Yet again, more socks

Well, yes.

What: Blomst / Jessica Gore

How: Circular needles 2.25 mm

From: Plucky Knitter Primo Fingering, 78 g

Lately, I've been knitting only secret projects or something so big or elaborate that they're no good for social knitting.

So a week ago, as I was contemplating which project to take with me for a yarn shop trip, socks were the easy answer. This year, as I've been working on The Box, socks have been my go-to knitting when I don't know what to work on. In a way, it's been super easy. I've never had to make any decisions as The Box keeps screaming for more socks. There's always room for one more pair of green socks. Perhaps I'll need to start another box since it's been so handy all year long.

So once again, I cast on for a pair of green socks. This time, I chose the pattern Blomst from Laine Magazine issue 2. It seemed simple enough with little lace sections and some garter stitch in between. And simple and easy it truly was. A breeze. The lace was easy to memorize and after that I didn't have to stop to think even once.

The socks are worked toe up. I was a bit baffled about the fact that on the first page there we instructions for only one size, yet on the next page and in the chart, there were three sizes. I'm sure this has been corrected in the later editions of the magazine. My own was from the very first batch.

The yarn I chose for the socks was my very first try with Plucky Knitter yarns. It was a treasure I found at the yard sale table at my first knitting retreat and I've been safe guarding it for years. It was about time to actually knit it!

I liked the yarn a lot. The color is beautiful and the yarn is nice, round and plumpy - the kind that works really well in garter stitch.

The Box has now seven pairs. And you'll never guess what I just cast on the other night. Oh, you guessed, did you? Ok, fine: yet another pair of green socks. Hey, there's always room for one more pair.

Noki

Every once in a while I long for something simple and relaxing to knit. Like a simple beanie with cables. Nothing fancy.

What: Noki / Own pattern

How: Circular needles 4.5 mm

From: Rainbow Heirloom Sweater, 57 g

Back in spring I was admiring Rainbow Heirloom's booth at Edinburgh Yarn Fest. It truly was a rainbow of lovely yarns - every possible color you could imagine. So naturally, I picked a black skein... I was in a mood to make a beanie for Hubby dearest.

Then the other night I got a craving to see something actually finish fast. Something quick and relaxed. Something that would be finished almost as soon as I had cast on. So I cast on for a hat with cables.

Noki got it's name from the black yarn. It means soot in Finnish. Apparently it also means eaves in Japanise which goes rather well with the cable pattern. Noki is a sporty beanie with funky cables. The crown decreases are hidden among the cable pattern.

With worsted weight yarn and big needles this hat is really quick knit. It's ideal for a last minute Christmas gift.

The pattern is up on Ravelry and until the end of October you can get it with 25 % discount using the code CCCABLES.

Liath

I went and designed myself a new favorite dress.

What: Liath / Own pattern

How: Circular needles 5.0 mm and 4.5 mm

From: nettilanka.fi Lumoava Paksumpi Sukka, 600 g

Nettilanka.fi wanted to offer me some yarn for designing back in the spring. I chose their sport weight sock yarn which I had never tried before. I turned out to be truly lovely, handdyed yarn. I chose the silver color which is the perfect semisolid gray with a lovely shine.

Originally, I was going to design a cabled sweater but when inspiration strikes, you have to go with it. At the last moment I got a vision of a dress instead of a sweater. I named the design Liath which means grey in Gael.

Liath is an elegant dress with long raglan sleeves. It is knitted seamlessly top down. The dress has a V-neck and an A-line body. Majority of the dress is broken ribbing which gives the fabric lovely character. The cuffs, neckline and the hem have a few rounds of garter stitch.

The hem is shaped longer in the back using short row technique. I really like it that way because it keeps the dress short and playful at the front but makes it long enough so I don't have to be too careful with my moves.

At first, I was a bit nervous about how this thicker yarn would settle in a big fabric like a dress. Luckily, it's just heavy enough to give the dress a lovely drape. This dress has instantly become my trusted uniform for the fall: woolly socks, thights and a knitted dress. It's the perfect outfit keeping me stylish but feeling so good and relaxed to wear.

