In The Green

Here's a little more progress on Crocus.
I've separated the Opal from the purple with a couple of rows of reverse stocking stitch. It gives a nice raised ridge, adding a bit of texture.

I've done the same with the green - I think this will be a repeated design feature - separating each colour change with those ridges.

The Opal has almost made fair-isle patterns - the repeats don't quite line up, but I don't mind. It adds a quirky randomness to it. And as I am working on a less structured approach to my life, so quirky randomness fits right in with my new philosophy of "go with the flow".

Not long ago I would have ripped and redone, ripped and redone, and if it wasn't absolutely perfect, I would have given up.

Now, it is what it is. Accept. Breathe. Be.

Crocus Progress

I did a swatch, I did the maths, and now I've started the Crocus jumper.

I've used several sources as a guide for my pattern - '1000 Sweaters' - which gives a good idea of the structure of a jumper, and ideas for necklines, etc; and a couple of home-made jumpers to use as examples.

The wool knits up nicely, although it feels a little strange using 4mm needles after all those chunky hats.
I switched to circs after doing the ribbing. I also didn't use a smaller size needle for the ribbing - I didn't want the gathering effect that this would give. I'm just about ready to start my first stripe of Opal.

What Kind of Knitter Are You?

What kind of knitter am I? Is it too early to tell?

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What Kind of Knitter Are You?

You appear to be a Knitting Adventurer. You are through those knitting growing pains and feeling more adventurous. You can follow a standard pattern if it's not too complicated and know where to go to get help. Maybe you've started to experiment with different fibers and you might be eyeing a book with a cool technique you've never tried. Perhaps you prefer to stick to other people's patterns but you are trying to challenge yourself more. Regardless of your preference, you are continually trying to grow as a knitter, and as well you should since your non-knitting friends are probably dropping some serious hints, these days.

Take this quiz!


Quizilla

This seems pretty well spot-on.

Yeah, I'm ready for The Big Project, aka Crocus.

A Basket Case

I got sick of my yarn and works-in-progress lying around in plastic bags, and of having to rummage for the right size needles.

Just at the right moment, a beautiful basket came my way; this one -


I got two large checked tea towels from the discount store.
I lay one on top of the other, at right-angles. The checks are not perfectly square, so the yellow lines don't line up. However, by lining them up anyway and sewing the two towels together along the lines, the top one belled out a bit, making pockets. This is exactly what I wanted.

And because one towel hung over the side by quite a lot, I folded that edge back up on itself, sewed along the yellow lines again, and made little pockets on the outside of the basket. These are perfect for all those small bits and bobs - stitch markers, needle gauge, yarn needles, etc. All ready to hand.

The inside pockets hold my needles sorted according to size. The same size circs go in with the long ones too. So now, when I need to find a needle size, it's really easy - no longer like trying to find needles in a haystack!


I really like my new work basket. (thanks, MIL)

Spring Colours

Well, I was feeling that I may want to try to knit something other than hats.

That's when I found two balls of Opal yarn, shown off with a swatch knitted up in the shop. Oh, I really loved the way it made patterns all by itself!

But I got the impression that the self-patterning only worked on small-scale garments - socks, a kiddie's jumper. 'Why didn't they make a "big" version of it?' I asked myself, followed by 'How could I make use of it anyway?'

So, I thought I could make use of it by incorporating it into a jumper as a feature panel or stripe.

I got some solid colour wool that matched colours that were in the Opal - purple, dark green, light green, and a pale beigey-cream. The purple will be the main ground colour.

The colours remind me of spring or autumn crocuses, so I will call it Crocus.


It may be ready by Spring - the end of Spring, perhaps?

I don't have a pattern, specifically. It's going to be A Big Adventure.

A Different Kind Of Spiral

Here are some better photos of the cloche hat mentioned here. Polly was out at the time of that post, but I've persuaded her to do a bit more modelling. This shows off the shape of the hat much better.


The photo below shows the spiral pattern made with the M1 technique described for this pattern; you know, the make one which also makes a decorative hole. If I had had a photo like this, I would have known straight away what the pattern was asking me to do.

My strange stitch style (not-quite-continental) coupled with perhaps a needle size a little bit too big, has given this an almost crochet effect. I like it.

The Direction Of A Spiral

The day afer the Mid-Winter festival, I entered the convent.

No, not as a nun! The St Helier's Convent in Collinwood is open to the public. It's no longer an operating convent, but there are two cafes there, and a glass-blowers' studio, choir practice halls, and some wonderful photo subjects.

This is one of my favorites from that day's shoot. It's a rather pagan looking cupola which stands at the entrance of a quadrangle or cloister.


There are other great shots, which I may post later

These are shots of two spiral staircases. Much of the convent site is rusting in peace, as were these. I'm intruigued by the process of decay in the urban environment.

These staircases spiralled in the same direction.
















I liked the patterns formed by the uprights crossing over the steps - accidental rectangles.

Now I'm curious - do the spiral staircases in the northern hemisphere turn in the same direction as the ones in the southern hemisphere, or, like water going down a plughole, do they go in the opposite direction?