Work in Progress - August 2023

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 the months here.

I ended last month's update a plan to finish the Fern & Feather jumper. 👇

Fern and Feather by Jennifer Steingass, available to buy on Ravelry

Fern & Feather is a top down jumper with a stranded colour work yoke. It only uses two colours and has a simple fern design. It's perfect for a first colour work jumper. And because it is knitted in an aran weight yarn it is a quick knit too. I used King Cole Wool Aran in shades of grey - Steel and Cloud. You can read more about it in the shop sample gallery.

I also started and finished another Buggiflooer Beanie. This one is for the shop.

The pattern is this year's Shetland Wool Week hat pattern designed by Alison Rendall. You can buy a paper copy in the shop or a digital copy from Shetland Wool Week.

I used Jamieson's of Shetland Spindrift. 

Eesit/White for the background (shade A), and Seabright (E), Mermaid (D) and Nighthawk (C) for the flowers. Rosewood (B) for the zig zag and Flame (F) for the one row pops.

My first Buggiflooer was donated to the Pittenweem Community Craft Project. For that one I used a dark background and warm pinky shades.

Rosewood for the background (shade A), and Eesit/White (E), Oyster (D) and Sunset (C) for the flowers. Surf (B) for the zig zag and Plum (F) for the one row pops.

There are three sizes included in the pattern - small, medium and large. The different sizes are achieved by using different sized needles. I knitted the medium size but my hat turned out the large size on the circumference and taller. I ran out of yarn 15 rounds before the end.

For this second hat I knitted the smaller size (i.e. I used a smaller needle) and I achieved the medium hat size. I did not run out of the background yarn.

You only need a small amount for the contrast colours between 5-8g each, even less for shade F (about 5m). So check your stash. If you need to add some colours we have over 150 colours in stock.

If you'd like some stranded colourwork help check out these links below or pop into the shop.

• How to Knit Fair-Isle Patterns by Tin Can Knits
• Knitting Colourwork with Two Hands by Andrea Rangel
• Favourite Fair-Isle Techniques by Very Pink Knits on YouTube
• Stranded Colourwork in Magic Loop by Andrea Mowry on YouTube 

I really enjoyed knitting this beanie. Once you get the pattern established it's actually quite a simple repeat. I found it knitted up quickly because I wanted to see the pattern emerge. I may knit another one for the shop in a completely different colourway. But before that I have some projects using our newest arrival.👇

Just before the Arts Festival I received an email from the UK distributors of Manos about their new 4ply sock yarn set - Alegria Superpool Sock Set and within 5 days the yarn was in the shop.😆 I don't always move so quick to stock a yarn but the colours are so wild and the yarn so soft (75% merino, 25% polyamide) that it was a no-brainer.

Manos Alegria Superpool Sock Set was a big hit during the Arts Festival. I've ordered more and started two new shop samples. Obviously a sock but also a cowl.

 My Favourite Vanilla Sock (free on Ravelry) in Alegria Superpool shade Juggler

Alegria Superpool is a combo of a vibrant hand dyed yarn and a semi solid shade. You get 100g of the variegated shade and 20g of the contrast. The colours come out quite striped on a small circumference like a sock. I’m using my usual basic sock pattern. But you can see how they pool together at the gusset where the stitch count is at its largest.

To explore this pooling further I started a new version of our Simple Cowl. The yarn is also super super soft so it’s perfect for cowls and shawls, especially if you have a sensitive neck. 

Simple Cowl is our free basic tall cowl pattern. Our shop version uses 50g of a self patterning Opal 4ply sock yarn and 50g of Socks Yeah 4ply.

The Simple Cowl is knitted half in stocking stitch and half in a simple eyelet repeat. You can knit the whole thing plain or the whole thing in eyelets or some combo of both.

In fact you can knit the whole cowl in the self patterning sock yarn or just in one colour. Or use small amounts of random 4ply, like this Mini Ball Cowl which uses 5 Opal 4ply mini balls.

For the Superpool version I was planning on doing half in stocking stitch and half in a linen stitch pattern. Stocking stitch as I want to see how the colours come together over a larger number of stitches and linen stitch because I like the overlapping pops of contrasting colours it produces.

 Superpool Cowl (pattern coming soon) in Manos Alegria Superpool Set, Trapeze

Linen stitch is a slip stitch pattern. You  *knit 1 stitch, bring your yarn forward and slip the next stitch purlwise*. You repeat this along your row or round. And you repeat it on every row (or round) making sure the slip stitches are offset. The easiest way to do this is work with an odd number of stitches.

By slipping alternate stitches with the yarn at the front you get a horizontal bar mimicking a woven texture. But it also breaks up the colours of some hand dyed yarn, diffusing any pooling of colours or stripes and gives a more dappled appearance.

I've always loved linen stitch. 

This cushion was knitted in 2013 for the Pittenweem Community Craft Project - Couthie Cushions. You can read more about it on Ravelry. I used leftover bits of DK yarn.

Linen stitch can produce a very dense fabric. Perfect for a cushion cover but not great if you want drape. To counter the denseness of the fabric you can use a thicker needle. So for my Jessica Jones cowl I used a 5mm needle with a heavy 4ply yarn. This gives the cowl a lovely fluid drape.

 Jessica Jones, pattern on Ravelry or Etsy. Knitted in Fyberspates Vivacious 4ply in Denim.

Long term readers will remember that the Jessica Jones cowl took me aaaagggggeeees to knit*. So for this new Superpool Cowl I've decided to do half-linen stitch which is worked over 4 rounds and makes the project quicker to knit. It's also not as dense a fabric, although I'm using a 3.25mm needle rather than 3mm specified in the original Simple Cowl pattern. Remember I am quite a loose knitter. An average knitter may want to use a 3.5mm needle. If you knit any slip stitch pattern too tightly your fabric will look puckered.

Round 1: *knit 1, slip 1 purlwise with yarn at the front* repeat to end of round

Round 2: knit all stitches

Round 3: *slip 1 purlwise with yarn at the front, knit 1* repeat to end of round

Round 4: knit all stitches

The only danger with linen stitch patterns is that you MUST remember to take the yarn to the back of the work before knitting the next stitch. Otherwise your number of stitches will very very quickly get out of control.

I really like how the half-linen stitch looks so I may end up doing the whole cowl like that.😆

Of course with all this multicoloured goodness my other projects have been a bit neglected.

I'm making slow progress on my Uptown Tee (designed by Tori Yu, available to buy on Ravelry). I'm just going round and round on the body. I have about 4" to go. Uptown Tee is a very pretty short sleeved t-shirt. Worked in 4ply from the top down it's a relatively straightforward knit. I'm using Vivacious 4ply in the pinky lilac Heavenly shade.

There's been no progress on Caine. I really should get on with it as autumn is perfect slipover weather. Caine, pattern by Monie Ebner, is available to buy on Ravelry). It's the limey green slipover top in Rowan Felted Tweed.

I'm also working away on three new shop samples for three new yarns coming to the shop soon... more on that in the coming month.

*Reading my 2013 Ravelry notes for the Scrappy Cushion it seemed I had the same problem and just striped the back of it.😆