Cable Twin Hats

Last December I was asked to knit 2 hats for two sisters. Not twins, but they wanted the same hat: something warm, with cables, with pompom, and that remains steady, doesn't fall down or drapes. 

I thought that the best yarn would be DROPS Nepal, we chose the colors, beige 0206 and blue lavender 6220 (ordered, as usual, from Fiordilana).

I've ordered even these cute circular needles without realizing how short they would be. They are perfect for mitts or leg warmers. 

And then I've started to struggle with my usual problem - choosing the gauge.

After different fall starts with beige yarn I cast on the blue hat with 8 mm needles. On the 3rd skein I was more then sure that I absolutely disliked it. 

So I restarted with beige and 7mm needles. Then I knitted the rib (twice, I think).

And then I worked with the crown of the hat.
How many hours did I spent knitting the first hat? They would be enough for a sweater. 

But if you follow my pattern and have even medium experience in knitting you would need only a couple of days to complete it. 

I never make pompoms and I don't have any special accessory, so I used the traditional method - 2 paper circles. Now I'm going to buy a Knitpro pompom set, as it really saves so much time.

To be sincere, I didn't like all these hats with pompoms, but now as I knitted two of them, I'd like  to knit one for me, with Nepal orange 2920. It will be cute. May be with contrast pompom. 

And here are the twin hats for my friend and her sister. 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cable-twin-hat

Aran or Guernsey?

It’s a long time that I’ve been thinking of knitting a long large scarf with traditional, but not too intricate and too classic aran or guernsey motives. 

One of my favorite yarns is DROPS Lima, which is very soft and makes an even and not too much elastic fabric thanks to wool and alpaca fibers mix. 

Last December I was asked to knit some accessories for my friends, so I've decided to use this occasion and order some "christmas decorations" even for me. As usual, from Fiordilana shop. 

I've been using DROPS yarns for several years and every time I try a new color, it becomes one of my favorite. I didn't like beige, now I like it, I didn't like lavender, now I like it... 

Almost all this yarn is already knitted up, and from time to time I watch this colorful photos and remember how happy a knitter can be. 

Well, after knitting 3 hats and one cowl I was free to start my long awaited project. 

Recently DROPS Lima became a bit thinner then some years ago. I knit very tightly and used to knit with 7 mm needles (like Umbrian Tale hat and cowl, which is soon to be published). 
With new Lima I use 6 or 6.5 mm needles.
I tried some different stitches and chose this combination.  

Is it aran or guernsey? May be non of them… 
For guernsey scarf the DROPS Nepal would be better... and it's already on my mind... Next winter.  
This scarf can be easily transformed into a blanket, adding some pattern repeats. 
You can also use Drops Nepal or any other DK or aran yarn.
You will need approx. 500 gr (1000 m) for the size 45 cm x 186 cm.
I used Lima 9018 sea green. 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/aran-or-guernsey

I like this scarf playing "solo", but it's cold outside, so now I'm working on the matching hat. Made with Lima color 9015 grey.

Starting more WIPs.

Well, the spring has come, the time of aggravation for any knitaholic.

So, I'm starting, let's see... 4 new projects:

- Riyito sweater http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/riyito as I'm fond of wool boxy sweaters. 

- Striped hat for my son as we lost the one I've knitted a year ago http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Natie379/striped-hat

 - Sage cardigan  http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Natie379/sage as I bought a beautiful yellow cotton yarn and it would look nice with some summer dresses. 

- Waffle pillow http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Natie379/waffle-pillow as I promised a couple of pillow covers for my friend who has moved recently in a new apartment. 

Sure the hat and the pillows are more urgent, but I can't help starting even the Riyito which I'll be wearing only next autumn. And the Sage?

Relax sweater

Recently I'm in love with boxy sweaters, especially those that have such particularities which gave them feminine silhouette like bat narrow sleeves. My Mom used to think that such garments are made only for XXL- sized women. To create a kind of "mistery".
There are so many models like Boxy di Jojy Locatelli, True friend by Veera Välimäki or my ultimate favorite Riyito by Carol Feller.
I have a lot of machine knitting yarn which shrinks a lot and it's easier to guess the right size with such less "risky" patterns.
To start I chose "Relax" by Ririco.
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Natie379/relax

I was afraid that alpaca yarn I have is not enough for this project, so I mixed 2 threads of lila and 1 thread of beige Zegna Baruffa cashwool 2/30 yarn. 5 mm needles to obtain the needed gauge, size S.

I only added 1 stitch to the back and front parts to make symmetrical the ribbon pattern.
Taking into the account that the yarn is not elastic I didn't make short rows on the shoulders and cast off the stitches gradually.
The neck was too wide for me, I don't feel comfortable with the garment that makes visible the underwear so I reduced the number of neckline stitches (4 stitches from both sides). I also knitted the ribbon.

After starting the sleeves a began to have doubts about the size, the sweater seemed to be extralarge, better for my Mom then for me,  but after washing it became smaller and I think the size is perfect.

Nice pattern, I'd like to make the same for my cousin and for my Mom... One day(:

Now or never! II

19/02/2016 This sweater was started on March 24 2014. You can see my first steps in this post Now or never!

