I’ve recently completed my first made-to-order project! Not for a paying customer but my mother, who bought the yarn and asked me to knit a scarf for her. I got to choose the design. I knew My So Called Scarf looks good in variegated yarn, so I cast on just to see how it looks in yarn where the colour changes gradually. The more I knitted, the more I liked it, so I decided to stick to the pattern.

Tein viime viikolla ensimmäisen tilaustyöni. En tosin maksavalle asiakkaalle vaan äidilleni, joka osti langat ja pyysi niistä huivia. Mallin sain valita itse. Ajattelin ensin vain kokeilla, miltä My So Called Scarf näyttäisi liukuvärjätyssä langassa. Mitä pidemmälle neuloin, sitä paremmalta se näytti, joten jatkoin samalla mallilla.

Pattern: My So Called Scarf
Yarn: Pirtin Kehräämön hahtuvalanka, 100% wool, shade 728, 252 g
Needles: Knit Picks Options Harmony 6 mm
Finished size: 17 x 168 cm

I cast on 28 stitches, used two skeins of yarn and got just the right size. It’s rather wide for a “wind around your neck and tie up” kind of scarf, but we both like our scarves wide enough to allow us to pull them up to protect our faces from the harsh winter wind.

Loin 28 silmukkaa ja käytin kaksi vyyhtiä lankaa, ja huivista tuli juuri sopivan kokoinen. Se on melko leveä kaulan ympäri kieputettavaksi huiviksi, mutta pidämme molemmat siitä, että huivin saa nostettua myös kasvojen suojaksi viimaa vastaan.

The yarn itself was quite interesting. It’s bulky Finnish wool, four strands of unspun loosely plied together. There’s no twist at all but it’s still clearly yarn, not unspun, and it’s very strong. The finished scarf is softer than it may look and surprisingly stretchy.

Lanka oli aika mielenkiintoista. Se on paksua ja tehty hahtuvasta. Siinä ei ole yhtään kierrettä, mutta se on silti selvästi lankaa eikä hahtuvaa. Se tuntui myös vahvalta ja kesti hyvin neulomista. Huivista tuli pehmeähkö eikä lainkaan niin peltinen kuin kuvasta saattaisi päätellä. Se on myös yllättävän joustava.

And I still like this pattern.

Pidän mallineuleesta edelleen.

While my moving-house project was blocking last week, I thought I’d whip up something quick, and since a new handicraft fair was approaching, it seemed appropriate to get rid of some of the yarns from the previous one. Hence, I grabbed my three hanks of Malabrigo Aquarella.

Muuttoprojektini pingottuessa ajattelin huitaista kasaan jotain nopeaa, ja kun uudet käsityömessut olivat tulossa, olikin sopiva hetki neuloa jotain edellisten messujen annista. Niinpä puikoille pääsi syötävän suklainen Malabrigon Aquarella.

Project: Malabrigo hat
Pattern: none
Yarn: Malabrigo Aquarella, shade Coronilla, 91 g
Needles: Knit Picks Options Harmony 9 mm
Finished size: small

Aquarella is super bulky yarn, and since I didn’t find any suitable patterns, I improvised as I went along. The yarn has huge lumps in it and is very uneven, and to accentuate the bulkiness I placed the decreases asymmetrically yet symmetrically - not aligned but always two stitches off. I think it worked quite well.

Aquarella on paksuudeltaan super bulkya ja erittäin möykkyistä. En löytänyt sopivaa ohjetta, joten improvisoin. Päätin myös korostaa langan epätasaisuutta sijoittamalla kavennukset säännöllisen epäsäännöllisesti siirtämällä niitä aina kahdella silmukalla, ja se toimi minusta hyvin.

Pattern: My So Called Scarf
Yarn: Malabrigo Aquarella, shade Coronilla, 200 g
Needles: Knit Picks Options Harmony 9 mm
Finished size: 16 x 140 cm

The rest of the yarn went into a scarf. I like the pattern - it’s extremely simple, yet intricate, and brings out the subtle colour variations of the yarn beautifully. Since I only had two hanks left, I dropped the number of stitches to 20 and knitted a narrower scarf than in the pattern.

Loput langat päätyivät huiviksi. My So Called Scarfin ohje on yksinkertainen, mutta lopputulos on upean yksityiskohtainen ja korostaa langan vivahteita todella kauniisti. Koska minulla oli vain kaksi vyyhtiä, tein huivista kapeamman kuin ohjeessa ja loin vain 20 silmukkaa.

And the final verdict? I like them both. The hat looks quite big on my head, but the size is just right. The folded edge makes it really warm, which is good in these latitudes. We’ll see if I get to wear it this winter - so far it’s just been raining…

Lopputuloksista tuli miellyttävät. Pipo näyttää isolta päässäni, vaikka se on juuri sopiva. Se on käännetyn reunan ansiosta myös tuplasti lämmin, ja sitähän Suomen talvessa tarvitaan. Saa nähdä, tuleeko sille käyttöä tänä talvena.

This was the first time I used super bulky yarn, and although I thought it would be fast to knit with 9 mm needles, it wasn’t! I like trying out different things and experimenting with different kinds of yarns, but my hands are the size of those of a 6-year-old child, and maneuvering thick, lumpy yarn and drumstick-sized needles took quite a bit of effort. I also had the odd sensation of knitting with kids’ crayons…

This process picture illustrates how much variation there is in this yarn (and how funny the needles look):

Tämä oli ensimmäinen kerta, kun käytin näin paksua lankaa ja näin isoja puikkoja. Vaikka luulisi, että neulominen olisi sujunut nopeasti, niin toisin kävi! Käteni ovat samaa kokoluokkaa kuin 6-vuotiaalla lapsella, ja paksun möykkylangan ja rumpupalikan kokoisten puikkojen pyörittely oli pienillä käsillä työlästä. Minulla oli myös koko ajan outo tunne siitä, että neulon lasten väriliiduilla - tiedättehän ne paksut, värikkäät ja teräväkärkiset…

Tästä kuvasta näkee langan suuren paksuusvaihtelun sekä nuo vinkeät puikot.

