Spritz cardigan

After the Wattle Bag and the knitted tote, I thought it time I got into one of the (several) larger projects I have waiting. I have two cardigans waiting to be started - both intended for myself. While the Kate Davies one in English Breeds wool was bought nearly two years ago, it is complicated. The other, in a cotton/alpaca mix looked more straightforward, and, if I can finish it before Christmas, could be put to use, if not in summer, at least in Autumn 2026 (that, remember is March-June here in Australia).

The yarn, as you can see, was in hanks. It is several years since I used my swift to wind yarn. I looked everywhere for it, taking my craft cupboard apart, doing a bit of sorting as I went about it. No sign of the swift, but the cupboard is a bit better organised.

The simple Amish swift I had bought at the Yarn Trader is no longer available in Adelaide. From the information on websites it is either discontinued or out of stock. In the end, I sourced another one in Victoria and paid for express delivery. Ordered on Sunday, it arrived on Tuesday. I set to work immediately. Over the next three days I wound all 7 skeins.

It was only on the sixth skein that I worked out that, rather than working from a lounge chair, with the swift on the floor, it was far more efficient to have the swift on a table, at the same height as my hands - fewer tangles and no yarn working its way off the pegs.

The pattern was not as straightforward as I had expected. There are textured bands running horizontally throughout. The sizing is not generous. Measurements are only given for the bust, not hips.While the largest of the three sizes covered is right for my bust, the calculation I did, based on the recommended tension and number of stitches, suggest it is not likely to fit my hips. As it is knitted in rectangles, adding width is unlikely to cause problems. However, given that each of the given size difference was 8 stitches, I added 24 stitches to make sure. It was likely, therefore, that I would need more yarn.  Each of the three given sizes recommended an extra skein of yarn. I figured I would need at least one, and probably two, extra. 

Again, the Crafty Frog in Canberra, where I bought the yarn, has no stock left. Eventually I sourced a supply in Tasmania. I wondered if I should wait to see how much I got knitted from each skein, but since there were few places with stock,  I ordered two more skeins straight away. 

It took a while to figure out how to create the textured band. Once I worked out that Purl=ridge means  'use a row of purl in a knit row', I was underway.

The first ball ran out at 28cm. At that rate, I might have managed without the extra skeins if I'd been careful. As it is, I should be able to add another 15-20com to the length.

I'm posting this well before the project is anywhere near finished, My plan at the moment is to keep going until I have used two balls of yarn and make that the armhole insertion point (provided, of course, the extra yarn arrives!).

Now I know how it works, it's fairly easy knitting. It is, however, relatively fine, so doesn't grow quickly.

I will probably not post again until it is finished. That's certainly weeks, maybe months, away. In the meantime, I've been winding skeins I have in my stash. I've added two more balls to this pile since taking the photo, but the swift is now packed away to use the table for a family dinner. I've found patterns for these, but they are jobs for a much later date! 

Knitted vest

In spite of all my good intentions not to buy ANY more wool until I have knitted up what I have, last year I succumbed to the temptation of Bendigo Woollen Mill's special lot of Bloom wool.

I ordered enough to make myself a jacket/cardigan in the 'wine' colourway, along with this pattern.

My agreement with myself was that if I bought it, I had to get on with it straight away. It was not to join the three drawers of unknitted yarn I already had.










I began well. It knits beautifully. I finished the back.



On the fronts, it holds the cable really well.
It is a great pattern to knit. The cable is easy to remember. It's a great pick-up-put-down project.






Admittedly, because I have had a number of embroidery projects to finish, it has been put down more than it has been picked up!  Not a lot got done over Christmas period but I made good progress in February, finishing the first front.













I am now working on the second front, but have just begun to wonder if the variation in the colour rotation in the balls of wool is going to matter. This is the variation between the two fronts







and between the three pieces. The huge difference wasn't apparent to me as I knitted each piece.

I'm certainly not going to stop now, but it may look a bit odd when put together. 

We'll see in a week or so when I finish. Maybe it will prove to be a(nother) declaration of an eccentric old woman!

Girl's Cotton Cardigan: the case of the disappearing photos.

The project I chose to take with me on my recent trip to Canberra and the NSW Southern Vales was a girl's cardigan in 4 ply cotton. I used Sirdar Pattern 2215 which has a nice 1-12 years age range, with a lace medallion pattern that gives interest to the knitting, but doesn't require constant reference to the pattern once you have the hang of it. This was to be a Christmas present, so the timing was good.

It proved a good choice of travel project. The cotton (Bendigo Woollen Mills 837 Orchard 4ply) was pleasant to knit in what proved to be fine and warm weather, I could go for hours without referring to the pattern and progress was steady enough to keep me encouraged.

I seem to have been having too good a time to take photos - although I thought I had taken some, I can find no trace! I have distinct memories of taking photos of the finished pieces before construction. I am either deluded (quite possible) or the victim of cunning photo fairies.

It is more than likely the fairies, on a crusade to save readers from photos of pieces of unconstructed knitting..

I will need to be content with these two photos of the finished product, taken by someone else, and interesting enough to escape the attention of the photo fairies.