Warming jumpers and balling yarn

Happy New Year. I'm sneaking in a quick blog post between start-of-term business and our impending house-move next weekend (no huge life-dramas: it's just that the land-lady's selling up and we're only moving a mile away, but moving is a hassle).

I thought I'd share a recent experience in balling some yarn of my mother's, in case the info is of any use to fellow knitters. Exhibit one: some pretty, but very tangled and very, very slippery yarn.

My mum bought it in Damascus (here). From my own experience with a lace-weight version of the same yarn, I predicted it would be a humongous pain to ball. Loads of tangles, and so slippy you leave it un-gripped for a millisecond and the ball falls to pieces (creating more tangles in the process). I warned her, and insisted she came round to use our swift and ball winder.

I was right about the tangles and slipperiness. About 1/8th of the way through we decided to ditch the idea of the ball-winder (it just slipped off it, you had to hold the ball in your hand the whole time...). We needed a bobbin which could readily be passed through un-doing knots. We looked around the table and spotted some rolls of parma violets I had lying around ready to be sent off to a friend who lives in the states.

They worked REALLY well. The thick pen-like shape was great for wrapping yarn around whilst keeping tight in your hand, as well as pointing through the knots. We then balled the yarn (by hand) from these bobbins and kept the balls secure with some tissue paper and rubber bands. It still took several hours: the finished knitting pieces from this yarn better be worth it!

If you don't know what these Parma Violets things are, they are UK-sweeties (candy if you really must), flavoured with violets. You either love or hate them. See a close up of the 'bobbin' here.

I'll finish with a couple of FO shots - pieces finished over the Christmas break, my last knitting of 2009.

It's the Wedgewood blouse from IW Knits Summer 2006 (but modified as a woolly jumper), and a super-simple top-down raglan cardigan. Ravelled here and here respectively. The yarn for both comes from aborted attempts at Demi (rav link). Which, using yarn from a first-day-of-the-sales trip to John Lewis, is my current WIP. I've modified to work it as a top-down raglan, but I'm a little worried I won't have enough yarn. Wish me luck.

knit grumps of a WIP (plus a nice FO)

My attempt at the Pretty as a Peacock shawl is kicking my bottom. Doesn't it look pretty up there? Pah! That was *four* false-starts ago.

First, I changed my mind about gauge, and I frogged and started again. The yarn pictured is Fyberspaces infinity, held double. Once the gauge was sorted it was going along pretty well, but I still felt the yarn wasn't the best match for the pattern: the thicker, shinier and evenly-dyed silk I bought in Damascus would do a better job. Again, I frogged and started again.

But this yarn is so slippery if a stitch falls even a little, it'll fall all the way to the end (imagine the complete opposite of kidsilk haze). Plus the pattern, at least in the first few charts, isn't regular enough that its easy to see how to neatly bring the stitch. I'm normally pretty good at using a crochet hook to bring dropped stitches up from several rows down - I'll happily turn cables around the other way or re-situate lace. But for some reason I can't get my head around this one. So, there's been two further full frogs. Grrr.

In happier news, I finished a cardigan, and I love it - even if I do seem to look especially grumpy in all the photos.

Its Rambling Rose from Rowan 39. I'd made this ages ago but it came out way too big. Plus, I thought a longer version would look nice, and I much preferred the ones I saw in ravelry which had been made out of a springy wool rather than the recommended cotton. The restult is the basic idea and charts of Rambling Rose, but done as a top down raglan with a load of side shaping. It fits perfectly, and is a pretty and practical cardi. A nice bit of warmth over a tee for the warmer months. Details of yarn, needles etc can be found the project's ravelry page.

In even happier news, Lara is coming round for afternoon tea, so I'm going to put the annoying knitting away, getting out some plain old stocking stitch to talk-and-knit with and putting on a batch of maple-syrup scones (they have oats in them and make the kitchen smell gorgeous, recipe from this book. Eat them with marmite: it shouldn't work but it really does).

FO: October Baby Sweater

You'll have to excuse the lack of blogging. I do love our new house (the door to the roof terrace has a built in bottle opener, what's not to like?), but the whole moving palaver has certainly been a blow to knit-blogging.

The picture above is a recent FO I've dubbed the October Baby Sweater. Its based on Zimmermann's February Baby Sweater, but I cut out the lace, replaced it with stocking stitch and finished with a bit of autumnal leaf embroidery. The yarn is some tea-dyed bamboo/ wool and a bit of left-over brown 4ply. The leaves are placed to fall across the left side, and down that edge of the back. See also its ravelry page.

