Baktuseria

I, too, fell prey to the Baktus phenomena. However, despite reading the instructions to work it in sock-weight yarn, I tried it in bulky handspun. This is handspun that I was never really excited about. It ended up nice, but bulky. (Du-uh!). Although it gets cold in Melbourne, I don’t wear thick scarves, so this one languished for a long time.

Finally, I realised that it would be a perfect gift for my snow-field-living sister. So it has been finally blocked and gifted. I will knit this again in handspun, but I will choose something I will love.

And how do you take a photo of these things without a mannequin?

Pattern: Baktus

Yarn: Handspun bulky merino/silk, unknown colourway

Ravelry Project page

Lookie Lookie

Husband Luke needed something special for his birthday this year. He is the sort of guy who only wants gifts with electricity and LEDs in them, which he is much better at buying himself.

So, of course, I designed and knit him some cashmere socks.

They have an arrow motif that points up on one sock and down on the other. They were absolutely gorgeous to knit. I got this wool/cashmere blend from a destash, but I am definitely gonna get some to knit me some socks.

Pattern: Lookie Lookie (Designed by me - and I will publish it soon)

Yarn: Squoosh Fibre Arts Merino Cashmere Sock in “espresso”

My Ravelry Project Page

Of course, he now tells me that handknitted gifts are more like a gift for me than him. I am really wishing that these were my sort of colour, now. (He is forgiven, but I am not knitting him more socks for a while).

Merlot Mystery

October is celebrated on Ravelry as Socktober. In light of this, Kirsten Kapur of Through the Loops hosted a mystery sock pattern. I broke open my first skein of Knitabulous Softsock and had a great time with my first mystery socks.

For those who are unfamiliar with the concept of a mystery sock, the sock pattern is released in four (or more parts) a week apart. When you start knitting, you have some suggestions for yarn choice and gauge, but you have no idea what the socks will end up like.

I love how these turned out. There is faux-cable patterning on the dorsum of the foot, and also down the sides of the leg, which flows into the heel-flap. They fit great and I have worn them for a long day operating in theatre and they were very comfortable.

The yarn is a thin crisp-type sock yarn and would work well with twisted stitches. There is no haze, but it is a bit stiff to work with. I expect it will soften with washing. I thought I was going to have too few stitiches (64st cast on) but they fit well.

Pattern: Mystery Sock 09

Yarn: Knitabulous Softsock in “Merlot Friday”

My Ravelry Project Page

A Warm Hug

I have always been a bit of a selfish knitter - I really only knit presents for people very close to me, and only if they beg. I guess this comes from the fact that my Mum and sisters are also crafters, and so can make anything they would like for themselves. And then there was that disastrous boyfriend jumper, which was worn twice ever.

Anyway, I realised that I have taken this selfishness a bit too far. I have never given anything back to the person who taught me to love handmade goods - my Mum. She taught me to knit and spin, so long ago that I can’t really put a date on either. She helps me acquire a fledgling stash as a teenager, and still lets me rummage through hers, when I am in need of after-hours yarn.

It is her birthday today, and I decided to create something special. I had a number of false starts, but in the end I have made her a hug out of warmest natural alpaca.

I spun this skein in stripes of natural alpaca.

I then knit it into a drapy shoulder shawl - a warm hug.

Pattern: Gaia Shoulder Hug (rav link)

More details on my Ravelry Project Page

Comments: This pattern was written for Noro or similar gradual striping yarn, and uses the colour changes as a point to change to reverse stocking stitch. The idea is to make the shawl reversible. I was worried that the effect would be much different with sow few stripes. It is, but I like it post blocking. I give it to Mum today. Hope she likes it!

(I just want to add that I find it pretty funny to give a shawl to my Mum at the start of summer in the midst of our first heatwave for the year. Facepalm.)

Spintastic

Over the month of October, I did a lot of spinning. When I use a phrase like that, I can’t help being reminded of the German slang word, “Spinner” which means crazy person. Sigh.

Anyway, the first skein was in response to a challenge on the Ewe Give Me the Knits Ravelry Board. The theme was “Steampunk.” I have never deliberately spun anything else but a smooth plied yarn, but I decided to have a go.

This yarn was spun from 50% BFL/bamboo blend from Ewe Give Me the Knits, which I dyed in the crockpot with onion skins. I tried to spin as bulky as I could and plied the single with a silver rayon sewing thread, which was thread with glass beads and ribbon. It is about 10wpi. I called it “Golden Steampunk.“*

The next skein is spun from three colours of alpaca top that I received from Moseley Park in the first installment of their natural fibre club. The total weight was about 120g, and the colours were not equal. I spun it into a striped yarn by splitting the colours in four and spinning them in ABCABC sequence in each single. The aim was to get some sections at each join where the plies were not matched. It ended as 270m at 10wpi.

The final skein I spun in October was a new technique for me. I am unable to attend the March workshops with art-spinning guru Insubordiknit in Melbourne, due to the arrival of a small wriggly child at around that time. So I bought her DVD and worked through the first technique - fat and thin singles. I used an old braid of “wool” that I got in my early stash-building days. It is a great colour, but was a tad felted, which probably didn’t help with the technique. It looks good, but it is a bit fragile, so I need some more practice on this one. I called it “Swamp Rattails”*.

* = It is all Ravelry’s fault that I name my handspun now. It is too hard to leave the “Name” field blank.