the jumper that won't love me back

This isn't my first cotton jumper but it has beaten me, in a way that makes me wonder if I ever learn from my mistakes. I used my gauge swatch to determine the number of stitches I needed to cast on for this version of Pink by Wendy Bernard from her book Custom Knits but I failed to take into account the unforgiving nature of cotton, it won't give an inch, especially knit at this gauge. A bigger gauge swatch of this Katia yarn might have helped me make a better choice on needle size, I think the fabric has very little drape at this gauge. So I had to unravel hours of knitting...

...and sit at my desk near the window to pick up all those stitches as neatly as possible.

Now summer is nearly over and I look at how hard the cotton has been on my hands. I think it will go into hibernation for awhile.

things to do while knitting

I have been doing a lot of knitting and crocheting and spending time browsing the many knitting and crochet related sites to be found on the internet. It is a double edged sword in a way because although I get enjoyment and inspiration they can also be a distraction and eat into precious time. However, the sense of community and connectedness is worth it. 

The best things are those that I can watch and listen to while knitting. The fibre factor has been fascinating, particularly getting an insight into the designer’s inspiration and then seeing the results. The 30 day sweater challenge has started. I was tempted but then I remembered this 

and this

and this

Two jumpers on the needles unfinished from winter and a shrug for the warmer weather is enough for the moment but I enjoy watching them chat about knitting while I knit and seeing all the possible variations on top down raglan jumpers.

The podcast I like to listen to while knitting is The New Yorker Fiction podcast but Pam Allen of Quince Yarns and Hannah Fettig of Knitbot have started a podcast, knit.fm and I am very happy to hear two such experienced and talented knitters share their knowledge. Suzy Hausfrau has recently started an Australian based podcast and I have enjoyed her interviews so far.

Perhaps my next installment could be things not to do while knitting?

my grandmother

The black angora knitting is finished, now I am steeling myself for the sewing and finishing. Some how I think blocking is not going to help with this - the fabric is very floppy, curling isn't an issue. Also the fluffiness might be adversely affected by blocking so I won't go there.

My grandparents were Salvation Army missionaries in Asia

I sit on the deck in the morning before it gets hot

The weather has been warm, lets say hot, so I have strayed from this project to crochet. Crochet is a perfect summer craft. I wish my maternal grandmother was still alive to show me. She would knit in the cooler months and crochet in the warmer months, her hands were always busy.

I craved colour after the angora knitting so I went to my stash and picked out some some bright colours from the odd balls I have collected. Granny squares are very pleasing and forgiving for a novice like me and a great way to use up scraps that I can't bear to throw away. This is just fun and relaxing and may take awhile. I am using this pattern by Lucy from Attic 24 as a starting point but playing around with colours I have at hand.

I also finished a cowl that I have been working on for awhile and not feeling that happy about. It was partly the pattern, easy but showed up my mistakes in stitch placement and tension changes, and the yarn. Katia linda is 48% rayon, 42% linen, 10% cotton and looked appealing in the ball with its variegated blue and brown colour and interesting texture but I don't love it so much in the fabric. The colours pool in dull splotches. I have knit with the pure Katia linen and love the look of it. It has only got better with every wash, so much so that my daughter has taken it! This cowl may also get softer, time will tell.

Must now get back to the sewing task hanging over my head.

paint it, black

Penelope the Empathetic Monster by Rebecca Danger

julekuler by Arne & Carlos

Here are some of the things I knit in the lead up to Christmas. Pure wool yarn in beautiful colours, employing new skills, developing them, even, sometimes mastering, them (that's a good feeling) and although I follow a pattern there are happy decisions to be made about colour choices and finishing details.

Morning Owl tea cosy by Debi Birkin

This time of year is a time of reflection and I have a knitting bucket list. It's not written down anywhere, it's in my head growing, changing, percolating and ... putting pressure on me. I get impatient with myself for getting distracted by cute small patterns, starting projects impulsively and putting off the challenging projects.

Christmas gifts of yarn have added to my stash and one surprise gift caused a minor crisis. Luxurious black angora with a pattern for a cardigan, a thoughtful and generous present that I was tempted to return! This is my most dreaded type of project, a project that is all about the product. A product that is only reached by hours of black stockinette knitting and then five fluffy pieces that require expert sewing (a skill I am still working on).

I could not let this expensive yarn sit in my stash making me feel guilty, on Boxing Day I cast on the angora. I am on a mission, I will be monogamous.

I have also joined a Ravelry group called IntSweMoDo2013. I am looking forward to a productive year of knitting. Wish me luck.

a cardigan makeover

A friend had recently bought a large pot for dying (she likes to boil up eucalyptus leaves) and said I could borrow it.

the borrowed  crab cooker 

A while ago I found a crochet cardigan while op-shoppping with my daughter.

vintage crochet cardigan

However it was not my colour, too cream. I could tell that it was a hard wearing yarn, almost definitely 100% wool. I searched around the web and discovered dying knitted or crochet garments is not that easy. This weighs nearly 700 grams and you may see from the photo above how bulky the crochet stitch looks. I asked on Ravelry and a lovely person who was experienced at dying offered to have a go at it for me.

first attempt at dying

It was an improvement, but still a little boring and I felt more confident to experiment myself. I bought some landscapes dye in an interesting colour called Broome. I mixed up the specified amount and put both dye and pre-soaked cardigan into the big pot. I knew my biggest problem would be getting the cardigan to take the dye up evenly. I had learnt this from the first attempt because a section of the collar was a darker grey to the rest of the garment. I brought the pot up to just below the boil and for the first 10 minutes I moved the cardigan around and around in the pot. For the next hour I went to the pot every ten minutes to move the cardigan around. The dye was exhausted after about and hour or so but I could still see the uneven blotch on the collar so I put in some more dye and cooked it some more. I then took to off the stove and let it sit to cool down. 100g of Landscape dye later I was more than a little worried that I had gone too far with the colour. It looked very dark when I pulled it out wet from the pot. Thankfully it lightened in colour with drying.

yarn and cardigan dyed with Landscape dyes

Now I need to sew on some vintage buttons and work out what to wear with it.

new colour for vintage cardigan

a winter knitting weekend

Four of us made the trip to Deans Marsh to stay on a beautiful secluded property and spend the weekend eating, drinking and knitting. When you can only hear the sounds of wildlife and only see trees, sky, kangaroos and cows it feels like you are in a another world. The air smelt slightly sweet as we walked around the property in gumboots checking out the dams and scaring the kangaroos away.

We looked at magazines and books and played with yarn. I continued knitting my shawl.

a place to knit

Knitting is such a portable pursuit and does not really require dedicated space
I have a spare room and it is full of things collected over the years. Many of these things never see the light of day, most of them are forgotten. I plan to rescue them and, if I can, put them to good use.

In the meantime I have carved out part of this space for my knitting. All the yarn, knitting tools etc that have been stowed away around the house will be gradually brought to this room.

A student desk, a display cabinet and a tv stand have all been put to new use. It is colourful and cheerful and I am happy.