Another monthly update of all the projects piling up on my coffee table. You can read last month's update here and all the months here.
At the end of May I finished my Pic & Mix Cowl. Really enjoyed this project. 😍
This cowl uses the Pic & Mix cowl kit from Wee County Yarns. It's 15 mini balls of Scottish yarn and a printed pattern for a cowl. You just add circular needles (3.25cm x 40cm long).
The motif is over 12 stitches and 22 rows which you repeat over and over, picking your own colours from the selection in the box.
Each shade collection has a range of lights and darks.
It's such good fun. Although it's the same motif over and over its always different as you get to choose the colours and how to use them.
You can read more about it here in the shop sample Gallery.
I feel there's several 'could be nearly finished' projects on the coffee table this month. First up, my Fern & Feather jumper. It now has a sleeve!
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'm using King Cole Wool Aran in shades of grey - Steel and Cloud.
The body of this jumper flew off the needles, but as expected I'm now on sleeve island so things have slowed right down.
Lot's of progress on my Uptown Tee.
Uptown Tee by Tori Yu, available to buy on Ravelry
Uptown Tee is a very pretty short sleeved t-shirt. Worked in 4ply from the top down it's a relatively straightforward knit. Just pay attention to the lacy sleeves!
I'm using Vivacious 4ply in the pinky lilac Heavenly shade.
Because it's a hand dyed yarn it is best to work from two hanks, alternating them, so you can blend any colour differences between the hanks.
As detailed in May's update I got into a bit of bother trying to alternate the hanks and do the lacy sleeves.
I resolved the problem by following this YouTube video for Elizabeth Smith.
I've now split the sleeves and I'm happily going round and round on the body. The sleeves need only minimal finishing so it'll be a short visit to that particular sleeve island. 😆
Next up my Wonderball Wrap.
It's knitted in Rico Melange Aran Wonderball (shade 004) using a free pattern we have in the shop.
After first appearing on the coffee table in September 2022 it is still not finished. Last month I worked out I needed to do 22 more repeats of the lace to get to the pattern specified length of 180cm. I recklessly committed to doing one repeat (40 minutes) per day. Hoping to get it finished by 14th June.
It will not surprise regular readers that I have not finished it nor have I achieved anywhere near 22 repeats.
I've done 3. All of them done in the past week.
However, I am doubling down on the now amended pledge: I aim to get it finished by 16th July. Wish me luck!
Two other projects have also been neglected this month.
I've made minimal progress on Caine (pattern by Monie Ebner, available to buy on Ravelry). It's the limey green slipover top in Rowan Felted Tweed.
And it's really not been the weather to work on my mitred blanket. 😆
I've only added 1 square since April.
For my mitred square blanket I am holding two strands of 4ply together and using 4.5mm needles with a cast on of 40 stitches (similar to the pattern at Purl Soho).
I'm still not picking up the stitches consistently which makes the back a wee bit messy.
I am using stash yarn that I've acquired over the years and only using single or semi-solid shades. Nothing too 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.
Now on to what I have started and finished in June... One I can reveal the other is a secret...
First up - the Alpaca Cowl.
This is a quick and simple project using the super light and fluffy Rowan Alpaca Classic. It will be a new free shop pattern and be part of a new Alpaca Classic Kit along with the Alpaca Scarf and Fingerless Mitts.
The pattern has been in my head for a while and it combines my love of knitting cowls and for colour blocks and stripes. I also went on a train journey and this seemed the perfect project to travel with.
I do love these blocks of colours on a cowl as you can wear them in different ways with different colours facing out.
There's no formal pattern yet but essentially you need 3 colours of Rowan Alpaca Classic and a 4mm circular needle - 40 or 60cm long.
I used Verdigris (A), Feather Grey (B) and Charcoal Melange (C).
You could use another yarn but it will be a heavier feeling cowl as the Alpaca Classic is super light.
If you can't wait for the 'formal' pattern here's a rough and ready one.
Using A cast on 125 stitches, place a stitch marker after the last stitch and join in the round.
Work moss stitch for 5cm. So (K1, P1) across all the stitches and rounds.
Then knit every stitch every round (stocking stitch) until the whole piece measures 20cm.
Switch to colour B for another 5cm of stocking stitch.
Then stripe C and B in one row stripes.
Do that until whole piece measures 35cm. On the last round decrease by 1 stitch so you have 124 stitches.
End with K1,P1 rib using C for a total cowl length of 40cm.
Cast off loosely.
Obviously, the beauty of this pattern is its versatility. You can knit it however you like. More or less stripes. All in moss stitch or no moss stitch.
Anyway! I plan to work on the 'formal' pattern and get some kits prepped.
Each kit will have 3 balls of Rowan Alpaca Classic and 3 patterns you can choose from - this cowl pattern and our Alpaca Scarf and a bonus pattern of our Fingerless Mitts. You can't knit all three patterns from 3 balls but you can either knit the Alpaca Scarf with all 3 balls or knit the cowl and the mitts as the cowl only uses 50g of yarn across the 3 colours so there's enough for a pair of striped fingerless mitts.
Alpaca Scarf, free knitting pattern
The second new finished project is a secret. It'll be revealed at the end of July... just in time for the Pittenweem Arts Festival...
For next month I aim to finish the Wonderball Wrap (?!?!). That's it. 😆
