Socks again

I still love having a pair of socks otn ready to pick up in spare moments and they are perfect for car journeys. I've not managed to crochet in the car yet, I think it might affect me like trying to read on car journeys when I would still have a queasy tummy hours after the journey is over.

These were knitted mainly during June and mainly in the car travelling to or from France. Except for Richard's socks and they were knitted mainly at home.


Muir Woods from 50 Socks,50 States (modified slightly to work toe-up and short row heel). Panda Superwash colour 2011 -Tweedy Spice. 2.5mm circular needles.



Yarnissima's Brainless, 2.75mm, NDS Angel colour Starlight. One sock is per pattern, the other with a simple short row heel. Pattern is not quite brainless because the stitch count around the heel didn't exactly work out.



Larger pair for Fearne (2 yrs), smaller pair for Millie (3 months).
PoshYarn Eva - Silk/Cashmere. 3mm needles.



For Fearne. Age 2.
PoshYarn Laura colour - Homecoming Queen.
Toe-up, 12 wraps, inc to 24sts on each needle, 4 1/2" from toe to start heel. Work heel on 24 sts and short row down to 8 unworked sts between 8 at each end.




Socks for Richard.

Posh Yarn Sophia 100% Cashmere. Colour Burns Night Feb Cashmere Club. 2.75mm circular. Toe-up with 16 wraps, inc to 32/32 then dec to 30/30 at instep. Work heel after 10 1/4" on 32/30, short row to 10/12/10.
Hopefully these will fit a man's size 12(UK)


And the last of this bunch


ladies6/7UK size. PoshYarn Lei - Merino/bamboo (I think - I've lost the ball band). Lovely Summery colour and the bamboo gives quite a light feel.

A New Direction?

First let me show you the two neck scarves that have proved to be my most useful this last winter because they are perfect for just around the neck warmth - and spring because they are so pretty.
First -
Barb's Koigu Ruffle.




I used Fyberspates Ethereal 4ply - 65% Cashmere 35% Silk, colour Red Kite. 4mm needles throughout and garter stitch instead of the stocking stitch the pattern called for.

I think the colour in this next photo is more accurate.





And the second scarf from The Natural Dye Studio, crocheted in beautifully soft Poshyarn pure cashmere -
Queenies Precious Crochet Scarf



5.5mm hook, Posh yarn Sophia lace weight. Web cam is handy but the light is behind and so colours not true. This is better:



But still not perfect -it is a much softer colour than this shows. And the combination of fine soft yarn and large needles give such a light, lacey appearance and feel. Not like crochet used to be!

On a different subject....

I was so pleased to find a method for making dollies with curly hair like the hair of each of my little grandaughters. What do you think of this one?



Its another webcam snap. I'll do some better photos when I'm home - and when she's got some clothes of her own. In fact this one looks so much more like a boy doll that I'm wondering whether to make another similar to be the third girl and let this one have football shorts and top and actually be a boy doll.

Oh by the way, the new direction referred to in the title is crochet. I've always enjoyed crocheting the odd thing in between my knits but right now its becoming a bit obsessional. I blame Queenie Amanda from The Dye Studio and and the English Country Garden cal (rav link). More about this next time.

Ishbel

This is my Ishbel by Ysolda Teague knitted in Poshyarn Claudia 4ply alpaca, colour February sock club on 4mm needles.



I worked the same little ksh frilly edging that I used in my Wool Peddler Shawls at the end of the shawl instead of the final pattern repeat. This time I used one strand of two different colours, Meadow (581) and Majestic (589).






It's really soft and floaty and light but warm at the same time. I was so pleased with it once it was all finished and blocked (60" x 24") that I quite forgot my initial misgivings...

It was my first installment of the Posh sock club and I was slightly disappointed in that I'd already used the Claudia yarn a few weeks ago to make Audrey's socks and found it quite splitty. In fact it wasn't the neatest sock I'd made and in retrospect I think I should have used a needle smaller than my usual size of 2.5mm...
I had two attempts at more socks with my new yarn but frogged each time before finally settling on Ishbel and I'm glad I did. The colour is very subtle and this pattern seems suited by it.

And now the next edition of the sock club is almost due - although it will arrive while we're in France for Easter so I shall have to wait until we get back and that won't be until well into April.

