April 2004 Archives

Well what a glorious day today turned out to be - just how the forecast said it would be.

I had my first barbecue of the year today, second for David, as he tried out the new barbecue yesterday whilst I was working at the office!

After eating I sat and knitted a few rows of David's bottle green 4 ply jumper and am almost at the armholes, I have a couple more cm to do. I will leave the back to rest at the armholes and start the front.

Then this evening I sat and finished the second side of my Debbie Abraham bag - SPACED OUT. I now have to do the side gusset and strap but shall cast that on another day. Tomorrow I am going to a Debbie Abraham workshop at Rowanette Sheelagh's shop - The Yarn House. Rowanettes Jill Richards and Jacinta are also going. So now you know why I had to finish the second side of the bag - so I could take it with me for Debbie to see. It really does have a lovely texture with the moss stitch, stocking stitch and also the coloured circles. I still need to get some material to line it with,

I shall also be taking David's jumper to knit in the car and with 4 hours travelling there and back that is a few inches knitting if you follow Polly.

The 4 ply jumper continues to grow.

4 ply jumper

I am doing the jumper in plain stocking stitch but following the pattern for Elton from a Jaeger book - Men's collection published earlier in the year to get the measurements. The size I am doing is for a 42 inch chest which comes out actual size 49 inch chest. I bought 11 balls of yarn and have just started my 3rd ball.

Polly has certainly given me a nudge on this project. She is currently pacing at 1 - 1.5 inch an hour and gaining on me. I had better go off and do my 3 inches for the day!

I do have a bag to carry this project around in and it happens to be one I knitted.

knitted bag

Some of you may recognise this. It is a design by Kim Hargreaves and was a week-end project from Rowan which was given as a free gift with the Rowan annual subscription a few years ago. This is the first free gift I have knitted up. It is knitted in handknit dk cotton.

My husband has been waiting a long time for a jumper knitted by "moi". He oftens reminds me how his mum used to knit him jumpers and when he married me she thought I would take over and continue to knit for him

Anyway.....

Some of you may recall I started knitting Bold Stripe from Book 30 which is knitted in kid classic and rowanspun 4ply.


Here is my basket of yarns ...

... and the jumper

Well last Friday was my 10th wedding anniversary and quite rightly David mentioned I have now been waiting more than 10 years for a jumper so I picked this up again and actually finished the back on Friday evening.

Back in February was David's birthday and about 2 weeks before I had a spur of inspiration and thought I know I will knit David a jumper for his birthday so off to John Lewis I went and bought some Jaeger 4ply wool in a bottle green. I thought if I do a plain stocking stitch it will knit up in no time - 4 ply is a lot of knitting - 175 stitches on 3.25mm needles.

The birthday came and went - no jumper.

Easter came and went - no jumper

Each of these times I thought it is ok there is another occasion shortly - the last one being the 10th wedding anniversary - still no jumper.

Well I now have been challenged by Polly to a race. Polly has started knitting a jumper for James, her husband, in Rowan 4 ply soft.

I am hoping by agreeing to this challenge I get an extension on the peace shawl knit-along.

David will get 2 jumpers as I shall finish both Bold Stripe and the Jaeger 4 ply jumper.

I did mention to Polly that I decided over the week-end I was casting on no more projects until I had finished some - David's jumpers included. Polly sugeested I go take a look at At My Knits End and then reconsider.

My mouse then wandered off to Audrey Knitalong! Doesn't Audrey look good on Maud?

There seems to be something about bags at the moment as I have taken to knitting a couple.

Firstly Debbie Abrahams "Spaced Out" from Rowan book 35.

It has gone from this

to this

The base is a moss stitch rectangle and then you cast on along each side to knit the side panels and the side gusset and strap. Moss stitch is hard work but it does give a lovely texture.

The coloured circles are done in stocking stitch. The yarn used is Rowan handknit DK cotton and I am doing the colour scheme in the book but I do think the colours look prettier knitted up than they do in the book.

There are some buttons to sew on to the finished bag and also some beading to do on the handle. The finished bag is lined but I have yet to work out what to line it with.

And then there is Mexican Stripe by Brandon Mably. This is knitted in Cotton Glace.

Mexican Stripe by Brandon Mably - Progress to date

There are a lot of stitches so they are a little bunched but hopefully you get a feel for the colours. I will even get to use my crochet skills on this one to make the fasten!