For a couple of weeks I hardly knitted at all - for no particular reason, but I've discovered it's pointless trying to knit when I'm not in the mood. The advantage was that I suddenly had a lot more time to read books, which I also love doing.
A month or two ago I started knitting a shawl using wool from fellow knitter Kerry in Australia. I was fairly happy with the project but not quite (this too for no particular reason) but the other day I had an idea what to knit instead: it turns it it will be a multi-continental project. The wool is from Australia, I'm making use of the Estonian nupp pattern, and the garment will be typical of South America.
To my surprise I'm knitting a poncho! What made me go ahead with the idea was that I could try a couple of things I haven't done before. (Perhaps that's why I didn't knit for a couple of weeks, not feeling I was learning new things? Not that I always have to, but I want to keep developing my knowledge and skills.)
First, knitting lace in the round. It's easier and quicker, not having long rows of purl stitches - but to me it doesn't look quite as good. (Good enough not to frog it, though.) Knitting back and forth seems to have a levelling effect; in this project my decreases that slant to the right are looser than the ones slanting to the left.
Also, as I normally knit lace back and forth with yarnovers and decreases on right-side rows only, I tend to do them on all rows instead of every second now that all rows are knitted with the right side facing. So far, I have discovered such mistakes quickly.
The other thing I'm practising is knitting nupps in the round (7 stitches in one, then knit all 7 together on next row). It's definitely easier to knit than purl so many stitches together, but I miss the levelling effect of knitting back and forth here too: the stitch to the right of a nupp is very loose and the one to the left is rather tight. Well, practise might improve it.
Nu testar jag något nytt - nytt för mig, vill säga - nämligen att sticka spetsstickning på rundsticka. Det har både för- och nackdelar, tycker jag. En klar fördel är förstås att det inte blir långa varv med bara aviga maskor. Det är också enklare att sticka estniska nupp-mönster (i det här fallet sju maskor i en och så stickas alla sju ihop på nästa varv) när man gör hoptagningen på rätsidan. I någon gammal provlapp har jag testat att göra ökningarna på avigsidan och sticka ihop dem på rätsidan, men jag föredrar att göra all mönsterteknik vartannat varv, och så var det svårare att se vilken maska ökningarna skulle vara i. Tekniskt lättare, men på bekostnad av flyt i stickningen.
Nackdelen är att resultatet skevar lite väl mycket för min smak, fast inte så mycket att jag kommer att repa upp det. Jag skulle tro att det har en utjämnande effekt att sticka fram och tillbaka; nu är det rätt stor skillnad på lutningarna åt höger respektive vänster, då de förra är mycket lösare. Det är något liknande med maskorna på var sida om en nupp: den till höger är lös. Kanske blir det bättre ju mer jag stickar, men framöver kommer jag nog att återgå till att sticka spetsmönster fram och tillbaka. Det är ändå givande att testa nya saker!
Thursday, 29 November 2012
Thursday, 8 November 2012
"Crystal" shawl edges
Once a month there's a knittig café at Nordiska museet in Stockholm. (Not just a café, you can - and occasionally do - get a glass of wine too.) I was there yesterday and had a great time with knitter friends like Maria and Born to knit.
However, one of the first people I saw when I entered the museum was Queen Silvia, which was quite a surprise! She hadn't brought any knitting as far as I could see (shockingly bad manners) but was inspecting an upcoming exhibition of antiquities. Perhaps I should have invited her to join us?
I have almost finished my "Roman Crystal" shawl. The pattern is Marianne Kinzel's "English Crystal" from her First Book of Modern Lace Knitting. Thanks Ron for opening my eyes to the beauty of it! I made another shawl using this pattern not too long ago, but it's such a fun pattern to knit I wanted to use it again to bring out the beauty of the cashmere I bought in Rome recently.
The original design is a square that consists of four triangles and that is knitted in the round; instead, I knit three triangles back and forth. I also changed the edge. In the previous shawl (see photo above) I simply took the "Peacock's Eye" from another design in the same book. Sometimes I feel like Dr Frankenstein.
I tried the same idea now, but the cashmere is so much thicker that the big holes looked rather clumsy. Therefore, I kept the shape of the edge, but made three smaller holes instead.
Now that the shawl is almost finished I wish I had bought more of the yarn, but at the same time I'm happy I made up my mind how to use it so quickly as it is such a treat to work with.
There were a number of reasons behind my choice - here are the main ones that I always have in mind:
1. How to bring out the beauty of the yarn. In this case I thought the stocking-stitch parts would show off the lovely, slightly heathery shade of red.
