Uh Oh! It's a Boyfriend Sweater

Every knitters knows the "Sweater Curse". For those that are unaware it's the breakup that occurs when a knitter makes, then gives a hand made sweater to a significant other (usually a boy/girl friend). Sometimes the gentle click of the casting on is enough to start the knell of the relationship, othersflounder after the sweater is received.

I met Mr Glam in February 2005 and in February 2006 I went away to work for a month on North Uist in the Western Isles. He asked me to knit him a sweater, full of cables and aran and lovely and everything marvellous and I thought that this time apart would be the perfect time to make the start. I bought the best wool from ebay - 10 skeins of wonderfully soft Bluefaced Leicester. It was delivered to the house in Scotland we were staying and I didn't make a start. The wool came back down with me and went through two house moves staying in the bag it came in.

Fast forward to October 2013. That's it seven years later. I had decided to make a serious attempt to sort my stash and came across the lovely BFL at the bottom of a bin bag. Mr Glam, who knows about the Sweater Curse, wondered if I was ever going to knit him the sweater. My reasons for not are not at all connected to the worry that it will end our relationship. It's mostly because I'm lazy and easily distracted and am not great at finishing things. Starting comes easy but finishing is a completely different matter.

But started I have. It's a cabled, seamless, scoop necked sweater knit called Olwen by AndreSue Knits. Mr Glam isn't keen on things being close round his neck so I think that this is going to work. I'm going for the largest size but have also upped the needles size to 5mm for the ribbing and 5.5mm for the main part. And boy is it a fast knit. This is it after 4 days.

Yes, I know there is a mistake on the cable. Or rather there was a mistake on the cable, I just dropped down the stitches and it now flows as it's meant to.

CraftBomb is a Go!

A couple of weeks ago I posted that I would love to be involved with the first National CraftBomb being organised by Voluntary Arts Week and even had a location in mind. I thought the Upper Chapel Yard in the centre of Sheffield would be ideal so duly wrote to them. They got back and although they loved the idea, the Chapel was being used for weddings and having knitted bits on the statutes might not be what the parties would want.

I hadn't even thought that the yard would be used for other things (doh) so went on the hunt for another place. After wandering round the centre I found a great site just outside of where I work. There is an 'interesting' statue in the centre of the carpark at the Sheffield Technology Park that could do with cheering up so I approached them to ask if some of the Sheffield Knitters could have a go at giving it a going over.

And they said YES!!

So now I am frantically knitting strips of colours and making pompoms using up the acrylic scraps scattered across the house. I'm not sure how many people will be involved so if you'd like to help out, either by making some strips (knit or crochet are equally appreciated) or by helping decorate then get in touch and we can arrange something.

Heel issues

A few weeks ago I was knitting my bus socks and it was coming along in leaps and bounds and I reached the heel turn. It's a short row heel which I don't have a lot of experience with so I followed the instructions in the pattern and although it turns a perfectly good heel I wasn't happy with the results.

I am more used to the top-down heel flap and those socks I have done toe up have tended to have a gusset but not this one. I like a good heel, something that has a nice tight fabric and not holes and I pride myself on not getting holes where the leg and heel join but this heel looked great from the left

But from the right it was just too holey and loose for my taste. (I've slipped it off the needles for the pictures and I know that I am going to re-do it)

So I had a hunt round at work to see if there was a way of doing the same heel without the loose holes - which I fully admit is probably more to do with my technique that the heel itself (and certainly not the pattern) and found this: Cat's Sweet Tomato Heel. It's amazing and I loves it.

 The wedges make a great heel and you can add another if you have mega huge heels but most people seem to be able to get away with doing 3 - like I have. Cat Bhordi is an amazing knitter and to have devised a heel that works so well is fabulous.

 

It is officially my favourite heel (with the possible exception of a truly amazing gusset and flap)

Wednesday Work

So this week has been a bit of a slow one and instead of my usual three (or more projects) I have only been working on two.

 First is my Wingspank. It is now up to seven triangle and I think that I will stop at nine so I finish on a garter stitch block.
I've been playing with the idea to add some button holes to the final triangle (just simple yarn overs) to help it stay on but can't quite make up my mind.
I like the way the stripes have turned out and this yarn suits the pattern well. I was a bit worried that it wouldn't get worn this spring but it's taken a cold step this week so I might get some use from it before the summer.

