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July 29, 2006
Another lonely heart
Posted by Anna at 07:02 PM | Comments (15)
July 28, 2006
Radio silence
No posts because the black dog has me by the neck and is shaking me. It's desperate, but will post again as soon as I have something to say.
Posted by Anna at 10:25 AM | Comments (77)
July 14, 2006
Now We Are 34
Well, another birthday came and went this week, celebrated with an amazing meal at the Anglesea Arms. I had smoked salmon with avocado sorbet (!) and caviar crème fraiche, followed by camomile crème brulee with rasberries and red currants. Certainly not everyday fare. Yum.
I’ve been knitting like anything, as usual, and trying to put together a proposal for a book, which you can imagine is a test to the old nerves. The cotton jacket is coming along nicely, but I should really put it on hold to concentrate on that cardi for Dad. I promised the pattern to Kerrie for mid August, but it would be good to get it out of the way sooner, not leave it to the last minute and panic as per homework in days of yore.
The lace query was in regard to a very brilliant commission, for which I bought the yarn last weekend from Stash (two more skeins of Koigu in reds and some Fleece Artist may also have snuck through: Natalie at Stash clearly adores their stock, and dangled many temptations in my path). The bride (for it is she), loves the Forest Path stole from IK, and also the Print o’ the Wave stole, couldn’t choose between them. I’m putting together blocks of each, together with a wheatsheaf pattern (actually it’s supposed to be Frost Flowers (scroll down) from Gathering of Lace, but I think it looks like wheatsheaves and harvested fields). I’m calling it the ‘Pleasant Land’ stole: fields, the flowers and leaves of the woods and hedgerows, all surrounded by the sea. That’s the plan; so far, I’ve cast on.
Posted by Anna at 02:18 PM | Comments (42)
July 05, 2006
You are blessings, every one
This is a temporary blanket thank-you to you all for your continued support and encouragement.
Rather busy here, with plans, and life. I went to Woolfest with a favourite aunt, but didn't come away with any yarn. I did snap up some beautiful ebony needles from Scottish Fibres. Auntie bought an entire Teesdale fleece, with long silky ringlets, and almost a drum carder too. We went to a lecture with Sasha Kagan, which was very interesting and threw in relief my own interests and priorities when designing (Sacha said she is very interested in pattern and colour, less interested in shapes). We stayed here, and my room with a view looked out over a paddock where lives a five-week-old foal! I do not need to tell you how adorable.
There was a great deal of driving up and down mountain passes, and round and round on wiggling roads. I'd never been to the lakes before and it was a balm for flyblown* eyes. There were orchids, and valerian, so many foxgloves, water forget-me-notes, crystal-clear streams, pineapple-weed, ragged robin, dog roses, a walk in a downpour, ospreys, wheat-ears, swallows, peculiar placenames, Crofton cheese. Also many other points of interest and educational value which I can't at the moment recall. And those vistas of green, mountains, rolling hills, little pastures and stone walls, stone houses and the water. The aunt is good company. And would you believe (of course you would) that I didn't even take my camera? It was rather difficult to come back to stifling and grimy old London, post World Cup defeat, after all that fresh air.
* ref You, by Dennis O'Drisoll, to read here (scroll down)
Posted by Anna at 10:59 PM | Comments (12)
July 02, 2006
Witterings
Witterings
© Anna Bell, 2006
All rights reserved
Foldable, washable, squashable, a graphic striped cotton sunhat with a deep floppy brim.
Skills
Stocking stitch, working in the round, increases, slipped stitches, kitchener stitch
Materials
DK Cotton, 50gm (85m). I used Rowan Handknit DK for the white and Jaeger Aqua for the black.
A (black) 2 balls
B (white) 2 balls
Set of 5 x 2.75 mm (US 2) dpns
2.75 mm (US 2) circular needle (80cm)
Stitch marker
150 cm (59 inches) 5mm cord
Laundry starch
80 cm (31 inches) millinary Petersham or grosgrain ribbon
toning sewing thread
tailor’s pins
Size
To fit womens’ size medium 57 cm (22.5 inches)
Gauge
After blocking, 6 sts to 2.5 cm (1 inch) knitted in the round.
