ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

You see we are having house guests (son and family), they are arriving from Switzerland on Sunday. Should I be preparing our small Dutch house for the influx, or should I just knit – which is what I feel doing? I am knitting capelets, I have 2 more on the needles right now as well as that shadow knitting bag (still not completed) and the red socks that I owe son and Best Beloved – that old IOU, you remember it, don’t you?

I bought son some New Zealand merino socks whilst in New Zealand recently, as a salve for my conscience – such tardiness I am expressing with regard to the knitting of socks. I didn’t discover the new “Red Socks” campaign that was held in New Zealand on July 2nd (while I was there), until today when researching “Red Socks” yet again.

Darn, I could have bought son and Best Beloved Red Socks and not have to consider knitting those all elusive socks for them myself.

And then there is the cardigan for Angelica, the poncho/capelet for Elaine, pattern for gorgeous waistcoat, and a vest for….. Damm – I would much rather knit.

Today is a cool 21c which is a remarkable temperature to be working on knitting, designing and writing. Crosby Stills & Nash are singing loudly. All is good, I have had a great coffee. I have found the connector plug to attach to my iron’s plug so that it can work here in the Netherlands. The big problem is that it wants me to hold it to do the ironing. Will son and family care if the pillow cases are ironed or not? Probably not.

While in New Zealand, I posted to myself, here in the Netherlands some more of my yarn stash – I need to sort it, work out where to store (hide) it. Well maybe I don’t need to hide it anymore – Best Beloved knows how much yarn I have . Well I think he has a general idea that there is enough yarn to knit for the lifetime of a fanatic – trouble is I have the yarn, but am running out of lifetime, having reached nearly middle age as you can tell having just raced to 63 whilst in New Zealand.

Thing is – house guests for 2 weeks – I have to be able to knit while they are here, or I will forget how, maybe (they say you forget things as you age, so maybe I am forgetting things, I just can’t remember if that is so).

So I think I will sort yarns to knit the wedding gift that I have mentioned in earlier posts. Once the yarns are sorted, it will be a doddle to knit. I don’t have to write anything down for it, I just knit.

That could be a perfect solution, sort yarns today, and then prepare somewhat for the guests.

Too bad about the ironing

Take a punt – look at those yarns you have – Gather together the yarns that you have in the weight you wish to knit, mix fibre, mix colours – and play.

Choose the correct needle size for the average yarn weight.

Play with the yarn – sort it in rows to see how the colours work together, change the order, check that you love the colours together – follow your gut feeling.

Weigh the yarn. Divide your yarn into 2 piles, with 1/2 the weight of yarn in each pile, one pile for each half of the throw. It is important so that you can see how far the yarn goes as you are knitting and be alerted early to the fact you may need more yarn than you have to hand, early enough to add maybe add another colour on the first half if needbe.

This baby blanket was knitted using yarns left over from other baby projects. It was large enough to be folded over as a pram cover, and when used flat as the correct size for a cot blanket. Because it is knitted on the diagonal it looked great whichever way it was used.

Pattern: the throw is knitted from a corner to opposite corner.

Cast on 4 stitches
K3, YO, K1, turn
Slip 1, K2, YO, knit to end, turn

Slip 1, k2, YO, knit to end, turn – repeat this row until the side is the right width for your throw.

Slip 1 K2 YO Slip 1, k2tog PSSO, k to end, turn (decreases one side only)
Slip 1, K2 YO k to end

Continue with these 2 rows until the side still being increased is the correct length for your throw.

** At this point it is a good idea to weigh the knitting as it is halfway through, if you didn’t at the beginning that is. Check the weight of your remaining yarns and see if you need any additional yarns to complete the piece.

Slip 1 K2 YO Slip 1, k2 tog, PSSO, k to end, turn
Slip 1 K2 YO Slip 1, k2 tog, PSSO, k to end, turn

Continue with the decreases on every row until 4 stitches remain.

Cast off 4 stitches.

NOTE: note the decreases are on both edges – so that the knitting will converge at the point directly opposite the Cast on point.

It is not possible to give yarn quantities – as it depends on your yarn weight and the needle size you choose as well as the intended size of the finished baby blanket or throw.

I will set this up later as a formal pattern and provide it as a pdf – in the meantime – just give it a go.

This Multicolour Capelet is easy to knit – being all garter stitch. The shaping is created by knitting short rows.

It will be great worn over jeans and a Tee or Camisole, or over a party number. Warm and interesting with unique colour and fibre combinations. There will never be another exactly like the one you knit. It is a great pattern for creating a piece from your stash yarns.

Or you can knit the capelet in one colour only in a delicious sensuous yarn created to wear for that very special occaison or as a gift for a special person in your life.

Remember – Capes / Capelets / Shawls and Cloaks are in in 2010 – and when you knit this capelet using all your favourite colours and yarns – your creation will be unique.
This pattern is available on Etsy – click the link below.

If you enjoy what I write here

would you be?

could you be?

a fabulous, feisty, friendly, and fantastical fan of my Facebook business page as well click on this link to Connie Lene Unique Designs & Knits page please OR just like it by clicking on the Facebook link in the right hand column of this page. I would love that.

Many many years ago – I attended my first Kaffe session on colour and knitting in New Zealand. I purchased a Kaffe videotape at that time, I do not have it with me here in the Netherlands & cannot recall the title – the subject was knitting with colour, as in many many colours, and viewing your world for ideas to create new knitted pieces using many colours and shapes.

When Kaffe came to New Zealand then I had already been knitting & crocheting using many colours in freeform intarsia since the early 1970′s. I found as everyone does great inspiration in listening to him then & I continued to knit with many colours and yarns even though I was informed by others that my knitting was not normal, nor was my passion for playing with colour. I do however feel quite quite normal.

I have searched the Kaffe Fassett listings in Youtube and cannot see my video tape there. But the concepts in this new video apply to knitting as well as quilting, mosaics and other art and textile art forms.