Knitting behind the glass

It's fall now. The season is marked off for us by the beginning of the competitive curling tour. Since our daughter has been competing I have knit many, many garments sitting behind the glass. I began again on Labour Day weekend, a couple of weekends back, knitting the first of the many garments I will knit this year at curling rinks watching Team Flaxey play.

My husband is holding up the Top Down Ridges sweater in a new Cotton Tweed colour, Rose. It's very pretty but not tooo, tooo pink.

Just back from a second weekend of curling spectating. I have a sock in Comfort Sockenwoole going.

and started a hat and scarf in Red, White and Black Norspun. Garter Stitch is easiest in a crowd sitting on bleachers.

Go Team Flaxey.

Deb

Knitting by the Compass

I've started knitting a baby sweater. They are so much fun, so small and sooo quick. Just started yesterday and have quite a nice bit done already. It's worked so far in Cherry Cotton Tweed so will be bright and cheerful.

This one is worked in 4 directions of the compass.

It starts with the neckband. Then the right shoulder saddle goes West and here I'm just starting the left shoulder saddle (East), leaving the remaining stitches on hold at the neckband.

Lots of garter stitch and counting of ridges which is great for TV knitting in the evening.

Then on to the Back (North) and then the Front (South). Travelling in my armchair!!

Couldn't be easier. Almost ready for a colour change.
Stay tuned,
Deb

Retreating Soon

One more week before the Cabin Fever Retreat. I'm working on the project every day. Our focus this year is join-as-you-go. We think we have a wonderful cowl for our attendees to knit. Here are some highlights:
Steps with Stripes

Or Steps horizontally

Mitred Corners

Triangles

All joined together all the time. The knitters will be choosing which they use where so all the cowls should come out slightly different. Should be lots of fun.

Deb

Neapolitan

I've put the cable knitting aside for the moment and have continued to knit up several more children's sweaters (1-6 years old).
I finished the Neapolitan.

It has what looks like random garter ridges but they are not really random at all. At the beginning of every wrong side row I looked to see if the stitches on my needle (from working the RS row) were the same colour as I was about to work the wrong side row in. If so, I knit. If the WS was a new colour, I purled. It's fun. For the pattern I wrote out every row. Tthen wrote it out again for the sleeve which is totally different because it's worked in the round. And then, just because I would use it, I wrote out the stripe rows and a chart for the colour sequence because maybe you, like me, might find it easier to follow than row-by-row instructions.

I also am knitting it in true Neapolitan ice cream colours.

I really like this colourway but at the recent K-W Knitters Fair it didn't attract any attention so I may be totally off base here.

This pattern has an I-Cord edge to the Fronts. It works even with coloured stripes. I was really happy with it. You do have to carry the yarn up inside the I-Cord but if you twist the colours at the beginning of every row it's very neat and tidy, even on the inside.

That's one. I'll show you the other new patterns in the next week or two.
-Deb

Knitting for Summer

I am still working on the size 11 Spiral socks which seems season appropriate but slow going. What doesn't seem appropriate is to be working on a summer sleeveless top. But that's what I'm doing. I'm knitting for the Summer issue of Cast On magazine put out by The Knitting Guild of America. I keep referring to it as a vest because I can't quite get my head around knitting for summer while I look outside at this.

So far, 6" done. You may notice that it's bottom-up. Yes, I know, a departure for me. I did give it quite a bit of thought but it fits with the I-cord edging which will border all the edges so here I go. Switching away from top down has been interesting since it has been quite a while since I tackled this and my first stumble was where the buttonholes go. No knitting on automatic for this project.

Here is a schematic of one side of the front.

I am knitting this for a 5'11" model so it's going to be long. Right now I'm looking forward to the cable crossing. Yippee, fun with cables.
Deb

Pie Are Square Shawl

I'm trying to work on a new style of knitting for me - armpit knitting. The theory is that holding one needle stationary means you can knit faster. Faster is not my goal although it would be a great by-product. The exercise for me is to find a style of knitting that's as far from continental knitting as I can find. I think this is it. I need to stop the repetitive action of knitting so many hours in one knitting style.

courtesy of mqdefault.jpg

Now to find a pattern that makes it easy to knit in a new style but produce something interesting. I checked everywhere I could to find something that grabbed my attention. I didn't want to have any stitches that would discourage me, that means no decreases allowed since at the beginning they are a little difficult to work with a needle stuck in my armpit.

