Both calendar cross-stitch samplers I am working on got completed this month. I am loving the Cute Houses one and I am a little nervous about the Cute Animals sampler because seeing the white thread against the project linen makes me believe I didn't select a colour with enough contrast, I find the (made-up) work Pumarch hard to read. I'm going to give that a ponder.
This month I finished my Magpie Tendency by Skeinanigans. This was a very fun knit with clever construction and I enjoyed knitting it, but again my own lack of understanding of my own taste has bit me again. This is not a garment I would wear, I came to the realization at some point that I hate wearing t-shirts for whatever reason (one of the reasons that Summer is so hard for me), so why did I think I would enjoy wearing this? Maybe it was more that I knew I would enjoy knitting it. The yarn I used was Crafty That Way in the colourway Blue Razzleberry Process knitter over Project knitters, raise your hands (to the frog pile).
More knitting happen by way of a Magpie Tendency by Skeinanigans. I was curious about how much I would like a lightweight t-shirt style garment and love that the pattern looks awesome with variegated hand dyed yarns.
How freakin' cute are Snowball Buddies by Susan Claudino. This was a one day project that I used some scrap yarn to make, I even had polyester filling and safety eyes on hand already!
Since knitting and glass obviously go hand-in-hand... ok, yeah, not so much... it turns out that cutting glass, as a beginner, creates tiny cuts at the tips of every finger. Just slices a teeny bit, enough to essentially turn hands into little cacti, so that yarn no longer slides effortlessly along the fingers, but gets snagged on every other stitch and causes the plies of the yarn to come apart. I tried all the lotions and even an overnight Vaseline, but the yarn still snagged. I had the thought that nail filing down the skin around these cuts might be akin to sanding wood to as smooth as a marble, but no, it didn't smooth the tips of my fingers at all and just kind of hurt.
Here we have a little marriage of my hobbies. I made a glass replica of Gnorman, because I thought he looked lonely. And using some highly contrasting streaky glass, I made some socks that remind me of hand dyed socks.
There is something outrageously fun about putting together colours with plans to bring a little creature to life. I knit Gnome De Plume by Sarah Schira and had a blast doing it. This surprised me because I don't usually enjoy knitting tiny but for some reason, knitting little i-cords and doing a teeny little colour change didn't bother me because I knew they were Gnorman's little arms and hands. And blocking his little beard! I mean, I can't handle it. This is apparently a spectacular way to use up yarn scraps.
After hitting up Michael's to experiment with some Wool Ease Thick & Quick, I cast on and knit up the Winston Pullover by Jane Richmond. The yarn called for in this pattern is a super bulky weight 80% Acrylic, 20% Wool blend that is extremely economical and there was something nice about that. This sweater thick and warm and will be perfect for those days when layering up to combat Winter chill is non-optional.
This month, I also took a leap and learned how to cut, solder and make a suncatcher with stained glass. Unfortunately, this did require a larger investment and I found it disappointing that there are no stores that sell these supplies anywhere even remotely close to me. I had to order everything online, even the sheets of coloured glass, which I would have preferred to have look at in person, because stained glass is similar to knitting in that every sheet multi-coloured sheet is completely unique, not unlike hand dyed yarn.
I cozied up this month, hunkering down knitting some columns on my Northeasterly by Skeinanigans. I love the emotional connections I have to all these leftover balls of sock yarn. It's like my memories from the time I knit with that yarn are imprinted in the yarn itself.
Honestly, I am still a bit on the fence about this pattern as a way to use up my scraps, it requires more attention in a way that I don't always have the capacity to give.
This month I finished two patterns from Andrea Mowry that were in works in progress.
The first finish was the Everyway Shawl. This is a very interesting concept and feels a bit like wearing a blanket around. I have found so far that if I wear it indoors, it's a bit to hot and outdoors, it doesn't fit under a coat and without a coat, it is a bit too chilly. But it is January and perhaps this shawl is better suited to fall when it's getting chilly but not enough to pull out the winter gear. Or perhaps this is a garment for a completely different climate than the one I live in.
