If you've never heard of it, startitis is the uncontrollable urge to cast on new projects - regardless of how many you already have on the needles. In the last two weeks I've cast on three new projects (in addition to the three I'm already working on) and I've been dreaming about a third, too.
Startitis! At least it will help me whittle down this stash?
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| Linen stitch in lace-weight yarn: beautiful and terrible. |
I guess it's been kind of a while since I gave an update on my current knitting projects - through spring and summer I was far too excited by the green things outside and then the chickens moved in and basically I have been toddling along without feeling like I've made any exciting progress. But that wouldn't really be fair to the projects!
In order of casting on, I'm currently working on (I mean, officially, "working on" - I don't think I can talk about my hibernating WIPs right now) six things: the Larkspur shawl, the Wintersea socks, the Align Mitts, a Siren Song scarf, a Yorkshire Shawl (scarf) and a linen stitch lace scarf. I'm going to give you a bit of info on the patterns and the yarn I'm using, too.
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| Larkspur shawl in Cotlin Sprout. |
First up is Larkspur. This pretty thing is from Interweave Knits' Summer 2015 edition, or you can buy it on Ravelry. The body is garter stitch, shaped with intuitive short rows, and the simple lace border is knitted on without having to pick up any stitches. The construction of this just feels simple and elegant. I love the way the border knits on and I really love that it's garter stitch (even the border) - no need to purl! Who wants to purl? Not me. This makes it especially good for tv knitting, times when you don't have very good lighting or don't want to look too closely at what you're doing. The chart for the lace section is easily memorised and easy to read on the needles too if you forget where you're up to (because, say, it's been sitting by the tv for two weeks since you last looked at it and you didn't mark which row you were on).
I'm making mine in Knit Picks Cotlin (in the Sprout colourway). I've worked with the Cotlin before and I really enjoy it. As with all cotton yarns it doesn't have the same spring or give as wool but it has a smooth coolness to it that will make it great for warmer-weather accessories. This colour is pretty bright (though this picture doesn't represent it well - I've found it impossible to photograph without also messing with the colour balance afterwards) but I feel the need to mention that the orange colour I got at the same time (Clementine) had an unpleasant tinge to it (it's a little tough to describe - but it definitely isn't the lovely, light orange as shown on the site) so consider checking out user uploaded pictures on Ravelry before purchasing some of your own.
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| Why yes, the sun did come out just as I was photographing these. |
Next we have the Wintersea socks. There's no pattern for these - I've picked out colourwork chart designs from Google image search and manipulated them into the size I need to keep these socks fitting (which I worked out using the methods described in my sock knitting formula) me well once they're done. It has been a process of trial and error and I've had to rip them out and start over twice, mostly because I'm used to working with a fair bit of ease but stranded colourwork is much firmer. They didn't fit! But we're back on a good track now and I'm enjoying working on them when I have the attention span to focus on detailed colourwork charts.
When I first saw my Cascade Heritage Anis and SweetGeorgia Tough Love Tourmaline on the shelf together I knew they were in love. The pale blue makes a soft background for the tourmaline's slight blue-green shifts and the whole thing makes me think of a deep ocean topped with winter ice. The yarns aren't quite identical in size but it's close enough that I'm not worried about having any obvious variance. The Cascade is nice in a somewhat unremarkable way but I loved the SweetGeorgia enough that I went back and bought some more - you'll see that further down the list.
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| The ribbing makes them super snug - these won't be slipping down any time soon. |
When I finished my Big Top socks I still had quite a lot of the yarn left over and, while the weather's cold enough that it gets really difficult to knit or use the computer in the evenings, it's time I had a pair of gloves thin enough that I can work while wearing them. I've been working on knitting a pair of Align Mitts - backwards, though, since I didn't know how far up my leftover yarn would get me so I didn't want to start at the cuff. I cast on with a crochet provisional cast on at the knuckles and, while adding the thumb gusset proved to be almost a nightmare (it works just fine going the other way but going backwards you need to add all of the thumb stitches at once into a very cramped amount of needle space) I managed to get the body of the gloves sorted. Now I have to pick up the provisional stitches and turn them into fingers but hopefully that won't prove too challenging.
