Damn, Knit & Blast It

I Like The B-Side Better…

July 23rd, 2010, 5:16 pm

I’ve really enjoyed the burst of creativity in making my Conservatory Cushion and I love the logic bound technique for combining the colours.

Fabulous pattern
Here’s the finished creation…

From Double Vision Cushion

And in place in the conservatory…

From Double Vision Cushion

The slightly different gauge yarns I used (all apparently DK weight) really made the squares different sizes. I blocked the hell out of the finished front and pinned the squares to size and let them dry – seems to have worked but another time – I’d try harder to use the same yarn.

I really made my life difficult by using the mohair in the “joints”too. Fuzzy, sticky and disguising any hint of a stitch – not ideal when picking up stitches. It kinda works though and gives a different texture so I’m happy.

It did mean it was easy to join the two sides . I picked up and knit one row around the front of the cushion then cast it off. Then I simply oversewed it to the “knobbles” on the ends of the garter stitch back of the cushion…

From Double Vision Cushion

The strange thing is…

…I think I like the way the B-side even better -that’s the back to all of you too young to remember 45rpm single records

From Double Vision Cushion

I love the way the colours pool and seem to form waves…

… So much so that I’ve used this picture as my desktop background on my Computer!

From Double Vision Cushion

How sad am I? But, but….it looks so pretty….

From Double Vision Cushion

So how did I do the back?

I looked at the front and saw that there were in fact 10 different combinations of yarn, using it double.

I used the technique of knitting diagonally to get a square (start with one stitch and increase in the last stitch of every row until wide enough over the diagonal then decrease at the end of every row).

I picked a progression of 6 of the combinations that always carried one of the colours into the next stripe and picked up the next colour. Then I had 4 combinations left over so I just bunged them on top!!

Here’s a mini pattern if you’re interested how the colours went – or were supposed to go ! I messed up a couple of time but ~I won’t tell if you wont!! (Look at the missing dark stripe in a couple of places…

Y= Yellow

L= Light Green

M=Mid green

D= Dark green

Use two stands held together in the following combinations:

Row 1 Y & Y

Row 2 Y & L

Row 3 L & L

Row 4 L & M

Row 5 M & M

Row 6 M & D

Row 7 D & D

Row 8 D & L

Row 9 Y & M

Row 10 Y & D

…And repeat until you’re done.

I think both sides go well with the “inspiration cushion” but what do you think?

Front or back? Which is best??

From

Completed Knit Report
Name:	Conservatory Cushion
Pattern:	Double Vision by Woolly Thoughts
Yarn:	Rowan Handknit Cotton (the mid greens), Cheap “Pallette” Acrylic (Yellow) and Rowan Kid Classic (Dark green)
Pattern Problems:	None, but I’d avoid mohair!
Pattern Modifications:	None
Washing and Wearing:	I’m a bit concerned the different yarns will wash differently and might pucker….
Knit It Again???:	Oh yes!
Difficulty:	2/5
Rating:	5/5
Other Postings Relating To This One:	Conservatory stash busting

Filed under Completed Knit Report, Free Patterns, Knitting · 6 Comments

Squeeeealll!! I’m in The Knitter!

July 19th, 2010, 11:45 am

Gosh! I’m expecting to be mobbed for an autograph and and be asked to open a shopping centre the next time I go out amongst my public….

Why am I deluded into thinking I have achieved such superstar status??

The Guilty Knitters and I have made it to the National Knitting press!

This month’s (July 2010, Issue 21) of The Knitter has a two page gallery spread about us.

That’s this mag if you’re searching the Newsagent for a copy…

From The Knitter

I do enjoy The Knitter, lots of challenging interesting patterns and articles. So many of the other British knitting mags are full very simple patterns and assume the majority of knitters knit for their grandchildren! No problem with that if that’s what you want – but I’m not that market.

If you have a copy, check out page 84 to find my grinning face…..

From The Knitter

…and some fabby knits by my friends…It’s easy to see where my inspiration comes from and why I have to keep the standard of my knitting up, after see how great their projects are.

Of course, my biggest fan and helper had to check out the article too,

“Not enough cats!” was his only comment!