2. What kind of garment is the yarn quality suitable for? Light and soft would make a nice shawl.
3. What is there enough yarn for? As I haven't worked with this yarn before, I couldn't be sure. (That's one of the main reasons I often use the same yarns over and over again.) A shawl with this kind of pattern is a good choice as you add repeats until you're out of yarn. (Well, not quite as simple as that in reality, but almost.)
4. Will I enjoy knitting it? As I probably have written before, I think life is too short to knit things I don't enjoy making. This pattern was fun to knit with enough variation to keep it from gettting monotonous - and it's quite fascinating seeing how different a pattern turns out depending on the yarn you choose.
5. Do I like the way it looks? Even if I won't wear it myself I want to enjoy looking at it while making it.
Regarding the last two points, I could add that I'm a proud member of the "Selfish knitters" group on Ravelry! I'm less selfish when it comes to making presents of the things I make - at least I hope and think so, even though I'm well aware I have far more sweaters than I need. ;-)
Kashmirsjalen är nästan klar - nu önskar jag att jag hade köpt mer! Det får bli fler resor till Rom, helt enkelt. Mönstret är "English Crystal" av Marianne Kinzel, men jag har gjort några ändringar. Originalet är en fyrkantig duk som består av fyra trianglar och som är stickad runt; jag har stickat tre trianglar fram och tillbaka i stället.
Jag har också gjort om kanten genom att knycka "Peacock's Eye" från samma bok ("First Book of Modern Lace Knitting") fast jag gjorde om den också genom att byta ut ett enda stort hål mot tre mindre, detta för att jag tyckte att det såg lite klumpigt ut med det här garnet som är tjockare än vad jag brukar välja till sjalar. Däremot stickade jag det enligt mönstret i en sjal jag gjorde tidigare i år - hur det blev kan man se i bilden överst i det här inlägget.
Det är inte så ofta jag stickar nästan samma mönster två gånger så tätt inpå varandra, men det här är ett roligt mönster med lagom mycket variation. Dessutom tänkte jag att det skulle passa till garnet. Allmänt kan jag säga att det finns fem faktorer som alltid ligger bakom mina val av projekt:
1. Hur får man garnet att komma till sin rätt? I det här fallet tänkte jag att de slätstickade partierna skulle framhäva de vackra skiftningarna i det röda.
2. Vad passar garnet till för slags plagg? Det här garnet var så mjukt och lätt att jag tänkte att det skulle kunna bli en skön sjal.
3. Hur mycket räcker garnet till? Ofta använder jag samma garner gång på gång, dels för att jag tycker att de håller hög kvalitet, dels för att jag vet på ett ungefär hur mycket som går åt till en tröja eller sjal. Det här garnet var en ny bekant, så en sjal kändes ganska säkert - man kan sticka så länge garnet räcker. (Riktigt så enkelt är det ju inte i verkligheten, men nästan.)
4. Kommer det att vara roligt att sticka? Livet är för kort för att sticka saker som jag inte gillar att sticka - och det ingår alltid moment som är rätt trista i alla fall. Det här mönstret var som sagt roligt och det är riktigt fascinerande att se hur olika samma mönster kan ta sig ut med olika garnkvaliteter. Oftast vill jag testa någon ny idé, så att jag känner att jag lär mig nya saker.
5. Tycker jag om hur det ser ut? Även om jag inte kommer att bära plagget själv så vill jag tycka om att titta på det under arbetets gång.
Jag är alltsåganska väldigt kräsen och rätt självisk när det gäller mina projekt. Mindre självisk när det gäller resultatet i alla fall. En hel del ger jag bort - fast visst är det så att jag har betydligt fler tröjor än jag egentligen behöver... ("Egentligen" är ett bra ord!)
However, one of the first people I saw when I entered the museum was Queen Silvia, which was quite a surprise! She hadn't brought any knitting as far as I could see (shockingly bad manners) but was inspecting an upcoming exhibition of antiquities. Perhaps I should have invited her to join us?
I have almost finished my "Roman Crystal" shawl. The pattern is Marianne Kinzel's "English Crystal" from her First Book of Modern Lace Knitting. Thanks Ron for opening my eyes to the beauty of it! I made another shawl using this pattern not too long ago, but it's such a fun pattern to knit I wanted to use it again to bring out the beauty of the cashmere I bought in Rome recently.
