Finchdale jumper, not a myth!

Lots of talk about this aran jumper (Finchdale is the manufacturer's name for the colour, a warm grey with creamy white highlights). No evidence that it exists - until now. Tada! 

Will you trust me that the sleeves are waiting quietly in a project bag, until I finish the bodice.

From a pattern generated to my measurements, tweaked to get the biggest girth at high hip, and with four short rows at yoke height to correspond with my woven pattern. There will be a 1" ribbed band to fill in the neckline. 

Hmmm. Although I'd reduced the planned 1" of 6 short rows after estimating the shoulder slope, it looks like I need the six after all. And while 60 sts on 6mm needles was good below the yoke, the top part is wider than I'd like. 4sts/6rows to an inch gives an idea how much. 

Options. 

1/Live with it - better than my last attempt.

2/Unpick down to start of the short rows. Take the chance to move the wedge closer to the neckline, and make it six deep. Then change back to 5.5mm needles to fit the outer shoulder area better.

3/Defer a decision till I've knitted the back as well - see how the shoulders hang when they have some support.

4/ Unpick back to the bust area and add more volume at the front. For this wearable trial, below the armscye, I went with the original pattern where front and back shaping is the same. Not unusual for hand knit or sewing patterns for knit fabrics, and I wanted to keep things simpler this time. 

Think I'll go with Option 3, doing a needle change above my shoulder blades . Fully expect to do Option 2 as well, given that garments  tend to hang more to the outside once the sleeves are joined on. Saving Option 4 for another time. 

Dark red chunky man's hat

I'd bought two balls of the Chunky dark red yarn for the Weasley cardi, but used almost one. Now DH, for a nice reason*, doesn't generally like me to knit for him. But I decided to do it anyway when I wanted a handbag sized project to come out with me for the day. This one is eight sections, top-down, 80 stitches, on size 6.0mm needles. 

*He worries about losing stuff that I've put a lot of hours into. 

And the stealth knitting? Since he's seen the yarn before, and has seen me doing all those newborn hats recently, I'd bet myself he wouldn't ask what it was. (He didn't) Particularly the first outing, when it wasn't much more volume than a baby item, I could sit next to him and it was concealed in plain sight. :) 

Not too much to say about a very plain hat. Other than I'd forgotten that 24", falls into that awkward gap. Just a bit too big for four 8" dpns. During the last few increases, just a bit too small for a 24" circular.

I've contrived this time, by adding a 6.5mm dpn to my set of four 6.0mm in that awkward section. Then switch to the short-cabled circular which is fine. It turned out to be a perfect project the next day, my eyes were really tired and the stand can literally be knit with eyes closed. 

After 9", changed to k1p1 rib  for 3", then Jeny's stretchy bind off (the one where you add a yo before each stitch then do a double decrease) Total 12", longer than my grey stripy hat which I usually wear brim folded up, but can fold down in the worst weather. I'm pleased with this, and can pull it out as a nice surprise for DH. 

Sent from my phone

Weasley knitting. Baby cardi, plus practice woodland cardi

A cardigan to grow into, of unconventional design, by a knitter with more good wishes than professional skills. More importantly, made to welcome a new person into a lovely family I know. Do you think Molly Weasley would approve?

For this family, it had to be a cardi, not a jumper (sweater). Something quirky but not showy. Mum would quite like the Hogwarts colours, but nothing too obviously branded. They will have loads of presents in the tiny sizes. So, as I often do, I've made this in a 12 month size. It should fit next autumn - or as a light jacket next summer if he grows as quickly as his birthweight suggests. 

Baby has arrived safely, so I'm happy to reveal what was mostly made in September. His dad would approve good software practices, delaying the final touches till the 'last responsible moment'. I've just sewed the buttons on the correct side for a boy (there are buttonholes in both integrated bands). And using the reserved yarn, I've just extended the cuffs - baby has long bones like dad, not short and sturdy like mum.

I failed to source Aran weight in the right colours, but found Chunky. (Local readers, the shop in the Wayfarers Arcade has a small stock of yarn, but they are really helpful!) Not that I've ever seen a chunky pattern in so small a size. Never mind, let's adapt.

Rather than taking the preemie pattern I used last year up three chest sizes as well as six needle sizes (gulp), I had someone in mind who would like a woodland coloured cardi made from the Oh Baby pattern. On 4.5mm needles, for 12 month size, I could knit an odd ball from stash to the pattern. Then rescale it to chunky and have something to check the Weasley cardi against.

The colours are even nicer in real life. The proportions are like the schematic. The disappointment that it came out a size smaller than planned. Since I usually knit more loosely than a pattern suggests , it was a surprise until I twigged that the yarn (Stylecraft Vision) was baby Dk, not dk, and is lovely and fine and soft. I know I should swatch, but it's so tempting to just go ahead if the item is small. (This 9 month size will be donated. Sorry, one year old S.) 

