FO: Fantoosh

I often fall in love with the knitting patterns that I edit, but it's not that often that a pattern crosses my desk and gets cast on as soon as the pattern is released! But that's what happened with Fantoosh! A beautiful shawl designed by my great friend and awesome colleague, Kate Davies.

It's been a while since I knitted a triangular shawl, and I had forgotten how much fun they are! I absolutely flew through knitting this. Cast on to cast off in under a month (and I got slightly distracted by another shawl in the meantime...)!

When I started knitting I didn't know who this would be for. I love the yarn, but it isn't a colour that I wear much, so I had an inkling that it might be a gift for a friend. I just wasn't sure who! The yarn is some absolutely delicious Touch Yarns Possum Merino 4ply that came all the way from friends in Australia (awesome gift!). It has blocked beautifully - holding the lace pattern well, and the stocking stitch sections are so even and flat. There is a slightly darker halo of presumably possum fibre that sits over the purply-pink of the main part of the yarn. It's really pretty!

The shawl was kindly admired in the playground when I was working on it, and I instantly knew where it would be finding a new home, once it was complete. I hope you enjoy wearing it once it's cool enough, Jo!

For those of you who enjoy a more geeky photo - here is my blocking picture. I tend to use my blocking wires, and a metre ruler. I thread the wires through all of the yarnover holes along the top edge, and then down the centre spine. I sprayed it liberally with starch, and then left it to dry completely.

Next up is another shawl, from another pattern I recently edited...

For more details on my Fantoosh!, see my Ravelry project page: JenACKnitwear's Fantoosh!

FO: Harvest Cardigan

Well this one knitted up so quickly that I didn't even remember to take a photo of it while it was in progress!

This is the Harvest Cardigan from the Tin Can Knits Simple Collection. The Simple Collection is a free learn to knit series of patterns that you can download from Ravelry or the Tin Can Knits website. 

I made the 6-12 month size for the anticipated little one of my lovely hairdresser. I figured that it was probably a good plan to make something for the new baby to wear during the winter months, rather than when it arrives in July. I hope it will get plenty of wear! I love the clean lines of this design.

I used New Lanark Aran 100% Wool in the Cherry colour way, and this teeny size took just 133g of yarn! The cardi starts at the back neck and you then pick up around the rectangle of the collar, and work down to the hem - stopping along the way to separate out the sleeves. This might sound a bit adventurous for a beginner knit, but the pattern is spectacular. Alexa Ludeman and Emily Wessel (the brains behind Tin Can Knits) have really knocked it out of the park. The pattern includes simple diagrams to walk you through each step of the construction, the pdf is helpfully linked to tutorials on their website wherever the techniques are interesting, and it's just really clearly written.

You can choose whether to make buttonholes as you go, or whether to use a brooch for fastening the front of the cardigan. As this is for a little one, I found some ace chunky poppers at Millie Moon (my local haberdashery) which finish off the front neatly.

The pattern is written for sizes from tiny baby through to adult, and I'll admit that I'm more than a bit tempted to make another larger one for myself. Or I would be, if I weren't busy dreaming about all the other brilliant Tin Can Knits patterns that I want to cast on RIGHT NOW! One of the things that I really like about Alexa and Emily's designs, is that the majority of the garments are sized (as Harvest is) from baby to adult in a generous range. It's a real skill to design in a way that works from tiny to large, and I think that Tin Can Knits nails it.

If you haven't tried a pattern from Tin Can Knits, then I can only say, go and buy one (or more!)! If you're unsure of paying for a pattern from a designer you're not familiar with (and my recommendation isn't enough!!) then I would highly recommend heading over to their website and having a look through the impressive range of tutorials and free patterns, available to download from Ravelry. It's also well worth signing up to their newsletter as they often have offers and sneak peeks at new designs (you can sign up at the bottom of this page: About Tin Can Knits). I've just bought their new collection, Max and Bodhi's Wardrobe, and I'm looking forward to seeing the remaining patterns in the book, as they are released.

I hope to be back soon with other knitting and some of the projects I've been working on recently...

(I've not been paid to rave about Tin Can Knits today! I just feel enthusiastic about their patterns! I hope that's clear. :) )

FO: Another POP! Cardigan

I seem to be having a phase of knitting the same patterns over and over again. It probably says something about where we are at the moment, but I'm too tired to think about it.

I've finished my second Pop! Baby Cardigan by Rachel Atkinson. If it's possible, I enjoyed knitting it even more the second time around. It basically flew off my needles. I used a skein of Skein Queen Blissful Plump that I bought at Unravel, in a lovely shade of denim blue. Do I get extra points for using up yarn promptly?

I used some adorable elephant buttons from Textile Garden - also picked up at Unravel. I do love the Textile Garden selection of fun buttons!

