Rosamund's Cardigan

No, it's not for Rosamund, it's for me. It's the name of this pattern from IK which I started last year & had been sitting in my basket for the past few months & all it needed was the 2nd sleeve. I had to stop knitting when the weather was really hot & a big lump of 8ply sitting on my lap was not bearable. Now that the weather is cooling down, I decided to pick it up & finish it. I did ......

..... it sort of fitted me but I wish I had made it looser as you can see the top is quite tight & there's no way the cardigan will meet at the bottom (please ignore the crappy shorts that I was wearing as I was too lazy to change). I think it's also the design as I checked all the projects on ravelry & they have the same feature, ie not meeting at the bottom.

I think it looks better when it's not buttoned up. But I love the yarn that I used - it's Bendigo Luxury 8ply (Ghost) & it feels so soft & warm. It's also gorgeous to knit with & I think this is the best color.

I did made some modifications to the pattern by adding long sleeves & finishing off the sleeves & the bottom of the cardigan with the same cable pattern as the collar. I also use a new technique with this cardigan - tubular cast on for the collar & tubular cast off for the sleeves & the end of the cardigan. I am glad that I use this technique as it really creates a lovely edge .....

..... but I don't think I will want to use the same technique again for the bottom of the cardigan. This was supposed to be a 1 piece project with no seams but I ended up having to graft 208 stitches which was a torture as it took me more than an hour ! But I will do the tubular cast on any time as it does produce a really neat & lovely edge .....

Well, I did enjoy knitting this cardigan although it's not a perfect fit. But if I have to knit it again, I will want it to be symmetrical (equal fronts) & it will be 1 size bigger !

My 1st Mittens

I have knitted fingerless mittens before but not proper mittens. So I was a little hesitant when Lynette asked for mittens. She has a pair of fingerless mittens but now she wants one to cover all her fingers & she was them in her favorite Harry Potter Slytherin colors.

So this means that I not only have to knit mittens but have to knit them in stripes - both techniques that I have not tried. I did not agree to it & spend a couple of weeks thinking about them & of course, searching through Ravelry for ideas. At last, I decided to take the plunge & using this pattern as a template, I cast on & did it !

The mittens turned out great but I had to rip it out twice - once as I did not do a good job of joining the 2 colors & the joins were a little lumpy & another time as the sizing was not right. I had to make some modifications to the pattern to get the sizing correct.

They fitted her perfectly & she loves the colors. Lynette found the yarn from my stash, in fact they are leftovers. The silver is Bendigo Luxury 8 ply (Ghost) & the green is Fleece Artist Trail Socks (I used 2 strands together). I knitted the mittens with 4.5 mm dpns.

Actually these mittens are quite easy to knit & also knits up really fast. The pattern is great as a guide but you will have to make adjustments for a better fit. Knitting in stripes in the round is a first time for me but I am glad I gave it a try. The join where the colors changes look great & it not really difficult to achieve that.

Now that I have overcame this, maybe I should try mittens with fingers or fair isle mittens ?????

Linen - it drove me crazy !

A few months ago, I bought a skein of linen/silk from a local dyer as I fell in love with the color - denim, which is one of may favorite colors. The yarn felt so soft & as there was only 600+ yards in the skein, I knew that I had to knit a vest.

Unfortunately, I can't find a nice vest pattern & decided to design my own. I knew that a lace pattern will be nice & started swatching. This was the beginning of a nightmare ! I have never knitted with linen & never realised the flexibility of this fibre - everything I measure the gauge, the size varies. I tried & I tried & I even cast on & knitted from the bottom up, in the round. I had to rip it off after a few inches as it stretches a lot. Again, I re-cast on with less stitches & again it stretches. I gave up as it was driving me crazy !

But I kept going back to the ball of yarn & refuse to admit defeat & try again. This time it looks better as I have reduced the number of stitches drastically. I have never knitted any garment for myself with so little stitches. During the whole process, it was still a nightmare trying to measure the vest to my size but I just kept knitting ......

I managed to finish & this is my Denim Linen Vest ..... I am not 100% happy with the size & feels that it is a little short but I swear I measured it & the length was alright. I fits the body well, in fact it's quite loose.

I love the stitch pattern which I found from in a book by Louisa Harding. It's a eyelet & lace pattern & easy to remember.

I still love the color & the feel of the yarn & it's so comfortable to wear.

I also learn a new cast off technique - a picot edge cast off. It's really pretty & I think it complements the stitch pattern.

Overall, the vest did turned out well & it does fit me. But I don't think I will be knitting with linen again!