Knitting hasn’t been my main focus this October, but there certainly has been some activity on my needles. I got a sock and a bit completed whilst I was on holiday in London mid-month. As well as attending the Autumn London Pen Show, I spent a few hours in Richmond Upon Thames and then a lovely day at Kew Gardens. I was happy to spend my evenings in my hotel room watching television and knitting.
The wool for these socks is the lovely “Starling” colour from the West Yorkshire Spinners’ bird-themed sock collection. It is a splendid self-striping design with gorgeous colours. I’ve made a slight change to the basic sock pattern so that the decreases after the heel give a shorter, steeper gusset. I want to see how this affects the fit around the heel and ankle in particular.
Continuing with the purple theme I’ve been working on my sister’s top from Rowan Moordale Collection 2, completing the back and starting the front. I am enjoying this knit and have used my experience with the Big Blue Slouch to make some slight adjustments to the shoulders on this pattern. The jury is still out as to whether this top will be sleeveless, or if it will have the elbow-length sleeves provided in the pattern. It will work well either way and the only consideration is whether there will be enough wool to complete the sleeves.
The yarn is Rowan Baby Merino Silk DK which is comfortable to work whilst producing a fabric with a certain amount of drape. This is going to be a very pretty garment which I may find quite difficult to give away. However, I know I’m going to make a version of this top for myself at some point so I’ll try to set aside my usual selfishness for the duration of this project.
There is a third item on the go. The Star Spangled cardigan which I knit for my friend has returned to have some pockets added and adjustment to the sleeve length. I hope that won’t take too long to complete.
At this rate, it looks like I’ll be ready to start the next garment for myself as a bit of a Christmas cast-on. That will give me plenty of time to decide what I want it to be.
Pam Alison Knits 