Category Archives: knit

WIP Wednesday – My Knitting Adventure

Posted on October 24, 2018 | Leave a comment

Hey!

I’ve made some progress on my latest knitting project, and it’s really a lot of fun!

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The 7mm needles and the Scheepjes River Washed XL really are best friends.  It’s so satisfying to watch it grow, and grow so quickly.

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Don’t you love the stripes?

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Check out my post from last week for all the info on the yarn, and next week will be the big reveal.  I just need to find myself a model…

To get ready for the pattern, you’ll need to get yourself 7 balls of River Washed XL, 3 in Steenbras and 4 in Yarra.

Scheepjes stockists everywhere have River Washed XL, plus my local LYS Caro’s Atelier* here in Almere, Deramores* and Wool Warehouse*

*affiliate link

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Cast-On: Tank Stream

Posted on March 31, 2017 | 4 comments

That’s quite the title, right?  I mean, what does it even mean?

A couple of weeks ago I was watching the Dingo Dyeworks video podcast on Youtube (it’s one of my faves, by the way.  Petah creates the most unbelievable colourways!) when I saw Petah showing off Meg Gadsbey’s new shawl design – Tank Stream – my eyes almost popped out of my head!

Tank Stream shawl, by Meg Gadsbey: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tank-stream

Image thanks to Meg Gadsbey

I immediately bought Meg’s design on Ravelry and then the mission began to find the right yarn.  Dingo Dyeworks have put together gorgeous packs that I really wanted, but I didn’t want to wait for the postage, and I didn’t want to be hit with customs charges at the door, so I went to Love Knitting and ordered some sweet georgia superwash DK in Mist.

sweet georgia superwash DK in Mist: http://bit.ly/TankStream-sweetgeorgia

As soon as the yarn arrived I couldn’t wait to start.  It was one of those days when I was counting the seconds until I could finish work so I could wind the yarn and cast on.

sweet georgia superwash DK in Mist: http://bit.ly/TankStream-sweetgeorgia

I just noticed that my needles match my yarn!  Those sorts of coincidences give me the warm fuzzies.  I do love my zings, especially the colours.  They’re all bright and colourful.

So now I’m busy listening to the S-Town podcast while knitting Tank Stream.  Life is good!

Tanks Stream is available on Ravelry

Get the sweet georgia yarns from Love Knitting/Love Crochet

And check the Dingo Dyeworks 20% off sale to get some glorious hand dyed Australian yarns.

Love Crochet

 

This post contains affiliate links.

 

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The Satisfaction of Kid’s Knits

Posted on March 3, 2017 | 2 comments

You know that I’ve only just started thinking of myself as a knitter.  I learned to knit so long ago that I don’t even remember when that was.  It’s just something that I could always do, although not very well, and nor could I cast on or off.  But thanks to YouTube channels like Very Pink and Purl Soho, and not to mention my friends Tammy and Sarah, I’ve gone over to the dark side!

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About a year ago Vanessa Kind shared some We Love Knitting yarn on Instagram (or maybe her podcast) and it was love at first sight.  Then came the challenge: how to get my hands on some!  It became a matter of stalking the Instagram page, enabling notifications and setting alarms for shop updates.  And I’m not the only one who does this – it’s a real game of Fastest Finger First to checkout.  More than once I was quick enough to get some in my basket only to find that it was sold out by the time I tried to pay.

Eventually I scored a few skeins of peaches and cream and sea glass, just in time for my gran and aunt to come visit, saving a fortune on shipping.  Oh Australia why do you have to be so far away?

Fast forward six months, I had to get more.  I bought two skeins of mintfetti DK and after trying to crochet a shawl design, I realised that this yarn needs to be knit and – honestly – is wasted on crochet.

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So then became the hunt for the perfect project that wasn’t a shawl and could be knit using only two skeins.  Enter Ravelry and Jane by Georgie Nicholson. The combination of the mintfetti and this design is amazing.  The yarn loves the stockingette stitch and it’ll make the perfect kids cardi.

Jane cardigan by Georgia Nicholson on Ravelry. Yarn: Mintfetti by We Love Knitting

I honestly can’t believe that I never paid attention when everybody told me that knitting for kids is so satisfying.  That it goes quickly and I would be so encouraged by the progress.  Especially in a 8ply DK yarn.  If been using 4ply fingering for so long that I had forgotten how fun a chunkier project is!

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Now this is my first garment knit.  I’m keeping it simple while I grow my confidence.  I’d LOVE to hear your tips for simple and beautiful knitted garments. Let me know in the comments or on Facebook.  I’m just enjoying this so much!

