‘Tis the season of linen and cotton, and so Virginia has finished a couple of summery tops that take advantage of the properties those fibers have to offer.
Gretel
Pattern by cocoknits, this airy top is knit using Habu Cotton Gima.
Pure
Pattern by Kim Hargreaves, this top is knit using Louet’s Euroflax Linen.
As May approaches it feels like Winter is having a hard time letting go, letting the light from the sun warm up the land. We woke up yesterday morning to another couple of inches of snow on the ground. The daffodils, which had been enjoying some previously warm days, were probably as surprised as us.
Maybe “surprised” isn’t the right word. I think “disheartened” is more fitting.
I’m not one for finger pointing, but a certain someone has been knitting several snowflake-themed items recently. And I wonder if, like a rain dance, there’s a power in the act of creating snowflakes out of wool.
This pair of socks is from a pattern by Crissy Gardiner, appropriately called “Snowflake Socks.” Virginia knit these using Smart yarn.
She also finished this sweater, “Adelaide” by Kate Gagnon Osborn in Vintage Modern Knits.
It is knit using Rowan’s Kid Classic in an appropriately winter color palette.
To round things off, this second pair of socks was finished a couple of days ago. It’s “Harika” by Stephanie van der Lind, knit using Gems Merino.
See the theme? Wonder why there is still snow in the forecast? Fortunately, last night she started working on a crochet blanket using the “African Flower” hexagonal pattern, and it seems to be having the right effect. As I write this post, though a bit on the chilly side, the sun is out!
Recently, we both faced large projects in need of finishing — Virginia, a sweater pattern; me, a pound of roving. There were days when it seemed like neither of us would actually finish. But, even with projects that seem to drag the most, there’s always a possibility of finding that nugget of inspiration to push you through to the end (even if what motivates you is just getting it off the dining room table).
Virginia’s project, a pattern in Berocco #228 called “Nopareil,” was knit with some beautiful Blackstone Tweed.
Sometimes projects take on a more generous amount of inertia, making forward progress more of a slush. From what I overheard, this also must have been aided by choices made by the designer, in terms of construction, details and a collar that would not end.
Still, all in all a nice sweater.
My own project was spinning up a pound of roving. If you have been a regular follower of ScratchCraft you may have noticed a drop in the number of spinning-related projects. I have started to kick things back in to gear, but got a little ahead of myself when deciding to tackle a 16 oz. blend of Pygora, Wool, Mohair and Silk.
All told, I spun approximately 1050 yards of 2-ply yarn. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely fiber making a lovely yarn. But, if you aren’t spinning regularly, 16 oz. can feel like it’s taking forever (must be some sort of fiber equivalent of ADHD). At any rate, it’s done, and I think Virginia already has a sweater idea brewing.
My motivation to finish came with the arrival of my installment of fiber from Hello Yarn. This is “Scorch.” I knew that in order to dive into this luscious 4 oz. pile of goodness, I had to free up the spools.
And, now I can — tonight, in fact.
Virginia has been determined to finish off a bunch of projects that have been on the needles for a little while (of course “little while” is a relative term – for me, it might mean months and months, for her, just long enough to start impeding on the creative process). Nevertheless, I’ve hardly had a chance to keep up with the blog posts, so this one will showcase three of the projects most recently finished.
But, before we go in to that, I also want to say thanks for all the encouraging and thoughtful comments and messages re. my last post. I can’t say it enough, it really does make a difference getting through difficult periods knowing there are people who genuinely care about you.
Now, on to the knitting…
These mittens are knit using a combination of Rowan Kidsilk Haze and Fleece Artist 2/6 Merino. The pattern is Theresa Gaffey’s mitten pattern #49.
I’m happy to benefit from so much great knitting. This sweater, Pure and Simple Henley, is made with Misty Alpaca Chunky (it is unbelievably soft, not to mention warm).
For herself, Virginia knit this Kim Hargreaves design (Magnolia, from Rowan Vintage Knits). She used a combination of Kidsilk Haze and Kid Classic.
That’s it for now. There are several more projects lining up in the cue – not to mention a sweater that I’ve been knitting on for almost two years. If I can just finish that button band…
One of the many benefits of being married to Virginia is the resultant product of her prolific knitting. While my own projects seem to languish for years – waiting for a final push – she hesitates not, and makes good on her promises to finish time and again. Most recently, she knit me this:
It’s the Herringbone Sweater, a pattern by Erika Knight in her book Men’s Knits: A New Direction.
The two-color knitting makes for a nice, thick fabric that will keep me warm for winters to come (I’ll have to wait a little while, as it hangs as a shop model at The Yarnery). She used Nashua Knits Julia (a soft blend of wool, alpaca and mohair). Look at all those herring bones. What you can’t really see from this picture is the Herringbone Twill I’m beginning to weave on the ol’ tabletop – yet another distraction to keep me from finishing my own sweater (which sits in a pile in the other room).
As long as we’re making stuff, right?