Piggle - Mk I

Bought some wool in a lovely bright purple for Piggle Mk I. Not entirely happy with the yarn as it is a bit stiffer than I thought and harder to knit with - especially on the ssk. Will definitely use a softer yarn for the next one. Why a next one? Well the other thing was that I followed the pattern (mostly) which requires 2.75mm needles for 8ply yarn. Didn't have a set of 2.75, so I used 3mm and even now it looks like it will be a snug fit for a small girl. Will go up to the 4mm set for the next one.

Must say that knitting in the round when dealing with ribbed patterns is so much easier as the "bumpiness" isn't so obvious as it is with stocking stitch. So yes, there will be several more variants to be knitted up and given away (it's only a few nights of knitting to finish them) and also I'll get to play with other variations of 3x2 rib and lace patterns.

Have also worked out that the next mini-project will be a matching beanie & mittens for the vest (in between piggles) and have thought of a cunning plan to solve the white cotton cardi edge issue... still pondering the next major project. Should reeeeeaaaaally finish one of the long lost projects - but can't bear to knit with black at night, it's just too hard.

Finished vest

Finished up the vest this afternoon and took some photos. It does fit - thank goodness! Given the multiple colours it can look quite different in different lights. Here are some close-ups of the stitching:

The short row bust shaping worked really well - something I'll certainly use again! Also doing the neck and armhole bands on a pair rather than a set of needles made it much neater and quicker, even if there was just a tidgy bit more sewing up involved.

The vest

The vest is knitting up well, but not sure if I got the sizing right - only time will tell. The pattern looks really nice with the multicoloured Jet wool. I was a little worried at first, but getting 20-30 rows in the colours really started to come together and look lovely. It's a simple rib variation (89 stitches front & back) in k & p stitches on a 4 row repeating pattern:

r1: k3, p1,*k2, p1 repeat from * to end
r2: p1, k1, *p2, k1 repeat from * to last 3 stitches, p3
r3: same as r1
r4: k all stitches

But I keep forgetting that on row 4 you knit all stitches until I get to the end and have to unpick the row (which is a bit tedious). Also, I'm going to try the short row technique to shape the bust which will also be a first and may require some effort and brain power. Need to knit up to 30cm in pattern first... won't take long on 5.5mm needles. I am using one of the Magnum Classics 12ply patterns as a base, but forgot to allow for the fact I was changing the stocking stitch to a mild rib - we'll see how it goes.

Hooray for the internet

I have just found a site with little video clips (for free even - yay!) showing you how to do certain knitting stitches. Hooray! I now understand the ssk abbreviation from knitty.com and have seen how you do it! I have added it to the list down the side but here it is: http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/abbreviations_explained/
Lovely when you can find what you are looking for! And it's how mum-in-law explained it - she's so clever.

Pink scarf the third

Yep finished already! Combined Cleckheaton country 8 ply with Caressa 8 ply on 9mm needles (19 stitches to a row meant it knitted up in no time). Garter stitch 12 rows, doubled row single moss stitch 8 rows - repeated til it was about 160cm long. Easy and matches the jumper finished in April.

Still have the cardi to finish, still needs some thought as to the edge pattern. I might start on the vest tonight. Have also got the piggle pattern off Knitty.com. They are soooo cute (beanies with holes for pigtails). Nanna had made one and it's such a big hit that I might make them for birthday pressies for others. The other great thing is that it only takes 1 ball of wool, so I could splash out on some of the really nice stuff.

Popped into Tapestery Craft briefly yesterday to lust over the nice wool. The Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino is so soft and lovely - way too nice to be just for babies. The other one that really caught my eye was the Alpaca Kid Lustre by Jo Sharp - that feels divine as well (and can be knitted up on bigger needles) and well frankly any of the silks. Have resolved however that the stash needs to go down before more is purchased. They will just have to stay on the "want it" list for a while.

Scarves are addictive...

So I'm halfway through pink scarf number 3... It's a double moss stitch interspersed with garter stitch (or is it the other way around?) and I have discovered that scarves are very addictive knitting. You only have about 19-25 stitches (if you are using big needles), you can play with patterns that are likely to bore you in big quantities, they don't use a huge quantity of wool and they are perfect to knit in front of the TV!

The summer cotton cardi is currently languishing beneath my ability to come up with a pattern for 167 stitches knitted up towards the hem - I'm sure I'll find something suitable when I'm looking for something else. I haven't dared start on the vest - must finish another project before starting on that. But here's a pic of the wool to keep me inspired...

Fringe action

Pink scarf the second is done! Very quick & easy...

In other news, the cloak is finished, the tabards are done and the queen frock only needs a couple more hours and a chemise... Sure it can be done!

Then it's on to cunning plans for new projects. Have designed a vest cribbed together out of a 'Classics' pattern book, combined with a texture pattern and short rows to add bust shaping. It's going to be the first experiment with the short rows technique & made out of multicoloured Jet. Hope it works.

I also finally found the Hurry Knits Patons pattern book at the local Spotlight and bought it. Looks like you could substitute almost any 8 ply wool in the patterns. Further experimentation to come. Have also promised a scarf to match the jumper for N... haven't promised a timeframe. Bought another 3 balls of pink in order to match the pink & purple Caressa and will knit on big needles - probably around 7-8mm, so it should knit up quickly.

Did it again

In the excitement of finishing the first pink scarf, I started something else instead of picking up the older projects that need finishing. So pink scarf the second is underway. My only defence is that it is in chunky wool on 10mm needles so in about 4 hours I've knitted over a metre. Here is where it is up to. It's the first experiment with the dropped stitches method. I'm not sure that it really works with a plain wool - I think it would look better with a varigated or fluffy type wool. This one definitely needs a fringe once I'm finished with the knitting bit...