FO: My Grandmother's Shawl

Yes, I do knit a lot at the moment, don't I? My grandmother's shawl is finished after just a few weeks (during which I also knit three tops - I feel slightly faint just by writing that) and I think the shawl is a bonafide success.

I knit an upsized version of the ever-popular Swallowtail shawl and I used approximately half a hank of Old Maiden aunt merino/silk.

(Full disclosure: I'm very, very  good friends with Lilith of Old Maiden Aunt - but this is possibly the best laceweight yarn I have worked with. It blocks out beautifully and the handdyed colours blend together in a really stunning way. I'm so pleased)

Instead of nupps, I used two tubes of amethyst beads from Glasgow's The Bead Company. It was my first time combining beads and knitting and it was an enjoyable learning process. Admittedly I think beads veer too close to "bling" for my taste, but I think they work in this context. I also rediscovered my love of lace knitting which had been cast in doubt by my botched Percy shawl. I have actually signed up to "going cold sheep" on buying more laceweight until I have knitted up at least 5,000 yrds (so that leaves another nine shawls, yikes), so it is very good to have my lace mojo back.

And now  I have nothing on my needles! Okay, I have Pine and I think I've uncovered my problems with this project. Quite apart from vague, vague instructions and possibly being short on yarn, I am knitting with oiled yarn from a cone and I just don't like the feel or smell. In the future, I'll take Laila's comments onboard (link in Danish) and wash the yarn pre-knitting. I have one sleeve, the yoke and the buttonband to go. Not long, not long.

Tonight I'm going to cast on for Topstykke which is apparently a mindless knit once you get past row four. I'm also going to uncover yarn for my Other Half's sweater (which is going to be an own design). And maybe find another lace pattern for the cold sheep thing. I'm always slightly neurotic when I have nothing on my needles..

.. and sorry about the photo. It is a dreich day here in Western Scotland and I am coming down with a cold.

And They Lived Happily Ever After

.. and they lived happily ever after - they being the knitter and her own Liesl. I frogged a scarf I knitted last year but only wore twice and miraculously I got an entire top out of my three re-purposed skeins of Noro Iro. Liesl is a magical pattern, I think.

Right now I'm really using knitting as means of escape from a very, very busy life. I cannot write about the things that are happening as I have vowed to keep certain aspects of my life separate from this blog, but I am currently facing a workload which is causing me to a) freak out slightly, b) stress and worry a lot and c) have brain-freezes. I wish I could pick up a book and escape, but my head is not in that sort of space at the moment.

So I knit. I knit a lot.

Earlier this year I was told to relax by watching trashy TV and reading crap books. I've finally taken those words on board and so I'm watching a lot more TV - whilst knitting, of course - than I usually do. This has lead me to conclude that FlashForward is very bad; that True Blood is very interesting; that Merlin is very silly, has pretty art direction and occasionally sports hidden depths; and that I have very little patience for reality TV (bar BBC's MasterChef which Other Half watches religiously).

In other news, the most despicable "newspaper" in the UK - the Daily Mail which does not deserve a link - has published a poisonous article on the death of boyband singer Stephen Gately of Boyzone (BBC link). I read the homophobic article itself earlier today before the Daily Mail found it necessary to edit it. In the words of the Guardian's Charlie Brooker (and his entire column is magnificent):

The funeral of Stephen Gately has not yet taken place. The man hasn't been buried yet. Nevertheless, Jan Moir of the Daily Mail has already managed to dance on his grave. For money.

It has been 20 minutes since I've read her now-notorious column, and I'm still struggling to absorb the sheer scope of its hateful idiocy. It's like gazing through a horrid little window into an awesome universe of pure blockheaded spite. Spiralling galaxies of ignorance roll majestically against a backdrop of what looks like dark prejudice, dotted hither and thither with winking stars of snide innuendo.

I hope Gately's husband and family sues the hell of Daily Mail. And I hope that other advertisers follow Marks & Spencer's example and withdraw their advertising money from the Mail. It is not the first time the Daily Mail angers me (in fact, you could set your clock by how often I feel personally insulted) but this is truly gobsmacking vicious.