After swatching the Weasley cardi (hmmm) I used a 2:3 ratio to resize. And worked out the golden stripe placement, well, not quite on the fly, but to keep the colour changes as smooth as I could.

I haven't presented it to the parents yet. They're still at the frantic frequently feeding stage. But I hope they will smile when they open the package. And enjoy seeing Baby E wearing this when he's big enough. 

Sand sea and sky yarn. Cat's ears hat

There was one ball, can't remember where it came from, of an interesting yarn. The label said Pebble baby DK, I think by wool craft. One white strand plied with long variegated runs of light blue and a sandy brown. Lovely effects, nice in your hands, but not enough for a cardi, so let's make hats.

After a few stitches, I realised it's OK, rather dense, on the recommended 4.0mm needles, but would be too thick to work the ribbing on 3.5mm needles. I was keen to deliver the dozen newborn hats, and thought maybe I'd do a few on the Circular Knitting Machine - mine is an Addi pro 22 peg, knits as just less than 6.0mm needles. I bet the coverage would be fine (it was)

Waded unthinkingly in to crank out the 19 st by 40 rows panel for a cat's ears hat, and hated it. All the blue fell on one side when folded, all the sand and brown on the other. Where the stripes met at the side seams, I'll leave you to picture.

Next attempt hand-knit with 5.0mm needles, 63 sts topdown. It was started with the outside of the ball, blue and white, and I'd hoped to end with the dark band of sand/brown. And would have done, if I'd used fewer stitches. This came out 12 month size, and overshot the sandy runs, finished with white, and fussy mouse wasn't keen. Rather than unpick all of it, I took it back to just above the sand, added a run of browns from the middle of the ball, and finished with sand and earth. 

This I do like. Shame I don't have a recipient in mind, who would really enjoy this. But it will be donated to the baby equipment bank and keep someone warm.

The two newborn hats in yesterday's post were knitted (54 sts on 5.0mm) from the next runs, blues and whites. To arrange the colours, I started with blue, alternated the ball thread with the tails. One came out with bands of cloud, and wide pools of water reflecting the sky - much like our very shallow beach. The other a more hazy day, with more sand and sandhills visible. 

Leaving both ends of the ball in browns and sands. I bet they'd make lovely cat's ears hats, panel 40 rows, darkest brown at the top. Out with the machine again. 

First attempt I made work for myself by cranking white to brown to white, thinking I'd find a good fold line and unpick the bits I didn't need for the ribbing. It turned out fine, hand knitting the ribs by alternating the unpicked ends until one of them ran out. But I could have made my life easier. 

Second attempt I remembered that the outside of the machine gives a good approximation to the yarn length needed for a round or a 19st row. So I wound the yarn round, chose my colour change pattern, reserved some white for ribbing, cranked out just a few more rows than I expected. Just unpicked the odd row, much nicer. Spiral knit the ribbing with the reserved white and the ball thread. Yes, I'll do this again with the right yarn. 

And the final hat was done without handknitting. The two user groups I read for this machine often ask ¿can a newborn hat be made on a 22 peg machine? The short answer is the 22 pegs are not big enough for a tube hat, the simplest to crank. But they are big enough for a cat's ear. Some users don't hand-knit as well as crank (many do). But you can convert stocking stitch to rib with a crochet hook, using the drop and latch technique. The final hurdle to overcome is to get the cast off (bind off) row loose enough. This time I crocheted an extra chain between each pair of ribs, and the whole hat will stretch to fit the intended 13.5" circumference. 

There are just two small ends of blue left, about 5g. Maybe will eke out another colour when I do the next batch of newborn hats. 

2022 Autumn newborn hats

Most years, I make a handful of newborn hats, prompted by an amazing young woman who cares for a LOT of very new babies, generally weighing 5-10lb (something like 2.5kg to 4.5kg). The unit are not bothered too much about style, so long as they keep the babes warm, and so long as they will survive an industrial washing machine. As some units ask for no ties or buttons, I knit pull-on hats, and avoid yellow because that would make jaundice harder to spot.

In previous years, I've had problems with sizing, so this year's batch all started with the pattern (web) published by the Royal Hampshire NHS trust. Double knit yarn on straight 4.00mm needles, bottom up on 71 sts, starting with 3" of rib and ending with a ten section crown 

My own preference is to use dpns or magic loop, knit top down, but easy enough to adapt the pattern. The first one knit was 10 section on 70 sts, green, on the right of the photo. It felt rather stiff at the crown, and looked  pumpkin-like. The second one knit, in the same mid-green yarn, was 70 sts  with a 7 section crown, much smoother but more domed. I prefer it, but more counting for beginner knitters. Of course I then had to try 8 section (white, centre left) and 9 section (white, centre right). Either of these are quite like the published photo, a flattish top. And the bonus is a little extra width since 72 sts works better for these.

