Frazzled Knits

Still here, still knitting!

I am still knitting, though a lot less since being widowed. I have downsized my blog to the free service at typepad but it's so full of useful info for myself, let alone anyone else, that I just couldn't delete it. I wish all of you who find this post a happy holiday season, and a much improved year in 2023!

Here is the sum total of what I've knit in the past three years (I told you it was a small amount!!):

Tuffy Boot Socks by Kate Atherley, in Briggs & Little Tuffy, men's size 10, oatmeal colour.

Sleep socks for my dad (my own pattern) in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sock that Rock Heavyweight, men's size 12

Flax Light sweater by Tincan Knits, in Gauge Dyeworks "Whiskey in a Teacup" colourway, size 6-12 months

Little Blue Bunny by Clare Garland, knit in elann Peruvian Pure Alpaca

Fir Tree Hat by Helen Silva, in Loops & Threads Impeccable

His & Hers Toques to fit all sizes by Mary Mouzar, with custom colourwork, in White Buffalo Unspun

Hamsterbean by Emily Stoneking, in Patons Country Garden DK

Budgerigar by Clare Garland, knit in various scrap yarns

Indian Thumb mitts (my own pattern), in Patons Kroy Sock Yarn

 

 

Things have changed

I don't know who will ever read this, but in October 2019 my husband passed away suddenly without any warning (cardiac arrest of a completely healthy heart) and I am now a 48 year old widow. I haven't felt much like knitting or spinning or blogging since then, though what I have done I am still posting on ravelry.

I may decide to end this blog, I'm giving myself a year to think about it. It is an amazing record of everything I have ever knit since the very first day when I taught myself, on January 22, 2003, which is a remarkable thing. I've been blogging longer that the Yarn Harlot! Kind of shocking.

That's it for now. Thanks to all of you who have stopped in from time to time, and to those of you who are reading this now.

Over and out.

Christine

 

 

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.