Its for my lovely friend Nadiya, who along with her also-lovely husband Ian recently reproduced an equally lovely baby, little Jaan. Last week I packaged it up with two Baby Surprise Jackets and a batch of diabetic lactose-free brownies. Recipe follows, its easily adaptable for those who know no fear when it comes to the sugar and cow juice (though hard to vegan-ise, you need the eggs). After many years of searching, its my favourite brownie recipe.

• 250g good quality dark chocolate.
• 200g dairy-free margarine. Or, for dairy-freaks, 250g of butter.
• 100g cocoa.
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
• 200g perfect sweet. Or similar sugar substitute, or 250-300g fine sugar.
• 40g plain flour. Use whatever type of flour works for your diet, though my personal preference is fine white cake flour.
• Five eggs. Or four large ones.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Melt chocolate and fat. Slowly. While that's cooling, mix the dry ingredients together. Beat the eggs into the choc/fat mix. Make a well in the dry ingredients and slowly pour in the wet. You can also add nuts or fruit at this point - a chopped up Mars Bar is ace if you don't mind the sugar. Mix to a thick paste and pour into a brownie tray (or rather splat it rather than pour, the stuff is thick, a spatula is useful). Bake for about 20-25 mins. Its should still be quite squishy in the middle. Leave to cool and cook a bit further while it does so. They are gorgeous while still warm with yoghurt or ice cream, but they actually improve with age, so worth making a large batch and letting them last a day or two.

I'm currently in Leeds, giving a couple of seminars in their philosophy department. I might have an hour or so free tomorrow afternoon, depending on trains - anything I should catch? Next week, I'm off to Dublin for a few days (very excited, never been to Ireland) - again, any recommends?

Brompton, etc

Mary pointed me to a mistake in the cardigan pattern. It wasn't a big one. I think it was bad maths, or a typo. Or perhaps both. Either way, I apologise. But when you check a pattern you have to pull it right back to first principles to work out exactly where the problem is (at least I do). And this pulling-back made me rethink some of the arm/ body ratio spacing, which has led to a bigger change.

I've altered the pattern page, but for those who've already saved or printed it out already, replace this instruction:

(RS) Work 10 sts in pattern and hold these on a large safety pin, change to size 5 needles, k12 [13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20], pm, k14 [16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30], pm, k36 [38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52], pm, k14 [16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30], pm, k12 [13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20], pm, hold the remaining 10 sts on a safety pin.

With this:

(RS) Work 10 sts in pattern and hold these on a large safety pin, change to size 5 needles, k9 [13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 27, 29], pm, k12 [14, 18, 20, 22, 24, 28, 31, 34], pm, k32 [34, 38, 46, 54, 60, 62, 68, 73], pm, k12 [14, 18, 20, 22, 24, 28, 31, 34], pm, k9 [13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 27, 29], pm, hold the remaining 10 sts on a safety pin.

I know at least six people have started because Ravelry told me so. If you have cast-on and got passed the neckband already, the original measurements should still be fine. There were very few places where the maths actually didn't work, and where I have changed things it's normally just by a stitch or two. Its only for the very large sizes that I've changed anything of note. Remember that it is a top-down raglan, so you can try it on to make it fit you as you go anyway.

So as not to have a totally photo-less post, here's a shot of some fabric I bought in the Liberty sale. Look, knitting fabric! They actually had it in three different colourways. I was quite restrained at that fabric sale; they also had all sorts of cool prints of girl scouts camping, sixties swirls filled with fairy-tale characters... I swear I star-spotted Kaffe Fasset there too (see how I cunningly distract you from my bad mental arithmetic?).

Brompton: Pattern

Cardigans, like Spring, are a matter of transitions, and this is a piece for layering through changeable weather. A relatively loose-knit garment (kept in check with some side-shaping), yet also long enough to keep your bottom warm. It’s a simple knit, but with some neat finishing touches to keep a proficient knitter entertained passed television-knitting and teach newbies a few tricks. Chief amongst these being flexible, reversible, sleeves you can fold up (to keep out of the way while working) or wear low (to cover and comfort hands on colder days).

