On The Move

February 2019

Feb 2019
Sold my little flock some time ago as getting too old to keep them now. Sad to loose them but had my neighbours sheep on the land since then.
More recently, we are planning to relocate to Co. Wexford - and will continue to spin and knit there - using my washed stored fleece and other fibres.
Right now, in the interim, I'm staying in lovely surroundings in Co. Wicklow - among the hills and of course, the local sheep.

ANYWAY, currently working on a pair of Knee Socks for OH. He's not enamoured with he ankle socks commonly available in shops. Bought a hank of Sock Yarn by HHF in Athlone. It's hand dyed, 90@ Merino, 10 % nylon. (Very expensive for me but I was in a rush as about to leave for Wicklow and all my stuff in storage). 

At 107 gms, I knew it would be a stretch to get knee socks for a mans foot from that amount but went ahead. I took measurements from his leg and foot and worked out the numbers of stitches to cast on and where to do decreases so it fits exactly.

Finished one and found, of course, there would not be enough for a second one of the same size so now I'll have to rip it to the end of the decreases and split the difference between the two of them.I'll do a provisional cast on for the second on then add rib to both of them and add another yarn to complete both in the end.

Cannot find my little box of knitting accessories GRRRR. Must be in storage. Oh for a crochet hook especially when I drop a stitch and this yarn splits and slip so easily. Must find a craft shop - but where?? 

On a search - seems the yarn room gone - that would have been the nearest. Ah well. 

Allsorts mat progressing

I went ahead with my multi-colour mat - "allsorts" - editing it as I went.

By now. it has been soaked and partially dried and is being shaped a little with strings threaded along each side.

I know it will have a non-slip backing when completed but I've a lot of decisions to make about what to do with the long edges - perhaps nothing, perhaps a crochet border - but this risks causing tension and disfigurement when washed later - so....a discontinuous edging???

Hmmm - I'll see

Cast-ons with multi yarns

Going through my stash of hand-spun yarns.
Several dyed and undyed hanks and balls in several places.
Plan is to bring them all together and see what they "want to be".

They are selected to participate in a striped floor mat:

Some for fingerless mitts:

This is a small amount (about 57 gas) of lumpy-bumpy yarn I spun using a silver thread plied with a blend of my sheep wall and some Angora rabbit fibre. It feels pretty nice but it is quite thin so I tested several stitch types to get one that would add bulk to the fabric and went for a slip-stitch pattern I found (above) in an old magazine.
There is not enough for two full mitts so the ribs, top and bottom, will be knit from some another remnant of arty-type wool which is hanging around looking for a home.

Like so much else, here TO BE CONTINUED

Cat's Paw lace knit

Using a lace-weight single  I spun from one of my sheep fleece, I cast on to knit the Cats Paw pattern.
This is a traditional Shetland knitting pattern which is fairly easy to master.

After soaking, I pinned it out to block dry it.

As can be seen, it is not very big - 30 cm wide by 78 cm long. 

I've not decided which of three possible uses to put it to: a neck warmer, a table runner, both of which need a lining or to mount it as a wall hanging.

Christmassy little tote bag

Used up several Christmassy coloured remenants of my hand-spun and hand-dyed yards - I hate to throw them out even if there is not enough for a hat or mat (my usual knitted items).

For the shoulder strap, I warped the rigid heddle,10 dent, with singles - knowing I would not be to use the heddle to beat them and they would fray. Used a little plastic ruler to press the wefts down. Two of the warps did fall apart but I have no problem fixing that with another length of yearn. The hardest part was actually passing the weft as that is a very thin yarn, so thin I had to use it doubled and pass it twice for each pick, wrapping it around the outer warp yarn before returning. This worked OK and I like the resulting strap - I like these straps so much that I wish I had an excuse to make more.

I got a remnant of silky curtain material from "Material World" in Athlone, The assistant there was very good and didn't make me feel like a bigger when I bought just 2 Euros work of remnant instead of a large order of her beautiful materials.

The knitting pattern was fairly easy, with slip-stitch rather than fair isle and is based on XXXXXXXX' pattern (I'll add the right name later).

Bag is 8"deep, 11.5" wide and hangs down about 21" shoulder to hip

Long narrow stripy yarn-memory scarf

I' loath to discard the small amounts of hand-spun and hand-dyed yarns I have left over from various projects.
SO, I knit them into long, long narrow stripy scarves such as this one below, which is 7ft 7 inches/231 cm long and only 3 - 4 inches/7.5 - 10 cm wide.
Worn doubled, it is so warm and neat and the different bars on it remind me of the fibres I spun e.f. Wensleydale sheep fleece, grey and white alpaca, my own buxom wellies and the soft light orange-brown doggydown from my red Border Collie.

HiggeldyPiggeldy Hothead Hat

From my multicolour yarn, I've made an HiggeldyPiggeldy Hothead hat.

I quite like how it came out - squishy, warm and textured.

Details of the simple pattern below.

PATTERN

HiggeldyPiggeldy Hothead Hat

Yarn weighed 107 grams (3.7oz)  and the hat weighed 86 grams (3 oz), leaving enough for a small bobble if required

Yarn weight was 8 wraps per inch, 

Needles: 5 mm circular, 20 inches long or more

Yarn weight: Aran weight, 8 wraps / inch or per 2.54 cm

KNITTING

Cast On: 80 stitches leaving a 4 inch tail

Using 2 X 2 rib (k2, P2) repeat, work 2 rows flat

3rd row, join in the round and continue k2, p2 rib until the work measures

8 - 8.5 inches.

Begin decrease rows for the crown:

1. (K2 p2 together) repeat to the end
2. (k2 p1) repeat to the end
3. (k2 together, p1) repeat to the end
4. (k1 p1) repeat to end
5. (k2 together, p2 together) repeat to the end
6. (k1 p1) repeat to the end
7. (k2 together p2 together) repeat to the end

10 stitches remain

Break threat, leaving a tail.

Thread yarn on big-eyed needle and pass through the stitches and pull to close the gap

fasten off, weave in the ends and seam firs 2 rows using the needle and the cast-on tail.

This is a stretchy hat which should fit a good range of head sizes and the brim can be folded up to suit the wearer.