A Creative Funk – part 3

My final few unfinished projects… this is part 3/3. You can read part 1 here for some context and part 2 here for my other WIP’s.

WIP 5 – Mosaic work. During the very hot weeks in July/August here in the UK I really struggled. The whole upstairs of my house were uncomfortably hot. So I avoided being up there, which is usually where I sew and I was too warm to knit and handle yarn. I was even too hot to sit on my sofa. The kitchen/dining area was the coolest place at 24C. So I decided to do something creative in there. So sat at my kitchen table I decorated a plant pot for my friend in mosaics. I really enjoyed it, so much so I planned out anther little project. Then another, as I started really enjoying it and loving the distraction from the heat. I left it all my materials and tools out so I could come back to it. Which I have done in fits and starts. I had a rare afternoon and evening with absolutely no plans or commitments a couple of weeks ago and spend the majority of this time working on a larger mosaic.

Since that burst of enthusiasm I’ve had very little time to continue and now it lays there taunting me, unfinished. In fact all 4 pieces I started after my initial plant pot are unfinished. My side-track into mosaics was very welcome at the time. Though I also feel it took me away from other things and now other things are taking me away from this. Maybe I have just taken on too many different things. I plan to transfer all my mosaic stuff into my small craft room, so it will not taunt me. I could schedule a day in the future to complete the pieces I’ve started. Maybe even setting aside 2-3 hours every other week to spend time on them, which should hopefully make good steady progress.

BUT first I’ll have to tidy my craft room. It’s only a small space (the box bedroom, with kitchen cupboard storage). It too often become the dumping area for all sorts of stuff. Cluttering it with more stuff, without tidying will be a distraction and I’ll not enjoy my time in there. This is a time and practicality issue. When I’ve needed to tidy this space before and it’s felt like a big mission, I set myself 10-15 mins a day to work on it, it usually kick starts the whole task and I just get on with it, or as least I make a little progress each day.

WIP 6 – Stripy winter cardigan – years and years ago I was given a bag of chunky soft but acrylic yarn. I’d thought I’d make a blanket out of it at some point, hadn’t happened. I had also been thinking about making some sort of cosy house coat/cardigan (I really wished I had one during lockdown winter 2020/21). I bit like a dressing gown but for everyday wear around the house. It can get draughty in my house and when I’m in on my own during the day I rarely put the heating on. I’m often in multiple layers, woolly socks, jumper, shawl and mitts. So I thought I could combine all these in one stash busting project. So decided to make a wrap over long cardigan, with a shawl collar, snug cuffs with thumb holes to keep my paws warms.

I was so excited to start this last winter though as spring approached, knowing it wouldn’t be worn until the following autumn, I just stopped knitting it. It somehow felt inappropriate to be working on it as the weather was warming up. However we’re now edging ever closer to chillier seasons and I’ll be wanting to wear it soon and I’m nowhere near finished, and I haven’t touched it since. This is also due to it being impractical to take to knit club, as it’s on the bulky side. With so many balls of yarn involved it would be a bit of a mission to take along each week. I may have to set myself a challenge of a certain number of stripes per week just to get me started again and I may find I just get back into it. The first super cold day will definitely give me a kick up the bum, but Ideally I hope to have it done by then.

WIP 7 – Curtains – also one of my a Make Nine projects. This was my stroke of genius last year. My house can feel a little draughty in winter (as mentioned above). This seems to come from around my front door and despite closing the door to the lounge the cool air gets in. I’d entertained the idea of a draft excluder, but knew I’d find it annoying. So decided to make a thermally lined long curtain to keep the draft out and add some interest to my small hallway. It worked well (it worked well during the heat wave to keep the sun heat out too). However I hung the curtain without finishing then hem, so it could settle into place and I could figure out the correct length…. 7 months later it’s still unfinished. I also bought enough fabric to make matching curtains for the top of the stairs. Which I’ve not done either. Hemming the door curtain is just sheer laziness. I should just get on with it.

The curtains at the top of the stairs are a little different. I need to decide how I’m lining them. I had a random amount of thermal lining left (as you had to buy whole meters) but it didn’t occur to me at the time to thermally line the other set too. So I have been pondering since February whether to buy more thermal lining (to make the most of what I have left) or buy standard lining which will be easier. It’s silly really it’s just decision paralysis on something that shouldn’t require this much thought. However the with colder weather coming, it should make me get on with it. Also thermally lined curtain on in the draughtiest area should really be a no brainer especially with the rising cost of energy bills, so I’ll have to figure out how much more I need (and hope it’s in whole meters).

Reflection on my creative funk

This isn’t by any means ALL my unfinished projects, but all 7 are things I’ve started recently with good intentions, then just stopped and struggled to get motivated as I mentioned in part 1. However, although this rambly writing has felt a little self-indulgent and possibly no one cares, it has helped me get a few things in order in my mind, and I realised a few things too.