It's named Brompton after a bit of London I've been lucky enough to work, play, teach and study in for just shy of a decade. Once a bohemian artist's quarter, the area became substantively gentrified after the Great Exhibition which also left us some of the grandest Victorian architecture in the world – galleries, lecture rooms, libraries, concert halls and monuments. But the place maintains a more anarchic, arty feel with the Royal Colleges of Mines, Science, Art and Music, not to mention the hoards of schoolkids pouring in and out of the national museums every day.

Photographer credit: Marcus Roome.

Designer: Alice Bell, under a non-commercial unported license.

Gauge: 18sts/22 rows = 4" in stockinette stitch using larger needle.
Size: XS [S, M, L, 1X, 2X, 3X, 4x, 5x] based on these sizing measurements. Shown in M, lengthened to fit a 5’ 9” woman.
Finished Measurements: Chest: 32 [36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64] inches, note there are 2-3 inches of ease in the pattern. Length: custom fit.

Materials:

• Cygnet Superwash Pure Wool DK [100% wool; 114yd/104m per 50g skein]; color: Gold; 7 [8, 8, 9, 9, 10, 10, 11, 12] skeins
• US 5/ 3.75mm circular needle, approx. 32 length-inch length (see pattern notes for further details on needles).
• US 3/ 3.25mm circular needle, approx. 32 length-inch length.
• Waste yarn (a few meter's worth, preferably of similar weight, different color, smooth - cotton is good).
• Two large safety pins (st holder or waste yarn will do as substitution) and at least 8 smaller pins for seaming.
• 4 stitch markers.
• Darning needle.
• 10 Buttons (see pattern notes for more detail on buttons).

Pattern notes

The needle requirements assume that you are happy to work magic loop and use a circular for flat work. You may wish to use straights and dpns, in which case you will need each for each size, but a circular of the larger size is still advised for the yoke, as it you have to work a large number of sts at once. You would only need dpns for the sleeves, which can also be worked flat and seamed later if you prefer. Even if you are happy to use a circular for flat work, a set of size 3 straights might be worthwhile for the button band, as working a small number of sts on a circular can be frustrating.

The button requirements are stated as 10, but the pictured garment used 11 large buttons (28mm diameter) and 7 smaller ones (15mm). This is because I added an extra button for a longer piece (I am 5’9”), and backed the rather heavy buttons down the front for stability.

Unless the pattern specifically states otherwise, when working flat slip the first st of every every row, and knit of the last st of every row, regardless of side. This makes for neat edges and easy seaming, and is especially important in the basket-weave sections.

3-row basket-weave stitch (worked over a multiple of 4 sts)
Row 1: [k2, p2] to end
Row 2: [p2, k2] to end
Row 3: [k2, p2] to end
Row 4: [k2, p2] to end
Row 5: [p2, k2] to end
Row 6: [k2, p2] to end

The pattern has a relatively loose gauge and generous ease; you may wish to go down a needle size for a denser fabric and/or tighter garment.

As a top-down raglan, you can adjust to custom-fit the piece. Make sure you stand up when doing this for accurate measurements.

Please note, at time of publishing this pattern is untested. All comments and questions are best placed in this blog post, where I'll also try to answer the as best (and as quickly) as I can.


Pattern

Neck:

Using size 3 needles cast on 92 [108, 124, 140, 156, 172, 188, 204, 220] sts. I used cable cast on, but choose your own favorite method.

Work in basket-weave sts for for 7 rows.

(WS) At the start of the 8th row, keep in basket-weave pattern but bind off the 5th and 6th sts, casting them back on when you get back to this point on the 9th row (i.e. make a button-hole).

Work another 3 rows in basket-weave.

(RS) Work 10 sts in pattern and hold these on a large safety pin, change to size 5 needles, k9 [13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 27, 29], pm, k12 [14, 18, 20, 22, 24, 28, 31, 34], pm, k32 [34, 38, 46, 54, 60, 62, 68, 73], pm, k12 [14, 18, 20, 22, 24, 28, 31, 34], pm, k9 [13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 27, 29], pm, hold the remaining 10 sts on a safety pin.

(WS) slip the first stitch and purl back.

On the next, and subsequent right-side rows, increase one stitch either side of each marker by working a kfb stitch (8 sts increased on each row). For every wrong side row, purl.

Note: this produces a reasonably low neck. To heighten it, reduce the number of cast on sts in multiples of 8, and remove one sts from either side of marker when working out where to place them. Similarly, the neck can be lowered further by adding sts in multiples of 8.

