Knit Meter

Saturday, March 23, 2024

A Finished Project

 

I have mentioned that last year I was given a load of yarn when a friend moved. I was also given some other yarn when another friend moved. This latter yarn was Skein Tones from Lion Brand. I could have used this for hats but I was given 14 skeins, which is a lot of hats, plus with that many a bigger project seemed a better use.

I had 2 skeins in each of five colours, 3 skeins in one colour and 1 skein in another colour. I decided to make a blanket for the giver’s daughter. The blanket would be crocheted so that it wouldn’t take forever to finish and I decided to hold the yarn double not only for speed but to add to the squish factor. I also decided it would be fun to fade the colours, so one colour was used then it was held with another colour and then that colour was used. In other words, two strands of A were worked together, then a strand of A and B together; then two strands of B, then a strand of B and C and so on.

This put the single skein out of the picture, and one of the colours didn’t fit in with the rest. So I was left with five colours to work with. A quick search on Ravelry came up with a simple pattern – Alissa EasyThrow – which is free on the designer’s website (link goes to website). It is a simple two row pattern of one row single crochets and one row of double crochets in what is called Granny Stitch. As my gauge was completely different to the pattern’s I worked a single crochet foundation chain until I thought it was a good width for a kid’s blanket. (OK. I actually did this twice because after a few rows it was obvious it was far too wide.) I didn’t worry about each section having the same number of rows but I did change colours at the beginning of a row and I finished with a single crochet row to match the start. Overall I used 2 skeins each of the three middle colours and just over 1 ½ skeins each of the two end colours.

I am really happy with it. And the recipient said they couldn’t believe it was the yarn they had purchased. The only bummer is that this is the only photo I took of the completed project.


 

Saturday, March 2, 2024

February Socks

 

This year is starting well with a pair of socks completely knitted in each month. (I won’t be able to show off January’s pair until later in the year.)

For February there were two designers and two techniques/themes. The latter were repeats and design your own, neither of which I was especially interested in. So I was hoping that I had at least one of the designers’ patterns. And I had five patterns that I had not previously made by one of the designers – Caoua Coffee. Next to pair up yarn with one of the patterns. I chose an orange yarn that I had purchased in the closing down sale in 2021. (Dizzy Blonde Studios Lambie Toes)This was not as tonal as I was expecting but still worked well with the pattern. Caoua Coffee’s patterns are always interesting but well written and not hard and this was no exception, with the start of round changing on several rows.

This yarn was really hard to photograph and capture the true colour. It is a deep orange but my phone wanted to capture it much lighter. And before I forget the pattern is Canon by Caoua Coffee which I had added to my Ravelry library in December 2019. I used about 75g of yarn with size 2.25mm double pointed needles.


 

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Anytime of the Year Pi.

 

I have made a number of shawls that I have started on Pi Day. Either March 14 or 22 July. The aim with these projects is to start on a Pi date and finish on the next Pi date. This has not always occurred and the latest Pi variant is a good example. I started it in July 2022 which would give me more than seven months to complete; if I hadn’t run out of steam. There were two main problems:-1, I didn’t like the yarn; 2, the border chart was completely wrong.

I had got the yarn in a swap and it is totally not my colours. I should have just put it in the thrift pile but it was Noro and it wasn’t that bad. It could have stayed in my stash but I was determined to use it. I the end I just didn’t have the enthusiasm to finish the shawl until I decided I would give it to my Mum and then I was eager to work the border. Except the chart for the border was completely wrong. This was a free pattern and the designer was deceased, so no asking for help. It wasn’t a case of one row being incorrect - none of the rows matched up with the previous row. Rather deflated I eventually went through my pattern books until I chose something that was similar to the original intent. Imagine my stress when I found a mistake in that pattern too. At least that was an easy fix.

Although I had decided to give this away, I wasn’t going to rush to finish it ahead of other projects. In fact I wasn’t even going to touch it during the WIP Along. Except I calculated how many rows per day I would have to work to finish it by the end of the year and suddenly finishing was doable. In the end I completed all the knitting before the end of November and blocked it and sewed in the ends by the end of that month. It felt great to have it finished and not have to think about it anymore and I gave it to my Mum so I didn’t have to think about that either.


 

We are coming up to Pi Day. Will I, should I start a shawl? Part of me says yes because it is fun knitting to arbitrary deadlines. But a bigger part of me says no because I don’t want another shawl plus I don’t really have suitable yarn to use. But you never know what the future holds.

