Work In Progress - February 2021

Back to normal on the coffee table this month, although not quite as busy as it has been.

I have three new cast-ons (one already completed) and two finished WIPS.

First up the finished WIPS.

Opal Lifestyle shade 9871, free pattern in the shop

These 6ply socks are knitted in Opal Lifestyle (they were a Christmas gift... a late Christmas gift!)

Arfordir Cowl and Mitt kit 

I also finished the Arfordir Cowl using the Fyberspates Tarma Aran. First seen in December WIPS! This comes in a kit (there's a choice of three shade combos).

Infinitude Cowl in Tarma Aran

Next finished project was started and finished within a week! Really enjoyed working with the Tarma Aran, and loving the shades in the winter shade pack I knitted a long cowl for myself. 

On to the new projects...

Wildwoods Sweater by Kristen Finlay (available to buy on Ravelry)

I have cast on a new sweater sample for the shop - Wildwoods Sweater. I spotted this design whilst I was searching for a t-shirt pattern (hopefully more on that next month). I loved the lacey yoke (just like I was also taken by the textured yoke of the Dandelion Sweater I finished last month).

I've chosen to knit this in Rowan Alpaca Classic DK - a lovely lightweight fluffy blend of alpaca and cotton. I'm using shade 131 an icy blue colour developed for Georgia Farrell's My London design collection.

This sweater is knitted seamlessly, top-down, but it's done a bit differently to our previous top down sweaters. If you're comfortable picking up stitches (and a lace knitting) it would be a good first garment.

You knit the top of the back first, back and forth, to the underarms, then pick up stitches at the shoulders to knit the top of the front before joining the pieces to knit the body in the round.

The lace is a worked over a 6 stitch 12 row repeat, so not complicated. I found once I had the first row of each repeat established it was easy to keep track of the pattern.

The lace is charted and written.

The next new WIP is a shawl pattern in a yarn I don't stock... yet! This is going to be a shop sample for the fabulous Kinross 4ply from Wee County Yarns. I first fell in love with this yarn at a Perth Yarn Festival a few years ago. Hopefully it'll be in the shop and on the website soon (I've already picked the shades!)

Double Edged Shawl by Clare Hutchinson available to buy on Ravelry

This will be a Double-Edged shawl by Clare Hutchinson. It takes two balls of the main colour and it has a second edge in a contrasting colour. This yarn is lovely to knit with and it blocks beautifully. It's 100% Scottish lambswool spun by Todd & Duncan in Kinross but when washed it feels like cashmere. When the shop reopens, this will be the sample to come and see!

I just need to finish it.

Now onto older WIPs

I'm continuing to work on my Garter Squish blanket (which lives under the coffee table). Such a easy and comforting knit! I use 4 strands of 4ply held together on a 6mm needles (I am a loose knitter!)

Garter Squish using 4 strands of 4ply, free pattern by Stephen West on Ravelry

My final coffee table project is an even older one... these socks were started in 2019 (I think) and they are another (very) late gift.

For these socks I used a Crazy Zauberball (shade 1507) and one of my favourite 'techniques'.

I split the 100g ball of yarn into two 50g balls. I then knit 5 rows from each ball to force the yarn to stripe differently.

This time I knitted the foot all from one ball, mixing up the stripe effect further.

I first saw the 'technique' used in Tofutrulla's pattern Magic Socks (available for free on Raverly).

I knitted this pair in 2013 using Crazy Zauberball in shade 1701.

Magic Stripe sock (see more on Ravelry)

Also on the coffee table is a pile of yarn for swatching. I'm trying out some acrylic/wool blends to add to the shop.

I have no plans to start another project as I'm really enjoying the two new ones I've just cast on... but we'll see!