Modular knitting continues

I seem to be in learning mode these days. This is my default when things get tough. Elderly care is taking up a lot of my emotional bandwidth so I need something to concentrate on in small doses. The Jigsaw Blanket by Stephen West was great for this. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jigsaw-puzzle-blanket

But I wasn’t done with modular knitting. I took all the techniques I learned from the blanket to the Conglomeration Caper Cushion by Woolly Thoughts (free download).

This pattern has lots of information about working all the shapes but does not give you row by row instructions for joining. It was fun to work on trying to transfer techniques to see if I had actually learned anything.

Not bad but I’m thinking of doing one more cushion cover to consolidate my knowledge. I have lots of partial balls left over from both projects.

So onward.

Cheers, Deb

Yarn by Shelridge Yarns https://www.shelridge.com/

Gauge-free and Gaugless patterns by Deb https://www.ravelry.com/stores/debgemmellmods

Jigsawing away

I’m obsessed! I can’t seem to stop.

Do you find that you deep dive into some projects? I do if I’m learning something new. This Jigsaw blanket is a modular workshop for me. Working with 2 strands is also new to me and coupling colours together for the marl affect is an adventure.

Have you taken on something intriguing?

I am finding that some of my pairings didn’t work well. This is a beautiful blue green with a speckled beige sock yarn. The blue shade is gone, and to my eye, it looks hunter green now with speckles. Not a fan of that one.

I love the coral and red together. I was using really tiny left over balls as the second colour. Ran out of red so added a small ball with a bit more yellow in it and the bottom is a multicolored bit with some orange in it.

Isn’t this one beautiful? Teal green and teal blue together. Yummy.

Blue plus a blue-green handpaint. This is lovely too.

Now I think I have a better idea of what’s going to happen when I pair up two colours. I’m trying not to be too smug, ha. I’m probably headed for a fall. Still quite a long way to go yet.

How are your projects coming along?

Cheers, Deb

Gauge-free and Any Gauge patterns by Deb

Purl Back Backwards: New Year, new 2023 challenge

It definitely feels like this year needs something new. So I have given myself a challenge: videos. The first one is purling back backwards (near the bottom of this post).

I’m ok with amateur-hour videos as I figure this out. But videos there will be. Let’s begin as I intend to continue, with my first 2023 project with videos.

I was gifted 2 large bags of fingering weight wool by my sister Lyn, of Shelridge Yarns. Yup, this is a lot of excellent wool.

It’s burning a hole in my project bag. Is this even a thing? You know what I mean, right? I need to use it, lots of it, right now!

I’ve chosen to work Stephen West’s Jigsaw Puzzle Blanket. It has a lot going for it. Two strands of fingering are held together throughout. It’s worked on nice big needles and it’s modular too, yahoo.

So far I am on my third section and I can already see that the turning, turning, turning for the garter rows is going to be a drag as this gets bigger.

Purling back backwards is coming to the rescue. You work it with the right side facing (no turning to the wrong side). It gives you the garter stitch bumps needed.

Here’s how it’s done. (You can skip to the video below if you want to.)

With yarn in front, insert the left needle into the back leg of the next stitch, from back to front.

Wrap the yarn around the front needle, counterclockwise.

Push your front needle through the stitch to the back. Purl bump made.

Do you want to see it in real time?

Make purl bumps of garter stitch made with the Right Side facing, no turning needed.

I am going to be soooooo good at this by the end!

Hope you have chosen a gorgeous new project to get you started on 2023.

Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge patterns by Deb https://www.ravelry.com/stores/debgemmellmods

Deb.gemmell on Instagram

Act One and Act Two

3-Act Play Scarf

I finished the first Act of the 3-Act Play scarf. All three triangles are done. I do love how all the triangles join up. Somehow the joining makes me a happy knitter.

The triangles also determine the depth of the scarf which, for this one, is 12″. I’m hoping blocking will take it to 14″ deep.

I was suffering from eyelet fatigue so the third triangle is striped.

I added in this bronze/gold/orange colourway. I will be working with this colour across the centre portion of the scarf. This is Stange Brew, colour Sedona, by Shelridge.com. Look at all those lovely colours.

I’m sorry now that I didn’t work more ridges of blue against one ridge of the new colour. The colour change is a bit more abrupt than I had expected. Too late now.

It’s definitely time for something new.

The second Act is worked on the bias. It can be done in garter stitch, but I just did a garter triangle, so I’m done with that business. The Mods pages offer 4 slip stitch patterns and right now that sounds just about perfect.

The Mods pages have this 1×1 slip stitch knitwise pattern worked over 4 rows. Two rows garter stitch and 2 rows slip stitch. I love how the colours work here.

Of course it didn’t take long before boredom set in which always leads to something fun. I kept playing with which colour was the background colour (the two knit rows). Can you see where the colour switches?

Then I changed the blue to a dark teal, just for the hell of it.

Hmm, well, it’s interesting.

Now to do some lace. Yay. Stay safe and enjoy the sun. Deb

3-Act Play Scarf on ravelry

Any Gauge and Gauge-free patterns by Deb

Off to a fast start

3-Act Play Scarf https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/3-act-play-scarf

I’m now on the second triangle of three which make up the first Act.

