Roll on the Knitting. . .

I haven't blogged about my knitting for a while (too busy knitting, really), but when I look back over the last couple of months, I'm quite proud of all that I've completed.

Back in September, I was test knitting this Maranta Tee , designed by Sonja Bargielowska.  It was a fun construction whereby the back is wider than the front and so the colour wraps around and peeks out from the side seams.  I didn't have enough of one colour to knit the back in a solid, so I striped it which I think works well with that wrap-around effect.  The revelation with this project was how absolutely gorgeous John Arbon's Devonia 4ply is to knit with.  Oh my, this blend of three sheep breeds is so rich in colour and depth and  Pollen Gold is absolutely my favourite shade of mustard.  I knit the back in two shades of Blacker's Tamar 4ply.  I am very happy with the fit on this but I have to reknit or possibly crochet the sleeve cuffs; I've picked up too many stitches and they look floppy.

If you haven't yet seen a copy of the new book Strange Brew from Tin Can Knits then check it out immediately!  What a fabulous resource to add to your knitting library.  It teaches you how to completely design your own yoked sweater in several different yarn weights, and if you don't fancy that, there are several patterns for some absolutely gorgeous sweaters.  I couldn't wait to cast on Mountain Mist in several shades of Cascade 220 Heathers from deep stash.  Such a quick and easy knit and I have my eye on several other designs as well.  Plus, the photo shoot was in Iceland so it's a stunning book to look at too.

Last month also saw most of the knitting done on Stephen West's Mystery KAL. This shawl is called Texture Time.  It has brioche, latvian braids, and some lace and was an incredible shawl to knit from beginning to end. It's also made me fall a little in love with combining mohair among other firmer yarns.  West is a genius - I think this is a very art deco looking type of shawl and was again a great stashbuster.  I knit mine in laceweight instead of the 4ply the pattern called for, but as you can see, it's plenty big enough.

Sometimes it's nice just to have a quick weekend project.  I whipped up this cute Momo hat, designed by Jen Arnall-Cuilliford,  mostly while watching Grand Prix figure skating for several hours.  It uses a technique called helical knitting to avoid those colour joins when knitting in the round.  This is quite a bright colour for me, but I have an equally bright winter jacket that this should be perfect for. I may still add a pom pom. 

And I finished this just a few days ago.  This is Doocot by Kate Davies but looks very different from the original cropped sweater that she designed.  As it was knit top-down, I knew I could customize it easily enough. I added about five inches to the length and added a contrast colour for the hems and cuffs. I love the yarn I used - the body is knit in Fras from Uist Wool.  It has all these threads of darker Zwartbles wool just randomly woven into the white Cheviot for this striated effect.  The contrast colour is Countess Ablaze English Gentleman 4ply, held double.  It was left over yarn from my Rubrication shawl.  The fit is perfect - enough ease to layer up, but so cozy and warm. I am going to live in this sweater over the winter.

And I have a few wips (as always) in the project bags.   Continuing my fascination with mohair, I've started the Birds of a Feather shawl by Andrea Mowry.  I'm loving the delicacy of both fabric and colour against the rustic hebridean chocolate of Daughter of Shepherd's 4ply. 

And when a co-worker walked in with a shop-bought sweater, covered in an all-over pattern of textured squares,  I knew I had to cast on for something similar.  I am nearly finished with the back of the Eleanor Cardigan, designed by Francesca Hughes.  I am using three really yummy, woolly yarns for this project.  The red is Ullcentrum 2ply which I bought from Midwinter Yarns at the Perth Wool Festival.  The blue is from Wensleydale Longwool and has been in stash for years. And the mid-brown is Exmoor Zwartbles DK from John Arbon. 

Bring on winter!