Garn Boet - The Yarn Nest

Uh, it has been quite some time since I last posted. The days have been so filled with non-knitting relating things and events that I haven’t even got time to check out what you have been up to. Time for a blog round later today!

There has not been much knitting going on during these weeks either, and there have been more days when I haven’t touched my needles at all than those when I have actually knitted. But I managed to finish the back and the fronts of the spring cardi and I seamed the shoulder seams and put it blocking this morning. As soon as the body has dried I’ll knit the front bands and then seam the rest of the seams. I haven’t found buttons yet, but I have something pearly in mind.

Venezia hasn’t grown almost at all. This has again to do with the limited knitting time and Venezia’s demand of one’s concentration. I am still on the first pattern repeat, but I have already decreased four times, feels like a small victory when the stitches are getting fewer and fewer.

I wanted something desperately a couple of weeks ago. In order to get things my way I had to make an economic sacrifice. I promised my husband to not buy any yarn for, gulp, six months. The end date is October 18th, and this will end up in, I hope, a very creative use up of my yarn stash. I don’t have too many kilos of yarn, but there is enough for one sweater, perhaps even a vest, and lots of smaller items. Let’s see what I will come up with!

Weather wise has winter returned. We are, after warm and beautiful spring days, down in just 4 degrees C today. Brrrr. The sun is shining and it looks so good, but being outside demands warm wool sweaters.

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Right! Zoom out, there are four of them!

I have been a busy bee when it comes to sleeves. All four sleeves are knitted, the gorilla long sleeves of the spring cardigan and the short but patterned sleeves of Venezia. Both knits have been very satisfying in their own way. I don’t know when I have enjoyed a knit as much as Venezia. It’s addictive, looking at the pattern emerge from the different colours, and even if almost constantly changing colours is a bit annoying, is the way the colours work together beautiful, and I think adding to the addicting way of this pullover. (Weaving in all those ends there are before the steeks, my friends, is not going to be a beautiful or fun story. I predict blood, sweat and almost tears. Thankfully do the steeks take care of all ends from the colour changes, and so from the sleeve openings and up there will be no ends to weave in). I have washed and blocked the sleeves, and they really bloomed up and filled out beautifully. And the yarn got much softer.

The spring cardi is heaven when it comes to softness. It is a perfect knit for those moments when you can’t concentrate fully on knitting (Venezia is not going to share your concentration with anybody else, but that is hardly a surprise), and all pieces has been small enough to be stuffed into the handbag without problems. And that is the reason why the cardi has advanced this far, I’m already behind the sleeve openings on the back piece. The gauge is pretty fine, 26 stitches to 10 cm on 3,25 mm needles, but one row here and one row there while waiting for one thing or another to happen and more while watching TV adds to the about one hundred rows there are before the increases. There are still plenty of rows left before the neckshaping, but the biggest part of the back is knitted. The fronts will be a piece of cake after the back.

Look at all those small green things called grass! Spring is finally here again!

Venezia’s most time consuming part is without doubt the hem and the first rows. The beginnings of the sleeves are so short that the slow progress of the hem part doesn’t disturb, but my, I thought I would never get the body hem finished. It was like a big black hole, steeling all the stitches I knew I had knitted, and picking up the provincial cast on took forever. But the result is neat, and I don’t hesitate to add the same hem to other pullovers in the future. Once the provincial cast on was picked up it went pretty smoothly to knit the two rows of stitches together, and there it was, the hem. The first row with two colours is always a pain. One mistake, and you don’t realize it before you have knitted half the piece, and the stitches doesn’t match in the side seam. But here I am, already into the sixth row from the hem, and the increases have started.

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Happy Easter! Glad Påsk! Iloista Pääsiäistä! Frohe Ostern!

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Mum’s Feather and Fan socks are finished. Or, to be honest, they were finished last Friday already, but I have been a lazy blogger, and haven’t sat down in front of the computer before now.

These socks were a short row test as well. I have before made socks with both the short row toe of Wendy (or actually what I think is my own adaptation of this pattern, since my short rowing is not looking exactly as Wendy’s) and with the short rows Theresa uses in her pattern, which is the Priscilla Gibson-Roberts way. In these socks I used Wendy’s short rowing in the toes, and Theresa’s in the heels, just to be able to compare the two methods in the same yarn and with the same needles. Conclusion? I prefer my version of Wendy’s pattern, absolutely no holes, even if the continuum of the stitches is not as beautiful as in Theresa’s version. The stitch row is perfect in Theresa’s way, but I can’t help getting small holes between the rows, no matter how much I tighten the yos.

The Feather and Fan pattern is also Wendy’s. Wendy as knitted so many socks using this pattern that I thought it’s time to check it out in an actual pair of socks. It’s easy to memorize, and quite decorative. Good for mindless sock knitting, even if I must admit I prefer a bit more challenge in a pair of socks. Still, there are times when what you need is mindless knitting, and this pattern is perfect for that.

The yarn is Regia’s Bamboo yarn, consisting of bamboo, wool and polyamide. It’s soft and easy to knit with, and wonderful against the hands. I hope Mum will have good use for these summer socks, on those evenings when you feel a little cold, but not enough to put on woollen socks.

An for those curious on the Venezia progress: I have moved on to the second sleeve and is fast approaching the sleeve cap. Update will follow soon!

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