joyousknits

FABruary sweater

Thanks for all the comments on the Tomten Jacket!  I'm happy to share another Elizabeth Zimmermann and Noro pairing today.  It's EZ's February Sweater (from Knitter's Almanac), and knit with 2.5 balls of Noro Matsuri (color #2).

Matsuri is a DK weight yarn, so I started with 55 sts, and all the stitch counts were about 10% more than original pattern.  It's knit all in garter st to show off the stripes.That's all I have to say about this much-loved pattern; for me, this knit was all about the new cotton/wool yarn.  It has chain construction, so it's a bit stretchy (easy on the hands), and lightweight too (great yardage!).  It is soft, but didn't break no matter how hard I tried to pull it apart.  It says to hand wash, but I machine-washed it anyway on wool (gentle) cycle in cold water and it came out fine.  There were a few thick and thin bits, but on the whole it's much more even than other Noro yarns I've used. Can you tell I like this yarn?  I bought some more so I can make Klaralund, which I've always liked, but found Silk Garden too scratchy around the neck.  Good thing there's only one colorway (the black) that I would wear, or I would end up with lots of this, since a thin cotton would probably get lots of wear in the warm climate we have here.

I might have mentioned a few (gazillion) times how much I like knitting for babies.  This year seems to be a bumper year, with colleagues, colleagues' relatives, relatives' friends, and just plain friends all expecting.  This February sweater is going to a little boy born in January, so it should fit right about now (I hope- next time I might consider lengthening the sleeves a bit).  There are more baby knits on the horizon, and you can expect to see more of this guy to model them.

 

Tomten jacket

When knitting for kids, it's probably a good idea to strike while the iron is hot.  I had 9 balls of Noro Silk Garden (color #203) stashed a few years back to make something for H, the oldest.  Of course, he's grown at a fantastic rate, and there wasn't enough yarn for such a large garment, so I knit something for L, who is ten.  Right from the start there wasn't going to be enough for a hooded version of the Tomten jacket, but I still ran out of yarn! 

For a good two months, this little jacket had three quarter sleeves and was bandless before I purchased a couple more skeins (which amazingly were of the same dyelot!), so I could finish it for CNY.  I started with 168 sts on 4.5 mm needles (gauge of 4.75 sts per inch), and followed the ratios as in the pattern (Elizabeth Zimmermann's, found in The Opinionated Knitter or Knitting Without Tears). 

I bound off a few stitches at the shoulder seam so that the neck wouldn't be too wide, did a shaped neckline and knit a few rows around the neck before picking up stitches from one side of the hem to the other side to make the band.

I probably could have finished this with just one extra ball of yarn, but as you can see, I like to match the stripes as best as I can (a bit obsessive, maybe?).  Besides, there was enough yarn to make some little mitts.  No leftover yarn, so it's all good.  The jacket's already a little pilly from wear; not only does L wear this outdoors, but it serves as his bed jacket too. :-) 

This is probably my twentieth project with stripey Noro yarn, and just when I thought I have exhausted my love for these yarns, I see this , some of which is coming my way.  Can't wait to try it!

The Fair Isle Vest

I've always hesitated to use 4 ply yarn to knit an adult-sized garment that's not for me (it would be a bit of a heartbreaker if it was rejected, for all the time put in); that is, until now.

This is H.  He is 12, and will be taller than me in a blink of the eye.  I can just squeeze into the vest, so when all three boys outgrow this, it will be mine! :-) 

The pattern is from Martin Storey's Classic Knits for Men (UK version, it's the vest on the cover) or Knitting for Him (US version).  The yarns used were Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4 ply (7 balls Stainless, and 2 balls Explode), and Rowan Scottish Tweed 4 ply (a softer, more fragile cousin, 1 ball each of Lobster, Mallard, and Apple).  These are pretty much the same colors as the original, except with a brighter red and dark green (so bold of me to change colors like that, heh).  The only mods I made was to knit it slightly narrower, cast on with 10 fewer stitches in the back and 5 fewer stitches on each front than the smallest size, and lengthened the armhole a tad, because the pattern has a 7.5 inch armhole, which would be small, even for me.

One thing that irks me about this pattern is that there are no pictures that show the tiniest bit of the back, so it was a surprise upon reading the pattern, that there's no fairisling in the back, just all textured rib.  It turns out I quite like the contrast of the front and back.

There's very little seaming to do.  After three-needle binding off the shoulder seams, there was only the band at the back of the neck, and the side seams to do, thanks to the intarsia bands that are knit at the same time with the rest of the body.  There were some tangles along the way, but I still preferred that to seaming!

Not only is there less seaming, the decreases along the fronts and armholes look neater too.

The all important buttons...

These pictures were taken after a few wears.  (H may be too embarrassed to hold my hand in public, but he hasn't scorned the handknits yet, and he's worn this vest without any prodding.)  It's holding up remarkably well, probably in part due to the dense fabric created by a gauge of 10 rows per inch.

Another gratuitous innards picture (the colors look most accurate here).  Just bear with me; I like this knit a lot! ;-)

Rats!

