Category Archive for ‘Design Junkie’ at a fine kettle of stitches

Archive for the 'Design Junkie' Category

Yea, Verity

Published

on March 30, 2008

. 1 Comment

I’ve been admiring Ysolda’s berets for some time now. I knit up a couple of Urchins (Ravelink) last fall for gifts, and Kelly has been sporting the lovely Gretel for most of the winter. As soon as I saw this pattern I knew I it was the one for me. Luckily I had some yarn in may stash that would work, because I decided I really shouldn’t buy any yarn this month (that only stuck for about half the month, but at least it kept me from going nuts, what with Kathmandu tweed close-out at Webs, odd lots and super deals at Colourmart, and a great sale at Pick-Up Sticks). It’s the same yarn I used for my silver beret, in a different colour, Georga 100% wool, this time in Aran. I really do love a yarn that knits up easily and evens out amazingly after blocking

Because it’s not as heavy as an aran-weight yarn I got slightly more stitches to the inch than the called-for gauge. I didn’t want to use a larger needle, though, as I really prefer a somewhat tightly knit fabric for most things (I used this same yarn with a 4mm needle for my silver beret). So I simply used one larger size instructions and that worked out very well for me.

The first part of the hat whipped right along. I love the petal shaping. I had one false start on the band, casting on too loosely. The linen stitch really snugs up the fabric and makes a nice dense band and that left me with a sloppy end. I restarted and joined it to the hat stitches. This part took a little longer to knit, being a slip-stitch pattern, but well worth it. Picking out the button was almost as much fun as knitting the hat! After digging through 3 generations of buttons, I found a lovely mother of pearl flat button, lovely in itself, but it doesn’t overtake the hat.

I’ve received many compliments on it, and I may just have to make another in some different yarn

pattern: Verity, by Ysolda Teague
yarn: Geoga 100% wool, Aran
needles: 4.5 mm 16″ KnitPick’s nickel circ, Aero circ, Bryspun dpns
Simple and ingenious shaping, the main portion in stockinette, fast and fun to work. As an aside, the yarn changed colour after washing. It had a definite pinkish cast to it in the ball, but that’s not visible at all now.

Warm Hands, Cool Colours

Published

Deb

on February 27, 2008

in Design Junkie and knitting

. 1 Comment

I love these mitts! Soft and scrunchy and warm. I’ve been wearing them everywhere. I forget to take them off in shops though, since my fingers are free, and I only notice when I get really hot. And they match pretty well with my flower petal shawlette which I wear as a scarf.I’ve been noticing changes in my colour palette again. For a while I was gravitating towards earthy tones, especially deep rich browns. Now I seem to want more colour, either bright shiny colours or softer somewhat pastel-ish hues.

For quite awhile I pushed myself away from the bright pinks, jewel purples and cool vivid reds which I used to love, just to try and expand my personal palette. It was actually uncomfortable to consider these colours since I have been avoiding them for so long, but they just make me so cheerful when I work with them. I really owe this release to the vagaries of computer monitors. I ordered what I thought would be a plum-coloured yarn which turned out to be the purple of these mitts, and a dusky pink lace yarn which, when it arrived, was shades of bubblegum. And I love them both!

As for the pastels, I’ve been drawn to clear mid-tones like sky blue, spring green, butter yellow and coral; or dusky colours: orchid pinks with a touch of gray, celadon and not-quite seafoam, antiqued alice blue. Everything I brought home last weekend was a pastel shade.I think I’ll be enjoying these colours for some time to come but who knows what’ll strike my fancy next!

Graple Glovelets
yarn: Elann Peruvian Highland Silk (alas, no longer available), heavy dk weight
needles: 4mm Brittany birch dpns
pattern: an adaptation of Cozy Cable Socks by Terry Morris (Ravelry link)
I used the medallion cable flanked by 2 4-st cables, and used a 2/2 rib around the rest of the mitt, worked from the wrist upwards. I started the thumb gusset at the bottom of the 2nd medallion, in a purl section a couple of stitches towards the back from the side center. It would have been better if I’d started it farther down as it sort of pouches outward instead of flowing smoothly.

Considering the Tunic

Published

Deb

on February 25, 2008

in Design Junkie and knitting

. 0 Comments

While in Moncton on Saturday Kelly and I each got a different issue of Sandra. I love this magazine; it’s full of beautiful patterns and cheap to boot. I’ve got one from several years ago and there are sweaters in it that I would happily make and wear today. This issue, Dec. 2007, is a mixed bag with some great pieces and some rather odd ones. Here’s a variation on the cabled yoke sweater that we’ve been seeing everywhere. There are a lot of cables in this issue, over half the designs have cables or twisted-stitch/ faux-cable patterns. Most of the rest have some other sort of deep texture, too.

There’s also a goodly portion of tunics with bell-like sleeves. This green one really caught my eye. I like the idea of the cables and colourwork combined, the contrast of colour and texture. I don’t know as if I’d make this exact sweater but I’m certainly inspired by it. I can never stick to a pattern anyway. And I would definitely make it shorter. The line where the cables stop is more the length I like, about the top of the hips. I’m too short to really be a tunic person.

Speaking of oversized: I thnk it was totally appropos that I found this one while in a store I visited a lot in my teen years, because this design is straight out of the 80’s. Even the sunglasses on her head mimic the scarf that would have been tied around her head back then. Mind you, a real 80’s girl would have had her collar turned up, giant poofy bangs, leggings instead of slacks and a double-wrap belt full of grommets. And even though this gal has some broad shoulders, shoulder pads would have been de rigeur.