Author: louleigh

Yarn Review: The Fibre Co. Luma

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The lovely folk at The Fibre Co. got in touch with me to ask if I would like to review one of their yarns.  That’s a bit like asking a small child if they would like a large handful of sweets, right?  I’ve been contemplating a new warm weather jersey, so I was intrigued to test drive the sample of their new Luma yarn when it arrived.  They’ve also sent a skein for you to try out.  Keep an eye out for my next podcast episode to find out how to win that.

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For now I’m going to leave you with the vital statistics for Luma.  I’ll let you know how it gets through a test drive as the week progresses.

Yarn weight DK; Skein weight 50 g; Fibre content 50% wool, 25% cotton, 15% linen, 10% silk; Length 125 m; Tension 21 – 23 stitches over 10 cm; Recommended needle 3.75 – 4 mm; Made in Peru.

 

New Pattern – Louleigh’s Favourite Socks

louleigh

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I really like knitting socks.  If you follow my podcast, you probably already know that about me.  And I like experimenting with the construction to find the perfect fit.  At Christmas time I finished a pair of socks that made me feel like I’d finally arrived.  The look and feel of those socks was ‘Just right’.

Over the last few weeks I’ve taken the time to write the pattern for my ‘Just right’ socks, and you can download it on Ravelry for free. I hope you enjoy it.

Neon Cardigan And A Tubular Bind Off

louleigh

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This weekend I finally finished the Neon Cardigan.  I’m so pleased with the way it turned out!  I’m especially pleased with the tubular cast off on the hem and the cuffs.  This wasn’t written in the pattern, but a tubular edge just looks so neat and professional.  The way I do it is slightly different from the tutorials I’ve seen, so I’ll describe it here.  It works for 1 x 1 and 2 x 2 ribbing.

Knitting flat:

Right side row: Work all the knit stitches normally, and slip the purls with the yarn held in front.

Wrong side:  Same as the right side.

Knitting in the round:

Round one:  Work all the knit stitches normally, and slip the purls with the yarn held in front.

Round two:  Slip the knit stitches with the yarn held behind, and work the purl stitches normally.

Finally, I divide my stitches so that all the knits are on one needle, and all the purls are on a separate needle behind.  Then I Kitchener stitch the whole shebang.  Ann Kingstone describes this last bit wonderfully in her video.

Footnote:  I’ve used this method a number of times, and this is the reason that I’m fearless when it comes to Kitchener stitch.  By the time you grafted 100 odd stitches, it’s so clearly emblazoned in your brain that you never forget.

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Beautiful Finishing

louleigh

2017-01-28-11-23-07Neon Cardigan

This morning I sat down to seam the sleeves of my Neon Cardigan.1  While seaming is not my first choice of things to do on a Saturday morning, I absolutely revel in a neatly finished object.  This freshly finished seam makes me brim with joy.

If seaming is not your thing, or you’re afraid to try, you might be thinking I’ve become slightly unhinged. However, I would urge you to have a go.  Yes, you’ll need to concentrate. Yes, it will take time. But when you’ve finished, you should put your work down, take a sip of your hot beverage, and let the wonder of that seam wash over you.  (Here’s a little tutorial, incase you need a hand.)

1 “Hold on.” I hear you say, “Isn’t that pattern is seamless?”  Yes. Yes, it is seamless.  You knit the body flat, and the sleeves in the round.  You already know how different your gauge can be when you change from knitting flat to knitting in a circle, so I wont regal you with the saga that lead to my decision to knit the sleeves flat.