And I Had Most of This In Stash!

September 30th, 2011, 6:22 pm

I think my mojo must be well and truly back because I think my next project is gorgeous!

Here’s a clue…You should be able to guess the yarn at least (if you know my stash ;-) )

From Modern Quilt Wrap

So did you guess it’s Rowan’s Kidsilk Haze? What else would be such a “Mojo Invigorator” for me huh?

So what am I making? It’s the Modern Quilt Wrap by Mags Kandis. <–Click the pattern name is you want a copy of the free pattern from Knitting Daily.

Here’s the front page of the pattern…

From Modern Quilt Wrap

Isn’t that just the thing to brighten up a dull winter coat?

The pattern calls for 9 different coloured balls of Kidsilk Haze. That’s quite an investment (over £70) if you have to go out and buy all the balls. I’m certain that the wrap won’t use more than half a ball of each colour so leftovers must be an option (I’ll keep you posted on the yarn amounts used) Too much to spend so I thought I’d see what I had in stash, play with the colour combinations and maybe buy one or two balls if I needed to…

…I had 7 of the given colours in stash! My good knitterly friends Mel and Judie swooped to my rescue with the last two colours after a very enjoyable afternoon of Kidsilk stash diving and swapsies.

I still felt like I should put my spin on the colour combinations…but then I looked at this…

From Modern Quilt Wrap

Those are just too beautiful together to mess with- Mags Kandis knows how to put colours together – who am I to argue :-)

The pattern is straight forward domino knitting – something I’ve been meaning to dabble with for ages. Each square is picked up and knitted one colour at a time, onto the previous square – with two decreases in the middle on alternate rows to make the corner. Here’s the vital diagram from the pattern…

From Modern Quilt Wrap

You start at the bottom left and keep adding the squares – you make this set of blocks twice for the full wrap.  There is a written explanation for each square too.

So how far have I got? With all the enforced “sitting with my post operative foot up” I have got along quite quickly…

From Modern Quilt Wrap

Isn’t that delectable? Believe me – it’s more beautiful with the sunshine behind it. Like a stained glass window.

Close up?? Ok…

From Modern Quilt Wrap

As you can see – it’s all garter stitch. Easy to knit but picking up the stitches is “fun”. I have learnt that picking up the “knobbles” and only a single strand makes a much neater pickup that grabbing the loop in between the garters. Pretty neat on the back so far…

From Modern Quilt Wrap

Time to pour a glass of wine, join the lovely Ben in the garden in the last of today’s fabulous sunshine and knit another square…this beast is getting addictive!

The Curse is Broken (and so is my foot!)

September 26th, 2011, 3:23 pm

I think I’ve finally broken that Kim Hargreaves curse of mine! Still is finished and I’m very pleased.

How did I manage to finish so quickly?? That would be because I’ve been off from work since Tuesday after a small operation on my foot.

OK,OK so the foot isn’t exactly broken – but I did have a huge boney lump chiseled from the top of it. The lump was pressing a nerve and giving me serious pain with shoes. I was only in hospital for the day but came out with a Popeye type bandage…

From Still

…which has now thankfully been removed leaving stitches and a huge plaster (you really don’t want to see that!)

I seem to be healing fast, but must keep my foot “elevated” for at least another week until the stitches come out. Hmmmm…what to do when I can’t go anywhere, can’t stand, can’t walk and cant drive and must pretty much sit on the sofa with my foot up…. KNIT!!

So after a couple of days of knitting like fury, I am delighted (as you can see!) to present the finished Still…

From Still

I like that piccy but here’s a better couple of shots where you can see more of the garment…

From Still
From Still

And the back view…

From Still

Still has been a quick and easy knit, the pattern was well written and there were some very cute details incorporated.

The horizontal rib was worked sideways for the cuff, then stitches picked up down one side to start the main sleeve. Very neat and pretty – so much better than normal ribbing…

From Still

And the neck line – that is terrific :-D

From Still

The shaping is achieved by keeping the horizontal rib pattern going over 6 stitches for the neck band while increasing in the stocking stitch part every few rows. You then cast off the shoulders and continue the neck band for a few centimeters to slip stitch onto the back of the neck. it all makes an easy, neat construction without all that annoying picking up of stitches (have I told you a dislike picking up stitches? I did? Oh good…. ;-) )

From Still

All very effective :-)

You may be wondering what Mewsley has been doing to help? “Matron Mewsley” has been making sure I stay on the sofa by sitting on my lap to pin me down a great deal. Then she did a stirling job of keeping an eye on the trimmed off yarn ends when I was sewing up…

From Still

But she is elderly….once she was sure I was on the mend she let herself have a little 6 hour nap in the knitting equipment!

From Still


Completed Knit Report
Name: Still
Pattern: By Kim Hargreaves from Thrown Together
Yarn: Rowan Calmer
Pattern Problems: None!!
Pattern Modifications: none (except short row shoulders as usual)
Washing and Wearing: Quite warm. I’ll probably wear it with a t-shirt under it – too thick  for a “top” on it’s own)
Knit It Again???: Very possibly (Especially as I have beige and pale blue calmer in stash!)
Difficulty: 2/5 I found it quite easy!
Rating: 5/5
Other Postings Relating To This One: Still working on the mojo

“Still” Working on the Mojo

September 18th, 2011, 10:41 pm

Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment but, my next project is another Kim Hargreaves. I will break that “Kim Hargreaves Curse” if it kills me!

