Wednesday 18 May 2011

I do still knit


DD started this scarf but got bored with it - I think the "drop the yarnovers" row got to her! I finished the scarf while we were away, I think while we were watching The Royal Wedding. It's made from yarn which DD hand-dyed; it started life as Bendigo Wollen Mills Rustic 8ply (DK).

The pattern is Christine Vogel's Drop Stitch scarf (Ravelry link); this is the second time I have knitted this quick but effective pattern.











I started this scarf last Monday for the hour commute to Strathfield to put mum on her CountryLink train. I just can't sit for an hour and do nothing. Again, it is the Drop Stitch Scarf pattern.


I cast off on Sunday night and sewed the ends in on Monday morning. The yarn is a collaborative hand-dying effort from DD and I (also Bendigo Wollen Mills Rustic 8ply - DK). We play; some combinations work well, other's not so well.

The colours of the full scarf on the left are much more accurate.








This hat is knitted with a band of plain green wool and the leftovers of the scarf above. I cast on this hat on Monday night but stopped ten rounds short of the end; I just couldn't keep my eyes open. I finished it on Tuesday evening and sewed the ends in right away. I even cast on for another hat!

The pattern is my "go to" plain beanie pattern: it comes from Cleckheaton book #956 Handknits to Wrap and Adorn (Ravelry link).





As for works in progress (or hibernation as the case may be), I have these:
  • the hat I cast on last night (three rounds of ribbing done so no photo to show you - it's the same green as the hat above)
  • the toe up socks for WM - I almost finished one and it fit beautifully; then I tried the tubular cast off from Wendy Johnson's book Socks from the Toe Up (Ravelry link) - and it was so tight that WM couldn't get it over his heel. He wouldn't have been able to wear it even if he could get it over his heel, it would have cut off his circulation! I don't know what I did wrong but it's been languishing in the naughty corner for a couple of weeks now!
  • the Fibonacci strip blanket - I still have a few dozen ends to sew in; although mum did so sew some of them when she was here a couple of weeks ago (thanks mum)
  • the Ambassador of Love mittens - I have SMS (second mitten syndrome)!
  • man's fingerless mitts - SMS again and no photos!
This cold weather is certainly conducive to knitting but my knitting muse seems to have left me - I think I need a complicated project to spur me on. I feel a certain amount of ennui with all the things I have on my needles; even with most of the things in my Ravelry queue! I really want to try knitting a shawl but are they practical items for charity knitting? Would a homeless woman really appreciate one? Would an Aboriginal woman living in a remote outback community? What do you think?

6 comments:

  1. I've tried that tubular cast off too. And it didn't work. I think there might be an error in the instructions. That's what I'd like to think anyway!

    I am sure any cold person would appreciate a lovely woolly shawl.

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  2. Lynne,
    The toe up socks I just finished were my first ones . Itried EZ's sewn cast off but I didn't like that it looked wobbly so I tried other invisible cast offs and they looked neat but were too tight .

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  3. the knitting muse comes and goes. She'll come back to you. Finish those mittens just so you can wear them - please! I imagine the lost hours if you don't finish them!

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  4. Love the scarves-very pretty in the newly dyed yarn! The sock is an easy fix-just bind off with a large needle and it will work fine! The fancy mitten is a beauty-so glad you still knit! lol
    As for the shawl, if you knit it in worsted, it would be a very warm and comfortable addition to any woman's attire. Go for it!

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  5. Look at that output and you think your muse is awol? Hope you find the right spark again soon

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  6. Dropping the stitch would really bother me with that pattern, although yours do look so good.
    As for the shawl, practical - probably not or then again back in the wee dark ages a shawl was handy to throw on to keep warm. I think though sometimes something nice/special would be useful to cheer a female up in times of hardship.
    Yup fence sitter again :-)

    ReplyDelete

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