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.

Miss Elle's Rhapsody

I've done my first test knit! Yipee!

Anyone who listens to my podcast, which I haven't written up show-notes for even though the last episode was almost a month ago, they'll go up asap and perhaps a new episode, will know that I was doing a test knit even if I didn't really go into detail when I mentioned it.

The fabulous Miss Elle has designed another wonderful pair of socks and even allowed me to test knit them!

Well, I was amazed by how the pattern read and soon decided that my stash sock yarns just wouldn't do, so I bought my first Zauberball to knit these beauties with. I purchased the colour way Summer Meadow, mostly because it reminded me of Slytherin, which is Elle's House, obligatory "boo hiss" from a Gryffindor here.

I really enjoyed the lace pattern, and it was a first for me as I'd never followed a chart before, but it was so simple, and there's written instructions too if you prefer that way. The twists in the lace remind me of a serpent, so even more reason for me to think of these as Slytherin socks.

Hexipuffs, and a little update.

I haven't been a frequent flyer, have I?

I do still knit everyday, but I'm working on the same old things which can be a little repetitive, but also generally not in the greatest of moods to blog.

I need to motivate myself more.

So this is what I've been working on mostly the past week, my bee keeper's quilt.

The 'frame' is sewn and I'm slowly filling it in, but this just means I need to knit more, even using the ends to knit some really interesting little 'puffs. I love my DK 'puffs.

I won a ball of Three Ewes Shepherd DK yarn in Student Knits podcast Statistic Sock Knit Along, and it's gorgeous! I love the colours in it. I think it may have to be a hat.

Lately I've been on a sock knitting kick, so I'm knitting some fun vanilla socks with a ball of Crazy Zauberball in Little Fox that Craig bought me.

Speaking of Craig, I've promised him a hat, you see, he had really long hair and had it cut shorter, I told him if he did that then I would knit him any hat he likes AND he can stash dive and have a hat in any colour I have, I'm such a good partner.
I have knit an Age of Brass and Steam, and I plan to knit another one in the future.
I completed a test knit for Miss Elle at the start of the month, no pictures because I don't know how secret she wants it to be.

That's all I can think of right now, but I shall be frequenting ze blog experience.