4th Day of Christmas

This is a cap which was hand knit using aran wool. It only takes 2 balls and is very satisfying to knit. You knit the round and then 2 pieces to cover the peak which was made from a plastic file cover.

Thanks to my son who took the photos

3rd Day of Christmas

This is a scarf I made on my loom. It is made with 4ply wool and made a close weave.  It is a bit hard for a scarf but would make a nice table runner.

2nd Day of Christmas

This is a waistcoat which I knit for my mum.  It is the first item I have knit on the garter carriage and put together with a hague linker.  She wanted some pockets and it worked out quite well.  I was even able to make the button bands with the garter carriage.  I sewed on a large button and then sewed a popper behind it which saved me having to make a button hole.

This was knit with double knitting King Cole Mirage and so is nice and thick and warm

1st Day of Christmas:Merry Christmas to Everyone

Hi
Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and hoping Santa brought you some wool or something nice to enjoy. 
This is a little Santa which I knit when my children were young and he sits under the Christmas Tree every year.

Merry Christmas

About my loom

First of all I have not blogged for a while.  I just could not get time between work and family.  Anyway, I had an enquiry about my loom.  It is an Ashford Knitter's Loom - which basically means it folds in half and can therefore be easily stored away when in use or not in use as the case may be.  It is a 12" Regid Heddle Loom.

Folded Loom

Opened up with heddle inserted.

 I bought it while on holiday in England as I could not find a stockist in Northern Ireland. I got it from Norfolk Yarns at http://www.norfolkyarn.co.uk/.  The lady had a loom set up in the shop and ran through with me how to thread it up and start to weave which was really helpful.
I have found the loom easy to thread up and weave on, as I am a complete novice.  So far, I have just made scarves.  The heddle supplied is for fancy wool - I have used double knit, chunky and a fancy yarn.  On hindsight, I should have got a wider loom so I would not be restricted by width - although I suppose I could join 2 lengths together if I want a wider material.

Woven scarf with Curly Wurly Wool

I am still experimenting with the loom but am enjoying the learning curve. 

Record Aids

I don't know about you, but when I knit an item, I am usually so keen to get onto my next one that I never record what I have done.  I write tensions and notes on different bits of paper or envelopes and then find these weeks later and cannot remember to what yarn or garment they refer to, and usually end up in the bin. So...........................................I made myself 2 record sheets.

The one below is to record the Tension of a yarn and my intension is to keep one sheet in a folder to record the yarn and then to cut one of the boxes off and staple it to the yarn band with a small sample of the wool.  Then I will have a record if I ever want to use this wool again.  I know each cone and colour of wool does knit at a different tension but it would give me a starting point.



The second aid is to record a garment.  I can fill this in and put it in a folder so I can refer to it if I wish to make another garment of the same type.  I amy also consider putting the sheet in a polypocket with the tension square/sample of the wool.

 

You can make a similar sheet or if you send me you email, I will gladly send you a copy.

Boucle Jumper

Hi, I have not had time to blog as have been weaving and knitting.  Yes, I eventually got up to the roofspace to my chunky machine and knit a jumper.  This is one I have been planning since last year.
It is made from King Cole Misty DK and is a boucle wool, so you use the wrong side when making up the jumper. The pattern is from Machine Knitting Monthly October 2010.  The neck is hand knit on size 5mm needles.

 I am pleased with it but the wool was a nightmare to knit.  The wool would go into a thin strand and seemed to stick to itself and somehow when casting off, the stitches would drop.

It is the first jumper I have sewn up on my Hague and it is a dream - I love it.