Falling into Fall, Anyone?

Where'd August get to? And most of September for that matter? Ok, who threw the clock to make time fly?? 

All joking aside, Autumn has returned to the Northern Hemisphere this weekend. And thankfully cooler nights and days are back too. I don't know about you but it's a step in my sleeping better. I'm still not sleeping great, mind you, but that's down to having nerves and a spine that are actively trying to cause me as much pain as they possibly can. I don't think they're onto my knowing what they're doing though so I'm just biding my time ;)

I still need to do the photos for my full double-knitting tutorial. I got sidetracked, which is unfortunately a byproduct of both interrupted sleep patterns, and chronic pain, by a few things. Like actually presenting my double-knitting workshop to a private group in August which was super fun and I've had some lovely feedback from some of the participants. So yay!

I told you last post that the sample for The Butterfly would be going on my needles soon, and it has! Here's a little progress photo to tease you:

I'm further along than this; ever so many more beads have been added lol. I'm so glad I chose the Windwept Fibres Best Kind sock as the yarn. It's an absolute dream to knit with, and the lace is coming out soooo pretty. 

I'm currently doing a workshop with designer Julie Robinson called the Sweater Design Challenge. It's been really interesting, and we're into the sizing/grading portion now, which is super excellent information. I've got two knit garments that I'm really excited to get through the whole process eventually. Admittedly, one I don't have the yarn for yet so my swatching and number play has been a wee bit theoretical so far. But that one's also the easier one in terms of shaping, so the numbers shouldn't be too bad once I have a real gauge and set of measurements to play with. To come in 2025? Maybe?? Most likely not considering my current timeline for things.

Oh! Speaking of timelines! Guess what's returning for its fifth year ;) It happens in the late fall and early winter, involves a lot of knitters and crocheters, and independent designers of patterns for those crafts. And I talk about it. A lot! Any guesses?

The Fasten Off Yarn Along for 2024 is being organized as I type, fiber friends! You can find the website, with our current calendar, links to previous years' designer and pattern databases, and links to sign up for our newsletters, right here: https://www.fastenoffyal.com 

Ok, my friends it's 4:22am here in Newfoundland on a Sunday morning, and while I won't be sleeping anytime soon, I need to step away from the screen and rest my eyes a bit. Don't worry, I have knitting in hand lol

What are your crafting plans for the next month or so? Canadians crafters, are you thinking of Thanksgiving/harvest? Or are you jumping right to knitting pumpkins and/or crocheting black cats for Halloween? I'd love to hear what you're working on and/or planning. I have a Treble Reel Toque🔗 (link stays within this site) for a friend's birthday on my personal needles, along with a Jeri cardigan🔗 (designed by Kat Riddell; link goes to her Payhip shop). There are more WIPs than those lol They're my active ones that aren't design samples.

Yours in yarn and a crisp night/morning,

Síle

 

A Twist in My Plan

I'm working on writing up the pattern for Countess Cathleen, my hooded cabled cloak. But of course I need a project on the needles, so I started on my next design, Cherish the Ladies. This will be a large cable and twisted stitch patterned wrap with knit-as-you-go fringe and bead accents. 

The easiest way to work twisted stitch patterns is in the round. I don't know about you, but I find cabling on wrong side rows a complete PitA. My solution is to add a steek section, which will be unraveled after it's cut to create the fringe (ta da!) allows me all the ease of knitting in the round and still end up with a flat wrap. 

There is one problem with adding a steek section and knitting in the round: the dreaded "join, being careful not to twist" with such a large number of stitches. I won't lie: to get the design just how I wanted it, plus the steek section, resulted in a cast-on of 631 stitches.

That's not a typo. 631 stitches in sport weight wool on a 3.5mm/US 4 circular needle. 

(Did I happen to mention this is my Year of Going For It? 😂 Just wait! I have more to come!)

Anyway, I got it cast-on...

and all was going well... until somewhere along in round 4 when I straightened out a lot of the knitting and discovered The Twist:

Fiber friends, I could've cried. I actually had to walk away from it for a few days, and work on some personal projects instead.

I'm in the midst of casting on again, using a trick I found online somewhere. While casting on, weave a piece of ribbon into the cast-on every so many stitches; I like using 20 but 10 or whatever number fits your pattern repeat is also good.

How does this help? It makes seeing the twist easier because the ribbon contrasts with the stitches, where the stitches against more stitches of the same color is harder to find. Especially for those of us whose eyes are a little older 😉

So that's where things at KDRD headquarters (ie the couch in my living room) are right now. Hopefully I'll have in progress pictures to share with you soon.

What are you working on, fiber friends?

