My Favourite Easy Lace Scarf

September 17, 2012October 13, 2012 LeftFootDaisy4 Comments

I have no idea where the time this week has run away to, I feel even more behind than usual and it’s only Monday? Having promised to post this pattern up a good while ago now I thought I should finally try and get round to it.

I think it is one of the simplest and most effective lace scarf patterns which lends itself so well to lots of different yarns however, I think it looks prettiest in a mohair. Rowan’s Kidsilk Haze is beautiful, but to be fair it is a little expensive. Kid Silk from Austermann is the same great yarn but a little kinder on our ever-suffering pockets.

You Will Need

1 Ball of Austermann Kid Silk

5mm Needles

Darning Needle

Scarf Dimensions (unblocked)

Length 140cm/55″

Width 20cm/7.9″

Tension

There’s no specific tension for this piece – you want it to be looser than you would usually work the yarn. For example if you’re working with a double knit and your tension is usually 22sts on 4mm (average) you would need 5mm’s. The Kid Silk has a ‘haze’ which means it will hold much more than some other yarns, allowing you to use much larger needles than you would do normally.

I have a friend who makes this same scarf but on 8mm’s and it looks really pretty so you can experiment with your needle sizes.

Abbreviations

k – knit

p – purl

st(s) – stitch(es)

ws – wrong side

y0 – yarn over

k2tog – knit the next 2 stitches together

Pattern

Cast on 40sts loosely and work 4 rows in plain knit, this creates the garter stitch border.

1st Row – Knit

2nd Row – Purl

3rd Row – Knit the first 2 stitches, (K2tog) x 3, (yo, k1) x 6, (k2tog) x 6, (yo, K1) x6, (k2tog) x3, knit last 2 stitches.

4th Row – Knit

These 4 rows form the pattern work until scarf reaches your chosen length, remembering to leave enough yarn to knit the 4 rows of plain stitch at the end of your scarf.

Cast off loosely and sew in ends.

By knitting the first and the last 2 stitches on every row the garter stitch border runs the whole way round the scarf.

Block if desired.

As I already mentioned I love this pattern and one of my favourite scarves was made for me by my good friend Sandra. She used exactly the same pattern but knitted with Rico Essentials Cotton DK.

001 — Old Shale Scarf in Rico’s Essential Cotton DK

This version was knitted in Baby Alpaca by King Cole.

Have a play with different weights of yarn remembering to keep your needles at least 1 size larger than the size given for the yarn. We’d love for you to post pictures of your finished scarves up on the Facebook page www.knitinmidleton.com

Happy Knitting!

Knitting, What’s New?

July 4, 2012July 5, 2012 LeftFootDaisyLeave a comment

It’s a disaster again. I just haven’t found as much time to knit as I would have liked this week. Perhaps that’s not strictly true……I’ve signed up to Carol Feller’s KAL Ravi and had been merrily knitting away, when I had some sort of brainwave that resulted in me frogging my work. I’d managed to convince myself that I could hide my wrapped stitches better and set about casting on again. Because if you’re going to do something you should do it right, right?

WRONG. I discovered I had already been working my stitches the right way and after much playing realised it was indeed the best way (for me anyway). My epiphany was anything but and I had ripped three completed wedges out for no reason……..

Undeterred, I have set to work again.

This is Carol’s 100th pattern. The yoke is knit using short rows to shape from the neck down, with the lace band falling at the top of the bust. Stitches are then going to be picked up around the bottom of the lace and worked to form the body and sleeves. The pattern is being released bit by bit. So far we’ve had three parts. The initial download contained information on the suggested yarn and tension, etc. Clue 1 is where I’m at, I have another four wedges at least to do before I have to pick up my stitches. The joy is to come; if I remember correctly it’s some 200 stitches, hence the stitch markers, I’m hoping they help?

Clue 2 has just been released which has the instructions for knitting the body of the cardigan. It looks like there’s a couple of helpful sections on possible modifications, but I might stick to the original as I think it’s lovely. If you’d like more information on the KAL pop over to Carol’s site Stolen Stitches http://www.stolenstitches.com/pattern-shop/cardigans/100th-pattern-kal-ravi/

There’s also a forum for the KAL on Ravelry – http://www.ravelry.com/groups/carol-feller-100th-pattern-kal

My main reason for knitting the cardi is the yarn, I’m trying it out for the for the shop. It’s Cadenza by Colinette and although I’ve knitted with it before, it was some time ago now and it was only a wee little cardi for a baby, so Ravi has given me the perfect excuse. As you can see the colours are beautiful, too beautiful in fact as I’m going to have a nightmare trying to decide which ones to stock. It handles well and has great stitch definition when knitted up (see the pic below of the lace band). It frogs well, as we’ve already established, and it’s 100% Merino. And if that wasn’t enough, the 50g hanks contain a generous 120m. I think it could be a winner.

In addition to Ravi I’ve also knitted a couple more hats for Chernobyl. I’ll post up the pattern I use over the next couple of days. I’ve also been working on a new scarf design for the shop. It’s in Rico Merino Aran, which would probably have to be one of my favourite yarns, and as you can see it’s a reversible cable. Rather spookily, I was sent a similar one last week by Meike for the Chernobyl Children’s Trust collection, which just goes to show nothing is original.

I think you’ll agree it’s looking lovely.

Having said that it’ll look so much better when it’s finished. Knitting anyone?

Help! Where Has My Creativity Gone?

June 25, 2012June 26, 2012 LeftFootDaisy2 Comments

Have you ever had one of those weeks when you just have sooooooo much going on that you just can’t seem to find the time to be creative?

