Urban Aran Cardigan

The knitting for this cardigan was done almost a month ago, but I've been dragging my feet to attach the zipper. And then to make a decent photo session. Both our cameras are not working properly and the family's present for Christmas will probably be a new camera, but until then - a few blurry modeled and flat photos of Urban Aran.

Pattern: Urban Aran Pullover by Patons
Yarn: Alize Lanagold Solids, 500 g
Needle: 3.5 mm rib, 4 mm body
Time to knit: about a month and some

I decided on a double zipper and double folded neckpiece:

The best feature of the cardigan - the waist shaping cables:

Initially I planned the cardigan for me, but after I finished it it turned out that it fits and suits Gaby's style better, so it is officially hers. She likes it and I expect she'll wear it a lot to school.

Celtic Dancer Slippers

Another pair of slippers by DROPS design I made these days. I like the original construction of DROP's slippers, although I have a few remarks to make to this design. The obvious - the pattern requires sewing at the heel. This I avoided by casting on with provisional cast on and then grafting. At the toes the pattern envisages cutting the yarn, pulling it through the remaining stitches and tightening - like at the top of a hat. I replaced this with the usual and much neater Kitchener stitch.

However, although I had some doubts about the angular heel, I did not modify that. If I was to knit these slippers again, I would cast on 23 sts - only 3 seed stitch for the under foot and gradually increase the seed stitch section to 11 sts. This would give a more round form of the heel section, which is a bit angular now and make it symmetric to the toes.

My other modifications - I knitted the slippers with 4 mm circular needles and the ribbed edge - with 3.5 mm circular needles and I cast on 31 sts - only 11 sts for the under foot. Because of my thinner yarn and smaller needles I was able to work the diamond section two full repeats.

Pattern: Celtic Dancer by DROPS Design
Yarn: Alize Lanagold Solids, color 645 (mustard), 70 g (the remainder from my Monte Rosa cardigan, I worked the rib of both slippers to the last cm of yarn).
Needle: 4 mm, 3.5 mm
Time to knit: 4 days

Kitchener stitch instead of sewing

Autumn scenery from our recent hike in the Balkan Mountains (reportage coming soon:)

Monte Rosa in Green and Yellow

Pattern: inspired by Monte Rosa by Isabell Kraemer
Yarn: Alize Lanagold Solids appr. 340 g green, 30 g yellow
Needle: 3.5 mm rib, 4 mm body
Time to knit: two weeks

Definitely one of my most favourite winter cardigans ever, I'm very happy how it turned. I blogged about the modifications I've made. About the sleeves - I decided to unravel some 15 rows before the armscye and to make the additional two increases which I had skipped, thinking that 48 stitches would give me enough width. This and some blocking settled the issue with the narrow sleeves and they feel quite comfortable now.

The winter is back - it snowed heavily last night and today the city is covered in white. The snowy park provided a nice scene for the session but added a bit too much contrast to the pictures and the texture of the knitting is not quite clearly visible in most of them. But I've posted so many pictures that I'm sure you get the idea :)

A jay bird in the tree above us was causing snow to fall on the camera:)

 Lots of great tit birds (Parus major) - the bird symbol of Sofia,
perched only a yard away from us

Parus major

Parus major

And a few more photos :) This  cardigan is going to get lots of wear, I'm sure!

Simple Black Hat with a Twist

I used the second skein of Alize Lanagold Solids and made a simple slouchy hat to match the legwarmers. The hat has a wide double ribbed brim (92 sts.) and a stockinette body (100 sts) with the same cable pattern described on the legwarmers page.

Pattern: self drafted cabled slouchy hat
Yarn: Alize Lanagold Solids 100 g
Needle: 3.5 mm rib, 4 mm body

 

For the double rib I like to do a provisional cast on, knit a double legth of rib and then knit together the current row of stitches and the cast on row. 

Although the hat and the legwarmers are made to match, they seem to have gone in different directions. The legwarmers went to school - my daughter loves them and wears them every day, but in a set with the cotton black hat I made her in October, while I'm keeping this slouchy hat for me.

A funny thing - I must have at least half a dozen wool hats, but the other night I sat until 2:00 AM to finish this one. At some point my husband asked me if I was in such a need of a hat that I couldn't set it aside and I said yes, utterly convinced that this current hat was absolutely indispensable to my winter wardrobe. But I guess you know the feeling :)

Celtic Knots

Pattern: Celtic Knots
Yarn: Alize Lanagold Classic 320 g
Needle: 4 mm
Time to knit: over three weeks in between three hats and a pair of mittens

Celtic Knots is a Japanese pattern, but as 1) I don't speak Japanese and 2) I rarely follow strictly a pattern, I took the general idea and the pattern of the knot and then calculated everything to fit me according to my gauge. The sweater was ready and sewn around Christmas, but I didn't like the sleeves, which were first knit 3/4 long, as in the original pattern. I unraveled more than two-thirds of the sleeves and redid them as a bit extra long, IMO this length is more consistent with the rest of the pattern. I also decided not to sew the neck-piece folded in half, but to leave it roll inward.









For more finished objects this week please visit Tami's Amis FO Friday 68 and Linda's Creative Friday