Yours in yarn, and one very long cast-on,

Síle

Spring Hasn't Quite Sprung

I said it wouldn't take me long to get Countess Cathleen done once the knotworks were underway. It's not quite done yet, but I'm over halfway through the knotworks now :) Here's the photo I put on Insta yesterday:

I love how it's coming together :) And only 25 rows to go!

Of course this means I'm going to have to turn to writing the pattern soon. Which I confess isn't always my favorite part of designing. But if I don't write it then I can't see how it looks when other knitters knit their own, and that is one of my favorite parts of designing. As with any thing, there are fun and not-so-fun aspects. So, I'll be pattern writing pretty soon, followed by tech-editing, and then test/beta knitting. I'll have more news on that as I get closer to having the pattern ready. The test will definitely be held on Yarnpond again. So if you're interested, stay tuned this spring.

Speaking of audience, I was checking the stats here recently and noticed I'm getting a lot of interest from Singapore and Hong Kong the last while. Hello, and welcome *waves* :) I'm not sure if it's my knitting or Irish Dance content that's bringing you to visit me but I'm happy to have you along for my adventures :) And hello to anyone else who's new, or not. The more the merrier, in both knitting and dancing :)

In Irish Dancing news: CLRG Worlds start in Glasgow tomorrow!! Squeeeee! I'll be following coverage via Instagram all this coming week. Best wishes to all the dancers!!

My next knitting adventure should be underway in a few weeks! I've narrowed down the bead choices for Cherish the Ladies, and will be casting on in April. With sport-weight wool, I'm going with 6/0 seed beads, and I've learned of a few Canadian sources for them that are very reasonable in both prices and shipping. I'll let you know how I get on once I've got them. I confess it's totally down to color at this point; not surprisingly at all *insert cry-laughing emoji here*. I think my love of color is fairly well documented ;)

That reminds me! I started a new personal project recently, and I'm using a lot of color for it. Some of you may remember that I knit a Harvest cardigan (pattern by Tin Can Knits; link to their site🔗) a couple of years ago. I love it, and wear it around the house quite a bit but... quite honestly, I messed up the size choice. It doesn't like to stay on and I can't close it because when your full-chest measurement is 47 inches, knitting the size with a finished measurement of 47 inches is not a good choice for a cardigan you plan to wear over light tops (usually a tank top but sometimes a tee if it's a little chillier) *facepalm* As I said, totally my goof up.

So I decided to knit a new one in a much more practical size. And I decided that I wanted a colorful sweater. Like all the colors. No, seriously. All the colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, dark blue/indigo, purple, pink, and black. 9 colors. And I toyed with rainbow order stripes, and maybe using the Fibonacci sequence for the number of rows, but then I got a much more... random idea.

Are you familiar with "shiny math rocks", aka role-playing game dice, aka D n' D dice? I just happen to have acquired a set of these lovely items last fall. And you may remember I knit a particularly epic scarf by the lovely designer, Aetherfang (aka Tania Richter) that involved rolling rpg dice to decide which chart in the adventure to knit. What would happen if I used my D10 for the color, and say the D8 to decide the number of ridges to knit? (If you're not familiar with the Harvest cardigan pattern, the front bands are knit in garter stitch while you knit the body in stockinette) Well, I can show you the first bit:

Fun, isn't it? I love it, And it's all been decided by dice rolls, which is very fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants knitting. I'm having a lot of fun with it :) Almost as much fun as I had using a random number generator to place the beads as I knit Romi Hill's Celaeno shawl. Hmm, there's an idea...

For those of you thinking 'Wait. She's using a D10 and only has 9 colors...?'  I have the colors numbered 1-9 according to good old Roy G. Biv with pink = 8, and black = 9. If I roll D10=10 I use the next color in the sequence. Say the last stripe I knit is orange (aka color 2), and I roll D10=10 for the next stripe, that stripe is then yellow (aka color 3). If I roll the same color number back to back, I re-roll the D10; it doesn't matter if the same number of ridges comes up in a row so the D8 doesn't need re-rolling ever.

Between my very colorful Harvest cardi, and getting through the final rows of my Countess Cathleen (740 stitches per row at this point), that's all my knitting time lately. I did a bit of swatching for Cherish the Ladies this week, just to confirm the needle size I had recorded in my design notebook. All systems are a go, as soon as I have the beads in hand :)

What's on your needles this Spring, fiber friends? We're still getting flurries here on the Island, so we'll see if Spring actually reaches us before June this year lol! I have a feeling I'll be getting a lot of wear out of both my cloak and my cardigan when they're finished! 

That's it from me for now!

