9 cm done .... 100's to go

Colour work, I love seeing the pattern emerge. Of course with this one, I don't have an accurate plan, its sort of evolving - something I will address over the next few days. I do need to plan the pattern elements, in terms of positioning and placement. I am thinking of this as having fitted shoulders and sleeves, so maybe not a raglan, more of a saddle shoulder. If I do set in sleeves- even if picked up and worked down - I have to work flat. That invovles not only tension shifts but mind shifts - so we won't go there right away.



So images, first the front, and then the back of the knit fabric so far. In daylight the yarn is deeper in colour, something the camera is having a little difficulty with. And on the back, nice short floats and very little distortion. Thank you Wendy for your fair isle tips, especially keeping the fabric stretched out flat, on the right needle as the stitches are formed. Following that advice means I do not get any pucker, nor do i strand to tightly - anymore.





So - this is the drawing in the Pricilla Gibson Robberts and Deborah Robson book, Knitting in the old way, designs and techniques from ethinic sweaters. I've never seen an original, but like the idea of a caridgan with small scale repeating fair Isle patterning all over. The 'real' ones are finished using fabric binding - and have a rolled checker board stocking stitch hem. I've already deviated by using corrugated ribbing. The pink merino fair isle i knit for poppy recently used the motif from this sweater, alternating bands of stripes with dots, colours reversed every 3 rows.

I have been sketching some options - And will post best ones next time to show where my thinking is going. I like the stars but wonder how would they work with sleeves that were not steeked. I am thinking more tailored than straight dropped steeked arm holes and sleeves, but that is probably as the students are begining their tailoring design project, so I've been exposed to and exposing them to lots of tailored images. and memories of a neat little rowan cardigan i made once with fitted set in sleeves, back when I did use patterns and followed instructions.

BSJ - Baby surprise jacket, all finished and ready for buttons, on the to do list. Hand over date 20th march, so need to do that soon. Suitable buttons to find, safe, matched, cute - all needed criteria will be adhered to. Front and back, its the stripes that made this one make sense to me, without them the shaping would be much more of a mystery.






Stash, new yarn from Webs, First Trekking pro natura, with bamboo fibres instead of something man made like polymid or nylon. I like it, and plan cables, if it knits up not to stripy. Yarn two - not sure of and is a bit of a surprise, it was a clearence yarn so a real cheapie. But while I was ok with the varigation, I did not realise it was a self patterning yarn, check out the little sock picture on the ball band - Not sure if I can cope with that. A case of nice colours shame about the patterning. Still kids socks are a very real option.


And I'm off tomorrow for my first knitting lace weekend, I've got my knit bag, a brand new toy in a magnetic board plus a new 4mm crochet hook (mine were all to small), an old towel, two tea towels, my suitcase(and contents), my pillowcase, my pillow, my essentials and I'm really looking forward to it. All I need is warmth, light, and good company and I'm happy.