Gainsburgh Tee with a twist

 

 

I finally got around to having pictures taken of this which I finished more than a week ago now. What a day to choose to do it though. I am writing this sitting in the bedroom with very little on, which is presently the coolest spot, outdoor temperatures being around 28 degrees, we took the photos then I rushed inside to take off the top before I melted! I had thought it would be ideal for the warmer parts of our visiting……I will end up wearing it more in England than here at this rate.

Anyway, the knitting bits.

 

I liked the idea of the loose style of this pattern, being me I did not really read it through properly before starting, a lesson I am still learning, so had a few surprises as I went along. The bodice is knit first, liked that, getting all the fiddly shaping over at the beginning. You then pick up the stitches from the cast on edge and work down to the bottom, but, first you have to make a little fold bit and pick up stitches…. too much of a phaff, if I had read it before I would have put a coloured thread in to make it easy to see where to pick up. As it was with the mottle of the yarn it was almost impossible to see where I needed to get the stitches from – so I missed that bit out.

The stitch pattern was easy enough and the back soon completed. When I started to read through the front instructions I discovered it was quite different to the back in that you gradually increased on the back where as on the front you had the total amount of stitches for the back, plus a few, right from the pick up stage making very long rows. The front took a little longer to complete!

Had I followed the pattern for the bottom edge it would have pulled in tighter something I did not want. While knitting I came up with the idea of a scallopy edge and toyed with crochet then remembered the stitch I had used for the angel cardigan, ideal – very pleased with the result.I followed this up by putting the same edge on the sleeves. I had to increase the number of stitches for the sleeves to get the pattern repeat in then decreased a few more on the length to arrive at the correct number for the armhole shaping. 

There should be a placket on the front opening edge, and a garter stitch neckline. I changed these crocheting up each side of the opening which I sewed up a bit as I felt it was deeper than I wanted. Then crocheted around the neck edge finishing with a little chain scallop. It doesn’t show up so well on the photo but I think the neck sits well and I like that.

 

 

As I said in the title – with a twist….. bit like my cooking really!

NEXT PROJECT.

I have been looking for a lacy pattern I fancy, I would really like to do a very fine shawl as a long project but feel my lace knitting experience or lack of it requires me to complete a couple of small projects first. I found some information today on how to read lace charts as most of the patterns I have found use charts and I am more familiar with written instructions. I have a pattern for an Icelandic shawl which is lovely, I might just look at the stitches in it and do swatches of each before knitting the whole thing… but I need to start something as not having a piece of knitting to pick up is driving me nuts. I obviously need several overlapping projects to keep me going but having made myself completer one before starting another it is difficult to break the habit!

Olly the Owl!

All finished! Olly was made from a pattern by Laura Lang in Issue 15 of The Knitter, with slight variations, by me! The yarn was supposed to be double knitting, but I decided to use 4ply sock wool instead, and changed to 2.75mm needles accordingly. The wool I used is Regia ponpons, and regia design line 'easter'. there were supposed to be rows of garter stitch to give the owl feather like texture, which I omitted, as I wanted a smooth finish. He was supposed to have knitted feet and a knitted beak, but I decided I would prefer no feet (not necessary, in my opinion) and a felt beak.



To finish his bum you decreased rapidly, then drew the stitches together, this made a nice flat base, but as you can see abit of an untidy finish. I need to weave some yarn thru the holes to fill them in and neaten up ooor Ollys bottom to prevent any hernias!

I was quite pleased about how well I managed to match the repeats in the striped yarn as I had to use two pieces either side of the block of ponpon for his tummy, and I was suprised how easy intarsia was, this was my first attempt and no holes!!!



twit twooooooo!

Next project is :)
http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/knitted-neck-scarf

Owl progress!

Ok all the bits are knitted, I just need to get myself sorted and sew him up, but I always put off this bit, I don't know why!
I had a bit of a play with some of the left over wool, and short row shaping, I got it into my head I could create a 'bubble' effect in the middle of a piece of knitting with this technique? The first problem was I had no instruction book, so I was doing the shaping from memory, and I managed to add rows ok, but I wanted to reduce back down again and got lots of holes, d'oh! tried another way and realised I had turned a heel for a sock which wasn't the desired effect either! Anyway I will look up how to do short row shaping PROPERLY then have another go!

Ale and Alpacas!

We are presently in Hill Country Texas and I was unaware until we arrived in the area what a tradition of yarn production they have here.Since the late 1800's in fact, unfortunately like in the UK it is in decline. Merino sheep and Angora goats were once a huge business but today the flece are shipped away for spining and the herds are in decline due to the fact that imported yarn is so much cheaper. What a shame.... I had a long conversation with the propriator of the LYS and to show solidarity bought two hanks of merino wool from her own sheep (it is shipped away for spining and then returned to her to sell)  we decided there needs to be a revolution, both here and in the UK. It is madness that the product is not processed here, that the two wool warehouses lie idle apart from shearing time when they are sending the local produce to Russia, the middle east or Mexico to be sold back to us.