Yours in yarn, and dice rolls,

Síle

It's Almost Here!

Well, fiber friends, this year's Fasten Off Yarn-A-Long kicks off this coming Friday! 

November 24th, be there or... hmmm. It's not really square to miss FOYAL. One could say that the crafters and designers are the true squares. 

Anyway! You may notice the shiny new tab next to the Irish dance terminology one. Just in case you have your eye on a pattern or 2 from Knit Dance Repeat Designs ;)

The designers and data entry volunteers are making sure that the database is correct, and the links and photos are working correctly. Ah, there's nothing like a deadline looming to create all the little flutters of activity that are happening now.

As expected work here at KDRD has slowed up quite a bit in anticipation of the fun and busy time that is FOYAL. I hadn't counted on a late request for a scarf of very specific requirements to crop up though. So that's been designed and the knitting has begun. I won't be sharing too many photos of it from now on since the recipient doesn't know *exactly* what it's going to look when it's done. Here's the bottom garter stitch border:

I hope I get to make something small during FOYAL this year but we'll see how operation red scarf goes.

That's it for today! We've got quite a wind and rain event going on, and it's probably best I save my phone battery in case of the power going out!

Yours in (red) yarn,

Síle

A Quick Rundown

Hello! How are you doing?

I hope your late summer/early fall (or late winter/early spring depending where you call home) projects are progressing nicely. A few of the test/beta knitters have finished their Four Hand Reel totes now, which is exciting! They look very cool. 

I've been plugging away at the sea of moss stitch that my Countess Cathleen was feeling like and I see land in sight! I'm finally at the row where the knotwork motifs start :) So excited to see how it looks all together!

Hurricane Franklin will be buzzing by my island home over the next couple of days bringing us lots of rain. Thankfully it's staying well away from land, although one of the maps shown earlier today by our local meteorologist showed it approaching Iceland later in the week. Mother Nature is certainly showing her strength with everything going on this year! 

What about you? Anything interesting on your needles? Are you making a list of fall cast-ons? I noticed several podcasts/vlogs on Youtube have episodes on their must knits for fall. It can be interesting to see what other knitters are leaning towards. I want Countess Cathleen and at least one of my personal projects off the needles soon so that I can cast-on something new. I need to get the lining done for my Four Hand Reel too. And then I need to not knit anymore bags that need linings for a while! lol I'm so not a seamstress. 

That's all I've got this evening. 

Yours in yarn and rapidly increasing humidity,

Síle

Shifting, Ever So Slowly, Towards Fall

We've reached August, fiber friends! 

It's sunny and 20°C here, which is absolutely perfect weather; warm enough for shorts but nowhere near the 'think of breathing and sweat' temps of a month ago. 

And that means knitting is happening on a much better schedule. Or what passes for a schedule here! 

The test/beta knit for the Four Hand Reel is coming along beautifully. Each tester has chosen such fantastic colors and a variety of fibers. They're all fantastic!

I've got the Countess Cathleen (cloak) back on active status after (finally) choosing the knotwork motif for the last/bottom section of the body. No more swatching for this one. I'm just following the charts now. It feels so good when a sample gets to this stage. Here's a photo I took not long before I paused to create/swatch knotworks:

I'm really happy with how it's going :) And I'm hoping to finish knitting it by the end of the month. I have an even bigger idea to get on the needles next! lol 

My mind has been stuck on cozy warmth ideas so once Countess Cathleen's sample is done, I have a large cabled wrap that I just got the charts done for, or a double-knit blanket (in 3 sizes, with cables!) that I can cast-on for my large sample project. One thing I've learned from my current double-knit swatch is I want a different yarn for the sample. Which is another large project! See what I mean about cozy warmth ideas?

I'm afraid I'm more than a bit off track right now with my personal project to work project ratio. So I've made a deal with myself to finish at least 2 of my personal projects before I start any new ones. We'll see how that goes!

I think I dove into too many larger things all at once and it's just bogged my head down. I have nothing small on the needles right now; in my personal projects there are: a cabled sweater (for me), a sweater with lace sections (for me), a large color and textured shawl/wrap, a cabled shawl, and the crocheted blanket (I work on this once a month as part of the challenge a group I belong to does). Plus two gifts for smaller individuals but with fairly decent stitch counts. I quite clearly was suffering from startitis late last year into this year. I may have to employ the old "grab a project bag in the morning and see how much you can get done on only that project for a day" method until I get everything sorted back out. 

