First Socks of 2023

With my new arbitrary system of choosing which sock patterns to knit, I didn’t cast on a sock until February. Once again a pattern in my favourites fit one of the prompts for February.

The pattern is Standing in the Shadow of Love by Adrienne Fong (may she RIP). And in keeping with unplanned stash intentions, I used leftover yarn. Both the yarns were featured in this shawl. Quite often with these types of patterns I will swap the yarns for the second sock but I didn’t his time as I did not think I would have had enough of the pink. I might have but it would have been close.

The pattern is illusion or shadow knitting, I have tried to capture the “illusion” but using a variegated yarn was not the best idea. Nevertheless, I enjoyed knitting them and I like the secret of the design being there. Having a plain foot made for easy knitting plus not having to worry about how they would feel in shoes.

A couple of weeks ago I was going to write about my WIPs but didn’t because Wednesday came and went – apparently I can only write about WIPs on WIPping Wednesday. But as you can see from the last few posts I have been finishing things. And I haven’t started new projects to replace them so the projects are being completed without having to be shamed on the internet.

 

 

Pride Goes Before the Fall and Other Finished Items

I have noticed that I know quite a bit about knitting and crochet but don’t often speak up when questions are asked. I have also noticed that the people with the most affirmative voices are the ones listened to even if they are not correct. This has made me think I should speak up more.

But a big mistake in my most recent finished project has brought me back to earth and reminded me that just because I know a lot doesn’t mean I will remember to use it myself.

I have knitted a hat which has bobbles, lots of them. I don’t mind bobbles but they can be a pain to knit. In this particular pattern, you increase to five stitches, turn your work to purl five together, turn work again and on your merry way.

My bobbles were not very pronounced; I put it down to using thinner yarn than the pattern and then about half-way through the pattern section it came to me – my bobbles were smaller because I had been doing them wrong! On the first bobble I had found the purl 5 together impossible to execute so instead I just passed four stitches over that last one without turning the work. All well and good except the purling of the stitches together creates another stitch which my bobbles were missing! I should have knit the last stitch before passing the other stitches over.

I decided to continue as you can see the pattern. It’s not as pronounced as the original pattern but no one has to know that, do they?

 

The other finished item is a baby jacket. I was given the yarn Caron Latte Cakes which is a good choice for a child as it is soft and washable. The pattern is a free one from Lion Brand. Not difficult but a couple of changes made it better. For example adding neck shaping and picking up all the stitches for the bottom skirt – pattern has you pick up front and backs separately then seam them.

The mother, always knitworthy, was very appreciative.

 

A Hat and a Frog

I have mentioned before about all the yarn that has come my way as people clear out their stash and give it to my friend. One of the yarns she gave me last year was a skein of Spincycle yarns. This yarn provokes all sorts of emotions in crafters as it is not a cheap yarn and certain designers use it in their patterns which creates an expensive finished item. Knitters feel there is a case of the haves and have nots and that they are being excluded if they can’t afford this yarn. I can’t comment on other people’s feelings but with so much yarn and so many patterns – walk on by. The yarn company justifies their prices by saying that it is an expensive process and they pay their staff a living wage with benefits.

I really wasn’t sure what I would make with the skein, it seemed a waste to let it sit in stash for so long but as with all these yarns I have been given I did not want to feel obligated to use it. I found a hat pattern which used the Spincycle with another yarn in a mosaic pattern. Pondering on what yarn to use, my friend then gave me some of her left over Malabrigo Arroyo.

The hat was one of my January cast ons and I finished it in two weeks. I had quite a bit of yarn left and thought some fingerless mitts would be fun. In a slipped stitch or mosaic pattern to go with the hat. This was not as easy as I was expecting and I started three times before I found a pattern that worked. In the end I used the stitch pattern from the Humboldt Hat and incorporated it into a mitt pattern I had already started so that I would not have to redo the rib. This was not a good idea. As I was working on them I knew they were not going to be long enough but I convinced myself otherwise but after taking off the stitches for the thumb, I couldn’t deny the truth any longer. I frogged them but have not restarted as by then I had more projects on the go. Although with all the yucky weather we have been having, I would have worn the hat and gloves.

 

I Cut My Knitting

After the enjoyment of making a tea cosy for my sister last year, I decided to make one, but a different pattern, for my mother. I chose this pattern for the design and not for the techniques, which include steeking. It is quite possible to knit this pattern back and forth in rows but this is a good way to practice the technique; which, amazingly, I have not done before. I have not avoided it but I have not been searching out patterns with steeks either. I don’t mind knitting back and forth and I don’t mind seaming.

The pattern also includes a Latvian braid or as the designer calls it a Vikkel braid. I am sure I have included these in patterns before but cannot think what off the top of my head. As I was using pure wool this was a bit of a pain as the yarns stick to each when they wrap around as you work the braid.

The designer said there was no need to catch strands going across the back of the design but in some areas there were twelve stitches in one colour for the other to cross. I didn’t like that idea so incorporated ladder back jacquard. It was a good chance to put it to use after having tried it in a pattern. I started off marking the pattern but found it was easier to look at each row as I was working to see if I needed to add back stitches.

For the steeks the designer refers you to a blog post she had written. This was written for a button band and completely encloses the cut edge whereas in this pattern she just has you sewing the steeks down. If I did it again I would work the crochet stitches one stitch in and not right on the middle stitch. In fact, next time I steek I will research more ways of working it. The steeks are for the openings for the spout and handle. After steeking you work an icord edge around them. I wasn’t going to do this as I thought it would be bulky but decide to give it a try and liked the end result.

