April | 2008 | Anna Bright designs

29/04

What to make next?

I’ve got some beautiful pale pink Rowan Purelife, but I’m not too sure what to make with it. Browsing on Ravelry I’ve found a number of patterns that I love for this weight of yarn. Here are my favourites (not in any particular order):

1. Lace cardigan from Vintage Knits by Sarah Dallas. Knitted by akochicraft. I’ve got this book, and there are lots of gorgeous patterns in it. I love either knitting from vintage patterns or, as in this case, from someone else’s interpretation of them.

2. Leafy lace cardi, by Soobeoz, a designer on Ravelry. Such a cute design, and the deep ribbing and tie-waist are both very flattering.

3. Eyelet chemise, from Interweave knits. This one is knitted by Katewillknit; she lengthened both the skirt and the bodice which I think works really well. So pretty!

4. Drops Lace Cardigan. Made by Tanja. I like how this is still cute and lacey but is a bit more modern than the others I have picked.

5. Cece cardigan, from ChicKnits. There is a longer and a shorter sleeved version – this is the longer one.

Clearly I am going to be making a lace cardigan! I think the reason I find it hard to decide what to make sometimes is that I know that the styles that I like aren’t always the best for my body shape. My waist is quite small but my bust is unnecessarily large. So the Drops Lace and Cece cardigans, cute though they are, probably fasten in about the worst place for making me look like a buxom pudding lady. Soobeeoz’s Leafy Lace cardi, on the other hand, is a style that I know flatters me, having made similar shaped things in the past.

Decisions, decisions…

28/04

Finished object: Clementine shawl

Pattern: Clementine Shawlette, from Interweave Knits, Spring 2007

Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk dk in Ruby, 3.5 skeins.

Needles: 3.5mm

Notes: I added two extra pattern repeats to make the shawl wider (I hate having a cold back!)

What you can’t see on these photos is that my hands and hair are covered in paint from spending the weekend decorating!

27/04

Busy weekend!

It’s been a really busy weekend. Here are some of the things we’ve done.

Decorating our front room:

Thinning out seedlings:

And knitting:

26/04

Kitchener grafting; fiddling and fudging…

I’ve read quite a few comments while making my Clementine shawl about the difficulties of grafting. There are loads of tutorials on t’interweb about how to graft knitted pieces together. My favourite is the one on Knitty.com. It has great photos and a really clear explanation, and is the one I use whenever I need reminding how to graft. Like so much about knitting however, getting it right is not just about the technique. With grafting, I find that following the instructions is just the beginning:

The sample above, knitted in the Clementine lace pattern, has been grafted correctly, but looks pretty rubbish. The right side is much too tight, and the left is too loose. It’s hard to get the tension right while grafting; I find the key is to go back and fiddle with the tension afterwards to make the sewn-in yarn look just like the other stitches.