Recently when I’ve felt “not bothered” to work on a project I had in mind for that day, I think what I’ve actually been doing is giving myself a break. All too often in the past I have worked hard to meet self-imposed deadlines, to the point I’ve not enjoyed the process as much, or stayed up late or rushed. At the time it feels a little defeatist, when I’ve made time for something and then not done it. I think I need to be kinder to myself and “strike when the Iron is hot” so to speak. Work on project when I want to and not force it. This is perhaps a bit of a new concept for me. Crafting and in particular knitting has always been what’s got me through difficult times and relaxes me when I’m anxious, it’s comforting. So not wanting to do it when I was feeling down was actually quite disconcerting, but maybe I was subconsciously making things easier for myself….

I’m posting the state of all my WIP’s on Instagram and will update my progress there too.

Thanks for reading
Steph Xx

A Creative Funk – part 2

Following on from yesterday’s post “A creative funk”. This is part 2 of 3. I’m listing all my unfinished projects and figuring out what obstacles are getting in the way to help me get back on track. If you’ve not already read part one, you can read it here.

WIP 2 – Hinterland Dress

WIP 2 – is my Hinterland Dress. I’ve wanted to make one of these for years. I’ve admired so many of them on Instagram, and in the grand scheme of things it’s a straight forward sew. However I have PROCRASTINATED so much. I have a real metal block with sewing at the moment.

I think having listened to lots of sustainability podcasts recently, I’m viewing fabric as a much more precious commodity as usual (I’ve always been precious over it, but now even more so). My Hinterland toile is made of a very old bed sheet from my Grans attic which wasn’t in a great condition. I dyed in and cut around the holes. So I’m making good use of it, but still something is preventing me from finishing. I’m about 70% there!

I’ve made time to work on it and then just don’t feel like it. I also set myself deadlines and then just didn’t try and meet them. There’s always the worry when sewing garments (particularly in woven fabric) that once they’re finished they won’t fit or they simply don’t suit you. This always makes me procrastinate.

However I am going on holiday soon (maybe too soon). Though it would be nice to finish it to take with me, so hopefully that will spur me on, maybe even setting myself a small task at a time… pin pockets in place today…. Failing that, I am attending a jeans making workshop next weekend. Hopefully that’ll build my confidence again so I can tackle more sewing.

WIP 3 – Crochet hexagon Cardigan

WIP 3 – Crochet cardigan. This was an idea I had rattling around my brain for sometime, to make a cardigan out of crochet hexagons. Then when I was looking through my yarn, I discovered I had some left over bamboo cotton in 3 colours that looked great together. Navy, teal & grey so I thought a summery cardigan would be great. I almost talked myself out of starting it several times. However I was enthused by the idea so decided to go with it (despite not being on my #MakeNine list and adding another WIP to the list). I initially made good progress and I was enjoying it, but then I stalled. I think in part it’s because I knew I wouldn’t get it complete for summer. Also having made the majority of the hexagons (the fun bit) sewing the hexagons together is fiddly. It also works best sat at a table, with it spread out. But I like to crochet/knit while sat in my lounge on the sofa and the coffee table is not the best height for that. Really it’s just a practicality and mentally preventing my progress here.

I can use my sewing table in my spare room. However my sewing my machine is set up with all the pieces of my hinterland dress waiting for me to finish it. If I clear that away that’s one more barrier to not completing WIP No.2. So this will just mean that I will have to do WIP 2 before 3, then I have the table space and I can just watch something using my laptop. Simple practical solution there (hopefully). I am totally ignoring the fact that I’m not using a pattern and I’m making it up as I go along (as an inexperienced crocheter)… I’ll cross any other bridges when I get to them. I’ve already resigned myself to the fact that it’ll be ready for spring/summer 2023!

WIP 3 – Ilha Sweater

WIP 4 – Ilha Sweater by Tête Bêche Designs. Well I started this over a year ago. We had a uniform at work, a casual uniform of a black top. So I decided to knit myself a black loose fitting 4ply jumper I could wear with lots of different things. We then scraped our uniform just after I started this project and we can wear what we like (excellent news for all my other knits). However I don’t think I would have knitted a black top otherwise. Undeterred I decided to persevere. I discovered after splitting for the sleeves, it was way too big for me (after adjusting for my different tension). So I ripped it out and started again. This time the fit looks alright, but the more I knit of it the less I can imagine wearing it. The lack of enthusiasm has definitely slowed my progress, also black yarn is not good to knit with in rubbish light. I have decided I will finish it, however I may end up giving it away when I do… time will tell. This is a relatively good mindless knitting project, now I’m on the body, though I’m already not looking forward to the sleeves…

Would you just let this reside in the WIP pile forever, persevere or rip it out and use/gift the yarn for something else?

