What a Yarn

I haven't done lots of knitting so I don't have loads of experience of different types of yarn. Just loads of lists of ones I'd like to try. I would love to try something in kidsilk haze and in any sort of Rowan cotton.

I have made lots of socks recently, mostly plain ones and have been really lucky to find a lady who sells lovely sock yarn that she dyes herself. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the finished projects as I have passed them on as presents. She lives on the Isle of Harris and has some lovely yarn. I have taken a photo here but it doesn't really do the yarn justice.

It is excellent to knit with and the colours are really vibrant. Her website photos are much better than mine so please check it out if you have a spare minute and see what the colours are really like.

Her company is Calana Crafts and she is here. I have used her seascape range of sock yarns.

Revisit a past F/O

Firstly I must apologise because I do not have a photograph of the sweater that I am going to talk about.

When I was in the knitting wilderness I toyed with the idea of starting to knit again. I didn't know whether I would enjoy it or whether it would turn out very well. I went to my LYS and bought a pattern for a man's sweater and some cheap yarn. I thought that I would knit something for hubby so that he would be impressed and also so that it would be useful in our freezing house.

My husband was so excited about it that he put in an order for something just a couple of inches longer so that he was completely covered. Buoyed by his enthusiasm, I set to with the knitting. Making a lovely blue sweater. I followed the pattern to the letter except for the length which I changed to be longer. I was so pleased with the finished result, although it did look a trifle large. (I didn't bother with the tension square). When my hubby put it on, it was massive but manageably so, until he wore it again. And again. After about five times of wearing it it grew longer and longer. Eventually it was unwearable. It looked like a knitted dress and the neck came down to the waist. It was a complete disaster. I think it was a combination of cheap wool, no tension square and unskilled labour!

This sweater was dragged out at every opportunity by my husband and children. When we had friends over, out would come the sweater. If we had a barbecue I would dread the words "It's getting a bit chilly" because out would come the sweater. Eventually it grew so big that we could fit all four children in it.

I made it worse by knitting one of the children a scarf which I must have done in cotton. Big mistake. If someone accidentally got hit by it when you were putting it on it nearly knocked them out. I am sure I must have a photo somewhere of him modeling the two but I cannot find it at the moment. (If I find it I will post it).

We still have both of these things hidden in the loft somewhere. I wanted to get rid of them but everyone thought they were worth keeping for their comedy value. I daren't ask about them because it will remind everyone that they are there and prompt them to go and find the offending articles.

I didn't knit again for a few years. I completely lost the urge to knit and the confidence. But I am back on the horse now and enjoying every minute. Hopefully my skills have improved and I try to buy better yarn now.

My brother had seen the sweater and, when I offered to knit his stepdaughter something for her baby, was horrified. I am proud to say that when they received it they were really pleased and impressed. It is best to end on a more positive note.

Location, Location, Location

The place I like to knit is in the lounge. We have a two seater sofa across the corner of the room with a small table with a light on. It is sometimes darkish in the room because it is an old farmhouse so I often have to move around to different seats to get the best light. I like to have the two spaces because it means that I can spread myself out with my patterns and scissors etc. I also have a small table in front so that I can put stuff on there too. I am completely disorganised with patterns and needles. My stash is behind the sofa still in the bags I bought it in. I do like the feeling of sitting with the stash around me. (How sad is that!) I really must invest in some baskets or boxes. I have the overspill hidden in the bottom of a wardrobe in the bedroom. We also have a woodburner so it is lovely in the winter to knit by the fire. It is lovely and warm and toasty.

I don't knit in the garden because I always feel as if I should be gardening if I am out there. Although I don't feel as if I should be doing housework when I knit indoors. Strange... Maybe that is a new frontier to conquer.

When we went to the beach as a family I took along some socks to knit. I really enjoyed doing this and it made sitting on the beach a real pleasure. I only take small knitting when I am out and about. It is always something like socks because I find that much easier.

I also go to a knitting group once a week which is great fun.

A New Skill

There are many skills that I have yet to acquire in knitting. I would love to do colourwork, fair isle, entrelac, beadwork. My list could go on and on.

The immediate skill I need to master is how to use Ravelry. I know, you must be speechless. I have an account which I made by mistake really because I wanted a copy of a pattern. I didn't realise it as a whole knitting community. I have been a member for nearly a year but have only taken baby steps. I have joined the blog hub group so that I could take part in this blog week and I have half loaded a project. I have added items to a queue and a favourite but without any idea of what I am doing. I know from everyone else's blogs that it will be a really useful tool to help me organise my work and stash etc but I have yet to find out how. I see that it can be linked to the blog and I am sure there must be so many other things it does. I know I must sound like a real technophobe but I am determined to learn. Wish me luck.

One Great Knitter

I am a bit behind with the blog week due to some technical difficulties but I am back on track now (with the help of my daughter). As you will have read from my previous entries, I have just got back into knitting again after many years in the wilderness. I have recently found out about Kim Hargreaves and am a big fan. I have always liked a lot of Rowan patterns but have never attempted them because I was a bit wary of them I think. There always seemed to be lots of charts involved. I think that Kim Hargreaves' patterns seem a lot more accessible and less scary! I have nearly finished my first garment and, so far, it has gone without a hitch.

Over the last days I have been reading so many other blogs and finding lots of other designers and knitters mentioned. I am looking forward to finding them and maybe adding more to my wishlist of knitting.

An Inspirational Pattern

There are so many patterns that I aspire to that it is difficult to narrow it down to only one. I have dreams of doing Fair Isle knitting but the number of colours and patterns scares me a little. I would love to complete a Fair Isle cardigan or even a pair of mittens. I'm sorry I don't have a particular pattern in mind for this. In the immediate future I would love to complete the pattern 'Lilac' by Kim Hargreaves in the Breeze book. It is worked in 4ply cotton which I have never used before. It looks like a lovely cardigan for the summer and I think it would take a lot of concentration. Maybe one for sitting quietly with.

How I learnt to knit

Like many people, my mum taught me to knit. I cannot remember either of my grandmothers knitting. My mum was a good knitter although she did it out of necessity rather than enjoyment. I can remember being desperate to learn because I wanted to make something. I was not a quick learner and had to make endless scarves because they had wavy edges and holes. By the time I was in my mid to late teens I was getting the hang of it but I mainly knitted baby cardigans and matinee jackets. My really big project was a basket weave cardigan with cable ribbing. It was knitted in two colours. I'm sorry I don't have any photos. It sounds revolting but it was in the eighties and trendy. I did one in red and black. I was so pleased with it that I did one in green and black too. They say too much of a good thing.

I didn't knit then for a long while (about fifteen years). The odd small project now and again but nothing major. I think life stuff just caught up. I began to miss knitting. I started knitting some socks for my sons and really enjoyed it. I am trying to build up confidence again with smaller things. I am currently working on a short sleeved cardigan (Daisy, Kim Hargreaves). So far so good.

I have just remembered that when I was at secondary school it was considered really unfashionable to wear hand knitted stuff. Everyone would rather have shop bought cardigans. I can remember saying that I would rather die than wear a hand knitted sweater. How times change!