On a whim

On Monday the 23rd June, I noticed that the Inside Loop had a 30th June submissions deadline. Perfect! I thought. I'll just whizz up a simple design idea and send it along and see how things go. One week is plenty of time to think of an idea. So last week, my sister, Elfyn, and I went shopping to the lovely Barsleys in Paddock Wood and bought the only nice yarn in the shop. Seriously, it's so fabulous even having a department store with a yarn section nearby that I spend ages just looking at this one yarn and designing in my head with it. We bought enough for two of the design and for fun enough for several scarves (more about them another day I hope). I gave Elfyn a brief rundown of my idea and we met up again later to go to KniTWells. We soon discovered that what I had described and what I was thinking of were very different so we had a brief discussion over whose design to use* and some teasing and sulking and then we were ready to cast on. Fast forward to a week later and I have spent the whole day writing up the pattern because the submission isn't just for the idea, it's for the whole thang! So, I'm here in one piece, slightly glassy eyed from being in front of the computer all day. I have my fingers crossed that they'll like it and publish it in August but if not, at least I'll be able to show you lots of photos before then.




*my design, obviously.

A Happy Compromise

I really couldn't get the hand of using two ciculars for sock knitting but really wanted finish the first tiger sock and then put it out of the way while I knit some socks for my friend Erssie. I decided to try knitting using 3 dpns and 1 circular. Overkill? Perhaps, but it worked very well and I'm much happier with it as a technique.




I sat in the garden, listening to the radio, and tried not to blow away. Half of the stitches stayed on the circular needle and the other half were on 2 dpns with the 3rd being used to knit them. Having the circular meant I could easily try the socks on but I didn't have lots of ends dangling all the time. It worked so well, I couldn't resist casting on for the next one.



I cast all the stitches onto the circular and then redistributed them. I do wonder if I'm a little mad. My sister has found a 4th dpn that I left at her house although I left it there again today so I'll have to continue with the half and half method.




The socks are really fun!

Post 100! So tell me, what's the point of blogging...

...if it doesn't help me keep track of my projects.

For example, when did I finish this? And why is it too long?



My finger points to the end of my toe.


And when did I start this?




It is a simple, top down, stocking stitch heel flap sock. I've no what I'm doing with the toe. I took it to KniTWells two weeks' ago.




I lost some more needles so tried learning to use two circulars but I don't like it. I don't like magic loop either but fortunately my sister found one of my needles. I won't buy ebony ones again, I think I lose them as they're so difficult to see.

Is this working?

Hello, this is a bit of an experiment with uploading pdf to the blog.

Noblin Design - Summer Nights - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: Noblin Design - Summer Nights

Old magknits patterns

I had a lovely surprise on Ravelry today when I found people had knitted some of my Breakfast Bunnies. This kick started me into updating the blog. You can now access the two patterns I had published in Magknits on this blog. I'm also investigating pdf formatting for the patterns as you lose the schematics for Summer Nights on the blog.

I'm home alone for a few days so will be knitting in front of Smallville Season 2 and on ravelry a lot.

Noblin Design - Breakfast Bunny

Pattern for an egg cosy using up odds and ends of 4ply yarn originally featured in Magknits
Designed by Abi Flynn-Jones, 2006


A Noblin design for Noblin Knits

Materials:
Small amounts of 4ply (sock) yarn in cream, pink and black
1 pair of 2.5mm needles
Darning needle

Gauge: 36 sts and 44 rows in stocking stitch on 2.5mm needles
It is not essential to achieve the exact gauge for this pattern. It is written to fit a medium hen’s egg.

Abbreviations:
k knit
p purl
sl1 slip one purlwise
RS right side
WS wrong side
Stocking stitch knit right side rows, purl wrong side rows

Decreases:
k2tog knit two stitches together
SSK slip two stitches individually knitwise, return them to the left needle then knit them together through the back of the loops
Psso pass slipped stitch over

Instructions for egg cosy

Body:
Cast on 50 stitches using 2.5mm needles and pink yarn

Row 1: k1, *k1, p1* rep to last st, k1
Row 2: p1, *p1, k1* rep to last st, p1
Rows 3 and 4: Repeat rows 1 and 2

Change to cream yarn
Row 5: Knit
Row 6 and all even (WS) rows: Purl
Rows 7 – 14: Repeat rows 5 and 6 four more times

