Thoughts on "neckwear"

Well, all the scarves got knitted in time for Christmas. I had planned to pick a favorite and talk about it, but in the end it's hard to select just one. What I really enjoyed was the process of choosing colours to suit each person and working with colours and styles I would never have made for myself. The Lydia would completely overwhelm me but looks fantastic on it's trendy 6'1" recipient. Ice Maiden colours are beautiful, but look best on a blonde, I like working with green, but don't wear it myself ... All the knits are featured on ravelry and I will be adding photos as I receive them.

So instead, I think I'll do some top tips for scarves.

Edge Stitches

1. Edge stitches
They can really make a difference - giving a nice smooth edge, if that's the effect you are after.
On ribbed scarves slip the first stitch on each row (both sides) to give a good effect.
Or try an edge of 2 stiches knitted in garter stitch (knit on both sides) - works with most stitches.

Yarn Striping Itself, Beautifully

2. Self-striping yarns
They turn simple styles into something special - both the knitting process and the finished result. If the pattern is simple I find self-striping yarns keep it interesting - I keep knitting to see what colour will come next and what the effect will be - and then suddenly the whole thing is finished! Plus, each completed knit is slightly different. I wind the self-striping yarns before I knit them, to get an idea of the colour sequence and to decide which end I want to start with. If there are any sections I really don't like I just leave them out and rejoin the yarn.

3. Snoods/cowls knitted in the round

This way they are more versatile and can be worn straight off the needles - no seams required and completely reversible, giving you two effects for half the knitting.

Bias Scarf - with Edge Stitches

4. Knitting on the bias
Produces effective results for not too much extra effort. I find it useful to use a split stitch marker on the right side and to check my number of stitches after approx. every 10th row and then move the marker up. That way if I make a mistake I know how far back I have to unpick (grrrr).
Oh, and it eliminates the need for a swatch. No need to calculate in advance how wide you want it, how many stitches per inch, etc. You just cast on and just keep increasing until you get to a width you like and then you start going straight up.




5. Bigger needles
I find knitting with needles 1-2 sizes larger than the recommended size and using a textured stitch produces a nice light, but "scrunchy" knit. It also makes the yarn go further and requires less knitting.

6. Blocking tip
This is my favourite (you may have already thought of it, but it was my presto! moment). Use a waffel towel for blocking - it gives you a grid to work on and you don't have to keep measuring to make sure it's straight!

Waffle guy in the snow!

Oh, and we still have snow!

Azteca the wool...

I bought this yarn for a few more last-minute knits and really like the shading. Instead of ending up with clear stripes you get small slivers of the lights through the darks and vice versa. It's effective and reasonably priced - a good combination.

And we still have snow!

Why don't I own a hat?

Walking to work through the snow (30 minutes, grinning all the way) I started to feel my ears getting cold - or more accurately stopped feeling my ears - and started to wonder why after over 30 years of knitting I have never knitted myself a hat. I and all around me have jumpers, cardigans, scarves and socks galore, but I have knitted very few hats - several striped baby hats using Debbie Bliss' patterns and the cute kid hat, but that's it. So I'm setting myself a hat challenge for after Christmas - watch this space.

Today's haul



Who will they be for?



Today's haul - all by LANG because my local shop doesn't have NORO and driving conditions aren't great because of the snow.

Stitches in the snow

 

 

The snow continues - so does the scarf knitting!

I have also posted some new projects - all in the snow - on www.ravelry.com.

 

Grande Place and scarf photos

It was a nice cold, but sunny day today - so we grabbed our scarves and went out for a walk. My models photographed beautifully - you can see some of  the results below and others on http://www.ravelry.com/.

Couldn't get close enough to the mannekin pis to put a scarf on him!!



Noro fan pattern on Ravelry

I just posted the pattern for the Noro fan scarf I made for DC on Ravelry. You can find it by going to http://www.ravelry.com/. If you have not already signed up you will have to do so. if you are a knitter I really recommend that you join.

Snow soon?

There's already snow on Vancouver Island and in the North East of England, so I guess it's our turn next. They are forcasting snow for the weekend, so maybe I'll be able to take some photos of scarves and socks outside.

Finally, the light was a little better today than it has been the rest of the week and I was able to take some pictures of the Merino Twist socks I've just finished for my mother. The next thing is to get them sent off and then hope they arrive before the Christmas rush starts.

I loved working with the Merino Twist yarn. It's soft to the touch and knits up beautifully. The pattern was good too. Mock cables are much better than real ones for socks. When you are already knitting with 5-6 needles you don't need another thing to drop!!

First blog!!

So, I've finally done it - created a blog. I plan to post photos and patterns here very soon. :) (smiley face courtesy of my daughter - should  have got her to do the blog too!!)