely large photo, and an achievably short set of instructions. Even I, who really isn't normally a fan of crochet, am itching to make these. I passed the book around at my local knitting group a few weeks ago - a crowd that are particularly hard to please - and last week someone had already borrowed Edward's Menagerie from the library and made 4 of the animals, and two more were planning to buy their own copies. I can't remember the last time that a book was sound universally liked by our knitting group!

So if you haven't already, do head out and get your grubby hands on a copy of Edward's Menagerie. If you purchase direct from Toft, you will also receive a pdf file with an additional 10 animal patterns (who could resist Frank the Armadillo?!).

Edward's Menagerie by Kerry Lord
David and Charles Publishing
RRP: £15.99 / US $22.99 / CAN $25.50

Disclaimer: I didn't pay for my copy of the book. A friend passed me hers, as she doesn't crochet. I would happily have paid for my copy as I believe it's worth every penny. I've not received any incentive for writing a review - I was just excited about the book!

WIP: Quilt

It's been a while, but I'm back!

I've made a list of things I want to witter about, and hopefully over the coming months, I'll get some of that list turned into actual blog posts, rather than existing only as ramblings in my head at 2 in the morning...

I spent a happy weekend in July sewing a quilt based on disappearing nine-patches. I used some beautiful Moda fabric - a present from a knitting friend and fellow quilter, Lilysunshine. And I'm pretty pleased with how it has turned out.

I absolutely love chain piecing like this - the sewing just flies by and before you know it, you have a lots of blocks that look like a nearly finished quilt top...

So how is it that it takes another whole day to get to this point (which in my opinion looks barely different)?

And two months later, the quilt is still sitting on my dining room table in exactly the same state as it was at the end of the quilting weekend! That's how life has been for the last few months. Heaps of fun, but no time to sit still and do things that are just for me.

Here I am though, doing something just for me. Regular blogging here I come!

Masterclasses

Just in case you've had an unrequited longing to learn the Channel Island cast-on method, I thought you might like to know that I've got a Masterclass article in the latest issue of The Knitter (Issue 73). It's all about different cast-on methods and there will be an article on casting off next month as well.

And while we are on the topic of casting on... I've been asked a few times why it's sometimes "cast on" and other times "cast-on", so I figured I might as well commit the answer to the blog, and save on typing it out again. :) As you might expect, it all comes down to grammar.

If you are instructing someone to cast on a certain number of stitches, cast on is being used as a verb, and as such does not require a hyphen. E.g. Cast on 65 sts.

If you are describing a part of the knitted fabric, such as a cast-on edge, then cast-on is now an adjective, and it's common to hyphenate compound adjectives such as this. E.g. Return to the cast-on stitches and unzip the crochet chain.

Confusion starts when talking about types of cast-on method. E.g. The Channel Island cast-on. In these instances I tend to consider cast-on as an adjective to method, rather than as a noun in its own right. So even if the word method is omitted I hyphenate it.

I'm no grammar specialist, and I'm indebted to Helen Spedding on The Knitter for explaining this to me when I first started on the magazine (after I had just added hyphens to the start of every pattern just before deadline - oops!), but I do love a geek fact, and this seems to fall into that category quite nicely!