Thanks for reading.
Steph Xx

A creative funk

I’ve been in a little bit of a creative funk lately. If you read my blog you might think it’s lasted a very long time due to my lack of posts. It’s not been that bad. But lockdown and the pandemic did strange things to us all and in particular my motivation and how I spent my time. I’ve still making (I always am) however during the lockdowns I was spending much more time behind a computer screen for work. Which meant I didn’t feel like doing the same in my spare time too. I documented most things over on my Instagram account. Even then it was sporadic.

However I am probably in my worse creative funk EVER. I’ve lost focus and because I’ve not completed much I’m lacking enthusiasm/inspiration for a lot of my creative pursuits. This is due to several reasons, I think. It peaked at the worst of our UK heatwave (I’m the opposite of solar powered – the sun and heat zap my energy) and I’ve struggled to get going again. I’m working really hard in my day job. Often working late which usually means I’m exhausted when I get home and do very little (make tea, cat cuddles and watch some TV). Then my days off I’m resting and recuperating and doing some general house stuff (food shopping, cleaning life admin etc). Then before you know all your spare time has gone. Then there’s the actual projects that could be part if the issues. I also have lots on the go so that’s tricky to balance too. I think it must also have a little to do with my age and energy levels too (maybe).

Mia – my lovely procrastination buddy

I realise this is normal for most and I don’t have other constrains on my time (kids/other dependants/commitments). However this is very much out of character for me, I’m usually reaching for a project at every opportunity, so I always felt productive too.

It’s not all doom and gloom

I’m not as down as all my ramblings might lead to you conclude. But I am keen to get myself out of this funk and find my creative oomph again. I’ve also been frustrated my things more easily and I’ve lost my nerve with some things (like cutting into fabric). However I always used to find writing blogs posts quite cathartic. So when I mentioned to my friend Jem that I was going to document all my WIPs to try and get my making mojo back, she asked if I was going to write a blog post. I thought, YES! And here it is.

I always used to be a fairly monogamous knitter, start a project and finish it before moving onto the next, maybe I’d have 1 big project and a smaller one on the go and that’s worked for me for years. However last year, as things felt a little strange during lockdown 2/3 (winter 2020 into 2021) I decided to make myself a Make Nine list, which I’ve done before. However last year I did one for sewing and knitting. And I managed to pretty much complete all 18 projects. (side note – you can read notes on this on Instagram). It was great, (though ambitious) it helped me focus and I felt incredibly productive. However I occasionally found myself frustrated by the limits I’d put on myself. As a result I gave myself more free reign this year. I made a looser plan for my make nine this year so I could do additional projects that just took my fancy too. I think this might have been a contributor to my unravelling… so to speak.

My “Make Nine” projects for 2022

I think I like the structure of lists and occasional deadlines (like finishing a particular garment for a certain occasion). However I’ve had several of these bench marks that have been and gone this year. I’ve also had days where I’ve planned ahead to be able to make set some time aside for sewing on a set day and then just didn’t fancy it. I then felt disappointed with myself that I’d wasted the time & not been productive. I know deep down it doesn’t really matter and I should be easier on myself. However making and creating things is such a big part of my life I feel a little broken when I don’t want to do it.

This has turned into more of a stream of consciousness than I thought it would. However writing this has helped my think about how to help myself. I think lists definitely help me. My Make Nine list of projects for 2022 is still relevant. However I am also going to document all my current Work In Progress projects to help me be more realistic and decide what to focus on.  I’ve decided to note down what each project is and what obstacles are preventing me from just getting on with them and maybe set myself a realistic go for completing them.

A have 7 significant project on the go at the moment. If I list them all here now this might turn into a ridiculously long post (even more so), so I’ll start with one and split the rest into 2 more posts;  

WIP 1 – First up are socks from my #MakeNine list. I wanted to knit some socks with a little more interest as most of my hand knitted socks are quite plain. These Dancing Skies Socks by Emily Joy Rickard caught my eye last year. They’re striking with a nice amount of detail. However now I’m knitting them, I don’t always reach for them. Sometimes I just want a simple mindless knit to have on the go, that I don’t have to think about (the irony is not lost on me).

That said now I’ve got into them a lot more (as of last weekend) they’re coming along nicely. I feel there’s always a point in socks when they feel like they’re taking ages and you’ll never finish. I’m hoping I’m now past that. I have a long car journey soon (as a passenger) so hopefully they’ll be a good travel project and I might even get onto the second sock and then it’s plain sailing from there…

Thank you for reading, the next instalment will be shared tomorrow.
Steph : )

Make 9 – Reflection and Planning

Roughly this time last year I set out my intentions for my 9 makes of 2019 & wondered how much I’d deviate from my plan….