What strategies do you use when your WIPs get a bit too out of hand? Any tips or tricks? Be sure to put them in the comments :)

I need to be signing off; supper hasn't yet gotten to the point where it makes itself... And I'd be more than a little creeped out if it did

Yours in yarn and a large WIP pile,

Síle

Beginning of the End

I've started casting off my Hornpipe Bag today! :)

For those of you just joining in, my Hornpipe Bag is a double-knit drawstring bag, worked from the bottom up. I'm knitting it in Bernat Sox in the "Rainbow" coloway and Patons Kroy in the "Coal" colorway. It features a knotwork motif on the bottom and which is repeated four times around the sides on alternating backgrounds. 

As with all double-knits it takes longer than you originally think. You're literally making both sides of a two sided fabric at the same time; twice the number of stitches as appear on either side. Not quite twice the time to knit but it does add extra time to the process. Of course I have the added issue of having several projects on the go at once; some designs of my own, others by other designers that I want the item or it's perfect as a gift for the knit/yarn worthy in my life. I counted 10 works in progress last week, 6 being my own designs. Ah, the glamorous life of an independent knitting pattern designer ;)

If you're not familiar with double-knitting, I wrote a bit of an overview last year here🔗 on this blog, and I also recommend checking out Alasdair Post-Quinn's site (link in the side menu), Fallingblox Designs.

I'm using a bit of a different cast-off method with my bag, and I thought it would be fun to give a bit of a breakdown here for future reference. This cast-off looks decorative which makes it nice for the top of a bag, or really anywhere you'll be seeing the cast-off a lot, like a scarf end.

For the explanation below instead of alt-captioning the photos, I'll be describing them in detail below each photo for everyone. That way if I need more characters and/or words to describe things it won't be cut off.

So to start, this is a photo of what the first 8 or so stitch-pairs look like cast-off:

What's going on? The first section of my bag has a black background of stockinette on the outside, and all of my stitch-pairs are black/multicolored, a black knit stitch and a multicolored purl stitch. In the photo there are multicolored "blips" near the top edge, and a black stitch with a yellow one  collared with it. The collar is the last cast-off stitch. 

Let's back up just a tick. When double-knitting in the basic way with two colors your background will be one color on one side and the other color on the opposite side. Whichever color you knit with, you purl the other stitch of the pair with the other. So here I've been knitting with black and purling with the multicolored yarn for my background. The stitches alternate in the needle, black, multi, black, multi, etc.

Ok, now to work the cast-off. I'm using both yarns as one for the entire cast-off. Knit the first stitch, and purl the second. Now lift the first double stranded stitch over the second and off the needle; this is the usual movements for casting off that you're probably very familiar with. But with double-knitting you have twice the number of stitches and it could splay. (Which come to think of it, would be an interesting way to the shape the bottom of a cowl. I digress!)

What I'm doing on this bag (and other projects in double-knitting) is reducing the stitches to one side's worth and casting-off at the same time.

Ok, we've got one double-stranded stitch on the right needle, originating from one knit and one purl stitches. This is the point the above photo is at. 

Work the next pair of stitches the exact same way: knit one with the double strand, and purl one with the double strand. You have three double stranded stitches on the right needle now; right to left: the combined stitch from the previous stitch-pair, a knit stitch and a purl stitch. First you need to create a second combined stitch by lifting the knit stitch over the purl stitch...

... which leaves two double stranded combined stitches on the right needle. Next we cast-off the first combined stitch by lifting it over the second combined stitch...

... returning us to having one double stranded stitch on the right needle. From here we continue the process set out: knit, purl, reduce to one stitch, cast-off the first reduced stitch on the needle.

Using both colors of yarn leaves a neat sort of braided pattern to the top of the cast-off edge:

I think this a great decorative detail and it happens naturally, no extra work. Always a bonus! 

That's where I'm at with the Hornpipe Bag this evening. Once the cast-off is finished, I can start the drawstrings. Let's here it for i-cord! ;)

Yours in yarn and decorative edging,

Síle

New Year, ... Old Project?

Good Thursday to you!

I just posted my #WIPWednesdayOffRav photo to Twitter and it reminded me that 1) I need to blog because it's been a bit and 2) the subject of projects that take longer than you think they will is a good one. And 3) Um, I'm a day late :' 'D

I recently went over my list of WIPs... *needle scratch on vinyl album* Ok, let's be honest here. I poked around and found as many of my project bags as I could and checked out what was in them. There is no list. I am not going to claim to be that kind of organized. 

And because I'm not that kind of organized I found my sample for the Hornpipe Bag in one of them. And instantly felt bad because I abandoned the poor thing with a bit more than a round to tink back to get rid of my awful attempt at putting eyelets for drawstrings in a double-knit fabric. Poor thing hadn't seen the light of day in a very loooong time. I have since completed the tinking and before me is this:

I've got the first 3 stitch-pairs worked (knit black, purl rainbow 3times), and am ready to start the first eyelet. Again.

