Squishy, Squishy Cables

Can't believe Sunday has come by again! Well, this week I have two projects to show you, so lets get started :)

When I added my Swirling Gauntlets project onto my YOP list, I didn't think I'd ever get round (also translated: "be bothered") to finish them. Amazingly, though, I did finish them!!

Left Gauntlet

Swirling Gauntlets is a cabled fingerless gloves pattern by Susanna IC (zuzusus on Ravelry). Rizzle asked for a pair in Dark Blue, so I chose to knit them with James C. Brett Top Value DK in Royal Blue. I knitted the left gauntlet up very quickly, but things started to go badly wrong on the cable section of the right gauntlet, and that is how they came to be a hidden WIP.

Fast forward 9 months and here we are. A couple of days ago, when I had nothing to knit, I decided it was time to stop procrastinating and just get them finished! I had to completely frog the right gauntlet as there was no way I could work out where I had started to go wrong. After a lot of squash, wine gums and a few episodes of Larkrise to Candleford (I'm slowly working my way through the series, onto series 4 now!) the right gauntlet was finished.

Right Gauntlet

So, that's my fifth finished YOP project! I'm pretty pleased with that :)

Now, onto the best knit, A Very Braidy Cowl by Maryse Roudier. I fell in love with this cowl at the first glance. What was even better was that I had the perfect yarn for it - Lion Cashmere Blend by Lion Brand in Dusty Blue. Michelle was having a stash clearout (cannot understand how people do that!) and very kindly gave me four skeins of this delicious yarn. I used one skein for Mother's Irish Hiking Armwarmers, so that left me with three squishy skeins. 

I knitted this squishy cowl over the course of a day, and I can tell you it was such a fun knit. I decided not to do the provisional cast on, and then graft the two ends. Instead I decided to seam it, next time though I will give the grafting a try. 

All I can say is that this my favourite ever knit. Yes, I was proud of my first pair of socks, and I'm rather jealous of Abby's Blanket, but this Braidy Cowl beats them all. 

The cashmere makes it incredibly soft,and the merino makes it lovely and work, basically it's the perfect neck cuddler (cowl). 

And for a change, here I am modeling my knits rather than Rizzle! 

Yarn is darker than in this and the following photograph

So, that wraps up this weeks post. The yarn for Mother's Seven Seas blanket arrived this afternoon (think it got misdelivered to one of my neighbours at first), so come back tomorrow to see my yarn choices :)

Toodlepip! x

For more Year of Projects posts, either head on over to the Come Blog-a-Long group on Ravelry, or search 'YOP1213' on Google.

An Unblocked Cowl and a Finished Fair Isle Hat!

I was out all day last Sunday, so didn't get chance to blog about my finished Origami Cowl! I had about an inch of yarn left after I'd casted off, so don't have enough to sew the hem back like I was hoping to. I tried popping it on as soon as I'd finished, but couldn't get it on! So, yes, definitely needs blocking. I haven't had chance to do so yet, so here it is unblocked:

I'm not a big fan of it I have to say, but Rizzle loves it so perhaps it'll be going her way! You were all in love with the yarn I used, and made a point of telling me that I should knit something I love with it. But, what I neglected to tell you was that I have 2 skeins! So I can make myself something I absolutely love. I'm not sure what they'll be yet, perhaps another cowl, or mittens... the possibilities are endlesss! 

Hopefully next week I'll be able to model the blocked version for you, but we'll just have to see what this coming week has in store for me!

After I casted off the cowl, I was in need of a quick evening knit, so scrolled through my YOP list and found the pattern Scrappy Gems Fair Isle Hat by Tina Edgar. I decided to make it for my niece Tilly, who has just started school. The yarn I chose was Stylecraft Special Double Knit in Plum, Pale Rose & Pomegranate. If you've been reading my blog posts over the past week you'll remember me using them for Abby's Blanket & Molly's Scarf & Mittens set. 

I read through project notes for this pattern, and I noticed a trend of people mentioning that the hat turned out a smaller size than they cast on for. So I chose to play it safe and cast on for an adult hat, hoping it would turn out child-size, otherwise Rizzle gets her mitts on another hat!

Normally I'm not a fan of doing colourwork but I love doing Fair Isle. I find it quite therapeutic. About four hours later I casted off, it turned out Tilly size - woo! 

I reaaaaaally enjoyed knitting this hat, and the pattern is perfect for a quick knit to add to the present bundles I give to those expecting bubbas! One day in the future I'd like to edit the pattern so that it comes out as a slouchy beanie as I think Rizzle would love very cute in a blue ombre one!

