The Sock Yarn Sweaters

Last year, whilst branching out into more luxury yarns, I bought two skeins of Araucania Lonco Multy with absolutely no idea what I was going to knit with them. They were reduced to clear and I couldn't resist myself. 

I hand wound one skein as it was knotty, which cause a few expletives to come out of my mouth. As I couldn't face the other skein, I cast on for a shawl with it, but ended up frogging it as I didn't like how it pooled.

I came across the Kaleidoscope pattern and knew it would be perfect, but it needed an accent, which had me frog a sock from the this-will-never-get-finished pile so I could use my  Knitting Goddess 4ply merino/nylon sock.

I extended the ribbing, omitted the waist shaping, worked my first garment with a provisional cast on for the sleeves! Hell, I even worked magic loop on the sleeves for the first time, go me!

I just love it. I love the colours, the shape, even the buttons (bamboo and not sewn on when I took the photos).

I loved knitting it so much that I decided I needed a tunic from the same pattern. I grabbed a ball of King Cole Zigzag from my stash in what I thought was a variegated colourway. Nope. Just a very thin self-stripe, but given that it would be on a project larger than socks I let it do it's thing. I had to buy a 2nd ball of it, but more on that later.

 

I cast on 10 stitches more than what I required using a provisional cast on, as I didn't know how I wanted the bottom to look. I knit for a while, gently decreased to the number of stitches that I required and knit for a while longer.

I worked out where the cast on would have been on what I'd knitted and placed a stitch marker so I could follow the pattern for the waist shaping.

I joined in the provisional cast ons for the sleeves, then I worked out the neckline I wanted. So some stitches went on a holder and I started the back and forth with the decreases for the shoulder shapings. I carried on decreases more than the pattern says so that it'd stay on my shoulders.

I grabbed my leftover yarn from my colour affection to knit the contrasting ribbing. I love the green against the pinks and yellow.

I had to join in the 2nd ball at the neckline, only I had checked before hand which way the pattern went, it started reversing, but given that that section was worked flat I didn't think that it would matter too much.

In other news, I knit and designed a shawl using a Crazy Zauberball, I call it "Monster Hugs" on my rav page, but now I've knitted it it's certainly more "Mike Goes To University" as in Monsters University. I also knit 4 hats and a pair of gloves last week, but they're Christmas presents and can't be shown.

And now I've been rummaging through my project box and have chosen a sweater and a pair of gloves to get finished, so [hopefully] they'll be shown soon.

Ciao.

My Little Jubilee Monster

We all know that The Big Book of Knitted Monsters by Rebecca Danger has been so popular in the knitting community, since it's release, and I have coveted this book ever since then.

I have said many times that I have an amazing Fiancé, and him buying me this book, after knowing how long I've wanted it, just proves my point.

Plus he'd bought me the Jubilee colour-way of King Cole Zigzag 4ply, which was released for our Queen's Diamond Jubilee, which I think is my favourite Royal memorabilia ever.

So I decided, that instead of buying one of those somewhat tacky commemorative mugs that seem to be everywhere, I would knit one of the monsters from my lovely new knitting book in my lovely Jubilee yarn to mark the occasion.

Thus, the concept for Jubilee was born.

I chose to knit the Geet the Garage Monster pattern, and given the thin yarn I used 2.75mm DPNs as I don't know how to do the magic loop method yet.

The only reason the project took a week was due to me waiting for the safety eyes to be delivered because of the Bank Holiday postal delay.

Such a fun little knit. I shall certainly be knitting up more monsters in the future, they're just too much fun.

Guess who's featured?

*points at the blog title* Go on people, guess!

ME! Muahahahaha!

Well, I say "me", I mean my socks. My socks have been featured on the pattern page and I feel so bloody proud. See them at the bottom of the printscreen?  My lovely little red and green sockies. Oh little Sockies, I am so proud of you.


Lace-Panel Socks by Ali Green knit with King Cole Zig Zag 4ply in Rustic.