I thought it might be a good time to show you how my Moody Blanket is coming along, 11 days after starting my knitting on Saturday 5th January, which was a good day.
I’m really happy with how the colours are blending together using garter stitch. You can probably see that there is a fourth shade, because guess what? Apparently I do have bad days, of sorts anyway. The navy is shade 906 in Sirdar Supersoft Aran – a 100g ball not 400g, as I’m still convinced I have very few ‘bad days’. I’m not even sure it was a bad day; I was extremely tired and my hands were really, really sore, which means completing every task was troublesome, but the rest of the day was OK. Based on my irksome day I thought it appropriate to include an additional shade.
Of the 11 days so far – 3 have been good
1 has been really good (I got to spend time with lots of my friends at knitting)
1 has been tough
6 have been OK
I love the way the i-cord edge is finishing the blanket off nicely.
I-Cord edge
The blanket also looks great on the reverse
The Back
I see no reason for today’s rows not to be ‘very good’ as it’s my daughters 23rd birthday. The 16th of January has been one of the best since 1990. (how old am I???????)
2 strands of aran weight yarn are used held together.
You will need approximately 2400 metres of your base yarn and then the same amount again in your chosen combination of yarns. I am using Sirdar Bonus Aran and Sirdar Bonus Aran Tweed and will need 3 x 400g balls of my base shade 929 and probably 2 x 400g of shades 822 & 817 and 1 x 400g of 994. (I will have loads left for charity knitting)
You will also need around another 20 to 50 metres (doubled) to work your applied i-cord if doing so at both your cast on and cast off ends.
I also used scrap super chunky yarn for my provisional cast on and a 12mm crochet hook.
8mm Needles
Darning Needle
Tension
12sts x 18rows on 8mm needles with 2 strands of aran weight yarn held together in garter stitch
Abbreviations
k – knit
st(s) – stitch(es)
co – cast on
wyif – with yarn in front
sl – slip next st
sl3 – slip next 3 sts (for applied I-cord)
psso – pass slipped stitch over
K3tog – knit next 3 sts together
Applied I-cord cast off –
*k2, sl 1 k-wise, k1 (this will be 1 of your live sts at the cast off end or from the provisional cast on), psso, sl all 3 sts back onto left needle and rep from* until all sts have been worked. Three I-cord sts remain on needle, K3tog, break yarn and draw through your final st.
Pattern
For the i-cord edge you need to use a provisional cast on method and you want 222 sts for the blanket.
I prefer to use the crochet chain provisional cast on, so I chained 228 sts with a 12mm hook and super chunky yarn.
1st row – knit all stitches
For every subsequent row you knit until the last 3 sts, wyif sl3
I’m hoping to knit at least 324 rows or 162 garter stitch ridges. I shall be knitting 2 rows per day.
The I-cord edge is optional. If you are making the blanket without it – using thumb method and holding the 2 strands of yarn together cast on 216 sts and knit every row without slipping the last 3 sts.
If you follow the instructions in Moody Blanket part 1 & 2 you will hopefully end up with a beautiful and personal blanket.
I shall be using an I-cord cast off on my cast on and cast off edges. Work on your cast off edge first by CO 3 sts using cable cast on method, work I-cord cast off as per instructions above.
Slip cast on sts onto needle and work as for cast off end above.
Sew in your ends, hiding them in the I-cord if you’ve chosen to make it.
This is what my blanket looks like after 2 days
Saturday was a good day whilst Monday was just ok. The red is my provisional cast on yarn. I shall try to update on the blankets progress weekly.
The darker shade (top right) represents my OK days.
The lighter shade (top left) represents my good days.
The brighter blue (bottom) represents my very good days.
I will also have to include a colour or 2 for a totally ‘unexpected day’ which will probably be navy for a bloody horrendous day (hope I don’t have any of those) and maybe a baby blue or something else for a truly spectacular day, but it would have to be out of this world, super fantastic to make it into my blanket.
I’m assuming the bulk of my blanket will be made up of the darker and lighter shades as most of my days will probably be OK or good.
Tension next. The little sample squares above were knitted on 10mm’s and the tension seemed a little on the loose side, especially for a blanket. So I opted to use 8mm’s instead.