The original design is a square that consists of four triangles and that is knitted in the round; instead, I knit three triangles back and forth. I also changed the edge. In the previous shawl (see photo above) I simply took the "Peacock's Eye" from another design in the same book. Sometimes I feel like Dr Frankenstein.
I tried the same idea now, but the cashmere is so much thicker that the big holes looked rather clumsy. Therefore, I kept the shape of the edge, but made three smaller holes instead.
 |
| "Roman Crystal" shawl in progress |
Now that the shawl is almost finished I wish I had bought more of the yarn, but at the same time I'm happy I made up my mind how to use it so quickly as it is such a treat to work with.
There were a number of reasons behind my choice - here are the main ones that I always have in mind:
1. How to bring out the beauty of the yarn. In this case I thought the stocking-stitch parts would show off the lovely, slightly heathery shade of red.
2. What kind of garment is the yarn quality suitable for? Light and soft would make a nice shawl.
3. What is there enough yarn for? As I haven't worked with this yarn before, I couldn't be sure. (That's one of the main reasons I often use the same yarns over and over again.) A shawl with this kind of pattern is a good choice as you add repeats until you're out of yarn. (Well, not quite as simple as that in reality, but almost.)
4. Will I enjoy knitting it? As I probably have written before, I think life is too short to knit things I don't enjoy making. This pattern was fun to knit with enough variation to keep it from gettting monotonous - and it's quite fascinating seeing how different a pattern turns out depending on the yarn you choose.
5. Do I like the way it looks? Even if I won't wear it myself I want to enjoy looking at it while making it.
Regarding the last two points, I could add that I'm a proud member of the "Selfish knitters" group on Ravelry! I'm less selfish when it comes to making presents of the things I make - at least I hope and think so, even though I'm well aware I have far more sweaters than I need. ;-)
Kashmirsjalen är nästan klar - nu önskar jag att jag hade köpt mer! Det får bli fler resor till Rom, helt enkelt. Mönstret är "English Crystal" av Marianne Kinzel, men jag har gjort några ändringar. Originalet är en fyrkantig duk som består av fyra trianglar och som är stickad runt; jag har stickat tre trianglar fram och tillbaka i stället.
Jag har också gjort om kanten genom att knycka "Peacock's Eye" från samma bok ("First Book of Modern Lace Knitting") fast jag gjorde om den också genom att byta ut ett enda stort hål mot tre mindre, detta för att jag tyckte att det såg lite klumpigt ut med det här garnet som är tjockare än vad jag brukar välja till sjalar. Däremot stickade jag det enligt mönstret i en sjal jag gjorde tidigare i år - hur det blev kan man se i bilden överst i det här inlägget.
Det är inte så ofta jag stickar nästan samma mönster två gånger så tätt inpå varandra, men det här är ett roligt mönster med lagom mycket variation. Dessutom tänkte jag att det skulle passa till garnet. Allmänt kan jag säga att det finns fem faktorer som alltid ligger bakom mina val av projekt:
1. Hur får man garnet att komma till sin rätt? I det här fallet tänkte jag att de slätstickade partierna skulle framhäva de vackra skiftningarna i det röda.
2. Vad passar garnet till för slags plagg? Det här garnet var så mjukt och lätt att jag tänkte att det skulle kunna bli en skön sjal.
3. Hur mycket räcker garnet till? Ofta använder jag samma garner gång på gång, dels för att jag tycker att de håller hög kvalitet, dels för att jag vet på ett ungefär hur mycket som går åt till en tröja eller sjal. Det här garnet var en ny bekant, så en sjal kändes ganska säkert - man kan sticka så länge garnet räcker. (Riktigt så enkelt är det ju inte i verkligheten, men nästan.)
4. Kommer det att vara roligt att sticka? Livet är för kort för att sticka saker som jag inte gillar att sticka - och det ingår alltid moment som är rätt trista i alla fall. Det här mönstret var som sagt roligt och det är riktigt fascinerande att se hur olika samma mönster kan ta sig ut med olika garnkvaliteter. Oftast vill jag testa någon ny idé, så att jag känner att jag lär mig nya saker.
5. Tycker jag om hur det ser ut? Även om jag inte kommer att bära plagget själv så vill jag tycka om att titta på det under arbetets gång.
Jag är alltså
Friday, 2 November 2012
When in Rome
New sweater in progress: a second version of Marianne Isager's "Munken" (the monk) but with some new modifications. Like last time, I'm skipping the hood, but this time my plan is to make some kind of shawl collar - therefore, the neck opening is rectangular.
