The first fortnight knitting redux
14 Jan 2006
OK, so this is new for 2006. Every fortnight I'm going to come clean about what's been on the needles - disasters and all.
You see I knit a lot. A real lot. I'd say seventy five percent of what I knit ends up being frogged. And I hardly ever blog about those things, but all that has come to an end. This year, I intend to expose everything every two weeks, warts and all. I'm sure I'll find it cathartic, and you lot may even find some of it amusing.
Anyway, the first fortnight of 2006 has been up and down in the knitting arena. I knitted up some Karaoke soysilk/wool in Mermaid colourway into a bag. I sort of made it up, and here's what it looked like pre-felting. I was so excited, I even bought some Kaffe Fasset quilting fabric for the lining of the bag (thats the stuff in the background of the pic below). I envisioned myself using it all winter, graciously accepting the compliments on my uber cool one of a kind creation.
Well. After felting it was totally ruined. I ended up cutting it up into peices and hand sewing it into shape. However, my inability to cut or sew straight lines led to the grotesque thing you see in the bottom right corner of this picture. But I haven't totally given up hope - I'm sure someone who can sew may be able to offer me some advice or take it across the road and fix it up. When they come back from their holiday of course.
Luckily, not everything in this picture is a disaster.
On the top left is a swatch of some lace I did a few nights ago. Very very easy pattern, only one-way knit togethers and what a lovely undulating wave pattern it is. It's a version of the shetland pattern print o'the wave. I want to make a wrap in this pattern, but I think I'mm need to go down a needle size or two and do it with finer yarn. This is 2ply silk on 4mm - I'll probably go down to very fine lacewieght on 1.75mm's for the actual wrap. Anyway, that's for later in the year, right now it's just a swatch and an idea.
Can you see the lovely stitch markers there on the little pin? I got them as a tribe gift from the lovely Danielle. She also gave me the Dali-esque card and the skein of beauty - socks that rock in 'mountain fire' colourway. My oh my - this stuff almost certainly won't be socks - way too nice to shove into shoes. Plus I'm a stiletto - havianas kinda girl. Going to be a scarf. Thanks so much Danielle it was a super pleasant suprise,
Don't you just love the feeling you get when someone sends you something out of the blue? - such a good feeling. Such a great tribe.
I've been plodding away on the second attempt at the second mystery shawl. It's got less mistakes and is going along much faster than my first attempt. However, the edging is the killer - it's a wide border and you incorporate the live stitches as you go. Hopefully, by next fortnight it will be done.
I call this my 'penance knitting'. I'm not loving it, but I will feel so cleansed when it's over. Plus I feel like a such a failure when I abandon projects. So, this one I am going to finish. It's true that lace knitting doesn't photograph well - but here's how it's going so far.
There's been some progress on a sock for the summer sockalong thing that taryn is running. I haven't taken any pics of it yet so you're just going to have to take my word for it. I'm using some regia sock yarn that Celia kindly gave me in sp6. What a lot of yarn I looted in that exchange! Celia you rock.
So there you go, the knitting redux for the fortnight.
Fun wasn't it?
You see I knit a lot. A real lot. I'd say seventy five percent of what I knit ends up being frogged. And I hardly ever blog about those things, but all that has come to an end. This year, I intend to expose everything every two weeks, warts and all. I'm sure I'll find it cathartic, and you lot may even find some of it amusing.
Anyway, the first fortnight of 2006 has been up and down in the knitting arena. I knitted up some Karaoke soysilk/wool in Mermaid colourway into a bag. I sort of made it up, and here's what it looked like pre-felting. I was so excited, I even bought some Kaffe Fasset quilting fabric for the lining of the bag (thats the stuff in the background of the pic below). I envisioned myself using it all winter, graciously accepting the compliments on my uber cool one of a kind creation.
Well. After felting it was totally ruined. I ended up cutting it up into peices and hand sewing it into shape. However, my inability to cut or sew straight lines led to the grotesque thing you see in the bottom right corner of this picture. But I haven't totally given up hope - I'm sure someone who can sew may be able to offer me some advice or take it across the road and fix it up. When they come back from their holiday of course.
Luckily, not everything in this picture is a disaster.
On the top left is a swatch of some lace I did a few nights ago. Very very easy pattern, only one-way knit togethers and what a lovely undulating wave pattern it is. It's a version of the shetland pattern print o'the wave. I want to make a wrap in this pattern, but I think I'mm need to go down a needle size or two and do it with finer yarn. This is 2ply silk on 4mm - I'll probably go down to very fine lacewieght on 1.75mm's for the actual wrap. Anyway, that's for later in the year, right now it's just a swatch and an idea.
Can you see the lovely stitch markers there on the little pin? I got them as a tribe gift from the lovely Danielle. She also gave me the Dali-esque card and the skein of beauty - socks that rock in 'mountain fire' colourway. My oh my - this stuff almost certainly won't be socks - way too nice to shove into shoes. Plus I'm a stiletto - havianas kinda girl. Going to be a scarf. Thanks so much Danielle it was a super pleasant suprise,
Don't you just love the feeling you get when someone sends you something out of the blue? - such a good feeling. Such a great tribe.
I've been plodding away on the second attempt at the second mystery shawl. It's got less mistakes and is going along much faster than my first attempt. However, the edging is the killer - it's a wide border and you incorporate the live stitches as you go. Hopefully, by next fortnight it will be done.
I call this my 'penance knitting'. I'm not loving it, but I will feel so cleansed when it's over. Plus I feel like a such a failure when I abandon projects. So, this one I am going to finish. It's true that lace knitting doesn't photograph well - but here's how it's going so far.
There's been some progress on a sock for the summer sockalong thing that taryn is running. I haven't taken any pics of it yet so you're just going to have to take my word for it. I'm using some regia sock yarn that Celia kindly gave me in sp6. What a lot of yarn I looted in that exchange! Celia you rock.
So there you go, the knitting redux for the fortnight.
Fun wasn't it?
posted by knitabulous at Saturday, January 14, 2006 |
