Work In Progress - January 2021

To fit the Christmas tree into the living room, we had to move the coffee table out. This meant all the projects that lived on and underneath the table had to be moved too.

I resolved to knit on one project at a time in an effort to keep the living room as tidy as possible amongst the tinsel and lights. Well, maybe two as the garter squish blanket is a great one to pick up and knit no matter what I'm doing or how I'm feeling!

So... I'm starting January with no new projects but several finished ones! And an empty coffee table (now back in the living room)

As noted in the December WIPs post I felt compelled to knit a Sadie Souris - a small knitted mouse designed by Cinthia Vallet). By chance Cinthia held a knit along on Instagram - breaking down the pattern into 10 parts... so I obviously cast on!

I used Fyberspates Vivacious 4ply in Smokey Joe for the body. For her trousers I used Socks Yeah 4ply in Benitoit and her T-shirt uses hand dyed yarn from My Mama Knits.

Sadie Souris by Cinthia Vallet, available to buy on Ravelry

Really enjoyed knitting this. It is quite fiddly as it is done seamlessly so you do have to juggle multiple needles. But the pattern is incredibly well written with detailed instructions, so you never have to guess which way to go.

You do need to take time when stuffing though as there is a lot of shaping in the face, paws and bum... which need to be filled out.

The rest of the month I concentrated on 4 larger projects that I started months ago.

Ripple Bralette by Jessie Maed Designs available to buy on Ravelry

First up, the Ripple Bralette by Jessie Maed Designs. Knitted seamlessly, this top has a lot of negative ease. That means it is much smaller than the body that will wear it, it also means you spend a lot of time thinking, "there is no way this will fit".

Well, it did! I used Doll, a hand dyed yarn from Rusty Ferret. The colours (the shade name is Delusion) came out perfectly. 

I love the slip stitch edging, such a neat finish, and the pattern has lots of advice on getting a good fit no matter what your size.

The next project I worked on, this one is for display in the shop, is the Plume Poncho by Martin Storey. It's part of his Carousel design book released last year which you can see here.

Plume by Martin Storey, from Carousel

I started this last August (I think?) but it was set aside as I worked on other projects. But thanks to several boxsets I finished all the colourwork in a couple of weeks. It still needs to have a bath (I use Eucalan) and then I'll dry it flat which will help even out the colourwork.

I used Rowan Alpaca Soft in shades 214 and 210. REALLY love this yarn. So soft and squishy and the colours are stunning.

The pattern is quite straightforward*. You only have one contrast colour and the feather motif is charted and repetitive. I wouldn't recommend it as a first colourwork project just because of the sheer number of stitches. It's important not to strand too tightly across the back of your work, and with lots of stitches and a repetitive motif you can get lulled into just knitting and not pay attention to your tension... which leads to puckering.

*I did have a minor hiccup when I started the colourwork chart which you can read here

Dandelion Pullover by Paula Pereira, pattern available to buy on Ravelry

The next project I finished was the Dandelion jumper in Rowan Felted Tweed. Again, this needs a bath and to dry flat (I'll pin out the cuffs to show off the pattern). This project was marooned on sleeve island for a while but I managed to push through (thanks to the box sets) and finish up last week. Next time I am working both sleeves at the same time!

Felix by Amy Christoffers, available to buy on Ravelry

The fourth project is my Felix jumper knitted in Lettlopi in shade 1405 (think green navy). This had got quite far along before I ripped a lot of it back. As it is knitted top down, I was able to try it on once I had separated the sleeves from the body. You can see a photo of it on the shop mannequin from December. Once I had some of the body done I did some of the sleeves and realised that the yoke (the bit from my neck to just under my arms, was way too long). Combined with the positive ease, bigger than my body, the jumper was HUGE. So I shortened the yoke, knitted some of the body and both sleeves and felt happier with the fit. It only took a few hours to finish off. 

I've never worn this style of jumper before - cropped, boxy and wide, so it's a try it and see project! So far I think I like it on... and I'm pleased I got it done whilst it is still winter.

So... 4 large holes in my WIP pile... and I still haven't cast on anything new. But, to be honest, I'm quite enjoying my garter squish which is continuing to be very soothing in the current climate.

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