The second finish was my So Faded pullover. I am disappinted with how this sweater turned out. In my case, I realize that the failures of my pullover are due to the fact that I didn't purchase a kit that was put together by people who understand the design more than I do. While I thought there was enough pops of colour in each of the fades as it went from a light value to a dark value, the pops of colour just kind of got lost and overall, the value changes in my pullover were too drastic. I think maybe the key of a So Faded would be to pick yarns in the same value family, much more subtle than I understood. The version I ended up with looks more like a colour blocked or striped sweater, rather than a gradient. I will likely ponder this sweater's existence for a few weeks and process the loss of time and the idea of the sweater, but ultimately, I won't wear it and I will be ripping it in order to get back the yarn.
No fault on the designer for either of these patterns but one hard part about knitting is investing the money and believing in a pattern, especially something that requires as much commitment as a sweater does and not get something out of it in the end, you are just out the money of the pattern and the time is lost.
But I keep knitting because I love it, and sticking to socks is really a small gamble. But I may keep attempting sweaters because I'm a raving loon.
This month was another interesting month of family emergencies and time spent out of town and in hospital. At least as a knitter, there is something to do in waiting rooms, of which I spent a lot of time.
I finished one pair of socks which were knit with a Crazy Zauberball, the purple is very comforting to me and when I looked it up, I found out that purple can represent a peace.
The So Faded by Andrea Mowry won me over, and I cast on this month and make some decent progress.
After finishing a pair of socks, I cast on another pair straightaway. The city where I was staying had the cutest little yarn shop and I popped in to grab a skein to start knitting. The skein of yarn reminded me of the fireplace at the house I was staying in. These socks ended up being gifted as a Christmas present.
All the buzz these days is the Northeasterly by Skeinanigans and since I am always on the lookout for new ways to use up sock yarn leftovers, this seems like a good bet and I set to casting this project on.
I completed the sweater I was working on, that would be The Weekender by Andrea Mowry. The finished sweater is probably boxier than I am used to wearing and I am not sure if this is something that really suits me.
In other news, I am think about making a So Faded by Andrea Mowry next, I am hearing and seeing lots of hype about this pullover and I wonder if a pullover would be more suitable to my taste. I purchase some yarns from Yarn Ink and am experimenting with how the fade might look.
That's it - Happy crafting! Nic ♥
PS Did you spot the quilt on my bed. I am still so much in love with it!
So this month I finished the requested quilt, I had used a quilt kit for this one and the batiks are really gorgeous some of the fabrics have a glint of gold. I was hoping to make sure that the finished quilt would appease the person who requested it. They seemed happy enough, but it is hard to tell.
For knitting this month, I started on the pattern The Weekender by Andrea Mowry, for this sweater, I decided to use Knit Picks Wool of the Andres Worsted because the suggested Brooklyn Tweed yarn was out of my budget. I have completed the body of the sweater and have started working on the sleeves, knitting the, two at a time so that they end up being identical.
Another month of processing grief. It really does come in waves. This project is a slow burn project I work on to quiet my mind. This is the Everyway Shawl by Andrea Mowry. I'm using Knit Picks Wool of the Andes.
Time pretty much got away from me this month. We had a tragic family event that I imagine is going to take a good long while to process.
Here is what I did get done, this is an Arika Cowl by Jane Richmond. I was really drawn to this item, but I will admit that I did not pair the yarn well with the pattern, I think the yarn I used works excellent for colourwork and thick fisherman's sweaters, maybe not so much for a garment meant to hang around the neck and have lovely tassles that move freely. I used Ístex Álafosslopi becuase the colour, called Orchid, sucked me in, but it ultimately this loosely plied Icelandic wool was the wrong choice of yarn.
I started a new pair of socks which are being knit from a double knit sock blank, which means I can knit them two at a time. This sock blank was one of a kind for sure! I purchased it from Black Market wool and written across the blank among pinks and yellows, was written "I AM A F*****G UNICORN". The way it knit up was a total surprise and I love it.