Decrease section:
Row 15: k1, (k2tog, k12, SSK) three times, k1 44 sts
Row 17: k1, (k2tog, k10, SSK) three times, k1 38 sts
Row 19: k1, (k2tog, k8, SSK) three times, k1 32 sts
Row 21: k1, (k2tog, k6, SSK) three times, k1 26 sts
Row 23: k1, (k2tog, k4, SSK) three times, k1 20 sts
Row 25: k1, (k2tog, k2, SSK) three times, k1 14 sts
Row 27: k1, (sl 1, k2tog, psso) three times, k1 8 sts
Row 29: k1, (sl1, k2tog, psso) twice, k1 4 sts

Break off yarn and pull through remaining sts

Sew back seam and weave in ends


Ears: Make two
Cast on 16 sts using cream yarn
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Purl
Rows 3 and 4: Repeat rows 1 and 2

Row 5: k10 in cream, k3 pink, k3 cream
Carry the colour not in use behind the work
Row 6: p3 cream, p3 pink, p10 cream
Continue working the pink stitches with pink yarn and the cream stitches with cream yarn
Rows 7 – 14: Repeat rows 5 and 6

Row 15: cream: k1, SSK, k3, k2tog, k2
pink: sl1, k2tog, psso
Cream: k3 12 sts
Break off pink yarn
Continue using cream only
Row 16: Purl
Row 17: k1, (SSK, k1, k2tog) twice, k1 8 sts
Row 19: k1, (sl1, k2tog, psso) twice, k1 4 sts

Break off yarn and pull through remaining sts

Sew seam and weave in ends

Attach ears to body

Embroider face as in the picture

Attach a pompom tail to the back seam

Noblin Design - Summer Nights

Click here to download the pdf including schematics

A shaped cardigan with flattering vertical stripes, worked in Colinette Giotto. It has shimmer and colour depth and knits up quickly. Short row shaping is used for waist and bust shaping. There is no shoulder shaping.

A Noblin design for Noblin Knits

Materials:

Colinette Giotto 5(5,6,6) 100g hanks

8mm needles

Darning needle

Brooch/Belt if desired

Gauge: 12 sts and 16 rows to 10 cm (4 inches)

Abbreviations:

k knit

p purl

sl1 slip one purlwise

yf yarn forward

yb yarn back

RS right side

WS wrong side

M1 make 1 by working into the bar between stitches

k2tog knit two stitches together

p2tog purl two stitches together

tbl through back of loop/s

st-st stocking stitch

To prevent holes forming during the working of short rows, the technique of wrapping the next unworked stitch is used. The instructions are written out in full (e.g. yf, sl1, yb, turn). On subsequent rows, the wraps will need to be worked at the same time as the stitch. To do this, slip the stitch to the right needle, insert the tip of the left needle into the wrap, slip the stitch back to the left needle. There are now two stitches on the left needle. I use k2tog on knit rows and p2togtbl on the purl rows. The nature of the yarn means that any missed wraps are not that noticeable.

Pattern

Back:

The back is created using a repeated panel. The panel begins with plain st-st section then has ten shaped rows. This panel is repeated 6(5,5,5) times. The st-st section is repeated to finish, although the number of rows is altered slightly in the larger sizes.

Panel Instructions:

Section A: St-st

Row 1: sl1, Knit to end

Row 2: sl1, Purl to end

Repeat these two rows 3(4,5,6) times.

Section B: Shaping

Row 1: sl1, k9(11,13,15), yf, sl1, yb, turn

Row 2: sl1, purl to end

Row 3: sl1, k5(7, 9, 11), yf, sl1, yb, turn

Row 4: sl1, purl to end

Row 5: sl1, knit to end

Row 6: sl1, p31(33,35,37), yb, sl1, yf, turn

Row 7: sl1, knit to end

Row 8: sl1, p27(29,31,33), yb, sl1, yf, turn

Row 9: sl1, knit to end

Row 10: sl1, purl to end

Cast on 58(62,66,70) sts

Work Panel instructions 6(5,5,5) times.

Repeat Section A Rows 1 and 2 a further 3(6,4,3) times.

Bind off.

Right Front:

The right front is created using a repeated panel, in the same manner as the back. It has extra shaping for the bust. The panel begins with plain st-st section then has twelve shaped rows. This panel is repeated 3 times. The st-st section is repeated to finish.

Panel Instructions:

Section A: St-st

Row 1: sl1, Knit to end

Row 2: sl1, Purl to end

Repeat rows these two rows 3(4,5,6) times.

