Episode 1: Escaping Sleeve Island & Handspun Scarves
On YouTube, there are these videos called Knitting Podcasts, where the YouTuber walks you through everything they've been knitting on since their last upload. These videos are my main content consumption. I love seeing all the projects, hearing all about the process, and since these videos run between 30 minutes and an hour, I usually get a good amount of knitting done whilst catching up with my favourite crafters. I'm not starting a knitting YouTube channel, but I thought it would be nice to share in a similar structure, but as a blog. So here's my update for January!
Finished Objects
Vivi Pullover – Sari Nordlund
Yarn: African Expressions Soul (15% Kid Mohair, 15% Mulberry Silk, 50% Merino Wool, 20% Polyamide), a lucky Facebook Marketplace find!. Two strands held together.
Needles: 4.5mm (I always go 1mm up from what Sari recommends).
This project took a long time, mainly due to the sleeves. I’ve realised I don’t really enjoy working cables on sleeves, so I was stuck on sleeve island for a while, and this project took longer than I thought it would. I’m very happy with the finished object! It’s quite lightweight, which is great for my climate. To keep it airy, I made the collar only one layer and kept the sleeves a tad short. We’ve been having 30C days here, so none of my sweaters are getting worn any time soon, but it's nice to have it ready!
The Simple Thing - Melina Brell
As part of my journey to learn how to spin, I dyed up about 500g of fibre and spun a 3-ply yarn. Truthfully, the last skein I spun was the only usable yarn I made, the rest is very ropey!
I used that last 100g skein of handspun to make a Simple Thing scarf. It’s nice and squishy and full of colours. I have no idea what the actual yarn weight is (maybe close to a worsted?) and it is a bit thick and thin. I used 5.5mm needles, and it turned out to be a great scarf size.
Protea Sock – Me
If you saw my previous blog post, you’ll know that I’m dabbling in knit design. I released the Protea Socks as my very first design, and I love them so much!
Works in Progress
Monday Sweater – PetiteKnit
This is my third Monday Sweater. It’s such a staple pattern for me. I know it well enough to adjust it as I see fit. For this version, I’m using one strand of Joelle Superwash (a discontinued yarn) from a cone I found in a bunch of colours on Facebook, held with a strand of Cowgirlblues mohair.
I only have 100g of the mohair (roughly 800m), so I’m going to make some adjustments to the cuffs, hem, and neckline by using just the wool strand there. I also lowered the neck a bit to make the sweater more comfortable for me.
What’s Next?
I have a couple of new designs bouncing around my head, but I haven't started knitting them yet. I really needed a simple sweater to work on after all the cables of the Vivi! Once I'm a good way into this Monday Sweater, I think I'll finally cast on my next design.
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