You can find the pattern on Ravelry or by clicking the button below.

I don't now about you but I could never have too many knitted dresses!

Shaken, not stirred

I've had the hardest time keeping this under the wraps! I had a vision of a shawl in the summer but since I thought of making it into a mystery knit-along, I had to wait. Next, I waited for the two Finnish indie dyers, lanitium ex machina and iKKe to put their yarn kits up for grabs. And then, I had to wait for the MKAL to start in September. So much waiting! I tried to keep my cool and let everyone else have fun with the MKAL but then I couldn't stop myself and I just had to cast on for another shawl. And then, more waiting: I still had to wait until today to get to show you these pictures of my beautiful shawl - except that now there are already two shawls to show you.

What: Shake it up / Own pattern

How: Circular needles 3.75 (grellow shawl) and 3.5 mm (blue-beige shawl)

From: Fru Valborg Merino Swirl, 280 g (grellow) and Koukuttamo Hehku Singles + Madelinetosh Merino Light + Uschitita Merino Singles, 58 + 93 + 95 g (blue-beige)

The mystery shawl consisted of a total 13 clues that had variations of garter stitch, stripes, lace, brioche and at the end, one row garter stitch stripes.

The idea is to take three colors and play with them to see how beautifully they can blend together. Shake it up starts off with color 1 and soon, you'll begin striping with color 2 until you will switch it to be the main color.

Color 3 is worked in unnoticed. There's first brioche with colors 1 and 2, color 2 being on top. At the halfway point of the brioche you will switch the background color to color 3. There's some striping with colors 2 and 3 until at the very end you'll be using colors 3 and 1 together. There's something exciting happening all the time - yet the shawl looks quite harmonious.

The shawl has an arrow shape. You start at one sharp corner and work increases at the edges and decreases in the middle. At the end, the wedge at the center is filled up working decreases at one edge of the shawl while continuing the increases at the other edge and the decreases in the middle.

You might think the shawl is finished once the wedge is filled up. But there's one more section to work: you'll pick up stitches from the bottom edges of the shawl and work garter stitch edging using color 2 and shaping it with short rows. If you still have enough color 2 left, you can work an i-cord bind off around the shawl. It really ties the colors together.

One of my favorite things about Shake it up is that you can use the rest of the yarns to make tassels. This way you won't have any left overs.

I had so much fun organizing the mystery knit-along. So much that you can be sure, I'll do another one next year!

If you happen to be in Finland next weekend, please do come and join us for Shake it up meet up at the yarn shop Lentävä lapanen in Järvenpää.

First sight

I don't know about people but with yarn there is definitely such a thing as love at first sight. Like with this gorgeous Kässäkerho Pom Pom Donegal DK yarn. A DK weight superwash merino yarn with tweed. Tweed has been trending for past couple of years but this is the first DK weight tweed yarn I've seen. And yes, it was love at first sight.

What: First sight / Own pattern

How: Circular needle 4.5 mm

From: Kässäkerho Pom Pom Donegal DK, 400 g

I designed a sweater pattern for this new yarn and it was just published in the Finnihs TAITO magazine. The pattern will be available as an English single pattern on Ravelry in the spring.

I wanted to design a boxy sweater with thicker yarn for a change. As usual, this one is knitted seamlessly top down. The shoulders are shaped with short rows and the hero of the pattern is the wide cable panel in front that is framed with narrow braid cables. The hem has a slit and the back is a bit longer than the front. The sleeves are 3/4 length. The neckband is folded in half and finished off with a crochet bind off.

Most of the sweater is easy knitting. The short rows and cables take a bit of concentrating at the beginning but after the shoulders it's very relaxed. The thick yarn and big needles make for a quick knit - especially with these shorter sleeves.

This sweater was photographed twice! First I met up with the editor of TAITO magazine and we took photos in scorching +30 celsius weather. I was trying my best not to show how hot and sweaty it was.

Later in the summer I was traveling in Scotland and mom took these lovely pics on Orkney island. What a relief it was to take photos on a cold, windy and rainy morning by the sea.

This will be my favorite sweater for the fall now that I can wear it in public. Do you like these kind of heavier weight sweaters?