Not Exactly Flying

Well, I wouldn't say that 'socks soar on two needles' exactly, but mine are coming along. I've completed the small ribbed cuff, the st st leg and a very nice (and probably hard wearing) heel flap, which I've also turned. The yarn is a simple Lion Brand Wool Prints in this delightful pink, plum and peach colourway. I'm using it because US 6 circular needles are the only ones I have in both the 16" and 24" lengths required for this Two-At-A-Time technique.

It's been an interesting process so far. Starting off was a bit of a nightmare. I just kept getting all twisted up and sometimes the entire project looked like it had had a major fight with the cat! It wasn't until I was at least halfway down the leg that things began to settle down a bit. Having two different sized needles was actually a good thing because it made it easier to tell where you'd got to if you had to put your work down for any reason. There have been times though when I've thought that perhaps it would be easier to knit two socks simultaneously using the Magic Loop technique (i.e. have two needles the same size with one sock on each and just pick them up and put them down as the pattern or the knitter's whim dictates.)

So far, I'm really not sure if this method is an improvement on Magic Loop or not? I think I'm going to love finishing two socks at the same time, but the road to victory may just have too many pot holes for me.

Fisherman's Sweater

At last, my PC is sorted out so I can get back with a few photos!

Here's the Fisherman's sweater that I've started. I've nicknamed it "My Way Gansey" because that's exactly how I'm knitting it - my way. I love the yarn. It's knitting into a wonderfully warm looking fabric. I'm a bit worried that it's going to turn out too big though as my 7sts per inch swatch turned into 6sts per inch once I was knitting in the round. In future I think I'll knit a swatch cap just like they used to in the old days instead of a flat swatch. Apparently gauge over stockinette in flat knitting is sometimes different to gauge in the round, so I've learned something already.

Here are my initials knitted into the bottom right hand side. Next time I'll probably knit those a little further apart too, just so that they show up a bit better.

This is my cable cast on in double yarn (with half the amount of stitches) that I described before. I vented the piece to allow for any restriction that this cast on might give. After all, it's not the most elastic of cast ons, but it should be very hardwearing.

So far I'm enjoying the acres of stockinette stitch required for the main part of the sweater. It makes it an easy piece to take to my knitting group and to work on while I'm watching tv with my family.

Tomorrow I'm planning to finish the Central Park Hoodie, so stay tuned for an update in the near future!

New Year News

Well, here we are in 2009. I can hardly believe it. Time seems to fly by and the end of the year always seems to morph into a complete blur. We still have snow on the front lawn, but it is melting away now. There are big solid clumps left where my son had build his moguls (down the side by a fence) and the sledging bank which was positioned at the edge of the drive to stop the snowboards and inner tubes from careering into the neighbours shrubbery.

The snow had a lot to answer for in the gift department this year too. It prevented Mr Brown ( the UPS delivery guy) from bringing some of the presents on time. What a total mess that has been. By Christmas Eve I was making coupons for the children to open the next day and by New Years Eve we were all watching for any sign of a brown van! Thank goodness we are solution orientated. It's a pity UPS aren't! Our package finally arrived today having been delivered to the wrong address three streets away yesterday. Thank goodness for honest friends/neighbours.

I was lucky enough to get some wonderful knitting gifts this Christmas, notably a lot of books. I have been reading "The Opinionated Knitter" by Elizabeth Zimmermann and have been totally inspired by her. Coupled with Gladys Thompsons "Patterns For Guernseys, Jerseys and Arans", I have felt brave enough to cast on for my own gansey. I am using some unbleached Fisherman's Wool by Lion Brand that I bought in the summer from JoAnne's in a sale. It smells of lanolin and brings back memories of the traditional blue guernsey sweater I had as a child.

The most inspiring thing of all though is that I've cast on without a pattern. I am just knitting it blind; following tradition and creating as I go. It's a little nervewracking, but at the same time really quite exhilarating. I decided to knit a vented welt and I wanted it to have the hardwearing texture that I remember from my childhood gansey. When I made my swatch, I got about 7sts to an inch with 3.75mm needles so I have calculated that I'll need about 288 sts to get a suitable size. This made 144 sts each side. As I wanted to cast on in double yarn and it looked really bulky when I tried it with that many stitches, I ripped back and cast on just 72 sts in cable cast on with double yarn on a 2.75mm circular needle ( so that the welt would be in a coarser fabric). Then, on my first row, I knitted into both loops of each cable, thereby creating my 144 sts. The result has been a beautiful, decorative and hardwearing edge which looks great on my vented garter stitch welts. When my computer is finally over its problems (just pictures to sort out now) I'll show it to you.

Now I'm knitting the main body in stockinette stitch up to the arm gussets. On a whim last night, I knitted my initials into the fabric as some of the fisherman's wives did in England in days gone by. It seems a fitting tribute to my ancestors and the legacy they've left us.

This And That

Well, we had a lovely Thanksgiving and I trust that all my American friends did too. The Central Park Hoodie was put on the backburner for the long weekend in favour of smaller projects that don't require quite so much concentration. It's still sitting there calling to me inbetween all the Christmas shopping, card writing, cooking and event attending that goes on at this time of year.

I did make one little foray to the yarn store on Black Friday. I hadn't planned it, but my dear daughter persuaded me to take her. I had a long chat with the owner about choosing buttons. I had been surfing the Central Park Hoodie group on Ravelry checking out other people's versions and noting the myriad of different button choices. It got me thinking. It would seem that the best thing to do is to take the finished garment to the store, lay it out on the table and choose the buttons there. That way I am less likey to make a mistake with my choice. I'd hate to get home and discover that the buttons were too heavy for the fabric or just didn't look as good on the piece.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. I haven't knitted the hood yet! You see, I've also been trying to decide whether to continue the cable up the back of the hood or to keep it plain? It looks lovely both ways, but I've concluded that, as I won't be wearing the hood up very often, it would be a waste of time to decorate it. I will just stick with the single cable across the front, which will look fine layed flat across my shoulders, which is how I'll wear it most of the time.

Meanwhile, I've finished the Tretta hat. What a pretty pattern Grumperina has created. I think my choice of yarn could have been better though. My Lion Brand Wool seemed just a little too thick for this design. I thought I'd got a DK, but it turns out that the yarn symbol 4 (Medium) is actually classed as a worsted weight/Aran. I think that a DK/sport would have been better. I know, it says in the pattern DK, but I fell for the colour. I still haven't got used to these yarn weight symbols. I much prefer it when the band tells you straight whether it's a DK, worsted, fine etc. I hail from the old school of 2-ply, 3-ply, 4-ply and Double Knit, you see! It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks!!

Still the hat turned out well, so now I will just have to take some pictures of the finished product.

While I was at the yarn store though, I did fall in love with a sock yarn called "Happy Feet" by Plymouth Yarn. After the "Oh My!" debacle, this is the first yarn by "Plymouth Yarn" that I've bought. I'm hoping that it performs well. The colorway is a glorious red with a hint of burgundy here and there. On Sunday I cast on for Pomatomus by Cookie A. I'm hoping that this pattern will have the right balance of design to go with this yarn. I'm using 2.5mm needles, so it's very small work; progress will be slow.

Finally, I have finished my Christmas knits. DH's Navy hat was completed and hidden away until Christmas Eve, although I will need someone to model it for a picture before I wrap it up.

I wonder who's available? Perhaps Brad Pitt could oblige?