Ah, a blog entry which is all over the place. And all I meant to say was that I really do love my new top and that I'm knitting a lot at the moment. The fact that this turned into a bit of a rant should give you a clue as to how stressed I am.

Pax.

Once Upon A Time: Liesl

Once upon a time there was a really, really popular pattern called Liesl. Liesl was made by everyone in all sorts of yarns, sizes and colours. This knitter did not think of knitting Liesl because a lacy, if woolly, cardigan would not keep her warm. Besides, the sleeved versions of Liesl always looked just a tiny bit off and the knitter imagined that the garterstitch ridges in the pattern might chaff her delicate elbows (which she has a habit of resting on the table).

Then one sunny afternoon the knitter decided to knit something out of a lonely skein of Malabrigo Worsted. She wanted to knit something substantial for, lo, the object would not be for her. And that is when the knitter came across Liesl, looked at the required yardage and decided to make a little cardigan.

And the knitter and Liesl became very good friends very fast.

In fact, the knitter made this little green Liesl over two nights and loved the project so much that she decided to sacrifice three of her favourite vintage buttons (metal, handpainted, probably 1930s) which she had found at an antiques fair.

The knitter was rather sad, though. She had knit a 34" version of Liesl and was amazed at how quickly such a small size was knitting up. "Why do I not have a 34" bust," the knitter wondered whilst she dunked another biscuit into her milky and sugary tea, "because such a small size makes knitting so much quicker. Imagine how many more projects I could finish! And the yardage is ridiculous!" She contemplated giving up biscuits and milky tea, but she had sacrificed enough that afternoon.

The knitter was also very sad because Liesl was not to be hers. Liesl would go out into the world soon. The knitter suddenly craved a charming little top she could just throw on top of dresses and girly tops. She wanted her own Liesl. And so the knitter went through her stash once more. There were many contenders vying to be the knitter's very own Liesl, but she did not love any of them. Then a thought came to her..

.. to be continued (although Ravellers can catch a sneak peak on the knitter's projects page)..

FO: Paprika

I'm oddly unenthusiastic about having finished Paprika although I have worn it a lot in the last few days. It fits well and I love the colour, but I don't look at it and think, "Wow, I made that!". Maybe it's because it was another top-down sweater and I can really feel myself itching it knit something way out of my comfort zone? Maybe it was the yarn - a woolblend which was nice enough and knit up well, but which definitely felt synthetic to my fingers? Maybe I shouldn't expect to be bouncing off the walls everytime I finish something.

Specifics, then. I combined Francis Revisited by Beth Silverstein with Wendy Bernard's Ingenue. I have long wanted to knit both and it seemed like an obvious thing to combine the two patterns as their pattern constructions are very similar. I used most of the pattern from Francis revisited and the edgings from Ingenue. I really like the Ingenue stitch pattern, incidentally, and will use it again in another context.

I aimed for a long-long-sleeved sweater but as per usual I loathe knitting sleeves so these ended up being bracelet-length. Yet again. I also ended up having to stitch the cowl down to the sweater as it just wouldn't flop gracefully. I suspect the choice of edging might have something to do with that.

Verdict: definitely wearable and I think this'll become a winter go-to. I just feel very fneh about it.

What is on my needles now?

Well, I started and finished a pixie-sized Liesl while I was waiting for the weather to give us a photo opportunity for Paprika. Liesl is currently blocking. I may or may not post a photo tomorrow. I am a few rows away from finishing my grandmother's Swallowtail.  This means that I'll actually get to cast-on something new very, very soon. I have a few candidates - David's sweater, Topstykke, a hap shawl aka Noget Der Ligner or possibly a Liesl for myself in some Noro Iro I have lying about..

(Hmmmm, funny how non-knitters always tell me that "If you have nothing to knit, my friend might like some potholders." If I have nothing to knit.. who on earth doesn't have an out-of-control list of things they want to knit?)