The yarn is another that I've absolutely loved using - Knit Picks Stroll sock yarn. It's sturdy, easy on your hands, and the available colours are totally beautiful. The Big Top socks and Align mitts are made out of the Big Top colourway, with Dandelion yellow for the contrast (toe, heel, cuff). The socks I've made out of it (nearly half a dozen pairs now, though I've gifted some of these) have been worn hard and the yarn has held up really well so far, though it does pill quite a bit.
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| Here you can see the first of the colours, 'Basil'. |
In startitis cast-ons we have, first, the Siren Song scarf. This pattern uses yarn overs and decreases to create crescent wave shapes in a trapezoidal scarf. The charts are pretty easy to follow but you do need to concentrate on what you're doing and, as someone who usually doesn't bother with stitch markers (you have to move them all the time, what a pain) I recommend you do, as the pattern suggests, add in stitch markers every couple repeats. It's easy to lose your place in the row, especially in where you place your yarn overs, and a few times I've had to go back and count to make sure I didn't get things in the wrong order.
This is where the SweetGeorgia comes back into play - I splurged and got a set of mini-skeins in the Sea to Sky colourway and it's simply stunning. Each of the five shades is beautiful and together they look lovely. I can't wait to see the colour changes emerge as I go down the scarf. I weighed up whether or not to wind them into individual cakes or try and join them before I began and, knowing how much I hate joining a new yarn mid-project, opted for the single cake. It looks really great but this is where I ran into my biggest problem: the yarn is superwash and designed not to felt, which makes spit splicing nigh on impossible (I'm still half-expecting some of my joins to come apart by the time I get to them in the cake!). I attempted a Russian join instead but really struggled as the yarn only has three plies and also I'm not very good at Russian joins! I still love working with this so much, though, so I'm hoping the joins will hold together.
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| Indoors the colour is a little duller but it really is gorgeous in the light. |
Looking through my queue of favourites on Ravelry reminded me of how much I loved the look of the Yorkshire Shawl. The lace pattern is visually charming and both of the colours they show it in look amazing. I'm making the smaller size since I'm working with a single skein and full sized shawls just aren't something I wear. The pattern is lovely but not an easy one. This is not something to knit in front of the tv. You will need the chart in front of you and you'll want to refer to it often. I had to knit back a couple of times because I'd looked at the wrong place on the charts and messed up my lace. It already looks so pretty though, so I can't stay mad.
This one I'm making from Capretta (yes, another Knit Picks yarn - there aren't that many yarn purchasing options in Australia!) in a mustard yellow. As soon as I started knitting with it I fell completely in love with this yarn. It's my first time working with cashmere so that might be the reason why, but it's so soft while still being sturdy, non-fuzzy and just outright a joy to work with. I'm definitely eyeing off some other colours in this one and thinking of what I can make with them.
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| Is this project crazy? Probably. At least I won't run out of yarn! |
Finally, I returned to this insane dream I've had to make a little buttoned neckwarmer in linen stitch. I adore the way this stitch looks and once your needles get moving it's similar enough to one stitch ribbing that it doesn't even bother me that I'm purling half of the time. This little Linen Stitch scarf is a real work of improv as I definitely don't have a pattern to work from and really I have no idea if it will work or end up looking ridiculous. I'm hoping it will be nice though - because I'm knitting with lace weight yarn and linen stitch isn't a quick knit at the best of times. This one is going to be on the needles for quite some time.
The yarn is Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Lace and it's very pretty - the colourway is called Sky Gray and has a lot of light, light blues, grays and hints of brown. The linen stitch makes it especially pretty as it twines the colour sections around each other instead of them pooling in the rows. It is a little fuzzy but I'm hoping the end result won't be too irritating to wear, as my skin can be a little sensitive to that sometimes (the Colour Shift Cowl I knit from alpaca is lovely and soft but occasionally can be a little itchy, especially since the neck is a sensitive area).
Now I'm off to scroll through the colour options for Palette yarn and daydream about what I would buy if I was stupid enough to want to make another 'My Favourite Things' scarf...
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