"The Fan" construction

Isager's The Fan/Viften in progress, a photo by Asplund on Flickr.

This is what it looks like folded into proper shape;
makes me eager to start knitting the missing sleeves!

Late last night I finished the raglan-shaped back section from the armholes to the back of the neck. I think Marianne Isager's construction is ingenious!

The border is to be seamed and then attached to the back. I think I will graft the pieces (Kitchener stitch) instead of a three-needle bind-off to avoid a welt. For the same reason I will probably knit the border in the round if I make it again.

Frogging and knitting

Isager cardigan (Viften/The Fan) in progress, a photo by Asplund on Flickr.

My stitch itch returned last week and full force too! What better way to celebrate than to start yet another project?

There was a turning point when I decided to frog a project I felt I wouldn't be pleased with if I finished it and knitted a couple of swatches to check gauge for different kinds of patterns and needle sizes.

Suddenly I remembered I had ideas how to modify an intriguing cardigan design by Marianne Isager that I knitted two years ago, "The Fan" from Japanese-inspired Knits.

Modifications:
1. Different border pattern decreases for a smoother look and feel (attempt to illustrate in photo above).

2. Back and fronts knitted together instead of separately to avoid seaming. If I make it a third time I will knit the border in the round to avoid a seam at the back of the neck.


3. Casting on a lot more loosely for a more pronounced scalloped effect than in my first version. I also used the cable cast-on method instead of the long-tail method and added a row (knits knitted on the wrong side) for the edge to curl a bit more. This may also be seen in the photo above, at least if you know about it!

4. Adding a row between border and main sections. This entailed making slipped stitches on the right side (easier to see when to make them) and decreases on the wrong side (looks smoother from the right side) instead of vice versa.

5. Adding an extra stitch for a selvedge, starting each row by slipping the first stitch with the yarn in front.

What else to say about this project? The yarn is lovely Lucca Fino Tweed from BC, and I use 3½ mm needles (US 4). 

Not knitting but rowing

As I haven't been knitting much lately (sic! at one point a whole week passed without a single stitch) there isn't much to write about my projects.

Instead, I could write a post about something a couple of people have asked me: how I manage to knit as much as I normally do.


1. Speed. I've become faster over the years.
2. Taking opportunities. I usually have a project with me so I can knit a few stitches while waiting for the bus or whatever. Fortunately, I don't mind knitting in public anymore - but it took many years, and I still try to find a corner to knit in.
3. I don't work full time. (It just feels like it!)
4. Not owning a car. I commute to work, which gives me a lot of knitting time each week. Most of the Estonian shawl was actually made on trains!
5. Multitasking. I think well while knitting and I usually plan things, write texts (letters, blog posts etc) mentally while knitting. Typing texts doesn't take much time once they're "knitted" into shape.

So, what have I been doing instead of knitting lately? Well, the most remarkable thing was finding some snow on 15 July during a trip to Härjedalen last week! This involved rowing across a lake, treading through mosquito-filled marshes and across barren hills before crossing the Norwegian border and walking some more. And then all the way back. Not much more than 12 kilometers (7½ miles) in all, but the hills were fairly steep and there wasn't much of a path.

Last, about the blog post title: here's a link to a poem I like, "Not waving but drowning" by Stevie Smith.

Lake Bolmagen

Bits and pieces

Bits and pieces, a photo by Asplund on Flickr.

Back in Sweden dreaming of Italy... It's a good thing it's possible to combine daydreaming and knitting!
I'm working with the sleeves for my twined sweater. My plan is to join the different parts to make a raglan.

In a comment on my previous post Annegret asked why I don't like knitting socks.  Actually, I'm not quite sure, but probably it's because I like bigger projects with a lot more space for patterns.

Edited to add: after reading yarndude's comment (not to mention trying to explain in words) I searched for a video that shows how you hold the strands and found this video.