So I really enjoyed working on my Onward by Shannon Cook and got it finished and blocked and it's done! There really isn't enough that can be said about how perfect the Quince & Co Honey colourway is. Is is truly gold.
I really spent a lot of time this month ironing fabric to prepare it for cutting, then cutting out all the sizes needed for a quilt that I actually ended up purchasing a kit for. Sometimes I find it really hard to meet people's expectations when they ask me to make something, especially something that costs so much and takes up an incredible amount of my time. So in this case, by purchasing a kit, I was able to get approval beforehand to hopefully avoid disappointment, after going through all the steps to make the quilt. This will be a queen size quilt and all the fabrics in the quilt are coordinating batiks. So now that the cutting is done, it's time for me to get sewing.
This month I completed my Crazy Zauberball socks. I really really love knitting Crazy Zauberballs. The gradient is always so fun, the yarn is fantastic quality and I just can't help smiling. I did these ones a bit crazy and if you can tell, the gradient goes in one direction on one sock and the other direction on another. See, fun!
With no socks on my needles, I got right to work casting on a new sock. These socks will be knit one at a time from a sock blank. Seeing as Christmas is on the way, what could be better to get into the spirit than some Christmas Confetti yarn! I love the neon green and dark red, it kind of subverts classic Christmas colour expectations. This outstanding sock blank was a purchase I made from Stranded Dyeworks and came all the way across the ocean from the UK.
In an attempt to again save money and also keep knitting, I made the decision to rip another sweater I had previous knit. My personality is like that, I guess I am a process knitter, not a project knitter. So I had a small sweater's quantity of Quince & Co. chickadee in Honey. How lucky am I to get to knit with this delicious yarn twice.
The pattern I chose for round two of the Quince & Co is called Onward by Shannon Cook and part of the collaborative book, with Jane Richmond, called Journey, which I acquired a few months ago.
My Monster Socks are finished being knit and all done being blocked. There are a lot of my favourite yarns used in these socks which makes the socks carry quite a lot of nostalgia. I used a heel flap with eye of the partridge stitch because it really does fit my foot the best.
Also completed this month is my Ladies Classic Raglan Pullover by Jane Richmond and I have to say it is all that is promised to be! I'm really excited to get wearing this, but the weather has been quite warm this year, so I might have to hold off the fashion show until a bit later into this Winter season.
I finished a pair of socks this month, these are my Blueberry Waffle Socks by Sandy Turner made with Opal Best Friends 4-ply yarn in the colourway 8863.
Just for fun I cast on another another pair of Monster Socks that I am making with leftover fingering yarn.
After deciding I don't actually enjoy wearing cardigans that don't close in the front, I decided to rip back my Mama Vertebrae sweater and that gave me an entire sweater's quantity of yarn, free and clear.
After spending hours browsing, on Ravelry of course, I chose to knit a sweater that is definitely closed in the front, and that would be the Ladies Classic Raglan Pullover by Jane Richmond. I mean classic is right there in the title. Can't go wrong with this one. I'm happy to report that I made quick work if it, it being a very straightforward pattern, and I have completed the body and have finished a good portion of the sleeves. I was a little bit afraid that I would have lopsided sleeve lengths, and I knew this would definitely bother me, so I chose to knit the sleeves two-at-a-time, and this has been going excellent. The yarn of course, is the repurposed Malabrigo Rios in the colourway Indecita.
aThis May I completed a sweet pair of stockinette socks with a Fleegle Heel.
When I saw the Timber by Shannon Cook, I just had to cast on. For this cardigan, I found some Rowan Hemp Tweed on sale for a good price and the yarn store even had enough skeins in what must be my favourite colour to wear, teal, and that just sealed the deal.
I love the idea of this cardigan, but I did learn some lessons about myself. One, I find tweed itchy. Probably something I should have checked out before committing to the time and energy of knitting a cardigan, although, maybe some laundering will help soften it up. Secondly, I do not really enjoy open cardigans with no buttons. I realized this actually awhile ago, when I knit the Mama Vertebrae, but perhaps it was wishful thinking because I really love the idea of the Timber cardigan. So next time, maybe oversize and a soft, super plushy yarn!
