March 2022
I’ve been knitting a seamless top down jumper with a repeated leaf motif around the shoulders of a design by Jen Steingass called Avena.
Here’s what it looks like. Righto. Next knitting project. Need to find the right yarn first.
Avena by Jenn Steingass. Love her knitting projects. This will be my second one I will do from her patterns. #knittingtwitter pic.twitter.com/sXRZ9PzzXY
It’s the second jumper of hers I knitted (see me wearing it below) which introduced me to colour work as I was building my knitting skills BUT although it has taught me to do this, I’m still not an expert at it. (Maybe something to master in 2022 ?).
For one, when, you turn the garment inside out, you’ll see strands of yarn stretched out on each row. It adds additional bulk to the jumper because it’s holding the weight of more than one yarn in the the one place. There are ways to minimise these of course but it requires adept holding of two yarns in one hand (or a special way to hold them with two) that gets awkward. A satisfying knit (but taking AGES) as I attempt to learn how to do colour work on yokes. There are tons of things wrong with this but it’s my first attempt. Will do more of these and get better with each one. This year, I’m trying to improve my knitting skills! pic.twitter.com/KzMd1jVdXg
Today I’ll be blocking it. In knitting terms this means that the garment needs to be washed in wool wash and then laid flat to dry. This relaxes and evens out the lumpy stitches and ends up looking like a store bought garment. Nice and flat. It’s the most wonderful feeling to pull a jumper that you’ve knitted over your head and wear something that you planned, bought specific yarn for, knitted with your own hands.
It’s time for my next project.
I’m knitting another plush chunky knit that I hope would look fabulous with a pair of jeans, tee-shirt and boots. It’s grey which is a colour I never used to wear but I’m finding that now I’m letting my grey hair grow out, it seems to suit me especially if I wear a pop of red lipstick. Over the years, I’ve noticed both the things I knit and colours have changed. Everything has become a bit softer, muted and delicate.
I’m knitting with more soft yarns like alpaca and angora and changing colours to be less harsh. Softer burgundies, greys and blues. Wonder if I add cool pale yellows or pink into that mix? ? Onto my second knitting project. This time with large knitting needles and soft yarn (unfortunately acrylic but nevertheless). Will enjoy wearing this snuggly cardigan in winter. pic.twitter.com/5v1EBLuX70
Today is a public holiday. It’s Labor Day in Melbourne celebrated with Moomba, a colourful and fun event in the city that draws crowds and families. I haven’t been for many years and prefer quieter pursuits so I’ll plan for something else.
As I’m typing this out on my phone, it’s 5:30 am. Andrew got up at 4:30 to watch the golf on tv again. He’s likely to be watching it for rest of the day as he rests from his stressful job that starts up again tomorrow.
I’m planning to head into Brighton, a sea side suburb today to find a cafe and treat myself to a breakfast and some people watching. Maybe think about the next thing I can write about in this blog.
After breakfast, I’ll head to the cinema and watch a French film for the Alliance Francais film festival. It’s going to be a nice day today so I may walk along the beach too afterwards and maybe take some photos.
Let’s see how I go. I’ll play it by ear.
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