Regular readers of this blog have come to expect that I wont follow the pattern. The girls at the knitting club heave and sigh when they hear of yet another “modification” to a straightforward pattern I plan to make. Trust me readers I have tried to follow patterns… but as I am knitting along something will occur to me and I think, ” hey why don’t I add that other thing I saw on that website here, this is the perfect project for that” or “hang on, I can use this pattern of construction with that motif” etc. I have even given myself strict instructions on not to apply modifications on many occasions!
This wonderful Onesie was one such pattern. I was looking for a baby gift to make for my future niece/nephew and this was perfect.
I got my yarn out and casted on, so far so good. Well almost, no gauge conducted, just went with my gut feeling on the weight of yarn I was using. Come on, that is hardly not following a pattern (especially for someone as hardcore a non-follower as me). I made the raglan increases and it was going to be a straight forward knitting project following someone else’s instructions. But hey, no baby likes a plain onesie, what if I had a motif (it will break the monotony of just stockinette stitch as well). Yes that sounds fab, plus I am technically still following the pattern (“yeah right” mumbles boyfriend). So off I go and find a perfect gender neutral boat motif. This made the boring circular knitting fun and challenging enough for me to keep at it.
Now as I come closer to the shaping of the leg inserts, I think to myself, “Oh the bother of getting a crying baby in and out of this complicated outfit.” I am sure my sister-in-law would appreciate something simple to operate. Also, I have just seen this cool tutorial of the i-cord edging by a fellow blogger which I was dying to try and somehow the length of this onesie was just right to bind off as a jumper! This is perfect. I am doing my sis-in-law a favour and also learn something new. Surely I can make a onesie on the next go, I will give her two gifts. Yes thats what I will do. So thats exactly what I did. I bound off the supposed onesie as a finished jumper with a lovely darker colour edge.
Do you like it?
The story of my digressions do not end here, dear readers. It gets worse. My sister announces that she is going to have twins soon!! Oh the joy! that means twice the knitting! That’s it, the onesie can now be finally followed to the letter and I will redeem myself. You know where this is going don’t you?
Here are my faults all plain for you to see admire…
I have managed to learn a few more things with these new jumpers, a two colour long tail cast on (that totally eliminates that nuisance of guessing the amount of yarn you will need) and how to rib the neck before the raglan increases. Its funny but it is such small little steps forward in the learning process that makes knitting so addictive. To hell with plain ol’ stockinette… here is to more modifications and digressions from instruction sheets.
My first ever “big” project, not just in size but also in the complexity of construction moving on from hats and scarves.
Made from gorgeous pure shetland wool from the highlands, I took three strands of 3ply yarn and knitted them together. These were slightly tweedy on their own which has added a wonderful depth to the colours. I used two strands of deep reds and one of a more bottle green. This design is a simple raglan top down jumper from Ravelry. I didn’t want a jumper but an open cardigan I could slip in and out of. So I modified the pattern slightly (basically not joining in the round).
The top down raglan increase technique is simple, effective and so very versatile. I now knit many things with this construction. Particularly small baby garments that knit really quickly. So here is my initial effort of the raglan increase.
Once you achieve the increases then its just “TV knitting” from then on. Back and forth till you get the desired length. I wanted this cardi rather long so that I can also throw it on in springtime without a coat (I didn’t think it would be ready before then!). I also wanted my little cutie cat Hobbes to feature on my first major project.
Isn’t he just gorgeous! So this gave me an opportunity to try another technique I was quite keen to get going with – intarsia!! I got a bunch of cross stitch cat patterns and worked out the position of the motif and added that to the cardigan. Here is the complete cardi (sans sleeves) with my cat motif.
As much as I’d like to say, “isn’t the cat motif lovely?”, it does look a bit strange. My buddies at the knitting club did not even recognise the motif as a cat. So here is to better choice of motifs in the future. Well at least intarsia is no longer a mystery. Infact it was just a common sense approach, if you have a block of a different coloured yarn why bother carrying it all the way round? The trick is to drop it but wrap it with your primary yarn on your return, that’s it! If you don’t you get holes in your knitting. Even that is not any major stick as you can pick up the stitches later with a tapestry needle and some same coloured yarn. So all of you who always wanted to learn intarsia I say go for it. If you want more information on this I have re blogged a brilliant tutorial on intarsia from knitting daily.
Once I finished the sleeves and added the buttons, I then blocked the sweater and in about four days it was ready to go.
This has been quite a satisfying project and I am quite proud of it. I have learned some valuable construction techniques and importance of getting the shaping right, even though it is not perfect this time around. One of the biggest arrogance of mine was that I skipped swatching! Big mistake. It is a little less consequential with this loose fitted over the clothes cardigan but next time around I will swatch (as most good teachers will say to you).
