Knitting Takes the Lead

Once again I've gotten to the point in the sewing cycle when I have enough for the current season, and absolutely no motivation to sew for the season to come. It's OK, it happens -- I'll machine knit instead.

I started a cardigan last winter and then decided it wasn't what I wanted. Instead of unraveling right then and there and starting something different, I put it aside. That's normally the kiss of death for any of my projects, but I came across it this year and decided I liked the yarn too much to let it just sit. So I headed over to Knit It Now  and created a simple raglan pullover by putting in my gauge to a pattern template called Flirt. It's a nice benefit of membership -- there are many patterns which can be tailored to your size and gauge. I changed the pattern very slightly by ignoring the waist shaping, since I was after a boxier silhouette. And here it is:

The yarn is "Northfield" by Valley Yarns, 70%merino/20%baby alpaca/10%silk.

I used my plastic bed mid-gauge LK-150 for the knitting. The machine has no ribber, so the sleeve and hem ribbing was formed by re-latching stitches, and the neckband was knit by hand. People often ask "how long did it take?", and although I will probably never be organized enough to actually time myself, I can say I usually knit one piece of the garment per day and spend (at least) one day on sewing up and other finishing details. So, 5 days for this simple sweater. Not too bad -- it's an easy, no-stress pace, and for sure I couldn't hand knit it in that amount of time.

And here's a close up look at the neckline:

I also got a few pairs of socks done for Mr. Minglingyarn.  I use the Erlbacher Gearhart "Speedster" circular sock knitting machine for those. Although there is a ribbing attachment and various ribber dials available for this machine I use a simple hung hem for the top edge of the socks. When I first ordered the machine I thought I would first get proficient using it without the ribber and then invest in the additional pieces. That never happened as we discovered that hemmed socks work just fine for us. Made the correct size for the calf they stay up nicely. Since I don't knit them for sale I decided why not save that money spent on a ribber for yarn?  Works for me! 

He ended up with four pairs, but here's what one pair looks like:

And hand knitting was in the mix too. I finished up a previously shown Hitchhiker Beyond, and knocked out a Peu de Pluie Neckwarmer knit from yak hair.  No way I was getting a good photo of dark yarn on a dark, snowy day, but here's my attempt: 

I wanted a deeper neck than the amount of yarn I had would have allowed using the smaller size. So I fudged around with number of repeats for the various sections. My apologies to the designer, Anne Hanson, but needs must.

So, all in all a productive time. And perhaps in a few days I'll feel like doing some Spring sewing. I may have bought a few yards of fabric for just that very thing. 😀

Crankin' it up

Here at MinglingYarn we have a major love for cozy wool socks. So, when physical issues interfered with handknitting production I turned to a CSM (circular sockknitting machine) from Erlbachergearhart to keep up production.

 I got the Speedster and a couple of different sized cylinders -- but decided to forgo the ribber unit until I knew whether or not this machine and I were a good fit.  Although there is a definite learning curve, it wasn't too long until I was cranking out warm, toasty socks.  Surprisingly, we didn't find the lack of ribbing to be a deal breaker, so I decided to keep on without the added investment (and additional learning curve) of the ribber.  If I were interested in selling socks I would reconsider, since most folks tend to like that look, but since I'm not -- well, no brainer, more money for yarn!

I also added a small cone winder to make knitting easier.  Early days saw me using a regular 'cake' winder, but the yarn feeds off much easier when wound on a cone.  The Royal cone winder works well, but they seem to be a bit harder to find here in the US, so I ordered one from Germany. Their website has an English translation, but for those interested you're looking for a Kleiner Konenwickler (small cone winder). Absolutely no issues with ordering, and delivery was prompt.

Currently being knit are some plain grey socks from Valley Yarns Huntington which is a house brand from Webs. This yarn seems a bit lighter in weight than my usual, but after washing they fluffed up enough to make an acceptable fabric.

Hemmed top, and a wide mock ribbing down the leg only.

Also being finished are some socks from Brown Sheep's sock yarn (and I'm blanking on it's name, because it's from DEEP stash).  These are hemmed top and totally plain knit.  The neon green yarn in the photo is waste yarn used to take the socks off the machine.  That sock is still waiting for me to graft the toe closed.