Stuff I made PART TWO

Pattern: Cardigan pattern from the book Cardigans by Maja Karlsson.
Mouse pattern from the book The Beatrix Potter Knitting Book by Pat Menchini

One day i excitedly bought a bunch of yarn in different shades of red and a little black with the idea "well i love these colours so obviously im gonna make something with them". And, I mean, I did, but also, don't do what I did. I think its better to find a pattern you like and then buy the yarn because you're a lot more likely to have enough yarn for your project that way and you won't build up a yarn stash ur never gonna do stuff with. (my yarn stash is still quite small which im v proud of tbh).

ANYWAY this cardigan is mostly made up of that yarn, except the top part cos i ran out of the red yarn (because of course I did) so that's a different red yarn i still had lying around. Which was super obvious when i blocked it lol but not now its dry.

The pattern originally had a buncha girls holding hands at the bottom, but i have this Beatrix Potter pattern book that has a lot of garments in it that i dont rly vibe with but the colourwork patterns in it are pretty amazing, such as these mice. I did them backwards cos I was still pretty new to colourwork but thankfully that's not really an issue. I think it turned out very cute but i havent worn it yet cos when i finished it it was too hot outside for woollen cardigans :( BUT SOON....SOON!!!!!

Yarn used: Yarnsmiths in Sienna Red and Warm Taupe. Mystery second red yarn for top part. same yarn i made the cat paw scarf from but i lost the label

Pattern: From the book Wilderness Knits by Linka Neumann

So far my magnum opus cos i learned how to steek with this cardigan and its the most complex colourwork pattern ive done so far. I think it turned out really well, I'm so glad the colours go so well together (cos I picked my own instead of following colours provided in the book) and its really big so my husband can also wear it.

Just one thing.. The English Midlands kinda don't get cold enough to wear a cardigan like this :( The only time i can imagine wearing it is going on a walk in winter maybe. Its very comfy though, it just gets a little hot fast. And it'll be good for my husband to wear when he gets a fever and gets really cold.

Oh i once again fucked up the colourwork lol the bottom of the cardigan has it upside down cos i read the chart wrong. But thankfully once again it's no that much of an issue.

Yarn used: Natur Uld in Pistachio, Nature/Off White, Mustard and Brown.

[photo tba]

Pattern: From the book Cardigans by Maja Karlsson

I wore this the other day and had the horrible realisation I have multiple skeins of yarn that look like mincemeat. Which means I now have multiple garments that look like they are (at least in part) made out of mincemeat. I.. don't know why. Anyway this cardigan is made out of three strands of mohair held together and it knitted up really fast cos it's pretty short. It kinda curls in on itself because I did a non stretchy bind-off which in general I already did really tightly back then anyway and i should really redo it.. except I don't think I can unravel the bind off safely with all the mohair wrapped together the way it is, so I'll leave it be.
I actually wore this cardigan when I got married (cos it was a council wedding so its not like i was wearing a white dress anyway and i thought itd be nice to wear something i made). It might look a lil mince meaty but it actually pairs quite well with a lot of outfits. It issss a little scratchy but I've learned that doesn't really bother me! That's a huge relief since I like to knit so much.

Yarn used: Hobbii Diablo in Old Rose (one strand) and Henna (two strands) held together.

[photo tba]

Pattern: From the book Magical Knits from the North by Katinka Sarjanoja

Man I'm not even done with all the accidental Scandinavian things I've knitted and I'm already hyper aware how almost everything i make is labeled "from the north". Granted Northern European countries and places have a large history and culture around the craft of knitting so it makes sense. I'm just. very aware of it now, idk. I'm actually not sure Katinka Sarjanoja is from a Scandinavian country or we're talkin another north here cos this book is very focused on MAGIC patterns and knits which isn't like. Super scandi or whatever. Um anyway

SO originally this pattern is for making a cowl, Something you might wear in colder winter as an extra layer. It's a simple enough project, just two triangles on top of each other essentially and then you duplicate stitch the cat skull on.

