A bit disappointed

I finished Isabella (Ravelry link) on Friday night, and it is just barely okay.  I will wear it around the house,  but do not think that it is very flattering.  It is made out of 50% cashmere/50% merino from Colourmart, so that will probably ensure around the house wear. The view from the back is the best.  It is even more “meh” from the front.

It does not have enough shaping, even though I changed to a smaller needle size for the waist area (a 3.5 mm needle).  The pattern, from the Debbie Bliss book, Rialto, obviously looks very different on the model, and I should have realised that there was something wrong with the pattern when there was no mention of a closure.  In the photos above, it is held closed with a kilt pin, and will need several hefty press studs to stay closed.  It looks like nothing at all left open.  I think that I will also need to stabilise the collar with crochet, as told by the Yarn Harlot.

The yarn is fantastic, but needed a very thorough washing to get rid of all the spinning oil. I put it in a very hot (water heater hot) sink with a fair squirt of dish washing liquid for half an hour, and then washed the vest in a machine gentle cycle (ie. more vigorous than the wool cycle) at 40  degrees Celsius, and put it in dryer for 10 minutes to get it to fluff up.

 

Project details

Pattern Isabella from Debbie Bliss Rialto, size large

Yarn  Colourmart DK merino/cashmere Ocean Moon, about 400 grams

Needles  Addi Turbos size 3.5, 4  and 4.5 mm and a pair of 5 mm bamboo needles

Alterations I slipped the first stitch of each row purl wise, and knitted the last stitch of every row. I changed to the 3.5 mm needles for the middle third of the torso in an attempt to introduce some waist shaping. Much more was required to fit my figure.

After this disappointment, I turned out the following hat yesterday and this morning.  It is a “shop sample” for Yarn Workshop, and is also going to be used by my husband on the forthcoming trip to Europe.  It is my own basic hat pattern, and I’ll write it up if anyone is interested. It uses Grafton , our yak/wool blend, and is designed to be small enough to be shoved in a pocket if the weather heats up. The pooling is due to my rather inexpert dyeing, but I’m telling myself that it looks like camouflage. My husband loves it, so I’m happy that it worked out. The yarn is very easy to work with, and knits up nicely on 3.5mm needles.

 

We have yarn!

Last night I finally received delivery of our 50% yak/ 50% wool sport weight blend (to be known as Grafton) and our super smooth 55% silk /45% wool laceweight yarn (to be known as Killara). Today, I have been busy washing skeins, confirming yardage and photographing the yarns. Killara is super smooth, its been spun using a fully worsted technique, and has a fantastic drape, and is super soft. The Grafton has a terrific loft for a sportweight, and feels like a cashmere blend after washing.  Tonight (Hong Kong time) they will be listed on Ebay. In the pictures below you can see the yarns before washing (with spinning oils in) on the left, and after washing on the right.

 

The Killara is the yarn on top, while the beautiful soft Grafton is below. I’m going to be dyeing tomorrow morning, and will have more shots to show how they take up the dye.

 

Finished Madder Ribbed Socks

 

These socks are destined for my maternal grandmother. She taught me how to knit in (I presume) the usual Estonian style. Funnily enough, people in Hong Kong have commented that my knitting technique is like some of the local Hong Kong knit-bloggers. My grandmother has had several strokes, and suffers from dementia as a result.  It is not like Alzheimer’s dementia, she has clouds of lucidity, but frequently gets fiction (eg TV shows) confused with actual events. She continues to remember me, and other family members.  One way to communicate with her quite successfully is to discuss knitting.  When were in Australia recently, I showed her these socks in progress, and she was intrigued by the Magic Loop process. It felt good to connect with her through an activity shared across generations.

They needed a good wash before being sent to my grandmother, having been to Shanghai, Sydney and Singapore, and having had white wine and coffee spilt on them while being made. I followed the pattern faithfully, because I am trying to learn some different sock techniques, and figure that I could do worse than learn from Nancy Bush.

Project Details

Pattern: Madder Ribbed Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks

Yarn: Yarn Workshop  75%wool / 25%nylon yarn dyed by me.  Dyeing details here.

Needles: 2.5mm Addi Turbos, using Magic Loop

Modifications: Leg made 1 inch longer because I was on the plane to Sydney without a tape measure, and they were too long when I checked where you should start the heel.

Comments:  I am not crazy about the pointed toe. It doesn’t seem to be a great match for my foot, but the socks are a little big for me, so maybe they will look better on my grandmother.

Otherwise, an exceedingly easy project, and very good handbag knitting. I had to trek all over Hong Kong today, and even though I’m on the boring bit of Juno Regina, its too challenging to knit on public transport. I obviously need to cast on another pair of boring socks! I’ve just overdyed some sample wool/nylon/bamboo yarn a pinkish/purpley colour, and had better churn out the socks promised to younger daughter.

 

Never-ending stole

I’ve liked Juno Regina since the first time that I saw it in Knitty, and was looking for a store sample for our Merino Laceweight, and merrily cast on.  I didn’t check gauge, because it is a stole, but got a fabric that I was happy with the recommended 3.5mm needles. The yarn was dyed by me, and then overdyed using my super easy overdying technique described on the store blog.   I found the tricky bits of the stole went quite quickly, and were a useful device to deter me from having a glass of wine with dinner. I was excited to finish them and then looked at the pattern and read these words:

“Work Rows 11-12 of Chart 4 for approx. 42 inches.”

That cooled my ardour. The gauge is 7 rows per inch, there are 89 stitches in each row, that’s only 26,166 stitches until I get to another interesting bit! The question is, how long will this take me? I really, really want to wear this scarf in France in 2 weeks time.

Its hard to stay focused when there is new yarn in the stash, and beautiful new patterns being thrown my way.  Wouldn’t it be easier to just cast on a Lace Ribbon?

I love it, and the brown cashmere blend purchased in Guangzhou is calling me. Oh, wait. I did the same calculation on it, and it takes 36,040 stitches.  I’ll stick with Juno Regina for the time being.

Speaking of the brown cashmere blend, here are the yarns purchased in Guangzhou.

Won’t the brown make a beautiful Lace Ribbon? In other news, I’ve finished my Madder Rib socks for my grandmother, and they will be blocked by tomorrow. I’m also nearly finished Isabella, and am just working on the collar. More finished objects soon!