Section B: Shaping

Row 1: sl1, k31(33,35,37), yf, sl1, yb, turn

Row 2: sl1, purl to end

Row 3: sl1, k27(29,31,33), yf, sl1, yb, turn

Row 4: sl1, purl to end

Row 5: sl1, k21(22,23,24), yf, sl1, yb, turn

Row 6: sl1, p8(9,10,11), yb, sl1, yf, turn

Row 7: sl1, knit to end

Row 8: sl1, p9(11,13,15), yb, sl1, yf, turn

Row 9: sl1, knit to end

Row 10: sl1, p5(7,9,11), yb, sl1, yf, turn

Row 11: sl1, knit to end

Row 12: sl1, purl to end.

Cast on 58(62,66,70) sts

Work Panel instructions 3(3,3,3) times.

Repeat Section A once more.

Bind off.

Left Front:

The left front is created using a repeated panel, in the same manner as the right front but the shaping is reversed.

Cast on 58(62,66,70) sts

Panel Instructions:

Section A: St-st

Row 1: sl1, Knit to end

Row 2: sl1, Purl to end

Repeat rows these two rows 3(4,5,6) times.

Section B: Shaping

Row 1: sl1, k9(11,13,15), yf, sl1, yb, turn

Row 2: sl1, purl to end

Row 3: sl1, k5(7,9,11), yf, sl1, yb, turn

Row 4: sl1, purl to end

Row 5: sl1, k44(48,52,56), yf, sl1, yb, turn

Row 6: sl1, p8(9,10,11), yb, sl1, yf, turn

Row 7: sl1, knit to end

Row 8: sl1, p31(33,35,37), yb, sl1, yf, turn

Row 9: sl1, knit to end

Row 10: sl1, p27(29,31,33), yb, sl1, yf

Row 11: sl1, knit to end

Row 12: sl1,.purl to end

Work Panel instructions 3(3,3,3) times.

Repeat Section A once more.

Bind off.

Sleeves: Make 2

The sleeves are ultra wide and loose. If you prefer narrower sleeves, work the increases on every other repeat only, increasing to 48 stitches only.

Cast on 36 sts

Rows 1 and 3: Knit

Rows 2 and 4: Purl

Row 5: k1, m1, knit to last two stitches, m1, k1

Row 6: Purl

Work rows 1 – 6 twelve times 60 sts

Row 73: Knit

Row 74: Purl

Repeat rows 73 and 74 a further 7 times

Bind off

Finishing

Block to measurements.

Sew shoulder seams.

Attach sleeves.

Sew side and sleeve seams.

Iron the seams if you dare.

Wear with joy.

Thank you, Dad and Mum

 

Thank you for taking me to see Indiana Jones IV at the cinema, eating ice cream with me and laughing as loudly as I do.

Thank you for buying me apple juice when all my siblings drank orange.

Thank you for feeding me spaghetti hoops when all my siblings ate beans.

Thank you for encouraging me to eat beans anyway.

Thank you for believing I could go here and do this.

Thank you for lots more things, everything and nothing.

Broadband and a desire for a blocking board

Knitting and chaos all over a dirty carpet? That must mean blocking.  I'm knitting a jumper in Fyberspates dyed DK yarn. It is crunchy and lovely and I think it is BFL.  I should probably know these things but right now it doesn't feel important as I am so close to making myself a lovely light weight jumper in happy inducing green.

 

Do you like the blocking process? I find that now I have some extra tools (blocking wires, plant spritzer, 1 billion pins) that it is easier but I've decided a proper blocking board with a marked grid for lining up all the bits that should be aligned is very important.  I bought a  notice board (pin board) that is 60cm by 90cm and showed it to my sister.  She has a recipe in a crochet book for making a blocking board which requires quilters' wadding and fabric to cover it so watch this space.

Special Guest - Elfyn crochet cardigan

 

My sister has recently caught the crochet bug.  She could barely believe it that she managed to make herself a whole cardigan in not much more than two weeks (delays involved due to running out of yarn).

 

Isn't it wonderful? It's from the Happy Hooker.

 

I have been working on the house and getting my life sorted out. This includes getting my eyes tested and new glasses, buying storage type things for my house, tidying my house, watering the garden, trying to get my knitting patterns published, trying to officially qualify as an accountant, finding an alternative to shaving my legs as doing it in the shower leaves me with lots of stubble and rashes.

 

Here you can see my new glasses and almost see my rainbow eyeshadow.

 

We went to a wedding last week and although I'm not a fan of weddings (brings back bad memories!) I do quite like putting on loads of makeup. I'm a bit disappointed it doesn't show more. 

 

I'm still borrowing the wireless connection from next door but hopefully we'll get proper broadband soon. Maybe I'll start looking for a real job...