Baby Ravi

This one didn’t take long to knit at all. It’s a fabulous knit. Quick because of all the garter stitch but lots of interesting construction too, making it fun. The pattern is Ravi Junior by Carol Feller. The yarn is Millamia Naturally Soft Merino in Forget-Me-Not. Ravelry Project Page.

The yoke is worked from edge to edge with short rows to give the shape. I used German Short Rows which made the whole process quite mindless – no picking wraps up when working back. It’s a great technique if you haven’t tried it.

There are short rows at the bottom edge too, which makes it a lovely shape for a baby.

The yarn is just perfect for this (and most things really). I’m a big fan of Millamia. The stitch definition in this yarn is beautiful and so lovely and soft too. It blocks really well and I think this soft blue is just gorgeous.

The buttons are from Textile Garden. I thought a contrast worked nicely here and it zings it up a bit.

There’s something very satisfying about applied i-cord against garter stitch. Probably something to do with the clean lines next to each other. It can be a wee bit tedious but more than worth the effort.

I used the recommended yarn for the pattern. The yarn is worked at a looser gauge than is recommended by Millamia. Naturally Soft Merino is a sport weight yarn and normally worked on a 3 / 3.25mm. This is worked at a similar gauge to a standard DK. In garter stitch, this makes a nice draping and soft fabric. The only downside is my knitting looks a little uneven in places… This does mean that you could possibly use a DK yarn if you wanted to.

Stripes

Sirdar’s Heart & Sole sock yarn is really lovely. I’ve made a pair of socks before. They’ve just brought out a new colour palette and the stripes aren’t quite as thick.

I used the Clever Clogs colourway (love the names of the colours – there is also a Pigeon Toes colour! I may just have to knit this just for the name).

I made a Puerperium by Kelly Brooker quite awhile ago from the free DK version. This time I used the Beyond Puerperium pattern, which covers 4 ply, DK and worsted weight and up to 2 years. I made it in 4 ply and size 45cm / 18” chest.

Again I used the mismatched buttons, which I think works wonderfully with striped yarn. It’s a great pattern and I definitely see another one in my future! Ravelry Project Page

I’m doing Woolly Wormhead’s Mystery Hat Knitalong this year. I particularly like this KAL because each clue is in bitesize pieces and doesn’t take up too much knitting time from other things. Anyone else doing it?

I’m using the Deeply Wicked by Easy Knits that I bought at Yarndale.

I’ve done my swatch. I went up to a 3mm and I’m very close to gauge - 30 1/2 sts x 42 1/2 rows. In the introduction, there is a very useful chart provided just in case your gauge is off – to guide you to the correct size.

The other project on my needles – or should I rephrase that “one” of my other projects – is another shawl in Fine Donegal. A friend saw the one I made here and wants two making – so that’s going to keep me busy for awhile. I just love the subtlety of colour in the yarn.

Aren’t those big dumpling balls of Fine Donegal just gorgeous?

FO: Plume

I have finished a few projects recently but been quite lax in photographing them.

I had a little photo shoot with Mr with my plume cardigan. I’ve come to the conclusion, that I’m not a very good model – so you only get to see one photo that came out semi-well.

The yarn is the scrumptious Bergere de France Plume, which is absolute heaven to knit with. The pattern is a free one from Drops, which is done in a yarn that works in the same gauge as Plume with a very similar fibre content too.

I didn’t like the sleeves on the original – the cuffs were quite loose. I rewrote the sleeves so they fitted snuggly around the cuffs. I worked the back, one front and a sleeve first, and sewed it together, so I could check the fit (it was fine!).

I was in a rush to wear it, so stupidly decided to steam block it – word of advice – don’t.

There’s a lot of man made fibre in it and I knew it was a risk, and managed to melt some of the fibres. Thankfully, it’s not a lot and not really noticeable. I wet blocked it instead, which worked a lot better. Though the front bands still want to flip in.

I’ve tried a few different tactics to combat it. Crocheting around the edge made it worse. I ended up picking up along the front and bottom edges of the band and immediately casting off again, which has improved it dramatically but not totally.

After, the photo was taken, I put snap fasteners next to the buttons, so the band doesn’t flip over the buttons and hide them.

Despite some issues, I do still love it and think it’s going to be a fab Christmas/winter cardigan, even though I’m wearing it in the middle of summer.

