More on Heartening, and FOs

I know I will thank myself for keeping knitting notes, the sole purpose of this blog–I shall keep this blog alive! here are notes of the week.

*Few notes on Heartening

Last week, I wonder if I should knit another “Heartening”, so I can show you the slightly different version with the heart jointed. What harm can be done for just one more vest? Or better, making “Heartening” as a puff-sleeved, collared top just like Number 22 from the latest Vogue Knitting? I do have Soft Tweed in Twig enough for a sleeved top! I cast on after I found myself couldn’t sleep one night.

Making “Heartening” is fun. But even though the whole process is lovely, it would become dull had I gone through the same procedure again. I eventually didn’t survive the waistline and had my mind changed: Twig is a lovely shade and it would suit my boyfriend perfectly! Why didn’t I just do that but play with the same pattern?

Indeed so. I stopped after the waist shaping. But since I was with the WIP, I may as well knit a semi-swatch to show you the different Row 18 of the heart shaped cable pattern. The one on the right is Row 18* and the one on the left is Row 18. This semi-swatch is unblocked, so it looks a bit ugly, but enough to show their differences (I put some notes directly onto this shot on my flickr, please click to link to my flickr if needed).

If you like Row 18* more and you knit from the chart, please also read the pattern instruction first! The chart is showing the effect seeing from the right side, however, you will need to knit Row 18 from the wrong side!

And two picture showing FO done months ago.

It seems I have the tendency to take photos after FOs are wore, and got felted? I post these pictures on my flickr first, but only manage to blog them here now. I am quite surprise to know people love the Highland Stockings! It’s absolutely gorgeous! It is quite a pity that Rowan didn’t provide a chart but with written instruction only. Moreover, Rowan put the skill level as most difficult one. Certainly reading the pattern is punishing to me so, as I put in another post, I charted them out when I decided to knit the stockings. I was convinced that had them put up charts the pattern would be popular.

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The replacement for the double knitting argyle scarf

Knitting for me should be very relaxing. Solely for this reason, I can say that I don’t really enjoy double knitting. Meanwhile, I can’t stand the slow progress of making the albeit beautiful argyle scarf! So I ask myself: don’t I need to make life easier at this time of the year, when pressure isn’t lessened AND there are some other Christmas knits to be done?

So I decided I need to make another scarf for the intended recipient! I flipped through my Stitchionary for inspiration. Before long, a new decision is made: I’d make a scarf with herringbone pattern! The pattern is mindless yet the completed piece will have a sophisticated look, just the perfect thing for my recipient!

See how it grows:

I literally follow the pattern 176 from Stitchinary 1. That’s how I make it if you’d like to know.

1. The yarns:

A: Lana Grossa Pashmina, gray. 2 to 3 balls.

B: Contrasting colour in 4ply (use two strings together) or DK. I am using Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4ply in off-white.

2. The pattern (not a very conventional style of noting):

HB: Right side, wyif slip 2, knit 2; Wrong side, wyib slip 2, purl 2.
A (RS) K1, *HB*, K1
B (WS) K1, Pl, *HB* until the last two sts, P1, K1
C (RS) K3, *HB*, do the last st as K1
D (WS) K1, sl 1 in pattern, P2, *HB* until the last two sts, sl 1, K1

3. how it goes:
Cast on 38 st. (you need to cast on a multiple of 4 plus 2, and probably using needles two size bigger than you’re going to knit), purl one row if preferred (using the normal size).
Do (A, B, C, D) x 3, (C, B, A, D) x 3 (so thetotal repeat is 24 rows.)

Edge stitches on both side: After three 24-row repeats, on right side, slip the edge stitches, on wrong side, knit them.

After a desired length, break off yarns. Use two strings of yarn B, work 5 rows of St st. break off yarns, reattach yarn A and continue the herringbone pattern (work both sides of edge stitch as garter st). After 2.5 24-row repeats, knit one row then bind off very loosely.

Lightly block or ironed if needed.

The result will be a herringbone pattern on a stock st base, with garter st edge. If you’d like to have a broader edge for either garter st or moss st, just add more sts on both sides. There ere are several other way to do herringbone, other than slip stitch. For example, this one and this one. Slip stitch version is my favourite (I love slip stitch patterns) but it will grow slower than the abovementioned patterns.

As for the argyle scarf, my boyfriend quickly said that he doesn’t mind waiting if he could have that!

Ps. I did a google search after drafting this entry and found that Henry from Knitty (Fall 07) was using exactly the same pattern, though in different style of pattern writing. The knitty scarf was knitted lengthwise. Judging from my experiences of slip stitch knitting, you would really need to pay attention to both cast-on and cast-off.

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Highland stockings and WIPs

There were so many knitty things worth mentioning since the last post here, but browsing around Ravelry had taken up nearly my online quota hence the no-post. (I am ambling there.) It is indeed that every serious knitter should make Ravelry a must visit.

I’ll start with my third pair of socks. They are stockings to be precise! The pattern, “Highland stockings,” is published on Rowan 42, using kid classic. I’ve been wanting it when I first spot the pattern, but back then, I haven’t demystified the secret of sock knitting, so my eyes were set on the Rannoch dress only.

Since I am bored with the second sock of my first pair, and the temperature dropped suddenly this week, I decided to cast on my third pair. (My second pair were long finished…) My kid classic are reserved for the dress, so I am using Rowan classic’s Soft Lux instead (uuurrhh, I’ve got tons of them…). I’ve seen so many woolly leggy recently on London’s street, so why shouldn’t I?

I charted the whole pattern (I cannot knit with written pattern like that. I prefer to labour myself charting first, then harvest the enjoyment of chart knitting), then started the first one from toe-up. I’ve tried different methods of toe-up knitting, for example, the magic cast-on and the Eastern cast-on. But what I like most is my own way—there must be someone writing about it before me though. Long tail cast-on is my preferred method, and I am using it for socks, too! It’s actually very straightforward, if you use two needles while doing the long tail cast-on. What you have to do, for toe-up socks, is just casting-on stitchs, alternatively, onto both needles, so you would have, says, the odd numbered on the needle closer to you and the even numbered the one away from you (instead of on both needles). After both needles have enough stitches, you just have to carry on the first row knitting in the round. Simple enough!

The pattern is very pretty (albeit girlish if not childish…). They are just a combination of ribs, cables (very simple ones!), moss stitch, and single row bobbles!! Even some dislike making bobble would not object making these (because they aren’t real bobble stitch!). Don’t let Rowan’s long instruction barred you from knitting a beautiful pair! Mine will be a long pair, up to the thigh…

I also start knitting my first top from Linea Rossa 3:

It was started as a knit-in-the dark project, and a side project of my Pashmina pull-over.

Speaking about Pashmina, I got a parcel from German, from the generous fbz, that packed some balls of Pashmina! I’ll be using them for the felted sleeves of this wrap-around .

And I have created a Ravelry group, Lana Grossa, mainly because I’d really love to see other works using Linea Rossa patterns! Please join us there!

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