Work in this pattern until there are 72 [82, 90, 100, 108, 116, 126, 136, 144], in the back, ending with a WS row.



Body:

Note: As with any top-down raglan, it is worth putting all sts on waste yarn and trying on the piece to check it fits precisely. Add or subtract a few rows (and their increases) if necessary.

(RS) Sl1, k to marker, remove marker, k1, turn and cast on 4 sts, replacing the marker in the middle of these 4sts to mark the side of the cardigan. Turn back and hold all sts to the next marker on waste yarn for the left arm. Knit till next marker (i.e. the back sts), remove maker, k1, turn, cast on 4 sts, replacing the marker in the middle of these to mark the other side. Turn back, move the right arm sts to waste yarn (i.e till next marker). Knit till end.

Work back and forth in st st for 2 inches (XS only), 2 and half inches (S, M and L), 3 inches (all X sizes) before starting side shaping. If the garment’s recipient is of above average height, you may wish to add a few rows. Again, it is worth trying on the piece (you can probably keep in on the needle) to see that it reaches roughly 5 inches above the smallest part of the waist.

Start side shaping. *(RS) [Knit till 2 sts before marker, ssk, k2tog] twice, knit till end.

(WS) purl. Work 4 rows st st. ** Repeat from * to ** four times. Work another 4 rows st st. *(RS) [Knit till 3 sts before marker, kfb, k1, kfb] twice, knit till end (WS) purl. Work 4 rows st st. ** Repeat from * to ** four times.

Note: If garment is to be worn by a particularly curvy recipient, you may wish to work 12 rows less before starting side shaping and add an extra set of increases and decreases.

Once side shaping is complete, hold sts (you can keep them on the needle, but you might wish to use point protectors).

Button band:

Using size 3 needles (straights if you have them) pick up the held button band sts for the right-hand side of the cardigan. Work in basket-weave st until it is roughly the same length (or slightly smaller) body section you have worked so far, finishing with a WS row and hold at the end of the size 5 needle which is also holding the body sts. Depending on your choice of yarn, it may be worth blocking the pieces lightly with a steam iron before checking the length. Do not cast off any sts.

Pull the button band up alongside the edge of the cardigan, pin and seam together (note: you will probably not be seaming one row to one row, as the idea is that the button band is slightly tighter that the main part of the cardigan – though not so tight it bunches, a few less rows, worked on the smaller needles should be fine).

Repeat for the button-hole band (left hand side), but this time make a button-hole every 3 inches (I left 4 pattern repeats between button holes).

Using size 3 needles, work all body and button band/ button-hole band sts at once in basket-weave st for 4 pattern repeats, remembering to add a button hole where it is needed.

Bind off loosely with size 5 needles (I used a k2tog bind off).

Sleeves

Starting from side of the body and using size 5 circular or double-pointed needles needles, pick up and knit two sts from the 4 sts cast on when the body and arms were divided. Pick up 2 more between these and the start of the sleeve sts, and them together. Knit the sts held for the sleeve. Pick up two sts between these and the side of the body, and knit them together. Pick up and knit two sts from those cast on when the body and arms were divided. Place a marker on the needle to mark the center of the bottom of the sleeve and join to work in round. You will have increased the sleeve sts by 6.

Note: this approach should leave no hole in the armpit, but it is worth leaving an 8-inch tail of yarn before picking up sts here, so you can neaten up with a darning needle if necessary.

Work in sts for 4 rnds. You are working in the round now, so there is no need to slip any sts at the end.

Dec rnd: K2tog, knit till last two sts, ssk.

Work dec rnd every inch until there are 40 [44, 44, 48, 48, 52, 52, 56, 56] sts left. Work in st st until 3 inches from where a sweater would normally end.

Change to smaller needles and change to working flat. You will probably still wish to divide sts as if working in the round for an inch or so.

WS: sl1, kfb, p2, and work in basket-weave till end.
RS: as previous row.

Work two rows in pattern, always knitting the last st and slipping the first.

WS: sl1, kfb, p1, k2, and cont in patt.
RS: as previous row

Work two rows in pattern, always knitting the last st and slipping the first, and adding an extra knit st either side of the basket-weave.

WS: sl1, kfb, k2, and work in basket-weave till end.
RS: as previous row.