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Winterlight

Posted on June 3, 2016 | 1 comment

A couple of months or so ago I came across a brand new podcast on youtube by my Insta-friend Vanessa Kind and she introduced me to the wonderful indie dyer Dingo Dyeworks.  I fell head over heels with all the yarns and colourways – you know how much I love a good merino yarn.

When I visited the site I was overwhelmed.  How could I possibly choose between all these amazing yarns?!  But then I saw Winterlight.

Winterlight is a shawl designed by Meg Gadsbey from Atelier Yarn in Sydney, in collaboration with Petah from Dingo Dyeworks in her beautiful Fair Dinkum Dingo Tail gradients.

Dingo Dyeworks Fair Dinkum Dingo Tails

I love the Fair Dinkum range, it carries the NewMerino certification, which is a an Australian initiative promoting 100% traceability, sustainability and ethical treatment.

The hardest decision was then what else should I get?  Because the yarn was coming all the way from Perth, I couldn’t just order one skein – it’d be a waste right?

In the end I settled on some Fair Dinkum ultrafine fingering in Blue Gum.   Blue gums have the most incredible scent.  In the region I grew up in, about 20 years ago graziers started cashing in on the blue gum boom, selling their land for a thousand dollars an acre (insane money) to be replanted with blue gums.  All of a sudden I was living in a forest instead of farmland, it was strange how the landscape changed so rapidly.

Dingo Dyeworks Fair Dinkum fingering in Blue Gum

So the blue gum is something familiar, and a lovely colourway, so it fits.  I have a project in mind, another Meg Gadsbey design called Minnamurra.  Aren’t all these Australian names awesome?  It makes me a bit homesick to be honest.  I think my obsession with merino is something that I use to keep me connected, do you know what I mean?

I absolutely loved making Winterlight.  The pattern is perfect for someone like me who doesn’t class themselves as a “knitter””- although I do now!  It’s also just beautiful, so that’s reason enough!

Winterlight shawl. Made with Dingo Dyeworks Fair Dinkum Dingo Tails and Winterlight pattern by Meg Gadsbey on Ravelry

I can’t wait to make another one.  But I have a to-do list and WIP list that is longer than my arm, so it’ll have to wait a bit.

Winterlight shawl. Made with Dingo Dyeworks Fair Dinkum Dingo Tails and Winterlight pattern by Meg Gadsbey on Ravelry

And finally, do check out Vanessa’s great podcast on Youtube.  Although, lock up your wallet; she’s a bad influence!

 

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Can I Really Knit Socks?

Posted on April 15, 2016 | Leave a comment

Socks have always scared me.  I see everybody on Instagram knitting their beautiful woolly socks and love them, but think: nope.  I can’t knit socks.  I’m also very worried about Second Sock Syndrome, that common phenomenon whereby you knit one beautiful sock but can’t be bothered to knit the other.

But my friend Tammy has been telling me for years that I should knit socks; that it’s easy and beautiful, and my other friend Sarah insists the socks last forever and can be worn more than once (can you imagine wearing your socks for more than one day?).

I had never seen a sock being knit in real life either, so it was like a magic trick that everyone but me knew how to do.  But at the weekend that changed!  I watched Tammy knitting a pair of OMG beautiful socks and I knew I had to do it.

Because we were all together for Bloggers Day, Sarah was planning on giving Dedri a lesson on basic sock knitting.  I wormed my way in and commandeered the yarn that Sarah had earmarked for another project – the lovely Invicta Everest from Scheepjes – plus her fancy new Knit Pro Zing needles and we lined up on the “Naughty Step” for our lesson.

There we are, on the naughty step, learning to knit socks while Kirsten and Esther smile for the camera

While Kirsten and Esther are smiling for the camera, you can see Sarah Showing Dedri and myself what to do.

After a bit of confusion on how to do Judy’s magic cast on, we were away.  Sarah is a great teacher, with endless patience.  This is great as I’m a bit of a tantrum thrower when things don’t immediately work for me.  But we got there in the end and after a couple of days, I’ve already gone past the heel and am working on the leg!

I’m loving the learning process, it’s really satisfying to see this sock growing slowly.

I’m planning on adding Sarah’s Afterthought Heel at the end, hoping it’ll work as I’m pretty clueless at this point as to how to do it, but that’s what tutorials are for, right?

Sock One, with Scheepjes Invicta Everest

I’m loving this self-striping yarn too, by the way.  Often I think self striping yarn is a bit meh, but I love the solid stripes of this one.  I’ll have to find a brown and yellow version so I can knit my aunt a pair of Hawthorn socks as she’s about their biggest fan!

