Light Scarf with Nako vals

Its been a long long while since my last post. Actually the work on my academic work is intensive and has kept me from blogging. Also I stopped knitting for a while. I have resumed thanks to inspiration from a Ravelry and a crater's group I joined recently. The Pony store had a promotion sale in Bangalore just during my annual vacation from work and I picked up yarn for three projects specifically. 2 balls Nako Vals for scarf and cap, I loved the multi-colour effect. I have finished the scarf , this is one of the WIP pictures. I am starting on the cap soon. I also got some medium bulky yarn for a poncho for my brother and also some lighter wool for a summer cardigan.

Scarf is knit using longstitch because I wanted a light and airy scarf for windy times, not for cold climate.
 The UFO row scarf is now a WIP and is about half done. and I am going to work on that.
Love the Turkish yarns on pony and the french knitter.

UFO 1 ( Unfinished Objects!)

My first unfinished object to finish in the new year is the short scarf with an interesting pattern from lion brand. I like the contrast colours and yes it is cold enough in Bangalore to wear a scarf.

 I have also uploaded here of a cross stitch pattern of a Poseidon bear I tried out long ago as a gift for my hubby.
 Happy crafting 2011 everyone.

Muffler cum cap : warm and soft

I had been busy planning to come to Berlin and in my real hurry to pack unpack and prepare there was time to knit, but not to blog.

This time, my cousin and his wife from US got me LION brand homespun wool in a lovely meadow color. I decided to knit a muffler cap, like the one I saw in mussorie. It is knit in two pieces, three sections.

Section one : all rows front and back in knit.

This piece is a 70 inch long muffler with 20-25 sticthes ( for a very thick wool) thinner yarns may need more. The width of the muffler is only 5- 5 1/2 inches so it can wrap around the neck nicely.

Tip: if thick wools are done in knit one side purl the other, (st stitch) it curls up, so use garter stitch for keeping the muffler flat.

After the 70 inches long muffler, knit a flat piece with 35 to 40 stitches again in garter stitch but make it about 12- 14 inches. I measured mine around my head like a head band up to my neck over both my ears to form a "pallu."

Fold this in half and from the side of the knitted piece pick up as many stitches as there are rows and knit them in circles to make the back of the head piece. Knit for about 6 to 10 rounds and reduce the stitches as for cap knit two together one row then knit and kit two together and then knit another row. Finally bind off the last 10-14 stitches.

I know it sounds complicated but looking at the pictures will give you a good idea.


Center the head piece to the muffler and stitch it along the bottom of the cap . I added fancy fur tassles and also some to the hood to make it look like a fur cap!








Tip : First time knitters! Do use a different contrast colored wool ( I used green for this )to stitch your garments loosely. Check if everything is okay then stitch neatly using same colored wool. That way if the piece is inside out or not rightly placed, you will find it easy to cut off the coloured wool without cutting the knitting.

Happy winter!

knit leg warmers

Sorry to be late with this update but after moving house, I am scheduled for a Europe trip this winter and have been knitting away to help keep me warm. I made a special trip to Dehradun and got real wool balls for adult knitting not (baby wool) and my mittens are being knit . They cost around 50Rs a ball and are really wool-marked. People in India may never need all that warm wool so continue to celebrate acrylic. You get wool shops in Paltan bazzar there so if you travel there or know someone you can get them to mail you some wool.

Good news from Lion brand wools' website, all thier own patterns are free. Newbies from India, please donot mess with patterns without doing a gauge patch. None of those chunky yarns are available here!

The other news is that I found a knitting enthusiast who has taken on knitting a coat sweater in a month. I am helping her with the pattern and will be sharing all the tips we come up with as time goes.

The first being, to bind off from the start, unless specified, always

K1, K2 pass second stitch over the first.

---------

To bind off from the middle ( like a Raglan shaping) Knit 2 together and bind off the last stitch by passing yarn through stitch.

or

If you are good enogh to try ,

you can k1, k2 the pass first stictch over second. ( this is tough to understand and may be I will post a video soon.)

Ankle warmers are tube- like and are to be worn above ankle socks and keep the ankle to knee area warm. These are pink and purple and look very bulky but they are certainly warm. I finished all my purple and pink wool.

TIP: To make your knitted fabric elastic you use ribbing: K2 p2 or K1P1. Row 1

and p2k2 or p1k1 at the back respectively.

Baby Cap

I have lots of unfinished knitting projects . Recently I quickly used my circular needle to do up this baby cap for a gift

 It was easy I just cast on 54 stitches and knitted in Stocking St. All knit in the double wool purple yarn in size 8UK. Then I shifted to the fun yarn ( from the connoor wool shop)and also moved to size 6 after 2 inches of all knit, I then did this:

knit 4 reduce 1 by knitting two together and knit four and so on.

 (The Important thing to remember in circular knitting is to mark your row beginning with a knit marker. We can make knit markers easily in India by modifying our cheap earring hoops into a circle using pliers. Just make sure that the earing doesn't catch the yarn. Beady earrings are good, I found out.)

After one row I again knitted an inch and then carried out the reduction row. Then I went on knitting till the whole length was about a bit more than 5 inches. Then using a smaller yarn and a needle I caught all the loops from the needle and ties them up and tucked the knot in . I always weave in the extra yarn and never chop it off to the end. It took me about three - four hours of intermittent knitting.