Tension on 8mm
Based on this I was able to calculate that I would need to cast on 216 sts to achieve a blanket that’s approximately 6 foot wide. It will also take 324 rows or 162 garter stitch ridges to achieve the 6 foot in length that I’d like to achieve (although I might end up making it a little longer).
Ooops – The glaringly obvious problem is it’s not going to take me a year to knit is it? I would prefer to knit 1 garter stitch ridge or 2 rows per day to keep the blanket the same on both sides. Nevermind, if it works I shall knit one for each of my 3 children as per their mood, so now I have the next 2 years planned. Another way of doing the blanket could be to do your mood based on so many days per months, days of the week.
As an added design element also thought an applied I-Cord edge would tidy up the blanket, whilst providing the ideal place to hide the multiple ends whilst sewing them in. I’ve used it many times before on blankets and am currently trying to finish my Ravi (designed by Carol Feller) which uses it too.
Applied i-cord
To make finishing with the i-cord around all four sides, I decided to use a provisional cast on. I find it easiest to use a crochet chain and use each chain to knit through.
My very long crochet chain
It’s easier if you use a hook a couple of sizes larger that the needles your going to eventually use and you need to make sure you add a few extra chains just to make it easier to put your stitches up.
I used a 12mm hook (because I didn’t have a 10mm) and some Wendy Serenity Super Chunky that I had left in my stash. The chain is 228 stitches long which is plenty for the 222 stitches I need.
There are a few more things that I needed to work out before writing the pattern up.
How much yarn will the blanket take? – I can get 30 stitches on my 8mm’s out of a metre of yarn, which means one complete row will take 7.4metres (there about) x 2 because the yarn is worked doubled. That means the blanket will take at lease 2398 metres of yarn, not allowing for the extra yarn for the applied i-cord at the cast on and cast off edges.
There are 840 metres in each ball of Sirdar Bonus Aran/Aran Tweed so I will need at least 3 x 400g balls in the base shade 929 and there’s no real way to be sure how much I’ll need in each of the ‘mood’ shades. Based on the size of the balls and my predominate moods I envisage it will be 2 of the lighter and darker shades (817 & 822) and 1 of the brighter one (994)
I also wanted to time how long it will take to complete a row, so I know I’ll have enough time to do a little each day. It took me approximately 9 minutes to knit all 222 stitches, but there is no weight or bulk to the knitting yet so I assume it will end up taking much longer as the knitting grows.
Before I start this post, I should warn you it’ll be quite lengthy, so I’ve decided to split it into three. The first two discuss the concept of the mood blanket and the third gives the pattern.
Some of you may have seen the link I posted on the shop’s Facebook page with regards to the ‘My year in temperature’ concept scarf by Kristen Cooper, but for those of you that haven’t, here’s the link.
Kristen’s idea is to select shades of yarn to represent the temperature that day. In her case she is using 15 shades with each one equating to a 5 degree jump in temperature. She then intends to work a row of her scarf a day with the colour that she has previously chosen for the temperature of that day. The end result will be a scarf that represents the year’s temperatures a stripe/day at a time.
OK, as ideas go it’s great and I love the concept, so why haven’t I reached for my ever bulging stash crates and needles and cast on?
Two reasons really:
The first, and most obvious to my fellow citizens of this very Emerald Isle, is the weather. To be honest the temperature, whilst prone to fluctuation, doesn’t have the obvious highs and lows of British Columbia in Canada, where Kristen is from, more’s the pity. Which led me to think about other things that happen on a daily basis that could be used to create the effect. The most obvious to me being our mood, which can be changeable from a day-to-day basis = Design Element Sorted, lovely.
The second reason is because it’s a scarf, not that I have anything against scarves. In fact I can usually be found wearing one in all but the very hottest of temperatures, which to be fair I don’t get to see much (second dig at the Irish weather, sorry). I suppose I’m not really that big into multi-coloured clothing and yes I do know I could keep the palette of colours very similar, but I still feel it’s not for me.
So after much pondering, well not really that much as I’ve always wanted to knit one, I decided a blanket would be a more my kind of thing. Having seen one years ago, worked in two strands of yarn with one always the same shade, I set to the planning.