I ended up not finishing all the knits for the whole family for CNY, but I hope to post some FOs soon.  Here's wishing you all a Happy Year of the Rat! I get such a kick out of those huge head-sized tangerines-the bigger the more luck you'll have. ;-) That the narcissus are in bloom is a real treat too, considering the cold weather we're still having.

And Happy Valentine's Day!  I'm not usually keen on heart shaped things, but I bought these cookie cutters on a whim yesterday, and made some shortbread, following this recipe.  They're artery-clogging good. :-)

Last, but not least, a huge thanks to Rebecca of Poshyarns, and Yvette of A Long Yarn, who said I make their day.  They sure made mine! :-)  Next up, some knitting!

Emergency mitts

The handknits are getting a good workout from the record-breaking long stretch of cold weather we've been having.  While I've got all the socks and sweaters I need, the boys were in dire need of warm woolens.  In past years, I'd buy some of those chemical handwarmers to ward off the odd freezing day, but it's been wretched (relatively) for weeks, so mitts are a more environmentally friendly option.  I'm also glad that some stash oddballs could be used.

The pattern is Maine morning mitts.  The mitts on the left are made from some remnants of Noro Silk Garden (shade 203).  They're for Y, who's eight, so I cast on 30 sts and knit them on 3.5 mm needles, and shortened them. Used a total of about 30 grams of yarn.  The mitts on the right are knit using Hamanaka Granbia, which was leftover from this sweater.  I also cast on 30 sts but knit them on 4.5 mm needles, for H, who's 12.

That's it for this quickie post.  In typical last minute fashion, I have some buttons to sew and ends to weave in so that we will have some new clothes to wear tomorrow on Chinese New Year!

Argyle socks

Chocolate argyle socks, actually.

I couldn't think of any contrast colors to go with the original sage-y green color of the yarn, so I dyed the socks after knitting.  I used about 2 g (eyeballed, not weighed) of Jacquard acid dye in 'brown' to get this shade.

I got started with the duplicate stitching following these instructions.  Originally I'd used a dark pink for contrast but it was too bright and went instead with the French blue Rio de la Plata sock yarn, and the original un-overdyed yarn.  The sock yarn is a cashmere blend yarn from China and was a generous gift from Maryann.  The yarn is a bit inelastic, so these might end up as bed socks sooner than later, but my, what luxurious bed socks they'd make!

Mods for these socks include using thinner yarn with 2.25 mm needles (pattern calls for sportweight yarn to make 'man' sized socks), and knitting a half repeat less than called for because I was afraid I'd run out of yarn (I didn't, boo.)  If you look closely at the ribbing, you might see that the dye didn't get into every nook and cranny, but you're not going to look closely, right? :-) 

After knitting five pairs of socks in a row, I might take a short sock break.  However, I feel absolutely no guilt getting some new sock yarn.

From left to right, Shibui sock yarn in peacock and mulberry, and Araucania's Ranco sock yarn.

Chameleon Colorworks' Evolution in Eggplant, Handmaiden Casbah in brick (both so incredibly soft that I don't think I'll make socks with them),  and Dream in Colors' Smooshy in Gothic Rose, which has been wound into a cake.  It's a huuuge hank and I wonder if I can squeeze a pair of knee socks out of them.

After seeing Polly weigh her sock yarn with some surprising results, I thought I'd check mine too. I'm happy to report that with the exception of the Chameleon Colorworks yarn, which came in at 2-3 g under the stated weight, all the other skeins are over, in Shibui's case 10%, the stated weight.  Isn't it nice to get bonus yarn?

more socks

Thanks for all the lovely comments on the socks.  The sock rush felt really good, when the projects were all lined up to be knit one right after the other, and there was no ripping at all.  Things slowed down a bit after that, and all I've got are these to round off Socktober:

They're the start of the Argyle socks from Veronik Avery's Knitting Classic Style.  I love that the argyles are embroidered on at the end, so I could try different colors.  You will see these again looking very different, I hope.

I think I lost some sock steam when I went to Tokyo for a few days last week.  It was my first trip without kids in years; I was ecstatic and overplanned the itinerary.  There was just no time to knit a single stitch!  Craft shopping was possible this time as I didn't have to think about keeping the boys entertained. :-)  One of the stops was Kichijoji, where  both Avril (home of Habu yarns) and Yuzayawa (out of this world craft store) are located.   I came away empty-handed from Avril, but OMG, Yuzawaya has so many floors of crafting goodies, I could have spent at least a half day there.  I managed to get some bag handles and fabric.

Self restraint, no?  And just a couple of books.

A little book with lots of simple bags, with some instructions for attaching leather handles.  The second one has little household items as well as bags.  I'm a sucker for slippers!

Now to get my sewing machine fixed so I can actually use some of this stuff!

Socktober update

I had saved my sock knitting over several months for Socktober, and that really helped me to focus.