From The Knitter

Filed under Cats, Chat, Knitting · 5 Comments

I’m now officially sick of this lace pattern!

July 17th, 2010, 1:34 pm

I can’t believe I started Halcyon back in April.

It’s taken me two and a half, very dull and uneventful months. To be fair, it has been delayed by my usual attack of SKS (Summer Knitting Slump) – there were a couple of weeks there I didn’t knit at all – shocking!

I’ve also been distracted because Thug hasn’t been too well. He suddenly seemed to loose a lot of weight and meow even more. I was worried sick. The good news is that he’s had every test the vet can think of – stopping short of opening him up! The vet can find nothing wrong and I’ve changed his diet to fatten him up. He seems OK now after a couple of vitamin and steroid shots but he is 18 . He’s an old man. But enjoying all the extra meaty treats and so is Mewsley

Just in case you’ve missed his appearances, here he is in a favourite picture of mine, inspecting the conservatory..

From Halcyon

On top of all this – more DIY – This time we restored a dilapidated greenhouse from badly weathered wood, green algae covered glass and doors hanging off to this, my potting Tardis!!

From Tardis

Love the view from inside looking up!

From Tardis

Enough of this – you really want to know about Halcyon don’t you? The pattern is deceptively easy and became quite boring to do. I don’t normally knit such voluminous garments so I’m not used to the sheer amount of knitting this took. Nothing at all wrong with the pattern, easy to sew together- It was just a long slog.

But was it worth it?? I think it was!

From Halcyon

Completed Knit Report
Name:	Halcyon
Pattern:	Rowan Mag 47 by Marie Wallin
Yarn:	Rowan Fine Milk Cotton
Pattern Problems:	None
Pattern Modifications:	Short row shoulders
Washing and Wearing:	cool and loose to wear – different for me!
Knit It Again???:	No – two the same would be too much to knit and to wear.
Difficulty:	4/5 Lace much easier than it looks
Rating:	4/5
Other Postings Relating To This One:	It made the the KSH Junkie I am today Full of Milky Goodness

Filed under Cats, Completed Knit Report, Knitting · 9 Comments

Conservatory Stash Busting

July 12th, 2010, 2:40 pm

Do you remember how we painted the Conservatory a striking shade of green?

Well, we’ve now put some furniture and plants in there and created a favourite snoozing spot for Mewsley!

From Double Vision Cushion

Do you like the cushion on the chair behind Mewsley? It was bought on a whim from Ikea.

Here’s a better look (right way up too!!)..

From Double Vision Cushion

We really wish we’d bought a second one we liked it so much but they have discontinued it – Bah!!

There was only one thing for it – Knit a matching cushion!

First I gathered all my likely green and yellow stash wools together in a big heap…

From Double Vision Cushion

Then I had a couple of disastrous attempts at randomly combining them – You can laugh at these attemps if you like – I did

The random stripe disaster…

From Double Vision Cushion

Then the random colour blocks using the Ten Stitch Blanket pattern.

From Double Vision Cushion

This is a clever pattern that spirals out from the centre. The problem was my attempt at random colour blocks! Looked like something a very old beginner knitter might do to use up oddments…

The pattern is better suited to random dye yarns and when done properly, looks like this…

From Double Vision Cushion

So enough of laughing at my failures…what did I choose?

I’ve always gasped with amazement at the beautiful Afghans designed by Pat Ashforth and Steve Plummer of Woolly Thoughts.

I was thrilled to see their Double Vision Afghan technique as a Cushion.

From Double Vision Cushion

The cushion uses 4 colours and blends them in all possible combinations (with yarn doubled) to give the 16 squares.

I chose my 4 colours and some ancient black mohair (left over from a long dead 1984, cropped mohair jumper) and got carried away….

What do you think so far? I really trying to mirror the colours and proportions of the Ikea cushion…

From Double Vision Cushion

I am so pleased I can’t wait to finish!

Of course, that is just one side…

I like having the back of a cushion different so I’m knitting diagonally (so I can easily get the right size) and repeating 4 rows of each of the 10 possible colour combinations.

Like this so far…