Well as you can see a deviated quite a bit (a year always seems like such a long time, but it flies past)…

1. I still intend to crochet a granny rocks jumper (I do at least have that pattern now, thanks to Jem Weston gifting it for my birthday – thanks Jem)

2. Socks ✅ I’ve completed 2 pairs & have a 3rd on the go!

3. Maan ✅ I love this & would now like to knit a garment with some mosaic colour work.

4. Monetta dress, not much progress, but I have printed the pattern & washed the fabric (even small steps are progress, right?)

5. Arboreal sweater has been in hibernation for the best part of the year after realising I’d have to rip back the body.

6. Zadie dress, I’ve cut out all the pieces but then felt a little overwhelmed my how many pieces there were & so I’ve worked on other things since.

7. Wardrobe gap of a berry cardigan; my purply yarndale uniform definitely qualifies ✅

8. The deliberation over the diesis jumper ended in me not wanting to knit it for now, however I did knit the woodwardia jumper from Pompom instead, so that’s sort of another tick…

9.Glenfiddich cardigan by Annamária Ötvös still fully intend to knit this, but other projects took over 😃 at least I already have the pattern and yarn!

I knew I’d change my plans, I always do, but what I’ve found interesting is that I’m usually fairly monogamous with my knitting, which for me means having just 1 garment, 1 pair of socks and maybe a larger blanket type project on the go. However this past year I’ve thrown caution to the wind and just knitted (& sewn) what I felt like & I’ve been quite productive and not really looked back at my make 9 plans, just kept them in the back of my mine. I’ve also not really felt like blogging so much, so I haven’t & that’s fine, no need to add that pressure on myself, I used to feel a weird sense of guild not writing up every project I completed and just suddenly thought – why! There’s no need!

As well as the 3 (or 4) completed projects from my 2019 make nine I have made several other items;

Sewing wise; an Agnes top, Coco top, a patchwork quilt for a friends baby, 2 Kew dresses, stevie top, 3 Cleo Pinafore dresses & a Christmas skirt. I tend to document these on Instagram more than anything these days.

Knitting wise; blue raglan jumper, woodwardia sweater, a baby Cardi for another friends offspring, another Vianne Cardigan, various wash/dish cloths, fingerless gloves, headband and a few small Christmas gifts.

I have also made a lot of jewellery and beadwork which has been a nice change from sewing and knitting and I’ve really enjoy it.

My make 9 plans for 2020 is a little more realistic and also a bit vague. I have also thought about it a little more this time…

1. Sewing some more practical tops (like my Agnes top), I’m lacking these in my wardrobe, maybe a blouse/shirt.

2. Zadie dress, I will conquer this project!

3. I intend to do some form of creative patchwork with all my fabric scraps.

4. This year I will crochet my Granny Rocks jumper.

5. I will complete a crocheted blanket that was given to me particularly complete years ago, I made good progress at one point, but then got very distracted!

6. I’ll finish my monetta dress (first sewing project of 2020 maybe…?)

7. I’d like to have made a start, at least, on my Glenfiddich Cardigan by the end of 2020.

8. I will bring my Arboreal sweater out of hibernation & get it finished at some point in 2020!

9.Herbert Cardigan for my boyfriend & his Christmas present for 2019 which he knew he’d get at some point in 2020.

So mostly a list of WIPS, with good intentions & few a new project thrown in too, we’ll see how this year goes! I can guarantee I’ll get distracted by other projects, but I’m making a conscious effort to not just make, for makings sake and trying to fill gaps in my wardrobe that I know I’ll find practical and wearable. Currently I’m feeling inspired by my list, I want to be production; I might even print out my plan and stick it up in my craft room in an attempt to keep me on track…

My Yarndale Uniform

Reflecting back on my Make 9 for 2019 made me realise I hadn’t shared any photos of my finished yarndale uniform*. Which is actually one of the few projects I intended to do & actually did, allowing me to tick “Berry cardigan” off my list!

I have always enjoyed seeing everyone’s Yarndale uniform projects collected together in previous years, however this was the first year I joined in.

I liked the knitting pattern selected, the feather and fan texture on the bottom did it for me, but the cardigan as a whole wasn’t my cup of tea so I decided to adapt it quite a bit.

My initial plan was to make it shorter, fitted on the waist and continue the feather and fan pattern up the whole body and have plain sleeves. Which I did to a certain extent…

I knitted the whole cardigan in one piece and incorporate the shaping into the sides; I cast on the size that would fit my hips and planned to decrease enough stitches by the time I got to the waist to go down a couple of sizes. This took a little bit of thinking, ripping back and head scratching/discussion at Knit group, (the latter is always useful). Helping me decided to just decrease the width of one pattern repeat over the hips and not try and keep it in pattern as that was causing me too much of a headache – I really liked the result.