New Knitting Territory

We were walking by the canal today, when the sun came out and I had to take off my jacket to cool off because my Snorri is so very, very warm. "I'm so jealous of your handknitted sweaters", David said, "and I would like to be as warm as you this winter." And so we agreed that I am to knit him a sweater, particularly as we are heading to Scandinavia in the midst of winter and last time that happened, Dave nearly froze to death.

I have all the usual concerns about patterns. Dave doesn’t like any of the usual suspects (Cobblestone or Durrow), doesn’t want any cabling or any colourwork .. but he does grudgingly admit to “not minding” the style of Kerouac while not wanting a cardigan. Furthermore, Kerouac is knitted in sport-weight and I have some rather fetching aran-weight in my stash..

However, the real issue is sizing. I think I’m heading for trouble. I measured David and his chest circumference is a whopping 5” less than IK’s standard size S. He likes his clothes to be fitted rather than slouchy, although he’d want to have a t-shirt underneath his sweater.

Questions: Do I try to play with gauge and go down needle-sizes? Do I try to find children’s patterns and hope the largest boy size will fit my partner? Can I take a woman’s pattern and take out waist-shaping/modify neckline or would I get in trouble with the shoulders?

Any helpful hints or tips either regarding pattern or sizing?

Suggestions regarding feeding him more rice pudding or chocolate will be filed under "David's being silly".

In Praise of Plain Knitting

Does knitting have to be complicated in order to be worthwhile and worthy of praise? Bells in Australia posted an interesting blog entry about once being told she was a "plain knitter" and how this throwaway comment influenced her knitting. I was drawn to her blog entry because I keep receiving very kind, flattering and downright baffling comments on Ravelry about my knitting projects. One recent comment told me "I want to be you when I become a real knitter". Ladies and gentlemen, no matter what you do and how you knit: you are a real knitter.

And I knit plain things. I prefer utilitarian and practical items. I am drawn to unfussy and very simple detailing. I prefer my sweaters and cardigan to be knitted top-down with simple shaping. I do not keep my finished items in neat piles in my wardrobe - not even my lace shawls. My cardigans hang upon chairs and my shawls are tucked in bags (alongside a hat). If I knit for children, I ensure that the items can be washed because they will be burped upon. I am proud of every single thing I knit but I'm not precious about my projects.

However, I do think carefully about everything I knit. This is my modus operanti and one which seems strikingly similar to what Wendy Bernard outlines in Custom Knits:

1. I look at the basic shape of the garment. I know my body type and what flatters this body type. If the shape will work against my body type, I discard the pattern no matter how much I adore it.
2. I look at how fussy it is. Does it have any unnecessary detailing, a gazillion lace patterns or two types of edging? Can I simplify the pattern if it is too fussy or busy?
3. What will I use this item for? Does it fit into my lifestyle or is it something I will wear maybe once a year? Does it fit with the rest of my wardrobe?

Examples of these basic rules:

1. I adore the Mrs Darcy Cardigan which has just the right amount of detailing to suit my taste - my busty, short torso would look completely wrong in this knit. I could modify the neckline and shaping, but it would no longer be the same design idea. Discarded, alas. See also the Whisper Cardigan.
2. When I did my Forecast, I eliminated the random moss stitch section on the collar and pared down the cabling from cable+bobbles to a simple braid. It's not that I couldn't do the original design's cable+bobbles, I just thought the designer had thrown in two or three textures too many.
3. I'm cold. I'm always, always cold. I need long sleeves and warm garments (cue Snorri (with added sleeves) and a multitude of shawls that I can wrap around my neck or lower back). I would never get any use out of a Lotus Blossom Tank or a Delphine.

In short: I make as many decisions as I can before I start knitting something.

Plain knitting involves just as many decisions and considerations as technically complex knitting. In fact, I would argue plain knitting may involve more decisions as knitters know that our plain knits will be the ones we wear the most and so we think harder about our choice of yarn or colour.

Yes, I can do intarsia, entrelac, Bavarian twisted stitches, and a gazillion cast-ons  - but does that really make me a "real" knitter? I think not. Let us sing the praises of plain knitting: stocking stitch, garter stitch, moss stitch and k1p1 ribbing. Without these things we would be nothing.