Sirdar wrap cardigan in cotton

Although I love Sirdar Baby Bamboo, I wanted to make the wrap cardigan from Baby Bamboo too in cotton for my niece. Several people have asked me how the patterns knit up in 8ply cotton, and I just couldn't tell them until now.



Here is the wrap cardigan in Aslan Trends Glaciar Del Cielo (2655 Orchid), with the stripes and tie ends in remnants of Class. I did modify the pattern, knitting the body in one piece, as I wrote about last time I made up this pattern, and adding a row of single crochet as a neck edging rather than sewing on a knitted trim. You can see that I have used i-cord rather than ribbon for the ties. I thought a nice solid cotton i cord would be less likely to be pulled out or eaten by my 15 month old niece than a slippery ribbon.
I am planning yet another version of this cardigan for my 5 year old niece. It is lucky this is such a quick knit.

Daisy cardigan

I love the colour Carmen in Jo Sharp's Soho Summer DK cotton, and have been wanting to make something from it for ages.
I started to knit a sundress top for my niece, putting in some purl stitch daisies that I graphed to co-ordinate with a blue red and white Asian daisy print, but after I had knit the panel with the raised daisies, I thought it was too tall for a back bodice sundress on a 3 year old, so decided to turn it into a cargidan instead. Because I had started already, I had to write the pattern as I went along, but I am very happy with it now that the cardigan is finished, don't you love the buttons?

Now I just have to make a dress to match.

Wisp, a stole in Jo Sharp Rare Comfort Kid Mohair

Here is a stole I finished quite a while ago. I gave it to my mother for her birthday, and she had not got around to bringing it into the shop for photographs until last week.
The free pattern is Wisp by Cheryl Niamath, from Knitty 2007.
I have used 2 balls of Jo Sharp Rare Comfort Kid Mohair in colour Cranberry.

Patterns

My friend Sue wore this crochet wrap top into the shop the other day, and I was instantly inspired to make one.
It is a thrifted machine made top, we think it looks like an 8ply cotton.

 

I have been busy looking up crochet patterns in my Harmony stitch reference. I think I have worked it out in theory, however, Sue will have to teach me to crochet first. I can only knit.
Do not hold your breath waiting for this top to appear.
I seem to be on a pattern roll at the moment. I am currently working on a knitting pattern for a toddler cardigan. I could not find exactly the one I wanted to make for my niece this Christmas, so I am inventing it as I go along. I even got out the graph paper for an embossed flower. This one will be shown pretty soon- there is a deadline!

Jessica's Monday night scarf

I really wanted to show you this scarf, this is the second item Jessica has knit, and I think it is fabulous. The scarf is a present for her sister, lucky sister! I hope I am not posting a spoiler, but Jessica's sister has not taken up knitting yet. Maybe I can convince her....

 

Jessica used 3 x50g balls of Jo Sharp Silkroad Ultra in shade truffle for the scarf. The pattern is the Monday night scarf you have seen before, but I think it looks quite different in this luxurious bulky yarn. Jessica reduced the number of stitches in the scarf - I cannot remember exactly how many, possibly down to 20, as with 30 stitches cast on the scarf looked more like a stole.
Jessica came to our sock class on Saturday. I hope to show you some socks soon, as I forgot to take photographs during the class. At the moment I am finishing off some of the sample socks I had made as demonstrations for the class, all the partly made socks sitting around are a little overwhelming in my unfinished project pile.

More Spider Stitch Scarf

We are seeing quite a few of these quick and gorgeous scarves coming into the shop. This one is by Sue, from one skein of Aslan Trends Artesenal in colour 36. The official name for this colour is "Celery" but Sue has renamed it "Avocado" as a more suitable vegetable/fruit for Queensland. I think it looks a bit like the shade of the flesh of a Reed avocado - What do you think? Sue plans to sew some beads in different natural timbers to the ends of this scarf, and promises to bring it in to show us once it is embellished. I am really enjoying all the variations our knitters develop from this simple pattern.

 

I am also waiting to see the final version of a stole/scarf made using this pattern in the bulky weight Jo Sharp Silkroad Ultra. Jessica is making one for her sister to wear in the snow during a trip to the USA this Christmas. So now the Monday night knit group is also an international designer :).

Another Jo Sharp Ultra Beret Pattern

A few months ago, I made a black beret from Jo Sharp's Silkroad Ultra. The Beret was doing display duty in the shop once my daughter felt it was too warm to wear it, and one of our visitors wanted to make it. I rashly promised to search out the pattern I had written in order to make the beret, but somehow, I had mislaid it.
I was not entirely unhappy with writing the pattern again, as I wanted to move the cables to a more prominent position on the beret, making them part of the 5 arm spiral.
Here is my new version in the luscious cream shade of the same yarn

I think I like this one even better.

However my daughter still prefers her original beret, she says it has more texture.
Sandra has already knitted up my pattern in order to send a beret to her daughter in cold, wintery Canada. I am now an international designer! :)