First of Challenge Done

So my first project for this years challenge is finished. If you can’t remember I have challenged myself to knit garments for myself other than socks. The aim is to have eventually filled up my wardrobe with hand knits. I am starting off easy and began with a hat. Felt it was only right since my last hat lasted all of a day (thank you Molly). Also, while I have knit many hats for my sister I don’t actually have any myself.

The pattern I chose is Cannetella by Woolly Wormhead. You can find it on ravelry if you are interested. Woolly Wormhead is famous for her hat designs. She plays around with stitches to come up with the most interesting designs. Her hats are also famous for being perfect for those who love to knit with indie dyers variegated yarns. They have that perfect balance where both the design and the colour way are highlighted. I have found that most designs one almost always overpowers the other. If you fancy learning new techniques on a smaller scale I would go an pick one of her designs.

I didn’t go for any of those because I really wanted a slouchy hat. I wear my hair all tied up in a tight bun at the top of my head for work. So beanie hats are a no no. I would look like a cone head. In any case I love a slouchy hat and I love a lace pattern which is why this one was so perfect for me. The pattern is easy to follow. It has a repeat that is fairly easy to remember so you can work out quickly where you are. How many times have we put down a lace pattern and come back to it a few days later with no idea where you are in the pattern. It’s easy to work out with this one (although I do tend to track in my notebook). It comes in many sizes too so you can chose one to suit yourself. I went for the largest because I wanted a good slouch on it. I would recommend using circulars rather than DPN’s. I am a DPN girl normally but a few times the stitches came off the end and I started the hat twice as a result of this. Next time I will get the circulars. Mind you, if you go with a smaller size you might be okay.

I used the yarn that I picked up in Amsterdam almost two years ago. It’s by Hedgehog Fibres and the colour is called Salty Tales. I have said recently that for the most part I will be a project knitter but I had the yarn picked out before I found the pattern I wanted (although I had a rough idea of what kind of pattern I wanted). The good thing is that the yarn came from my stash so I did a little stash busting. This yarn is beautiful. The colour changes are subtle and they pick up well in the light. At the moment I am in love with greys and I am especially in love with greys that have other colours through them like this one. Beautiful to knit with and perfect for this slouchy hat. Mind you it would have been perfect for socks too or a light jumper if you had enough of it.

I have ordered the yarn for the next project in my challenge and it’s a scarf. Also in grey to match the hat although the project is not lace. Looking forward to picking it up and starting it.

Lainbow’s Zig-Zag Lace socks.

Or should they be called the brightest socks in the world? After over a year of having this yarn that Lorraine had bought especially for me to knit her socks I finally did it. Since it was a semi-solid colour I decided to use my zig-zag lace pattern. Obviously I made sure Lorraine was happy with that. I’m glad she was as I am really pleased with how it turned out. It’s difficult to see here but the pattern suits the yarn. I don’t think it would work out with a self striping yarn. It might be interesting to try it though.

I showed the yarn on the last post. It’s by Hedgehog Fibres and is a merino/nylon blend. The colour is such a bright pink and I love its name, pinky swear. It was fun to knit with so I’m glad my sister chose it. The texture of the yarn is a little rougher than I expected. perhaps due to the amount of dye used. However, it knits up well and the texture is actually perfect for socks. They feel sturdier as a result.

I have plans to try out the pattern on variegated yarn to see how it goes. I have my doubts that it will work with those. The yarns I plan to use are all from my stash and I have picked them out already. In the New Year I will knit the pattern up for a final time which will be used in order to publish the pattern. I hope you won’t be sick of the sight of it by then.

Stephen & Penelope

Every time I go somewhere I like to plan a trip to a local yarn shop. Not that I am well travelled. This year was a special birthday and I was taken to Prague. I’m a little sorry to say that I didn’t look out any local yarn shops. The year before we went on a family trip to Amsterdam. I love Amsterdam. I have been there at least 5 or 6 times and I am never bored of it. I love the culture, the atmosphere and the history. It was nice that we were going as a family and this time I was especially looking forward to one thing. I didn’t care what I did so long as at some point I got to visit Stephen & Penelope. A yarn store which is rather famous among knitters. Mainly because of Stephen is none other than Stephen West of  West Knits. One of my favourite knitting designers.

On our last full day there we did indeed make it to the famed store. It’s in a lovely area with lots of nice stores. Thankfully also a cafe nearby where my dad and uncle went so that I wouldn’t feel rushed. The store is lovely inside and out. Filled with beautiful yarns, books, kits and accessories. I was in heaven. The staff were lovely too and from what I could gather it seemed to be popular with locals as well as visitors like myself. If you are ever in Amsterdam you have to go. Just be prepared for the fact that you won’t leave without buying something.

Along the road from our hotel there was also a lovely little quilting shop. There was one day my sister and I had the morning to ourselves as there was a museum we wanted to visit and my dad and uncle had something else planned. Since my sister likes to sew too we couldn’t not pay it a visit. The shop is called Original Dutch Fabric and it is actually a lot bigger that it appears on the outside. The shop is filled with a fabulous choice in fabrics as well as quilts made by the owner and her friends. They were so beautiful and the lady who owns the shop was lovely and happily chatted away. 

While both my sister and I did buy some fabric I have put mine away with all of my other fabrics. I haven’t had the chance to look it out. Of course I also bought some yarn at Stephen & Penelope. My sister wanted to buy me some sock yarn. I only agreed to it if she picked and bought yarn for what would become a pair of socks for herself. She chose the pink. I picked out and bought the grey and I have plans to use that in the new year. I have purchased Hedgehog Fibre yarns before but it’s not the same as buying it in the shop.

I would have happily bought kits and books and spent a small fortune. Instead I limited myself to a couple of cute accessories. A little key ring that also acts as a needle gage. I have a few of these but none in the shape of a Dutch building. I also got these cute little bicycle stitch markers to add to my collection.

Even if you are not a knitter or a sewer I would still recommend Amsterdam. It’s a beautiful city which has a lot to offer all types of visitors. Even though I didn’t go to any yarn shops in Prague I would also recommend there too. It’s also beautiful with lots to see and do. I would suggest going during the week as wee did to avoid the stags and hens.