Writing to a knitter friend recently I realized that I've been surprisingly good at sticking to my stash-decreasing intention to make two projects with yarn from my stash before I may buy new yarn.
Good boys get to buy good yarn - and if they're really lucky they get to buy it in Rome! I'm back in Stockholm now, but the day before yesterday I bought some gorgeous cashmere at Lana della Vecchia near Campo dei Fiori. There were many beautiful colours, but this shade of red was Rome to me more than the other ones.
Till min stora förvåning insåg jag nyligen att jag har varit riktigt bra på att använda mer garn ur förrådet än jag lägger till det (två plagg med garn jag redan har innan jag får köpa nytt) så då var det ju min plikt att köpa garn när jag var i Rom nyligen. Det gick ganska fort att välja garn (kashmir!) men var desto svårare att välja bland alla de vackra färgerna som fanns. Till slut blev det den som var mest Rom för mig.
Annars håller jag på med en ny version av Marianne Isagers "Munken" fast med några ändringar. Det blir inte någon huva den här gången heller utan jag funderar på någon typ av omlottkrage.
Writing to a knitter friend recently I realized that I've been surprisingly good at sticking to my stash-decreasing intention to make two projects with yarn from my stash before I may buy new yarn.
Good boys get to buy good yarn - and if they're really lucky they get to buy it in Rome! I'm back in Stockholm now, but the day before yesterday I bought some gorgeous cashmere at Lana della Vecchia near Campo dei Fiori. There were many beautiful colours, but this shade of red was Rome to me more than the other ones.
Till min stora förvåning insåg jag nyligen att jag har varit riktigt bra på att använda mer garn ur förrådet än jag lägger till det (två plagg med garn jag redan har innan jag får köpa nytt) så då var det ju min plikt att köpa garn när jag var i Rom nyligen. Det gick ganska fort att välja garn (kashmir!) men var desto svårare att välja bland alla de vackra färgerna som fanns. Till slut blev det den som var mest Rom för mig.
Annars håller jag på med en ny version av Marianne Isagers "Munken" fast med några ändringar. Det blir inte någon huva den här gången heller utan jag funderar på någon typ av omlottkrage.
Friday, 12 October 2012
Just in time
Last weekend I was lucky enough to be one of the workshop leaders in this beautiful building. What's more, I was lucky to get there in time (well, two minutes before my first workshop started) as something went wrong with the car I was going to borrow from a friend. This happened on Friday evening and I needed the car in the morning... Born to knit and I had to take the train to the nearest town instead, where one of the participants was kind enough to pick us up and drive us to Härjarö.
It would have been great to be able to stay the whole weekend, but a dear colleague of mine had a birthday party in the evening, so I had to rush from the knitting event as well - picked up by someone else who was going there and was kind enough to drive all the way to get me. There's nothing like friendliness!
What do you think I gave my colleague - a lace shawl, a polar-bear rug or my nephew?
Correct answer: a shawl based on Marianne Kinzel's "English Crystal" design in her First Book of Modern Lace Knitting. Yarn: "Viva" from Wetterhoff; 4 mm needles (US 6).
In reality the shawl is raspberry red. I'm not sure Kinzel would have approved as she cautions the reader not to use yarn "of a conspicuous colour, as this is not in the lace-making tradition." This isn't meant to criticize her; I just find it interesting how different opinions people can have about crafts. (Not to mention how one's personal opinions can change over time!) Also, I'm sure it makes a difference the book was first published in the 50s.
Speaking of shawls, at long last I have started a project using wonderful laceweight wool Kerry gave me last year. I've found inspiration in a fabulous Estonian stitch dictionary, The Haapsalu Shawl by Reimann & Edasi.
It would have been great to be able to stay the whole weekend, but a dear colleague of mine had a birthday party in the evening, so I had to rush from the knitting event as well - picked up by someone else who was going there and was kind enough to drive all the way to get me. There's nothing like friendliness!
What do you think I gave my colleague - a lace shawl, a polar-bear rug or my nephew?
Correct answer: a shawl based on Marianne Kinzel's "English Crystal" design in her First Book of Modern Lace Knitting. Yarn: "Viva" from Wetterhoff; 4 mm needles (US 6).
In reality the shawl is raspberry red. I'm not sure Kinzel would have approved as she cautions the reader not to use yarn "of a conspicuous colour, as this is not in the lace-making tradition." This isn't meant to criticize her; I just find it interesting how different opinions people can have about crafts. (Not to mention how one's personal opinions can change over time!) Also, I'm sure it makes a difference the book was first published in the 50s.