I am just coming to an end of my first Intarsia cardigan (more on the sweater itself in a couple of weeks). A lot of you have expressed anxiety and fear over this technique. I too felt intimidated till I actually dived into my project. So if intarsia knitting is on your knitter’s resolution list then here’s a great tutorial about how to get started which can be found on Knitting Daily blogs. http://www.knittingdaily.com/blogs/daily/archive/2013/01/11/getting-started-intarsia-knitting.aspx
The Basics of Intarsia Knitting
Intarsia or “picture knitting” is a color-work technique used to create basic geometric shapes or complicated pictures in a knitted piece. Intarsia patterns can be worked in as few as two colors or as many as needed for a given design. Unlike Fair Isle knitting in which small, repeating patterns are created by alternating two strands of yarn in different colors across a row, intarsia designs are generally free-form, and each area of color is worked from an individual ball, bobbin, or length of yarn. When a color is not in use, it is dropped to the wrong side of the work until it is needed again on the next row for its designated stitches.
Intarsia patterns are generally worked from a chart in which each stitch is represented by a colored square or a square containing a color symbol. Charts for very large intarsia projects can even show every stitch of an entire knitted piece. If only one area of the project features an intarsia motif, then the chart will usually show only the stitches and rows used for the motif itself, and the instructions should tell you where to position it. Although most intarsia patterns are worked in stockinette stitch, there’s no reason not to explore the possibilities of texture stitches in intarsia patterns.
Getting Started
The key to working intarsia is to interlock the yarns when it’s time to change from one color to the next. At each color change, the old color is brought over the new color; then the new color is picked up from under the old color and worked from there. Overlapping the yarns catches the old color as the two strands “link elbows” and prevents a gap at the color change. Another important thing to note is that although the main color is often referred to as the background color, in intarsia knitting, an unused color is never carried horizontally across the wrong side of the work, even if it is needed several times across a single row. Each isolated area of background color requires its own separate bobbin, butterfly, or strand of yarn.
Working with Intarsia Charts As already noted, each square of an intarsia chart represents one stitch. Chart rows are read from bottom to top (the same way your knitting grows). Right-side rows are read from right to left, and wrong-side rows are read from left to right. You may find it helpful to draw arrows in the margins of the chart to indicate the correct direction of knitting. To keep track of the current row, use a magnetic strip on a metal board, or a long Post-it note, and align the strip or paper along the top edge of the row you’re working. Placing the marker above the current row allows you to see how it relates to the rows already completed.
Most knitters’ stockinette stitch contains more rows per inch than stitches per inch. If you’re creating your own intarsia design on graph paper, remember that any motif drawn on a square grid with the same number of rows and columns per inch will look more “squashed” from top to bottom when knitted. To prevent this, look for graph paper created especially for knitters in your local yarn shop or on the Internet. Knitter’s graph paper contains more rows than stitches per inch, so designs drawn on it will look more like the drawing on the graph paper when knitted.
Joining a New Color
Figure 1
Figure 2
Knit side (RS) Begin the row with the color indicated on the chart. When the chart shows that the next stitch or set of stitches is worked in a new color, drop the old color to the WS of the work. *Insert the right needle into the next stitch as if to knit. Leaving a 4″ (10-cm) tail of the new color, work the stitch with the new color. Let go of the new color, then pick up the strand of the old color and place it over the strand of the new color just worked. Keeping a slight tension on the old yarn, pick up the new yarn from under the old and make the next stitch with the new yarn (Figure 1).
Drop the old yarn and continue to work the stitches indicated on the chart for the new color. When it’s time to change colors again, repeat from *. Remember, if the chart indicates that the next set of stitches is worked in a color that you’ve already used, start a brand new strand of yarn or bobbin of that color. Don’t carry the old strand across the back of the work. When you reach the end of the row, turn the work as usual to begin a wrong-side row.
Purl side (WS) Begin the row with the color indicated on the chart. When the chart shows that the next stitch or set of stitches is worked in a new color, drop the old color to the WS (the side facing you). *Insert the right needle into the next stitch as if to purl. Leaving a 4″ (10-cm) tail of the new color, work the stitch with the new color. Drop the new color.
Pick up the strand of the old color and place it over the strand of the new color just worked. Keeping a slight tension on the old yarn, pick up the new yarn from under the old and make the next stitch with the new yarn (Figure 2). Continue to work the stitches indicated on the chart for the new color. When it’s time to change colors again, repeat from *.
Changing Colors after the First Join
Once the colors have been joined and the work is in progress, continue to work the stitches as indicated on the chart. When you come to a color change, drop the old yarn to the WS of your work, insert the needle into the next stitch as if to knit or purl, then bring the old yarn strand over the new before you take the first stitch in order to close the gap.
On the row after a completed motif, you no longer need to work with separate bobbins for the background color. Just work across the background color stitches with a single bobbin or strand of yarn, and snip off the unneeded strand when you come to it, leaving a 4″ (10-cm) tail to weave in later.