Elizabeth Zimmermann to the rescue. I'm knitting The Pie Are Square Shawl out of the Knitting Around book which is one of my favs. This shawl is perfect, all garter stitch worked back and forth, except for some Yarn Overs which are easy to work. Yay.

I'm knitting with some Malabrigo lace weight which will probably produce a kerchief size Pie Shawl. Hopefully all this practice will result in some increase in speed. Fingers crossed, not while I'm knitting though.
- Deb

Simple Circular Yoke

Lyn, Elizabeth and I did a big edit on the new Circular Yoke book today. Lots of "I think we need to move this a little bit to the right" and "could we spread this across the top of the page" and "this is important so we need to emphasize it". It's looking really, really good. Lyn has to do a lot of work on the photos yet. But it's coming along. This end stage takes quite a bit of time but I know the book is better for the time taken. Books, they take a lot of time!

I'm knitting one more Circular Yoke. Yes, another one. This one is the "Simple" version with a Scoop Neck and Garter Stitch Neckband . . .

and Short Rows to lengthen the Back and drop the Front.

How come there always seems to be one more to do?!
-Deb

Chevron Mesh Scarf

I finished the Chevron Mesh scarf (from KnitWear magazine, spring 2014 - see last post). I really enjoyed knitting this. I admit it's much more stunning in two colours but I still like it in one.

  

The chevron shows but is subtle.
This is worked in garter stitch. Each row begins with "Slip 1 stitch purlwise with yarn in front". This gives a lovely edge to pick up from. The first time I picked up & knit into the entire slipped stitch.

Not happy with that. So from then on I picked up & knit into one of the legs of each slipped stitch. The one I chose was the leg on the far side. This gives me a ridge that looks similar to a garter stitch ridge. Much happier with that.

A lovely knit that only another knitter might appreciate.
- Deb

Not Written in Stone

Knitting patterns are not written in stone. They are there for you to play with, really it's true. If you need permission, you have it from me. Please, please do whatever you want with any of the Cabin Fever patterns. Have fun. Take a chance. Each time you make a little or big change you make that project your own creation. Take a step away from a pattern and see where you end up.
Right now I seem to have a thing about making bags. I'm knitting myself one out of the Need An Accessory? book in two colours.
To make it easier for myself, I made a small change to the original stitch pattern from the book as worked in this cowl.

For this bag, I worked garter stitch instead of purl stitches between the cables. I was knitting and watching curling over the weekend (my daughter's team WON, yay) and with all the excitement and sitting on the edge of my chair, I knew I would find it difficult to keep track of the cable crossings. Changing every other round to a simple knit round meant I would cross my cables on every 4th garter stitch ridge (every 8 rounds). So far it's working out really well and it's going to make a really great bag.

I had fun over the summer knitting Harriet's Jacket by Elizabeth McCarten. This is a garter stitch project where, for the jacket, you cast on at the sleeve cuff and knit up the sleeve and then work half the jacket to the Front edge and the centre Back, attaching both halves at the centre Back. I cast on at the end of the sleeve and carried on from there. I guess I knit Harriet's Vest. Once the buttons are sewn on I'll be wearing this a lot. It fits great.

Have you made little or big changes to a pattern? Did you enjoy it? Will you continue to do so?

-Deb

Beginnings are sooo much fun. I've cast on for my first circular yoke in . . . can't remember. But I've already made a decision for a change of yarn since this navy is hard to photograph.

I thought I would start with a basic garter stitch yoke which buttons up the front. You can see that I worked short rows just below the neckband (you can see them on the left side of neckband in photo). Elizabeth from Eliza's Buttons and Yarns is writing this book with me and pointed out that it might be fun to have the buttons going on an angle instead of down the middle of the front. Good thought.  

To give knitters the choice I'm going to put the short rows at the bottom of the yoke instead of right under the neckband. Then the knitter doesn't have to choose where they want the button opening to be until part way down the yoke. They will be able to try it on and play with the yoke to see what they like. Can't wait to see how it works.

-Deb