Catching Up

Okay, my latest projects, in rough chronological order. I did once have a rule that I am only allowed to do one knitting project at a time, but I decided that was boring. Why have one mess lying around when you can have dozens?

#1 Hmm, started this some time early 2007 I think. My version of a fisherman's guernsey. Here it is up to the armpits, in the round Zimmerman style:

And a close-up of that decorated panel:

This jumper/sweater/whatever is designed to fit around my rather large bust without being a sack. The moss stitch and cables panel begins below my boobs and up to the shoulders, and below the boob region it's just plain knit. Unlike traditional guernseys, the pattern doesn't go around the back. The idea is that because the moss stitch is stretchy it will stretch over the lumpy region while the plain parts stay where they are. You'll get what I mean when I finish it....one day. I've started the first sleeve, but I put it down a long time ago and haven't picked it up again. I have to remember all the numbers and wotnot and just haven't got my arse into gear yet. The wool is from a lambswool op-shop jumper I ripped.

#2 Started October 2007. Norwegian patterned socks.

These were supposed to be hubby's birthday present last year. He has two gorgeous Norwegian cardigans, one hand-knitted by his great-aunt for his father. I've been promising for quite a while that I would knit him a jumper version (steeks and all) of the handknit cardie so he could wear it around without fear of damaging the heirloom. Well it's an expensive exercise for us struggling artist/academics, so I started a pair of socks to whet our appetites using the patterns on the cardie, but I guess I just got sick of knitting more bloody socks, so I put them down, one day to be finished, maybe. I don't really like them all that much. I actually hate this shade of grey. It looks so artificial. When I eventually get around to the jumper, I'll use Rainbow Wools. Their colours are just lovely, and last time I checked they had a nice realistic grey!

#3 November 2008: Ugly Knee Rug

I knitted quite a nice scarf in this pattern a while back. A few weeks ago I decided to knit something, anything. We had just moved and I was organising my (surprisingly small) stash, and I decided to use up all of the tail ends of the 8-ply wools. I just started this because I knew it would be brainless. I'm not sure that I like it much either, but I'll keep plugging on.

#4 November 2008: My own version of Amanda Williams' Versatility in the recent issue of Knitty.

Long story. I fell in love with this pattern, mostly for the concept. So clever. My only problem is getting wool which is 114g/113m. That is huge. I found some very close, but in hideous colours and variegations. I'm not too keen on buying yarn unseen over the internet unless it is very cheap, so instead I bought a colour I could live with (Patons Inca, can't remember the colour) in a fairly heavy weight and designed my own more lacy version, a hybrid of Versatility and Susan Pierce Lawrence's Branching Out. However I keep making booboos with numbers, so I have to rip out the latest attempt, re-chart and start again. In the meantime we have...

#5 November 2008: Evelyn Clark's Swallowtail Shawl.

And a close-up:

It has actually progressed a fair bit since this photo was taken. I've finished the budding lace repeats and am up to the beginning of the end. I saw this on Franklin's* blog and decided I would just jump to it. I'm using some handspun I bought at a garage sale. I couldn't believe it when I found this stuff, about a kilo of handspun, 18 wpi, for $5! I'm sure the woman selling it couldn't have been the spinner. The other stuff she had was all odds and ends of acrylic.


I'm not sure exactly what the fibre is. My aunt thinks perhaps mohair or something goaty, because it has lots of longer black hairs, and it is quite fluffy, although not too much so. It's not terribly silky, a bit rough in fact. Anyway, this should be finished within the next couple of days.

Well now we're all up to speed, the blogging process can begin. Next time we will look at what is on my to-do list.
I have been very naughty, because I've been working on this entry for over an hour, and I really should have been writing my Annual Report. Sigh. By the way, I apologise for the terrible quality of the images. I shall endeavour to do something about it. I'm also having trouble with the consistency of blogger's layout. I'll see what I can do, because I loathe bad formatting!

*Isn't it funny how if you read someone's blog for long enough, you feel entitled to refer to him by the first name, even when the person in question doesn't know you from a stalker? I'm not a stalker by the way.