I knew I wanted the blanket to be a big one; much more than a throw for the sofa. If I’m going to make one it’s got to be big enough to use as extra insulation on the bed in the winter months, so it’s going to take a lot of yarn. I also want it to be chunky and squishy, but the yarn, if it’s going to be held double, doesn’t need to be too thick. Aran weight should do.
The initial decision is always what yarn to use. It has to be gorgeous and not too expensive (yes I do have a wool shop, but you still have to pay for the stock you use, even if it is at cost+vat). Having moved away from the pure merino staring lovingly at me from the shop shelves, I was drawn to the Bonus Aran from Sirdar, particularly the lovely new shade of blue that I’ve been coveting since it came in.
Sirdar Bonus Aran in Royal
There is a good selection of shades available in the range, especially when combined with the Bonus Aran Tweed colours too. Yes, it’s not pure wool, or even 50%, in fact it’s only 20% wool with 80% acrylic. It is however, machine washable, which is definitely a bonus in a blanket, and it also comes in massive 400g balls each containing approximately 840 metres. I want my blanket to be utilitarian rather than something I’m petrified to throw over the bed and I’d rather the moths weren’t interested either.
OK, so which colour for which moods and how many moods do I really have?
The honest answer is not many. I’m lucky to be a glass is half full kind of person (sickening at times according to my husband) and truthfully very rarely have bad days. That’s not to say there haven’t been the odd truly horrific days in my life like we all sadly experience; fortunately though they’re very few and far between. So my base mood is for the most part OK: I then have good days and some that could be classed as really good.
That’s really it – three moods?
So……….. on Saturday I played with colour combinations. As the royal was the shade I was drawn to I experimented with it first. It’s too bright to use as my base shade (the constant one) but I figured that if I could find the correct combination to go with it the other two shades would be easier to work out.
Royal with 4 other shades
These look much better in the photo than they do in reality, the royal just wasn’t sitting with anything else properly. So back to the drawing board. Of the four samples, the one I liked the most was the one knitted with the cream tweed yarn – shade 929. Using this as my base shade I looked at the other options available to me in the range, focusing on the blues predominantly, as blue is my favourite colour
(Bleeding awful photos again ain’t they? Sorry! Said in my South East London accent of course)
Size (approx)
Width at widest point 11cm
Height from top of curve to point 9.5cm
Materials
A pair of 4mm needles
Rico Cotton Aran any colours
Darning Needle
Toy stuffing
A 4.5mm crochet hook or ribbon
Abbreviations
St(s): Stitch(es)
K: Knit
P: Purl
Alt: Alternate
Tog: Together
S1: Slip 1 stitch
PSSO: Pass slipped stitch over
M1: Make 1 – From the front, lift loop between stitches with left needle, knit into back of the loop.
K2tog: Knit the next 2 sts together
K3tog: Knit the next 3 sts together
P2tog: Purl 2 sts together
p2togtbl: Purl 2 sts together through back loops
SSK: Slip, slip, knit slipped stitches tog.
Heart – Make 2 pieces
Ornament is knitted in stocking stitch – knit 1 row, purl one row
Using 4mm needles and shade A cast on 3sts.
Work 2 rows in stocking stitch
3rd row: – Using shade B, k1, m1, k1, m1, k1
4th row: – purl
5th row: – Switch to shade A, k1, m1, k3, m1, k1
6th row: – Purl
Continue working 2 row stripe sequence, increasing by 1 stitch at each end on the next and every alt row until there are 21 sts. Work 3 more rows ending with a purl row.
Decreases
Continue working in 2 row stripe sequence except for the last 3 rows, work these and the cast off in the same shade.
1st row: – k1, ssk, k7, turn. (9sts)
Working on these stitches only slip the remaining 11 sts onto a small stitch holder
2nd, 4th and 6th row: purl
3rd row: k1, ssk, k6. (8sts)
5th row: k1, ssk, k2, k2tog, k1. (6sts)
7th row: k1, ssk, k2tog, k1. (4sts)
8th row: P1, p2togtbl. (3sts)
9th row: S1, k2tog, psso, cast off remaining stitch.
Rejoin yarn to remaining sts
1st row: k2tog, k until there are 7 sts on right hand needle, k2tog, k1. (9sts)
2nd, 4th and 6th row: purl
3rd row: k6, k2tog, k1. (8sts)
5th row: k1, ssk, k2, k2tog, k1. (6sts)
7th row: k1, ssk, k2tog, k1. (4sts)
8th row: p1, p2tog, p1. (3sts)
9th row: k3tog, cast off last stitch.