Here’s the beginning. Triangle two is getting attached to triangle one. I just love modular knitting!

I’m working this one with eyelets worked every right side row.

I’m noticing that the eyelets, worked every 4th row in triangle one, look different to eyelets worked every 2 rows.

Fascinating.

Done. You know it’s the right project when it whips along this fast.

On to triangle 3.

Cheers. Hope you are enjoying your summer knitting. Deb

3-Act Play Scarf

Any Gauge and Gauge-free knitting patterns by Deb. https://www.ravelry.com/stores/debgemmellmods

In between

3-Act Play Scarf

One large project is done so of course I wanted to cast on right away. But what to knit now?

It’s that between time. Almost time to think of knitting a sweater for the fall, but who wants to think about summer being over, and too late to do a summer knit.

I don’t know why but I want to knit another 3-Act Play Scarf. This will be my fourth one. Why not? I want this one to be nice and big.

It starts with 3 Triangles, joined-as-you-go. The basic pattern is written in garter stitch. This is the first one I knit out of odd balls.

This time I am diving into the Mods and working eyelets in the first triangle.

I chose to work the eyelets purlwise (one of the 4 eyelet options). I know that wouldn’t be most people’s choice. I have a good reason.

The shaping for this triangle is worked on the wrong side rows. So I combined working the eyelets with a shaping row.

Wrong side row: Shaping row + eyelets worked purlwise.

Right side row: Knit.

Wrong side row: Shaping.

Right side row: Knit.

I get those lovely angst-free knit rows. Yay.

Also there is a knit/purl/knit stockinette section with the eyelets sitting exactly in the middle row which makes my symmetrical heart happy.

So far it’s the perfect knit. Happy August. Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-free patterns by Deb

Deb.gemmell on Instagram

Done

Gauge-free and Any Gauge patterns by Deb

Yes, it’s done!

Am I happy? Yes.

What do I think about my first boxy style pullover?

It’s comfy to wear. Fourteen inches of ease might have something to do with that.

It was a lot of knitting. I was amazed when I weighed it and it only weighed 400g. It felt like it should have been more than that. The yarn is a cotton/linen blend by Sugar Bush called Cabot.

I really like the 3/4 length sleeves. Actually, what I really loved was that the sleeves where so nice and short, LOL. Maybe you can relate?

I would change a couple of things next time.

I would slope the sleeves to match the shoulder line.

I worked shaping on either side of the back panel. I like it.

Next time I would work the decreases and increases inside the pattern itself. Then the panel would have an hourglass shape. I feel like the back on these sweaters needs a little distraction from all that stockinette fabric.

I’m happy with my experiment. Will I knit another one? Maybe.

Cheers, Deb

Gauge-free and Any Gauge patterns by Deb :

Deb.gemmell on Instagram

Stages of sweater making

Gauge-free and Any Gauge patterns by Deb https://www.ravelry.com/stores/debgemmellmods

There are distinct stages in sweater knitting – places where you can take a look and feel satisfied with your progress. A good thing too because a sweater is a long project. Taking the time to sit back and congratulate  yourself makes it all worthwhile.

Getting started with all the adventure ahead of you – that’s the easy part.

There’s a point where it seems to become a sweater and not some random bit of knitting. For this pullover, it was joining it up at the bottom of the V.

Trying something new is also fun. The idea to work the steeks was not what I had planned for this construction. But why not?

Getting the sleeves done is always a  relief. Once the sleeves are there it really is a garment. These are 3/4 length so not long at all. Yay.

Now I’m coasting down to the bottom and wondering how long I really need this sweater to be. I’d like to be done. This is where I need to buckle down and keep going.

I’m so close to being finished. Now I’m looking to cast on something new. Hmmm.

Cheers,  Deb

Gauge-free and Any Gauge patterns by Deb https://www.ravelry.com/stores/debgemmellmods

Deb.Gemmell on Instagram

Did the Steeks work?

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

I know you’ve been waiting with baited breath to see if picking up around my steeked sleeve opening would hold as I knit my sleeves. You haven’t?!

Well, I was holding my breath, even as I did it. And, guess what, I found one more skein of the pink. Yay.

On the inside you can see the crochet work I did and the cut ends.

On the outside, the pick up is very neat and tidy. I picked up 3 stitches for every 4 rows.

One 3/4 length sleeve finished. I have to say that this construction sure makes short work of sleeve knitting. I love that.

As I approach the end of this large experiment I cast on for a new project. I’m holding it as a carrot in front of this sweater so that I get it done.

I can’t be the only one who does this, am I?

Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free Patterns by Deb

Deb.Gemmell on instagram

Summer knitting

I hope you are doing some summertime knitting. I am almost finished my third skein of cotton.

Hmm, it looks like it must be more yarn than that, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s the end of the 4th skein. It might have been an idea to take note of how much I had when I started. Notes?! Ha.

That’s the last of the pink, unfortunately. I’m still stash busting and using what I have on hand. I have one skein of gray to finish. So that’s next.

I’m knitting up the pink as fast as I can. I really want to pick up around my sleeves. I’m going to do some sort of short gray sleeve. Yarn is running out. Yikes.

What is your summer project?

Cheers, Deb

Gauge-free and Any Gauge patterns by Deb on ravelry.

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