12 mm

I came back on Friday night from work, and after dinner, I started knitting Winnowing (the first of 3 attempts) and M told me that I should stop knitting squares for the house... Aouch! Since when did he care? OK our bedroom is full of square patterns (more to come on Friday) - but still ... And NO it did not matter I had been thinking the same thing for a week or so, and been looking at patterns using triangles. I took my 12mm needles, and showed him I could also knit triangles - in the round.

OK so I had the idea of making a snood for a while now. I saw this one from Plumo and was inspired. I wanted to finally knit that Terria yarn (from Katia) I bought 2 years ago in France, and the pumkin chunky yarn from Whaferdale Woolworks. All I needed was a pattern - and apparently one featuring triangles.

Snood from Plumo

Whilst perusing Ravelry on Friday, I came accross the Modern Pillow from Veronik Avery - and loved the effect. All I needed was to be able to reproduce a similar pattern on a snood.

I cast on 60 stitches (which represents 5 repeats of the triangle pattern). I wanted to achieve that 'oversize' effect of the Plumo snood. I was however a bit restricted as I only had 3 balls of the Katia yarn . I knitted 2 rows in garter stitch and then started the pattern (2 and a half repeat in the end). I finished with a couple of garter stitch rows. Easy-peasy. Except that it is not THAT easy to actually knit with 12mm needles in the round. My fingertips are still suffering. But it is a super quick knit, and well worth the effort!

I am very pleased with the result. The Katia yarn is OK, it is felted chunky yarn that is a bit stiff to wear - but hopefully this will get better overtime. I would have loved to have a grey yarn similar to the pumpkin one. But I needed to destash, and the colour work effect is really nice.

And it was an opportunity to show you my new jeans shirt (from New Look), and I recommed putting some super red Bourgeois nail polish (it is dry fast one).

The new Sherlock serie was on TV... As M was taking the pictures I had to keep an eye on the developments of the story line...

Hesitations

I have been wondering about posting about Cadence for a while. I tend to post about the projects I like, that went well, better even - that I will wear. Cadence has been sitting on my chair for a month or so, purely on the basis that I did not know what to do with it. Can I salvage it, or should I frog it and knit another Cadence on the basis of what I learnt, or should I give up on Cadence? All I knew is that there was no way I would actually wear it. It is a shame because I actually quite like the pattern, the colour and the neckline.

J'ai pris mon temps avant d'ecrire mon post sur Cadence. J'ai longtemps hesite a montrer ce projet que j'ai fini depuis au moins un mois maintenant. Et pour cause, je ne savais pas quoi en faire - fallait-il essayer de sauver mon pull? le detricoter et tricoter un autre? ou abandonner le projet completement? Clairement je ne suis pas prete a le porter, donc il a fallu travailler sur une solution. Et pourtant j'aime sa couleur brique du Nord, l'encolure est simple et rend bien et le modele rend normalement bien (sur les autres).

Je l'avais tricote en Cocoon brick de Rowan avec des aiguilles 7mm - en une piece. Tout a ete tres rapide, j'aurais du me mefier. C'etait mon premier pull apres tout et je m'attendais a de gros problemes. Je l'ai essaye plusieurs fois - un des grands atouts de ce modele - et je me disais que c'etait un peu grand, mais j'ai continue parce que ca ira quand tout sera tricote... et en fait non, les problemes du debut sont toujours des problemes et en fait se sont empires. L'encolure est toujours trop grande, et apparemment je ne suis pas une taille M mais S selon ce modele (tres flatteur, mais dans la vraie realite je ne suis pas un S), et la laine est vraiment lourde ce qui donne un aspect rideau dans le dos.

I used some Rowan Cocoon yarn, needles size 7mm for this. When I measured myself I was a size M according to the pattern, but in fact I think Ishould have knitted a size S (I am NOT a size S in real life - I wished but I am not). It was way too easy - the gauge was exactly what was required. It was an easy knit in the end, in one piece, I was knitting along fine. I tried it a few times - because I could - and I knew there were a few issues but I thought that 'they would make sense' in the end... These issues remained and in fact got worse at the end of the project. The collar is too wide, the jumper is too big and the fabric is really heavy (and it looks like I have a heavy curtain at the back - not a good look).

Some of these problems are all my fault. I wanted to widen the neckline and I knitted a bigger size - clearly overdid it. As for the yarn, I had seen a few negative comments about it - and honestly I agree, this is not ideal for garnments - plus I like lighter fabric. I may use it for a blanket or something for next Christmas. Also it is quite scratchy (I may have to add I am very sensitive to wool - ie allergic as well - so it may be an issue to do with me).