You can find this wonderful Invicta yarn at Scheepjes retailers throughout the Benelux, plus Wool Warehouse in the UK and internationally.

 

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The Colour Block Knitted Baby Blanket for Beginners – Free Pattern

Posted on July 3, 2015 | 2 comments

Last week I showed you the Colour Block Knitted Baby Blanket, and today I have the instruction for you.

Colour Block Knit Blanket for Beginners using @Scheepjes Sunkissed by MissNeriss

Now, let me tell you, this is absolutely the simplest knitted design you’ve ever come across.  It is the perfect  beginner project, because let’s face it.  That’s precisely what I am!  So, if you’re looking for a simple project that looks fabulous and is not a scarf – I don’t know how many knit one purl one scarves I made as a kid – this one is perfect.  And best of all, it’s not expensive because all you need to complete this is four skeins of Scheepjes Sunkissed, and you’re going to use every metre of those skeins.

Sunkissed by Scheepjes

Scheepjes Sunkissed Knitted Baby Blanket

What You’ll need
Four skeins of Scheepjes Sunkissed in 3, 7, 9, 10
3.5mm needles (I used 80cm circulars)
A tapestry needle to weave in your ends
Blocking boards and wires (or pins)
Eucalan (because it softens everything and smells amazing)

The final measurement of this blanket will be about 60 x 85 cm, so it’s a good buggy size, or snuggly swaddle size.  It’s also lovely and stretchy, and the Sunkissed is soooooooft.

Let’s Go!

Cast on 150 stitches.  I like to use the Slingshot Long Tail Cast on.  When I was starting, I had no clue how to cast on, but my friend Tammy recommended this method and it’s very easy.

Once you’ve cast on your stitches, you need to start making the border.  The design of this blanket is a stockingette stitch body with a garter border.  Essentially a giant swatch!

Colour Block Knit Blanket for Beginners using @Scheepjes Sunkissed by MissNeriss

Rows 1-5 knit in the garter stitch (knit), then we will start with the body of the blanket.

The first and last five stitches of every row will be in garter stitch and the body (middle 140 stitches) are in stockingette stitch.

Row 6: knit 5, purl 140, knit 5

Row 7: knit 150

Repeat rows 6 and 7 until you’ve finished your first skein of yarn (or until you know you cannot finish another row with the remaining yarn).  Attach the second colour and continue the row 6 and 7 repeat through all four of the colours.

Colour Block Knit Blanket for Beginners using @Scheepjes Sunkissed by MissNeriss

Each colour block will measure about 21 cm, so when you get to about 19 cm of the final colour, you will need to start working on the top border.  The way I figured this out for myself was to fold the blanket with the join of the fourth colour matching up with the join of the first and second colour so I could see how far I had to go before I should start on the border.  This is because I’m not yet a great judge on how much yarn a row will use.

Knit the final 5 rows of the border, then cast off.  The feeling of accomplishment will be amazing, especially once you block it.

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You can find the yarn at any great yarn store here in the Netherlands and Belgium, otherwise Deramores ships it world wide!

Colour Block Knit Blanket for Beginners using @Scheepjes Sunkissed by MissNeriss

I hope you enjoy making this, and do please share your projects on Ravelry, my Facebook page or on Instagram with hashtag #missneriss and #scheepjes

XN

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Underway on Thursday – Knitting with Sunkissed

Posted on May 14, 2015 | 2 comments

Last week I showed you the beautiful Scheepjes Sunkissed yarn that had arrived and that I was planning to work on a knitted project and I’ve made terrific progress!

Scheepjes Sunkissed Knitted Blanket progress @missneriss

I’ve steamed through the first colour and am working on the second colour.  I can already see that three colours won’t be enough, so once I’m finished with the blue I’ll dig around in my Sunkissed collection to find the right colour to match.  But in the meantime, I’m just enjoying watching this grow, and am falling more and more in love with the colour variation of this yarn.

I’m also lucky to have had a couple of sunny days – finally! – so I can spend time outside knitting and improving my skills.

This really is the perfect project for a beginner, or someone who just wants to sit in front of Game of Thrones and knit.  Or someone who wants to learn a new knitting technique.  I knit in the English style.  Well, kind of.  There’s a lot of movement in my hands, and I wanted to learn to refine my style so I was using less energy, if you know what I mean.  So for this project I started practicing the Continental style, which worked well while working the knit stitch, but purl?  Forgetaboutit. I just cannot get the tension right, and I was knitting much faster if I just went back to the English style.