Its a baby cap for newborn to 6 months. It may be a bit big for the new born. But the baby will grow into it.

Its still scarf and cap Knitting time.

 In honour of arne naes, the deep ecologist, I inagurated my new fashion knit cap and muffler on ignite 2 bangalore 09.

 Its a simple knit in the blue yarn brought from thailand by by freind annu.

 If you look closely you can see abutterfly clip on the cap. Its a shiny hair clip that I attached to the cap to make it prettier.

The next project will take a longer time as i am finishing the cable vest started long ago (seen half done in the earlier blog)

 also progress gets slower on knitting when my Phd speedens up!

Knitting Chronicles # 3

Knitting has now become a way of life. Its crept into unchartered areas of my life - during boring lectures, long bus or taxi rides and TV commercial breaks. Knitting mufflers and large  garments in simple knit and pearl  is easy in the TV breaks. My ruana ( see previous blog) is a TV break project while the mufflers owe thier beingness to the temporal nature of " wednesday morning talks" at our institute.

 

 I actually found that Hill stations may have these small knitting supply stores. In Conoor I found one shop with a whole wall filled with wool yarns in colours.  In the amazing old style bazaar, there was a button shop who had 5mm needles. Considering that I passed Pony industries on the way from Ooty to Conoor, I had a good mind to get off and ask them a few searching patriotic questions about knitting needles in India. But then I was knitting in the bus and felt very distant from all the fury of the early days. Also very smug with my bamboo needles from the US!

 All along the journey, instead of sleeping I knit. and my golden needles attracted a lot of attention from young girls who watched me . a little girl simply wanted the knitting needles. I quickly knit her a ring: k5, K5 , k1- k2tog-k2,k4, k2- makeone-k2,k5, close ( like a buttonhole) then she stopped her tantrum!

There are a few experiments I thought  I should share about:

I tore an old silk saree into tapes and have knitted a duppata/stole with it. Looks like a manish malhotra design if you ask me.

I have also become smarter at holding yarns together to knit. Holding two yrands from two balls together gives a very nice effect and also thickens the wool. 

I am wondering if we can knit our jute strings into bags.

 and  I am asking searching questions about crocheting!

 My ongoing projects:

 Cable vest, mufflers for brother and sis- in Law, a knitted hoodie, beret and a pullover!

Wool in Conoor

Conoor is  a small hill town in the southern hills of India called nilgiris. More about this place is in my regular blog. I found some fancy wool that is locally made - from ludhiana called  " Rosy wool." I just got a bit yarn mad and did pick up lots of colors too. ( I seem to be in a purple mood, I confess)

I am knitting a muffler for my sister in law from Europe. 

Along  a curving path, on the way to Lamb's rock 

lies a needle craft homeshop. 

Hand towels hand embroidered 

with and very prettyIndian themes .

(Do ignore the dates on the photos, I just did not set it right)

Ruana is complete

I got the free pattern and had to modify it a bit for tension and size:
http://www.knittingonthenet.com/patterns/swewrap.htm
and this is what it looks like in "Bravo" wool, 3stitches = 1 inch in 5mm needles. its the first time I have knitted sideways.



Finished Ruana

Knitted from the side, used about 158 stitches and a 5mm needle

R1 knit
R2 pearl
R3 Knit
R4 knit

The wool called 'Bravo' ( mohair and silk ) I got at a sale in NYC at a shop in east manhattan called " wool gathering"! thanks for the discount.

It just came out perfect and has been much admired.
here is me in it
I used a bit of the green to give it a slightly designer look! ( actually I had bought less red wool during my us Trip)



THANKS Barbara Breiter !

from the US and projects

In a leisuring walk down eugene streets I was directed to this amazing store called soft fabrics packed with all kinds of knitting supplies. Very carefully I picked a lovely kettle dyed wool to knit my husband a birthday cap. and here is it.

knitted with my new bamboo needles too. The colorful cap is a purchase from a bazaar in Delhi. Crocheted in cotton yarn

Knitting chronicles note:

For my dear friend from Delhi I brought back susan bates needles made of plasic in US size 13 and 15 and guess where they were made (for susan made specially by coats india)

And this lovely yarn which was on sale from New York , manhattan

plan to make a ruana . Watch out for the next post.

My friend had a birthday and I knit these by holding two yarn together. I loved the easy project and it took me just one weekend to finish. I know the front looks floppy but I wanted it to be like the Indian Kholapuri slipper.

I added a note that said, click heels three times to feel warm comfortable and at home and she loved it.

Thanks to a great Seamless socks slipper pattern from http://www.knittingonthenet.com/patterns/slippersseamless.htm

My projects

I have three projects going.
1. A cabled vest for my husband. I did mess up the pattern a bit, the cables dont go over and under like weave . My fault for not trusting myself and following a book pattern blindly . But I corrected and unless you look closely you cant see.

2. A vest for me. I am holding two yarns to gether and I like double moss stitch. project UFOED till I get new 6mm needles.

3. Vardhaman yarns came out with a yarn that looks like funfur and the effect is pretty. I found out that patterns donot matter so I have begun knitting in st stitch and colours.

For day time @ research, I began something and am just making fabric. It can be a hat or a scarf or a purse.

The good news is that my brother who works with wood has some 6mm turned rose and teak sticks ( he was making a tray ) May be I can make something out of them - like Knitting needles!