Speaking of shawls, at long last I have started a project using wonderful laceweight wool Kerry gave me last year. I've found inspiration in a fabulous Estonian stitch dictionary, The Haapsalu Shawl by Reimann & Edasi.
 |
| Estonian-Australian shawl |
Sunday, 30 September 2012
"Aberlady" sweater finished
About a week ago I finished my "Aberlady" sweater, but it took days (literally) for it to dry. This is one of my all-time favourite patterns, by my favourite designer Alice Starmore. A Flickr friend of mine suggested I rename this project "Aberlord" :-)
The photo above shows the pattern, but the photo below shows the colour of the yarn better, a light blueish grey of Rowan Creative Linen ("Foggy" 624). And in case you're wondering, yes, those are my lips. Kiss, kiss, dear readers!
I'm making "Water Lily" shawl progress. The photo in my previous post gives a better idea of the pattern, but in this one it is easier to see the shape I have in mind.
Check out Ylva's glorious cuffs! Twined knitting, magnificently decorated.
Nu har "Aberlady" äntligen torkat - det tog flera dagar, men det var det värt att vänta på. Jag tycker att garnet (Rowan creative linen) är som gjort för den här sortens mönster, hälften lin och hälften bomull. Den är lite svår att fotografera, bara: i den övre bilden ser man mönstret men den undre gör färgen mer rättvisa. Och ja, det är jag som är i den om ni undrar - puss på er!
Sjalen jag håller på med är ett nöje att sticka! Den kommer att bli v-formad, och så tänker jag mig någon typ av kant runt den.
The photo above shows the pattern, but the photo below shows the colour of the yarn better, a light blueish grey of Rowan Creative Linen ("Foggy" 624). And in case you're wondering, yes, those are my lips. Kiss, kiss, dear readers!
I'm making "Water Lily" shawl progress. The photo in my previous post gives a better idea of the pattern, but in this one it is easier to see the shape I have in mind.
.jpg) |
| "Water Lily" shawl |
Check out Ylva's glorious cuffs! Twined knitting, magnificently decorated.
Nu har "Aberlady" äntligen torkat - det tog flera dagar, men det var det värt att vänta på. Jag tycker att garnet (Rowan creative linen) är som gjort för den här sortens mönster, hälften lin och hälften bomull. Den är lite svår att fotografera, bara: i den övre bilden ser man mönstret men den undre gör färgen mer rättvisa. Och ja, det är jag som är i den om ni undrar - puss på er!
Sjalen jag håller på med är ett nöje att sticka! Den kommer att bli v-formad, och så tänker jag mig någon typ av kant runt den.
Saturday, 29 September 2012
Wedding shawl
Here is a colleague of mine on her wedding day a couple of weeks ago (haven't found any matching wallpaper of curtains for her to pose next to) in the shawl I was honoured to make for her. The shawl is greener in reality, which you can see in this post.
I've started knitting a pattern from a book I bought some time ago, "Water Lily" from The Haapsalu Shawl by Reimann & Edasi. This is a pattern that actually doesn't have any nupps in it - but I like it anyway ;-)
In the book it is used in a rectangular design, but I thought it would work well in a triangular shape. This shawl will be V-shaped, though: I've divided the triangle in halves and am knitting the first half in a way to make it slant outwards from the middle. It will be similar to this shawl, which I made a couple of years ago.
I've started knitting a pattern from a book I bought some time ago, "Water Lily" from The Haapsalu Shawl by Reimann & Edasi. This is a pattern that actually doesn't have any nupps in it - but I like it anyway ;-)
 |
| "Water Lily" shawl in progress |
In the book it is used in a rectangular design, but I thought it would work well in a triangular shape. This shawl will be V-shaped, though: I've divided the triangle in halves and am knitting the first half in a way to make it slant outwards from the middle. It will be similar to this shawl, which I made a couple of years ago.
Saturday, 22 September 2012
Odd man out
Today I attended a book release at Litet Nystan in Stockholm: the best knitting book I have seen for a long time, "Maskor och Medeltid" (stitches and the Middle Ages) by Anna-Karin Lundberg.
She has found inspiration for patterns in Medieval churches in the province of Uppland. In the book there is an abundance of photos of both knits and the paintings that inspired her.
Not only did I add a glorious new knitting book to my shelves, I also got to see many of the knits from the book on display in the shop - and many knitter friends I don't see nearly enough. I got an opportunity to meet the writer-designer-knitter too!
