ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

Yes I know; Gaiter(s) used to describe a neck warmer does not feel quite right to me as yet. But then language is always developing, as it should. So who am I to say that the leg protector word cannot be used for a neck warmer or neck protector.

Neck and Shoulder Warmer / Gaiter

Anyway this is my gaiter for Natascha or my latest neck and shoulder warmer with my most recently rediscovered favourite stitch – good old Feather & Fan.

When I first knitted with feather and fan it was all baby matinee jackets and shawls and so on. Now I am using it for neck warmers, arm warmers, cowls, waistcoats etc. I love it.

2010 Woolon entry 1

Some of you may have followed my Woolon entry story a little. I kept making mistakes in my knitting; I had problems getting it to New Zealand on time and I didn’t write the patterns properly as I went and so on.

The ensemble was entered in the Out there / Streetwear category. It looks great on the model, the first time I have seen it together as I sent the various pieces to New Zealand in 2 parcels as the top wasn’t completed in time for the first parcel and post from the Netherlands takes an age. WoolOn may have had a topless ensemble. But as you can see I got there in the end.

I am a little sad that the arm warmers were not worn from over the hand to above the elbow as I had intended – in the rush to send the parcel I probably didn’t describe it well enough for WoolOn to work out just what I meant. It would have looked much more funky then.

WoolOn entry 2010

WoolOn Here I come

Sometime Twitter a story makes

Skirt and top were created with Touch Yarns, Magic Merino Sock yarn. Various yarns were used for the Beret / Slouchy hat and the Moebius Scarf/Cowl. And then those funky feather & fan, fingerless gloves / gauntlets – they were in a variegated yarn.

The top does have a dramatic keyhole centre front and is sleeveless, knitted in k2 p2 rib.

The skirt increases were done using the hyperbolic plane method – that is every # of stitches increase 1. now I am writing it I cannot remember how many stitches were between the increases) I do have it in my notes, but I was just excited to get up to these photos this morning. Thank you Karin.

Gosh now I am checking there were many references to the WoolOn event, I won’t add them all here though. WoolOn link

Cowl

The cowl is knitted from the neck down, on 7mm circular needles. As it is knitted in the round it can be tried on to view progress and make decisions about the length very easily and because it is knitted with a chunkier yarn it is a quick knit and there will be time to complete one for a Christmas gift if you are in wintery climes that is.

Dutch Homespun - for Cowl

I am finishing another using a Dutch homespun that I purchased at the mediaeval market here in Haarlem last year. It still has that lovely hint of sheep in it when you smell the yarn.

The cowls may be photographed on my mannequin only for the pattern as I am without a model still.

I am staggered that my waistcoat which I am knitting in one piece to the under arms – is working out as a striped one. That is the colour changes are almost so correct that each set of the 4 rows of Feather and Fan (Shale) stitch pattern is in an individual colour. Now that isn’t a problem, I just didn’t expect it to be quite so distinct.

The problem I have now is what to do when I divide for the armholes. Do I cut the yarn and maintain the stripes more or less, or do I cut the yarns and use a different colour more or less for each front and for the back? I am having trouble visualising the end result and it is unusual for me to have a problem visualising colour on a piece I am creating, but this is such a surprising result that I am having a minor conniption.

I know! I carried on knitting, not believing my eyes – but now I must believe the camera.

Has anyone created a waistcoat using Kureyon Sock Yarn and made some decisions on where to go to from here? Please.

I found on the internet that there are 2 Noro Kureyon yarns and one is described as a gorgeous self striping 100% wool yarn, and mine being Kureyon Sock yarn contains 30% nylon yarn. It is also described as having long, subtle color changes, which is not happening on my waistcoat – where the stripes are clear not subtle – but that is to do with the width I have chosen to knit, not the yarn.

Notes from Twitter extended a bit:

I purchased Noro “Kureyon Sock Yarn at the Handwerkbeurs (Craft show) in Rotterdam on Friday because I love the colour. I cast on last night for a waistcoat using feather & fan stitch and knitting from the bottom up – in one piece.

I found the formal description of the colours of my Kureyon Sock Yarn – Col 188 – Moss, Purples, Navy, Black, Pink on Knitting Fever. My own description of the colour was greens, pink to wine, grey to dark grey or purples. It’s rather hard to describe the colours because it is grey outside and inside the light is not that good. But at the Handwerkbeurs it looked great and it still looks great – the colour that is.

Before I left Rotterdam I talked to a couple of yarnie people who warned me that the yarn can be very thin and to not create socks from it even though it is a “sock Yarn”, because it will go into holes on the thin bits. Now that is a touch scary, but I bought it because I loved the colours, and as you already know I still haven’t managed to create the two pairs of red socks – my big IOUs, so I didn’t intend knitting socks with this yarn.

As you can see on the photos – my waistcoat is growing – but I have already met two nasty knots in the first skein. I am told that is not usual – so will see how it goes.

The design and shape and how to manage the feather and fan when I reach the underarms – I haven’t decided yet – so will have to keep you posted.