princessdeia

August 22nd 2007
Filed under General, Sweaters

The body of my Central Park Hoodie as complete. I used the short-row technique for the neck decreases (which will be picked up and used for the hood), as well as on the shoulders – these were then grafted together.

I have even managed to cast on the sleeves; I am knitting them both at once. The yarn just glades over the needles – which brings me to my letter…

Dear Knit Picks,
Please can you start selling Wool of the Andes in the UK?
Thank you!

Dee

When it comes to knitting larger garments, I tend to use a lot of vintage patterns and which mainly use 4 ply cotton and tiny needles. One of the reason I was first attracted to knitting the Central Park Hoodie was the thicker yarn and needles, as well as the piece being so amazingly wearable. I knew I wanted to knit this piece in a chunky dark blue yarn however I never seemed to find anything that fitted the bill.

When I was offered the chance to be part of the Knit Picks trail, I knew I wanted to buy some Wool of the Andes – but was unsure what to make with it – originally I was think about purchasing a few balls to make a hat or some gloves, when looking through the colours, as soon as I saw the Arctic Pool Heather – I knew this was the yarn for my Central Park Hoodie.

I have to admit I have found it very hard to find wool I like, Rowan makes some wonderful wool blends (Felted Tweed or Kid Classic) and Debbie Bliss’ Cashmerino, is a dream to knit with. But I have not found plain wool in such a range of colours in the UK – and certainly not one as cheap as Wool of the Andes (I think it comes in at £1.25 a ball including taxes), so here is hoping that we can have more of this lovely yarn in the UK.

August 17th 2007
Filed under Project Spectrum v2.0, Sweaters

Inspired by the group on Ravelry, I have decided to try and knit from my stash again. With my knitting budget linked to Knit Wars (I have nearly 30 pounds saved up), a guilty feeling every time I see the two boxes of yarn in the corner and this bi-monthly colour triad for Project Spectrum (why do I collect purple yarn).

1. Texere Top Cotton, 2. Araucania Patagonia Nature Cotton (to make a v-neck sweater).
3. Natural Dye Studio, (Pomatomus Socks) 4. Knit Picks Palette – Brown -(top-up socks, maybe Baudelaire).

I have been working on my Central Park Hoodie most the week, following Lauren’s lead on at the KAL, I decided to knit this baby in one working on the back and sides at the same time.

I have adjusted the pattern slightly to accommodate knitting as one piece, eliminating a stitch at each edge for selvage, then adding an extra set of cables – which will be under the arms (where the seam should be).

Also, I have finished my Silk Shrug, I am just waiting for some sunshine to get outside and take some decent photos.

August 10th 2007
Filed under Summer of Socks, Sweaters

This sock might not look very expensive to you but it is worth 16 gold pieces to me…

That sounds really geeky, but then I am a geek, read comics, love sci-fi movies and if I had the time I would probably have played RPG. When I read about Knit Wars on the Lime and Violet site I knew this was the challenge for me.

This is the perfect way for me to control my spending, I am going to treat my gold like Boots Advantage Points, for every 4 pieces of gold I earn, can be translated into one pound actual money to spend on yarn/knitting supplies.

Of course this comes at the perfect time because Get Knitted, have started selling Knit Pick needles, I have resisted temptation as I have spent a lot of money on yarn over the past few months, but I have been dying to get my hands on an Option Set for ages, then I saw the collection of DPN’s that they sell and I wanted them too.

So far this week, I have managed to earn nearly 10 pounds from a few hours knitting casting on my Central Park Hoodie and finishing one sock. However, I did encounter the Knitting Mojo Blockage monster – which I think translates to me not knitting much this weekend.

Edit: I have just realised even blogging can earn me gold!

July 5th 2007
Filed under General, Stash Enhancement, Summer of Socks, Sweaters

I have spent the last few days stuck at home looking like a hamster with toothache. I am on horrid tablets, and have been warned to stay away from alcohol for the next few weeks. (I will come out in a rash ). Luckily hiding out in my bedroom has given me the perfect opportunity to knit! I decided to cast on my Pure Silk Shrug – originally, I started out swatching and I was going to practice the lace pattern before jumping into the actual shrug.

However, when I realized the sides only started with 18 stitches (I am making the medium size), I jumped straight in, and night and mornings worth of knitting and I am on the second side. I thought I should do the back last when I was more confident about the lace and cables.

Stupidly, I could have used this time to finish off the socks I have on the needles and then I could post some FO (I think my lack of knitting this year is embarrassing).

Still to the yarn goddess is around to cheer me up and my Knit Picks order arrived look at all the goodies. Most of this is planned for future projects, Central Park Hoodie, Fetching, Coronet and maybe a River Stole.

1. Undamaged Box, 2. Shimmer in Turquoise Splendor, 3. Shimmer in Morning Mist, 4. Shimmer in Stained Glass, 5. Andean Silk in Navy, 6. Wool of the Andes in Arctic Pool Heather , 7. Palette in Brindle Heather, 8. Palette in Navy