So pleased with myself: I've finished the January blocks for the Mystery Blanket Knit Along. The Knit Along takes place over 2025 with one or two blocks each month exploring different knitting techniques. (I wrote about it a week or two ago.).
The one on the left, in a beautiful colour called orange peel, took ages to do. I kept getting in a muddle with my knits and purls and finding I'd made a mistake and having to undo a repeat. I must have knitted the thing three times over, the amount of unravelling I went through.
I was starting to get anxious that it wouldn't be finished by the end of January, but with a Herculean effort, I managed it, and it was blocked on Friday 31 January, too, so I was well pleased with myself. I've spent the weekend constantly checking my inbox for the February block, but of course, it was the weekend and no one was sending emails with patterns.
I was using Pebble Island to start, a really gorgeous yarn, and the first swatch was done with that. But I had a limited amount, probably only a third of what is needed for the blanket which would have meant a big outlay. As I was getting ready for Finish It February, I found I had the full amount in another yarn, Moordale, which is also lovely to use and has some beautiful colours.
I'm still working through both fronts of the Amare Jacket, I'm about three-quarters of the way there now. The sleeves are done, just the back and hood and band to do after that. It's painless knitting, I'm keeping it for when I'm at knitting groups or watching tv. It's too big to carry for travelling.
I did some experimenting with eco-dyeing over the weekend. That little knitted scrap has been sitting around for weeks waiting for me to get it together. Over the weekend I tried two simple techniques: rust dyeing and tea-dyeing. I was pleased with the results and I'll write a full post about it when this piece is finished.
Both dye techniques use materials that you would have around the house - vinegar, salt, tea bags, small metals objects like washers and screws. You need a few non-reactive containers that are heat resistant and some time. Mostly, you get your fabric ready, immerse it and go and do something else for a while. Come back, rinse, immerse and go away again. What I did took about twenty-four hours.
One of the things I've noticed is the benefit of having swatches or works in progress set out where you can see them. I would come and look at the swatch as it was drying and gradually the next stages for working on it evolved.
The image shows the swatch drenched in a 50/50 vinegar and water solution, then wrapped around metal objects and tied to ensure contact between the fabric and the metal before being left in a plastic bag overnight. After that it's rinsed and put into a salt solution for a couple of hours to stop the rust reaction.
I've been going to the Knit Happens online knitting group on Wednesdays 6.00-8.00 pm UTC. It's hosted by @artemisnorth, and I'm enjoying being around other knitters, chatting and sharing ideas. Everyone is welcome. Artemis is a great host and, between us, we have already signed up another Hive user!
@shanibeer, one of your Hive friends wishes you a Happy Valentine's day and asked us to give you a new badge!
To find out who wanted you to receive this special gift, click here!
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
Check out our last posts:
😍
pimped your post!@artemisnorth just
Your handwork has such a gorgeous texture!! There is something so comforting about it.
Just today, I went by an amazing yarn shop in the Corn Exchange in Leeds. It's called Bellwether Yarns. Luscious fibers!
How exciting! 😍
Lovely to have a local yarn shop. I visited a tiny shop in a local village and they had managed to get in yarn, fabrics, patterns, haberdashery and craft items!
Cool way to get together with fellow knitters and you come away with a nice blanket at the end. It must take a lot of patience to knit something so big.
It's very soothing!
I tried to knit toys last year but I can't keep the same size and proportions and i dont know why lol
!PIZZA
Oh, that can be frustrating! Sometimes it can be because you don't have the same knitting gauge or tension as the person who designed the pattern. You can adjust that by changing the size needles you use. It's a very individual thing, every knitter is different. I also find I often need to practice as well 😂.
If the time fits for you, how about coming along to Knit Happens? The details are in the post.
Oh yeah... I was trying to make a rabbit. Although I followed the same pattern, made the same amount of loops etc I got absolutely different ears, legs and hands. I tried to reknit each part several times but all I got was only a headache and a super abstractive and disproportional rabbit. 😆
Thank you for the invitation. I will check it. I still have several knitting gauges and yarns :)
😱
damn that pattern really rocks but looks extremely complicated. reacently I have been getting back on my crochet again (still a beginner) and working a beanie at the moment. The amount of mistake in there made by me is not to count on one hand, so that you are making this...I can only send you endless kudos because I guess this took forever hahah
Haha, it took longer than it should!
Good luck with your beanie 😍
I am never a type that is good with knitting or craft of any form, and I appreciate those who are able to do that. I am have encounter this amazing work of your, and to have read through the stressful process you underwentThis is an amazing job @shanibeer
Thank you, in the end I enjoyed it 😍
You certainly will enjoy it, it is your passion
Wow, I am equally pleased with you to see all of these. You did give this a lot of time and plenty of resilience . I totally understand the pain of unraveling and redoing this over and over again, but it's a good thing to want to get things done rightly even if it costs us much stress. The end justified the means and this is awesome. Cheers to a lovely and completed project.
You know, sometimes, I thought, "I'll just leave it, no one will notice." And the next time I looked at it, I had to change it!
Thank you for your support 😍
I totally get that....but you will feel so much fulfillment completing it.
😍😍🤩
Oh, nice! The result of your hard work looks great; you're good at knitting. I also tried making knitted items before, back when I was in high school. We had a specific subject that taught students knitting, sewing, crocheting, embroidery, and cooking. I found knitting difficult because if you missed a stitch, you had to undo it. I’m not sure if I can still knit today since many years have passed.
Ah, there are ways you can fix moth things without undoing everything, it's very frustrating if you make a mistake. This pattern was the simplest thing, but I couldn't get it right! 😍
Here's a simplified, kid-friendly version:
three times! You must have worked super hard! 😯 The eco-dyeing project sounds cool too—the tea and rust colors came out nice! I want to try that one day!Hi @shanibeer! 😊 Wow, your January blocks look really pretty—I love that bright orange color! 🌟 I can’t believe you had to undo and redo that block
It’s smart how you used yarn you already had instead of buying more (Moordale sounds awesome!). Hope the February pattern comes soon so you can start! And the jacket you’re making? You’re amazing at knitting! 🧶✨
Your knitting group sounds fun thanks for sharing!
Do you knit?
Not really, but my sister does in her free time. I did pay attention to most of her works
Congratulations !BBH
Thank you? 😍
You knitted some dog poop lol
Yeah, I intentionally made that lol 😂