First up, some simple ribbed socks (Nancy Bush's Madder ribbed socks from Vintage Socks) in Regia's Kaffe Fassett sock yarn in the Carribean colorway for L.  The rainbow socks I made for him last year using Regia yarn took abuse really well and I have high hopes that these will last too.  Even though it's not nearly wooly-sock season yet, L has worn them already to 'skate' around the house.

Another Nancy Bush pattern, the Canal du Midi pattern from Knitting on the Road, is knit in Regia's silk 4 ply.  Goodness, this yarn is so scrumptious (though a bit fuzzy).  This color came off a bit on my needles, but there was no bleeding in the bath...strange.  I found from knitting these that I'm not all that crazy about twisted stitches, though maybe it was the charcoal color that made things difficult to see.  These are for my mil, who has size 3 feet, and modeled in the picture by Y. 

As an ongoing campaign to spread handknit sock love to as many people as I can,  I knit these for a non-knitter friend as a birthday gift.  They're the Undulating rib socks from Interweave's Favorite Socks book and knit in Lorna's Laces (carrot).

Finally, some Sidewinders in Regia Mini ringel sock yarn for H.  A pattern that stretches lengthwise is perfect for fast growing feet, right?  I knit the size 9 N and they fit really well around the feet, but because there's hardly any elasticity widthwise, H could hardly pull the socks on over his insteps.  Did you notice these socks are inside out?  I just like the 'wrong' side better here and even though the seam under the toe is sticking out, no one can see, right? :-)

The original plan was to knit four pairs in Socktober, but I'm going to try to squeeze in two more pairs. Since none of these socks are for me, I think the next pair will be mine.  That's fair, don't you think?

Fall knits

It's still really hot here but there's been some fall knitting.

This is the Tartan scarf, from the latest Rowan.  KSH is used throughout, doubling with the Tapestry yarn (a very generous gift from Erin) for the vertical stripes, and in parts tripled stranded with a variegated Japanese yarn for the horizontal stripes.  I hope that doesn't sound complicated.  It is however, non-portable with all those balls of yarn being worked together and there are quite a few ends to reckon with.

The one thing I really wanted to knit for myself this fall was a coat.  I took a loooong time deciding on the pattern and yarn and color and finally settled on Flicca, and knit it in Jaeger Extrafine Merino Chunky, which is a dream to knit.  The gauge is a bit off (my yarn is thinner than the one called for), so I knit the third size to aim for the smallest size measurements, and in one piece.  That worked well until I tried it on.  The 1 x 1 ribbing of the raglan sleeve stretched like crazy around the shoulder (darn stretchy yarn) compared to all the other 1 x 1 ribbing on the body, probably from the weight of the beast (at this stage 24 balls of yarn have been knit up).  Bummed, I 've been letting this thing sit for the past ten days and ignoring it.  I'm trying to think of ways to salvage it by just changing the top part, maybe to st st or  the 2 x 1 ribbing of the middle section, but my brain is just not up to it right now, so let's look at new yarn.

Did I ever mention I have a hard time choosing colors?  I'm glad I got all of the Regia Kaffe Fassett sock colors this time because the 'iffy' ones are much better in person than on the screen.  One of the colors has been spoken for by L and two others are definitely for me (surprise, not the red one).  Time for some socks, methinks!

La vie en rose

Like all good vacations, this one was much too short.  From seaside towns to hilltop villages, all the places we visited in the south of France were simply charming.    It was our first visit there so we did as many touristy things as we could, including taking a little boat ride around the calanques and having bouillabaise to fortify ourselves in Cassis.

The mistral winds were blowing when we visited the Luberon area and quite nearly swept us off our feet!  Apparently the winds also blow the clouds away, so it was nice and sunny.  This bell tower was in Bonnieux. 

Castle ruins at Baux de Provence, perfect for little ones (see them?) who like to hide, or kick up dirt. 

We had missed the lavender and sunflowers in bloom, but we kept our noses to the ground and around looking for interesting plants and creatures.

Those little snails were everywhere in the countryside, mostly clinging in clumps to long grass plants that at first glance we thought they were flowers.

We ended up seeing only the old part of Aix-en-Provence, where we were based, and we enjoyed going to the markets and doing food shopping.  The melons and peaches were scrumptious!  Just watch out for dog poop while walking along the cobblestone streets!

The two days in London were spent at the Victoria & Albert Museum and Kew Gardens.  Look at the size of those awesome lily pads.  Wouldn't they make mighty impressive homes for a frog? :-)

There was some knitting, a first sock knit with Fleece Artist merino sock yarn in 'Rose'.  Details to follow later.

The loot. There was a Phildar store just two doors down from the hotel so how could I not visit?   And of course Liberty in London is a must.  Funny thing is I couldn't get myself to buy any yarn.  After buying yarn mostly online for years, it was quite overwhelming to see all the yarn in all the colors all at once and I couldn't choose. 

There're a few designs I've shortlisted from the new Rowan, but I like the new Debbie Bliss Rialto aran and Cashmerino books too.  And have you seen the new Kim Hargreaves collection?  With less knitting time than ever, it's harder to decide on THE project on which to spend precious time.  Hmm, I think I'll finish some wips first! :-)