All good and back on track. But how did my project get derailed in the first place? You might ask the same question when you come across a UFO (that's unfinished object. No extraterrestrials around here. At least that I'm aware of... Although Jakey was staring at the ceiling last night...) in a forgotten tote/grocery bag/purse: Why did I leave this?

This project I know exactly what happened. I only meant to set it aside briefly after frogging most of 3 rounds and getting the stitches back on the needle to tink back to the point before the failed eyelets were knit. A little break to consider a better way to knit the eyelets, and I picked up something else to keep my hands busy, and then something else just to give my mind a bit more of a break from the issues with eyelets, and then... Well, you know how that went.

And other than the failed eyelets I'm really happy with how it's going. I still love how the color blocking is coming out. I think the size is perfect as a small project bag or small purse. Ghillie bag too. 

The most important thing is I've picked it back up with the intention to get it done in the next bit. We have some blechy weather headed up this way (freezing rain! snow! Ah, February in Canada) for the evening and then another system on the weekend; excellent reasons to stay in, drink tea, and knit. As if I needed much excuse for that! :D 

Personal project update:

My Twist Again is coming along slowly but fabulously :) See for yourself:

What do you have on your needles and/or hook today? Something new? Something recent? Something you discovered and you're now wondering why you set aside? It happens to a good lot of us, so don't feel bad :) You're in good company here.

Yours in yarn and revived projects,

Síle

When Bad Things Happen...

I could cry. I went to move the sts a bit to count how many are on a side (I want to do a seed st border) and my needle separated! Thankfully my box of needles is always close on my end table and I grabbed a narrow one to quickly collect the sts on the needle end and that had dropped between the broken cable and needle end. But! Gah! So close to the end!! Seriously, like 5-6 rnds. Here's some of the orphaned sts and the broken end of the cable:

The heart marker is the start of the rnd so 22 sts into it where the cable and needle end broke apart. *sigh*

In case you're wondering, I use fixed circular needles as I've never seen interchangeables "in the wild". I'm not opposed to trying them, if I can find one separate from a set and not have to pay an arm and a leg in shipping and exchange.

This is my current giftmas present, a blanket for furry-niece Silver Belle whose official 5th birthday is coming up fast on the 23rd. The yarn is a single ball of Red Heart Roll With It Sparkle in the colorway "Magic". This yarn is very nice to work with; the metallic strand isn't sharp or stiff as it sometimes can be. And at 561yds to a ball, it's perfect for a baby blanket in this case for a feline baby! lol

So this is on hold until Thursday when I can get another long (minimum 29") 4.5mm circular needle. 

At least my Fasten Off Yarn-a-Long project is coming along nicely! My Twist Again by Robynn Weldon is going so well :) I'm absolutely loving working on it. I chose Bernat Satin in "grape" for it and I can already tell it's going to be a new favorite to wear. I haven't given it as much attention as I'd like as I want to finish up Miss Silver's blankie but for the next couple days I can. Here's the front cable panel:

Not much to see yet, I know. I'll update when I have more to show off.

Are you participating in Fasten Off this year? I'm always curious what patterns everyone has been drawn to. There are so many fabulous participating designers and gorgeous patterns; I've added a few new ones to my wishlist. For instance Sarah Dawn Designs' Celtic Hood🔗 (Link is to the pattern page on Payhip) or Gladys the Sheep from bunnymuff🔗 (Link is to the pattern page on Payhip). Anything interesting on your needles or hooks right now, for gifts or yourself? Do tell! Sometimes I think collecting patterns is a separate hobby to the actual making of things lol! 

In case you can't tell, I'm in a bit of a holiday state of mind right now. I've been doing some behind the scenes KDRDesigns work in preparation for 2022 but currently don't have any announcements for you. Be patient, yarn friends ;) The New Year will upon us very soon!

Yours in yarn with a broken circular needle (sigh),

Síle

Summertime...

 And the knitting has been slow and not all that steady. 

Like many of you, we've been experiencing warmer than normal temperatures, (remember, I live on an island in the North Atlantic Ocean known for its stunning views of icebergs) with the addition of very wet, muggy air. I don't mind a bit of heat, part of my prairie dwelling past, but humidity does me in. 

And humidity doesn't make blocking a very easy process when nothing wants to dry. This has impacted the finishing of Hap-Hazard the worst. Lace requires a good stretch blocking to show at its best. As of right now, it's still looking quite rumpled in that unblocked lace way that makes a knitter question if they've made a horrible mistake or several.