You should have now increased by 6 sts and have the start of a cuff made of basket-weave st, flanked by a slipped st on each side. Work in basket-weave st for a total of at least 6 pattern repeats, making a button hole at 4 and a half to 5 inches, 3 sts from the side of sleeve.

Once complete, bind off loosely with the larger needles and the same bind-off method as you used for the body.

Repeat for other sleeve.



Finishing:

Sew up any holes left under arms. Weave in any remaining ends. Block lightly, applying washing instructions for your yarn.

Sew on buttons. For the cuffs, you should sew buttons on either side. The inside button is be used to wear the cuffs down; the outside button when pinning them up.

FO: Sunshine Cardigan

I'm a big cardigan wearer - party because I enjoy conforming to the academic cliché, but also because they are so convenient for layering warmth and letting your Summer/ Autumn wardrobe extend into colder months. The ultimate transition garment.

A few months ago I started to have a hankering for a yellow, dk-weight cardigan. I had an idea for a perfect garment in my head, but it was very vague and, probably because my standards were so high, I kept changing my mind. I cast on for a top-down raglan. Then bottom-up with set-in sleeves, then top-down again with a different design. I played with cable, lace, cable again, frogging and re-knitting just to frog again. Kirsty still hasn't stopped teasing me about how many times this thing was knitted.



Eventually, I settled on a simple top-down raglan with a basketweave boarder, a bit of side shaping, slipped stitch edges, an applied button band and double-sided sleeves you can wear up (for working) or down (to keep hands snuggly warm).



I had thought about submitting it to knitty, but the deadline day came and we didn't have internet access. Plus the light's been rubbish and I didn't feel there were good enough photos. Most of all I felt that, for all the pattern's finishing touches, the design was too simple. Basic patterns on knitty annoy me, I figured why add to it? I have the pattern written up though, so I'll post it here if anyone interested.



Yarn: cygnet superwash double-knit wool in 'gold', 8 balls.
Needles: 3.25mm circ, 3.75 circ (both 80cm).
Buttons: 11 of the big brown ones (from Liberty, 75p each... but worth it) and 7 smaller ones to stabilise them (from John Lewis, in a pre-packed box - these are cheap plastic basic buttons for mending your trousers).
Ravelled: here.



This last picture was taken at my very favourite part of London; the Science and Art staircase the Victoria and Albert Museum. Not many people realise, but the Science Museum used to be inside the V&A building, back when it was simply the 'South Kensington Museum' and basically the left-overs from the 1851 Great Exhibition. The science collections were booted out to the west side of the stree around the turn of the century; the main exteriour of the V&A built around the old duel-use building. So although the outside of the building is overtly arts and crafts, you'll find a more mixed set of iconography in the interiour. The art and science sections were connected (and demarcated from one another) with a gorgeous ceramic staircase covered in the letters 'S' and 'A'. The V&A, conscious that their own building is one of the prize pieces of their collection, maintain this staircase, but I think most visitors today just walk through it, perhaps thinking its particularly pretty, maybe wondering why Galileo's name is worked into the design.

EDIT, see the pattern:

FO: Drops Jacket

I keep trying to get a decent photo of this. And I keep failing. Considering my previous bad luck with the jumper I think I should just blog on and be done with it.


Pattern: The snappily titled "103-1 Jacket in Eskimo or Silke-Alpaca with A-shape and ¾-long or long sleeves", more commonly known as Drops Jacket. I added a slipped stitch at the start of each row - this gives a really nice neat edge. A Zimmerman trick, well worth applying. I also added a button because I felt it needed it.
Needles: 5.0 mm 80cm circ.
Yarn: Jaeger Extra Fine Merino Chunky very cheap from cucumberpatch.com sale page. The pattern is written in two guages, but I fell in between the two, so worked as if it were aran but cast on for a slightly bigger size (I've noticed lots people who've knitted this jacket fudging this way). It's 100% wool - and even the extra fine merino itches my neck slightly, but as a cardigan I obviously have something underneath. I can't really wear it with short sleeves for long though - get ikky rash on my elbows. Grrr for wool allergy because I love this yarn - so squishy and warm.
Buttons: Bought at John Lewis in a rush at a weekend, so I can't remember any details. I really like the dark wood with the deep red yarn.

Bad luck and photos aside, it's a great piece. Warm, a quick knit, reasonably smart. And I promise it doesn't it doesn't normally cut my chest in quite such an unflattering manner when done up. Neither to I tend to hide behind my hair when wearing it. So much for winter photography.