I have also been working on my Sugar Cube Sock design. This is a double knit sock to make it nice and quick. I was planning for it to be a toe up beginners sock with a simple purl/knit motif but have realised that I need a bit more experience at toe up socks.
The foot went well and I worked out how far to go before starting the heel turn but then it got a bit messy and didn't quite work. Also the original design had a moving block across the top of the foot but unless it matched my foot size the block wouldn't have been in the correct place to take the slipped stitch up the front of the sock.
Now I have redesigned it to be a cuff down sock and think that it's working out much better.

CraftBomb, Craftbomb. I wanna Craftbomb

"What is this?" I hear you say.

It's being organised by Voluntary Arts Weeks and is a showcase for creativity in the arts and crafts. This year they are planning on launching the week with an explosion of colour with the National CraftBomb.
And I want to be part of it. A group of Sheffield knitters are up for it and we are currently looking for a venue. A place that we'd really love to decorate is the amazing bronze statues in the Upper Chapel Yard.

 How about this lovely, but chilly, looking lady wearing a warm scarf and gloves? Or even a multicoloured coat?

Or a bright dress for this beauty?

She wears a lovely scarf and hat, but how about giving her a warm woolly?

I'm going to ask the Upper Chapel and see what they say and if you want to get involved with the Sheffield knitters and our CraftBomb project drop me a line and I can send you the details or alternatively if you'd like to hold an event in your own town why not download the pack from the link above.

Wednesday Wonders

Like many knitters I'm never satisfied with having just one project on the needles at a single point in time. There have been times when I got rampant cases of cast-on-itus. No wool was safe and it was caught and made into something. Well I say caught and made into something but in reality I would work on if for a few days then bury it and forget about it. Nothing really got finished and now I am beginning to find the corpses of long forgotten projects as I start to tidy my house.

To help me stay motivated and to keep those things I am working on in the forefront of my mind, I thought that it would be fun to show what I'm working on and if I can manage it, I'm going to try and update this every Wednesday. I also managed to pick up a great 1950s vintage side table that sits next to me and holds my current projects and the bits and bobs that every knitter needs

To start with: these are my bus project - something to keep me amused on the way too and fro to work or if I'm stuck in a queue and am bored. The pattern is Ash Socks by Jenny Blackburn and are available as a free download through Ravelry. I've already done the partner and am just onto the final bit of the foot and then the toe.

They are a good mindless knit with little sections of ribbing along the leg. At the moment they look a bit innie and outie but I think they will fit very well.

The yarn is Regia Design Line Kaffe Fassett and although I don't really like the colours, they are just socks.

Then we have my test knit project for Remily Knits. This is Mezair Beaded Lace Shawlette and it's fun to work on but I've had to keep my wits about me. It a crescent shaped shawlette with a lovely beaded edge and a fish like motif in the border.

The yarn is Regia Creativ and I'm not entirely sure that the colour works but it's difficult to know for sure until it's finished and blocked.

Finally I have my Wingspan which has been incredibly popular on Ravelry and it's no surprise why. This is adaptable to any weight of wool and can be as long as you like, you just keep adding triangles.

Mine is being done as the KAL with the Sheffield Knitters group on Ravelryand several people have already finished theirs (and they look wonderful). I've been sitting on this and haven't really done that much but with my other 2 project so close to being completed, I'll probably pick it up in a day or two and carry on.
This is made from Rowan Tapestry and I am alternating the triangles from garter stitch to stocking stitch.

 And that's it, for the moment. Oh, I know that I have other things dotted about the house: 2 blankets that seem to be endless WIP but they will get tinkered with over the next few months or year so I won;t forget completely about them

Quick to Knit Cardigan

At the beginning of the year I joined in with the All Things Vintage group on Ralvery for a Knit Along (KAL). We had a choice of several categories and within that several items as not everyone wanted to knit the same sweater or cardigan.

The choices for the clothing category was either a striped sweater from 1955 or a cardigan from the early 1950s. I went for the cardigan partly because I had yarn in my stash and partly because I thought that it would be easier to up-size it from a 38" bust to a 42". The tension came up slightly larger than recommended so I figured that it would work. It was meant to be 6 stitches to 1" and I got 5.

