I’ve been knitting!

I know it’s been a while since I last posted (didn’t I say that last time?) but I’ve become a bit tied up recently (no not like that!).  I like to be able to concentrate on a post; I’ve never been a one picture two lines sort of person, although I’m considering giving it a go, but I can’t honestly see it getting much better in the foreseeable future.

When my eldest started college and only having one to teach not two, I thought I’d have lots more time, and to begin with I suppose I did for a while.  But life has a way of filling in the gaps and although my Mothers health had been failing for a while; she hasn’t been able to leave the house without me for a year or two now, she has become even more frail over this past winter and is now unable to manage anything more than a bit of cooking and some light dusting.  So, I’ve taken up looking after her house and garden as well as getting her out for a bit of a break each week and doing the shopping.  I’m happy to do all this and more, but it takes a large chunk of my week.  Business paperwork of which there seems to be more and more each year and teaching (my youngest is now approaching his last year before going to college) as well as my own cleaning, gardening and of course cooking, take up all the rest.  I’m not complaining, and I know lots of people who are easily as busy, but I felt I’d just explain.

But, in my case anyway and I suspect in yours too, life would not be the same without knitting.  Even if it’s pretty straightforward knitting it’s still knitting and sometimes simple knitting is the best. It’s nice to be able to just knit and relax and not think for a while.

Now, I had some great (for me anyway) pictures of two of my recent FO’s, but, because I was a bit low on disk space (how does that happen?) my computer ate them.  And before you ask, yes I’d already deleted them from my camera.  I usually keep copies on my camera until I’ve finished editing just in case but, well, if I had this time we all know the computer would not have eaten them and I wouldn’t have needed the copies!

So I do have photos but not so good ones.

The Victoria Yoke Pullover.  As you can probably see by the cuff, it’s already seen a bit of wear.

VICTORIA YOKE PULLOVER

by Jennifer Lang printed in IK winter 08

Yarn: Sublime Merino DK

I ended up modifying this a bit.  I know it was one of the design elements of the original but after wearing it a bit, I just couldn’t get on with the neck, it was too high and just didn’t look right on me.  I folded it over as you would sometimes on a crew neck and sewed it down.  I also changed the bottom edge and cuffs from a rib to a turned edge and knitted the button band on the opening to match.

Even though I changed it a bit, this is a great pattern.  Top down sweaters are fast becoming my favourite at the moment.  The Sublime is next to the skin soft and although it seems to stretch a bit when washed, it does bounce back once it’s dry.  This is a very simple but effective knit and so comfortable it is fast becoming a wardrobe staple.

Another recent FO is the Slinky Ribs by Wendy Bernard.

SLINKY RIBS

by Wendy Bernard from her book Custom Knits

Yarn: Stylecraft Kon-Tiki  cotton/acrylic mix

Another top down, this was a very quick knit.  The cotton mix I used for this, although lighter than all cotton, is still a bit heavier than the original design, which was knitted in a silk /wool mix, but it still came out really wearable.

This has come in really handy for putting over a long sleeve T, what with our changeable spring weather!  I wouldn’t mind knitting another in a lighter yarn with more drape though.

I did knit a pair of socks for my LYS but failed to take a picture before I dropped them off! Imagine here a pair of pretty Alpaca socks in teal, white and terracotta stripes!

I’ve started another couple of projects since finishing these, though I’ve not managed to get all that far with them yet.  The first is another of Wendy Bernards’ patterns, the Saddle A-Line also from Custom Knits.  I’m knitting it in another of Sublime’s yarns, this time their Merino/Silk/Cashmere DK in a lovely raspberry colour.  I’m finding it a bit finer than the pure Merino yarn and have gone down to 3.5 mm needles to give me 6 sts/inch. I want the sweater to be squishy and warm for my Mother to wear though not too stiff and this gauge seems to work so far, though I’ll be able to tell better when I’ve got a bit more of it kitted up.

The other project was to be a cotton cardigan.  I’d come across a picture of one which had several design elements that I quite liked and decided to put together one of my own.  I worked it all out for a seamless knit and started knitting it in the same yarn as I used for the Slinky Ribs.  The only thing I failed to take into account was all the purling in the cotton yarn practically killed my hands.  Slinky Ribs was knitted mostly in the round and the parts that were knitted flat were the k2,p2 rib so it didn’t have any areas with miles of purl stitches.  I must be getting old (Shhh!) because all I seemed to be able to manage was a few rows a night before my hands ached and I had to switch projects to something with a bit of give in it.

After giving it a good try, I decided that it could, at this rate, take me all year to complete so I looked around for something else and came across the Organic Cotton Henley by Micki Hair in the book Simple Style by Interweave. It’s knitted entirely in the round, perfect, as for some reason knit stitches in the cotton don’t give me the same trouble.

There is a bit of a seamless theme going on here I know but it just  seems to feel right knitting them at the moment.  More of an organic process.

Talking of organic….which leads to.. gardening (sorry!)

Spring is always a busy time in the garden and I’ve been trying to prioritise.  Some areas are looking rather neglected but I figure I can clear and plant in one go rather than clear, then plant.  I don’t suppose in reality there’s any difference between the two courses of action but needing to plant something then realising that I need to clear an area for it somehow gets it done more quickly!

So as not to bore you too much with various photos, I have put together a bit of a collage of what’s going on.

I have the first lot of peas in, but under cover, they’re doing well and I’m aiming to start another lot off this weekend.  I’ve also been lucky with the weather and have a few lettuces in the ground but I do cover them over at night just in case.  All the chillies, tomatoes, peppers and courgettes are up and will need potting on soon as will the kale, which although I won’t have room for to begin with, I’m hoping to grow them on in larger pots until I do.

I’ve also managed to get some flowers going this year.  Marigolds I always grow as I companion plant them among the vegetables but they seem to be doing especially well this year. I also have cosmos, antirrhinums and Pansy’s all doing well with Californian poppies, tobacco plants and something else whose name escapes me at the moment bringing up the rear.  In the ground the hostas and sweet peas are growing daily and the clematis have so many buds on we should be in for a pretty good show.  Not bad for April.  Let’s just hope it carries on!