Generally I don't knit the same pattern more than once, so I think you can tell that I've enjoyed knitting POP! I'm sure I'll knit another POP! soon, but I've actually got a different kids' cardigan on the needles right now. I'll show you that next week...

FO: Another pair of Daves

Apologies for the radio silence... Work got busy and home has been busy too. There simply aren't enough hours in the day sometimes! Anyway, I figured it was better to knit and have something to blog about when my time was less limited, than to try to write, but have no material!

Here are the next pair of Daves:

This is a pair of Dave socks, from Rachel Coopey's latest book, Coop Knits Socks volume 2. I've made them from a lovely skein of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight, which Rachel gifted to me a while back. They are the most incredible shade of zingy lime green, with shots of blue, teal and purple. I may never take them off.

This truly may well be the year of the Daves... I already have yarn wound ready for the next pair! This time it's some beautiful Lorna's Laces that another friend gave me for Christmas last year.

There's something about the gentle simplicity of Daves - the perfect soothing project. Thanks Rachel!

WIP: Everybody needs a Dave

I believe that I've written a few times about how much I love knitting plain socks. They are the perfect portable project, and don't require too much concentration when you're low on energy. Rachel Coopey's new book, CoopKnits Socks Volume 2 contains a plain sock pattern called Dave. I love the name Dave. One day I'd like to have a cat called Dave!

I'm really enjoying my second pair of Dave socks. They have a lovely deep ribbed cuff, and a slipstitch heel flap. I'm using a skein of Socks that Rock Lightweight in a great zingy lime green, with flashes of teal and purple. It's a mill ends skein and there are a couple of broken sections - perfect for contrast toes on another sock perhaps...

I'm trying hard to maintain my monogamy on this project, but another POP! Cardigan is biting hard on its heels as I need to have it done before a week on Friday. There's probably time to finish the socks first, but the little voice in my head would like to get going on the cardigan just in case!

FO: POP! Cardigan

See?! I'm steaming through these projects, finishing things left, right and centre!!

This is a teeny tiny 3-6 month old baby cardi, which I've knitted for the first child of a very old friend. One of those friends we played in the road with as kids. We've not been in touch that much of late, but a little one arrived at just the right point in my knitting, and this cute little cardigan just sort of slipped off my needles!

The design is the POP! cardigan by Rachel Atkinson (aka Knittingtastic), and I've made mine using just two 50g balls of King Cole Merino Blend DK. The yarn is just lovely - affordable, soft, and pleasingly rounded. It is a great match to this pattern - the superwash-ness is perfect for a baby cardigan, and the stitch definition is fantastic in the garter stitch yoke and edgings. And did I mention before, it knitted up REALLY quickly?!

I had spotted these lovely red rocket buttons on the Textile Garden Instagram feed a few days before I finished the cardi, so I was delighted to realise that they were exhibiting at Unravel. I have visited Unravel 3 times now, and it's a really lovely yarn show. There was so much inspiration to be had! Not to mention all the lovely people I bumped into. But that's for another post...

As well as being super-cute, these buttons were particularly perfect for this cardigan, as the rockets remind me of the Tintin story, Destination Moon, a book I'm fairly sure my friend enjoyed as a kid. The rockets are perhaps more similar to the Wallace and Gromit rocket from A Grand Day Out, or maybe they are a hybrid between the two... My memory is going hazy...

If you know someone who's expecting, then I'd highly recommend this little cardigan. It's a fun knit!

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of the POP! Cardigan for free, after I provided Rachel with a picture of my favourite Christmas bauble. I also work with Rachel from time to time. It's still a great pattern, and I would happily have paid for it.

FO: Wee Levenwick

This monogamy thing is magic!

I finished off my Wee Levenwick cardigan last week, and it sat for a few days without buttons, as I had a feeling that I would find the perfect match at Unravel. Wee Levenwick is a kids' version of Levenwick, both designs for Brooklyn Tweed by Gudrun Johnston. I've had the great pleasure of working for Gudrun a few times, and I love her pattern writing, and design aesthetic.

This cardigan was lovely to knit. It's worked from the top down, and I just flew through it (once I'd cast off the other bits I had been working on). The New Lanark Aran was just as lovely to knit with as ever - I've got a ball or two over, which I have a plan for as well...

I noticed as I sewed on the final buttons that I'd done the pocket the wrong way round. The main part of the pocket should be reverse stocking stitch, whereas I've done it in stocking stitch. Hey ho. One of those things that makes my project unique - the joy of handmade. :)

As I expected, the Textile Garden stand at Unravel was pure button heaven. I found buttons for this project, as well as for another little cardi, which I'll show you tomorrow. And I may also have stashed a few more button sets, while I was at it!

