Playing with cables, and pyjamas for a rhino

So not a title I ever thought I'd use, but there you go! I think I purchased Bill King's excellent book all about machine knitting cables not long after it came out, and thought I'd have a bit of a play with it. As always, I had the urge to jump in around page 30, which probably explains my initial lack of success, but I did get there in the end!

First up was what I'm going to term "missing needles" all over cables. The sample above is worked over 20 needles at T8 (MT+2 for this yarn, which is a 4ply acrylic). It's worked by moving stitches 3 and 4 (I counted from the end nearest the live yarn and carriage) onto the empty needles immediately outside the knitting (and towards the carriage). Then move stitches 8 and 7 into the gap left (which crosses them over stitches 6 and 5), repeat all along the bed. Knit 5 rows, and then do the same crosses but in the opposite direction. This produces S cables, because 20 divides by 4, so you are always moving the same stitches back and forth.

My second attempt was over 18 stitches - same again, but at the end of the cross you will have two stitches and a gap of two needles. I just moved them in so as not to generate a ladder. Knit 5 rows, and cable towards the carriage every time, and then your crosses will always be in the correct direction. This produces an attractive celtic braid, and because 18 doesn't divide by 4 you are now alternating the needles you're moving.

I decided this might make quite a nice hairband, if I crossed every 3 rows instead of 5, so made this - somewhat pressed, to make it lie flat, it's now waiting for some elastic! I started and ended with about 20 rows of stocking stitch at T6 and then cabled for 108 rows - luckily I can figure out my three times table this high, though 81 always feels like a prime number to me for some reason...

This was a short attempt to work a 6 x 6 cable, using the ribber "press off" technique to generate extra localised yarn before the cross. In the book one is supposed to move six stitches over 2, knit 2 rows, and repeat a further two times. I think perhaps I didn't add enough needles on the ribber bed (the book indicates two isolated stitches, perhaps it should be read as 3 stitches together?) because there was no way I could cross 6 over 2, but I managed 6 over 1, 6 times. I think the technique needs another attempt, because clearly it was working! I didn't take a picture of the back but you get horizontal "floats" of the poor, tortured stitch that is moved.

And finally, the rhino - Bertie (Roberta), a colleague's daughter's toy, needed some pyjamas, so I ended up drafting a pattern for some by hand. Not quite the rever collar I had hoped for, but she's a very strange shape and "modern" jersey pyjamas would have been permanent, owing to the size of her head!

I've also got a new definition of annoyed - knitting up to the second buttonhole on a top-down cardigan (Drops Agnes), some 4", only to realise that said buttonholes are on the "wrong" side for a woman. Oh well, it was a good test run of the pattern I suppose!!

Current mood: annoyed

Some FOs

I'm post dating this entry because the last photo is a competition entry and I don't want anyone favouring me (or not) because they've seen my socks online (though, it is a TERRIBLE photo!)

Yes, dear reader, I am not dead. Just dead tired - flipping stupid hormones, lack thereof. I long for a night where I sleep through instead of waking at stupid o'clock basted in my own juices. It is a forlorn hope.  I am grumpy, find almost everything irritating, and am liable to go off on one at the drop of a hat. My mood is not good - bleak is probably the best word for it. I feel as if I am just existing, clock watching every day that doesn't start with an S. 

Work has continued at a snail's pace (it feels) on the Pauline cardigan - I am on the second sleeve and am playing a long game of yarn chicken now - will there be enough? The tunisian cushion cover part 2 is partially complete. I made a swatch on the SK840 in a terracotta boucle of unknown content and promptly tumble-dryed it by accident, thus wasting my effort. I picked up a block printing kit from The Arty Crafty Place at the Big Textiles show in October. Last weekend, having nothing better to do, and both of us being in a funk because of the continued cold and blah weather and the permacrisis generally, I decided to crack the kit open and print both the teatowel and bag. Yes, I probably shouldn't have swapped brown for red but I'm still not a big fan of brown as yet! Thus inspired, I rounded up all the spare fat quarters with no project in mind and made a bunch more shopping bags (from the MORSbags pattern). As you can see there's a cream one begging for more block printing. I am tempted to perhaps just do the flowers and the bee, we shall see... A quick ironing session and these are colourfast, apparently, though I've no intention of washing the shopping bag unless I have to. Now I have to fight the urge to acquire All The Colours and more blocks. They can be used for papercrafts too, of course. I do have quite a collection of rubber stamps already, but they are too shallow and not suitable for this purpose I suspect (though it's a thought!). 