You can only see glimses of a few of Anna-Karin's projects in my photo above, but there is a lot more to see if you visit her homepage Kajsa Sticks. (It's in both Swedish and English.)
She has found inspiration for patterns in Medieval churches in the province of Uppland. In the book there is an abundance of photos of both knits and the paintings that inspired her.
Not only did I add a glorious new knitting book to my shelves, I also got to see many of the knits from the book on display in the shop - and many knitter friends I don't see nearly enough. I got an opportunity to meet the writer-designer-knitter too!
You can only see glimses of a few of Anna-Karin's projects in my photo above, but there is a lot more to see if you visit her homepage Kajsa Sticks. (It's in both Swedish and English.)
Sunday, 9 September 2012
Preparing for a workshop
On Thursday I'm leading a workshop how to knit cables at Litet Nystan. It's the first time I'm teaching cable patterns, so it's exciting! Fortunately, I enjoy swatching: here's one of the two swatches I'm going to let the participants knit.
First there are five ways to use a cable, then another five. I like having several different things in one swatch for comparison and thought it would be clearer with a change of colours.
I'm making progress with the Aberlady sweater, now knitting the second sleeve.
My favourite method for shoulder joins is a three-needle bind-off. This is what the wrong side looks like:
Here's how you do it: instead of casting off when you've reached the shoulders you keep the stitches on a needle or a thread. When you've knitted both front and back sections, you cast the back and front stitches of together (with the wrong side facing you unless you want the ridge on the outside - it could be used as a decoration). Back and front will meet beautifully if they end after a whole repeat or in the middle of one:
Ever thought knitters were frightening? I never did - until I saw this post by crochet bloke Theo. Enjoy!
First there are five ways to use a cable, then another five. I like having several different things in one swatch for comparison and thought it would be clearer with a change of colours.
I'm making progress with the Aberlady sweater, now knitting the second sleeve.
My favourite method for shoulder joins is a three-needle bind-off. This is what the wrong side looks like:
 |
| wrong side |
Here's how you do it: instead of casting off when you've reached the shoulders you keep the stitches on a needle or a thread. When you've knitted both front and back sections, you cast the back and front stitches of together (with the wrong side facing you unless you want the ridge on the outside - it could be used as a decoration). Back and front will meet beautifully if they end after a whole repeat or in the middle of one:
 |
| right side |
Ever thought knitters were frightening? I never did - until I saw this post by crochet bloke Theo. Enjoy!
Sunday, 2 September 2012
"Aberlady" sweater in progress
First of all, thanks for your comments on my "Shells" sweater! (And christinelaennec: thanks for making me laugh with what you wrote about the string of pearls!)
I had barely cast off before I bought more Rowan creative linen and cast on to make another sweater This too is a design by Alice Starmore, "Aberlady" from her book The Celtic Collection. Starmore for president!
I had barely cast off before I bought more Rowan creative linen and cast on to make another sweater This too is a design by Alice Starmore, "Aberlady" from her book The Celtic Collection. Starmore for president!
Thursday, 16 August 2012
Shells sweater finished
I'm really happy with this sweater, very much thanks to the yarn that I tried for the first time. Rowan Creative Linen (50% cotton, 50% linen) is nice to work with as it softer than 100% linen, but the linen gives it an attractive sheen.
The needle size recommended is 4½ mm (US 7) but I used 3 mm (US 2½) for a better relief effect. Actually, I could use even thinner needles, but that would require more yarn - and the sweater is heavy enough as it is, weighing some 850 grams. Also, this gauge was perfect for the number of repeats I wanted.
A couple of days ago I bought a circular needle and must say I am rather intrigued by the picture that went with it. Is this what you will look like if you use this particular knitting needle?
I should add that I'm really pleased with the needle: it's comfortable to work with, the points are just as sharp as I like, and the size is printed on it. But what made them choose this picture to sell it? Well, in my case it obviously worked!
 |
| Shells sweater: front |
The needle size recommended is 4½ mm (US 7) but I used 3 mm (US 2½) for a better relief effect. Actually, I could use even thinner needles, but that would require more yarn - and the sweater is heavy enough as it is, weighing some 850 grams. Also, this gauge was perfect for the number of repeats I wanted.
A couple of days ago I bought a circular needle and must say I am rather intrigued by the picture that went with it. Is this what you will look like if you use this particular knitting needle?
I should add that I'm really pleased with the needle: it's comfortable to work with, the points are just as sharp as I like, and the size is printed on it. But what made them choose this picture to sell it? Well, in my case it obviously worked!
