I seem to have developed a case of ‘startitis’. It’s nothing chronic, but seems to be in its most active phase at the moment. For those of you unfamiliar with the condition it occurs when a knitter (or any crafter) has the urge to begin several projects one after the other without having finished any of the previous ones. I’ve started two more since I last wrote and I’m contemplating a third (a knitted gnome which will be a gift).
The first of my new projects is my natural coloured version of Tiffany. This is knitted using BFL 4ply from McIntosh in the shade My Innocence. I think it uses the same base yarn as the original rainbow minis in Nene 4ply from Riverknits. It definitely feels like I’m creating the same fabric, although the visual effect is very different. This version of Tiffany would be perfect for a wedding or summer garden party. I know that people have always been able to choose to knit Tiffany in any colour or combination of colours they want, but it can help people have the confidence if they can see a sample to show them it will work.
I am launching August Moebius Cowl as an individual pattern on Friday and that means I will have printed copies at Stafford Wool Gathering this weekend. It can be tricky to explain how a moebius structure in knitting works so I thought having one of these on the needles so people can see the way the yarn and stitches travel would be a good idea and I cast this on yesterday afternoon. I’ve also altered the stitch count and number of repeats in this sample to give an alternative size option in the pattern. It will be a lot wider than it looks here – the central circumference will be approx 85.5cm rather than 128cm as in the first sample published in The Knitter in April – the stitches are just bunched up a lot on the needles. I’m knitting it using another colour way of the same yarn the original sample was knitted in, Schoppel Zauberball. It’s a ball of yarn that I’ve had for ages (I think it was a birthday present a few years ago) and I’m glad to have found the ideal project for it. As the yarn colour changes the new colour appears at both the top and the bottom because of the construction – magic indeed!
Here is what the original August Moebius Cowl looks like. It’s worked from the centre (the wider purple stripe) outwards.
But what of the other projects I was writing about last week? Well, Leaf & Vine still needs to be blocked and I’m hoping to do that tomorrow. Sue’s Gwen top has paused briefly while I’ve been knitting on these, but as the weather is almost too cool to wear it I think that’s ok. I will return to it very soon.
And my Gingerbread cardigan (the adult version of Caramel Slice)? I’ve decided on brown instead of green for the second contrast colour. Quite a few people on social media pointed out that the green would pigeon-hole the colours into the realm of Christmas, which isn’t what I’m after, and a couple of people (including Becci from Riverknits who knows a LOT about colour) said that the green was draining the warmth from the overall effect, which the brown didn’t do. So brown it is!
No more knitting has happened with this yet, but I did spend some profitable hours yesterday working on the pattern spreadsheet. Although the yarn I am using for this version (Yarnsmith’s Superwash Merino DK) is the same weight as the original (West Yorkshire Spinners Elements DK) and has the same meterage, it feels like a ‘plumper’ yarn, and I am getting a slightly different tension with this yarn (that’s the number of stitches and rows in 10cm) so some things about the pattern will need to work very slightly differently in order to get it right on the adult scale – a 66″ chest is very different from a 4 year old’s 23.5″! Things like exactly how many stitches to decrease between the slip stitch colour pattern and the stocking stitch section above it so they end up as the same width. It’s just one line in the pattern when it’s done, but there’s a lot of maths behind it!
I had a great day last Saturday with the Montgomeryshire Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers. They had invited me to go and teach them how to knit two-colour brioche. There were 12 people in total and all did well. I’ve also learnt that some left-handed knitters (where the stitches travel from the right needle to left) also need to reverse a lot more of the knitting instructions in order achieve the intended fabric. I think I need to try left handed knitting myself and see exactly what happens. I think a lot of it depends on also on which direction the yarn is wrapped around the needle. I didn’t manage to get a photo of everyone’s progress, but here are those I did photograph.
The day was more relaxed than a yarn show workshop as we could spread the time out more and instead of a quick stretch half way through which is what I usually do at a yarn show workshop, we broke for lunch! They had very kindly made sure that everything they brought for lunch was plant-based and if things were homemade (such as the wonderful soup!) even included a list of ingredients.
I’ll be teaching two-colour brioche knitting again this coming Saturday afternoon at Stafford Wool Gathering. That workshop is sold out but I am hopefully also teaching it (and stranded knitting) at Ewe Felty Thing on December 5th. I know there are spaces on that one. The shop has re-opened, so keep an eye on the Ewe Felty Thing website which should be up and running again from tomorrow.
What have you been up to this week? Is anyone coming to Stafford Wool Gathering at the weekend? Let me know in the comments! Until next week, take care, K x