The funky grandpa cardigan

My ravelry library has now 159 patterns and I just love the fact that I can actually have a digital library! Imagines you'd have to collect all of this in paper form. One of the patterns in my library is the funky grandpa cardigan by La Maison Rille. When I spotted it browsing, it was immediately clear to me that I had to make one for myself and pretty pronto too as it is knitted with fingering weight yarn so ideal for this time of the year.

I knitted in three different wonderful yarns. the light grey/blue yarn is the wonderfully named "Ghosts fading under cold Moon" colour way from DyeforYarn in Merino/Silk. This yarn has a wonderful elegant and subtle sheen to it from the silk. The strips are made using a Zauberaball 100 from Schoppel in the colour "Blaukraut bleat Blaukraut" and lastly the darker upper arms are knitted with SNO from Woolfolk in black/green. All are finger weight yarns but the wool folk yarn has quite a different texture to the other yarns. It is softer and appears thicker with a distinct hue that I particularly like on my upper arms as they cold easiest.

I order the Schoppel wool in Germany but all others are bought in London at Loop.





This cardigan is also knit down from the top like the last sweater I knitted. I already mentioned then that I was a convert and I still am. The pattern is incredibly detailed and has lots of tips and explanation. There were a few techniques here that I had not used before. German short rows and the wonderful i-cord bind off for the cuffs. All were well explained or links to explanations provided.





There are just two things I made different. The first is the lower arm stripe section (photo below). The arms are knitted with DPNs but when it comes to the narrow 2 row stripes the joining points grow further apart the longer the section grows and you end up with zickzack pattern which is very unattractive. I tried this section several times using a variety of different DPSs and also circular needles. And when I had given up, my lovely mother also had a go at it but we both ended up with the same problem, which by the way is visible in one of the images on the rarely pattern side but sadly it is not mentioned in the pattern at all. My solution in the end was not to knit in rounds for this portion but back and forwards and then stitch together the two pieces. After the stripe section I joined again in rounds. This worked really (image) below although the seam is visible but it is much, much less than it would have been otherwise. I think this is an overside in the pattern and should be mentioned as alternative or at least as potential problem or actually the technique to avoid it (if there is another to the one I used in the end).





The second change I made, is to knit the button wholes into the button band. The pattern instructs to cut buttonholes. I was slightly aghast seeing this techniques and really cannot imagine why anybody would willing cut into knitting. The techniques to do it, is very well explained but I find it not only dangerous but also a complication that is not necessary.



I knitted in size S and the sweater fits well although if I would knit the cardigan again (which is quite likely)  I would make the saddle a little wider than instructed. So maybe mix size S and the next higher up at this point. Apart from that, it is a much loved garment already and I have been wearing it a lot.

El Linio sweater - a finished Summer knit

Time flies so fast when yo are busy. This wonderful sweater has been finished a few weeks already and been worn by myself a couple of times too and with every time I fall a little bit more in love with it.



You may recall my first post about this project in which I introduced the yarn. A 100 % Linen from Schoppel. It knitted wonderfully and is for a linen unusually soft from the start. Linen softens with time unlike any other wool and is often a little rough while knitting. But not this yarn.

The pattern I used is from Schoppel too, from their "Knit the Cat" magazine No. 7. Whilst this is an easy and relaxed knit, I had a lot of trouble with the yarn quantity that was indicated and with the seizing. For the smallest size it was indicated to use two skeins for the arms and holy pattern but this was way to little. I ended up using 3 1/2 skeins and that although I made the sweater even smaller than indicated. This is meant to be a lose fit but if I would have cast on the stitches that were given for the smallest size, it would have turned into a tent.... I did use a needle size 3.5 instead of 4 but that does not justify such quantity problems.

Luckily my mother is kitting one too in the red and I was able to get half a skein from her left over. I love knitting with linen, but it is not for everybody. You really need to embrace it's imperfections.




More details on yarn etc can be found on my ravelry page

Daybreak Scarf I

While knitting yesterday in the glorious sunshine in my garden I mused about the difference between my knitting and my quilting. When I quilt I usually work on one singular project until it is finished and then I start another. There are very few exceptions to this and those are my long term projects. I would hate having multiple WIPs lurking in unsuspecting corners.

But when I knit I behave totally different. I am happy to have four projects on simultaneously and often find myself knitting an hour or so on one project and then switching to another. I find this opposing behaviour rather amusing.

I have indeed been knitting up a storm and am very happy about it. Quilting inspiration and ideas pop on a regular basis into my head but for now they stay there and don't make it to the cutting table. And that is fine, I just go with the flow. (although there really are two baby quilts for recent new arrivals to make....)

My latest finished knitting projects is the Daybreak Scarf by Stephen West. This scarf has caught my eye for a long time but I struggled to decide on the right wool until I came across the Zauberball from the German company Schoppel. Zauberball is a wonderfully vibrant variegated yarn that comes as a 75% wool/25% Nylon option or a 100% wool and both in a fingering and lace option.

It just so beautiful and combines so many colours. When quilting I love using variegated thread and its the same in knitting. I ordered Zauberball in 'Papagei' from Didadu in Germany but there several online stores also in the UK that carry this brand. The accompanying contrasting yarn that is required for this scarf is Madelinetosh Light in the colour Antler which I bought at Loop in London.

 

The scarf knitted beautifully and much easier than I originally thought. And the variegated yarn made it fun to do as the scarf constantly changed character with every new colour emerging from the Zauberball.



This particular colour combination has yellows, mustard, blue-green, turquoise and red morphing into pink.

 


I added at each beginning row a drop stitch as the scarf would otherwise be difficult to block. I knitted the large size which really isn't that large and just right for early spring weather. My lovely colleague Xia to whom I gifted it will hopefully get much use out of it.





Happy Monday, knitting and stitching !

Rediscovery of Linen

Schoppel is a German wool manufacturet that is probably best known for its varigated 'Zauberball' wool which I discovered a few months ago (more on that at a later point). So while trailing through their wonderful wool selection and getting ever more excited I spotted "El Linio" which is 100% Linen.

The yarn is finished as a tape yarn so instead of a round thread structure it is flat and in addition it is paint dyed which gives it a suptel varigation.

It feels fantastic and although the skeins are only 50 g, run an astonishing 150 m. I love linen in all its forms, be it fabric or wool but it's a tricky fibre. Linen is flexible and the finished piece will "grow" on you, so you need to be careful not to knit too lose or too big.

 

I am knitting a Summer sweater with those gorgeous two colours and when this first back piece is finished will have to measure the final lenghs while it is hanging rather than lying down to ensure it's not "growing" too much.

Happy knitting and sewing.