Here and There

Yarn: RYC Cashsoft DK Shade 524
Needles: 4.5mm bamboo
Pattern: Here and There Cables by Norah Gaughan from Scarf Style
Cast on: December 2009
Cast off: December 2010



My little brother requested a scarf that was wide and long and green. After several sessions on Ravelry he chose this combination of yarn and pattern and then sat back and waited. He was very good and would only occasionally ask after his scarf.



This is a well written pattern and I love the finished result. However, the combination of a dark yarn and the cable pattern meant that it wasn't a good choice for show knitting. As this is where a large proportion of my knitting is done, in low light in prompt corner, it meant that this scarf has taken a lot longer than it should have.



In the autumn and winter last year I was working close to family and spent several weekends visiting them. This gave me a number of concentrated knitting hours on the train and ferry and finally this scarf began to grow. I cast off at the end of the eighth ball and wet blocked it to open the pattern out a little. It was dry in time for gifting at Christmas. A scarf long enough and wide enough for my gigantic little brother.

Tea with the Queen

Yarn: Sublime Baby Cashmere Merino DK Shade 0001 (light pink)
Rowan Pure Wool DK Shade 00042 (dark pink)
Needles: 4mm and 4.5mm bamboo
Pattern: Tiny Tea Leaves Cardi
Cast on: January 2011
Cast off: February 2011

I've had this pattern in my queue for quite a while and as I had some lovely pink Sublime yarn in the stash it was ideal for 11 in 11. The yarn was lovely and soft and a joy to work with. The pattern was well written with interesting shaping and patterning at the start before speeding through stockinette to the finish. I put shorter sleeves on as I didn't have enough yarn for the full length ones. The buttons on this cardigan came from the stash. Originally from Duttons for Buttons a fantastic shop in Harrogate that I can never resist when I'm working there. Well it is only 2 doors away from the theatre and like a treasure trove!



The resulting cardigan was so cute that I couldn't help but knit it again for the older of my 2 god daughters. This did mean breaking the no new yarn rule though but I think it was worth it to have 2 little ladies decked out in fantastic cardigans. The buttons for this darker cardigan came from the stash too, the rest of the set having been used on the Pink, Pink, Pink cardi from last year.





They like them so much that they picked them to wear when they went to see the Queen! You can't ask for more than that.

Sundara Scarf

Yarn: Sundara ASM in Speaking of Parrots and Dancing With Your Imagination
Needles: 5mm Addi circulars
Pattern: Edwardian Waves from 200 Ripple Stitch Patterns by Jan Eaton
Cast on: September 2010
Cast off: January 2011



I bought this yarn in 2009 and in March 2010 made a Drop Stitch Scarf with the skein of Speaking of Parrots. Despite other Ravelers having used 1 skein of ASM for this scarf mine came out very short and it languished unblocked in the knitting basket.



Fast forward to the autumn when I was knitting gloves for work in horrid squeaky acrylic yarn and needed a 'palette' cleanser. I reclaimed the yarn from the Dropped Stitch Scarf and teamed it with Dancing With Your Imagination, then I picked a stitch pattern from Jan Eaton's book.



This yarn was lovely to work with, a real treat after grey acrylic! I think that the stitch pattern shows off the yarn really well and I love the way the two colours sit together, almost blending in some areas. After a month of use the scarf is a little pilly now, but that's to be expected and I don't mind as you can still see a soft sheen from the silk.

11 in 11

I've seen a few variations on this Ravelry with people pledging to knit 11 shawls or sweaters or pairs of socks in 2011. While I would love to knit myself 11 sweaters by the end of the year I know that this just wouldn't happen. It would be at least 2 full time jobs worth of knitting time and I'd need 2 full time jobs to fund that quantity of yarn! I'm also continuing last years pledge of using up my stash and there isn't really enough of any one yarn to knit me a sweater.

The Aim

:: Knit 11 items in 2011

The Rules

:: The yarn has to come from the stash
:: The pattern has to be one I've wanted to knit for a while
:: I have to finish before midnight December 31st 2011

I have put a group of patterns into my queue on Ravelry that are contenders. They are a mixture of lace, cables, baby sweaters, shawls and so on all of which could be made from the stash. There are more than 11 items on the list so that I can choose what I fancy as the year goes on and I see how much work/free time that I have.



One down, ten to go!

Baby Surprise Jacket

Pattern: Baby Surprise Jacket from Knitting Workshop by Elizabeth Zimmerman
Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton in 907 (deepest olive) and 900 (antique)
Needles: 4mm bamboo circular
Cast on: January 2011
Cast off: January 2011



This is another of the kids kits that I put together last year and the first of my 11 in 11. I went away for a couple of days over New Year and grabbed this to keep me going on the train and in front of the telly. The pattern has been in my queue for a really long time. In fact I bought the book in July 2007 after seeing this version by Brooklyn Tweed.



The yarn had also been in the stash for a long time, since 2005 I think. I had planned to make a Handsome Hound but never quite got around to it. Since I sold the Lucinda Guy book that the pattern is in two years ago it is unlikely to get made now!



As I had a limited amount of yarn available; 2 balls of antique and 1 of deepest olive; I decided to make the jacket striped. 4 rows of white then 2 of green. I had intended to knit this without any alterations as it is the first time I have knit this pattern. However, I did end up making 2 small adaptations. Firstly when told to knit 10 bumps (2 rows of garter stitch = 1 bump) across the center section I only did 9. This was to keep the stripes correct. The other alteration was to pick up stitches around the neck, knit a row and then cast off. This was to neaten the neck up and to make it match the front edges. The buttons again came from Franklins in Salisbury.



Having knit this pattern once I can understand why people return to it time and again. I have a feeling that this will not be the last BSJ that turns up here!

Green and White Cardigan

Pattern: V-neck Cardigan with Contrast Ribs by Debbie Bliss from Baby Knits for Beginners
Needles: 4mm bamboo
Yarn: Sidar Snuggly Baby Bamboo DK
Cast on: May 2010
Cast off: December 2010



This was another of the baby kits that I put together last spring. Having finished it just before Christmas it sat in my knitting basket for only a few weeks before being sent to some friends for their new arrival. I adapted this pattern in the same way as Pink, Pink, Pink to be knit with as little seaming as possible. I did however, cast off and seam the shoulder stitches as casting off front and back shoulders together on Pink, Pink, Pink didn't look very neat. As I had plenty of yarn this time I picked up stitches around the armhole and knit each sleeve separately. The cream rib yarn came from the stash and the buttons were from Franklins in Salisbury and picked to help tie the two colours together

Striped Socks

Yarn: Regia Design Line Kaffe Fassett, Exotic Pool #4453
Needles: 2.5mm bamboo DPN's
Pattern: Simple Sock Pattern by Sue Morgan
Cast on: September 2010
Cast off: November 2010



I started these socks for me. However, when a friend asked where she was on the list for a pair of knitted socks and listed her favourite colours as blues, greens and purples they quickly got redirected. They are the usual pattern that I use for socks, with a K2 P2 rib as I wasn't concentrating when I cast on and forgot to do my usual K2 P1!