I used Sirdar Bonus Aran in a lovely lavender colour - well I think that it was bonus aran as I bought it unbanded in two 400g balls for the grand total of £4.99. Whatever it was, it worked really well producing a nice fabric that was not rigid and is just perfect for that awkward time between winter and spring.

It knits up very quickly and I really enjoyed making it despite stalling on the top of the second sleeve for near on a month. And this was the first project that I have actually had to sew up in a long time. I dreaded it but again it didn't take long and looks grand.

I chose some lovely red buttons which contrasts nicely with the purple and makes it look a bit more vintage (I think) and it's great to wear.

It might look a bit short but the style of sweaters in the early 1950s is for garments that showed off the waist so this fits perfectly into that genre of garments. I did notice that the upper art of the sleeves came out a little large but I think that was entirely from knitting it in aran weight wool rather than double knit and I'm not going to be frogging them so it is now a design feature.

It's now inspired me to knit more vintage patterns and I know that I am larger than many of them are designed for but this has given me an insight into what to watch out for net time round and I also know that I have experience of many vintage knitters should I get into a pickle.

MSF, Somalia and p/hop raffle

Somalia and its neighbouring countries are in the grips of the worst famine in over 50 years. While tens of thousands of people are suffering from malnutrition, homelessness and lose of their way of life, I have been thinking about what I can do to help. Part of me wants to jump on a plane, go there and help, do whatever I can to solve the problem, but I'm not a weather god, I can't bring rain to a drought ridden country. I can't stop militia groups from using this terrible situation for their own ends. I am inspired though, by the work done by Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) and their commitment regardless of race, religion, gender or political affiliation. They are there in the camps trying to help and do what is needed.

But they need funds to do this.

I'm a practical person and like to find practical solutions to problems and I'm also someone who is not bothered about getting their hands dirty but I cannot go out there and help and with since I am currently unemployed I don't have a great deal of money to donate. But I do have time and I have yarn and I can knit and I can used these skills to do what I can. There is a great organisation called pennies per hour of pleasure or p/hop who have supported MSF for the past few years. It's a great idea. They provide patterns for you to knit for free, you then knit the pattern and donate an amount for the hours of pleasure the pattern has given you. Isn't that fab?

But I want to do more than that. I want you to get involved too. I have downloaded the Trinty Shawlette pattern by Anniken Allis and am currently knitting a bright red version and a rich blue version. These are then going to be raffled (separately) to help raise money. All you need to do is make a donation here for a minimum of £3 (GB) or $5 (US) and send me the receipt to glamgirlknits@gmail.com as well as leaving a comment here saying which version you'd like. The comment here will generate a number that will be entered into the draw.

The deadline for entry will be Sunday 7th August 2001 at 12 noon BST

I'll make the draw via a random number generator on Sunday and announce the winner here and on Twitter. Since this is an international situation, I am holding an international raffle so will post anywhere in the world.

The red version is soft acrylic since not everyone can wear wool which will be steam blocked so that it holds the pattern. The blue version is 100% alpaca.

I've made a start and will be updating my progress every week here and on Twitter

Still Running and knitting

C25K - Week 6 Day 1
2.54 miles nailed

Another day of running today and it well really well. Managed the first block of 5 minutes without stopping although I came close a couple of times. The 3 minutes of walking were fab (really enjoyed that) and my breathing had returned to near enough normal by the time it came to the 8 minute run. That one was a a bit harder as I had to stop and walk a few times, but I only walk for 50 paces then set off again so it’s not like I have a sit down and a cuppa while my breath returns. The second 5 minute run was okay but I hadn’t quite caught my breath during the walking section so I was much slower but hey! I did it.

I have decided that since my legs and arse are getting toned I need to do something about my upper body so am going to start doing a back and body workout on my non-running days. Just a bit of weights and toning things that I can do at home. I have a copy of Matt Robert’s Fit for Life and I like his style and stuff so will hunt through for a routine that suits and start that tomorrow.

One of the things that I am disappointed in is that I am not shrinking nor losing weight. I know that the (non)weight lose is because I am laying down muscle but I’m a bit narked about it. The same goes for my waist measurement - I have put on an inch round my waist (which is a bit annoying) but I think that again it’s due to the muscle under the fat rather than eating too many pies. I’m going to track my food for a week or so to see if I am eating far more than I think I am but I think that I have a pretty good idea of what I eat.