Stitch instructions
St st: Stocking (stockinette) stitch (knit every row)
tbl: through the back loop
Kfb: Knit into front and back of stitch (1 st increased)
sl: slip
wyif: with yarn in front of work
Instructions
Working with cotton at a tight gauge is hard on the hands so take it gently, especially at the hem of the brim where the stitches are very cramped on the needle. Instructions state a tubular cast off for the neatest finish, butif you can't face all that sewing, a three-needle bind off will be effective.
Crown
With yarn A, cast on 8 sts and distribute evenly between 4 needles. Join for working in the round. Place stitch marker at beginning of first round and slip marker with each subsequent row. Work on dpns until needles become crowded, then change to circular needle.
Round 1: K all sts.
Rnd 2: (kfb) across all sts (8 sts increased). 16 sts. Join yarn B and work next 2 rows in B
Rnd 3: K
Rnd 4: (K 1, kfb) across all sts (8 sts increased). 24 sts. Change to yarn A
Rnd 5: K
Rnd 6: (K 2, kfb) across all sts (8 sts increased). 32 sts. Change to yarn B
Rnd 7: K
Rnd 8: (K 3, kfb) across all sts (8 sts increased). 40 sts. Change to yarn A.
Cont in stripes of two rounds, working 8 increases on second row of each stripe as set ending with an inc row of yarn B and 88 sts.
Cont with stripe sequence but now working increase rows on yarn B stripes only (every 4th round), ending with an inc row and 136 sts.
Cont in stripe sequence without shaping for 18 more rows (ending with yarn A).
Next round (yarn B): K all sts
Next round: K all sts tbl.
Change to yarn A and rpt last two rnds.
Inc rnd (yarn A): (Ktbl next 15 sts, kfb into next 2 sts). Rpt across all sts (16 sts increased). 152 sts.
Brim
Change to yarn B and revert to 2-round stripes for brim.
Round 1 and all odd-numbered rnds: K all sts.
Rnd 2: (K 18, kfb) across all sts (8 sts increased). 160 sts.
Rnd 4: (K 19, kfb) across all sts (8 sts increased). 168 sts.
Rnd 6: (K 20, kfb) across all sts (8 sts increased). 176 sts.
Cont in stripes of two rounds, working 8 increases on second row of each stripe as set until brim measures 8.5 cm (3.25 inches), ending with an inc row of yarn A. 272 sts.
Edge
Break off yarn B. With yarn A, Kfb into every stitch (544 sts). Turn work so wrong side is facing you. From here on you will work back and forth across the stitches, turning at the end of each row, instead of working in the round.
Row 1: (K 1, sl 1 wyif) across all sts.
Row 2: (K 1, sl 1 wyif) across all sts.
Rpt rows 1 and 2.
Leaving a long tail, break off yarn A and work tubular (sewn) cast off as shown here: http://needleandhook.co.uk/journal/2006/06/tubular_sewn_cast_off.html
Finishing
Wet-block hat around circular form approx same diameter (or slightly less) than your head. This entails tying the base of the crown firmly around the form with string, and spreading the brim out flat around it.
When the hat is totally dry, cut millinery Petersham to fit comfortably around your head, plus a 2.5 cm (1 inch) overlap. Sew ends together to make hat band. Pin band in place on inside of crown, and sew in position along lower edge only.
You may choose to add more structure to the brim by threading 5mm cord through the hem opening. I used cotton laundry line: a plastic fibre core with woven cotton outer, and pinned a safety pin through the end to feed it through. Bind ends of cord tightly together and sew hem openings shut around join.
Apply laundry starch to brim only following manufacturer’s instructions.
For an even stiffer brim, you could use milinery wire which is designed for just this purpose, but that may mean you can no longer fold the hat.
Posted by Anna at 01:23 PM | Comments (54)