I always knit several projects at the same time so it took me two months (only!) to complete this project. It came out lovely, beautiful color 4314 (gray violet), I found a beautiful fabric to sew a skirt... 

But there were some obstacles to wear it: I couldn't find the matching pin and couldn't complete the skirt as I was "very" pregnant.  

For now my skirt looks this way. My attempt to repeat the style of 20's.  

Now I'm slim again, I can do without a pin... but I don't have enough time to sew, so I revised my wardrobe and found this nice skirt and shoes and think that together they can go well. 

I was convinced that the short and adherent vintage line wasn't made for me and used to add some positive ease and length to my vintage sweaters, but trying some of them I changed my opinion, so I'll undo the rib of this sweater, cut off the first two pattern repetitions and reknit the rib. 

I think it could be a beautiful outfit for my birthday party. 

There was an error made in the description of the jabot (at least in my copy of the book).
“Inc 1 st at each end of next and 13 following RS rows (54 sts)” should be: “Inc 1 st at each end and decrease 1 st at each beginning of next 13 following RS rows (54 rows)”.

27/04/2016 Finally I my daughter made some photos of me wearing this sweater. Still never presented in public, first time in this post.

Birthday Newborn pull.

One would say: "What a strange name for a sweater...".

Why did I call my Bailiwick Pullover by Courtney Spainhower this way?

I've started it on the 14 or March, 4 days before my birthday, not planning to celebrate this date for the first time of my life, renouncing any present... Except this one, starting a new winter sweater in blooming spring, 9 days before the expected delivery.

I was choosing between 2 colors of DROPS Alpaca: light grey 0501 and pale blue 7120. Maybe the second one was closer to the original the grey one matches perfectly the skirt I have on my mind… mini skirt! 

I decide to knit the rib with 3,25, making the size shown in the magazine. 

The pattern was easy to follow, in one day I made the rib, saddle shoulders and some repeats of Diamond and garter stitch. Only 1 correction: instead of k2tog at the end of set-up row I decreased 1 st in the middle of the row. Just to do it symmetrical. 

The same with Arrows stitch - changed it to place it exactly in the center of the previous stitch pattern. 

Decided to knit the front and back separately, started the bed jacket stitch part. One skein used for the upper front part shown on this photo.

The next day I decided to change the neckline, as the boatneck with larger needles was too large on the shoulders, open shoulders on winter pullover wasn't exactly what I wanted. With the 3,25 needles, at the contrary, it was too narrow, and not having a long neck, I've abandoned this idea. That way I had a feeling of being choked.
I undid the rib,  made the front part of the neck lower (I’ll reknit the rib after having completed the whole sweater). It was rather intricate, but fortunately I didn’t spoil the whole thing. And the front part became the back part, obviously. Surely, I had to interrupt the whole thing for the weeks,  and it was such a pleasure to came back to knitting for such a long absence.  A woman with a newborn child should have an hour for knitting, it’s the best baby blues therapy. 

02/05 Having gone through the worst days of varicella it’s such a pleasure to knit a bit. Even if my hands need more training.

09/06 Started the sleeves… several times. The sleeve was too narrow on the elbow. I didn't feel very comfortable, after making several decreases every 3rd row, continued for every 4th and 5th. It consumed a bit more yarn, but it's OK.
01/07 What a wonderful sweater! It will be my favorite. A little girlish but feminine.
08/01 Now as I'am updating this post I can say that it is really my favorite sweater so far. I still didn't sew the mini skirt, but it looks perfect with jeans. The color is beautiful, the silhouette is rather boxy but being short this sweater looks great, doesn't add any weight and hide the defects you have... or imagine to have.

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New pattern of mine: Fall Colors Poncho and Scarf.

Last night I've finally published on Ravelry  a mini-collection of patterns, including Fall Colors Poncho and Fall Colors Scarf.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fall-colors-poncho

These garments combine romantic lace pattern with modern structured edge which make them suitable for any occasion and any style.

For the poncho I used short rows technique which permits to create the warm garment that follow the body silhouette without adding weight to the shoulders. 

Knitted in one size, both of the patterns can be easily modified adding more stitches or rows.

It also allows you to experience with different yarns.

For the poncho I used mixed Alpaca yarn (Peruanskaya Alpaca, 50% wool, 50% alpaca, 150 m per 50 gr), which gives it especial warmths.

I've knitted different versions of Fall Colors scarf, experiencing with different size of needles and different mixture of yarns. 

There is a one important thing about using yarns for machine knitting - the fabric tends to shrink a lot, so for my ultimate Fall Colors Scarf III  I used 7 mm needles with 6 strands of 2/30 yarn (2 brown, 1 green and 3 senape), which after washing and blocking give the impression of using worsted yarn with 5 mm needles.

In any case, this pattern is universal for any kind of yarn.

Knitting these garments, I was thinking of the fall, my favorite season, rich in colors and sensations. I have always imagined them in different shades of green, orange, brown, the colors of the falling leaves... Fall Colors.

Special thanks to my cousin Vicka for these nice old-fashioned photos.