Had to try some double increase crowns, too. The green striped yarn on the left was 70 sts with five double increases per round. The bottom right 72 sts with four double increases - functional but there's a misplaced increase so it's not as attractive as the others. The top right was my personal favourite, a purl stitch halfway between the four double increases makes it more leaf-like* and much easier to count than its companion. *I happen to like natural motifs. This is simple enough to survive washing and isn't heavily gendered.

As well as playing variations on a theme with the crown, I did a variety of rib patterns. Bottom left k1p1, then k2p1 above it. Right hand side k2p2 in white, k3p1 in stripe remnant and white rib.  I'd expected k1p1 to be the softest and most suitable for little bruised bonces (and it was) What surprised me was that k3p1 felt softer than k2p2 - and no harder on the hands to work up. All cast off (bound off) using a bigger needle in the same stitch pattern.

Now for a game of yarn chicken. The hats above weighed about 15g, and I had less than that of the two ends of white. The stripy hats, warts and all photo, were eked out with short lengths rejected when I was stripe matching. The blue and grey were my wristwarmers in 2021, the green variegated leftover from matching arms on a tiny cardigan in 2022. 

The left one is OK-ish. However the stripes are too narrow for a good jogless join. The right one is better, a continuous spiral (thanks toTechknitter.com barber pole). Even the needle changeover point moves around the spiral.

You might also notice the crown sections are more defined on this pair of hats  - they were knitted bottom up which is better for yarn chicken. I was also trying out the Latvian cast-on because my tension is rubbish with the thumb-method, and the Channel Island is too stiff at the edge for tiny people. I'm happy with the Latvian, and intend to use it lots.

Right-ho. That's all my double knit yarn in pale or medium colours used up. A tiny ball of pink aran leftovers were put with two even tinier balls of white. Think this was 64 sts on 5mm needles. A little short of rounds, but will be fine for a baby at the top end of the newborn weight.

The other two were from a full 100g ball of an interesting yarn labelled as DK. It varies from blue to white to a sandy-brown. No way could I rib this thicker yarn on 3.5mm needles. So moved the stocking stitch to 5mm, 64 sts (left) and 54 sts. Took a lot of care arranging the colour changes, and was pleased how they ended up. 

More another time on what happened to the rest of the blue/white/sandy yarn. (I have photos already)

Mrs Mole's Fit-a-long: try me for a day

Here's the latest. Not perfect, but finished enough to wear around the house for a day.

Two changes in plan since the last post. 

When the sleeves went in, I stole 3/8" from the seam allowances at the armpit, leaving only 1/4". For just a little more movement ease. 

And there wasn't enough fabric for neck facings, but I did get bias binding from the pieces at the old sleeve caps. Good enough for a trial. 

A few notes from a half hour wear. 

It's the front that's pieced for lack of fabric, so the side seams are actually pretty straight. 

I've decided that this sleeve length is better for me, since I rarely stand with arms at my sides. 

Can't move the pocket down without revealing one of the ink stains. Did I say this was salvaged fabric? But I would prefer it lower another time I reuse one of DH's cast-offs. 

The excess fabric below back waist on the later shots happens after I raise my arms and then lower them. Normal for me. Do I go for a slightly looser back hip/rump so the garment will fall back into position naturally? A more coordinated person would rearrange their clothing many times a day. However, that's not going to happen when I'm focused on the person in front of me.  I'm inclined to shorten the dart at left back, lower end, to give a little more clearance anyway. A smidge more at lower sideseams?

  

There are still drag lines where those padded straps sit on my shoulder. Though trying on with the summer bra there's still some distortion. I can see where the ball of my shoulder sticks forward, so perhaps I've been falsely accusing. I want to try adding a little more to the shoulder seams there, more on the left (higher but lumpier side) than the right. Maybe raise the right shoulder seam the tiniest bit more at the neckline - though the left might be stealing fabric from the right.

PS Got the kitchen tidied and a few housework tasks done after I wrote this post. No problem at all using sink, worktops, cupboards. Sitting drinking nightime cuppa also fine, no friction at front underarms.

Mrs Mole's fit-a-long: bodice tweaks, the pictures

Rather belatedly here are the picture taken just after the tweaks in last week's post. (Goodness, it it a week ago already?)

Since these were taken, I've replaced the temporary blue sleeves with gingham (from the beyond-salvage shirt), stitched on the pocket a smidge further to the centre, tidied the hem and darned the tear. I don't think there are enough scraps for a mandarin collar, but I can probably piece a neck facing if I don't worry too much about which is grain and which is cross-grain.

I'm really glad I looked at these pictures on a bigger screen. I think the back will be improved  if I make the darts narrower, say 1/2" intake instead of the current 3/4". That'll probably help the incipient drag lines across the lower tum, too.

Also knitted more than I should have done, had fun with the family, caught up some admin and a tiny software project, and done more nature watching. (It's just past the peak of  pink foot goose season here, but there are still plenty on their daily commute from saltmarsh to stubble). A good week.