The first of the Autumn knits

My last post was titled the "The last of the Summer knits" but in the intervening 3 weeks it really has turned autumnal here in the UK. The leaves have turned and running along the river yesterday morning was a real joy. Wonderful earthy colours literally everywhere.

So it is time to move onto some warmer knits. The sweater I want to share with you today is knitted from a mixed yarn from the Pluck Knitter called "Lodge Fingering" It is spun from 60% Merino, 20% Cotton, 10% Silk and 10% Flax. Doesn't that sound great ? This will give warmth through the Merino portion, coolness via the cotton, a little bit of a shine with the silk and structure from the flax.

When I started knitting my mother thought it was not soft enough but by the time it was finished, she was quite smitten with the yarn and its softness and also with the pattern. I used a simple raglan pattern from the people of Purl Soho called "Lightweight Raglan Pullover" which by the way is a FREE pattern.

This pattern has several interesting features; a curved bottom made from short rows and rolled cuffs and neck which gives it a really professional yet relaxed finished. 

I have warn this gorgeous sweater several times already and could not be happier with the fit, its shape (which it keeps very well) and its feel.

The only design item I did not like was that it was difficult to try on as arms and body are knit separately before being combined from the underarm section upwards. This makes frequent checks on the fit quite difficult. And I can't quite help thinking that the same good fit could have been achieved with a topdown version of it. The yarn was a little thicker than the suggested from the pattern which made it important for me to check the correct sizing often (I knitted the smallest size).

Knitting - a finished Ombré cashmere scarf

When I went to Quiltcon last year in Austin, Texas I took advantage of saving on shipping costs and taxes and had quite a lot of fabric and wool sent to my hotel. The most precious parcel that arrived was cashmere wool from Purl Soho in New York. Some months earlier they had announced on their purl bee blog the kits for an Ombré Wrap kit which I had absolutely fallen for.

This kit contains 8 skeins that are specifically dyed for Purl Soho and blend into each other to deliver the ombré effect. I only knitted this scarf during travel when I went to Germany to my parents and over the past couple of months a little here and there which is why it took the best part of a year.

The scarf is knitted in simple ribbing stitch and about 20" x by 70" in size. I washed it and blocked it last weekend and have been wearing it ever since although it is not really cold enough.

This has got to be the softest cashmere I have ever touched, it's almost like feeling warm soft water and not at all like wool.

The set comes in 5 different colours and each is very tempting but knitting a scarf of this length is also a little boring eventually. So I am glad it's finished and I can move on to the next one.