But I ran into three things while doing this pattern:

x  The cowl pattern was essentially like making a shawl. I find shawls really boring to make (since its just knitting on forever until you get a big enough triangle).

x  I ran out of the black yarn before I even started the hood part

x  My cat fell out of a window and working on a cat skull duplicate stitch felt way too ominous

The running out of yarn made me decide not to order more to make the hood, and just make the triangle I had into something else, like I could hang it on the wall or something. But then when I was in the middle of duplicate stitching the cat skull on our cat fell out of an upstairs window and broke a leg.. I put the project away after that, it felt like a bad omen to work on it while our cat was recovering.

I recently pulled it out of storage now that Tsuki is fully healed, and I tried to put some bamboo sticks together to hang it onto, but it turns out its too heavy for that. So it's currently back in storage again. I'm thinkin i might make it into a bag instead or something.

Yarn used: Dale Older in Charcoal Grey and Light Grey Melange

Pattern: From the book Knitting for Olive by Pernille Larsen

God why did i write that. Anyway I made this cos I felt a little bad about other projects I'd finished earlier (particularly the mouse cardi, it's very cute but its honestly not really my style), like I made stuff I realised I wasn't gonna wear. So I tried to do something safe and made a turtleneck in a single colour that I knew I would like.

The book I got the pattern from was a gift from my sister and parents for my birthday and I'm really happy to find out the patterns are very easy to follow. I know knitting for Olive actually makes their own yarn, but I've never made anything with it.. yet.

I recently redid the bind-off on the bottom of this jumper cos it was tight af but now it's kind of too loose and flares out. I'm not sure yet if I'll redo it a third time or to try weaving in elastic thread and making it less flared that way. Finished it right before spring so haven't worn it yet. God. I hate summer. I hate when spring is hot like summer. Maybe *I* should move up north

Yarn used: Drops Alpaca in Dark Purple and Drops Kid Silk in Dark Purple

Pattern: From the book Wilderness Knits for the Home by Linka Neumann

Also pictured: my cat which is why the pillow behind her is upside down, i didnt want to wake her. These knitted up super fast cos its just two squares and the yarn is pretty thick. I learned its best not to mix yarns from different brands if you want consistent stretchiness; the dark green yarn's made the pillows look kinda uneven in parts (I think I kinda hate King Cole brand yarn).

These are sitting on the sofas in our living room currently and I like to sleep on them. As does our cat. I might replace them with a new cover at some point, if I feel like making more pillow covers, but I like them a lot right now. Even if we live in England and the patterns on the pillows are so Scandinavian it fuckin hurts. Like IDK if we even get deer that size over here.

Yarn used: King Cole Wildwood Chunky in Forest and Yarn and Colours Cheerful in Mustard, Chestnut, Peony Leaf, Olive and Cream

Pattern: ASTRAEUS by Meghan Regan

This sweater made me more aware of hand dyed yarn and why people use it for certain projects. The slight variation and depth of colour at different parts of a project just looks so nice and gives garments a bit more of a luxurious look i think. nyways thats not what I did when i knitted this, cos I just used DROPS Fiesta :D

I think the colourwork pattern is beautiful and I still like the red/black colourscheme I went for but long story short this bastard just doesn't fit. The chest is way too tight, and not just on me, also on my husband who has very different measurements than me.

Another thing I learned from making this sweater is read the fuckin project notes people leave on patterns on Ravelry, they can be super useful (and as an aside, if theres no one in the model photos with a bodytype like yours usually you find a way bigger variety of body shapes when u check the projects tab), because a lot of people complained the chest was too tight when they followed the pattern.

At least its a bit of a relief its not my fault. Might donate it to someone with a flat chest and rly narrow shoulders, i guess.

Yarn used: Drops Fiesta in Cherry Jam and Charcoal.

