90 metres and 34g of 3-ply Masham yarn, chain-plied on a 34g Bosworth midi spindle.

Truth be told, although I have not lost my love of creating, my creations have not been working out very well lately. I think I am doomed to never be happy with something until I have knit it twice. This applies doubly to anything that I design myself, though I follow the advice of my design books with zeal and measure everything three times. The mistakes seem so obvious with hindsight, as mistakes are wont to seem. As such, I have a growing pile of things-to-be-unravelled. The silver lining in this paragraph of gloom is that knitting practically invites unravelling, and no harm is done (save to my knitter’s confidence, of course).

I’m playing it safe at the moment; I’m only slightly (ha!) modifying someone else’s design. It’s Fay by Kim Hargreaves, and although I’ve changed the yarn and the stitch pattern and therefore the stitch count and I’m not sure it’s the right size and I’m a little concerned that the waist shaping may turn out to be too severe… despite all that, I’m hopeful that it will all turn out well and that I won’t have to add this one to the pile, too.

All the project details are here (the link should be viewable by everyone). It’s a lovely pattern, well-written and, being modular, is completely customizable (not to mention the choice of two edgings).

I bought a whole pack of this yarn – Rowan 4 ply soft, now discontinued – and have been thinking of what to do with the remaining 7.5 balls. It’s just about the right temperature for a fingering weight wool cardigan (no jumpers; I get too hot in them unless it’s deep winter) so I’ve been dutifully making swatches of stitch patterns. For a while I got really stuck on lace patterns, but then I saw the second photo in this post from The Sartorialist and was immediately drawn to the garter stitch/stocking stitch diamonds on the gentleman’s jumper. So far, I envision a raglan-sleeved cardigan with a deep v-neck and (possibly?) short sleeves. Watch this space!

But, all this industriousness aside, I promised a finished knit, so here is my version of Kelmscott.

Kelmscott by Carol Sunday
I used 5.5 balls of Cascade 220 in Silver Gray and 4.5mm needles.
My Ravelry project page

This is a perfect cardigan. I saw it in the Winter 2009 issue of Twist Collective and knew I had to make it as soon as possible. I knew I should consider the matter sanely, and did so for about five seconds before buying the pattern and moving swiftly on to yarn selection. The pattern calls for a light worsted weight angora/merino yarn, but it’s not available in the UK and I find angora too hot and ticklish. I swatched and settled for an old stalwart: Cascade 220, which I knew would make a warm, cosy garment that would also last.

I lengthened the body and sleeves to suit my longer torso, and added an extra button. I also worked a simple crocheted buttonband instead of the loops in the pattern as written (I tried them, but they gaped too much, and my covered buttons looked “blobular” according to a sibling). The lace on the collar and fronts involves patterning on both sides, which requires concentration, but since much of the rest is reverse stocking stitch, there was plenty of mindless knitting.

The result is everything I’d hoped for: warm and cosy but elegant and stylish. It’s great for the season, especially the chilly evenings we’ve been having, and I have no problem with outfit selection because I don’t really want to wear anything else! It’s a worthy addition to my newly minimised wardrobe.

Witness the results (both are works in progress, but both are well on the way towards completion!):

Aeolian shawlette, just pinned out to dry.

Some of my handspun being knitted into a doll-sized cardigan.

The above image is of a rather wet cotton jumper, knitted from a 1940s pattern contained in the excellent book, A Stitch In Time, Vol 1. I offer it up as proof of my continued existence, as things have been rather quiet around here lately. I hope to get back up to speed soon!

I’m going through the initial stages of designing something. As is evidenced by the photos above, this involves trying out stitch patterns, reading up on good design practice, and a fair bit of maths. The process is slightly hampered by the fact that I’m resting a sore arm and am therefore not doing any knitting, but I can at least crunch some numbers while I’m waiting. My graph paper notebook is my best friend. (I have three, and have managed to start them all, which is fairly normal for me. I have a slight notebook obsession.)

