With FO being equal to finished object, and NP being a new project.
Way back in July of 2013 I started a cardigan for myself, Slanted Sleeven by Ankestrick, in a beautiful rusty read fingering weight yarn, 100% blue faced leister. The cargigan is lovely and has a slanted shoulder line inspired by the cut of Italian (and older) traditions of tailoring. Somehow the cardigan slipped off the working pile into a no-mans land of nothing, occasionally I would haul out the project and begin to knit again,
Everytime I oicked up this to knit it took time to reposition myself with where I was and what was to be done. Finally I began to dream of new projects and knew that my slanted Sleeven was a gate, sure I could cast on something new, but I knew I wouldn't actually cast on a cardigan until my slanted Sleeven was done. I took Slanted away with me to Christchurch, the only project on the road and now it is done. Blocked, buttons and being worn.
Also done is little cubs new safety hat, in hindsight I could have made the hat longer as I feel the turn up is a tad mean, I like them to be oversized chunky, but little up is adamant it is perfect. There is a chart, the beginnings of a pattern, and I thought I was being all clever making a reversible chart, one that would do for knitting the crown of the hat, and the chart could be turned180degrees and be read for the decreases. I now see there is a flaw in my plan - and need to fix the chart ....but for those who have asked if there is a pattern for this - there soon will be. There is also discussion about making one with a pink inside and lime green outer. I do have some lime green in stash. I feel that little cub has been so well looked after at school that a warm hat would be a great gift to her teacher.
And the new object? Well two, the weaving progresses, officially class is Monday night, but with a table loom one ca weave or work outside of class hours. In the last class I tied the warp to the front beam, and began to weave. Yesterday I wove at home, and I'm pleased with the way it is turning out. What I love about being guided by experts is that they have experience to suggest solutions to the problems beginners create. I brought handspun to weave with, one skein chain plied so sections of straight colour, the other three skeins three plied and mostly barberpoled three shades of blue. Christine's suggestions was to weave a narrow scarf, with one inch stripes in the warp, and to use the barberpole for every second warp stripe, and also for the warp. She is clever - the warp stripes provide a linear focus. Beyond that Christine suggested a twill weave that shifted direction with the warp stripes - making my rookie yarn choices interesting in a good way. And yes - there is something odd at the point the weaving turns over the front beam, I've checked and checked in real life this dosnt show, but in a photo it shows. The plies of that one ice of yarn sit oddly in the weaving there. Time to stop and wait for Monday to check in with Christine.
'Tother new object is a gansey for Bear. Ages ago at the Bruce woolen mill he spotted a silver grey yarn that he liked and bought enough for a sweater. Seems timely to knit it for him now that Sleeven is off the needles, the yarn is pale silver Gotland fiber, and I've been swatching. I started on 3.25 mm needles, worked a garter band and a ribbed band, moved to 3mm, then 2.75 mm and finally swatched some gansey patterns in knit and purl combinations before ending with a garter rib and bind off. I don't think bear believed it was a swatch, he kept asking if it was a sleeve. The kind of swatching that occurs when planning and developing is totally different to the swatch that is worked before following a designers pattern.
The swatch went to knit night, and was passed around for feedback. The prefered gauge was on 2.75 and 3mm needles, 2.75 for the look of the fabric, and 3mm for the feel of the fabric. I decided edges and ending were to be 2.75mm and the body on 3mm needles. While at knit night I wound half the yarn into center pull balls on my nostephinne.
I washed the swatch, and dried it, and then I planned, using a schematic drawn from one of bears favorite sweaters, this provides the length, width, and other details so I don't have to guess what he wants. Yes I can use body measurements, but somehow that still involves guessing the amount of ease and where on the body things should sit.
And I've begun, the garter welts are done, and on to a small band of garter rib above the welts. This is to be a gansey with traditional shadeing gussets at the underarm, and his initials, but the yarn is a two ply wollen so the knit and purl patterns don't show up so well. The fabric fluffs, and I expect will continue to fluff, that fluffy haze will of secure fiddly texture knitting so I may as well avoid planning features that won't show. If I'm bored by the time I knit to the chest I will do fancy stuff - if not then garter welts separating garter rib will be enough. Simple is sometimes the best.
Stella
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