This is a monthly round up of my unfinished knitting (and occasionally crochet) projects.
First up the finished projects - two summer tops. These are part of my grand plan to get more summery lightweight garments in the shop.
Summer Light designed by Julie Knits In Paris, available to buy on Ravelry and on here.
Summer Light is a lightweight cropped tee shirt. I knitted it in My Mama Knits Float Your Goat a hand dyed mohair silk blend laceweight. It has a lovely variegated colour effect and a fluffy halo. The ribs are done using My Mama Knits Choufunga mini skeins. You can read more about it here.
Caine is a slipover is knitted from the top down. I'm using Rowan Felted Tweed in shade 216.
You begin back and forth to shape the neckline and then you join in the round and create the drop shoulders. Then you separate the front and back and knit down to make the armholes before joining back in the round for the body.
I am now back in the round. Just 26cm to go before I work the bottom rib. I may be a while. 😆
CoCo Vest by Bana Kavanagh, available to buy on Ravelry
This is CoCo Vest. Its been hanging about the coffee table since July last year.
CoCo Vest is a v-neck tank top. I'm making it for The Teenager. I'm using Socks Yeah DK in Danubrite and Xenon.
The pattern is written for a sportweight yarn so I have adjusted my needle size and I am knitting a smaller size as it will come out slightly bigger than the designer intended. It will also be heavier but I really like the socks yeah DK in the stranded colourwork of the Moonwake Cowl so I'm confident it'll be ok.
It's worked in the round from the bottom up. And then you split the stitches and work the front and back separately.
I really enjoyed working the stranded colourwork in the round but I've slowed down now I've split for the front and back (which I confidently predicted in September). I did try and photograph it on the shop mannequin in an attempt to motivate myself but with no shoulders I had to pin it but its quite boxy so I couldn't pin it properly. I am now relying on The Teenager to shame me into finishing it.😆
Eyelet shawl, free Woolly Brew pattern
Summer Sprinkles is a brand new light DK yarn from Rico. It's a super soft cotton acrylic blend with 4 strands of different colours twisted together to give a variegated look. We've got 8 shades. I'm using shade 003.
We do have some Rico patterns for this yarn (I think it will make a lovely cool top with lots of drape) but with its massive meterage - 320m per 100g ball - its perfect for a one ball shawl. My favourite project!
Our free eyelet shawl pattern is hugely popular. I made the first one in 2014. It's a relatively simple pattern. Its a triangle shawl, knitted from the top down. You start with 3 stitches and then increase at each end and either side of a centre stitch (spine). It uses yarn overs to create a lacy effect with a very deep border. This shawl benefits from aggressive blocking. So once its off the needles give it a wash then pin it out, opening up all the eyelet holes.
Over the years I've made new ones as the yarns in the shop have changed. When the website launched in 2020 I put three versions together into one pdf download. It shows shawls using 50g and 100g of 4ply as well as 100g of DK. You can see more in our online Gallery.
The 100g of DK one specifies 240m of yarn. So this Summer Sprinkles version will be bigger! I'm just going to keep knitting until the ball is almost finished.
One mod I have made is to knit the wrong side rows. The pattern says to purl. Knitting the wrong side just gives more texture.
The second unfinished project also shows off a new yarn (for us).
We now have West Yorkshire Spinners Bo Peep DK in bright self striping shades. Super soft and machine washable this wool blend is made especially for baby and kids projects. I've chosen to knit a French Macaroon baby sweater using shade 1072.
French Macaroon by The Noble Thread, available for free on Ravelry
Over the years we've seen lots of customers knitting this sweater. You knit two T shapes then join the shoulders (three needle bind off) and side seams (mattress stitch). It is a simple knit but you do have to read the instructions closely as you change direction a few times and can lose track of your rows.
It does knit up quickly but I haven't finished it completely as I plan to take photos of the pieces with arrows showing the direction of knitting in case it's helpful to others. Maybe next month?!?
The third unfinished project is another baby sweater. One I have knitted a few times but it never gets dull when you use a self patterning sock yarn!
Flax Light is a free pattern from Tin Can Knits. As part of their Simple Collection this pattern comes with extra diagrams and links to tutorials. It has a HUGE size range from baby to big adult. It is knit from the top down and is a good intro to the technique.
For this version of Flax Light I'm using Opal 4ply mini balls. These are 10g balls of the super popular self patterning sock yarn. I am using 5 mini balls for the 0-6 month size jumper.
I did take some care in blending my colours. Instead of knitting one ball after each other I striped the old ball with the new ball to get a more blended effect.
I also didn't finish all the ball on the body but instead kept some back for the sleeves.
I then spilt this yarn so I could get matching sleeves.
I also didn't do the garter stitch detail on the sleeves.
This Flax Light is a new shop sample for our new Mini Ball Bags which will be available in April (ish). Each handmade project bag has 20 mini balls of Opal 4 ply sock yarn.
For each bag launch I like to have some new ideas on how to use the balls. Last October I tried marling and before that I made a Scrappy Asymmetrical Scarf. This time I want to make as many baby things with 20 mini balls (so 200g of 4ply yarn).
I'm definitely going to make a Barley Light Hat (another free pattern from Tin Can Knits Simple Collection), booties or socks and perhaps a cardigan if I have enough. It's going to be a very colourful baby layette. 😆
Obviously you don't need a Mini Ball Bag to try any of these ideas. They are perfect for using up leftovers or use a single 100g ball of Opal sock yarn.
One project that is not on the coffee table (it lives under it) is my new mitred blanket project.
I have long admired mitred square blankets. You knit a square and then another, picking up the edge of the previous squares, stacking them on top of each other. So no sewing up!
Previously we've shared Fiona's Jameison's Spindrift blanket using a free patterm from Purl Soho (it includes a photo tutorial too).
And Pat's scrappy mitred square blanket using the same pattern.
Over the years I have attempted to make one myself but I never stick with it.
When I was new knitter I struggled to understand which direction to pick up the stitches and what was the right side in garter stitch. I have since learned to put a safety pin on the right side until the pattern is established.
I then couldn't settle on a size of square. I went too small (fiddley) and then too big (endless). I've found a 40 stitch cast on works well for me.
I then didn't like the yarns I used. Too bright, too patterned, too thin.
So this, in February 2023, is my umpteenth attempt at a mitred square blanket and I think, dare I say it, I like it!
Two things prompted me to try again. My Stephen West Melting Marl shawl has very very long rows now. And although it's an easy knit sometimes I want to feel like I'm getting somewhere, achieving something. At the same time Louise Tilbrook shared her own giant square mitred blanket on Instagram. Bingo! A knitting project that is just like building block by block. Although I wanted a smaller block so I could knit one quickly!
I am doing my mitred blanket from memory so can't point to an exact pattern but there are lots available online (remember it can be spelt mitered too) including The Purl Soho one used with great success by Fiona and Pat.
I am holding two strands of 4ply held together and using 4.5mm needles. I am using stash yarn that I've acquired over the years and only using single or semi-solid shades. Nothing variegated or patterned. I'm also only holding similar shades together. I hope to just use superwash merino or merino nylon blend to keep all the fibres the same.
One thing I have noticed is that I might be picking up the stitches further in than I need to. Hopefully this will not derail me... it's not bothering me... yet!😆
For next month I'm aiming to finish the French Macaroon sweater, the Flax Light and maybe even the Eyelet Shawl. I will have probably started something new too...