Friday, February 23, 2024

A Quick Project

 

Don’t ask me why I cast on, but I had a quick make this week. I saw a cute hat pattern and that the designer was having a knit along. I have finished all my year-long projects for February and had time to work this and I knew I had yarn in my stash. So pattern was purchased and project started on 14 February and the knitting finished on 20 February , with it being blocked on 21 February, the last day of the knit along.

The main yarn is Cosette by Dream in Color, a Christmas gift in 2022 and the pink is MadTosh DK from a friend’s left overs. I  used just under 50g of the Cosette and about 7g of the MadTosh.

One thing I have decided for this year is to be true to myself when rating books – I need to give more 5-stars and more 2-stars. And I need to continue to be honest about yarn and knitting patterns.

This pattern is Lonely Hearts Club 2024 by Becky Beagell, AKA GoGlitterNinjaGo, a previously unknown to me designer. Usually I would check out other designs and comments before purchasing a pattern by an unknown designer but a hat pattern being poorly written is a small annoyance.

The hat comes in five sizes from Baby to Adult and overall the pattern is well written and easy to follow including descriptions and video links to the special stitches. I just have a couple of minor comments; one about the written pattern and one about the design.

The pattern is 19 rows and a six-stitch repeat and is presented as a chart and written. I love having the choice as sometimes I find the words easier to follow and sometimes the symbols. In this case I was following the written directions and wondered why it didn’t say when to change colour. Because at the start of the written directions it says:- “NOTE: If you are working from the Written Dip Chart directions, be sure to refer to the chart for color changes.” Ack! If I wanted to follow the chart I would, plus as I was following the pattern on my phone, the written directions took up the screen, so I had to scroll across to see when to change colour. (Although, to be fair, it is obvious when to use the contrast color.) But how much easier to have written:- “use contrast color only on rows x, y and z?

My comment about the design concerns the decreasing at the crown. There are only two decrease rows; one with a double-decrease and one with a normal decrease. Then as is pretty standard for tops of hats, you gather up the remaining stitches to close the circle at the top of the head. Except there are way too many stitches to close the hole. The smallest size has 17 stitches and the largest has 25. The pictures on the pattern show a hole at the top of the head, which is fine if you are going to sew on a pom pom. Otherwise why do I want a hole at the top of my hat? I’m guessing that as for all sizes the stitches left after the second set of decreases is not divisible by 2 or 3, the designer didn't want to work an uneven set of decreases. This is not a big deal and it is perfectly acceptable to work a round of decreases and have one stitch left. I worked one round of rib and then a round of double decreases with one normal decrease in the middle of the row before making my nicely closed gap.


 

As I said these are minor complaints but does make the pattern a four-star and not five.



 

Saturday, February 17, 2024

My Japanese Jacket

 

In my last post I had said I didn’t like the cardigan with jeans. I didn’t mention that I had donned it to wear to a Superbowl party, but having changed my mind, I now had to find a different top or bottom. In the course of trying different things, I popped on this jacket to show my husband as he hadn’t seen it on me and he said I should wear it and no, I wasn’t going to be cold. 


 

I call it my Japanese jacket as the designer is Japanese and the pattern is written in the Japanese style. Once I realized that the numbers were for the entire back of the garment but the schematic was just half the back I was good to go. The garment is knit sideways in three pieces – back and two fronts. Except I worked the back in two pieces as I wanted each piece to be the same. After the cuff stitches are increased for the sleeve shaping and stitches cast on for the body. If I had worked the back in one piece I would have been binding off and decreasing stitches on the second half. This did mean I had a centre back seam to sew. I decided to make this a feature of the garment and worked a 3-needle I-cord bind off. I also worked this on the top of the sleeves. The side and sleeve seams were mattress seamed. 


 

The kit (yarn and pattern) were given to me by my friend who had been given it. She also had purchased the kit a number of years previously and started hers at the same time – she just hasn’t finished it yet. The project uses two strands of Habu mohair and one strand of Habu linen paper held together. People said the linen paper softened on washing but I didn’t notice that mine did but as it is an outer layer that is not really a problem.

This was an easy project that I only worked on when I wanted something easy and sat for months waiting for the seaming to be finished. Many people added buttons but I like mine as it is. Now that I have worn it once I can see myself wearing it more frequently.