Friday 27 September 2013

Cool Cardi

After knitting all those stripes with frequent wool changes (every four rows!), I decided to knit something easy - virtually no shaping, except for the sleeves, only one button hole...what could be simpler!  I've never had so much fun with a cardigan - I love the way the stripes developed.  Although each ball is essentially the same, they are not identical, so you can't always tell how the pattern is going to develop.  I thought it was a young woman's cardi so knitted it for my daughter.  However, it's so fabulous I've decided to knit one for myself as well!
The yarn is Sirdar Crofter DK Fair Isle Effect and the pattern comes from Issue 108 of Simply Knitting.  It's truly the easiest cardigan I've ever knitted - and yet it looks the most fabulous.  My daughter wears it with everything and miraculously, it manages to match everything as well.  I love this yarn so much I want to keep knitting with it forever!
I'm having a problem finding this colour and have an awful feeling it's been discontinued!  NOOOOOOOOO!  Why is it that anything with orange is inevitably dumped?!  It's my favourite colour and impossible to find in nice shades!

ps Yay!  Deramores is still selling this shade - it's called Isla.
I've sent this one to the Simply Knitting letters page

That interesting rock was put there by the IOA, which is just across the road - I worked there during the summer!

The stripes and patterns are just gorgeous

All photos taken on Gordon Square, Bloomsbury

Candy Stripes

It's a long, long time since I last blogged!  Where have I been, one might wonder:  for once, I've been knitting and knitting successfully, at that - not much Bad Knitting at all!  Makes a nice change!
I finished the stripy jumper I was making for my daughter JUST as the first leg of the summer heatwave hit us.  Typical!  I got VERY tired of changing yarn all the time as the stripes are quite narrow.  I used what was left over from another jumper as well as the owl - this meant I was mixing DK with 4ply but fortunately it isn't noticable.
I also tried out knitting the neck on DPNs with some success!  I was really just experimenting as I want to try this out with other creations and it wasn't too difficult.  Not keen on DPNs - too prickly!
I had such fun with the delicious colours that I used what was left and made a beret.  
Once the weather has decided it really is Autumn, I'll get my daughter to wear the combo and photograph her.  
Knitting the neck with DPNs


The finished item

Those stripes in close-up

The Beret

Aren't the colours delicious?