Showing posts with label Nordic Style. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nordic Style. Show all posts

Saturday, 26 September 2020

Knitting Waterlands

Long story but I am sure some knitters tuning in have been there. I bought some ridiculously expensive wool to make a specific short sleeved sweater for Autumn. I started the damn thing three times, my mum started it for me as well and I just couldn't get the pattern going. Meh!


I hid £50 of wool in the yarn basket for a while but it was still on my mind - so many pennies! During lockdown earlier in the year seemed a good time to face up to it and take my time to choose something lovely to knit while I had some extra time.


The Waterlands pattern from Pom Pom magazine issue No 31 had always looked very wearable to me apart from the three quarter length sleeves. The pattern was not for 4ply (which mine was) but I thought I would give it a go and sort of make it up as I went along; a dangerous thing to do with such luxury yarn. 


The risk was minimised however by the fact that you can try on this style sweater as you go along because it is knit from the top down. I can report that I tried this on soooooo many times while I made it. There wasn't really the option to knit a complicated sweater in expensive yarn that didn't even fit - that wasn't the outcome I was looking for.


I paired the Adrifil alpaca with some 4ply drops flora and some raspberry wine 4ply I used to make this. It was a good combination for the colour and stitch work, for this sweater required both things to be happening at the same time on the yoke. I loved knitting it at this stage.



I added extra increase rows to allow for thinner yarn and then did some major increasing towards the end which gives it a gathered effect. I tried it on and was happy with the chest size and arm openings. There are some short rows worked at the back to stop the neck sagging too much. This also gives the added bonus of knowing the front from the back!

Back View

Knitting endless grey in the round with 4py was a bit of a schlep but watching TV at the same time helped. By now I was well and truly off piste and out there on my own in the knitting galaxy.


I made a decision to make a really deep ribbed hem to ensure that it sat well over my hips, it wouldn't curl up, and it matched a sleeve plan I had hatching in my head.

So the sleeves - I din't use the pattern at all. I decided on 3x rib sleeves because I missed out on doing them on this sweater and liked the slim silhouette they gave a baggy sweater shape.


Oh my! Ribbing sleeves is quite a commitment. Again, I had to follow my instincts and knit try on, knit try on... I wrote down every row in my note book so that I could make sleeve number two. It turns out I love them so much I would do them again on another sweater even though they took some time.


I am absolutely in love with my new sweater, it is one of the best things I have ever made. The yarn is so soft and light but cosy and warm. Oh and in case you are wondering, I had to buy four more balls of grey, making a total of nine!

I think sometimes you have to see knitting as a hobby of time not as a really expensive jumper. I have been enjoying knitting this since April which is pretty good value I think especially as we haven't been able to go anywhere else for entertainment.

Thanks for dropping in. Jo xxxxxxx
 

Thursday, 19 September 2019

The Prairie Fairy

Thank you for your kind words on my last post. I will hold them dear.


I consider myself one lucky knitter. My twelve year old has wanted a fair isle jumper for a long time. We have seen lots of patterns where she is always drawn to the colours and patterns. Trouble is, she hates wearing pure wool. She requested one made in cotton. Fair Isle/Norwegian sweaters are not traditionally made from cotton but if a pre-teen asks for a hand knit jumper, you have to try your best and work around it.


I started this pattern on the first of March. It is called the Prairie Fairy and it is free on Ravelry. 


She helped me choose the yarn online and I explained to her how colour values work so that the sweater pattern stands out and doesn't merge into one colourful trifle. The dark red and cream were the key colours. She coloured in the chart with felt pens to show me which ones she wanted where. 


It is worked top down so we were able to make the sleeves and body the length she wanted with a few fittings as it got longer. She doesn't wear crop tops but a short jumper was a good teenage compromise.


I knit the sleeve cuffs on much smaller needles so that they weren't baggy. She liked the neckline and was happy that she could wear a T-shirt underneath without it showing.


But crikey the ends, oh the ends! It took a whole evening to re tie them and sew them in.


She wore it the day after I finished it with such enthusiasm. 


As I say, I am one lucky knitter. I am not sure how much longer she will ask me to knit her things but I know my card will soon be marked. Every item she asks for feels like another triumph of childhood. In another fortunate stroke of serendipity, her younger sister does not ask for hand knits. She asks for hoodies or sweatshirts to be sewn on the machine. This means everyone gets what they want in a time frame they can wear before they grow too quickly.

