Warning...

... this post contains a real live (knitted) FO!

My knitting has actually taken off a bit lately with progress being made on several fronts. Funnily enough, this was precipitated by running out of yarn on the major WIP I was working on, and being forced to diversify a bit.

Here is my (finally) finished Gathered Pullover by Hana Jason in Interweave Knits Winter 2007.


This was started in Feb '08 (I think) but languished without arms in my WIP box all summer. I just couldn't work out what I wanted to do with them - long, cropped, cuff-up or top down.

Eventually I picked up stitches all round the armhole and worked a short-row cap sleeve (slightly puffed - unintentional but I like the outcome). I then put an EZ applied I-cord round the edge of the sleeve and armhole to prevent rolling.

I'm delighted with the result and have worn this several times already (despite it still having an un-woven in end in one of the sleeves)!

The yarn is 100% merino 4ply from a mystery cone I bought on Ebay. The body was worked in one piece in the round to the armholes, then flat to the tops of the shoulders and grafted together. The hem is a turned hem as rolled hems round my middle just seem to keep on rolling until they sit somewhere round my rib-cage! I went down a couple of needle sizes to introduce some waist shaping, then went back up one to work the upper torso.


If I was knitting this again (which is a definite possibility) I wouldn't bother with the gather either side of the cable panel. I don't think it adds anything and just looks a bit weird.

Photos and Gathered Pullover

I finally gave up on the lack of daylight (even at the weekends - it's really been that dreich) and managed some surprisingly decent photos in a dark room with the flash on.

Here are the first batch of squares for the sock yarn blanket...


I know that I've already broken one of my self-imposed rules and not woven all the ends in yet but hey - I always need room for improvement.


I've also got my mjo back for the gathered pullover. Its amazing what a couple of episodes of Grey's Anatomy on DVD can do for extending the length of a tube of stocking stitch. I had been finding this slow going, but miraculously on Monday evening, I added about 5 inches without really noticing. A couple of days later (including waiting in yesterday morning for a contractor to arrive) I'm now over half way through the cable motif.


As usual, I've made some modifications to the pattern as written.

1) I changed the hemline from a rolled edge to a sewn up facing (and I think I did a pretty good job of the sewing up, even if I do say so myself!).
2) I've lengthened the body so that it falls mid-hip on the real (long-backed) me as opposed to the me in my head.

3) I've added some shaping to the body by changing needle size. I started on 5.5mm (pretty much getting gauge), then shifted down through 5mm to 4.5mm for the waist, then back up to 5mm over the rib cage and through the motif. I think it should block out pretty nicely to fit well without hanging off me.


It's the BigKnitOut tonight so I'm hoping to get up to the armhole and v-neck divides.

Stash, glorious stash....

... no space in which to store it.

Yes, Twelfthknit, you were right, two drawers in the new study devoted to yarn stash just wasn't enough so I'm having a wee rethink. I'm also offering balls left-over from old projects for sale / swap on my Ravelry page (MaryD) so if you're short of yarn for something, have a little look.

Until I get it sorted though, here's some lovely eye candy from the sales:


14 balls of Noro Cash Iroha from the John Lewis sale, 10 in ecru, 4 in brick.


15 balls of Rowan Yorkshire Tweed DK from Ebay in colourway Skip. I love this yarn and especially this colourway. It's been discontinued so I've been watching ebay for some time...

Enough Regia sock yarn for another pair for the Resident Radiologist, from John Lewis,

4 Balls of Debbie Bliss Soho from John Lewis, currently destined to be another French Market Bag, this time as a gift.

I'm also knitting properly again - a project requiring more than one set of needles, multiple balls of yarn and sleeves! I've cast on for the Gathered Pullover in the current Interweave knits. I'll post some progress shots once it's a bit more than a small circle of wool. As with pretty much everything I knit, I just can't resist meddling a bit. Instead of the rolled hem, I've knitted a turned-up hem with a facing as rolled hems just seem to keep on rolling on me and before you know it, they're round my ribcage!