Frazzled Knits

Oxygen Cardigan

I don't why I keep knitting patterns that combine written instructions and TABLES. How I hate that combination. I always miss something! Rewriting it helps. I did that with this one, where I could. I still messed up a few things, but they're all fixed now and the sweater is lovely.

• Pattern: Oxygen by Heidi Kirrmaier
• Size: Medium
• Yarn: Briggs & Little Atlantic in Grape, 6.2 skeins
• Needles: 6mm for main body, 5mm for ribbing
• Modifications: Added three inches to the sleeves (2" stockinette, 1" extra ribbing), added two inches to the body
• Mistakes made:
  • Screwed up the alignment of the yoke eyelets at one point, had to re-do.
  • Messed up the edging, had to re-write the instructions so they made better sense and re-do. The edging is BEAUTIFUL so it was well worth it.
  • Completely skipped over the sleeve decreases table the first time, and knit an entire sleeve while wondering why there were no decreases but thinking maybe it was meant to have a blousey look at the cuff. When I realized that none of the examples on Ravelry had blousey sleeves, I re-read the pattern and THERE IT WAS. The entire table of decreases. I ripped back and re-knit.

I don't wear cardigans very much and I'm not sure how much use I'll get out of this one, but it fits well, is nice and comfy, and the heathered colour goes with so much. Here's hoping!

For fun (even though this sweater was knit for me) I sewed in a label that I bought from BrickBubble, which I love:

 

In Threes #2

One of my favourite crafty friends just had her first baby, and I was invited to the shower this weekend. I decided to knit another "In Threes" cardigan for the baby, in a colour that matches the store-bought outfit I purchased from the registry list.

• Pattern: In Threes cardigan by Kelly Herdrich
• Yarn: Berella Country Garden DK, 2 skeins. This is a long-discontinued merino baby wool (same as Patons Country Garden DK) that is super soft, plus machine washable and dryable. It has been my go-to for baby items for years but sadly, this project used up my last major stash of it.
• Needles: 4mm
• Size: Knit the 2T size with finer yarn & needles than the pattern stated, hoping to end up with a 9-12 month size.
• Gauge: 22.5 sts/4"
• Modifications: Other than using a finer yarn and needles, none.

Arctic Fox Tea Cozy

I had this project in my favourites for so long! When I saw it I fell in love and ordered the yarn for the tail right away, on ebay. Then it sat for seven years until I finally put a kit together using some stash yarns, and eventually knit it up.

I used some Berella Country Garden DK (the American version of Patons Country Garden DK, both discontinued long, long ago) held double for the cozy. This made a pretty thick, bullet-proof fabric but it worked okay. For the head and top of the cozy I used some mystery acrylic or acrylic/wool and I used toy safety eyes and nose for the face instead of embroidering.

The eyelash yarn for the tail is called Sirdar Slinky and it was actually sold as a "no-knit scarf". Which means it's a skein of eyelash yarn tied in a few places that you're supposed to wear in a loop around your neck. I undid the ties and actually knit the yarn. It is the softest, silkiest eyelash I've ever used. Very beautiful. I guess I could wear the rest of the skein as a no-knit scarf now but I'm not sure I can bring myself to do it!

The tea cozy turned out a little too long for my six cup tea pot, but I just tucked the ends under and it works well. I could hem it, but I like that it could fit a taller pot if I ever get one, so I will probably just leave it.

• Pattern: Arctic Fox Tea Cozy and Egg Cozy by Lindsay Mudd
• Yarn: Sildar Slinky for the tail, Berella Country Garden DK for the cozy, scraps of white acrylic for the head
• Needles: 3.75mm for the cozy, 3mm for the head and tail
• Modifications: Yarn substitutions, used toy safety eyes/nose instead of embroidering them on

A little bit longer than needed!

 

 

Zoom Loom squares

On Saturday I took a road trip out to the town of Mundare to spend the afternoon knitting (and eating perogy plates!) with some friends. I finished my Wurm hat, and then realized that the sweater project I'd brought was too tricky to work on while chatting.

So I pulled out my good old Zoom Loom and just played around with that, using various yarn scraps that I had in my bag, until it was time to head home:

These four squares are pretty wildly different from each other! Don't worry, I wasn't planning to sew them together into anything.

The top left and bottom right were made with some mystery yarns from my Aunt Ilse's stash. I really love how the bottom right one turned out! It was a pleasant surprise. Makes a very thick, tweedy square. I don't think I have enough to make any kind of major project, unfortunately. Her stash was all leftovers of single balls, with no labels! Fun, but challenging to use up.

The top right square is made with Briggs & Little Heritage in the eye-searing Hunter Orange, a pretty thick yarn for the Zoom Loom, but I managed to cram it all on there. And the bottom left is a hand-dyed angora blend that I had left over from an old hat project.

I am well aware that Zoom Loom can be used for all sorts of projects, but I kind of just love my giant collection of single squares. They make excellent coasters, and I enjoy them so much by themselves that I have never felt compelled to sew any together.

Wurm Hat #3

I've been carrying this hat project around with me since last fall, and I finally finished it this weekend!

• Pattern: Wurm hat  by katushika.
• Size: One size
• Yarn: Caron Cupcake in 16003 Strawberry Pie (used the whole thing!)
• Needles: 3.5 mm for band, 4 mm for body of hat
• Modifications: The Cupcakes only give enough yarn for 8 pattern repeats, so that's what I did (pattern calls for 9). It works out just fine.

This pattern works so well with this yarn. This is my third one and I've sworn to myself that I will try something new next time. Really I should probably try to stop buying those adorable little yarn Cupcakes in the first place. Wish me luck on that one!

Stash Enhancement

I've had a gift card to a local yarn shop burning a hole in my wallet since my birthday, and today (three months later) I finally had time to stop in. My plan was to be very responsible and just get a new 6 mm circular needle, but this shop only carries lace tips in their fixed circulars. My fingers can't handle those pointy tips, they just make them split open. So my responsible plan went right out the window!

I was wearing a pale blue boiled wool coat that I've had for years, it's a very odd blue that is hard to match. A yarn jumped out at me that looked beautiful with it. The blue was just right. The yarn cost exactly as much as the gift card. Next thing you know...

Yet another individual skein of something pretty gets added to the stash! It's a skein of Ancient Arts Nettle Soft, part superwash merino and part nettle fibre. It's a bit speckled, which is different from what I usually buy. Now I just have to decide if it will be mitts, gloves, or some kind of cowl or scarf!