Pattern: Can't find the pattern but it was a basic free slouchy hat pattern
First hand dyed yarn project! It's really pretty yarn too. IDK if this hat is a success yet cos its not cold enough to wear yet. But I hate wearing things on my head and I was hoping maybe if I made something really pretty it would help. fingers crossed

Yarn used: Just Daisy by JewTreeYarncraft

Pattern: I can't find it but it was a very basic step-by-step sock knitting pattern

Remember how i said I became more aware of hand dyed yarn. Well I thought hey why not try makin socks again cos theyre good single skein projects. And it was! I finished my first pair of socks!

I think they look really nice in this yarn and they fit rly well with some of my outfits. I'm so glad I figured out how to do a heel turn. Though i think i did kinda fuck up the kitchener stitch on one of the feet but oh well.

Yarn used: Big Fish Little Fish by knitthebed

Pattern: Ribbed Turtleneck Tank by Jessie Maed Designs

Sooooo I have a board on Milanote that's all projects I wanna knit based on games and films etc. that I like. And I thought hey I love Silent Hill 3, I wanna make Heather's turtleneck! Cos I love that game! And I want to make something from it! THERES NO KNITS IN THAT GAME LIKE JUST ACCEPT IT GOD WHY DID I MAKE THIS

ok so first off i dont fucking wear bright orange, idk why i made a TOP in that colour, all i own in this colour is a tracksuit and I already only wear the jacket from that anyways. Secondly I made it way too fucking big, it looks AWFUL on me. I felt so ugly looking in the mirror, it hurt. Thirdly after fucking around with some crochet and having to use cotton for that I've now officially decided I fucking hate Cotton yarn. "oh but its cooler you can wear it in warmer weather" fuck that I'd rather kill the sun than make another project with cotton yarn and make a stupid shapeless mess.

Yarn used: Hobbii Friends Cotton 8/8 in Orange

Pattern: Frog pattern by Claire Garland

So with the cool hand dyed yarn ive got some scrap yarn left that turned out to be perfect for the first ever plushie (?) pattern i ever followed. It was surprisingly easy makin these frogs. They now sit in front of our television. I took them with us to a fair to spice up my pretty generic costume a little and people really liked them (tho understandably people would mistake them for crochet. That craft is just more associated with plush animals isnt it).

Im thinkin i might make a little creature for every DK/fingering yarn project i finish that i still have yarn left over from. Oh they're named btw. There's one-eyed Tim, Margaret (fuzzy purple), Agatha(purple with black belly) and Marty (unfortunate son made entirely out of cotton. Red/black).

Yarn used: Buncha scrap yarn

Pattern: none i winged it

I thought it'd be useful to have when traveling, for protection, and i made it a little too big so itd also fit a pencil and a charging cable. I did some cablework on the front cos I actually find cables really fun to do. I do love bright orange like this, just not to wear, so it's nice to use it for something else that I know I will get use out of cos it's a colour that makes me happy when i see it, kind of like sunshine yellow.

Yarn used: Pumpkin Spice by AnnaKnittingPretty

Pattern: Moodiversary by Spektakelstrik

..What's the difference between a slipover and a vest? Is a slipover larger..? Does vest just sound too lame..?

Made this with the same wool as the mouse cardi cos I bought it without a project in mind and I had so much of it. Also added in some mincemeat yarn that I had leftover from the ASTRAEUS sweater cos its also red, sorta. It's called cherry something but no lads, that's mince. Ground beef. Pulverised animal

It fits really well which was a huge relief because I've had some awful feelings looking in the mirror in some other finished projects the last couple months. I definitely want to try making the wave sweater now.

I doublestitched on a sad face cos I'm a depressed sad sack and I gotta have that on there somewhere. ALSO the pattern in general reminds me a lil of Lazy Oaf who do a lot of clothes with happy/sad faces on them and i like their weird aesthetic.

Yarn used: Yarnsmiths in Scarlet Red and Black, Drops Fiesta in Cherry Jam (sure Jan.) and Dandelion Dream.