You need to make a braid to hang the ornament. I crochet 18 chains on a 4.5mm crochet hook, but you could knit a braid, plait some wool or use a piece of ribbon.
Place the hearts right sides together and sew up using a backstitch, remember to sew over your braid in order to hang your ornament. Sew 90% of the way round, sew in and trim ends except the one you’re using to sew up.
Turn heart right sides out, stuff, if you insert the filling a little at a time you will achieve a more even fill.
Sew up remaining opening.
Christmas Wreath
They look great on a plain tinsel wreath like this. Those of you that know me will know I prefer odd numbers so there is one missing!!!!! The wreath was from a euro shop and cost €7 I think.
I love using Rico Creative Cotton Aran for these decorations as it comes in such a wide range of colours and it’s easy on the pocket;however, I’ve also made a good few of these little hearts in sock wool with 2.5mm needles. Once made I omitted the hanging braid, opting instead to put them in a little felted bowl as a gift. They work equally well for Christmas, Valentines or for when you just want to let someone know you appreciate them. They’re quick and easy to knit and can be decorated with buttons and sequins to jazz them up a bit if you like.
Autumn/Winter in the shop tends to mean we’re much busier, which is great, and after all sales are what we need and I’m grateful for every time the till drawer closes, especially with the amount of stock we carry. I just have one tiny, ickle grumble, it’s not a big one but ……..
I HAVE NO TIME TO KNIT!!!!!!!!!!
It’s really rather tragic, projects that would take me no time seem to be taking forever, and to add insult to injury, my list of unfinished items is ever increasing, as is my ‘to-do list’.
At present I’m over halfway through making a lightweight poncho/top; I have a Christmas elf body and hat completed but features, etc. still to complete. There’s at least one all-but-finished scarf for the shop but I made it in a discontinued shade, so I need to knit it again in a current shade before displaying it (it will also help as a test knit before writing up the pattern). Then there’s the list of knitting I’m supposed to have started – yes I did say started, for Christmas presents. I do have two scarfs underway, both of which are quite a long way off being finished.
On the plus side I did take back the neck on the poncho I’d been making in Celtic Chunky from Wendy after having made it as per the pattern instructions. I picked up 20 less stitches than suggested and used a 6.5mm needle instead of the 7mm.
Dina looks beautiful in it and says it’s so warm it’s like wearing a blanket, and she’s always cold. It has dropped a little around the neck despite my alterations, so was I to make it again I’d actually cast off less stitches at the neck too, which would hopefully rectify this.
OK, so I know we’ve already been busy knitting and crocheting for this charity however, the charity is involved with so many different projects (all as needy as the rest), that I feel sure I’m not asking too much of you all again.
This time we’re hoping to help the 500 residents that live on 5 floors of the Kyl asylum. Many of the children that the charity work with in the orphanages out in Belarus end up going to Kyl asylum when they turn 18. Conditions are hard with the total allowance for clothes and shoes per patient being €3 annually. The Chernobyl Children’s trust have been working with another group The Bureen Chernobyl Project and have recently managed to collect in approximately 1000 pairs of secondhand shoes as the residents had been using cardboard on their feet whilst working out in the fields.
We’ve been asked for hats, scarves and mitts again and in addition maybe some socks and legwarmers, anything to help to try and keep out the cold.
Bureen Chernobyl Project
A lot of the links I put up for our previous collection will still be valid as are
http://knitmidleton.com/2012/06/01/knitting-for-chernobyl-childrens-trust/
Our collection will run until the end of March when the next containers will be traveling to the area, so you’ve plenty of time to get cracking. Items will be accepted in all colours of the rainbow, so break out the stash and use up your leftovers. The residents are both male and female and all are over 18 although they will be slight for their ages.
We’ve also been asked to collect any unwanted needles and wool in for the residents some of whom love knitting. If you can’t knit or crochet maybe you could be persuaded to drop off some personal hygiene products like soap, shampoo, etc. which we will also be collecting in (all new and unopened please, with as long a ‘use by’ date on)
A big thanks in advance for all of your help AGAIN.