Once I’d knitted past the waist and split for the fronts and back, I discovered I didn’t have enough stitches to do the v-neck and arm hole decreasing as I’d planned, but then had a mini light bulb moment and moved the neckline decreases to the side of one pattern repeat allowing me to continue the pattern up the front. I kept the garter stitch row of the feather and fan pattern to kind of keep it in pattern and I think it worked.

I much prefer knitting sleeves top down, as it’s much easier to adapt as you go, so I used Knitionary’s very useful tutorial, particularly for me on this occasion it was a sensible approach as it was looking like I’d not get my full sleeves knitted in time for Yarndale so I just cast off, wore it to the show and then later ripped back the cuff and re-knitted the sleeves longer.

It looks ok with 3/4 length sleeves however as someone who permanently has cold hands I like my cardigan sleeves full length especially in a dk weigh one that I’ll be wearing though the winter.

Looking a little tired, coming to the end of Yarndale. Thanks for the photo Jem Weston

I was really surprised by how many people complimented me on my cardigan at yarndale and asked for the pattern where I had to accompany my response with “though it bares very little resemblance to the actual pattern now”.

The finished garment isn’t perfect (the fit around the top of my arms isn’t the best), however I don’t mind, I learnt stuff & enjoyed having to flex some brain cells to make my adaptions and since finishing the sleeves (again) in November I’ve worn it a lot, which is always a good sign!

Yarn is Sirdar No.1, pattern is King Cole 5365 both bought from Knit Nottingham I have also listing the project on my Ravelry page here.

Isn’t this a happy bunch, all wearing their own version of the Yarndale uniform!

*Where customers from Knit Nottingham vote on a knitting & Crochet pattern to create and wear to Yarndale.

Maan Shawl

I started knitting my Mann shawl back in Oct 2017. I had fallen for the striking pattern on Moon struck Knits (Natasja Hornby) instgram feed and was intrigued by the technique used when. I had not come across mosaic work before (or certainly not realised if I had), so I headed to Ravelry to discover more about the pattern and see everyone’s completed shawls and in particular see what colour had been used to together. I’m not a fan on brown and beige or anything too subtle, especially in an accessory. So the colours used in the sample for the pattern did nothing for me – which is why the ravelry project page is SOOOO great!

The finished projects that stood out for me, were the bold monochrome with a pop of bright contrast. I really liked a navy, white and red combination similar to this one https://www.ravelry.com/projects/lismete/maan . I had also seen a lovely version with a bright teal in (& we know I love teal). So I sort of had these potential colours in mind when I headed to Knit Nottingham. I very much trust the knowledge of the wonderful staff at my LYS Knit Nottingham, I usually have a bit of an idea of which yarn I might choose, but then get steered towards something I’d not considered, which is a great thing – they really know their stock and know what will and won’t work for almost everything! At the time they’d not long had the new Luxury Merino yarn produced by King Cole. The range of colours is really good, I had decided already on black and pale grey/white for the mosaic sections, so just needed to decide of the bright contrast colour, the red in the range for a little bright for me and the Zoe suggested the mustard yellow (!) Not something I can wear on it’s own (it does not suit me) however as the main colour in this pattern is worked pretty well, though we also decided to swap the white for cream as it was a much better tone all together.

I realise that in my brief write up of my project experience a lot has been dedicated to yarn selection. I momentarily thought I should edit a lot out. However I find that selecting your yarn, finding the right fibre for the project and the picking colours is actually a really important and rather exciting part of the process so I am leaving it in! I also feel incredibly fortunate to have local knowledgeable (& wonderful) people on hand to guide me though the yarn buying process. Expertise, passion and knowledge is totally underrated by too many people. (Thank you Eleanor & Zoe)!

Back to the pattern; I loved every element of this pattern, it provided me with lots of new techniques and stitches (St. John’s worth stitch, creates a lovely texture). Even the corrugated rib, which I have done before, but not in this way was interesting. This is a prime example of the kind or project I like to push my learning and challenge myself a bit more. Balancing this with simple knits (as I mentioned in my previous blog post) keeps me excited about knitting and learning.

I did however stumble at one point during the pattern. I got incredibly frustrated with myself and ripped back a few rows several times as something wasn’t making sense to me. What I’ve learnt to do when things aren’t going well is head to ravelry and look at the comments on the project to see if there’s any mention the issues I’ve experience. If not it is usually down to me misreading things. Which was exactly the case here. I am fully aware that I approach things a little differently; I have dyslexia, which I recently read described as a learning difference rather than learning difficultly. Both are accurate, though the former definitely describes how I feel about it most of the time and the frustration I feel when people want me to do things a certain way (just because that’s how they do them – I’m going off tangent), maybe I’ll come back to this topic in another blog post.

