The whites shawl - a work in progress

This shawl is 100 stitches across, knitted in seed stitch on a size 4 US cable needle. It is a combination of about 30 different yarns of various fibers and tones of white and beige. The finished shawl should be approximately 30 in x 72 in.

The warm colors are highlighted in the first two photos and I adjusted the white balance for the final two so that the more realistic colors are represented.

If you want to see more everyday photos of what I am doing I post frequently on Instagram @journalofathousandlives

A scarf in very fine gauge garter stitch

Wool cotton and silk scarf worked in garter stitch using size 1 needles

This was a very fun and small project that took a very long time.  The yarn is lace weight, but I decided to just see what a plain, even knitting stitch would look like at this fine gauge.  One of the more charming things about it is its weight.  It's only one skein, so it's only a few ounces. 

I knitted using both ends of the skein.  I alternated rows, so the strand from inside the ball was row one and the strand from the outside was row two, and so on.  I think that made the sort of nebulous color throughout the textile, which is another one of its charms.

It's about 40 inches long, so is suitable for several kinds of  loose knots as a fashion accent.

If you want to see more everyday photos of what I am doing, I post frequently on Instagram @journalofathousandlives

 

Gray - apricot ombre is complete

Scarf, linen stitch aka woven stitch 24in. cable needle size 5

On one side the color changes are horizontal along the rows and on the other side the color changes are vertical - every other stitch.

This is the two balls of yarn in the same colorway.  I used each yarn by changing the ball after every row. They are wound into the ball in opposite color order.

Old Prism bubble: completion at last!

Triangle Shawl, size 6 cable needle, 32 in. mixed fibers, rib stitch.

This is how it developed over the final days:

And done!  It is about 75 in across the top and about 24 in at the longest point.

I had to sqeeze it  together to fit it on the table so I decided to stretch it out to its full glory  for display on the triangle loom.

 

Previous posts about this shawl:

 https://thatknittingblog.blogspot.com/2017/05/old-prism-bubble-encore.html

https://thatknittingblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/old-prism-bubble.html

Old Prism bubble: encore

Triangle Shawl, size 6 cable needle, 32 in. mixed fibers, rib stitch.

There's a long list of lovely yarns in this work.  I indicate each yarn with a letter.  I change yarns each row. Then I list out the pattern of rows.  So with colors A B C D E F G the pattern row order might go something like:

A

B

C

A

F

A

D

I'm putting the "bubble" yarn about every ten rows.

Cray cray but nice.

I'm taking it up again after a year or so in the work in progress bin. For the previous post about this shawl see https://thatknittingblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/old-prism-bubble.html

In the Studio news August 1, 2022: Pastel silk and intense Freia wool ombre

Shawl, knitting, wool and silk, stockingette stitch size 6 cable needle

The humble beginning, way back a couple years ago

It's always a pleasure to see the emergence of color changes in yarns that are beautifully dyed. I'm using one ball of hand-dyed silk to knit a two-row stripe and then I will use two balls of this very colorful wool to knit a two row stripes.

 

Off the needles in July 2022 - a crochet  border will finish off the edges.

In the Studio - Shawl Merino Nylon Rayon

Shawl, woven stitch, size 11 needles, wool, rayon, nylon: work in progress

These yarns are actually tapes, which are not spun but processed in ways that result in tapes that are actually long slender fabrics themselves. I have used a merino tape and a nylon/rayon tape that are dyed with the same colors but the fibers take the colors differently.  It's a beautifully complex thing.

Ribbed fine tweed

Wool tweed scarf; worked in rib stitch and random striping in about 10 colors; size 5 cable needle

2020

I have tried to make each of the stripes a different width so that the colors don't set into an even rhythm.

Bulky hats

Heavy wool yarns with size 13 needles

In the big bulky gauge the hats take almost no time.

Knitted masterwork: the amazing technicolor dream shawl.

 The amazing technicolor dream shawl is complete!!!!  I began this huge shawl in 2008 and stuck with it through thick and thin. I consider it my first knitted masterwork.

Shawl, mixed fibers - wool, mohair, nylon, silk; woven stitch, size 4 wood cable needle, 24 inches.

 

12 years! The challenge, beyond persistence, has been to keep the characteristics of the fabric the same over all those years.  With the basic formula of color sequence being to use a black yarn every third or fourth row, the challenge was to keep the color sequences as random as possible and to keep from beginning to favor warm or cool colors. The process had to involve looking back at the fabric each time I began kntting in  order to check the colors and keep them at a sufficient level of consistency so that the fabric stayed the same and didn't change into something else.  I loved the whole thing!

All told, it has dozens of yarns, beads and sequins. I also had to be vigilant regarding the beads and sequins. I watched carefully as I used the beaded and sequined yarn to make sure that they were distributed evenly through the fabric and not clustered.

Previous entries:

Included in summary entry for 2012

http://thatknittingblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/catching-up-fall-of-knitting.html

December 2011

http://thatknittingblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/shawl-mixed-fibers-wool-mohair-nylon.html

March 2009

http://thatknittingblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/in-studio-lightweight-linen-stitch.html

September 2008

http://thatknittingblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/in-studio-woven.html

 

Bulky Gray Capelet

Bulky thick and thin wool yarn; size 10.5 metal cable needle; stockinette stitch

I love making capelets and have made many, this being the most recent example. I still use the formula set out in a book called The Knitting Experience by Sally Melville.  I think she called it a circle scarf.  I is a versatile formula and I intentionally call it a formula rather than a pattern.  

When I use it I work out a gauge with the yarn then cast on the bottom, knit for seven inches and then decrease.  I knit four more inches then decrease again, which will be right about at the shoulders.  I knit four more inches and then create whatever kind of neckline I'd like the capelet to have.  I like this length, which generally falls right around the elbows, because it provides warmth and yet it doesn't get in the way like a full length cape or poncho might.

Lots of alpaca and silk

A bit on the bulky side, this ribbed scarf will be very warm and soft. I've used two yarns switching each two rows. I'm using an old pair of plastic needles that were my mother's.

Ombre green/gray/orange

The green color is the middle, then the colors will reverse and the end will be the same colors as the beginning.  I love these long color changes in yarns.

Crochet motif scarf

My first square motif construction in crochet.  It seems over the years I've made many motifs but this is the first time I've ever put more than a couple together.

I love the huge needle.

So that's the four color combinations and I'll repeat until the scarf is 72 inches.  I'm thinking about a black border right now.

Wool and alpaca binkie

A nice bulky binkie in a very simple stitch.  I tried a complicated stitch pattern and it was lost in the fuzzy yarn. So now it's just a simple seed stitch and the bulky yarn makes it work up very quickly.

Crochet blocks from a gradient set

It has been amusing to play with the gradients and work out something that is more dynamic than static. The photo makes the holes a very strong part of the pattern due to the light background.