Before you read on I feel I owe it to you to apologies in advance for the terrible photos, I keep taking more and they’re just not getting any better because of the glare of the sequins. A good few of you will have seen me wearing the hats by now so hopefully you know what they look like.
I’d been dying to use the sparkly, sequined, chunky yarn ‘Galaxy’ from Rico when it first came in last year and finally decided to make a hat (no surprises there). It’s fair to say I’m a little bit of a hat lover, obviously since having the shop they now tend to be of the knitted kind, but I love all hats.
My first hat purchase when I was about 13 was a vintage purple hat from the 1920’s which I absolutely adored – not sure what became of it. Since then there have been trilby’s, cloches, flat caps, beanies both bobbled and not,70’s styled huge hats, straw ones, berets and slouchie ones I JUST LOVE EM ALL!
It shouldn’t come as a shock to find out that I love knitting them too, their quick to knit and can be great way to show of the most intricate of patterns or ‘over the top yarns’ that you just wouldn’t make a whole garment in. There also ideal to give as a gift. Every year I think I have enough of them and then the madness sets in and I have to make more……….
So here’s my chunky beret in Rico Chunky Galaxy
Hat Size
To fit the average sized woman’s head, at least I think my head is of average size?
The blue hat is approximately 21cm/8.5″ high, whilst the purple one is 19cm/7.25″
Tension
14 stitches x 19 rows in stocking stitch
Abbreviations
k – knit
p – purl
st(s) – stitch(es)
s1 – slip stitch
k2tog – knit the next 2 stitches together
yf – move yarn forward to front of work
yb – move yarn to back of work
Materials
2 x 100g balls Rico Galaxy Chunky
The purple/green hat only took 1 ball whilst the blue hat used about a quarter of the 2nd ball
5mm & 6.5mm needles
Darning needle
Basket Rib Pattern
1st Row (rs) – Knit
2nd Row – Purl
3rd Row – K1 *s1 purlwise, k1: repeat from * to end
4th Row – K1 *yf, s1 purlwise, yb, k1: repeat from * to end
These 4 rows make up the basket weave pattern
Directions
Using thumb method and 5.5mm cast on 73 stitches.
1st Row – k1, p1 to last st k1
2nd Row – p1, k1 to last st p1
Repeat these 2 rows 2 times more and row 1 once more (you will have worked 7 rows in total)
8th row – k2, m1 to last 3sts, rib 3 (109 sts)
Change to 6.5mm needles and begin working basket weave pattern. The purple hat took 6 sets of repeats and the blue hat took 9 repeats.
Shape crown
Decrease Row 1 – k4, k2tog to end (91sts)
keeping pattern correct work 3 more rows
Decrease Row 2 – K3, k2tog (73sts)
work 3 more rows of pattern
Decrease Row 3 – K2, k2tog (55sts)
work 3 more rows of pattern
Decrease Row 4 – K1, K2tog (37sts)
work 3 more rows of pattern
Decrease Row 5 – K2tog (19sts)
purl 1 row
Final Decrease Row – K2tog (10sts)
Leave approximately 12″ of yarn, cut and thread through remaining 16sts using a blunt tipped darning needle to secure. Sew seam
Leave approximately 12″ of yarn, cut and thread through remaining 8sts using a blunt tipped darning needle to secure. Sew seam.
Ok, so I probably mean suffocate, but you get what I’m trying to say.
As it’s full knitting and crochet season right now it seems like there’s at least one sizable delivery arriving in each week, and to be honest it’s hard work. There’s the lugging backwards and forwards of the sacks of yarn, as most of them still get delivered to the house. Then there’s the sorting, checking and recording of the yarn/patterns followed by what can only be described as a ‘nightmare’: the inevitable task of trying to find space in the stock room. While summer yarns present their own problems – cottons, linens and bamboos are firmer yarns so it’s difficult to squeeze extra on the shelves – in winter the yarns are bulkier, squidgier, and to be honest dangerous.
Today, I was stacking a pile of new yarn behind one of the doors in the stock room (it’s the only space I could find!). There was a protest made, the yarn tumbled down, closing said door, which I promptly banged into while being attacked by the falling yarn?????? Unsurprisingly, I gave in and packed up several sacks of yarn to bring home to store in the stock room here.
