Knit So Fine and socks.

I have been a bit slow on the knitting this week but I am testing someones hand dyed sock yarns out for them. The nice thing about this is that I have been asked to knit just two socks in each colour one a childs, one an adults and one plain, one patterned. So four socks to knit but no second sock syndrome!




Knit So Fine arrived from The Book Depository yesterday. I have been looking forward to this as I do like knitting with the finer yarns.



It has a first section explaining why fine yarns are great to knit with, the authors do a very convincing job of persuading readers that fine yarns are more flattering, cheaper and much better to knit with.

It then has the usual tips and techniques section which I never read but I suppose I really should! There is a little bit on staying motivated when knitting with thin yarns. One idea is to treat yourself when reaching certain milestones such as finishing a sleeve ... they suggest a ball of sock yarn when ready to block so that sounds a great idea!!

It is nicely presented and, as always with the Interweave products, has good photographs with the garments being shown at different angles in some cases.

Most of the yarns used are available here in the UK or can be easily substituted. They have used Rowan, Colinette, Garnstudio Drops, Filatura, Zitron, Koigu, Dale of Norway, Regia, Classic Elite, Blackberry Ridge, Jaggerspun, Brown Sheep and Black Bunny Fibres.



These are my favourite designs. The purple Kimono looks gorgeous so that will be a definate knit. I wouldn't knit the dress but admire anyone that would! It is knitted in Regia Silk and would take me years.

Baby cardigan and Yarn Yard Fibre club.

Seamless Yolked Baby Sweater knitted in Sirdar Snuggly.
Size 0 - 6 months knitted on 4mm needles.



This is a nice pattern (although it would have been easier if a sleeve length had been given as I wasn't sure how long babies arms are!) but I think that my choice of yarn let it down a bit.

The acrylic is really not as nice as the Rowan Wool Cotton which I would have rather knit it in. You just can't block acrylic garments properly but I suppose it will be easy care for the parents. Next time I think I will use cotton for easy care baby clothes or knit in the expensive yarn and hope it doesn't get felted in the wash!


I finished spinning my Yarn yard Woodland fibre. 177 metres of the usual squishy stuff.



I really wasn't sure on the colours but once I had plied it I did like it. Spinning is funny like that. I am never sure about the colour but after plying it always looks fine!
I seem to be spinning a standard weight yarn so I am going to try really hard to do something different.


This months Yarn Yard fibre club fibre is gorgeous and so shiny.



I am managing a much thinner yarn, I think, so I hope I can spin enough yardage for it to be a lacy something!




And because there is far too much pink in this post here are two of my favourite colours, green and black, and the coolest place in the garden for Bart.

Spindle, yarn and batt winner.

My sweaters from the left top are Glint, Jo Sharp cardigan, Matilda Jane, Green Gables, Apricot cardigan, and a Pure and Simple top down cardigan.



From the right top Wicked, Gathering Intentions and Apocalypse hoodie.

I am truly ashamed to say that I have only worn 4 of the sweaters. I don't really have any reason for not wearing them. I knit stuff and then I put it in the storage under the bed (we only have a small chest of drawers so woolly stuff goes there)and then I just don't wear them! I have put on a little weight and a couple of them are not right on now due to that so I suppose that is the main reason, possibly.

I do wear all my scarves.

So I am going to try really hard to wear what I knit and lose a bit of weight so there will be no more excuses.

The Jo Sharp shawl collared cardigan is my most worn, it is the one knit I truly love. It fits perfectly, the yarn is lovely and it is always there to put on. Wicked is the second most worn and I have also worn Green Gables and the Pure and Simple top down cardigan.

So I drew 2 winners and they are Curly Cable for the pink and Bells for the blue. Please email me!



Nearly finished the baby cardi and needing to work out the length of sleeves I found this yarn standards link. Its really useful.

spinning, knitting, knitting, spinning ...

Its beautiful here and I have been sat outside spinning and thinking.


(I don't live looking at this view but I wish I did!)