OK rant over!

Yarn store had loads of lovely colours, not so many hand spun/ dyed as I expected. The two hanks I purchased cost $30 plus tax so not cheap, they are to be stashed for use in my travel project.

I also discovered that the area has lots of alpaca farms, these creature look so cute and are supposedly very friendly, not sure if we might get to go to one of the farms for a look around, I would love to. They dont sell the yarn here though.... I find it very fraustrating!

After patiently accompanying me to the LYS we found the local micro brewerey for Dad to have a couple of pints of local ale ( I drank wine this time, I know how to hold that glass properly. It was Texas wine) I think this could be a good ploy but I realise that next time we should go to the brewery first .........

The cushion project - part 2!

OK so I finished off the knitting bit and sewed in all the ends... very pleased how the seams all came together. All I need to do now is to canabalise a pillow and make a cushion pad for it! This is the big version of the small squareand what I call the back, you can now see how well it matches my chair throw, Badham likes it too. The front can be the back depending on how the fancy takes me I suppose. It is much more sculpted and interesting I think.




Jennie to upload pics you choose the icon above where you write, browse to the folder on your laptop where you have pic saved, choose pic and hit upload, it then inserts the pic into your blog where you are writing and you can move it around and change the size etc. then carry on writing, I find it easier to compose some words then insert the pic and move it to where I want it.

I have done some Jennie blanket (cant remember how long it should be ???) and it gave me an idea for a long term project with numerous artistic outlets and a reason for buying small bits of lovely yarn I occasionaly see (when I can afford them) I am not sure if it will be a throw, blanket wall hanging or if it dosnt go well a mistake. However, a knitting record of places we have been, and things we have done, interpreted arty like so not necessarily a pic of the actual just a visual...do I explain myself ..maybe not. But I have also started writing a journal (long hand) to go with it for my ideas and interpretations so there will be a record of why I did what I did, what with and how much it cost etc etc..... I was feeling creative that day!!! I want to get started but havnt yet decided where, or how.... need more inspiration.

The other thing I have done is start to design a hot air balloon intarsia motif, done the graph paper thing and a little knitted sampler, it now needs a bit more graph paper work and more samples... in progress....

The real knitting is a T shirt from Berroco free patterns called Gainsbourg, in a blue random sort of silky yarn, (E - the one we unraveled a year or so ago!) I am 2/3rds done the back and want to get it finished to wear soon as its getting decidedly warmer here.

Happy Crafty Easter, Have a good time when you meet up. Oh and Elizabeth if you have time introduce Gma to Crafat Girls and see if she can jooin in - she has a googel account I set it up a while ago, I am surte she would love to chip in if we can get her started! xxx

Gloves!

Im rather proud of myself this week.
ive managed to cast on on my own.
ive managed to cast off on my own
ive managed to sew a seam in knitting without even googleing how to
and ive managed to get a glove in the middle of it all!
the ribbing at one end is rather bad, but ive since started another one and the ribbing is dare i say it perfect! or maybe i should let others decide...i just dont know how to post pictures on here!
im considering my next project, i think i may do a matching scarf, and i was considering a beanie, but all the patterns i can find says knit in the round on round pins.....would this be easy for me to do or is it not worth the hassle?
im doing the gloves in a dark gothy purple, ive also got some nice dark emeraldy green and some black(to try and get scott to wear warm things next winter, i feel bribery may work!)

xxxx

The cushion project

This is three quarters of the back of my cushion. It is a giant version of the 9 squares I have knit for the front! I need to make one big square to fill in the gap by picking up the stiches from the inner corners of the L shape.







So this is the front....
Each of the 9 squares is made up of  4 shapes. 2 small squares on opposing corners, 1 L shaped piece and a larger square, if you look carefully I think you will see what I am trying to describe.

The squares are joined as you go along by picking up the stiches for the next piece, very clever. Only 2 small sections could not be joined in this way as they were in the wrong position, I joined these by picking up a stich from the piece I wanted to join to, and slipping the last stich of the piece to be joined, over it, simpler to do than explain!

Each section is created by casting on and picking up stiches to make 2 of the sides, you then decrease 2 stiches in the middle of every right side row, this makes a square. I really enjoyed seeing it take shape.

The original pattern came from a book belonging to Elizabeth (maybe you could tell us what its called E) and was for ten of the squares joined lengthways to make a scarf, then felted. The original used multi colours but this leftover yarn from Elizabeths cardi I made her matches my comfy chair throw exactly, every time I put my knitting down when making the cardigan it looked so good I came up with the idea of making a cushion with the bits. As the throw is chenile and stripy the stich pattern looks good on it too.

As you can perhaps tell I am pleased with the outcome so far, one last big bit to do to fill in the large corner and then once the ends are sewn in and its all sewn up and stuffed I will post another pic with the finished object!

I now want to make something in multi colours ..... but I fancy doing some knitted lace and have been looking at shawl patterns.... but I am not sure what the next project will be, I think I will perhaps knit a length for the Jennie blanket while I am thinking about it.