Other than misreading a row in the instructions (which I figured out after by zooming in on images of other people finished projects on Rav & my shawl spending some quality time in the WIP pile). The garter stitch edge had, up to a certain point, been made up of alternating 2 row repeats of each colour, however after the first mosaic section it had 4 rows of the same colour and my mind and hands would not compute this and I kept convincing myself I’d done something wrong. It’s not the first time & it won’t be the last time I’ve done somethign like this & got frustrated. But as soon as the penny droped I fixed my knitting and relaxed back into it.

I did find one aspect incredibly frustrating about the pattern rather than the project. I understand why it was done this way; having written many patterns before, albeit beading patterns, I know it is very laborious when sections are repeated and how to approach diaplying this can be tricky. However I do believe there is a good way to do this and a not so good way. This pattern has several repeated sections, the instructions (to paraphrase) said repeat section CAT, in section CAT it tells go to section DOG… then your on to Section MOUSE where is tells you to repeat section RABBIT and so on….this is all without any page numbers. Needless to say the process induced many big sighs and it was not surprising that I got myself muddled on more than one occasion! In a 8 page pattern which does include page numbers I do not think it’s unreasonable to help the reader of the pattern navigate it easily. What’s wrong with a simple “repeat section CAT on page 2”,  and then repeat steps 1-5 of section DOG from page 1 etc… small rant over!

That said, I absolutely love my finished shawl, I did make one minor adjustment and that was to remove some of the stripe repeats to make the over all shawl smaller – though it does still stretch across a 3 seater sofa!

I have worn it lots, I finished it in time for a trip to York back in the beginning of March, our Air BnB host complimented me on it and was amazed to hear I’d knitted it myself, which is always wonderful feeling and went on to say that her partner would have been gutted to miss seeing it as he’d recently got into knitting!

I had a little worried when I cast off as it was quite thick and rigid, however I gave it a good soak in Eucalan wool wash (available from Knit Nottingham), blocked it and was super soft and cosy once it dried. I had unintentionally swapped to a larger needle size half way though, the shawl had a long hibernation period just after I completed the first mosaic section because I wanted to knit other things and I borrowed the needles for something else. I then made the assumption when I picked it back up that, as I was knitting with DK yarn, that I’d been using 4mm needle when I’d actually been using 3.75mm. However I think it’s done me a favour, it’s more drappy now and no one would ever know (unless you’re reading this!)

Thanks for reading!
Steph

Simple Knitting as an effective break

Sometimes simple is what I want, especially after a long, fiddling or slightly frustrating knit. I chose to knit the Be Simple shawl after I’d completed my Puffin Jumper. It hadn’t been difficult as such but there was a bit of faffing regards lengthening the sleeves at the end, which you can read about in a previous post.

I also needed something that I could keep knitting until I ran out of yarn, as the lovely Eleanor of Knit Nottingham gifted me one of her first batch of hand dyed yarns, it was a 4ply (Cotton/wool blend, we think, neither of us could quite remember after the fact), but that didn’t matter, Eleanor had used colours she thought I’d like & it had turned out wonderfully!

A mixture of grey turquoise and blue, it knitted up nicely with colours pooling and striping, I’m curious as to how the yarn would have worked in a pair of socks, though at the time I was not back into knitting socks. The shawl was a simple and enjoyable knit and I love the end result. for some time I had felt each new knitting project I selected had to be more complex and intricate from my previous one to challenge myself and improve and learn. I still like to challenge myself, but I also like to relax and just knit something from time to time, and that’s ok!

Still looking and feeling a bit awkward in photos – at least a shawl is easy to model 😛 

I’d finished my be simple scarf/shawl at the wrong time of year, just as it was nicely warming before summer, so it got put away ready for Autumn, which actually is lovely to do, it’s like a little gift to your future self. It turned out to be the perfect indoor scarf to wear at work which can be rather chilly being in a beautiful Victorian building.

I wouldn’t hesitate to knit another simple shawl for a relaxing project and I’d definitely knit more of Eleanor’s yarn, I’ll just have to be fast, she usually just dyes yarn for special shop events and if you’re not there when doors open you might miss out!

(Since writing this I have started knitting sock again and managed to buy more of Eleanor’s yarn at the shop Birthday event)!

Thanks for reading!

Steph

Hybrid Cardigan

Once I’d selected my fabric  I used to create my latest dress, I knew I’d want to make a cardigan too and I already had in mind the yarn & colour, which would match the teal flowers on the fabric brilliantly. The yarn I had in mind was the 4ply Bamboo cotton from Knit Nottingham, by King Cole. I’d already used the dk for my tee shirt and cross pockets cardigan, so knew it’d make a great summer garment.