I have managed to, slowly, start work on another new design. This will be a tote bag I'm dubbing the Four Hand Reel. I have one main side finished, and the other is about half done. Then comes the bottom/sides/strap piece, which is joined as I knit it. I chose bright colors (it requires four) which makes it a very cheerful knit. So that's coming along really nicely, and it might be possible to have the pattern out later this year. I hope.

Waiting on news of my Hornpipe Bag? It's in a minor timeout right now. I was so confident what I wrote would work but that was not the case! I'm in the midst of simplifying and reworking the drawstring eyelets. I'm still aiming to have it released this year and (finally) bring "All the Jigs and Reels" to a close. Stay tuned!

I hope the summer weather hasn't impacted your crafting too negatively this year. I'm "behind" on my personal projects as well, but there's joy in not having deadlines on those at least. I'm on the neckband of my Finola (by Aoibhe Ní; her website is here) which has been an excellent intro to Tunisian crochet for me. Here's a photo I took of it on a much sunnier day when I took it out on the back deck for some outdoor crafting: 

It should be finished in not too long! :)

That's it from me on this cloudy Saturday!

Yours in yarn and unreached deadlines,

Síle

Multitasking

(Note: While this post was published on February 7th, I started writing it on February 6th.)

Hello again!

I'm a bit behind on knitting the squares for my temperature blanket, so indulge me while I blog and knit at the same time. You can find the ins and outs of my project in this post.

I'm working on my January 8-14 square, which is a G knot on an I background. Here's how it looked after 4 rnds:

And here's how 10 rnds look:

The cables will start pretty soon, which I confess is my favourite part. 

We're due for a good snowstorm on Monday so maybe I'll get caught up with these squares. I'm glad I'm doing a square for every 7 days otherwise I'd be really behind!

I've finished rnd 20 now and it's getting a bit precarious on the double-pointed needles, as you can see:

While I've been knitting, and writing this post, I've also been giving "lubs" and attention to my favourite furry guy:

I'm sure you recall Jakey from other posts. He's keeping an eye on the iced aqua yarn for me. Isn't he a helpful boy? The wind has picked up considerably so he's happy to stick close to Auntie. He really dislikes wind, poor thing. Sounds to me like that storm might be getting to us a little sooner than expected. We'll know for sure if we wake up to a snow covered world! I think it's time for me and this fella (and his two furry sisters) to say good night.

No snow yet! The wind is really howling though. House feels like it's going to shake down around us. Good day to stay in with a mug of tea, some furry companions, and my knitting.

I'm in the midst of rnd 25 now:

I was "talking" with a friend on Twitter earlier today; she's ordered a book on knitting socks two at a time by using magic loop or two circular needles. She's a fairly new knitter and is more than a bit offput by double-pointed needles. Isn't it handy that there are ways to knit things in the way you're most comfortable with? I'm a decided "octopus rassler", that is I like double-pointed needles. Ages ago I was knitting a sock and my dad said it looked like I was "rassling an octopus"; the image has never left me :D I've been tempted to add it to my social media bios but living on an island someone might actually ask me to help with an octopus and I wouldn't be the least bit helpful :D

Let's see if I can get these last few rnds done, shall we?

And voila! A newly finished (not blocked) square emerges :)

And with the first square:

I think it's time to end this post.

Yours in yarn and unblocked Iona squares,

Síle

Home again, home again

Getting my things together this morning for my return home after a doctor's appointment in Town yesterday.

I finished my Harvest Monday evening! I had all but the left pocket done on Sunday night so I wore it in. Here it is; not the best light I'm afraid:

After my appointment yesterday, I headed downtown. Downtown St. John's is a treat to walk around. I got lunch as takeout and thanks to a brilliant sunny day I walked up to Harbourside Park to eat.

And I suddenly had the urge to have my friends Newfoundland and Labrador ;) "model" my sweater. 

Aren't they great sports?

From Harbourside Park I headed for a bit of a walk. I captured some prettiness near the Newfoundland War Memorial.

Then I caught this one of the Newfoundland Chocolate Factory's whimsical mural.

This is part of the Angels Corner memorial, which is part of a national initiative, recognizing female victims of violence and creates awareness of the need to end violence and abuse against women on the corner of Duckworth and Prescott Streets. Sadly, Newfoundland & Labrador has some of Canada's highest rates of domestic violence and violence against women in general.

There's a little slice of St. John's downtown for you! I like to refer to St. John's as "pretty city"; I think you can understand that now.