Yes, I have had an extremely busy week; first there was the two assignments that had to be in for Tuesday and two assessments that also took place on Tuesday. A friend was also in hospital so I went to see her – she’s out now thankfully. Apparently it’s OK for a hospital to discharge you and send you home even when they have no idea what’s wrong with you?

Then of course there was the Stash Dash. It worked, I think. Yippee! All the feedback we’ve had has been really positive and I think those that were a little unsure of what it was all about will be better prepared next time. I intend on trying to do two Stash Dashes a year so they’ll usually be a little more seasonal. I had to try very hard not to add to my stash – I’m not sure I have anymore room – I don’t think the odd pack counts. At least one pack of Twilley’s Spirit Chunky may have worked it’s way into my stash. I don’t have to feel guilty though as my friend knits for me (as I can never seem to find the time) and the yarn is earmarked for this rather nice waistcoat/short sleeve cardi.

I’d also become quite stressed over the robe I’d made for the Naming Day ceremony of one of my good friend’s baby. I was pretty sure her and her hubby would like it but you never know. I’d designed it before the baby was born and we were unsure what kind it was going to be. Boy, girl, possibly martian (only because their massive geeks, pretty sure they also won’t have a problem with me saying so either). I’d put off giving it to the proud parents as the truly beautiful Emily was a little dinky when she was born – 6lb 12oz – and the naming ceremony is happening a month earlier than I first thought. They love it though, they really do, and I am over the moon that I got it right and that I could do this for them. It’s so great when a plan comes together (A-Team fans anyone, I mean the real one circa 1980s. Yes, I am actually that old).

The rest of my week has thus far been spent cleaning, tidying, washing, cooking (two hours today – madness) and generally being very non-creative. I have managed to make a delightful little pair of preemie booties, but they’re so small I’m not sure they count. I’ve also knitted the hat in the first picture, to add sizes to the hat design I’ve been using for the Chernobyl Collection.

It’s meant to fit an average woman’s head – proof if ever it was needed that I’m not your average woman!

Hello World!

May 27, 2012June 8, 2012 LeftFootDaisyLeave a comment

OK. Well it’s safe to say I’m not the most organised of people. Actually that could be the first of many understatements, as organised chaos is about as good as it gets for me. That’s why I’ve put off writing a blog for the shop for so long, I’m sure I’ll get distracted, or I’ll forget or worse still my terrible grammar and umpteen spelling mistakes will be revealed. Also I suppose I’ve been a little bit of a coward. The internet can be such a positive place but it can be a bloody awful one too, with people knowingly or not ripping others to pieces and at times, forgetting that there is another person at the end of their post, blog, Facebook update.

Trying to put these concerns as far in the back of my mind as possible it is with trepidation that I’m going to write my first post –

Why a blog then?

Lots of reasons, we have a Facebook page which is a great way of interacting but there’s only so much you can do before you begin to jam up people’s feed. I hope to use the blog as a way of letting you know what we’re up to in the shop: the ongoing charity events that we’re participating in, what we’re stocking, what we’re hoping to stock and what we’re clearing. I’m hoping to eventually do a book/magazine/pattern review section, where I let you in on my knitting porn addiction – I know many of you have the same vice. Anything that’s new in the world of knitting and crochet (although my crochet skills are poor and that’s stretching it some). I also intend to upload my own designs, most of which will be quite basic as I hardly ever have the time to dedicate to this love, despite walking around with a head full of ideas. At present any designs I’ve created have only been available in the shop, so it’ll be handy to have them here in the one place. Lastly, there could also be the odd bit of cooking and/or baking thrown in. I try to bake for the knitting group every week and apart from my ever expanding library of knitting books there is an equally growing collection of cookery books.

Beginning with the shop. It’s called Knit. I couldn’t believe my luck when I discovered that there wasn’t another business with the name in Ireland. It explains the shop beautifully, although we have had the odd customer that expected something else?????

We sell yarn obviously and whilst I’d love to be able to say our premises is full to bursting with premium, designer yarns from around the globe, all hand dyed, 100% natural fibers at give away prices – I can’t. There are so many yarns I love but the reality is that most of us are no longer able to afford them, so I concentrate on sourcing the best yarns I can, whilst keeping in mind the price point. That doesn’t mean we only stock 100% acrylic, but it does mean I spend a lot of time shopping around.

In fairness to the bigger, more well known companies, they’ve realised that there is a revival in natural fibers and they’re really trying to bring good quality yarns to the knitting masses. The larger companies also have the money to invest in pattern design, but they can lack in inventiveness, which is where the independent designers come in.

One thing you will find is that I’m unlikely to stock anything I don’t really like, I’ve tried in the past and it doesn’t work for me. I find I can’t help giving the game away. If I’ve bought something because it looked nice and I’ve got round to knitting up a sample and discovered it’s awful to use it tends to go in one of the clearance baskets

At the moment we stock yarns from Sirdar, Wendy, Rico, Twilleys, King Cole, Opal, Trekking, Sublime and Schoeller & Stahl. There is pattern support to go with all of our yarns in the form of single sheet designs, collections and books. If I find a design I particularly like I will try and ensure I have it in. As I love all things Elizabeth Zimmerman we keep a few of her more well known designs although I’m hoping to eventually convince as many knitters as I can to embrace ‘uninventing’.

We stock needles, hooks and accessories from Knitpro, Pony and some from Clover. We also have most of the other things you’d expect: buttons, sewing thread and accessories, zips, bag handles, the list is endless.

I will leave it at this as I’m conscious i could start to waffle on a little…