Scheepjes Sunkissed Knitted Blanket progress @missneriss

You’ll have to check back next week to see the final colour that I’ll use, and how it’s all coming together.  I’m loving the Sunkissed so much, and the drape is gorgeous.  The next thing I’d like to make is a cardigan, or a shawl, but I have to find or develop the perfect pattern….

Stay tuned!

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KIKA Scarf – turns out I can knit afterall!

Posted on January 8, 2015 | 11 comments

Happy 2015, I’ve taught myself how to knit! Before Christmas I picked up one of the amazing KIKA Yarn Kits by Scheepjeswol and I decided that I loved the stripe and texture of the knit version so much that I would bite the bullet and finally learn to knit. The gorgeous colour change of the Scheepjes Invictor Colour matched with the Green of the Invicta Extra. Well, I could knit.  I knew how to knit and how to purl, but I had zero idea how to cast on or how to increase, or how to change colours for that matter!  So there was quite the learning curve. I went to my local craft store and picked up a set of circular needles and got to it.  The first thing I needed to learn was how to cast on.  My good friend Tammy insisted I visit the Very Pink website which is run by a friend of hers, and the woman is basically a knitting oracle. I learned the Long Tail Slingshot cast on method and I can’t believe that I was so daunted by casting on for so many years! The next step was learning how to increase.  I managed the first dozen or so rows before I had to start, but was absolutely clueless as to what needed to be done, so back to Very Pink I went to learn the Knit Front Back (KFB) method and I was off again! http://instagram.com/p/xB7VJtHWtn/?modal=true Before I knew it I was making excellent progress!  The scarf was growing and growing and growing, until now where I think I’m perhaps about half way. But, it hasn’t been a completely charmed process, let me tell you!  At first I was cutting the yarn at every colour change, and wondering what on earth I was going to do with all the ends, and then I realised that I was doing the stitches all wrong!  Instead of understanding that knit one purl one meant one ROW, I was doing that with the stitches!  And THEN, I was reading the pattern completely wrong, increasing every three rows instead of every six!  So I have ripped this scarf out about 5 times! Look at this dog's breakfast. Isn't it awful?!See what I mean?  Dogs Breakfast right there! I also spent some time trying to teach myself the Continental style, which worked OK for the knit rows, but I find it just too difficult to get my tension right with the purl. And Continental makes my tension much too tight, so I’ve gone back to the style I learned years ago. I have to say, this is a GREAT beginner project.  Much more interesting than the simple rectangle scarves that I made as a kid and the colour change really keeps me interested.  Right now I’m desperate for the yellow to come back.  It’s also a great pick up and put down project.  I’m working on it in between about four crochet projects, and it’s perfect for long commutes.  And I’m almost good enough to be able to watch tv while I work! KIKA scarf by Scheepjeswol - About half way, waiting for the yellow to reappear. Tell me, have you started knitting one of these amazing scarves yet?  I’d love to see it!  Link me your Ravelry project, or your Instagram or your FB or even add a photo to the comments!

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What? I can Knit???

Posted on December 16, 2014 | 6 comments

I don’t know, but I’m finally going to give it a try!

Well, I can knit.  I can knit one, purl one, but I never learned to cast on or off.  Like, just because I can run for the bus, it doesn’t make me a runner, because I can do the very basics, I’m definitely not a knitter…Yet.

I received this fabulous package in the post last week, which contains a knit and crochet pattern using the same yarn with the full intention of crocheting like mad, but the knitted version just spoke to me.  I had to ask my friends on Instagram, knit or crochet?  The resounding response was KNIT!

I love the stripey pattern, and I love the texture as well.  And as it’s really a simple knit a row purl a row with a few increases thrown in it should be totally manageable, right? Right?

So I went out at the weekend and bought myself a pair of knitting needles.  The first pair of needles I have ever owned, and they’re circular to boot!  Nothing like jumping in the deep-end, is there.

I chose Rainforest out of the huge amount of colour combinations, and I’m so happy I did!  Usually I wouldn’t go for green, but that Cruise shade of Invicta Colour was calling my name so I had no choice in the end, really.

I absolutely love the colour selection.  If I hadn’t gone for Rainforest, I would have chosen Fun Fair.  Which would you choose?

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But, I haven’t even told you the best bit about these kits yet. A portion of the proceeds from each kit sold are going to KIKA to help in the fight against childhood cancer, so you’ll be helping a great cause as well.

There are stockists all over the Netherlands where you can pick up these fabulous kits.  If you’re local to Almere, buy local too and visit Caro’s Atelier, and if you’re outside Holland, dermamores.com ships worldwide!

Now, to step outside my comfort zone and start knitting.  Yikes!

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