The pattern was improvised using a mystery yarn from stash; the tree design is from The New Knitting Stitch Library. I've always liked the look of this yarn, a handsome three-ply variegated marl, but the skein has numerous breaks and previous attempts to turn it into something always ended in frustration. After sitting around for so long that it lost its band, it's finally become a small comfort against the expensive heating season ahead.
Moving along, I'm taking the advice of my excellent SP6 pal, Pepe the Prawn, and am going with a fiery colorway rather than a winter twilight colorway for my Holiday Sox solstice socks. Here's two gauge swatches. Notice the vast number of coil-less stitch markers that are gainfully employed as stitch holders.
The pattern is another modular knitting project from Heartland Knits, Diamond Patch Socks. This type of modular knitting not only requires a vast number of small stitch holders, but also an incredible amount of picking up stitches and weaving in ends. I'm using crochet cast-on and crochet provisional cast-on in addition to slipping edge sts to produce nice chained edges for ease in picking up sts, and weaving in as I go.
The yarn is a delight, 100% wool two-ply Diakeito Diamusée Fine, colorway #113. Like the mystery yarn above, each of the plies is variegated, so the yarn is both variegated and marled, an endless fascination for the eye. It's similar in weight to Shetland two-ply, but has a softer hand. It knits up beautifully. I'd love to try it in a funky Fair Isle project... but not while Santa's workshop is adding swing shifts!
Heigh ho, heigh ho, there's many more to go! Scarves are up next.
3 comments:
I never usually post on blogs, but I saw your modular project, and felt pained for you having all those ends. Check out my new book Modular Knits, which teaches you how to create diamonds like this continuously, without cutting yarn and picking up stitches. Much much easier (I think).
Iris
Hi, Iris, thanks for the encouragement.
I just saw the blurb for your book in Holiday Vogue Knitting and was thinking, "I gotta have a look at this!"
Incidentally, I'm making your Snowy Triangle Scarf from Handknit Holidays and enjoying it very much.
I really like your mitts. Nice subtle striping and a cute little ornament. Great job! Let the cold days come..
Post a Comment