There were many, many comments that the finished cosy was tight on the recommended size tea pot. I blocked it on my tea pot and although it fit, I would not like to be trying to get it on when the pot is full of boiling tea. As I have no idea what tea pots my mum has, I will be sending her a tea pot. At her age I am sure she does not need it but I do not want her to not use the cosy!

 Before cutting the steeks

I marked the middle of the steek with red sewing thread.

Crochet steek reinforcement

Not blocked and no icord.

Finished

WIPping Wednesday

Taking a break from a post I am writing about my latest finished object to quickly throw in a post about my WIPs.

A couple of things happened recently that made me smile and frown about my WIPs. Firstly there was the finish of a baby blanket that I had started in August last year. Because it had lace knitting on every row, it was not a project that could be worked on all the time. Although I did make it more of a priority (after another gift) as I wanted to finish it before the baby was bigger than the blanket. Not only finishing this gift made me smile but now the only projects older than 2023 were my long term projects.

But I started something new at the end of last week and that is what caused the frown. Not the project itself but the realization that I had too many projects that required concentration. I like one really easy project and one that requires concentration and all the others fall somewhere in between. They may take a while to get finished as I am not working exclusively on one project (unless there is a gift deadline) but since there has been the WIP knit along in the last quarter of the year I have mostly been finishing projects in the year they are started.

At the beginning of the year I started a shawl. This was an Advent shawl that I had first cast on in 2018 when the pattern was published, but I made a mistake and realized I would not have enough yarn so to the frog pond it went. But I still really wanted to make the pattern. I decided one of the yarns I was given in a stash clear out would work perfectly and I wasn’t going to put off the cast on any longer and 1 January 2023 it went on the needles. The pattern requires so much concentration that I can have music on but no words while I am working on it. I really want to get this finished by Christmas which is doable if I work a few rows each day.

The recent cast on was a Tunisian crochet project. After receiving a set of hooks for Christmas 2021 and working with my friends on a project, I wanted to do more Tunisian crochet. But what? Especially as I am limiting the number of shawls I make. I chose a cardigan pattern and it, too, was going to be started on 1 January but with all my other January cast ons – gift, charity, etc, - I decided it would be better to wait. As our make along last year started on 14 February, I thought it would be fun to start this Tunisian project on 14 February but I also knew I wouldn’t want to be interrupted when I started it so I started it on the 12^th when I actually was home alone!

So why the frown? This new project requires concentration. Not to the same level as the Advent shawl but still not a mindless project. I could put the Advent shawl aside and work on the cardigan but I don’t want the shawl to go over multiple years but I also want to finish the cardigan and wait, there’s another project that needs a mention. Last July I started a shawl that was my Pi shawl project with the aim to finish in March this year. Entirely achievable if I worked on it and didn’t start other things. I last worked on it in October of last year. And if I am going to finish the Advent shawl and the Tunisian crochet cardigan then I am going to have to ignore the Pi shawl. Which will be a shame as instead of a nine month project it will be a one year and nine months project.

In the meantime here is a picture of the baby blanket. It is shown on the blocking mats as this shows the pattern and colours the best.

 

February’s Hat

It is the start of the year and all I have to show so far are hats. Last post I showed January’s hat and mentioned starting a hat with Spincycle yarns. I have finished the hat but no photos yet as I decided to make some mitts with the leftovers and I want to photograph them together.

I have finished a couple of gifts and I will show these when the recipients have received them.

January saw ambitious plans. I had a list of eight projects I wished to start. But I was sensible and started only five of them. One of the ones not started was the Tunisian crochet project but I have plans for that this month as I have finished three of the five starts. Also having finished the two gifts I started another easy project. And when I say easy I mean easy - garter stitch, no shaping.

The first of the month caused two cast ons – a hat and a sock. Continuing with my arbitrary decision about only knitting socks if the pattern is already in my library, queue or favorites I found a pattern that fitted the theme. And for hats I cast on the February bulky hat. I am enjoying knitting hats with thicker yarn as they are quick makes and then I can get back to my other projects. Especially as the hats in the bulky collection are a bit on the small side which is fine by me as the hats will all go to a charity and I am not making for a certain person. Also means I have a quick show when I haven’t posted anything for nearly a month.

Once again the yarn is YOTH Father. I didn’t finish the skein but there is not enough for another hat; except looking at stash I realized I had another skein so I will definitely be able to make two maybe three more hats.

Many of the hats in the Year of Bulky Hats are the same pattern as in the Year of Hats. And this is the case for February. I don’t have a problem with this as the patterns are free and have been written for different weight yarns.

 

First of 2023 and Last of 2022

And they are all hats.

On the last day of 2022 I finally finished two crochet hats. These were simple hats that I had worked on, on car journeys I wanted to finish both of them by the end of the year but as I concentrated on the blanket these projects were left to the end. They are patterns that I have made before and are good for using leftovers.

This is the Simple Seed Stitch Beanie. It is written for one colour but I like the effect when using two colours.

This is Better Late Than Never Beanie which I have made many times as it is easy to change colours although I do not recommend using a different colour on every round as it really does come out like clown bath.

I did start the charity hat on 1 January with no rush to finish it, planning to work on it throughout the month. That is until my friend suggested we started our Spincycle yarns. AsI plan to make a hat with mine I said I wanted to finish the hat already on my needles first. This weekend I made an effort to prioritize it and got it finished.

It is knit with YOTH Yarns Father (from my friend’s friend’s stash) and the pattern was the first of the bulky knit patterns from Kelbourne Woolens. I know this is a bad photo but it actually shows off the colour well.