This is a moody monthly round up of my unfinished knitting (and occasionally crocheted) projects. Moody as it's winter in Scotland and the light can be... fickle!
After stowing it away to fit the Christmas tree in the coffee table is back in the living room. There's nothing new on it, which is a surprise, and as I finished a couple of things it's also looking a bit empty!
So last month I was working on 3 socks -
A pair of simple socks - knitted using Opal Hundertwasser 4ply in shade 1435. These are a gift for a very patient friend. However I packed those away as I needed to concentrate on the Opal Wilder Winter 8ply socks, which were also a gift.
I used shade 11182 and Rye, a free pattern from Tin Can Knits. The original pattern has a garter stitch detail but I missed that out. These were a very fast knit and with some dedication you could knit a pair in a weekend.
The other sock I finished (just one as it's a shop sample) is Dustland by Stephen West (available to buy on Ravelry and Westknits). It has different simple stitch patterns made up of just knits and purls. They make a one colour sock more interesting to knit.
Dustland has two features I have never done before - a double cuff and a garter stitch heel flap. The double cuff feels luxurious and I'm glad I persevered with it as it took me aaaagggggesss to knit 13cm of rib. The pattern asks you to fold the rib in half and then knit each stitch on the needle with the corresponding picked up stitch from the cast on edge. I found the method a bit of a phaff and I think I would have been better doing a provisional cast on instead. At least then I wouldn't have to question if I was picking up the correct stitch. The stitches on the cast on edge are quite tiny.
I used Socks Yeah 4ply in shade 127. There is a whole range of Dustland patterns featuring a similar stitch pattern.
There is an another sock. A cheeky wee cast on to show off our new Regia Color Cotton sock yarn (I used shade 2412).
Regia Color Cotton is a 4ply sock yarn. It's a blend of cotton and polyamide and is cool and breathable. It's extra soft too with a feel of worn denim.
And it has a great self patterning effect!
As a trainer sock this didn't take long to knit. I just used my usual simple sock pattern but I only knitted a rib at the top and then went straight into the heel flap. No leg.
You can knit the rib longer. The good thing about knitting your own trainer socks is that you can solve the problem of them slipping under your foot! If you have a high instep just knit the heel flap longer. Longer foot than average shop sizes? Knit the foot longer.
There are lots of trainer sock knitting patterns on Ravelry - some are simple, others with stitch patterns.
Depending on the size of the feet you could get 2 pairs of trainer socks from one 100g ball.
Now moving on to all the garments... I am a slow garment knitter. Unless it's chunky and colourful.
I have made no progress on the CoCo Vest, much to the annoyance of The Teenager. Started back in July 2022 I have at least separated for the front and back.
CoCo Vest is a v-neck tank top designed by Bana Kavanagh and available to buy on Ravelry. 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.
If you're a Wednesday fan then this tank top would be great in classic black and white!
I have made some progress on Caine.
Caine is designed by Monie Ebner (available to buy on Ravelry). I'm using Rowan Felted Tweed in shade 216.
This is knitted from the top down. 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've done the top of the back and made a good start on the top front.
I've also made good progress on Melody - a sleeveless top in West Yorkshire Spinners Elements DK. I'm using shade 1106.
Elements is a blend of Falkland Islands Wool and Lyocell and is a lightweight lustrous yarn that is fully traceable from sustainable sources and it is biodegradable too. It has a lovely sheen.
Melody was started back in April 2022 where I confidently predicted it would be finished soon. 😆
But recently, in an effort to get more summery tops into the shop, I've been on a mission to get it finished.
But there was a set back...
This is what Melody looked like at the end of last week.
It's a sleeveless top with a teardrop lace pattern. It's relatively straightforward to knit. The front and back are the same. There is no shaping on the main body and only minimal shaping at the neckline which is done in an easy to manage rib.
Or so I thought.
If I am knitting flat (which means I have to sew something up) and I'm asked to decrease 1 stitch at the end (or beginning) of a row I usually do it one stitch before the end. This gives a neater edge to sew up.
When doing this at the same time as a stitch pattern you do have to carefully manage how you treat each side, otherwise they end up not matching. This is especially true when working in a rib pattern and decreasing on every row - like Melody's neckline.
(I had a similar discussion about Sami).
I realised I hadn't matched how I treated the neckline but thought it would be ok and steamed ahead joining the shoulders and finishing the neckline.
I put it on the shop mannequin for its work-in-progress photo... and I was not happy.
So I decided to redo the neckline.
This meant undoing the neckline, unpicking the shoulders and ripping down each side, front and back, to the shoulder shaping.
This did not take as long as I thought!
For my second attempt I just decreased at the end (or the beginning) of the row (like the pattern said). I made sure to always use a K2tog on the right side and P2tog on the wrong side.
Much happier!
I also did a three needle bind off for the shoulders which worked really well - keeping the ribbed lines consistent. This is a good tutorial on YouTube.
I have now sown up one side and picked up an armhole and finished that edging...
photo taken in January after 4pm on a very overcast day in Scotland
So it is very nearly finished... hopefully.
Oh. I have finished Summer Light - the golden yellow mohair silk tee shirt. It'll have its ta-da moment once I get some better light for the photographs. If you can't wait, you can read about it in last month's update or pop into the Pittenweem shop.
