FOs - Gretel and Citron

So today I have not one but TWO finished objects for you! Quite amazing. Admittedly one of them was finished a few weeks ago and I only recently got round to photographing it (and still the pictures are rubbish…oops!) but the other was a reasonably recent FO.

Whilst I still seem to be busy busy busy I am managing a bit more knitting time and am hoping to really be able to get some more things done. It helps that I have absolutely no plans to knit any gifts for that thing with the C word that is 4 months away so I can concentrate on my favourite recipient of knitted things, me! I am such a selfish knitter it’s true but at least I know if I am knitting for myself I will love and use the item. That has not been true for some of the gifts I have knit for others in the past.

On to the knitting as I know that’s what you’re here for :-)

I finished my Gretel

This was a fun knit, being a worsted/aran weight hat it didn’t take particularly long to do and the cables were interesting enough to keep me hooked whilst being perfectly manageable without a cable needle (always a bonus!) Absolutely none of the pictures I have taken have really been able to capture the colour though. The colourway is “Frank Ochre” but in photographs it comes out either with a strong green tint or a much more mild yellow and I’ve tried every type of lighting. It’s clearly just one of those colours a camera can’t pick up. The picture above is about as close as I got but it’s yellower and not so bright as that. I love it anyway and that’s what matters, it should keep my head nice and cosy through autumn and winter.

As for the FO from a few weeks ago, it’s my Citron. Definitely a slice of orange rather than a lemon or a lime. I knit it in Kidsilk Haze after seeing one on Mooncalf’s blog (which I know was sadly lost to the washing machine so mine will NOT be going near the machine!) and thinking KSH worked so perfectly with the pattern.

I think it was Josiekitten who said that she’d heard this took people ages to knit (sorry if that was someone else, I know someone said it!) Well on my project page it looks like it took me ages to knit, in reality I knit like mad on it when we went to Edinburgh in March then didn’t pick it up again until July! The first few repeats absolutely flew by but I’d agree the latter ones seem to take ages due to the stitch count. Really though it’s mindless stockinette so it doesn’t take that long, it just doesn’t have a lace pattern to add interest which often makes it easier to deal with the big stitch counts in lace projects. If you’re a fast knitter I would say it’s a quick enough project and it’s good TV knitting. Also the end product is so worth the possible boredom!

Thanks for dropping by to look at my FOs, not sure when I’ll have any more to show but it does feel good when I am able to get an FO Friday post in. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Morven - WIP

I decided it was time to start another big, sweater shaped, project. This is also partly stash-busting as this yarn has been in my stash almost since I started knitting, it was a very cheap offer from Readicut, about £10 I think for 10 balls of chunky Sirder Peru. I then really wasn't sure what to knit with it, I had a few ideas of projects but never actually started them.

A few months ago this jumper was in my copy of The Knitter



A Sarah Hatton pattern knit in the round with chunky weight. The recommended yarn is Rowan Purelife Renew but it was a pretty similar colour to the Sirdar Yarn in my stash so I thought I'd go with that. I thought that back when I got the magazine in winter, it only took me until August to actually cast on!

It's top down and I'm just ready to seperate the sleeves from the body now. So far it has been easy, the cable pattern is easy to follow and it knits up quickly being chunky yarn on 6.5mm needles (the pattern calls for 6mm but I knit tightly and no amount of relaxing or changing my knitting style has helped that so I've accepted it) I've not had a great deal of knitting time but still it seems to be growing which is excellent, just what I like in a pattern!

The first picture gives you a better look at the cable pattern but the second is more accurate for colour.






So far I'm enjoying it and am hoping it shouldn't take too long as long as I you know...work on it, apparently projects don't miraculously knit themselves, who knew?!

I'll have FOs in my next post, exciting stuff!

Getting ready for autumn

Following the rather distressing felting incident with my Rose Red I knew I'd need another hat for autumn and winter.

I decided on another Ysolda pattern, Gretel using some Malabrigo Worsted from my stash. I apologise for the hastily taken camera phone picture but so far the knit is going well and very quickly. I've not had a great deal of knitting time lately but I'm already on the decreases and loving how it's coming out. It will keep my head snuggly warm right through winter...providing I don't stupidly felt it!

I'm hoping this will turn from a WIP into an FO very soon.

I felt silly at first thinking of autumn and winter in August but it was chilly and wet this morning so I know it will be upon us soon enough. I will not deny the fact I'm looking forward to wrapping myself up in handknits which is rather unappealing in the summer!

FO - Maggie

I must apologise for my absence, things have been pretty busy round here leaving little time for blogging, I wish I could say I've been on some wonderfully exciting holiday but alas I haven't.

I do however have something to share. I finally finished my Maggie or as I think I shared that information previously I finally took some pictures of it! They're not the greatest pictures but here we go.

Finally a really not very good or flattering picture of me wearing it...I need to send Mr.NM on a photography course, he's worse than me! I think my silly red slippers really set off the pretty, girly cardigan!

I do love the cardigan though. As annoying as all the picots were it was a well written pattern and the fit is great. The sleeves are probably a tad shorter than my general preference but I do have monkey arms and when I wear sleeves at the length I like I ruin them by playing with and pulling on them anyway so just at wrist length was probably the way to go! The buttons are from John Lewis and were 25p each, slightly less bargainous than I'd hoped button wise as I tried raiding my mum's button tin and found nothing so had to buy some. Still I like them and I think they go well with the cardigan.

Knitting notes for anyone who doesn't use Ravelry (seriously, why not?!)

Pattern: Maggie by Kim Hargreaves from Precious

Yarn: Rowan Luxury Cotton DK (a cotton and rayon blend with a bit of silk, now discontinued, a bargain from Kemps) I think I used 11 balls or just over

Needles: 3.75mm for the edging 4mm for the body

Mods: None

What I love about it: it fits me really well, the photo may not show it but I do find it quite flattering worn with the right outfit

What I hate about it: nothing really but the picots got old really quickly! The yarn was also splitty as anything, I'm really not sold on knitting with cotton.

I've got myself as starting on 22nd April and finishing (including sewing on buttons and weaving in ends) on 14th July but I didn't really knit on it late May/early June in favour of some other knitting, I forget what. The actual knitting on this was pretty quick if only I were more loyal to my projects!

I have another FO just waiting to be photographed, I'll try not to take three weeks to do so this time!