I should be renaming this blog into the 'Absent Knitter's Landing Page'. In actual fact, I might just do that in a minute. Considering this rather long period of silence (due to having nothing to report on the knitting front as of late), I may take a while to find the 'knitting voice'...the nice, fluffy me. It's not here at the moment. I lost it on a train between Faversham and Victoria.
Commuting and knitting. It can be done, but it requires dedication to preparation, meaning you have to be organised at 6:00am in the morning.
So what have I been doing? Reading, mainly. Because that's what one does on a train. Preferably with headphones, so you don't have to witness the human misery around you. Somewhere between Faversham and Victoria I came across some interesting knitting - related trivia...it involves men, knitting and the island of Jersey (Channel Islands):
Men (as I keep telling non - knitters: knitting was the domain of our male brethren before mere females were allowed to engage in it) are apparently prohibited to knit during the fishing season on the Island of Jersey. By law. To this day.
S(h)ock! Horror!
A few words on the yarn, Moonlight Sonata by James C Brett: It's nice to work with, very economical ("the skein that doesn't - run - out - syndrome"...until it does), it certainly is very cosy, soft to the touch with sufficient stitch definition, making this a perfect yarn for lace knitting projects. The composition is as follows: 75 % Acrylic, 10% Mohair, 10% Wool, 5% Metallic - shame about the metallic thread.
100g will cost just over £5.00 - a rather frugal yarn discovery, suitable not only for lace knitting but also for socks and a variety of other garments. An Ammonite incorporating all of the pattern's increase repeats will require just over two skeins, when knitted on 4mm needles. I ended up running out of yarn approximately one third into the Picot bind - off and completed the remainder of the border in Rowan Kid Classic, which blends in quite nicely. Lucky me!
As regards the colour scheme - I'm a conservative when it comes to colours and this feels a bit daring, at least to me. Ravelers commenting on the project, however, seem to approve, if the comments I have received are anything to go by.
Before embarking upon the use of multi - coloured yarn for the pattern, I was in doubt whether this would work with the design. In actual fact, the colour changes seem to complement the natural flow of the design.
Blocking Ammonite was quite an experience, as the stretched piece ended up being as big as the bed. Blocking the yarn is possible and I would recommend to wet - block, but the acrylic content will obviously limit the lasting effects of the procedure.
Of course there is a back story to this but as laws and Jersey are an entirely different matter, deserving their very own posts from rather more knowledgeable authors, I shall return to the knitting, though a brief entry on the above may follow at some point in the future.
Introducing: Ammonite (Mark III) - finished back in October 2012:
 |
In case you are wondering why the shawl is wrapped around the pumpkin: This post was originally scheduled for Halloween in order to give this blog more of a seasonal theme. (Oh... and the pumpkin was of course homegrown!)
|
 |
| Ammonite in James C Brett Moonlight Sonata |
 |
| Ammonite in James C Brett Moonlight Sonata (Detail) |
 |
| Ammonite in James C Brett Moonlight Sonata (Detail) |
100g will cost just over £5.00 - a rather frugal yarn discovery, suitable not only for lace knitting but also for socks and a variety of other garments. An Ammonite incorporating all of the pattern's increase repeats will require just over two skeins, when knitted on 4mm needles. I ended up running out of yarn approximately one third into the Picot bind - off and completed the remainder of the border in Rowan Kid Classic, which blends in quite nicely. Lucky me!
 |
| Ammonite Picot Border in Rowan Kid Classic |
As regards the colour scheme - I'm a conservative when it comes to colours and this feels a bit daring, at least to me. Ravelers commenting on the project, however, seem to approve, if the comments I have received are anything to go by.
Before embarking upon the use of multi - coloured yarn for the pattern, I was in doubt whether this would work with the design. In actual fact, the colour changes seem to complement the natural flow of the design.
Blocking Ammonite was quite an experience, as the stretched piece ended up being as big as the bed. Blocking the yarn is possible and I would recommend to wet - block, but the acrylic content will obviously limit the lasting effects of the procedure.
 |
| Wet blocking |
Considering the garment's overall size and that it was entirely knitted whilst travelling on public transport (excluding the tube), I hope I didn't infringe on my fellow commuters' personal space too much.
The pattern is available here. The German translation will happen, at some point in the future...
No comments:
Post a Comment