So off to ravelry I went to figure how much yarn I’d need. I already knew the style I wanted, a fitted waist with a v-neck, maybe a slight peplem/or flare over the hips. Using these criteria I used the ever so useful filters on the pattern search and eventually came across this version of Kim Hargreaves Blossom cardigan (from her book Misty) by  Madhatter (project persil).

Isn’t this stunning, I really liked her adaptions, getting rid of the faffy picots, and adding longer sleeves. I decided to create a similar version of this variation. I excitedly headed off to knit Nottingham to get my yarn only to discover the yarn is no longer available in 4ply (!!!).

Back to the drawing board slightly, the yarn was still available in dk, I checked there wasn’t anything else suitable in a 4ply before settling on the dk in the lovely opal colour I’d already set my heart on. I thought I’d have a go at making a similar style cardigan in dk weight.

I went back to rav and had another search and came across the fleurette jacket, while scanning through the various incarnations, all 126 of them, I spotted someone I knew (what are the chances). Rachel from my knit group had knitted this very same garment for her own wedding, before I’d ever met her (small world indeed) she’d made some lovely adaptions too including cables and a different lower section.

So I made up my mind. I was going to base the top half of the cardigan on the fleurette jacket, as I rather liked the construction of the sideways waist band, I also liked the plain stockinette on the top, though not a big fan of the lacy half. So for the bottom I was going to wing it and create my own peplum, inspired by the blossom cardigan.

I initially liked the way the pattern was written, it was very much written to tailor the fit and size as you’re knitting. I imagine this might be a little daunting to someone who isn’t a confident knitter or who isn’t familiar with negative ease. I feel I’ve already made enough mistakes and worked with this yarn before that I could predict how the garment might fit and knit accordingly. I have noticed from the finished projects on Ravelry that people have struggled with this. I was keen to get going so cast on straight away (abandoning all other WIP’s) I really liked how the waist band was knitted first, then stitches picked up to knit the top. I was making quick progress and then came to the set in sleeves. I’ve knitted at least two other garments with set in sleeves and don’t remember getting into a pickle. But I could not make any scene of the instructions here (quick Rav consultation and I found others had had the same issue). So I decided to research alternative ways and found Knitionary’s blog post about set in sleeves, which was a bit of a hallelujah moment for me. It’s so clearly explained and I will be referring back to this for future project I’m sure!

Teal is one of the trickiest colours to capture, it’s not this dull in real life!

I’m trying to get into the habit of updating my Ravelry project notes as I go, particularly if I have issues as I have found them so helpful when I’ve looked at other peoples project notes (and when I’ve revisited my own projects). Sometimes, as I just mentioned above, knowing I’m not the only one with the same issue. Or, no one else has a problem with this (it must be me – put project down, make tea, come back to it, spot the error of my ways and resume).

Again, the yarn is not this blue either!

Once the sleeves were set in I tackled the peplum edge. I purposely didn’t read the instruction for the 4ply blossom pattern as I didn’t want it to muddy the waters for me now that I was working in dk. I realised I needed to to do the button band first so that I could make my peplum edge meet at the front edge. Then I picked up all the stitches around the bottom and then increased as per first line of the fleurette jacket and then started winging it.

I worked on a long circular needle back and forth in garter stitch and made sure to make notes as I went as I’ve have to do the exact same thing, in reserve as I work round the edge of the cardigan. I initially increased to make a nice shaped curve at the front of the cardigan (this was the fiddliest part, I ripped it out a few time). I made 4 simple short row increases / decreases for the hips, on each side, and curved the edge at the end decreasing (following my increase notes from the start).

A bit of summer day light – this is what the colour is really like. I need to work on my poses when showing off handmade garments…. it’s not wonky in real life!

Overall I’m really impressed with how it’s turned out, it goes really well with my dress too, just a shame it was too warm to wear it at the #jemdrew wedding (though did get a snap of me in it, though not the best photo). It is a bit of Frankenstein cardigan, but that’s what makes it special. I’m also impressed with myself. I finally feel I have a really good understanding of my abilities as a knitter (I’m generally not very good at admitting things like this as an introverted Brit) however this project has proved to me I can do this and I’m too bad at it either – it’s only taken 14 years. My only hope now is that in another 12 years my dressmaking will be as good, ha!

My ravelry project for my hybrid cardigan can be found here.
Thanks for reading
Steph

Side Note – I wrote this blog post back at the beginning of October, with the intention of getting a few good photos of me wearing the cardigan at another wedding in Oct (the lovely Eleanor & Dr Chris of Knit Nottingham fame). I did wear the cardigan, however I was having too much fun ceilidh-ing to remember to take a photo). Then I just got busy with other things and then when I looked back at my #2018bestnine on instagram I realised I hadn’t actually posted it – better late than never though!

Morning Echo Cardigan

I finished knitting this cardigan some time ago (last November to be precise… just in time to wear to the first Nottingham yarn expo (which was rather lovely – I got to go with many of the Knit in Notts, knit group members, which for several of them, their first knitting show).