Friday, 3 August 2012
"Shells" sweater progress: collar
Today I thought I'd share how I knit the collar.
I divided the front where I wanted the collar to start (it had to be deep enough, but after a whole pattern repeat to make it look nice) not in the middle but after the middle panel. For this panel I replaced the shells with ribbing
To knit the second half I cast on the number of stitches required for another middle panel with a ribbing pattern, and later sewed it in place on the wrong side to make the seam as invisible as possible.
After joining the shoulders (using the three-needle bind-off method) I started knitting the collar back and forth: first one of the front halves, then the stitches from the back, then the second front. I will probably knit about 10-15 cm (4-6 in) from here.
I divided the front where I wanted the collar to start (it had to be deep enough, but after a whole pattern repeat to make it look nice) not in the middle but after the middle panel. For this panel I replaced the shells with ribbing
To knit the second half I cast on the number of stitches required for another middle panel with a ribbing pattern, and later sewed it in place on the wrong side to make the seam as invisible as possible.
After joining the shoulders (using the three-needle bind-off method) I started knitting the collar back and forth: first one of the front halves, then the stitches from the back, then the second front. I will probably knit about 10-15 cm (4-6 in) from here.
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
18th century-style stockings
I managed to finish the stockings just in time for an 18th century-style weekend at Skansen, an open-air museum in Stockholm. The purl stars on the calves are barely visible in this photo, but they show better in reality. And no, those aren't my legs but they belong to a member of an 18th century society.
I celebrated finishing the stockings by casting on to knit a sweater, Alice Starmore's "Cape Cod" from her book Fishermen's Sweaters. I knitted it in 2006 and will modify it the same way, keeping the shells and cables but changing the model. Here is a photo of the original design.
The pattern works very well with Rowan Creative Linen (50% cotton and 50% linen), I think.
At the back of the neck I have added an A for Asplund (and/or for Alice Starmore) instead of half a shell - shaping the neck would behead the shell anyway. Not that it will show, though, because I will use the same kind of collar as I did last time. I think it goes well with the "sea theme" of the pattern.
Ron asked about "Viften/The Fan" - it was lucky enough to get to move to my aunt Caroline!
I celebrated finishing the stockings by casting on to knit a sweater, Alice Starmore's "Cape Cod" from her book Fishermen's Sweaters. I knitted it in 2006 and will modify it the same way, keeping the shells and cables but changing the model. Here is a photo of the original design.
 |
| "Shells" 2012: Rowan Creative Linen |
The pattern works very well with Rowan Creative Linen (50% cotton and 50% linen), I think.
At the back of the neck I have added an A for Asplund (and/or for Alice Starmore) instead of half a shell - shaping the neck would behead the shell anyway. Not that it will show, though, because I will use the same kind of collar as I did last time. I think it goes well with the "sea theme" of the pattern.
 |
| "Shells" sweater 2006: Rowan Felted Tweed |
Ron asked about "Viften/The Fan" - it was lucky enough to get to move to my aunt Caroline!
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
An exception
Normally, I don't knit socks - for no particular reason, I just don't enjoy it very much. (But I admire hand-knitted socks and the work and skills behind them.)
However, I'm in the middle of an exception after agreeing to knit a pair about a year ago, getting the yarn about half a year ago. What attracted me was knitting something to be part of an 18th-century style costume (they're for a member of the society of Gustafs Skål), trying to create something that could have been worn in the late 1700s.
What didn't attract me is knitting a lot of stocking stitch with hardly any patterns. Fortunately, I thought of a picture in a book I one saw: a pair of knee-length stockings with a stars on the calves, stars that grew smaller to harmonize with the decreases - and perhaps to accentuate and draw attention to a shapely calf? (Or a trompe-l'œil effect to make a less fortunate wearer's calves look shapely?)
However that may be, I tried to do something similar here - to make them less tedious to knit - even though I'm certain those stockings weren't that old, and for all I know stockings may not have been decorated like this in the 1700s.
I had a lot more fun knitting Marianne Isager's Viften/The Fan for the fourth time, now a red one using Drops Silke-Tweed (discontinued) from my stash. I reused my modifications from last year.
However, I'm in the middle of an exception after agreeing to knit a pair about a year ago, getting the yarn about half a year ago. What attracted me was knitting something to be part of an 18th-century style costume (they're for a member of the society of Gustafs Skål), trying to create something that could have been worn in the late 1700s.