In the three huge sacks and one rather large box that I unpacked last week there were loads of goodies from King Cole including:-
Galaxy Chunky
Galaxy chunky is the same great yarn as the double knit version that King Cole released around this time last year but as the name suggests it’s a chunky weight and is available in the six shades pictured. To complement the yarn there are some great new designs, some of which would knit up in next to no time, great for gift knitting. In addition to the Galaxy Chunky we also bought a really lovely sapphire blue in the double knit version.
Sapphire
Sapphire, a beautiful baby yarn also arrived in. As did Glitz which is similar to the sapphire but in more adult/Christmas shades. I assume the red will be quite popular for little people knits. Both yarns have a little lame running through them for that little bit of a sparkle.
Glitz
As you might expect there were new shades in Value Chunky, Wicked, and a few shades in another baby yarn Melody, which is very similar to Sirdar Baby Changes.
Last but not least is the beautiful 4ply Merino in eight scrumptious shades. This yarn has great meterage at 180 metres per 50g ball.
4Ply Merino
I’ll be writing another post over the next couple of days to let you know what’s in the boxes waiting in the hall to be unpacked now!
I’m really lucky I have 3 beautiful children, that make every day special and I don’t mean that in the hearts and flowers sense, more in the ‘count my lucky stars’ way. It’s been a good number of years since I had super small babies of my own and to be honest my womb very rarely nudges pangs of broodiness my way anymore. However, there are exceptions and the new book ‘What to Knit When You’re Expecting’ by Nikki Van De Car is one of those times.
The cover photo hints at what’s to come and expect a rush of ‘ahhhs and oooooooo’s’ to overcome you, whilst your brain tricks you into forgetting all about the sleepless nights, stinky nappies and desperation to talk to any adult as long as they speak ‘grown up’.
There are 28 patterns for simple mittens, baby blankets, hats and sweaters inside according to the cover which in no way explains the delights inside. The designs do include the afore mentioned articles in addition there is a skirt, dress, legwarmers, sleepsack (above) and bloomers. The book is set out under the three trimesters with the patterns (where appropriate), in 3 sizes 0-3months, 3-6 months and 6-12 months.
My favourite patterns in the first trimester section of the book are:-
Summer Sky Blanket
The Summer Sky Blanket is knitted in Blue Sky Alpaca Worsted Cotton which is absolutely gorgeous but an American yarn and therefore difficult to find. The blanket is made using 5mm’s so any standard weight aran yarn should work as a replacement. I quite like the cotton look and would probably use Rico’s Creative Cotton Aran as my substitute.
It goes without saying that the Baby Cosy pictured on the front of the book is particularly divine and is knitted in a chunky weight yarn
In the second trimester section of the book it would be more a case of what I want to knit first.
Autumn Leaves Cardigan
The Autumn Leaves Cardigan is so beautiful and something I’d love in my size. It’s made in a double knit yarn and is super sweet.
Striped Boatneck Sweater
The Striped Boatneck sweater demonstrates how a simple little pattern can have stunning results. The use of double moss stitch on the bands adds great detail and the design lends itself to both girls and boys. Again it’s knitted in a double knit yarn.
Cuffed Trousers
The Cuffed Trousers in double knit are a fabulous addition to every babies wardrobe and the addition of the little tabs makes them super practical for chubby little legs.
(oh god I so need grandchildren – be just my luck they’re allergic to wool?)
Time Flies Booties
The delicate little Time Flies Booties in the third trimester of the book, are so pretty that I’d quite like to display several pairs of them in vintage, candy colours on a shelf. The shelf would be in my imaginary house that is always clean, tidy and organised too.
Maddox Hat
I’m also fond of the little Maddox Hat which is a great design for keeping the chill off babas ears.
Hannah Jacket
My absolute favourite garment in the whole book though has to be the Hannah Jacket. Maybe it’s because I love duffle coats, or it could be the use of an applied I-cord edge or the clean, simple lines of the design. Whatever the reason I think it’s a fabulous little design and would work well for either sex. It would be a great pattern to have in larger sizes as all kids look great in a duffle coat (some adults too).
What To Knit When You’re Expecting is a great buy for those of you that like to knit for babies, or in my case long to.
Confessions of a Fibre Strumpet 