In other news, I have also cracked on with my sock knitting. I haven't been very attentive to my sock knitting and my plans to complete the A to Z KAL on Ravelry has not been looking good but in the past week I have finished one of the M Socks and got a fair way through one of the N Socks. I'll take some snaps and do a post tomorrow.

Knit It Frog it

I have made a shocking decision - I am going to frog many of my ongoing knitting projects because they are not going anywhere. I keep meaning to get them finished off but somehow other patterns catch my eye and I cast on and the oldies are forgotten.

Part of this stems from my stash which whilst not growing too much now is also not shrinking at any rate either.I have loads of lovely yarns (mainly sock wool) but seem to not be using it at all so for the next year I shall not be buying any yarn until I have got rid of most of my current stash.

See I did a clever thing there though because I didn't say I was going to knit with it all, just get rid of it. I shall try to sort everything out and tag it so I know what I have, how much of it and how long it is (thank the small gods for Ravelry) and then decide what I can make from those patterns that I have queued or favourited. Any thing that I know I will never use will either be sold on ebay, ravelry or etsy and then the rest given to anyone who wants it.

Floppy Hat

The summer is trying to make an appearance here in Sheffield but that are many days of cold cloudy weather. Since I have been trying to get my garden ready and planted up with veggies, I realised that I needed a sun hat for those days when the sun actually managed to break through so that the tops of my ears don't get burnt. I have promised myself that I do not need to buy any more yarn so decided that it had to come from my stash and found this double knit cotton that I bought a few years back in Lidl as some knockdown price.

After hunting on Ravelry for all of 5 minutes I came up with the Sunshine and Lollipop design by Alison Reeves and my mind was made up.

From finished things

It's a nice and simple pattern that is well presented and the bonus is that Alison not only gives you the size of an adult but also gives you the instructions on how to make it to fit no matter what size head it's for and even better you don't have to do any of that irritating swatching. I do swatch if it's a garment but for socks, hats, scarves and gloves I really can't be bothered.

I used Zettl Colorado for the main part and some Sirdar Snuggly Babay Bamboo for the band and the underside of the brim on 3.75mm needles. I don't really like the colourway of the Colorado but since I'm not going to see it I really don't care. Once it was finished I realised that I should have gone down a size in needles as it was a bit loose and not have made the sides so long but there was no way I was going to rip this back. Anyway I now have a slightly silly floppy hat that will keep the sun from my ears.

The Clap and Cream

I have been shockingly industrious in the past couple of weeks. Finishing 2 things and now half way through a pair of socks - what is the world coming to?

So first things first. I have done a Clapotis by kate Gilbert. Yes, that seemingly ubiquitous wrap/shawl/scarf that is much loved on Ravelry with 14824 started projects and 11411 finished articles. Well it has another to add to the list.

From finished things

It was made for my sister as she loves big scarves and this completely fitted. The end product finished up being about 20" wide slightly stretched and about 70" long. I forgot to measure it but that's roughly how big as I soft blocked it on a yoga mat I have around.

I used some Silk Garden Lite that I bought from Hejhog and used about 5.5 balls or 748 yards. The pattern was a doddle and for those that are slightly in awe of it I'd say jump on right in there and don't look back. Basically it's just knitting and purling with the occasional dropped stitch. make sure that you have enough stitch markers and you'll be well away.

My second finsihed marvel is this very cute semi-circular shawl Citron by Hilary Smith Callis.

From finished things

I got the yarn from a charity shop ages ago, never quite sure what I wanted to make with it. This worked really well.

The pattern is easy to follow (as are all of those that I have tried from Knitty) and it really clicks along at a fab pace. As the shawlet grows it takes longer to wind from one side to another but funnily enough you always get to the other side. I chose to used Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off when casting off and it works well as it allows that fab crinkly edge a place to run free.

Green and Lumpy

This shows what a bad blogger I have been over the past few months - I finished this sweater in January and have only just got around to prattling about it.
So, Ta-Da!!!! What do you think?