Thanks for dropping in. What are you knitting?
Jo xxxxx

Friday, 4 August 2017

Circle Wave Knitted Gloves

These have been a very enjoyable knit. They have taught me that sometimes I just like the process of knitting. I was not in real need of fingerless gloves but I wanted to knit these for knitting sake from the beautiful book Knitting from the North by Hilary Grant.



It started way back in the school Easter Holidays in April with some portable park knitting. Jeez, those dark mint kitkats are moreish.


I transferred the work from DPNs onto an Addi Sockwunder knitting needle. This was a new craft purchase because I did not have any 3mm DPN's. I wanted to see my work more clearly than on four sides to check for errors that might emerge in the pattern. It is a great tool and I will be trying socks on it soon. One end is shorter than the other and the points are supper pointy and smooth. It is only 25cm long.



The stitch markers show the front and back of the glove. I had to follow the chart twice once for the back and once for the front.


 At row 37 I learnt a new skill. The pattern asked me to knit 8 stitches with waste yarn and continue to follow the pattern. My fingers are short so I had to reduce the overall number of rows.


Grafting a thumb sounds like a tricky business but it is easy if you do what the book says...



 Pick up 8 stitches above the waste yarn and 8 stitches below.
  

Carefully snip the waste yarn like you would on a steek ( I have never been brave enough to do one so this was a bit heart stopping!)


Spread the stitches over four or three DPN's and knit the thumb. I made a bit of a hash of the first one I made so I unpicked it and tried again - Much better. 


'Out of the strain of the Doing,
Into the peace of the Done.'
Julia Louise Woodruff


It is good to learn new techniques. This project has mostly shown me that I just love knitting for what it is.

Thanks for sharing my joy. Have you ever grafted knitting?
Jo xxxx

Sunday, 19 March 2017

Knitting Prowess

My knitting prowess is developing. Stranded knitting is so addictive. This took one whole week of evening knitting. 


These fifty-six rows were knitted following a chart from my new favourite book. In February half term on the day of storm Doris we went to a garden centre for an hour or so (our riding day out was cancelled) I bought a knitting book full of images of stormy seas and blowing hair. I thought it would help me use up some odd balls of stash for my pledge this year.


I was so distracted by the awesome photography and designs (and the fact it sounded like the roof was going to blow off) that I did not notice most of the projects were for 4ply yarn. Mmmm, never mind, I can use DK and Aran for the cowls and scarves where size is not crucial. It was a bargain at £4.99 and I immediately shared my book with my friend Mary over at Yurt Furtling and Yarn Tangling. She ordered one too and we kept picking it up and cooing at the pictures over coffee while our brace of girls played together.



I am starting with the wave circle scarf which requires a new technique for me - a provisional cast on. Go Youtube! You cast on, in a strange way, to put your stitches on a spare piece of wool so that they remain live. Then, when you have finished your scarf, you graft them together to make an infinity scarf.


The book has still lived up to its mighty task by encouraging me to use up some donated Beehive 4ply alongside a ball of Drops delight.



The colour runs are a bit long in Drops Delight so I have taken some out of each run to use later in the gloves that go with the scarf. It also means that over 56 rows I get a bit of every colour.




The instructions say follow the 56 rows on the chart and then repeat it seven times!! That's it. But I have to put it down for a while now. This one is a slow burner and I want to continue to enjoy it.

Thanks for dropping by. Jo x

Thursday, 9 February 2017

Stranded Knitting

I am continuing to hone my fair isle knitting skills. I am building up to a garment, maybe next year.My shoulder is getting better each month. This is the setesdal nordic pattern which I used on my hat but it is just a mash up of left over stash for practise really. It reminds me of a jumper my brother had in the 1970's!



I don't know about you, but I like my practise pieces to actually be something. I remember using my first ever crochet square with wobbly edges as a windscreen cloth in my car just so that it had a purpose. That was 10 years ago.


And so this story begins when my mum asked me to help her set up ravelry and her WI link on her new ipad. Apprehensively, she came round with her new bit of technology. I smiled because she still had it protected with the foam/polystrene envelope that it came in so I decided to make the ipad case from my Nordic knit book for her.


It is lined with a piece of self made felt from a shrunk jumper. I have quite a collection of these behind the sofa! I probably have enough to make a fleecy patch blanket - oooh now there's an idea...

anyway a fully-lined 70's inspired bit of intarsia knitting in exchange for this beauty:




An Aftur jumper which my mum has made for me. 
I LOVE, love, love this jumper :)



It is made from this FREE pattern here. Using Drops Nepal in these colours:



Thanks mum and happy knitting and learning on your new ipad. 
Jo x