Sunday 29 December 2013

More knitting than blogging in December

Cowl and hat by Asplund
Cowl and hat, a photo by Asplund on Flickr.
The double-knitted cowl has been finished for a couple of weeks, but it hasn't befen cold enough to wear it. Not that I really mind. Spring, please! There was enough yarn left to make a new "Sigge" hat, a pattern (in English) I published as a free pattern on Ravelry.



I'm making progress with different projects instead of simply casting on new ones. However, I haven't decided where to go next with my double-knitted jacket.


The back and fronts are done, and I've tested a couple of pattern ideas tor the collar but I'm not satisfied. I might simply make it blue on one side and green on the other. I also have to make sleeve decisions: how to knit them (probably top-down, first back and forth and then in the round) and what patterns to use.
Alice Starmore's Henry VIII sweater

It's nice to have a pattern to follow while thinking about other projects - and Alice Starmore's Henry VIII is pure joy to knit! I've modified it slightly, though, letting the centre of the side pattern run along the sleeve. I think it looks nice, and a pattern between the decreases also helps me keep track of what rows are decrease rows.

Tudor armpit


Happy new knitting year!

Sunday 1 December 2013

Inga from Sweeden

Double-knitted cowl by Asplund
Double-knitted cowl, a photo by Asplund on Flickr.
A big stranded cowl by Born to knit inspired me to cast on to make something similar, in shape if not pattern and colours.

Hers is folded but I decided to use the double-knitting technique as I've quickly become addicted to it and want to take advantage of it in different ways. The jacket I'm making (see previous post) will be reversible but the two sides look different thanks to the use of colours and pattern shapes. For this cowl I want the two sides identical, though, which called for a different kind of pattern.

I don't normally choose variegated yarns, but fell in love with this black wool with its hints of grey and red - which makes it look like a Christmas project, to my immense surprise! Signs of a midlife crisis? If I have ever knitted for Christmas I stopped years ago - there are so many deadlines in life I do my best to keep them away from my knitting. Well, at least it doesn't have to be finished by Christmas.
Swedish Inga

Many of the colourways from Östergötlands ullspinneri have human names, and this particular one is called Inga. (Black for Swedish sin, red for passion?)

To make the cowl easier to wrap I twisted it on purpose. Isn't it strange how difficult it is to do that on purpose when it happens so easily by mistake?

My copy of Alice Starmore's Tudor Roses arrived a couple of days ago. I'm completely overwhelmed by it - and my expectations were extremely high. Lavish, splendid, gorgeous, intelligent... Words defy me!