An FO (and WIP) gallery of my travels so far...

Readers, I am away travelling so here are some highlights and some knitting: 

- The wonderful Wolle wool shop in central Vienna

- Changing Seasons Beret - taken on the train to Vienna

- The Smushion cushion cover, photographed in the hotel in Vladikazkav, Russia

North Ossetian scene, Russia:

The Ethereal Shawl, completed in our hotel room in Hanoi:

Central Hanoi:

OTK: Curvy Squares Tee (but not sure about it!) - photographed last night in Quy Nohn, Vietnam:

Sunrise in Quy Nohn this morning:

On the Road

I am currently on the road, and you can follow my latest travels with yarn here:

http://bit.ly/1lB9Dmx

FO Catch Up

Oh dear - it's been a very long between posts!  It will be easier if I start with my most recent knits and work backwards I think.

My most recent FO was a pair of ribbed men's socks, finished last week for my dad.  These used my old faithful top down Vogue Basic Sock Recipe and used nearly a full Schoppel Wolle Zauberball in the olive, green and grey colourway. My father loves handknitted socks and models them from his armchair here:

On the long journey home from my folks I used the remainder of the Zauberball to start a Kindle cover:

Further back, I completed the 3 Hour Sweater with no real mods except going down a needle size and knitting longer sleeves in Wensleydale Sheepshop Longwool Aran:

This is my second 3 Hour Sweater and this vintage pattern is a great standby - quick and a nice end result. It does take longer than 3 hours though, and the instructions like most vintage patterns assume knowledge and are not overly detailed.

I also started a dove grey zippered cardigan but quickly abandoned it - the cables made it too complex to knit without chart reading and I didn't like them anyway. 

My knitting time at present is all travelling or evening TV watching - so I need simple, repetitive patterns which I can quickly build up a motor memory for.

And another FO - this vest was actually meant for my dad (hence the emergency sock knit prior to visiting him!) but came out too small. However it fits me, and looks rather nice, in a librarian-ish way. This is the Everyday Vest from Mel Clark's book Knitting Everyday Finery, and I used Louisa Harding Kashmir in DK. I guess my gauge was off, but I am glad it was easily repurpose-able.

I've squeezed in a few hats as well:

Sugar and Snap by Jane Burns

and this Mushroom Hat:

Well, that about catches up on my FOs - time to get on with some actual knitting!

3 hour sweater - the front

So far has taken more than 3 hours (I have completed the back) - but is a quick knit.

Wearing my knits

Some time ago, I decided to always try to wear something handknit as a main clothing item (ie not socks or a shawl) at the weekend:

The Averill vest (Knitscene)

A few weeks ago, I was organising and tidying my closet and drawers, and relegating some things to the charity shop pile, when I realised how much of a habit wearing handknits had become and how it had altered my weekend wardrobe.  Most of my handknit sweaters and tunics are now on heavy rotation - and some are wearing out!  I have no need of shop bought sweaters, but instead always need layering pieces like vests and long sleeved tees.

As in the photo above, my weekend uniform is dark denim jeans or leggings, boots, and a handknit sweater or tunic. For casual, or even dressier going out, it's a handknit sweater over a dress with tights and boots:

Garter Stitch Tunic (Creative Knitting Australia Magazine) with Handspun Handwarmers.

My handspun Rocky Coast Cardigan has been a huge success in both types of outfit since Christmas:

Rocky Coast Cardigan (out for a meal in Durham) by Hannah Fettig.

It was the feeling that I needed more cosy weekend slouchy sweaters (and a resolve to stash bust) that led me to cast on what was first going to be a poncho-style wrap:

But I reconsidered the poncho idea, and am now knitting this as a hoodie, following a Susan B Anderson recipe.

The stripes end at the yoke, and the main   colour is lavender Rowan Scottish Tweed.  I worked on this last night, in front of the TV, taking a break from my obligation knitting.

Now I don't really feel its the weekend unless I am pulling on a handknit, and I am considering extending the challenge to work (tricky, but I have a few lightweight knits which I have started wearing at work) and travel - for which I plan to cast on a 4 ply dove grey zippered cardigan....

On knitting for others

So it is now March and what have I been doing?  Despite my silence on the blog, there are FOs and projects to share.

Although I started 2014 with a little project for me (Mel Clark's Strawberry Beret from Knitting Everyday Finery), and resurrected the Darlington Cowl to go with it, since then I have been knitting for other people.

Linda received a belated Christmas present in the shape of Debbie Bliss's Party Angel Shrug:

Done in Rowan Kidsilk Aura, with Debbie Bliss Angel held double for the edgings, this is much heavier weight than the pattern version - but it is warm, cosy and very vintage. I thought the pattern made rather heavy weather of shrug design; which usually just needs a very simple seamed and edged rectangle. As a result I abandoned the pattern half way through and wish I had just started from scratch myself.

Immediately after finishing this, I found myself knitting a mohair tunic for someone else to a picture they had seen. I used Stefanie Japel's Lace Panel Tunic from Glam Knits for my base pattern for this, omitting the lace and adding in a vent at the back by knitting the back in two halves, and seaming them half way down.  This pattern ran a bit larger than I expected, possibly due to omitting the lace, and so I followed a Vogue Knitting tip of taking in  3/4 of an inch of ease either side when seaming - which worked.  The sheer mohair and back vent also called for a lining - a first for me.  I must say I cheated a bit and used a ready-made slip which I cut and hemmed after sewing the straps to the inside shoulder seams!  This also worked.  Here is the finished product - the yarn is Ice Yarns Kid Mohair Glitz and has been very nice to work with indeed.

Also on the needles is a baby set for another person, of which the hat is complete:

The low lighting in the pic makes it hard to realise this is actually cream yarn and despite being 100% acrylic is quite nice to the touch. It's King Cole ABC Baby DK, and a pretty cardigan pattern from the UK Hand Knitting Association will match the hat and should be off the needles by the end of the weekend.

The same person has asked me to crochet a matching baby blanket - so an opportunity to revisit and extend my crochet skills awaits!

After we watched The Bletchley Circle together, Karina has requested a 3 hour sweater and the back is done, in some ancient stashed Wensleydale Aran.

And for me? All this knitting for others has made me desperate to return to my WPIs - the Stash Blanket (no progress to report):

And a Scottish and Donegal Tweed hoodie which is loosely based on the Easy Top Down Raglan Knitalong by Susan B Anderson:

A little more has been done since I took this photo.

And my queue grows ever longer!