There. I said it. I’m knitting for Christmas. I don’t really enjoy knitting for deadlines but I always seem to end up doing it!
The numbers for this took quite a bit of puzzling out yesterday, mostly because I forgot that there needed to be sleeves (Freudian or what… at least it’s one way of getting out of knitting sleeves!) and take into account that cabled patterns need a good few more stitches. But I finally got it started and the collar above is turning out, well, like a collar!
I’m using some discontinued Tivoli Superwash on 5mm needles. Although it is going to be a zip-up cardigan, I’m knitting it entirely in the round – first comes the button band (vertical rib), then the saxon braid, then the ribbing for the collar all the way around to the other button band, and then three stitches knit plain for the steek. I’m planing on cutting the middle stitch all the way up and then picking up the remaining stitch on either side and using an Idiot-cord cast off. I think it’ll be nice. The collar’s nearly finished so I’ll be switching to plain ole stockinette soon for the body and (sigh) sleeves.
I ordered a few books from The Book Depository (free shipping worldwide… resistance is futile!) at the weekend and the first one arrived today.
Poems of Colour by Wendy Keele
It’s all about the Bohus tradition in Sweden and gives a really good history of the little cottage industry that brought fame to Swedish knitting, as well as a number of very attractive looking patterns. I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into this tonight.
Thanks to one and all for your congratulations and compliments yesterday!
Thanks for putting me on to that book website; the expensive postage was really putting me off other sites.