I was thinking that maybe I should blog about my spinning exploits somewhere else because this blog was originally about my attempts to knit wearable garments. I think that I have nearly achieved that now, nearly!

I have learnt a lot about myself in relation to knitting lately.

1) I had this tendancy to follow everyone else and knit what they were knitting and not what I wanted to knit.
2) I don't like knitting lots of colourwork. Sorry Venezia but I am not going to knit you now. Perhaps a simple fair isle cardi!
3) I am such a perfectionist. If somethings not perfect it won't see the light of day. Hence the ability to frog madly.
4) I don't like having a stash as I feel suffocated by it and change my mind about what I was going to knit, and then the yarn is wrong.
5) I adore semi-solid yarn like this ...



... from Mamablue. I am going to use it to knit Kims scarf.

But spinning is so good for me so I hope you don't mind me keeping it here.

I am learning that my yarns don't have to be perfectly even to look good and feel soft. Look at these batts of fibre. They are all about colour, texture, tactility (is there such a word?!) and they all make yarn to knit stuff with! I love the creativity I can have with spinning.



I am learning to find perfection in what I used to be so fussy about. The concept of wabi sabi explains it perfectly.

So I will go now and get back on my roundabout of spinning, knitting, knitting, spinning!



Don't forget the competition here. I can spin the yarn up if you want rather than you have it as a batt.

Also ... Clarabelle, wonderful lace knitter, has the most fabulous fundraiser for M.S. (you could win one of her shawls) so pop over to her blog and see!

It is such a lovely day ...

... that I thought I would have a "spring is coming" competition!

This morning I spun up these yarns from the lovely batts that FeltstudioUK makes.



They are both plied with Rowan Kidsilk Haze and are both roughly 34 metres.



In order to win a drop spindle, the other half of the unspun batt (or I can spin the other half up for you) and the yarn I have spun you have to tell me which of the sweaters I have knitted (pictured below) I have worn the most. Also whether you would rather win the blue or pink batt and yarn.(there will be 2 winners) I will draw the winners on Thursday next week.



Please bear in mind that I am a beginner spinner so the yarns are not perfect and I have spun them thick and thin to show lots of texture. The spindles have been used but are great if you want to give spindeling a try.



This is on the wheel at the moment. The fibre is Yarn Yard fibre and I am trying really hard to get it even!

I started another baby knit ... seamless yolk sweater in Sirdar Snuggly. Its a nice soft, easy care yarn but I am fudging the increases on the yolk a bit as my stitch count always seems to be out!



Harmony is on hold a bit but the baby blanket is a lovely, mindless blob of stocking stitch.

Have a great weekend, we are having our first barbeque of the year which probably means it will rain later!

Green and purple.

This is the start of the baby blanket. I am probably going to do the border in the purple but I will see how it looks. (The colours look great on the tulip I rescued from my weeds yesterday!)



I am using Lion Brand Cotton Ease from Banyan Tree Yarns (first time I have shopped with them, great service) and love knitting with it. There are a good range of colours. Also it will be a totally practical yarn for new parents to wash.


This is the beginning of Harmony.



I have ordered the new book Nectar too as the designs are great.

This post is great for the earth element of project spectrum in all the lovely greens.

Cowl crazy.

I spun this from Yarn Yard club fibre. 175 metres of 2 ply. Gorgeous. So soft. So much better than I expected it was going to be!



Then I knit this. Just a tube! So cosy to wear.



Then I knit this from the other handspun.



Then the postman brought me these from Etsy. I love hand made stuff!



My knitting mojo is back with a serious vengeance but unfortunately Brompton was frogged. Its the yarn. I don't like it. Does anyone want to buy 15 (2 of which have been knitted and frogged partly) balls of Rowan Yorkshire Tweed DK in the shade Skip off me?

I am not sure what I will cast on for next, either Talia, Tangled yolk, a baby kimono, hooded baby blanket or a Kim Hargreaves kit. (the baby knits are for a friend, not me!!!)