No knitting means more reading, because I’ve not yet worked out how to read and knit at the same time – unless it’s an ebook. Theoretically, I am being firm with myself as regards books. No new books will pass the threshold until I have read and/or gotten rid of some (preferably both!). I’ve gathered together a pile of historical non-fiction with the intent of blitzing through it in a few months, although I don’t think I’ll be donating any of these. (My other slight obsessions are the 18th and early 19th centuries, and the books shown below are, thus far, very good indeed.)

At the moment I’m reading Harriette Wilson’s Memoirs, which is, apart from the lengthy introduction, entirely in the lady’s own words. She wrote and sold the memoirs in her middle age when in need of money. Before doing so she wrote to all her lovers, offering to refrain from mentioning them if they’d pay her £200, to which the Duke of Wellington famously replied “Publish and be damned!”. The book must, by necessity, be read with a rather large pinch of salt, but it’s an entertaining and fascinating insight into the everyday (and not-so-everyday!) goings-on of Regency life.

On that note, I have to confess to not wearing some of my older projects as much as I thought I would. It’s “eyes bigger than belly” syndrome, I suppose: one sees something and decides one must have it, but doesn’t really think hard enough about yarn/pattern choice and although the finished item is fine, it gets relegated to the back of the drawer for eternity. I hate waste and I’m trying to be very conscious about what will genuinely suit me, and what is just a case of “ooh! Pretty!”. With that in mind, I have unravelled Garland, having very nearly finished it some weeks ago. I tried it on once and realised I’d made an error in judgement. No matter, though! I’ve ditched it without any regrets and am working on the Somerset cardigan from Neoknits, albeit with a few little modifications (I’m making it a bit longer, for starters – oh, and in a different weight of yarn, and with longer sleeves! In for a penny…).

I seem to be unable to keep from modifying patterns these days, and so it may seem like a natural progression that I’m dipping my toes into the pool (ocean?) that is designing. I posted a little preview of this just before Christmas, but now I’ve written up the pattern and can share it with everyone without fear of spoiling the recipient.

Change-ringing scarf: Plain Bob Minor

This is a cabled scarf (a very cabled scarf!) which depicts the change-ringing method known as Plain Bob Minor. I will rely upon wikipedia to explain change-ringing better than I ever could:

Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called “changes”.

These methods are often presented in the form of charts (you can see the chart for Plain Bob Minor here) which just beg to be turned into cable patterns. The scarf uses DK weight (or greater) yarn and for mine, which ended up as 66″ long, I used about 500 yards.

The pattern is free, and you can either go and see it on Ravelry if you have an account, or you can use the above button to download the PDF, which includes both charted and written instructions.

I’m already planning my next design, which will be a little more involved, in that so far it seems to be a cardigan, but without any cables (bliss!). I am swatching and reading Sweater Design in Plain English while waiting for some needles to arrive. It’s a good life.

Tangled Yoke cardigan

I wear this all the time. It’s hard-wearing and very warm – the yarn is not perfectly soft and slightly tickles bare arms, but it doesn’t make me uncomfortable. The pattern was simple with just a few fiddly moments at the yoke. If I made it again I’d change the garter rib (which isn’t at all stretchy) to a plain 2×2 rib.
Pattern: Tangled Yoke cardigan by Eunny Jang (my Ravelry project page)
Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed #159 Carbon, 7 balls
Needles: 2mm, 3.5mm and 3.75mm

Rambling Rose cardigan

This pattern comes in two sizes, 30″ and 43″. I am neither. To make it fit I had to alter the scallops at the bottom, adding stitches to the pattern repeat (in the garter stitch sections) to make it up to the required amount. I knit it as normal after that, but obviously with a higher stitch count and wider reverse-stockinette sections. I also added width to the sleeves. It was a great success and is perfect for autumn or spring weather. The yarn is as smooth and soft as you could wish, but would probably sag if you were not careful to dry/store the garment flat.
Pattern: Rambling Rose by Laura Zukaite, Interweave Knits Winter 2006 (my Ravelry project page)
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cathay #07, just over 8 balls
Needles: 4mm

