Making Progress

The last few weeks have not been the best for knitting, with life being busy, I just wanted something to knit that required no thought at all, so I worked on a pair of vanilla socks in a really nice blue colorway from Patonyle. This became my only knitting as I was enjoying it all over again. Now they are done. And sorry, no pics yet as I had to wear them immediately after the final ends were woven in, so I will take a picture after they have been washed. But now I have cast on another vanilla sock:

 You'll have to excuse the blurs, I didn't realise at the time! As you can see I have begun the cuff of the first sock and it's being knit out of Moda Vera Noir, Pink Mix. Not my favourite sock yarn, but I have it in my sash so I'm using it. I think I'm ready for the leg now, I usually only knit the ribbing for an inch or so, until it bores me.

 I have also cast on the one row scarf from the Yarn Harlot. On the weekend at my S'n'B, I was given 2 skeins of handspun alpaca in lovely teales and blues. I had originally cast it on as a Saroyan, but the stitch definition was terrible. So I chose the simpler "one row scarf " and it is working up lovely. Pattern is memorised, I love the texture, and I like the idea that I knit until there is no more!

 Lastly, I finally made some progress on my Handspun Seneca. I have finished the body to the armholes, and had to begin a sleeve, but I wasn't in the mood to do the horizontal cables, and last night I finally had the desire to work on it.......and I'm so glad I did. It was nice working on something that required some concentration, but also so much fun watching the cable develop.

I'm looking forward to being able to wear the Seneca soon, I think it will be a really warm and comfy knit. For now though, I'm just happy that my joy for knitting is back.

Lost Needle Gauge........Again

Although I suspect that the gauge has either decided to play an impromptu game of hide and seek or has run away for good. I don't like to think of how many needle gauges I have lost ( or ran away) from me. It is very frustrating. I do not want to go to Spotlight to buy another, yet I have searched everywhere and I cannot find it. I'm sure that it will make itself known once I have ownership of another, because, that's what always happens.

And doesn't these things always happen when you NEED them? I NEED the needle gauge to locate my 4.5mm circulars, of which I need two, so that I can begin the sleeves for my Handspun Seneca. And so instead of being able to quickly stick the needles into holes and them keeping or rejecting them, I have been holding the needles together with the existing 4.5mm that has the Seneca body on it........and attempting to assess if they are the same size or not. Very tedious and filled with self-doubt.

But in the end I think I have located the needles, and really hope that I am right. I have finally finished off my other projects (coming soon) and have begun a pair of gorgeous blue self-striping socks from Patonyle, which are my travel knitting (or knitting while on lunch, on the exercise bike or while cooking dinner). And I NEED the Seneca to make some more progress, it has been left to the side for too long and for no good reason.

So, here's hoping my nimble fingers can accurately gauge my needles, and that the sleeve I cast on tonight will be the right size. It would be just too sad if it wasn't.

Swatching For Seneca

Today I decided to swatch for Seneca, swatching being something I don't usually do. However as I'm knitting this sweater out of handspun, I thought I'd better do a swatch as I have had no experience with this wool.

I also decided that as this whole project is in the round, that I will use this as an opportunity to practice my continental knitting, hopefully to acheive a faster and more efficient knitting skill. I also knit this in the round as the pattern suggests, to minimise any errors.

I was very pleased with how well I picked up the continental method again, although it was always the purling I had trouble with. I probably didn't knit as much as I should've, but oh well. I was pleased to notice that my stitches were a bit looser, which is a relief as lately my stitches strangle the needles, and I struggles sometimes to pull them back off the cable and onto the needle.

After casting off, I washed the swatch in a warm bath of Softly wool wash. Then let it air dry. I was pleased to see the wool blossom up a bit, something which I had not really noticed before. Where I thought the holes were perhaps too big, they filled out nicely. The imperfections in my spinning also seemed to balance out after washing too. I have made gauge using 4.5mm needles, so I am looking forward to casting on for my Handspun Seneca very soon.