Tag: yarn

A Couple of FO, Yay.

I’m sure the knitting rule is that if you finish 2 projects you are allowed to cast on 5 more. That’s right, isn’t it? I’m quite sure it is.

So here are my two finished objects. I’m feeling the joy of being at the finish line.

My tea cozy is done. I used an aran weight plus a sports weight held together for the top and 3 sports weight yarns held together for the straight body section. As I had mentioned, I am an incredibly tight crocheter so the funny horizontal lines are because I can’t get my crochet hook under the 2 legs of the stitches to make a single crochet, so I just go into the top leg. It works for me and I like how it looks. Have I inadvertently stumbled on a real crochet stitch?

My second FO is my Reversible Ribbon wrap/scarf. Yay. It is easy knitting but an 80″/203cm long wrap is still a large project. I’m all set for winter now. I’ll wrap this around my neck, outside my coat, to hold my hood in place and cover part of my face. I am already warm and toasty just thinking about it.

I added a second contrast colour and am really happy that I did. I’m sending an update for the Reversible Ribbon out with the finished photos in it.

Does a little sweater that still needs to be blocked and the buttons sewn on count as a FO? Sure it does.

This is going to be called the Build A Better V, a baby/child sized garter stitch cardigan. It is a redo of the Build a V without the pointy bit at the bottom. I used left-over DK weight yarn (from the rainbow sweater). The extra bonus is that the different colours show the different parts of the cardigan. Four buttons to sew on and I’m done.

Now I am in a dither. What to cast on?! Maybe that, wait this would be good, wow, look at that. You know how this goes.

I made one decision.

I cast on Winter’s Finery by Romni Hill. I wanted to try some rustic sport weight wool I have from Lichen and Lace. I want to see how it works for a shawl. The pattern is written for fingering weight yarn, so with the sports weight I’m using a 4.5mm needle. What a relief to be using a larger needle. Everything else I’ve been knitting lately has been with 3.25mm needles. I’m really happy to be zipping along with this one.

Now, back to ravelry to contemplate some new projects. See ya, Deb

Cabin Fever patterns by Deb & Lyn and the cabinfever crew

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

Deb.gemmell on instagram

Debgemmell 435 on youtube

Winter blahs

I’m feeling that middle-of-the-winter slump. I curl 3 times a week, which usually helps the winter go by, but I am not doing very well, in fact, I have lost every game for 2 weeks. I guess that’s not helping! My knitting is coming through for me though. What do people do who don’t knit?

I finished the body of my Family Crew Neck for my rainbow obsessed grandson. It took a good bit of TV knitting but there it is, done. If you want to see me blather on about this sweater, along with an explanation about working the sleeves for an adult version, check out my latest youtube video.

And here’s the little guy, trying to play the solitaire game I taught him the other day. Hmm, wait a minute, the rules seem to have changed drastically!

He is totally knitworthy. He regularly wears the sweaters I knit him last year. I’m hoping this one will last a couple years.

At the bottom of the pullover, I cast off the ribbing with the Icelandic Cast Off. I cast off quite tightly if I’m not paying attention. I thought this might work better but it’s a little wavy. I’m not happy. I may have to rip it back and do a normal cast off after all.

Now the sleeves. I’m going to work one stripe on one sleeve and the same stripe on the other sleeve. This will make them go quite quickly, right? Here’s hoping.

Meanwhile on the helical front, I’m down to the bottom of the yoke.

I used my oM1 increase in the yoke, mostly because I like to see where they are. It reassures me.

And I started a second one in Hempton by Lana Knits.

I made a couple of changes to simplify things which I put in the second one. I have to see if they work before I get too much further. I’m also trying to figure out how to get a bit more room in the Front and make the Back a little narrower. That is what I like for my own figure.

It is a little hard to see the grey and green but they are there.

As I was already doing the helical thing, I started a pair of socks using 3 colours in the same helical method. Once I choose the 3 balls of yarn out of my odd-ball bag, I try to predict which colour will shine through. I am always wrong!

I didn’t realize that the variegated yarn had such a long colour change to it. That’s what makes helical socks so cool, you can never predict, or at least I can never predict, how the colours will end up.

A question that comes up when helical knitting is how to keep the colours straight and not too tangled up. Here is my solution. I move the colour to the end of the line of colours every time I finish with it. This totally works for me.

That’s a wrap for this week. Hopefully, two sleeves done by next week and maybe a sock. Days are getting a tiny bit longer. Yay!

Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

deb.gemmell on instagram

Debgemmell435 on Youtube

Two Sweaters and Helical stripes set up

My Family Crew Neck is just buzzing along. Therainbow stripes were a great motivator. I wanted to see what each new stripe would look like.

Now I’m at the point in this Family Crew Neck where I get into trouble. I want the body to be done, so I measure every couple rounds, thinking it will be the length I need before I start the ribbing. Even stretching the tape measure isn’t getting me there and you know I’m trying. Every time I’m sure that I must be there by now! Nope. A couple more rounds, a couple more rounds, a couple more rounds.

This is my weekly Youtube video if you want to see where I’m at on my two sweaters.

To keep my round measuring stress at bay, I am working on my Circular Yoke. The Short Rows are done and now I’m working the helical knitting rounds.

If you are serious about stash busting, this is a terrific technique. It makes one-round stripes, in my case, with 3 colours. That means I don’t have to buy an entire sweaters worth of yarn. I can stash dive and find enough of 3 colours, that when combined, will make up the amount I need for one sweater.

