cosmicpluto knits!

on blanket-making and distraction

I was digging through my closet the other day, trying to organize my stuff ahead of a trip to Ikea (gotta plan to figure out what I need!), when I came across a long, long neglected WIP. This one was stuffed into a bin with a bunch of other WIPs, but it’s the only one I actually bothered to pull out!

A handspun log cabin blanket! I made one a long time ago, but have since given it away. This one is very random, with snippets of ends and unevenly sized strips, and is knit mostly with double-stranded worsted-ish weights on 8mm. I found a bag of handspuns I’d been using for it, too, and brought it all out to the couch to work on over the weekend. It’s perfect weekend knitting – simple and meditative, but with awesome colours to entertain me!

Working on it did derail my sweater knitting a little bit, but I’ve managed to get just about up to the armholes of my lace cardigan. I’ll be starting sleeves today.

neat and orderly

I really busted it out this week on my sweater with bows!

The upper body went really fast with lots of decreases.

Seaming raglans is really easy and satisfying.

Even the button band didn’t take too long.

Just needs some buttons and a good blocking. The temperature’s dropped quite a bit today, so I’m rather eager to have this one ready to wear!

grey (and brown) monday

It’s a pretty gloomy day today, with rain in the forecast, but I’m planning to be cozied up with lots of tea and knitting!

I’ve gotten pretty far on reknitting my sweater with bows – it’s nearly up to the armholes again, and I’m really happy I ripped. A cardigan version is going to get a lot more wear with me than a pullover, and since the nows are spaced one more plain row apart than before, it’s going quicker!

(It looks about the same though, really.)

I also started a new sweater, out of that brown Dream in Color classy – this one is coming along really quickly. Worsted weight lace is super fun to knit. I’ve been feeling overheated more these days, so I thought the lace would be a good way to get some ventilation while still being nice and cozy. The real cold hasn’t actually settled in yet though, so who knows what’ll happen this winter.

turbulence cowl

How about a nice bright cowl to liven up your Thursday?

TURBULENCE COWL

This fun and funky cowl makes the most of small amounts of yarn. Short row wedges and stripes combine to form wonderfully sculptural and eye-catching waves, while keeping the knitting fun! This will fly off your needles. The rustic, tweedy wool has gorgeous flecks of colour and lots of body, for a cowl that will really keep you warm.

Technical Editing by Alexandra Virgiel.

SIZE
One; 25” / 61cm in circumference, 11” / 28cm deep

YARN
Brooklyn Tweed Shelter (100% wool; 140 yds / 128m per 1.75 oz / 50g skein)
1 skein in Woodsmoke (MC)
1 skein in Hayloft (CC)

or Worsted or aran weight yarn,
120 yds / 110m of MC
90 yds / 82m of CC

NEEDLES AND NOTIONS
US 9 / 5.5mm circular needles, 24” / 61cm long
stitch marker
tapestry needle

GAUGE
18 sts and 36 rnds = 4” / 10cm square in Garter Stitch

MORE INFO
The Ravelry page is here.

Suitable for an adventurous beginner. 3 page pattern PDF includes photos and abbreviations list.
Available through Ravelry, payment through Paypal (no accounts required).

$5.00 CAD

poppies, 2011

I’m reposting this blog entry from last year – I’m a bit late this year, but you still have time to make your own poppy! It only takes about half an hour.

Right after Halloween in Canada, poppy pins blossom on lapels across Canada. We have Remembrance Day on November 11th to commemorate the sacrifices of war.

The poppy is a symbol of remembrance, and was popularized after the First World War due to a poem by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. Few poppies grew in Flanders, France, before the war broke out; rubble from bombardments enriched the soil with lime, and then the fields exploded with the blood-red flowers. Once the war was over, the lime became reabsorbed and the poppies disappeared.

In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
- Lt. Col. John McCrae

So to help you remember, here’s a little free pattern for a poppy. It knits up very quickly in scrap yarn – I used aran weight black scrap yarn, and triple-stranded Schaefer Anne for the red. You want to use a small needle so that it’s stiff. Finished size is approximately 2 inches across.

Download Poppy.pdf

Poppies are not bought or sold; people make a contribution for their poppy.
Any donations from this pattern will be given to the Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Fund, which is used to provide immediate assistance to ex-servicemen and women in need. This may include food, shelter or medical attention for them or their families. Also, education bursaries are granted to children and grandchildren of ex-service personnel.

More information about the Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Campaign.

Please make a donation to your local Royal Canadian Legion or other legion group.

swatchy swatchy

Yesterday I worked at the the yarn shop, and I took my bow sweater to work on it there. Since I’m back in again today, I left the project there overnight. So when I came home, I just had to cast on for a new sweater!

Okay, yes, that’s a swatch, not a sweater. But it’s where it all starts! This is on 5mm needles, in Dream in Color Classy. I think the idea for this sweater is coming along in my mind, but it still has a ways (and a bunch of math) to go.

(If the swatch looks a bit wet, it’s because I dropped it in the sink before I took this photo. Whoops.)