My photographer for the day was very patient and I took a lovely photo of him, while he was waiting patiently for me.

FO: Ore

I’ve finished the Ore Cardigan that I briefly mentioned here and here. The pattern is by Sarah Hatton and from Issue 70 of The Knitter. Here’s a review of the magazine with a picture of the original. The yarn I used was Sublime Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK in colourway, Skipper. My Ravelry Project Page.

It’s a timeless classic piece and quite a simple knit. The beading is lovely and ensures that it hangs well.

I did have an issue though, the sleeves came out way too long. It wasn’t my gauge as I had 29.5 rows instead of the recommended 28, which would have made the sleeve shorter. I really didn’t want to reknit the sleeves, so I took the more drastic option and cut the ends of the sleeves off. I ended up removing over 3 inches above the beading and then grafted the ends back on. I did have to increase a few stitches to make the stitch counts add up. I don’t think you can tell where I did it. Some sweater surgery later and now they fit a lot better.

The style of cardigan did seem to be for longer sleeves than normal but it is helpful, if they don’t come passed the ends of your hands!

The back is just as pretty as the front.

My Plume cardigan is still on the back burner, as I came home with more yarn this week (eek!). It’s a girl’s coat and I have the back done already, so hopefully have something to show you soon.

Plumes

A friend of mine bought some Sirdar Escape Chunky and a pattern to go with it, but never got around to making it….so I’ve made it for her instead.

Unfortunately, the yarn is discontinued but it has lovely colour changes. The stripes work particularly well because the garment is worked side to side.

The only modification was to leave the bottom ribbing until the end and then work in the round (instead of flat). That way I could use up as much yarn as possible. It’s a lot longer than it should be but I made the executive decision to stop because it was going to end up being a foot long.

I started another project, too. Eeek… I was extremely tempted by seeing some very beautiful examples of cardigans in Bergere de France Plume. I’ve worked in it before and it’s beautifully soft handle. It’s a combination of wool, nylon and acrylic; and the finished fabric is soft, draping and fluffy.

I had a good look around for something to knit in it and came up with a Drops cardigan that would match up with the gauge. So a jumper’s worth of yarn came home with me from A Good Yarn.

I finished the back last night and it’s a very quick knit, so watch this space. 

The other temptation at the moment is Rowan’s Pure Wool Worsted which is in stock at the moment at A Good Yarn. I predict some of that coming home with me shortly.

Ornate

I’ve just completed the most stunning little cardigan. It’s covered with cables and bobbles, with a lace edge. I’ve really enjoyed making it (it’s at A Good Yarn at the moment, as a shop sample, if anyone wants to see it in the flesh)

The one word I keep of thinking of is “heirloom”. It’s one of those special pieces of knitting.

The pattern is Lace Edged Cardigan by Debbie Bliss and it’s from the Celebrating Family pattern book.

The original was done in Debbie Bliss Eco Baby but mine is done in Baby Cashmerino. The yarn is really lovely to work with and blocks really well. Here's my Ravelry project page

I did a little experiment while making this. I made both of the sleeves and blocked just one of them.  Can you spot which one? 

It really does make a huge difference to your knitting – so if you’re not a convert to blocking yet….

By the way, I did block the other before I was finished!

The back is just as gorgeous as the front.

Ends

Just tying up a few loose ends here. These are few projects from the last couple of months that I haven't talked about much.

Remember this big Pile O' Knits, I'll show you a few that were in that pile.

The first is made from Paulina Popiolek's Orion Belt pattern, made from Katia Kiss. I really enjoyed this one. Even though it looks complicated, the majority is TV knitting, i.e. mainly knit and purl so I can watch TV at the same time. The Katia Kiss has a luster to it, so quite an interesting shawl in the end. I love the little celtic knots. Kiss Orion project page.

Secondly, a Bandana Cowl - Purl Soho, made from just 1 ball of Rowan Cocoon. I loved the Cocoon, it's very soft and squidgy. Cocoon Bandana project page.

Finally, the sweetest little Grampa cardigan. The pattern is Gramps by tincanknits, made from Rowan Felted Tweed Aran. I love the little details of the pockets and the elbow patches. The blurb for the pattern is brilliant - 

"And YES, despite reasonable common-sense notions, babies DO require pockets to store their tiny little pipes, and patches to prevent them from wearing holes through the elbows of their cardigans after years of use!"  Gramps by tincanknits.