—Leigh Radford, from Interweave Knits, Spring 2006
Intarsia is a wonderful skill, and it’s really quite easy once you have the hang of it. The most important thing to remember is to drop the old strand of yarn over the new strand before you knit the first stitch with the new yarn. If you don’t do this, you’ll end up with a gap between the old and new yarns. We don’t want that to happen!
I have also found a wonderful YouTube tutorial for Intarsia if you prefer to learn by watching rather than reading .
This video comes from my favourite teacher on YouTube on everything knitting, author of http://verypink.com/
So use these wonderful tutorials to start your new year on a challenge that has limitless possibilities once you get going.
My old chair is slowly going a through a yarn revolution. It started with a bored weekend where I made my seat cover for the chair and the back rest was left for another weekend at loose ends.
So here is an update of the back rest cover…
This back rest was knit with the same 3 strands of DK yarn knit together and a cable pattern from, you guessed it – 200 knitted blocks for blankets, throws and afghans (Paperback) by Jan Eaton (pg. 53).
My old office chair is now completely transformed in true yarn bombing style.
My recent impulse buy has been such an inspiration. Invariably the colour of the yarn really gets me excited. This one is a gorgeous tweedy turquoise. I had to knit something almost immediately! Do you ever have such an urge that a material is almost impossible to put away?
I had watched this fab Utube video a while ago on knitting cable patterns without the need for those menacing and intimidating looking cable needles. I was rather impressed with the simplicity of the tutorial and decided to try it out on the next suitable project. My opportunity was staring at me when both the yarn and the project in mind came together. I was going to knit myself a phone cover. Quick and easy yet challenging in technique.
The pattern I chose was once again from one of my all time favourite books, 200 knitted blocks for blankets, throws and afghans (Paperback) by Jan Eaton (pg. 72). I modified the pattern to suit my phone cover.
So as you can see from the photo, I used only the central pattern from the entire block. However, unlike the Utube tutorial I did use a double pointed needle to hold my stitches as it was easier than swapping them over on the working needles as suggested. However, what I learnt was that cable knitting was not that hard and fairly straightforward once you pick the concept.
So that’s what my phone cover looks like. I added the ribs to them to make it easier to insert and remove the phone.
The back is fairly simple with the ribs at the opening.
The best part is, I knitted this in one evening and now I love how the inspiring cable knit turquoise yarn goes with me everyday on my various adventures.
I seem to have been working on some never ending projects these days and in a way it’s frustrating even. So I decided to join a few DK yarns (lambs wool) together and create a quick chunky seat cover for a lovely vintage office chair I have been meaning to restore.
These three, red, grey and black yarns form a lovely pattern when knitted together and a stark colour that is perfect for a high use office chair.
The pattern I chose is from 200 knitted blocks for blankets, throws and afghans (Paperback) by Jan Eaton (pg. 63). This is a gorgeous chevron pattern that lends itself to a simple yet distinctive seat cover.
The flat area of the seat was fairly straightforward if you follow the pattern to the letter. My biggest challenge arrived in the form of ‘shaping’ the seat. For this I got out my crochet hook. This is simply because I know how to create a wall far more confidently with crochet than I know with knitting needles (something I have plans of rectifying in the very near future). So the walls were created with double crochet to create well fitting corners that makes the seat cover rather snug.
So this is the complete seat cover. Rather chunky, sturdy and what I consider very utilitarian. Well pleased with this as I managed to finish this over one weekend, brining back my passion and love for knitting which was slightly flagging in the past few weeks.
The next thing I want to do now is make a cover for the back rest! I will tackle this once I get another weekend where I can work the cover start to finish in a couple of weeks. Keep you posted on that project.
I got some lovely 2 ply Shetland lamb’s wool in various colours recently. Since I didn’t have any knitting needles less than 5.00mm, I decided on a quick crochet project. Like most things I do, I was not particularly organised for a project before hand. I let the wool inspire me.
I begin a project with only a couple of ground rules. I keep looking at the colours, imagine little pieces in a few combinations and consider adding one simple progression to my skill tool box. Sometimes a person or occasion for a gift also helps. So as I was watching u-tude videos to inspire me, this paricular one jumped out. It seemed easy, but I would also learn to create a hood!
I didnt buy enough wool to complete the project, but luckily the lady selling the wool had a few more balls and I could breathe again. This will perhaps teach me to plan ahead next time (one only hopes).
This is what my Scoodie looks like.
I have made a very long scarf section, as I wanted it to be nice and snug around my neck. I have also attached the two ends of the scarf so I can just loop it round.
I particularly like the pom-pom which was not part of the original design on the u-tube video. This also helps create a slight weight which gives the hood a much softer look on top of the head.
I made these adjustments as I went along as my wool behaved very differently to the one used in the tutorial. I quite like the chunky feel of the other scoodie in the video, but I like mine too. What do you think?