FO: Alva Sweater

So far this monogamous thing is really working for me! In the space of just 4 days, I knitted a kids sweater. From start to finish. In just 4 days! Here I am having cast on on Thursday evening...

A kind friend sent me two balls of the lovely deep blue Alafoss Lopi, as well as a ball of Orange in the same yarn. I had been skimming through Ravelry looking for projects using just a small amount of this yarn. I wasn't too keen to make a hat (I have far more of those than I need!), and I stumbled upon this beautiful project: Purpurschnecke's Justus I loved the colours she had used and could quickly see that all I would need was a ball of cream Alafoss Lopi. I downloaded the free pattern (Alva by Maria Vangen), ordered the extra ball of yarn from Meadow Yarn (great service) and set straight to work.

By Saturday morning, I had a body, and I was well on the way to two sleeves!

Lopi knits up far more quickly than sock yarn... who knew?! Well I did of course! But it's been such a long time since I knitted anything more chunky than socks, that it was a lovely surprise. When I started knitting, I quickly learned that knitting would be a very expensive hobby if I didn't switch to finer yarns. So for many years I have mostly knitted with 4ply. But since the kids arrived, my knitting time has been drastically cut, so I can now indulge in some chunkier knits without bankrupting myself, and it's proving very satisfying!

Here's the sweater blocking on Sunday evening, after a pleasant day of knitting at a chess tournament! 

And last night I finished it off with a "Hand knitted with love" label. I embarked on this project without a definite recipient in mind. The pattern was only in one size - for a 3 year old - and thus too small for any of our kids. It was just something I had to make. It was the perfect project and yarn combination and I was powerless to resist! I think I've found its owner, but we need to try it on.

In the meantime, I'm working hard on the next kids jumper. I'm still surprised at how quickly it's going!

FOs: Snawheid and Dave socks (and notes on knitworthiness)

When you just knit on one thing, it's amazing how much more quickly you finish it! I managed to churn out the plain socks in just over 3 weeks. That's far more impressive than the 6 months it took me to make my Betula socks - simply down to polygamy of projects...

Here they are, blocking on my steel sock blockers (I got mine from Loop), and hanging on the curtain rail in the living room. I used the Dave sock pattern from Rachel Coopey's new book, Coop Knits Socks vol 2. I will tell you more about the book in a future post, as I had the pleasure of editing it, hence the head start on knitting from the pattern.

You may remember that I was knitting these for a very special teacher. And actually, they aren't the only thing I've knitted for this teacher. Just before Christmas I knitted up a Snawheid (by Kate Davies) for her as well. Here's a picture of it blocking, before I added a fluffy TOFT alpaca pompom to it:

I regularly get asked to knit things for people, and I almost always say no. I tend to explain that knitting is like sex - if I love you it's free, but if I don't there's no amount you could pay me to do it!

So how is it that this teacher has ended up with two lovely projects in such a short space of time? Well, she has gone above and beyond, and repeatedly proved herself to be thoroughly knitworthy. How did she do that? First up, she didn't ask. I wanted to make something for her, and we chatted about what she might like (I threatened to knit something hideous if she didn't provide some pointers!!). She was very respectful of the amount of time it takes to knit a gift. Many people assume that it's quick. It really isn't (as I'm sure most of you know!). She has been a very important person to our family. She helped me to grow in confidence as a parent, and she goes above and beyond to ensure that our kids are as happy as possible at school. We really couldn't have asked for a better teacher, and as such I wanted to thank her in the most meaningful way I could. I don't know of a better way that this. As a knit recipient she has also aced it on all levels - I see her wearing them. Daft I know, but I get a sense of loss when I give away a project I've enjoyed making. I don't expect people to wear things I've made when we're meeting up, just to prove they wear them, but it is lovely to see those projects again, and to know they are being enjoyed (and not languishing in a drawer waiting for BEST).

So there we go. Two projects in just a few months for a really special teacher. Who do you knit for? And why?

The monotony of monogamy

It's not very interesting to blog about really. I'm being monogamous. I'm talking about my relationship with my knitting of course... I've cleared the decks and I'm focussing on one thing at a time.

Just now I'm working on the plain vanilla socks for the most knitworthy teacher I've ever met. And I'm just knitting on the socks.

It makes for deathly dull blogging, but really, it's exactly what I need. Nothing too exciting. Just churning through the sections. Cuff done. Tick. Leg done. Tick. Heel flap done. Tick.

I'm on to the second sock now, and working through the gusset decreases. It won't be long before I catch a glimpse of the end. The grafting together of the toe stitches. The sweet joy of another finished project, and then the delight of the next one.

Like I said. Not very interesting, but it's providing me with the soothing rhythm I need right now.