Adding even more to my stash

Cardigan in progress, a photo by Asplund on Flickr.

What to do when you can't decide how to go on with your sweater(s)? Well, you can always cast on to make another one!

Even though (useful expression!) I shouldn't (also good!) really (one more!) keep adding to my stash before I've knitted up more of it, I just couldn't resist some of the many gorgeous things I found at GarnGalleriet.

To be honest, I even told myself it was my duty to get knitting-related things for what I earned leading knitting workshops. And I bought the argument without making a fuss. Here's what I got:

A pattern book, 5 hanks of blue wool, 3 hanks of white cashmere, 5 hanks of green wool, a cardigan kit

Solveig Hisdal's "Wedding cardigan" may be my top favourite design from her book Poetry in Stitches. I'm modifying the pattern in different ways, though, mainly to avoid long floats with both strands. Just one is ok, but two is too time-consuming to catch.

I recently found pretty Japanese pears on sale at Litet nystan and decided to use them in this project. Instead of the original's yellow pearls among the yellow leaves, I've added a row of green and blue pearls near the picot edge.

The yarn is thin, and the instructions in the kit tell you to use two strands. Instead, I'm using one strand and thinner needles (2 mm/US 0) - and more stitches. I did this to make the cardigan lighter and because I believe four strands in all might make it too warm to wear very often. And simply to see if it works!

PS I recently started and finished a vest with some yarn bought a few years ago, which shows I am capable of using my stash - and which means it's ok to add to it whenever I like ;-)

Sweater progress

Thorsten fiskares tröja, a photo by Asplund on Flickr.

Back and front done and armhole steeks cut; next step will be joining the shoulders.

Knowing roughly but not exactly what I want to achieve I've been thinking, testing, ripping out, reknitting, rethinking and so on and so forth for a couple of weeks. I've practically made up my mind now:

• Keeping the original design's black and white square pattern.
• Knitting separate saddles instead of finishing the back and front parts with the squares.
• Skipping a horizontal border pattern between main pattern and squares.
• Incorporating the saddle live stitches from the provisional cast on and the last row when knitting the sleeve and neckband.

To be continued...




Thanks for kind and flattering words about my needlework! :)

Carolina asked about blocking and using a frame when stitching. I have thought about using frames to make blocking easer, but like the freedom without a frame: easier both to turn while stitching and to carry around. (I sometimes stitch on trains and buses.) Blocking it to get the right shape can be quite difficult, thouhg, but I guess you can see it as good exercise.

Asplund stitches

Roman head, a photo by Asplund on Flickr.

A few years ago I did quite a lot of needlepoint and cross-stitch (Flickr set here) but it wasn't until I came across this needlepoint design by Candace Bahouth at Wincent that I returned to stitching.

I completed the last stitch half an hour ago, and as you can see it will have to be blocked into a square shape. It was a lot of fun to make with all the different kinds of patterns, and I love working with this orgy of colours - you just couldn't knit it, unless you don't mind knitwear about 5 centimetres thick. I haven't decided how to use it, but might make a cushion.

Wrap and sweater progress

Bressay-ish hap wrap, a photo by Asplund on Flickr.

Bressay-ish hap wrap by Sharon Miller: I've finished the centre section, picked up stitches around it and started knitting the border - and it looks as if I'm trying to knit a brain! Or an udder.

Thorsten fiskares tröja (Fisherman Thorsten's sweater) by Celia B. Dackenberg: I'm getting closer to the shoulders. The original has a similar square in front, but with initials and a year. I wanted some kind of picture instead and found a bird in a book by Britta Johanson, modified it slightly and mirrored it, put a kind of tree in the middle and added some of the picot edge red.

About the edge: you're quite right, Ron - there are two purl rows above the join. I've found it helps keeping it from folding outwards.

Thorsten fiskares tröja