Lost and found

Posted on July 26, 2020 by knitigatingcircumstances

Not too long ago, I reported that I had lost a half-finished project – the Match and Move Shawl by Martina Behm [Ravelry link]. Here is a progress photo of my shawl:

And here is the pattern photo:

This project has been a bit of a disaster from the start (no fault to Martina). The pattern has a unique shape, formed by having an initial section with increases on both sides, and a second section with increases on one side only. The pattern has a formula for weighing the yarn so that you know when to switch to Section 2. As I detailed in this post, I was on a business trip with no scale available and I kept blindly knitting along even when I suspected it was time to change. It was also apparent that if I had switched at the correct point, the shawl would have been too short.

So, I determined to buy another skein of yarn that would work with these three shades. I ordered one on-line, in the hopes that it would work, as detailed in this post, but then couldn’t find the shawl at all. I tore apart the house looking for it, to no avail. Well, I’m happy to say that I’ve found it! Where, you may ask, was it hiding? Why, right in with my stash yarn where I had searched multiple times! (Head thunk!) I’m also happy to report that I think the new yarn looks fantastic with the other three:

Now I just have to decide how much to rip back and how to incorporate the new colour. Before I decided to buy a new skein, I was trying to use up every available bit of the yarn I had, and I did a bunch of calculations on how many rows I could knit with each of the three shades before running out.

It was an interesting exercise, in which I tried to keep the ordering of green-pink-grey but vary the thickness of the stripes, in order to squeeze every possible bit of length out of the yarn I had. This led to me breaking the pattern up and knitting shorter blocks of colour, as you can see below:

One of the things I really like about this pattern is the big, bold stripes, however, so I think these narrower stripes will end up getting ripped out. And I will probably have to rip back a stripe or two (or three) in order to add in the new shade in a way that looks a bit more organic and less like I ran out of yarn.

I am so happy to have found the project, and also that the new yarn works so well with the others! Now, it’s back to my Vodka Lemonade (the cardi, not the drink!) which I am determined to finish before moving on to something else.

Hatcher

Posted on July 19, 2020 by knitigatingcircumstances

I finished knitting Hatcher a few weeks ago, and given the cold and overcast weather we have been experiencing, I’ve had lots of opportunities to wear it.

Hatcher (Ravelry link) was designed by Julie Hoover. I have long wanted to knit one of her patterns; this one has been in my queue since the pattern was released nearly four years ago. It is a very wearable, comfortable, and smart pullover.

I like her easy-going style and I like her attention to small details. Take for example, the double decreases (using a technique I had not seen before), used at the armscythes and sleeves, which provide for an excellent fit and beautiful full-fashioned tailoring.

The folded over neckline is also brilliant; it really makes a difference to the finished tee:

I knitted this using Kettle Yarn Beyul DK, a blend of Baby Yak, SIlk and Merino. It is luxurious, with a brilliant sheen and a soft feel reminiscent of cashmere. I enjoyed knitting with this yarn immensely. However, I am very worried about the potential to pill. A Raveler alerted me to her experience with the yarn (“very pilly”), and having worn this a few times, I am afraid it might be true. I will withhold judgement until it gets more wear and report back to you.

The real draw of the pullover is the cabling, which has perfect dimensions and really sets off both front and back:

I highly recommend this pattern; it is a quick knit, and very well-designed. I had some troubles getting the neckline to hit at the right spot of the cable pattern (detailed in this post), but I think the problems were more a result of my slightly-off row gauge, than any problems with the pattern.

I look at these photos and all I can think is “Yikes! Covid hair”! Here is the Covid mask to go with it:

I am really struggling with this new WordPress editor. This and being in a bit of a funk means I have been posting less. But never fear, I am knitting away as always.

Linen and tractors

Posted on July 8, 2020 by knitigatingcircumstances

Today, Doug and I drove out to the farm to pick up fresh produce. We shop weekly at Blue Tin Produce, a fantastic farm with a small farm shop and cafe, a short drive away from our home through lovely countryside. Before Covid, we used to sit outside of the shop on a sunny Sunday and have a coffee; now, it is a lifeline to the freshest produce and specialty foods, safely acquired. As we pulled up today, on a drizzly, chilly day in July, I realised three things: (1) I was wearing one of my hand-knitted sweaters, (2) it was Wednesday, and (3) it had been some time since I wrote a Wearability Wednesday post. And, ta-da!, a post is born.

In Wearability Wednesday posts, I re-visit a knitted garment and comment on its wearability and also its durability, paying attention to how I style it and wear it, and how it has aged. You can find all of these posts (in reverse chronological order) by following this tag.

This is a linen pullover which I knitted in 2015. You can see the newly-finished sweater, and read about some small modifications, in this blog post. The design is called Sel Gris [Ravelry link], and is by Claudia Eisenkolb. Here is one of the photos from that post:

The design incorporates some really nice details at the neckline, and ribbed sleeves which are picked up and knit down. It is a nice twist on a basic summer tee. I wear this one with jeans (as here) or shorts, depending on the weather. As it is 100% linen, it is perfect for steamy hot summer days, but it also works well on a drizzly day like today. I had lots of fun posing with the collection of old tractors at the Blue Tin.

I knit this with Shibui Knits Linen, a chainette style fingering-weight linen yarn, which has since been discontinued. However, Shibui Reed, also a 100% linen with a chainette structure, substitutes for this yarn. I have seen the Reed, and I think they are pretty much identical in feel. If you plan to use this yarn yourself, you may wish to read my post, The gauge swatch lies! , describing my first attempt at this pullover, before you cast on. Linen is hard to knit with; this one in particular I found to be a bit hard on the hands, as the texture adds some scratchiness. Once washed, however, the fabric becomes softer, and is quite comfortable to wear. I have washed this one many times, and it hasn’t warped like linen often does; you can see here that it still drapes really well:

I think for a 5 year-old sweater that has been washed and worn, thrown into suitcases, dressed up and down, and survived blasts of sand and salt water on beach walks, it still looks pretty good.

I have knitted a number of summery tees and tanks over the years, and this one has lasted a bit better than most. I have also tried a number of different linens and I find that I am usually unhappy with the linen pulling out of shape. This linen tee has kept its shape (better than I have!). I should note that, unlike many knitters, I don’t throw linen knits into the dryer; I’ve always dried this flat.

Wishing you all some fresh air and countryside, and maybe some linen and tractors thrown in for good measure!

Making progress

Posted on July 5, 2020 by knitigatingcircumstances

I have been working away at the Vodka Lemonade cardigan; you can see it is starting to take shape:

It is such a lovely pattern and has a cute vintage feel to it. The details are beautiful and it is fun to knit. I am now getting close to where I can separate the sleeves and the rows are very long – nearly 400 stitches on the needles. It makes good TV knitting.

I am also very nearly finished with Hatcher. I sewed in the sleeves and they are perfect. All that remains is to add the ribbing at the neckline and to give it a bath and a light block. Here is a teaser photo, but next week I hope to bring you some modelled shots.