Finally, the last picture is of a CSM cables and lace pattern from a Wendy Deters book. The complex sock is supposed to have six lace panels and 3 cable strips. I did start with that one but quickly went wrong and lost the will to live. They are not identical; there's a missing cable cross on the first one and the second one had a repair to a dropped stitch I couldn't catch and ended up with a few extra rounds on the foot. Never mind, at least I managed to make a competition entry. As this post goes up I will be on the way home from the annual "Going Round in Circles" CSM event in Kegworth. I doubt they will win but at least I tried! 

Block printed tote bag

Block printed teatowel

More shopping bags

CSM cable and lace socks

Current mood: exhausted and with a splitting headache

Completed projects 2022

Thirty odd projects - not bad in a year where I didn't feel like I got much done! 

 

Holiday and some finished objects

We had a short break in Yorkshire, as the not-driving meant a road trip to Belgium was a bit unfair on the Cog! We had two nights at a spa, three in Skipton, then two in Leeds.

Skipton Castle

Skipton woods falls - I found the huntress, the horse and the deer, of Attic24 fame!

Settle were having a flowerpot festival, flowerpot characters were everywhere!

This chap seemed determined to make us his new friends where we were staying!

A gymnast for the next local postbox topper, the theme is the Commonwealth games

Another sewn top, nice and light for the current heatwave. Feel like I am being baked alive currently!

Current mood: hot

FO: patchwork shopping bag

Oh, I forgot I made this a few weekends ago - I had a sudden urge to have a go at patchwork after an episode of the Great British Sewing Bee. This bag is made almost entirely on the overlocker - it was a week or two before the final hem and handles were finished. No, the alignment of some of the squares isn't great, despite the fact I did actually use a piece of paper as a template, and as for placement, there wasn't much thought involved as you can see! Oh well, it was fun! I am now eyeing up some spotty fabric in my stash (The Hungry Caterpillar, Andover fabrics), which might be just enough for a simple button-through dress. The hitch is that it's a Prima pattern, so I need to trace some pieces before I can start cutting out because they've printed on both sides of the paper.

Current mood: happy

Some almost finished objects...

Almost finished a shawl! I'll either play yarn chicken, or I'll use the leftover yarn for a fringe.

Almost finished a cardigan on the Passap! I found this cone of Grigna-like yarn in the inventory last week. Not enough to make a cardigan for me, it's awaiting the addition of a shawl collar. I will probably knit that "as I go" on the machine, and then hope I can very gently steam it a bit flatter. For the charity pile!

Almost finished a Christmassy top (and yes, I know it's April!). The fabric called to me, what can I say? It's almost finished, because I need to tidy up loose ends and possibly do some overstitching on the sleeves. There are some mistakes on here but I did run it up in a few hours Friday night... I surely need to lose some weight though, it looks really big when it's not being worn.

The house is in uproar, as the necessary kitchen items are now in the dining end of the living room, and the unneccessary kitchen items are in the bath or the attic. There is another kitchen, flat-packed, in the garage. Pray for us and our ability to cook on a loaned electric ring and the microwave for the next two weeks (and not give ourselves food poisoning)...

Current mood: energetic

Time for Tea top

Hello! Sorry I've not blogged much lately, there's been very little to report really! I have made the Cog some shorts, I should have paid more attention to the amount of ease in the pattern because they have come out enormous (even after I added 4 darts into the back waist). I am going to have to take the side and inside seams in I think. Oh well, I guess at least there's plenty of room for his burgeoning beer belly! I made this cheerful top above and have a matching scrunchie and face mask, should I want to wear all three at the same time!

I've 1m of a pretty rainbow striped fabric. I am trying to talk myself out of buying some more of it elsewhere - otherwise, there's only really enough for a shopping bag. It definitely doesn't go around me, anyway! I'm trying to talk myself into finishing the Willow pattern cross-stitch - it needs probably an hour's more work on it.

The weather is continuing to be unsettled (it's throwing it down right now, in fact), so the lifting of restrictions on eating indoors today will help no end. So far, only the Cog has a "date", and not with me! We went bluebell-spotting on Sunday, and oh my did I wear the wrong shoes! So much mud, and I forgot sometimes you have to jump over streams too. Mind you, as we came away there was one family entirely kitted out in nice clean trainers. I wonder how that went?! No sign of my favourite pink bluebells this year, nor the white ones, but I have left it a bit late so perhaps that's it. The weather feels more like April than May.

Current mood: working