After a couple weeks of waiting, the 5 grams of matching Quince & Co yarn I needed to finish my Birkin sweater arrived and it was worth the wait. This sweater is perfect and I am proud of how it turned out, it's gorgeous.
October brought with it one pair of self-stripping stockinette socks, which is a Knit Picks yarn. I knit these toes up, two at a time, and did an after-thought heel to preserve the striping. I will need to try a different afterthought heel next time, as this one is a tad snug on my apparently ginormous baseball of a heel. Chalk it up to a lessons learned. They are definitely still wearable and might even have some give after some wear, plus they are undeniably cute.
This month also brought with it a very well fought game of yarn chicken, that I ultimately lost :-( I had to put in a special order from Quince & Co to finshed maybe 1/2 inch of ribbing around the collar. Sigh.. that's ok, that's the way it goes sometimes.
In other news the sweater is almost completed and is seriously amazing. Just my style and fits perfectly. The sweater is Birkin by Amy Miller and I just know I will get a on of wear from it.
I knit a new toque, this is Everglade by Woolly Wormhead and the yarn was 100% wool in the colour Island Blue by The Wacky Windmill. I am super pleased with how it came out. I added a pom pom for whimsy, but no matter how hard I try to do a good job, my pom poms never really feel good an secure or even and fluffy.
And since I was in a hat knitting mood, I knit another toque, this one is Happy Happy, Joy Joy! by Melissa Stajda and I knit it out of my own handspun. The fibre I used was called The Cheshire Cat from The Wacky Windmill in Falkland.
I worked on a new sock in Regia sock colourway designed by Arne & Carlos the colour called Tokke, which I learned is the name of a municipality and a river in Telemark county, Norway and maybe their inspiration for this design. It is lovely and I am enjoying knitting on it.
This month I am also knitting on another sock blank. It's a purchase from Black Market Wool. The little pops of bright colours are marvelous.
In the spirit of jumping on the bandwagon, I attempted a pattern that everyone is raving about which is Rose City Rollers by Mara Catherine Bryner. It's a fun free pattern offering an easy ankle sock with a roll-top that can be made with super variegated yarn and pops of colour. For me at this time, they required a bit more attention than I had to give and I think the size or the yarn I chose didn't have much give, so they ended up being too snug for my foot. I will not knit the second sock, but hopefully can try again in the future, because the socks I've seen others making are darling.
May is a good month. I see a pattern of being especially inspired to get crafty in May.
This month I knit some socks using a contrasting toe, heel, and cuff. This bright mini paired with a speckled skein was put together by Kim of The Wacky Windmill and it couldn't be more perfect. I used a heel flap with eye of the partridge.
Since I am so drawn to purple, a purple with a sprinkle of glitter was irresistible to me. I like this colourway so much, that everything I thought to pair it seemed to detract from the loveliness of the yarn. So I went with a single skein project, which was Menehune by Mel Ski.
I knit and finished a pair of socks in a Patons socks yarn I nabbed only because they were on sale. They come in 50 gram balls, so were conveniently ready to cast on without breaking out my yarn swift.
So as a sock knitter, I have a substantial amount of leftover balls of yarn, each maybe 5-15 grams, which is too much to really make one project with, but not so little that I am comfortable just tossing it. So even thought the little balls look so cute and make me happy, they are multiplying quickly and before they take over, I've decided to experiment with some scrappy projects.
The scrappy scarf I chose is knit using a linen stitch, with the intention of breaking up some of the stripes and I think bring the stripes together. For me, this was very tedious. I concentrated on this project all month, working on nothing else, but didn't make a lot of headway and when I had just enough fabric to call it a scarf, I stopped.
Likely not something I will make again, or necessarily recommend to people, when worn though, this scarf is super warm and can really block the wind and the chill from creeping in.
