Knitting Blog

Von’s camera sock pattern

Can’t believe that’s two posts, on completely different blogs, aimed at just one person. Ha! So here it is, the pattern for Von’s camera sock. It’s spiffing. Thanks Von!

The history of guerilla knitting

From We Make Money Not Art via Ms Glittr, I think, who has also made a most gorgeous knitted bead necklace.

knit-things learned in 2007

It’s been amazing. I started knitting properly in November 2006. I sent a text to everyone I knew asking if they wanted a home made scarf. Well, not everyone: not my mortgage broker or my GP, but you get the idea. About 20 people answered, which was rougly 19 more than I’d been guessing, but after discarding those who wanted to stipulate exactly what yarns/colours/patterns, hopeless for a no-clue beginner, I ended up making about 10.

Since then, and after meeting many a North-East Yarn Fiend at the Bridge Hotel, and digging out my sub to Ravelry, I’m committed. So, this is my new-things-learned list for 2007:

1. DPNs - double pointed needles. Woo, go me! Easier with 5 than 4 if you’re doing something that requires counting stitches properly, like the not-my-first socks. Also fabulous for hatting.
2. Different types of increases and decreases - M1 is lifting a loop from between two stitches and knitting into it. Knitting twice into the same stitch, once into the front and once into the back is another, less decorative way. SSK is slip, slip, knit the 2 slipped stitches together. K2tog is knit 2 together, and k2togbl is knit 2 together into the back loop. YO is a loop of yarn wrapped over the needle without knitting it. There are more….
3. Cable cast ons.
4. Loose cast-offs for my socks: knit 2, knit into the second stitch with needles as if to do a slip, and yarn wrapped counter-clockwise, lift first stitch over second. Repeat.
5. Short rows. Made half the shawl collar of a gilet in slight puzzlement, then a Calorimetry, that did it, and then did a short row heel on my Panda sock. Fab!
6. Partridge eye stitch. A doddle.
7. Entrelac!! Made a hat-headband. Am making another one. Woo!
8. In the round on 2 circulars: no, really. Next year I’ll be putting Magic Loop on the list, oh yes.
9. How to make a pocket. Left instructions on a mailing list, too.
10. Finishing: sewing seams together by matching knit stitches in rows.
11. How to make knitted buttons. Easy peasy.
12. Turkish cast on for toe-up socks. Completely invisible, I swear!

Okay, that’s enough. Must leave some for next year.

Seasonal whatsits to all 3 of my lovely readers. I hope you like the new template, it marks my intent to improve this as a decent journal of garment making in the years to come. And a jolly fine template it is too, it’s got all sorts of lovely bells and whistles under the hood to make writing easy and the reading sweet.

Thanks to everyone who’s commented. I love you all.

Sunrise Circle jacket

Oh the agonies of the Aran! Three changes of pattern later, countless trips to Ebay and John Lewis to top up the yarn, and oh goodness, it’s finished at last. New knitter syndrome, I think: naively choosing a yarn first and a pattern second.

Also, this grey was deeply fashionable last winter when this project was begun. Now I’m not so sure. Still, I like the coloured bands that trim the sleeve and the edges of the circular fronts. Very glad I did that, although it was a bit risky, since it’s done at the cast-on. If it hadn’t worked, that’d be the whole thing to pull out. Hah.

The pattern has been knitted like crazy by over 200 people at Ravelry, and it’s in more than 700 queues. Thanks to the marvelous Kate Gilbert and Interweave Knits: it was really easy to make although the sheer bulk of carrying a whole sleeve and front at the same time on one circular needle makes it an impractical project to take on the bus. Comfy couch radio 4 knitting really, but then what isn’t?

It’s heavy to carry, but surprisingly light to wear, and feels extremely warm and comfortable. So, was it worth the money, all those weeks of effort? Not sure yet, but I can see this being worn every winter for a decade or so to come. No more big projects for me, for a while. Phew!