And as you can see the colourway is just delicious: dark chocolate, coffee, golden honey, molasses…

Värit ovat todella herkulliset: tummaa suklaata, kahvia, hunajaa, melassisokeria…

In between the lacy things, I knitted a sturdier winter scarf for my love.

Pattern: A generic sideways 1 x 1 rib scarf
Yarn: TitanWool Winner, colourways 3, 302 & 305, 47 g each
Needles: Knit Picks Options 3.5 mm
Size: 15 cm x 149 cm, unblocked without fringe

This was a nice and simple project. I knitted it sideways because I wanted long stripes and chose 1 x 1 ribbing to create an even surface that looks the same on both sides. The yarn, 100% merino wool, was not the softest merino I’ve knitted but nice and springy all the same. For some reason the black one seemed fluffier thant the grey ones while knitting, but it doesn’t pop out from the finished scarf.

I’m also on Ravelry now, got my invite last week - just in time for my 6-month knitting anniversary! Nice as it was, it also meant I had to face the daunting task of actually finding out how much yarn I have. It took me two days to go through my yarns and another two to catalogue my needles. Both tasks involved surprise moments as I kept finding stuff I’d completely forgotten about. Luckily they were nice surprises - I still like my yarns, and as if by magic I also seem to have forgotten how much they cost. Handy, isn’t it?

I still haven’t had time to do much there, but if you’re there, do come and visit me. My ID is Midori.

First, the yarn shipment has arrived. It got here earlier this week just in time for the monthly knitting meeting where the new owner of the Options set was already waiting for her new toys, so I rushed from work to the post office and from there to the meeting. The parcel contained replacement bamboo circulars for the project the Options were in, so I got to open the parcel in front of all the knitters, replaced the needles, handed over the Options set, and everybody got to fondle the new yarn.

This is what I got:

Louisa Harding Grace, 50% silk and 50% merino wool, shade 4. Lovely, soft, silky, shiny. For a scarf and possibly gloves, if it’s not too thick.

Trekking Pro Natura, shade 1603. Socks for the SO, finally. It took a long time to find a good colourway for him, and I believe this is just right.

And finally, you guessed it, two hanks of JitterBug. These are Velvet Damson and Velvet Plum. I’m a total sucker for this yarn - I can’t help it. I also seem to be getting quite a reputation already. People at the KIP picnic yesterday were saying that I should get a yarn winder because I buy so much JitterBug!

I also got some needles:

While I like bamboo and wooden needles, I’m also going to try the new metallic Addi Lace circulars, which contain no nickel and are apparently as sharp as the Options, which I liked a great deal.

With the new bamboo circulars, I got the scarf going again and finished it yesterday, after a long, sunny day of KIPing and picnicing in a park. Thank you all who were there, it was a lot of fun!

Pattern: Here and There Cables Scarf
Designer: Norah Gaughan, Scarf Style
Yarn: Knit Picks Andean Silk, Hollyberry, 7 balls
Needles: Knit Picks Options 4.5 mm circular & Clover Takumi 4.5 mm bamboo circular

The finished scarf is lovely, thick, chunky, and very warm. I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ll say it again: the pattern is ingenious. It’s extremely simple, yet results in an intricate jungle of cables that go every which way but are also symmetrical. And what’s best, there is no “wrong” side. The scarf looks exactly the same on both sides!

I love my new Knit Picks Options circulars. They’re smooth, they’re light, they glide like a dream and hardly make any noise at all. The needles warm up in seconds, and the cables are awesome. I’ve mostly knitted with bamboo and rosewood single and double pointed needles so far and used circulars only for half of my first project. I love natural materials and never saw myself as a circular knitter, let alone a metallic circular knitter, but the Options set opened my eyes.

So where’s the tragedy? I’m allergic to them. I only have myself to blame; I knew the needles were nickel-plated, but the set looked too good. I also figured that there wouldn’t be that much skin contact because the stitches come in between most of the time, but apparently there is enough to make the needles burn my hands. I’ve tried band-aids, silk gloves, and finally fingerless woollen gloves, but the time has come to face the truth.

Our journey together must end.

I was going to post a for sale ad here, but I only had to mention my thoughts to a knitting friend and the word got around. So in case you were interested, I’m sorry to say I already have a buyer. The only thing is, I don’t have alternative needles for my current project, so I’ll have to wait for the postman before I can free the Options needles. But, after much browsing of the Internet, help is on the way. (And a bit of yarn as well.)

You may recognise my current project as the Here and There Cables Scarf from Scarf Style. It’s incredible how such a short and simple pattern can produce such an ingenious design. Despite the easiness, it’s progressing slowly because I’ve only been able to knit about 15 minutes at a time before the burning gets too intense. I’ve also been on two business trips this week and you know how fussy airline companies are about sharp, metallic objects… That and the nickel plating are the only drawbacks I can think of with the Options needles.

So, as you may guess, I’ve ordered a lot of bamboo this weekend. I’m also going to try Addi Lace circulars, which are resin-coated brass and should be nickel-free.

What a pain. I wish they’d just ban nickel altogether.