The pattern is Cathode by Stefanie Japel and was in Knitty Winter 2004. The main body is knitted on 8mm and the ribbing on 3.75mm

The main part is knitted from Stylecraft Loop the Loop which I picked up for a bargain at 59p per ball from Kemps and the ribbing is from some old Rowan Lambswool DK that I got from a lady on Freecycle so the sweater was practically free. Okay, it did take me a while to get going and then a while to finish off the ends but it is now done.

I liked the pattern, it's clearly explained and worked from the top down so you can adjust any bits that you need whilst going along. There is no sewing up at the end which means just can just knit and knit and knit and then wear with none of that faffing that seems to take forever when sewing garments together. I also think that it's a great pattern for someone looking for a first sweater.

I think that my yarn choices were inspired, well I would say that, the contrast between the lumpiness of the Astrakhan and the smoothness of the DK works very well. Also having a textured yarn helps with making it more interesting to look at rather than a smooth body.

I also think that this shape flatters just about any body shape and makes your tits look huge (or so my boyfriend says) which is no bad thing in my book. The collar is very glamorous and almost reminiscent of a 40's style drape while the ribbing helps with giving you a smooth line as well as pulling you together. I think this is a classy vintage looking sweater that is easy to knit and, if you get your act together, a quick knit too.

Scrappy blanket

See I said that I was a bad blogger. I meant to do this a few days ago but completely forgot and then yesterday my heating packed in and I was distracted by waiting for the bod to come out and fix it. He did eventually come out (he's a mate of my landlord) but did nothing other then break some ice from the pipe so I spent a coldish evening in the living room snug under a blanket and duvet with a hot water bottle tucked in for good measure.He might be back today and it might not be fixed until when ever. However I'm a hardy type so hopefully will not freeze while we have this cold spell.

Right then on with the task in hand and that is the report of how my scrappy sock blanket is coming along. I said that I would try and add a square a day for the year and then see what size it has grown to. I know that I could work out the size but it's more fun to see how it grows and then be surprised at the end of the year that it (a) didn't get as big as I thought, or (b) is a good size but needs more work, or (c) now covers Sheffield and the surrounding areas. I think that it's going to be (b) but I suppose it depends on how many socks I knit so that I can get the scraps.

Since I am still unemployed I have said that I will try as hard as I can to knit from my stash and since my stash has at least 16 lots of sock yarn I think that I'll probably be able to see the year out, but all donations will be gratefully received!

Well this week was a bit of a whizz for the blanket as I started on the 4th and it's now the 10th and I have added 12 different coloured blocks so I have 2 days in hand so to speak. I have a collection of about 24 different yarns at my disposal, most is from socks I have knitted but some has been given to me by someone from Ravelry. So until I crack out a few more socks the colours are going to get pretty repetitive but I also like the way that it will change over time with the newer yarns taking the place of the older ones.

Here a snap of the colours used this week

At the end of the month I'll take a picture of the blanket on the bed so we can see the progress over the course of the year.

A Re-cap

Ages and ages ago I started in Summer Smackdown - we're heading into summer now, so it shows how long ago it was (August 2008 in fact). I was in the advanced socks category, the lace scarf, the lace stole and the bookmark event.

It probably didn't go quite as one expected as I never managed to get a pair of socks or even the yarn to start the killing again for the socks and it took me ages to finish off the stole, although the scarf was banged out relatively quickly but I only lasted a single round in that. Things went quiet and the organiser decided that since there was a recession that it was probably better to stop the contest, or at least not up date things so people got bored and wandered away. But she did start up another knitting battle (Day of the Dead which I also took part in). Anyway earlier this month one of the other competitors from Smackdown started things going again to see if there was anyone who just wanted to finish the game and it seems that there are several of us who did.

So now I have a person who will get the socks and have managed to get them to a quick finish - probably another day depending on how the bus trip goes. There is also someone who wants to finish off the stole match, however, I have managed to 'tidy' the half sent stole that was sent to me away and I am not sure where it is. So I have started again and last night I managed about 2.5" so only another 76" to go.

Wish me luck ;o)

Spring Vines in Blue

Yesterday I started on Spring Vines by Dao Nguyen using a right bargain of a yarn buy - 12 balls of Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo for less than a fiver. Atkinsons in Sheffield have got a fair amount of this "unbranded" yarn in (and others) at the moment and it's £4.99 for 500g. Not entirely sure if I like the yarn but I'm going to have to like it as I am knitting the Spring Vines for the the Sexy Knitters Club KAL and I also got some in purple for Intolerable Cruelty.

