Work in Progress - April 2024

A monthly update of all the projects piling up on and under my coffee table. You can read last month's update here and all previous months here.

At the time of writing last month's update I didn't set myself any goals. But within days I cleared the table and focussed on the fish!

Back in late January I had a grand plan to create a new shop window display of knitted fish to replace the giant knitted scarf that currently hangs there.

It was full steam ahead when I made 2 fish in two days.

Surely I’d get 15 made and have them all strung up by Easter.

Even better, I roped in Sue and she made 7 in less than a month.

But I was still only on 2.5 fish by the end of March.

So. The coffee table was cleared of all my other in progress projects. I was now only knitting fish.

Of course that didn't actually happen.😆

I finished the Student Vest. Designed by Svetlana Volkova (available to buy ravelry). It will have it's big tah-dah once I take photos.

I also finished the Half Linen Stitch Cowl.

It's a great pick up and put down portable project. And after some car journeys this month I made so much progress that I kept going until I was finished.

The cowl is in the Pittenweem shop and it's available as a free pattern too.

You can read more about in the shop sample gallery here.

Now that I finished one cowl I moved on to my April cast on - Soft as a Cloud (available for free at Purl Soho).

I'm using Dreich in our Nervus Fibre Merino Nylon Sock yarn. The semi-solid dye effect and great stitch definition really make the stitch pattern pop.

If you can do a K3, P2 rib you can do this. Obviously it's a wee bit more complicated than a rib but it's very easy to do and looks amazing. The only additional skills you need:

slip a stitch with the yarn at the back
pass this slip stitch over two other stitches (this is a one stitch decrease)
make a yarn over (this is a one stitch increase)
work a 4 row pattern repeat
oh! and it's worked in the round on 40cm long circular needles (although you could do it with DPNs if you prefer

Er... what else have I been knitting?

Oh I started a hat using Schoppel Wolle Edition 3 and Yarnadelic.

Alpine Bloom by Caitlin Hunter, available to buy on Ravelry

This is Alpine Bloom. I figured the self striping Edition 3 would give a lovely effect in a bold all over flower motif.

However, my gauge is off. Way off.

It's meant to be 24 sts over 10cm on a 3.75mm needle. I'm getting 28 sts (even after washing) which means my hat is much smaller than the pattern requires. And as my row gauge is off too the hat won't be as tall either.

I do like the fabric though. Not sure I'd like it as 24sts.

Anyway, in the spirit of Professional Curiosity I am going to try and get that gauge as lots of patterns using a sportweight yarn like Edition 3 in stranded colourwork ask for that gauge.

I remember the days when I was a loose knitter!😆

Sophie Scarf by Petite Knit, available to buy on Ravelry

One other project I started, even though I should have been making fish, is a Sophie Scarf.

Made in super simple garter stitch this was a drama free project that only took a few evenings of work

This is the large size shown on a 38cm wide neck. It is quite a neat fit when worn tied so it's best to measure your neck.

It’s very easy to make it longer for a roomier fit. You increase up one side then decrease down the other.

Unlike our own free Side-to-Side Scarf, the increase is slow so the scarf remains very narrow.

I love the i-cord edge. So neat. It’s a 3 stitch i-cord edge like the one used in our Super Stripe blanket.

If you knit the large size of the Sophie Scarf you need about 125m of DK. So it’s a good wee pattern for stash busting.

I used Sugar Skull in My Mama Knits Patsy DK.

Another new cast on is our free Eyelet Shawl knitting pattern.

Each year I usually knit a new version for the shop using one of our latest yarns. This year I'm using Wool Addicts Footprints in shade 001.

The Eyelet Shawl knitting pattern is written for 4ply and DK yarn and has two sizes. This will be the large size.