Je dois confesser que certains des problemes que j'ai rencontre sont dus au fait que je voulais une encolure plus grande que prevue par le modele - et ai tricote une taille beaucoup plus (trop) grande a ce niveau la (que j'ai rattrape par la suite pour garder une taille M). J'avais deja lu des commentaires negatifs sur Cocoon, et je suis d'accord, c'est vraiment tres lourd et meiux adapte a des afghans (pour Noel? ce serait de saison apres tout). Mais tout cela reste mon avis personnel - et le fait que je fais une allergie a cette laine qui me gratte.

So this is going to be frogged. That's it, this is not be next year's Xmas blanket for our sofa. I was going to knit Cocoon into a new jumper, but I don't think I cna deal with this yarn. Will I knit Cadence again? I would like to because I like the construction and the pattern, and to be fair I learnt a fair amount from knitting this one - so I am not closed to the idea, but not yet.

J'ai decide de detricoter le pull. Cette laine deviendra un afghan pour le Noel de l'an prochain. J'aillais tricoter un autre pull en Cocoon, mais j'ai decide que moi et Cocoon on ne ferait pas bon menage - je ne la supporte pas sur ma peau. Je pense que je tricoterai une autre (meilleure) version de Cadence. J'ai adore la construction du pull et le modele en lui-meme, et en fait j'ai appris beaucoup de choses de cette version - mais pas tout de suite..

PS: We are off tomorrow to France. I am taking a few projects with me (including Gingko, progressing but not as quickly as I wanted), will post from time to time. But I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Nous rentrons demain en France et j'aurai quelques projets dans mes bagages dont gingko que j'aurai du finir depuis longtemps en fait, mais sera fini pour Noel je suppose. Je viendrai sur le blog de temps en temps. Mais d'ici la bonne vacances!

Orange sanguine

...or blood orange. This was my first thought (in French, I did not know the English translation at the time) when I finished it. This is what you get by mixing orange pumkin and red cherry yarn. It is WAY out of my comfort zone in terms of colours, but do I love it? oh yes! Would I knit again? Actually I think I might (may need to go back to neutrals though). Not straight away mind you, but it is not as boring as it seems - because of the size 6mm of the needles I expect.



La couleur orange sanguine... Generalement je prefere un fond gris et quelques touches de couleurs par ci par la. Et non, 2 metres d'orange et rouge. Et pourtant je l'adddoooore. En fait, je m'en tricoterai bien une autre, mais la j'ai besoin d'une petite pause er d'un nouveau projet. Mais les aiguilles 6mm m'ont drolement facilite la tache .. La preuve je l'ai fini en une semaine - un exploit pour moi!

Voici la taille de l'etole que je porte generalement en echarpe. Ce n'etait pas tres difficile a tricoter.. OK, A PART si vous regardez la tele en meme temps - ca complique en fait vachement les choses. Les notions a connaitre sont minimales mais le resultat est vraiment tres interessant en terme de texture. Vous pouvez avoir une idee de ce dont vous avez besoin sur ce projet de PurlBee. Le matos de la Droguerie est quand meme super. J'ai fini toute la pelote - il ne me reste rien, zilch, zero de laine...

I am now wearing the shawl as a scarf. It is really not too difficult to knit. The number of stitches to know is quite minimum, you can see what you will be needing on the PurlBee website. Got the yarn from la Droguerie as I mentioned before, and needles 6mm - and finished the all yarn, I have nothing left. If you have a book from La Droguerie and cannot understand the stitches, let me know I may be able to help. Anyhow, with a minimum of skills, you can get something that is really interesting in terms of texture. HOWEVER it is not an easy knit in front of the TV... Well at least it did not work out for me.

I would definitely recommend a dark blue nail varnish (I am wearing the YSL one) to wear with this scarf. Anything electric blue for that matter... yes blue and orange is my new thing..

J'ai une nouvelle obsesssion: la combinaison entre le bleu et l'orange. Mon vernis est le YSL blue nuit - du vrai bonheur!

All to be posted, with more pictures, on Ravelry.. Je mettrai plus de photos sur Ravelry.

Home inspiration 4

I first fell in love with the so-called ‘Urchin Poufs’ in the Netherlands. They look so soft and cuddly. I knew then and there that they would be the perfect addition to my home.

Netherlands-based designer Christien Meindertsma, who works under the brand name Flocks, created the poufs by knitting on enormous needles, using her own hand-felted wool. The Urchin Poufs exist in different colours and different sizes. Poufs are very versatile as they can be used as extra seating, foot rests or even coffee tables. Imagine all these bright colours scattered around a room. You can also store them in a corner of a room.

I have not yet talked about the price tag... Let’s say it may explain why I don’t have one (yet) in my living room. However if you are a keen knitter, Pickles in Norway offer you the chance to knit your own Puff Daddy pouf with a free pattern. I may have a go at extreme knitting... Has anyone tried?