I was missing a navy cardigan from my wardrobe after loosing one a while ago (I accidentally left it on the tram). I wanted something fairly simple but with a little interest so I could wear it with lots of different things and not get bored knitting it. After an advanced Rav search (v-neck, raglan sleeves, dk, 1 colour) I chose Morning Echo by sweet paprika designs. It’s lovely lace edge detail and v neck shaping was perfect for my criteria. Knitted from the bottom up in the round, it was a nice quick start to the pattern. However when I got to the sleeves I decided to veer off the pattern path.

I much prefer to knit most things in the round and in one piece, it makes it easier to try on as you knit and less sewing up, however the sleeves for morning echo are knitted flat and then sewn in. I decided to do a provisional cast on for each sleeve before starting the raglan shaping in the body so that I could knit the whole top of the cardigan in one piece. I worked out how many dec there would have been on the edges of each piece and spread incorporated that in my re-design of the top. I ended up adding a few more rows into sleeve tops, I think we’re supposed to me more stretched, but I don’t think my alterations were have turned out too badly and the cardigan fits well, I’m really not much of a fan of sewing up awkward seams.

Other adjustments I made were knitting the hips a size larger and then adding more decreases so that I ended up with the right number of stitches for the second size at the waist, this worked well and the cardigan flares out over my wider hips and I now have a cardigan that fits my shoulder, bust & hips all at the same time which it rather wonderful!

I really liked the way the edging was incorporated up the sides and around the next band, however I really don’t like vague instructions in patterns, to finish the neck band the pattern states to knit until “…reaches centre back of neck when stretched…” stretched a bit? Stretched a lot…I don’t know? I realise why it’s been written this way, it will be different for each size and possibly vary with neck sizes/shapes, but a little guidance at least would have been appreciated. I knitted, grafted, sewed into place then unpicked, ripped back a bit, re-graphed, re-sewed 3 times in total, it hibernated for a week or so too as I’d found it so frustrating. I knitted a size 2 at the top and made each side of the neck band 17.5cm before graphing together, in the end.

Despite my frustrations, I did finish it and had a lot of wear out of it and I’m sure I’ll get s lot more wear too.

Yarn was Patons diploma gold dk originally bought from my lys Knit Nottingham, though it has since been discontinued by the the shop.

I really need to work on my posing, I usually look too serious, but mostly too awkward (I’m always envious of instaesque photos people post of casually not looking at the camera, yet looking cool & perfectly showing off their handmade garment – I look so unnatural in my poses)!

More cardigan details on Ravelry (nettynot).

Thanks for reading

Steph

Aqua Top

I love knitting, but I won’t lie, sometimes I get a little bored with big or time consuming projects. And although I try to finish one project before moving on to the next, sometimes I just have to stop, do a quick knit and then get back to it. Which is exactly what I did while I’ve been knitting Morning Echo (which is close to completion now).

WIP – Morning Echo Cardigan

One great thing about knit group is you get to see other people’s finished projects which often inspire my makes which is exactly what happened here. After seeing Vanessa’s bright orange plain tee knitted in bamboo cotton, I really liked the neckline and short waist length and thought it’d look great over summer dresses. You can see Vanessa’s project on Ravelry here.

I picked a good summery colour (aqua) that I knew would go with several dresses I had and got cracking, I completed the knit in about 2 n half weeks, nice and satisfyingly quick. The front and back are knitting the same, then the sleeves, the pattern is straight forward, however I knitted the neck band in the round rather than flat as the pattern stated, much quicker!

I finished the top in time to wear it for Knit in Notts 10th Birthday party back on the 2nd if July (yes it’s taken me this long to get around to written this). The only issue I had with the top was it relaxed quite a bit during its first wear, and started to slouch off my shoulders, I had been warned this may happen by Vanessa (which she quite liked about the top) however I don’t have much in the way of a bust to help hold the top up.

However it was easily sorted, I ripped back the last 6 rows on the neck band and re- knitted them on 3mm (as opposed to the original 3.25mm) and cast off quite tightly and that has fix the issue and I’ve continued to wear it quite a bit. It’s great over my summer strappy dresses when it’s a bit overcast or breezey and I’ve not been too warm in it. I have also gone against my self imposed theory that no knitted jumpers or cardigans should have short sleeves (well there’s always got to be an exception & it is meant for summer).

I would definitely Knit this again, I’d perhaps make it a tad shorter and add a little more shaping into the waist as I have a short torso. Pattern info and yarn details are all on my ravelry page. Though is worth mentioning that the Pattern & Yarn only cost me £11 in total (fortunately I only needed 2 balls – I had about 60cm to spare), which is a great bargain of course from my wonderful LYS Knit Nottingham!

Thanks for reading!