Usually I have at least 10 things I’m itching to start and another 20 patterns I kinda like too. This time there was much gnashing and wailing and flinging of pattern books – I had a hard time finding something I wanted to knit…

…”Whaaa! I want some plain stocking stitch knitting cos my last few projects have been moss stitch, cables and fairisle!”

……”Gnash, Wail! I must use some of my stash”…

……….”Sulk. Be nice to have a success this time”…

Eventually, I calmed myself down from my frenzy of  ”There is nothing in the 88 books, 97 magazines and 53 booklets I have logged in Ravelry I could possibly knit” and decided on a pattern I have long had my eye on.

It’s from Kim Hargreaves Thrown Together book. This one…

From Still

…And I have chosen Still – a 1040′s inspired top in Rowan Calmer.

Piccies from the book….

From Still

Love that neck line – hope it works!!

From Still

Still is knitted on 5mm needles so is coming together very quickly and suits my need for an easy, quick project. Wanna see??
…Woosh! After 1 week…

From Still

I gotta say, I do like the horizontal rib – a sweet touch…

From Still

Let see if I can keep up the momentum – this one is looking promising :-D

Elizabeth – Too Damned Big

September 11th, 2011, 8:46 pm

After putting in the effort to finish Elizabeth, I’m disappointed to find, she’s turned out too big :-(

This really isn’t helping my lack of knitting mojo!

I think she wearable but not the sleek, elegant fitted look I was expecting…see what you think….

From Elizabeth

It’s ok over the hips but huge under the arms.

Mewsley tried to join in and make me feel better but it was beyond even her fluffy skills (hmmm, except I’m smiling more in that shot!)…

From Elizabeth

The “girls” at the Guilty Knitters suggested that a deep V neck like this is better suited to a big busted woman. One thing I sadly am not!! When I breathed in and puffed up my chest it did fit better but…I don’t think I could sustain that through an entire working day ;-)

I do think I got the buttons right – I looked at matching, same coloured ones but thought they would just disappear into the jacket…but you cant go far wrong with neutral shell buttons…. and actually, that’s the kinda buttons in the picture in the book.)

From Elizabeth

Wanna see the back? you can see all the extra fabric…

From Elizabeth

So what to do with it? I may wear it to give it a “road test” but I deeply suspect my sister is in for an early Christmas prezzy ….

Completed Knit Report
Name: Elizabeth
Pattern: Kim Hargreaves from Heartfelt
Yarn: Rowan Summer Tweed
Pattern Problems: Errata in pattern, badly written front instructions, turned out way too big
Pattern Modifications: None
Washing and Wearing: Meh :-(
Knit It Again???: No.
Difficulty: 4/5 (only because the pattern was badly written
Rating: 2/5
Other Postings Relating To This One: Where have you been

This is too Hard

The Kim Hargreaves Curse

Where Have You Been?

September 4th, 2011, 9:01 pm

Oh Gosh!

Over 2 months since my last blog post – you must be imagining the worst :eek:
Massive apologies :-(

Don’t panic! There is absolutely nothing seriously or medically wrong.

I have just been struggling with a combination of my normal SKS (Summer Knitting Slump), loosing my beloved blogging muse, Thug (3 pictures of his daft antics and a blog post had written itself!), being mega busy at work and suffering from insomnia.  Knitting was starting to feel like one more pressure – something I had to do so I could blog about it. Time to take a break for a couple of weeks… (Ooops…) :oops:

So all of those are things I can’t change except insomnia…been creeping up for a while- it’s quite odd. I’m utterly exhausted by 20:30 in the evening - falling asleep on the sofa unless I am poked with sharp sticks by the lovely Ben (who is happy to oblige).  Even if I stay awake all evening, I’m  too tired to knit. I go to bed, instantly go to sleep, until about  3am. Bing! Wide awake. If I knit then I wake up too much and am knackered the next day and it exacerbates the cycle. Can you see how this is affecting my knitting huh?

The good news is my Doc gave me a full MOT and I’m as fit as a fiddle. I guess I’m just going to have to manage it.

But enough of this. Have I done any knitting at all?

Well, after a lot of frowning and swearing…

From Elizabeth

I finally finished the accursed fronts of Elizabeth. I have to say, now they are done – the design is rather good. The collar extends round the back of the neck. I have joined the collar and “three needle bind offed” the shoulders…This is how it looks right now…

From Elizabeth

I currently romping through the last sleeve so should be done quite soon (assuming I can stay awake(!))

But I have knit another entire garment while I have been absconding from blog land….
…but unfortunately I can’t show it to you!

Hideous disaster I’m ashamed of?? Au contraire!
Do you remember when I made Top Secret? The sample I made for KnitOnTheNet for the Stitch in Time book?

Well, they contacted me to see if I’d do another sample – there is a sequel to Stitch in Time on the way – Squeee!!!!

You can read all about it and pre order here – Stitch in Time Vol 2.

What did I knit???

Well, I can’t tell you much or even show you til the book is out but it was a massively enjoyable knit – I could easily reknit it for myself. A lacey design from the 50′s in a lovely pure cotton dk.

You’re gonna have to wait to see that one. ;-)

So. I had best get back to finishing the Elizabeth sleeve and try not to fall asleep face down a drooling on my needles…

Lets not leave it 2 months until the next post huh?