So there we go, not one, but two projects to tick off on my YOP List! I can't decide what to knit next, either  the Very Braidy Cowl or, the Scallop Lace Hat. Decisions decisions!

To find more Year of Projects: Year 2! posts, search Google for 'YOP1213' or, head on over to the Ravelry Group and check out the 'October 28th - November 3rd' thread.

My First Cowl!

I'm so pleased it is finally Friday, I've had a really difficult week and have been looking forward to settling in front of the telly with my knitting and a cocktail all week. I have also been looking forward to showing you my cowl! I casted this on in favour of a beanie I was knitting, and I'm really pleased I did.

I've never knitted a cowl before, but have seen them around the blogosphere a few times lately so thought I might as well give it a go. I found the pattern, Horseshoe Lace Cowl by Sashka Macievich, and instantly fell head over heals for it. I had ordered a skein of Stylecraft Life DK in Melon from Deramores a little while ago, but had no idea what to make with it. This seemed like the perfect yarn for the pattern so I cast on.

As I told you on Wednesday, I struggle following lace charts so I 'translate' them into written form. This pattern was really simple and I was able to remember it pretty well, making it the perfect TV knit. Rizzle and I sat and watched The Paradise, three and half episodes later I was finished! :) (each episode is an hour long)

I really enjoyed knitting this, and can see myself using this as a quick gift knit in the future.

Rizzle kindly modelled the cowl for me, as I'm scared of cracking your computer screen, I look that awful at the moment.

So, here is the finished article in all its glory!

As you can see in the final photograph it still curls, despite having a garter border top and bottom. I'm thinking of sewing the hem back, like I'm going to do to my Origami Cowl, to make it sit straight. If that fails to work I'll have to block it, but I'll have to google how to do that as I have no clue whatsoever!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend, mine is to be filled with friends, yarn and lots of TV!

PS,

I am releasing my first baby blanket pattern tomorrow, inspired by my gorgeous niece, so please come check it out :)

Origami Falls Cowl

Yesterday I spoke about the Horseshoe Cowl I was casting on in favour of the Slouchy Bubbles Beanie. Well, its finished! So I shall share it with you on Friday. As per usual, I can't knit just one of a certain type of object (i.e beanie, cowl) I have to knit a whole load of them in a short period of time. Last night I cast on another cowl, which you could brand as cheating, as this pattern is apart of my Year of Projects list I was going to blog about on Thursday.

The pattern is Origami Falls Cowl by Teleri. I thought this pattern was absolutely gorgeous, and couldn't get my head round why it only had a project count of 35. I decided to use Finullgarn by Rauma in what I call, "Essex Tan" (bright orange for those outside of the UK). Finullgarn is a 100% wool, fingering weight yarn from Norway. My very lovely friend Myriah sent it to me when we were paired together in a swap, this time last year. I've been umming & arring over what to knit with this yarn for months (12 of them in fact!), so I'm pleased I finally found the perfect pattern.

I cast on using a set of 4 DPNs rather than the circulars, or 5 set the pattern calls for, meaning I have a total of 40sts on each needle. The cowl has no purl at either the top or bottom to stop it from curling (which got pretty annoying when I was trying to photograph it), so I am going to have to sew the hem to the first row of knit stitches on either end of the cowl to get it to sit straight.

I have always struggled following charts, I either read the pattern the wrong way (your meant to read right to left on RS, left to right on WS) or get confused with the different symbols. So for the past few lace projects I've 'translated' my charts into written patterns, as I find it much easier to follow.

I've been finding this pattern knits up very slowly, I casted on yesterday afternoon, and despite there being a stitch of only 120, I've done a measly 31 rows (3,720 sts to be exact). I hope to get my fingers flying and get to at least halfway through the second repeat by this evening. The fact I'm knitting so slow could be due to the fact I'm working on thin needles and thin yarn, but I'm not really sure.

Now that the pattern is beginning to form, I find I don't love it as much as the pattern picture. I got talking to Megan, from A String of Purls, via instagram. She told me that she cast on this same pattern a few months ago and like me, found the pattern didn't have enough depth to it as the picture makes out. But, that is just our opinions. What do you think?

When I took a closer shot, the camera, rather annoyingly,
dulled the yarn colour. 

I'm off to re-watch last nights episode of The Paradise, a new British Period Drama which I'm a little addicted to.

Click the picture below to be taken to Tami's, where she is showing us pictures of the Vista Fibre Fiesta she attended over the weekend, plus all the goodies she snagged while she was there!