Anyway back to Spring Vines. The pattern is a bought one and I'm not usually a pattern buyer since I have enough vintage patterns to build a house from but I wanted to join in with the KAL and I wanted to do something that isn't socks or small things. The pattern is a bit of a mish mash with some of the numbers not quite adding up but there seems to be enough scope to make do.

I started with the back and got about 15cm in but realised how sloppy but purl has become and so frogged back and started again but working it in the round. I had a moment of panic when the stitches didn't add up. The front is 4 stiches bigger than the back but I think that'll not really nticed come the finished article.

From GlamGirl Knits

Blue Bag

I am bad - I completely forgot my friend's birthday so was hunting around for a quicky project that I could knit in a jiffy and so settled on the One Skein Felted Purse by Flo Burdick from One Skein Wonders or my Blue Bag.

I had some Cascade Wool 220 in a bright turquoise colour and some bluey purpley greeny Freedom Spirit by Twilleys which I know felt beautifully so I went for it and produced this little beauty.

From GlamGirl Knits

The flower is just a random felted fancy as the pattern on the original pattern is a bit of a bore as there is far too much casting off to worry about. Anyway they went through the washing machine and came out like this.

From GlamGirl Knits

I added a tab so I can sew on a popper for the closure, the original pattern has a magnetic button but I couldn't find any. I shall post it off at the weekend and hope that she likes the jewel bright colours.

Lizard Ridge Blanket

Just a quicky.

From GlamGirl Knits

It's growing and geeting bigger and I still love knitting it. I have learnt to knit backwards, not tinking but instead of turning the work after the short rows I now reverse knit the stitches. It is making it so much easier and quicker. I sort of found it out myself and then looked on the pattern page and found this link on how to knit in reverse.

Go on, try it - it's easier than it sounds.

My Stash and UFOs

I am almost embarrassed about my yarn stash. I have listed on Ravelry over 100 entries but I have more to add. I am equally embarrassed about my unfinished projects that are scattered about the place too. I need to get a bit more organised and actually start using up the stuff that I do have and the project that I have started. So I have a plan . . . (I always have a plan)

From now on I will do a maximum of 4 projects at a time.

A small thing that I can take on the bus and do to and fro work. This would probably count as something like socks, mittens/gloves things in that general category. Basically anything portable and not too complicated.

Then I shall have a garment on the go. This can be an adult or child thing - anything like a sweater, skirt, dress. You catch me drift. This will be knitted at home so can involve complicated instructions or loads of colours.

Then there will be the long, long term project - the blankets or afghans, bedcovers, carpets. huge things that can get pretty boring if you are only knitting them and only them day in, day out.

And my final project group will be the frippery stuff, the things that I see and go "Oohhh" then pick up yarn and pins and start straight away.

The stuff to start with will be stash busted - but it might produce some interesting colour ways as mostly I don't have enough of a single yarn to knit an entire garment. But I have enough to be able to jig things around a bit.

First though I'm going to start with the project I have hidden around the house. Hence starting the BFF socks again (small thing for the bus). This afternoon I dragged out my Lizard Ridge knitted from JC Brett Chunky Marble (long, long term project), I'll hunt down the Topsecret sweater I start last year and almost finished but didn't quite (garment) but until I get rid of all my WIP I shall not start a frippery.

Starting Again

A while back in the mists of first gettting back into knitting I started a on BFF socks by Cookie A. They were started in Knit Picks Dancing and I really enjoyed knitting the first one. But I got sidetracked by sock knitting battles and I put away my stretchy sock for another day.

Well that day has come. As part of my continuing battle against my UFOs I dragged the yarn out and started again. One of the reasons for putting them aside was because they were too stretchy and I kept meaning to either knit a smaller size or do them on a smaller needle. I have taken the smaller needle option. They are now being knitted on 2.25mm and hopefully I'll actually get a pair that I can wear.

I'm just knitting from the toe of the finished sock and I know the yarn is very crinkly but it's also very stretchy and it doesn't seem to matter. I started them on the way to work on the bus this morning and have the 1 inch of ribbing done already.

This is it before the act of frogging

Now it's just a slither of ribbing waiting to become a sock.