Here’s a video of how I got the stripes started and how to change colours. For this sweater the change takes place at the shoulders. Changing colours in the same place every time is the simplest way to work the helical method.

The trouble is that I chose colours that sort of blur into each other, much more than I thought. This is very deep stash from Wellington Fibres.

I am using the brown wool for my increase round, and you would think it would be easy to see, but, no.

How about starting another one?! Sure, why not. I am thinking of summer here.

I have 8 x 50g of the grey, 8 x 50g of the teal and 2 x 50g of the green. I think that’s enough green to get 3 stripes going in the yoke. This is Hempton by Lana Knits: 40% cotton, 30% hemp and 30% modal. That’s summery yarn, right? Again the grey and green are a little too close in value but I think they will show the helical stripes better. Here’s hoping!

Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-free patterns by Deb

deb.gemmell on instagram

Looking Forward 2025

Happy New Year everyone. 2025 Wow. My usual schedule starts today so no more lounging around in my pjs, which was lovely and much needed. My WIP clean up week went really well but now it’s time to look ahead and get this year started.

I will continue to do my blog, and hopefully, more videos. I have a few more knitting adventures I can’t wait to start. During my WIP week I had this deep stash yarn sitting out, as a carrot, to help motivate me. This is Wellington Fibres DK wool/mohair blend which I have had forever. Forever being 15+ years.

I’m going to be working on a striped top down circular yoke using the hellical knitting technique. I can’t wait.

Since one sweater on the go is obviously not enough, I’m knitting another Any Gauge Family Crewneck. I’m knitting a small one in Shelridge DKW, for my grandson, who is currently obsessed with rainbows. If you want to come along for the ride, please do.

Those two new sweaters were my reason for clearing the WIPs up. I did a pretty good job of it. I’m quite proud of myself.

I finished my fingering weight cardigan. I took a photo when I still had 1″ left on my last sleeve but it’s done now and button shopping is next.

I ripped out the bottom 4″ of my Slanting Slip-On. I went up one needle size and knit back down. I have to take this to my daughters for a fitting. How much more length is needed? Then I can cast off. As a summer knit, this one is just a tiny bit late.

My aran weight V-neck is finished, except for button sewing, of course.

This is Kraemer Yarn from my deep stash. I’m really happy to have this one to wear.

And lastly, a Carbeth which I knit as a pullover, has finally become the requested cardigan.

I’m now quite confident in the crochet steek technique. This time, after I crocheted the edges of the steek, I picked up and knit the buttonbands. Then I cut.

I think the inside edge, photo bottom right, looks fantastic. Again, the button thing is next.

I also got about 2 more inches knit on my overall twisted stitch cardigan (knitting on 2.75mm needles is so freakin’ slow).

I never wrote anything down for the stitch pattern, so I was a little nervous about picking it up after several years. The pattern was fairly easy to figure out once I remembered that I did all the garter stitch between the twisted stitches as purls on the right side, phew. This is knit in Revolutionwoolco 1 ply natural wool.

So that’s me. What are you up to? Any knitting plans for 2025?

Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free knitting patterns by Deb

deb.gemmell on instagram

WIP week

I have decided that it’s time to finish a bunch of WIPs.  Before New Years Day I hope to finish these projects.

This V-neck cardigan only needs 1 1/2 sleeves. Not a quick finish on 2.75mm needles but it’s been languishing for 8 months and I think that’s long enough. Blog post: 3×3 Stripes . I actually thought it had been sitting a little longer than that. Small needles or not, it’s going to be done. Yarn is Shelridge 80/20 fingering.

Next is the Slanting Slip-On by Anne Venzel.

I knit this in Shelridge Summer Silk, which is a beautiful linen/silk blend. It’s for my daughter and it almost fits! It ended up a little small over the hips. I need to rip it back a couple of inches from the bottom and re-knit it a little wider. That’s OK. I’m looking forward to knitting with this yarn again.

There are still more WIPs. I don’t know why I abandoned this top down cardigan. It only needs 2 x 1/2 sleeves (I was working the 2 sleeves at the same time). I think I even have the buttons for it. I must have been distracted by a new shiny knit. I started this one in 2022 and it looks like the last time I worked on this was December 2023. It’s about time to free up those needles, right?

I wish this was all the WIPs I had but it’s not.

This one needs to be made into a cardigan. I had been putting it off, even though I have lots of the wool, because the steeking sort of scared me. I have recently worked crocheted steeks on two sweaters. They turned out really well. Not scared anymore.

This is Kate Davies Carbeth . A terrific top down knit. The problem now is that I have no idea what needle I used. Since I never get gauge, it’s not the needle recommended by the yarn. I want to rip the ribbing back, make it longer, then cut it up the front and knit the buttonbands. This could be interesting or really, really frustrating. No telling yet.

One last sweater.

I think this one got stalled in 2021. It’s on 3.0mm needles and it may be that I just got tired of the slow progress, especially since I have to pay attention on every row. Who knows after all this time. I won’t get this one done by New Years Day but I’m going to get started on it. I mean, it’s fairly close to being a real sweater.

I dare not look around any more. This is enough to get on with. I keep thinking how accomplished I’ll feel at the beginning of 2025. Here’s hoping!

Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

Deb.gemmell on instagram.