knit 1 blog 3

Bus Beanie

2008-08-07T11:56:00.002+10:00

Spotted this one on the bus. I like the idea of the different textures accompanying the changes in colour - but i'm not so sure about the end product.

Emergency Beanie

2008-07-25T23:01:00.004+10:00

Opting for a haircut of near-zero length (in winter) proved not to be my most intelligent moment. I discovered this on the first night of my new look. Clearly action was needed - knitting action.

Keen observers may notice the similarity to Leigh's beanie that i made last year. Remember, there was no time for creativity or new designs - i was cold! And the intermediate solution (an ill-fitting hooded jumper) meant that each night i looked as though i was preparing to hold up a 7-eleven.

Keen Learner

2008-07-10T23:43:00.000+10:00

It's easier than you think - you could probably learn in 15 minutes.

This is what i said to Grace's new flatmate (and now my friend) Aimee. It was an off-hand comment, but true enough (for basic knitting).

Two days later, Aimee (new wool in hand) takes me up on my 'offer'. That was a week ago now, and this is Aimee's progress in those seven days.

It's a random colour scheme, determined mainly by whim - but i was more impressed by the sheer quantity - for a knitter of seven days.

"Her future is bright" Grace predicts (in a yoda-like manner).

Taking it for a Test Toast

2008-06-01T15:35:00.003+10:00

So with father and son coming over to see the Broncos-Eels game on Friday night (a final second thriller by the way) it was a chance to try on the scarf - even though it's not quite finished yet.

It seems to go OK. There are going to be maroon tassels in between the gold ones. Tie up a few loose ends, and we're done. The little mister looks a bit grumpy for the photo - we reckon it was because the Broncos were trailing 12-10 at the time.

Baby Broncos Scarf

2008-05-18T17:25:00.003+10:00

Friends of mine have recently had a baby boy, and 'dad' has given me the honour of making bub a footy scarf. This is the beginnings of it.

Being baby-size, it's just 16 stitches across. So it shouldn't take too long to finish.

Matching Beanie

2007-10-16T14:51:00.000+10:00

For those who read about the scarf I made for Leigh, you'll notice the first thing we did was purchase wool. The obvious problem with this is guesstimating how many balls to buy. Particularly when we hadn't decided on the style or length of the scarf.

We guessed 5.

This turned out to be too many for a scarf, but just enough for a scarf and matching beanie.

The great thing about ribbing (yep, when i said matching i didn't just mean the colour) is that it stretches and contracts. As such, the first 18-19cm of the beanie is dead straight (102 stitches).

That's when it got nerdy! With a pen and paper i devised a system of repeating units and stitch combinations, such that in 8 rows i could get 102 stitches down under 10 - whilst maintaining a relatively linear rate of decrease, and also preserving the rib formation up to the tip of the beanie.

In the end i think it turned out ok. Hooray for Maths!

A Real Winter Scarf

2007-10-05T14:21:00.000+10:00

A good friend of mine (Leigh) has just left for Britain. As a going away present i offered to make a scarf for those cold English winters. After an expedition to the local wool shop where she chose a wool of her liking, we decided on the style.

As you can see, we decided on a K2P2 rib style. (For those playing at home, the width is 42 stitches. I chose that because as well as being approximately the desired width, 42 - as science fiction fans like Leigh are aware - is the answer to everything). Apart from having a good look, the structure of the this style of knitting gives a good thickness to the scarf. And when worn in the double-over-thread-through fashion, it provides even more warmth around the neck region. (Did I mention this is for english conditions?)

However, Leigh prefers to wear it in this manner, which she thinks is more reminiscent of Doctor Who (circa 1980s). I'm sure she'll change her mind when she reaches London, and style gives way to warmth. It's somewhat surreal to be test-driving a scarf on a 34 degree Brisbane day.

Almost Ready!

2007-06-22T14:10:00.000+10:00

Well, after a few weeks of purling and knitting, kniting and purling, i've now finished my 2007 scarf. This is me working on the final touches...

... while sitting in my very comfy chair, which turns out to be great for knitting, as well as for reading, watching sport...

Lattice Scarf

2007-06-09T14:40:00.000+10:00

This is another shop window job. I'm not even sure how they made it. But i'm guessing that cabling is involved.

I'm not at that stage yet, so i'm not going to think about it - but i thought you might be interested to see it. You may even be able to tell me how it's done.

2007 Scarf

2007-05-16T15:21:00.000+10:00

This is 2007. The team has a new jersey, so i'm making a new scarf.

For those interested, the structure is apparently referred to as "textured rib". Essentially, the rows alternate between K2(P1K3)P1K2 and (P1K3)P1 where the stuff in brackets is repeated as many times as you feel is warranted. I've gone for a total width of 29 stitches.

2006 Scarf

2007-05-14T14:41:00.000+10:00

This is the start of the scarf i made last winter. This was what it looked like on the first of May.

As i am a fairly avid fan of the Brisbane Broncos, i decided to make it in team colours. The two white stripes either side of the large gold section (and the navy blue stripes between the gold and the white) are similar to the vertical stripes of the team jersey.

Shop window

2007-05-10T18:41:00.001+10:00

The good thing about shops is getting ideas and seeing how things work. The other day i saw what i thought was a neat-looking scarf. (sorry about the reflections)

While i wouldn't necessarily get that scarf - or even make one the same - i like what they've done - getting one of those wools that is a blend of two colors (in this case white and grey) and interspersing a solid colour of the same theme (in this case black). I may try that kind of design at some point.