Poinsettia

Superbly soft, warm yarn. This neck warmer is as cosy as any scarf, but without the annoying bulk that makes my winter coat fit strangely. I chose this pattern because unlike many cowls, it fans out over the neck to cover the shoulders a little. It is snug and lovely. The lace is subtle and straightforward. I would make it again like a shot.
Pattern: Poinsettia by Anne Hanson (my Ravelry project page)
Yarn: ColourMart Cashmere/Wool 10/28NM Heavy DK Weight in “Scots Pine”, less than half a cone
Needles: 3.75mm

A reluctant fairy and a real fairy. The one on the left is my sister, and we show our love for her by piling tinsel on her inert form. (We were decorating the tree at the time.) The one on the right sits on top of the tree and looks demurely kitsch.

I’m crossing my fingers that the recipient of this present doesn’t read the blog, but here is the result of the pattern-writing and chart-making that I wrote about just over a month ago. There will be proper photos of this creation – and a pattern, too – once the aforementioned recipient has opened it. (I say “there will be a pattern” with some surety, because I have already written it. It needs some final polishing, and probably the chart should be written out into plain English, but it exists as a whole and not as flimsy notes written on the backs of envelopes, which is my usual MO.)

It only remains for me to say: whatever you’re doing tomorrow, and whoever you’re with (and whatever you’re eating!), I hope you enjoy it tremendously. I certainly plan to!

(It may be worth mentioning that this is the British version, and that the American one seems to differ in terms of pattern content. The cover is slightly different too.)

Cover – stocking stitch jacket Although this is knitted in the simplest of stitches, I love it. It’s nicely finished with turned hems, pockets and a flared double-thickness collar, and it would be a peach to accessorise.

…and here are the rest of my favourites:

	Target Wools advertisement This is one of the many adverts dotted around the magazine, and I wish there was a pattern for it. It’s just the sort of thing to wear while reading in bed at this time of year. I might try to reverse-engineer it, but don’t hold your breath on that one.
	Deep Welt cardigan I’d not heard of the term “welt” before – it refers to the finished edge, which is ribbed here – but I like the long smooth line created by the deep ribbing. I frequently have midriff-gaping issues (either my shirt is too short or my skirt sits too low, or both!) so a long cardigan to cover things up is essential.
	Dolman cardigan This is exactly the sort of cardigan I most like to wear: simple, flattering and versatile, with a low v-neck so I don’t get too warm. I’ve never tried a dolman sleeve, but I don’t think it looks too frumpy here and I can see myself wearing it with many of my outfits. Some embroidery or beading along the neckline would make it especially elegant.
	Cropped cardigan I’ve seen this kind of button detailing on modern cardigans, henley sweaters and tops, which just goes to show that there’s nothing new under the sun! It’s an interesting addition to what is otherwise a fairly plain and simple cardigan, but instructions are given for short and long sleeves, and this is another good candidate for embellishment.
	Bi-colour striped cardigan I like a wide rib (it’s subtle but definite) and the coloured stripes here made a bold vertical design feature that could be livened up or toned down depending on one’s choice of colours. It’s a neat, tailored look, and though I’m not commonly seen in such a high neck, I’d make an exception for this. As for those colours – grey and red? Brown and blue? (Better not, those are my old school colours…) Purple and yellow? The possibilities are endless.
	Dickey front blouse with skirt I am never knitting a skirt or a dress. It’s non-negotiable. Still, the blouse part does appeal, and while I don’t know if I could bring myself to wear it, the “dickey-front” is very sweet.
	Blouse and pleated skirt or dress I feel the same about this little ensemble. Forget the skirt, the blouse looks far more rewarding with its little shawl collar and three-quarter length sleeves.
	Cross-necked sweater Again, this is a look that I’ve seen in the shops recently, though usually with a lower neckline. I like it better this way – it looks like it gives the warmth of a turtle-neck with twice the style (although opinions will surely vary on the relative attractions of these two necklines!).
	Man’s classic cardigan Okay, I admit it: I’m only putting up this picture to prove how suave and masculine a man can look in a cardigan.