When I shared my Pyukkleen cowl with you last week, I mentioned I’d do a separate post on choosing colours cos it was a PROCESS. So here I am, about to give you terrible advice for choosing colours when I have zero understanding of colour theory.
Continue reading “How to choose colours for fair isle (when you know nothing about colour theory)”
It’s winter here, which means I have a shit ton of hand knits to share with you. My latest creation is the Pyukkleen cowl, from Ysolda Teague’s Knitworthy. I’ve knitted so many garments from Knitworthy now that it has its own tag, and Ysolda patterns make up the bulk of my knitted projects. What can I say, I know what I like. Continue reading “Pyukkleen”
Now that winter has well and truly arrived, I’m enjoying being snuggled up inside with my knitting. I’ve already shared some garments I knitted last year (Bronwyn and Strokkur), so here are my knitting plans for this winter.
You’d be right in thinking I spent most of this summer knitting hats. I tend to knit all year round, and hats are so much easier to manage when a full jumper swelters in your lap and even the thought of wearing wool makes you feel overheated.
Continue reading “Ljós Hat, and woollen vs worsted spun yarns”
I’ve finished my first Fair Isle project, Saudade! In my last post, I mentioned I’d been struggling to achieve consistent tension as a beginner to stranded colourwork. You guys assured me I was on the right track with my technique of spreading and holding in place the stitches on the right needle before knitting on the left with a new colour, and that any imperfections would come out in the wash.
I gave you a sneak peek of my Solas hat in my Indie Pattern Month post – now here is the full review. Solas is an unusual design and one that didn’t catch my eye when it was first published for Ysolda Teague’s Knitworthy 3. But as I was in need of beanies this winter and wanted to experiment with different styles, I figured I’d get my money’s worth from my Knitworthy purchase and give it a go.
The title says it all really! After participating in and thoroughly enjoying The Monthly Stitch Indie Pattern Month’s “New to Me” and “Hack It” challenges, I figured I could make use of the “Indie Royalty” theme, in which you create an entire outfit from indie patterns, to knock a few garments out of my queue and sew up some stash. Of course, it wasn’t until I was part way through sewing for the challenge when I realised that the fabrics I thought I had stashed deep in my wardrobe were pretty much non-existent.
Thanks to a few quick trips to Spotlight, I completed the challenge, and had a lot of fun doing so! The patterns I used were: Named Esme Maxi Cardigan, Named Helmi Tunic Dress (are you noticing a theme?), So Sew Easy Custom-Fit Leggings, and because I’m a smarmy overachiever, I even knitted my hat (Ysolda’s Solas in The Fibre Co. Arranmore – I’ll review that another time). Continue reading “The “What Have I Got Myself Into” Outfit – Indie Pattern Month 2017, Indie Royalty”
Knitting colourwork has never been my strong suit. Besides my complete inability to choose cohesive colour schemes, the technical skills involved in stranded knitting and intarsia always seemed beyond me. Recently, I’ve decided to challenge myself and take on a colourwork project to broaden my skill set.
The pattern that tempted me was Ysolda’s Saudade. With a traditional Fair Isle pattern and the colours already selected for me in a kit in her shop, it seemed the perfect way to dip my feet in.
When my beloved Peter Alexander slippers hit the dust this summer, I decided to try my hand at making my own. My previous attempts at crafted slippers were not at all successful – I’d crocheted some slippers a few years back, which remain mostly unworn due to the pain of the crocheted fabric cutting into my foot, and the less said about my countless failed sewn slippers the better.
Chronically Siobhan 