Friendship

Friendship - designed by Laura Patterson from Fiber Dreams

Isn't it a great name for a shawl?

And I love how Laura describes the symbolism of the lace motifs: The diamonds at the top are because she values friendship more than gemstones, the hearts represent love and the semi-circles in the border represent hugs. Of course Laura's words are so much better than my paraphrasing.

I've been so lucky to be able to test knit Laura's latest shawl - Thank You Laura! - and you can get the pattern here and on ravelry here



It took 1300yds of Posh yarn's Cecilia. One skein, almost exactly! On 3.75mm needles and the beads are Beads Direct's Toho seed size 8 dark copper metallic.
The beads are all over and very pretty.

Laura wrote the pattern with a choice of two sizes and I made the larger one and I love it being so big!! It measures 106" x 55"

You can see how lovely and light and airy the Cecilia is. Oh yes - it's cobweb lace weight, 50/50 silk/cashmere.

And here are all the motifs together - shame the colours here aren't as good.

Luna Moth Shawl

This is my first Luna Moth but it definitely won't be my last. I loved knitting it and I love it now it's finished. Actually I finished it last weekend but today was the first day that it was fine enough to be outside and still enough. The last few days have been too windy for lace photos.






You can imagine how it feels when you know it was knit with Poshyarns Eva (55% Silk/45%Cashmere). I used two skeins of colour "Glide" on 4mm needles. Knitpicks options I think. It blocked to 74" wide and 50" long.

Twist and Lace Scarf and a Quandary

Twist and Lace Scarf designed by Brenda Patipa.


It's lovely isn't it? I love everything about it. I love the yarn - Poshyarns Sophia 2ply lace weight. I loved the actual knitting of it and I love the pattern. It is gorgeous to wear - so soft and floaty.

A different story with this one however. As yet it's unblocked, but the pattern instructions only suggest very light blocking and I haven't worked out how to block its cylindrical shape. The crumpled part at the top is the part that goes over your head.


It's Lily of the Valley Smoke Ring designed by Susan Lawrence. I used 3.75mm Addi Lace and Mushroom Jaggerspun Zephyr that was a present from Laura after I'd test knit her South Seas stole. Thank you Laura - I love the colour, it's perfect.

So I love the yarn, I love the colour and I love the actual pattern stitches (although with nupps on almost every alternate row it wasn't fast). My problems start when I try to wear it. I just can't make it look good on - well on me but even on my model. Look

and (don't laugh)


You see what I mean? So I don't know whether to undo it all and make a scarf using the same stitch pattern or sew the ends in, block it somehow and - well, what then? I'm not at all sure how to wear this sort of scarf thingy. And I've got a sneaking suspicion that the cast on edge -the edge that frames your face- is a bit too tight. There were no hints in the pattern to suggest this would be better looser and I just did my usual cast on but I definitely feel it would be better looser. And is it difficult to undo the cast on edge while still keeping stitches above to cast off from?

In fact I seem to be having a spate of poor project decisions. I almost finished the first of a pair of Cat Bordhi's socks - the ones that have a cat design round the ankles. But after a couple of days on and off working I realised it was looking nothing like cats - some sort of weird monster creatures, not at all what you'd want on your feet. So another frogged. Before any sort of photo...

Hopefully this next one will stand more success of being finished.

This is Marguerite from Louisa Harding's Design Collection book and I've knitted it twice before, so I know which size to make and what adjustments to make so I should be on safe enough ground here.
The yarn is Louisa Harding's Kimono Angora Pure - 70% Angora/25% Wool/5% Nylon. I've not used this before but it's knitting nicely and not shedding too many fibres.

It should be a relaxing knit to do in odd moments over Christmas time.

Huckleberry Ascot and Twist and Lace

This is the beginning of Brenda Patipa's Twist and Lace Scarf from here. I am using PoshYarn's Sophia lace weight although the pattern suggests a 4ply. I decided I would prefer the lightness of this finer Cashmere yarn - and I do -it is so soft and frothy! This is how it started...


and now...

It's just over half done and looking good isn't it? There has to be a brief delay because I need more yarn.


At the same time and in the same yarn although this time used double, is Huckleberry Ascot





It's a quick and simple project, garter stitch with short row shaping at the ends to make the flouncy bit and then the bobble row is worked from stitches picked up from the two ends. The pattern is in IK Holiday 2007.