Now that my sweater is done, I'm back to focusing on my own designs. I'm feeling a bit renewed. I have the Hornpipe Bag with me for some shuttle knitting, as well as a swatch (that I'm calling a coaster) for something new that popped into my head last week.

Yours in yarn and (at this moment) Town,

Síle

How Not to Knit a Sleeve (aka Read the Pattern)

Last evening I settled in to get more done on the sleeve of my Harvest cardigan. I knit for awhile and thought I was nearing the number of stitches where I would stop the decreases and work straight, so I pulled up the pattern (I do everything on my phone. I mean everything: drafting patterns, writing blogposts, all social media, etc). And as my eyes scanned along I realized something. 

I had skipped a very important line. 

After returning the sleeve stitches to the needles (I'm working the sleeves on double-pointed needles), and before starting the sleeve decreases it reads "Knit straight for x inches."

Um... yeah, that's not what I did. I went straight into working decrease rounds interspersed with x plain rounds. *Facepalm*

I measured how long the sleeve was at that point: 7½ inches (19cm). *Facepalm*

After saying a few choice words, I frogged the sleeve. And then I restarted it. I knit 4 inches, without decreases, before turning in.

I haven't done anything quite so silly in quite awhile so I guess the yarn gods decided to keep me from getting too cocky. I will say it's going smoothly and I'm hoping to keep to my original timeline and be able to wear my new sweater when I go to Town later in the month. 

So that's my tale of knitterly woe. I hope this saves you from doing the same thing.

Yours in yarn and sleeve stitches,

Síle

Helpers

 Many of us live with helpers. They often have four legs and fur, and aren't quite as helpful as their title implies. I posted this collage a few places this weekend:

I wanted to take a progress picture of my Harvest sweater. Then Silver, the older of my furry nieces, decided this was a good time to be helpful. As you can see, out of nine photos only 1 shows the entire sweater back. (The cardigan is knit topdown in one piece. I find the back view easier to see progress, so usually take my photos from that view.) And even that one is photobombed by a pair of furry gray legs. She's quite a help!

I did get two other photos last night after using the last bit of the first ball of yarn. (I'm knitting with Lion Brand Mandala which has 590yds in a 150g skein! Talk about value!) No Silver help with these ones; sorry ;)

I started working one of the sleeves today so it should go quick. I'm toying with the idea of adding pockets and making it a bit longer than the pattern. It's such a lovely basic sweater that little bits of customization just adds to it. It's from Tin Can Knits if you're not familiar with the pattern.

My goal is to finish it soon and then bring my focus back to my own designs. Normally having a few of my own designs plus a "me" project or two going at once doesn't faze me but this year... I think we can all agree this year is just something else altogether! I have a worrisome health appointment coming next month and I want to wear my new sweater, a kind of talisman that all goes well. While not traditional autumn colors, it'll certainly be a bright spot.

Yours in yarn and glowing colors,

Síle

Fall, Nature & Music

Yesterday was the first day of Fall so working on my Harvest cardigan seems seasonally appropriate. I have the sleeves and body separated now:

This is a very relaxing knit, which is good for a day when a former hurricane is making its presence felt nearby. Around 9:30am NDT today, Teddy made landfall in Nova Scotia. I've seen some video from near Port aux Basques, NL showing the winds and waves they were starting to get about an hour ago. Nature is truly awe inspiring; it can destroy as quickly as it can renew. A sobering reminder of how fragile we are. 

I made some more progress on the Hornpipe Bag yesterday; almost to the halfway mark of the knotwork motif:

My roommate and I were listening to my itunes while I was knitting, which was interesting to say the least. Do you ever do that? Just hit shuffle instead of a specific playlist, I mean. I think it's revealing to hear so many different parts of my personality and/or interests placed next to each other. The Andrews Sisters followed by Bon Jovi followed by a set of slow jigs followed by Allan Sherman, ... You get the idea. I'm more than a little eclectic in my musical tastes, to say the least. Give it a try sometime; you might be surprised by what gems you have hiding in your collection. And you might find some interesting combinations of songs that you otherwise wouldn't have found too.

Yours in yarn and BNL's "Pinch Me" (current song playing),

Síle

Halfway

I got the first side done last night/the wee hours of this morning. And happily it's a lot more even than my colorwork usually is. *insert image of Kermit the Frog flailing his arms here*

In Knit Dance Repeat news, you'll notice a new tab above. I've got two patterns (hopefully) set up so you can shop right from here if you prefer. Yes, my Payhip shop will still be there and I intend to keep adding to Love Crafts as well. Options are good! I'm making sure those two are working and then I'll get to work adding the rest of my back catalogue. While I continue to work on my sample for the Hornpipe Bag and iron out the details of a special project for someone very dear to me! This summer has been one heck of a learning curve!

