Knitting Stormclouds

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted properly, and I’ve been knitting up a storm between now and when I finished my Blood Shawl, so I’ll fill you in on what I’ve been up to.
Firstly I’ve been trying to make headway on my Great American Aran Afghan.  I remember when I first started this project (January 2009) I estimated it would take me maybe a few months, six at the outside.  Well I’ve got about 10 squares and an edging to go and in about 5 months it will be two years old.  I hope the saying “Terrible Twos” doesn’t apply to knitting like it does to toddlers!
My second project, and the one that is currently taking up all my time, is a jumper for my other half.  About a week ago I bought 800g of Hayfield/Sirdar Bonus Aran in “stormcloud” which is a sort of off-white with short black fibres spun into it.  It’s sort of like a mohair effect, but hopefully without the itchiness!   It’s the same yarn as I used for the jacket I knit for my mum at the end of last year, so I know it wears well and is  quite soft once it’s washed.  Given that he wanted just a plain polar-neck jumper, I cast on the “incredible custom-fit raglan” pattern, and it’s going great guns.  I’m about 10 inches past the arm holes, with about another 8 inches to go.  2 inches of two by two ribbing and then I’ll be onto the sleeves!

GAAA Wordless Wednesday: Dana Hurt Square

100% Pure Organic Spinning!

 

I know everyone’s mad about organic at the moment, but this made me laugh – I saw it on another blog but it’s good enough to repost.  Hope it makes you laugh as much as it made me!

FO: Blood Shawl

It’s finally finished! I cheated slightly because I knit it shorter than it was meant to be, I think I’ve got about 75g of yarn left and I can’t be sure that would have been enough for the full length version. Still it’s a really nice length for me – the point skims my bottom (I'm quite short!).

Photofest!

Pre-blocking. I also hadn’t sewn in the ends, I was that excited for it to be finally “finished”!

I blocked it on the futon mattress thingy, which is a small double. It wouldn’t fit length-ways and only barely diagonally, it looks a bit wonky and if I had more room the points would be pointier, but it looks ok now it’s dry. I think if I start knitting more shawls I’ll at least need something decent to block stuff on!

Finished! Sorry for the bad lighting but it was late evening by the time I had taken all the pins out and finished parading around in it! Once I get a photo of it in action I’ll post it here.

Vital Statistics:

The Pattern: Garden Path Shawl by shui kuen kozinski

Yarn was: Rowan Pure Wool Aran in “Blood”

Needles needed: 5mm (pattern called for 5.5mm

Other stuff needed: Stitch markers – I used 8 bits of knotted yarn, which I think are just as good as anything you can buy!

Knitting Time: About a month

Amount of sewing up to do: none except for sewing in ends!