Knitting WIPs

Exercise In Patience

Nicky4 Comments

I could give all the reasons why I’m back in this space, but I’m not going to bore you with them. The short version is that this blog has long provided me with the space to document and share my makes (even if no one else is reading) and primary of all the reasons is that social media platforms have gone the way of misinformation and just all out greed. The interest I had in sharing on those platforms is all but dead. Crafting is slow and I refuse to continue to feed an algorithm and AI training designed for the benefit of the 1%.

I’m not going to confine my self to pledges of a consistent posting schedule but I will be posting here more than I have for the past couple of years.

That said, I haven’t done much knitting so far this year. Well … handknitting that is. I’ve finally cranked up my Addi Circular Machine for charity hat knitting (post about that coming soon) but other than that, knitting has been on the downward turn for me. To get myself back in the groove, I decided to work on a shawl pattern. I’m not a shawl knitter per se, but I love them. The larger, the better! I also like quick projects so large shawls using fingering weight yarn was not an appealing combo. I find large shawls to be an exercise in patience, and sometimes, I don’t have that! LOL!

As I began to limit my social media intake and activity, I decided to push myself. Why not pursue this exercise in patience? Why not slow down, take my time and remind myself what it feels like to make for the sheer joy of it and not so I could have something to post on Instagram? I went through my patterns and found the Chateau Rouge shawl by Madame Tricote. The pattern was posted on Ravelry but the designer no longer designs or provides pattern support so you can’t purchase it there anymore. However, I have to thank my past “print all the patterns I like” self because I found a printed copy in a folder of “potential knits” patterns I made more than 6 years ago.

The pattern is not difficult but as the rows become longer (close to 200 stitches now) and I’m only 1/3 way, it’ll be interesting to see if I learn to exercise patience, embrace the slow and finish it.

Pattern Details

  • Name: Chateau Rouge
  • Designer: Madame Tricote
  • Colorways used:
    • Tough Titty — Stitch Together (Pink )
    • Dowager Countess Downton Abbey — Canon Hand Dyes (Purple)
    • Boysenberry — Blue Moon Fiber Arts (Magenta)

My progress so far:

I’ve been very much enjoying watching the sections move to completion but I want to start my holiday makes this week so I’ll be diverting a tad from this project. I aim to keep some level of consistency and not let it fall by the wayside.

Until we chat again, I hope you’re all well despite the dumpster fire that the world is right now. Be good to yourselves always.

In Response to Amina — Blanket Overload

Nicky23 Comments
Amina

Off topic: Are you going to do another mood blanket for 2015?

This is the first time I’m responding to a comment with a post, but I think Amina deserves to know what’s up in blanket land for me this year.  😀

It had crossed my mind to do another mood blanket after the first one turned out so well but requests and promises made caused a change in that plan.  To date, I have four blankets on tap for 2015!  Yes I said four!  Nuts … I know, but here’s why:

image courtesy: Lion Brand Studios

After staying wrapped up in my mood blanket for 4 days while we went through the “blizzard” in January, my little cousin requested his own throw/blanket.  We went through Ravelry patterns together and he picked this cabled blanket.  According to him, he wants it big enough because he’s taking it to college — college for him is 4 years from now.  Be still my beating heart.  ❤

The yarn is already in my possession, he picked some crazy lime green colour but it’s his blanket, all I am is the maker so I had to accept the colour choice I was given.  He was so very resolute in his colour choice.   😀    The bulky weight should make this project go fairly fast so I’m confident I can get it done (all things being well before the end of the year).  He says he expects it for Christmas since my mood blanket took the entire year.  What a sweet-heart. ❤

The second blanket is more of a decorative throw but I love the look of it and actually started to make it in December.  I didn’t have the yarn used in the video — Bernat Blanket Yarn — which is a velour type, super bulky weight yarn:

Bernat Blanket Yarn

so I used two strands of KnitPicks Brava bulky held together.  The look was okay but still not what I was going for so I ended up scrapping that project.  Then a friend went to Michael’s after Christmas sale where the Bernat yarn was 40% off.  She knew I was not buying yarn this year so she picked it up and called it my “Christmas” gift.  Still not sure if she meant Christmas 2014 or 2015.    😀     Either way, this blanket is back on the 2015 to do list.

image courtesy: Purl Soho

The third blanket on tap is a Double Seed Stitch blanket (baby version) for my friend’s son.  I was supposed to do this before he was born.  He’s going to be 2 in July.  :/   In my defense, I did start the Honeycomb pattern for him but it wasn’t working up the way I liked so I’m going to adopt this Purl Soho pattern, making it in stripes as opposed to one solid colour.

And finally, a blanket for me — a free Martin Storey KAL (knit a long) afghan from Rowan Yarns.  This version of it sold me completely so I’m also doing mine in one solid colour rather than multiple colours as the original pattern suggests.

image courtesy: http://www.dayanaknits.com

The project is done is squares, then joined and finished off with the cable binding.  The squares shouldn’t take too long but I read that the binding takes a bit of time.  I bought the yarn for this in December — Patons Decor in Eggplant.  Since I’m in no hurry with this one, I’m going to finish the others first then get cracking on this.

It might seem a lot — four blankets in a year but I’m finding that I like projects like these and I don’t mind the length of time they take.  So there you have it Amina … no mood blanket but plenty of others to go around in 2015! 😀

What about you all — any blanket plans for 2015?