What didn't attract me is knitting a lot of stocking stitch with hardly any patterns. Fortunately, I thought of a picture in a book I one saw: a pair of knee-length stockings with a stars on the calves, stars that grew smaller to harmonize with the decreases - and perhaps to accentuate and draw attention to a shapely calf? (Or a trompe-l'œil effect to make a less fortunate wearer's calves look shapely?)
However that may be, I tried to do something similar here - to make them less tedious to knit - even though I'm certain those stockings weren't that old, and for all I know stockings may not have been decorated like this in the 1700s.
Monday, 9 July 2012
"Knit & purl" sweater no 2
Here's a sweater I finished for my mother recently, "Knit & purl" from Classic Knits by Marianne Isager. These pattern borders are a lot of fun to knit, easy but enough variation to keep them from getting monotonous.
I've taken a couple of liberties with the design, though:
1. The original is a raglan sweater. I do like raglans, but thought these horizontal borders would look better in a straighter shape.
2. I knitted the pieces back and forth instead of in the round. It's easy with this kind of pattern, and I wanted to accentuate the side seams with vertical lines similar to where I picked up stitches for the sleeves and the sleeve seams.
I was lucky enough to get to the right length with the diagonal borders, so the shoulder join looks nice:
The sleeves were too long first, but as I had knitted them top-down it was easy to fix: I ripped the cuff and let border above it become the new cuff. I thought of ripping that border too and reknit the 2x2 cuff pattern, but thought it looked nice with the diagonal lines.
Unfortunately, this yarn (BC Lucca Fino) has been discontinued, but at least I have enough of it for another sweater in my stash.
I've taken a couple of liberties with the design, though:
1. The original is a raglan sweater. I do like raglans, but thought these horizontal borders would look better in a straighter shape.
2. I knitted the pieces back and forth instead of in the round. It's easy with this kind of pattern, and I wanted to accentuate the side seams with vertical lines similar to where I picked up stitches for the sleeves and the sleeve seams.
 |
| side seam |
I was lucky enough to get to the right length with the diagonal borders, so the shoulder join looks nice:
 |
| shoulder join |
The sleeves were too long first, but as I had knitted them top-down it was easy to fix: I ripped the cuff and let border above it become the new cuff. I thought of ripping that border too and reknit the 2x2 cuff pattern, but thought it looked nice with the diagonal lines.
 |
| The first sleeve version; I think the final one looks better. |
Unfortunately, this yarn (BC Lucca Fino) has been discontinued, but at least I have enough of it for another sweater in my stash.
Sunday, 24 June 2012
My favourite spot
Right now I'm into needlepoint rather than knitting; this is a design from Ehrman by Elian McCready. Lilies are probably the flowers I like best, and all the vibrant colours made it quite irresistible! It's quite relaxing simply filling in the colours somebody else has decided. It's funny, though, how stitching is so enjoyable when sewing a single button in place is so mind-blowingly tedious.
I bought the kit about half a year ago, but it has been too dark to stitch most of the months since then - I need daylight not to mix up all the shades.
This is my favourite place to knit and stitch. Perfect daylight from behind, a comfortable chair (a shawl-chair swap with my aunt) not to mention often listening to my SO playing the harpsichord (yes!) in the living room.
Feel free to envy me - I practically do myself! ;-)
Just nu är det roligare med stramaljbroderi än stickning - och med semester och dagsljus går det betydligt bättre att se skillnad på alla nyanserna än under de mörka vintermånaderna. I den här stolen sitter jag perfekt: otroligt bekvämt och med dagsljus i ryggen. (Jag bytte den till mig för ett par år sedan: en stol mot en sjal.) Dessutom får jag ofta njuta av cembalomusik när min sambo sitter och spelar i rummet intill! Ja, jag har det oförskämt bra.
I bought the kit about half a year ago, but it has been too dark to stitch most of the months since then - I need daylight not to mix up all the shades.
This is my favourite place to knit and stitch. Perfect daylight from behind, a comfortable chair (a shawl-chair swap with my aunt) not to mention often listening to my SO playing the harpsichord (yes!) in the living room.
Feel free to envy me - I practically do myself! ;-)
Just nu är det roligare med stramaljbroderi än stickning - och med semester och dagsljus går det betydligt bättre att se skillnad på alla nyanserna än under de mörka vintermånaderna. I den här stolen sitter jag perfekt: otroligt bekvämt och med dagsljus i ryggen. (Jag bytte den till mig för ett par år sedan: en stol mot en sjal.) Dessutom får jag ofta njuta av cembalomusik när min sambo sitter och spelar i rummet intill! Ja, jag har det oförskämt bra.
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