LA Story

I arrived in LA last night. As the plane circled the city to land, the ash-smog enveloping the area was still pretty obvious. I'm noticing the air quality's pretty bad, even to my London-battered lungs. This morning we went out for proper American breakfast before Alexis went off to class. I pottered around the area she lives in (and found a bookstore to snoop at the new Debbie Stoller). I had two cardigans on, and was pretty amused that it was much colder in LA than it had been in DC.

It was still pretty smoggy, but I went to the local park and sat and knitted for a bit. Then I popped on the metro downtown to MoCA. After finding the gallery (it took a while, seeing as I was on foot rather than LA-usual car) I discovered it was shut on Wednesdays. Darn it. I walked about a bit, visited the public library, and mused that it was a lot warmer now; all sunny and "proper LA". At that point I realised I was only wearing the one cardigan.

Double darn it. I'd left the thicker one in the park in Los Feliz. It was the drops jacket I'd whipped up before leaving for the US. Seeing as it was so warm in DC, I'd hardly worn it. I hadn't taken any picture of it yet - I thought I'd get Alexis to take pictures of me wearing it in some American setting. I went back to the park, hoping that maybe, just maybe it'd still be hanging where I'd left it. Of course, it wasn't. Darn, darn, darn.

Walking dejectedly back down the steps to town, I spotted it! Splayed in a tree, where I gues someone threw/ hung it. You might just be able to make out the Hollywood sign in the background.


By this point the smog had cleared a bit and there was a lovely, fresh breeze. I picked the branches out of the jacket and played around taking photos of the view and walked around Los Feliz a bit more. I bought some amazing tacos and generally enjoyed noting how very different the place is from DC.

Rambling Rose

I finished Rambling Rose.

Needles: 2mm and 2.75mm addis
Yarn: recycled sienna, in some pink colour (I've had it for years, please don't ask what it is exactly as I have no idea).
Mods: smaller needles & slightly off yarn (see below), I made the roses slightly smaller but other than that I followed the pattern almost exactly.


Verdict? I should have taken the time to skein up and wash the yarn before re-knitting with it, even blocked, it's pretty kinky with slightly uneven tension. Plus cotton glace is maybe a little heavier than the 4ply suggested. I compensated by using slightly smaller needles, but I still think it would have been neater at a smaller gauge.

The pattern was nice enough to knit, lots of st st, but I wanted a break after lace. There's a mistake in the start of the sleeves, but its pretty obvious (so obvious in fact that I've now forgotten what it was...).

It's not especially flattering done up, but with the ribbon tied at the back, all Matilda Jane style, and it's about perfect. I love the flower panel, I may make a scarf or socks based on it.

FO - new pattern

New Knitty, with my Ester pattern is up.

It was named after a very dear friend who died this summer, and in her memory really should be knit in purple.



Click on the photo to go to where there are a few more photos.

xmas FOs (forecast, legwarmers, armwarmers)

I finished three things over Christmas. Count 'em. They were all done and dusted for the start of 2007, but it took me a while to sort photos.


First up, Forecast, which I started during the october knitflicks. I used barginous Rowanspun Aran. Like most tweeds, it magically softened up after washing. The colour looks nicest in sunlight, and nothing like the "caviar" the yarn's named after. But I like it, it reminds me of a nice warming wholemeal bread. It's a bit baggy under the arms, but not terribly so - I could probably have made the size down, but it looks ok and is comfortable. I did the same mods as Guavaseeds, except I kept the 5st bobbles and decreased a few extra sts at the start of the arms. I only used 6 buttons, but they are HUGE ones, which I like the look and feel of.


Illusion legwarmers. Essentially the lovemeknot socks, sans feet. In brown wool leftover from the hotwater-bottle cover striped with cashsoft 4ply to save my feet from itches. Check out the hidden purple hearts! I need more legwarmers, expect at least two more pairs before the cold season is out.


Lastly, some armwarmers. A sort of upside down version of the lace up gloves in Alterknits, similar to Ysolda's laceup opera gloves, but in the round from the cuff down. Two balls dk cashmerino to match my shedir. The best thing about them is that you can stick your thumb in any of the spaces between the ribbon lace-up, they can be armwarmers stuck under the wrist, or super-warm top-less mittens worn high up the hand. I need that flexibility in glove-type things. I may make more.