Back at it while I wait for the hamburger to thaw; I'm whipping up meatloaf and mashed potatoes for supper. 

Yours in yarn and html code,

Síle

Challenges

 

Today I'm working on a bit of a modification; I'm using a pattern and then diverging from the original. Let me explain.

I've had the pattern "Friesland" by Jenise Reid in my pattern library for a bit. [Aside: She's the designer of the gorgeous "Persian Dreams" blanket that many of us have admired/drooled over.] And it's sat in my library because I am not a stranded colorwork knitter. Quite frankly, I stink at it. 

Now, I've read all kinds of tips and hints, and been given more of the same from other well-meaning knitters. I don't need or want any more. Just as some knitters find lace an incomprehensible tangle, and others fear cables, stranded colorwork and I just aren't ever going to be pals. And that's ok! There's so much knitting inspiration out there! Do what you love doing, be it fancy Fair Isles in 40 colors, or intricate cables in cream coloured wool. That's the beauty of knitting, there's something for each of us.

But, and isn't there always a but that gives us pause and makes us reconsider something? But then a challenge appeared in a crafting group I belong to. And that challenge was to take a virtual trip to Holland, centering on the lovely Rijks Museum, and craft something inspired by your trip. 

I have Dutch ancestry; Belgian ancestry from the Walloon region [Aside: I go through life with an Irish first name and a Belgian/Dutch last name; I am the bane of English pronunciations hee hee!] to be more accurate. And the first thing that came to mind was the lovely blanket pattern in my library that is so reminiscent of Delft tiles and ceramics. And of course the Rijks Museum has some stunning examples of that. I made a collage of some of the pieces found there:

Beautiful aren't they? The detail in each example is absolutely breathtaking. I never could have imagined a Delft violin and yet suddenly there was one in front me! And the birdcage! And...

I know I don't have the skills to knit the entire blanket, especially within the timeframe, but I thought I could try to capture a bit of the feel by knitting two of the hexagons and making them into a pillow. What you see in my top photo is my progress using chart D; I'm on rnd 20 of 39. The other side of the pillow will be chart E. 

And this is why today finds me with stranded colorwork on my needles in blue and white. A little challenge to myself to tackle something different. And get some points for my team in the process.

Also currently being worked on are my Hornpipe Bag and a summer sweater called "Twillingate" by fellow Newfoundland designer Jennifer Beale. Here's a peak at the progress on the Hornpipe Bag:

It looks a bit odd squished up on the needle but you can see the sides are growing. I'm quite happy with it, I have to say.

Yours in yarn and wooden shoes,

Síle

Wednesday

Have you ever felt that Wednesday is sort of a day unto itself? Saturday and Sunday are "The Weekend". Monday, and Tuesday to a lesser extent, is the all important "Start of the Work Week". Similarly Friday, lesser extent to Thursday, is the "End of the Work Week/Beginning of the Weekend". But Wednesday just sort of sits there. It's also the day least impacted by long weekends/bank holidays. Just something I thought of while sitting on hold this morning.

I'm happy to report I'm onto the sides of the Hornpipe Bag sample. I'll need to refine the wording on how to transition from the base section to the sides but the actual doing of it went pretty smooth; I only restarted it twice! Third time really was the charm! Shouldn't take too long to work up, although double-knitting naturally takes longer to complete. You're working twice the amount of stitches after all, so it makes sense. But if you're like me you look at the measurements of something and say to yourself "This should take me about x hours.", and then sort of kick yourself when that timeframe comes and goes. You'd think I'd learn but no. *insert image of me laughing at myself here*

I'll leave you with this picture of my furry nephew, Jakey. I've mentioned hockey being played in August this year and my mum sent him a little something to help me and my roommate (aka Jakey's mum) cheer for our team. Doesn't he look cute?? And this could be the last game of the season for my guys tonight, so all the more reason to share a little Canadiens' love.

Yours in yarn and hockey fandom,

Síle

Double Trouble?

 

I'm working on the Hornpipe Bag today and it got me thinking: how do other knitters keep their yarns from tangling while double-knitting?

You can see my solution in the photo. For the record, I knit English/American/right-handed style, carrying both colors with my right hand. I like to keep the background color on my right side and the contrast color on my left side. Yes, that means I switch them around at the start of every row. I find it works best for me, but what works for me isn't necessarily going to work for you! 

I've read some different ways knitters handle their yarns, so I thought I'd ask you to share your favourite way(s) of tangle taming while double-knitting. 

Yours in yarn and trebles,

Síle