It's been a busy couple of months this July and August, but not all that busy with regards to crafting. I'm afraid I've only finished two projects this month - a rather low total by my own standards. But I've more than made up for my lack of knitting with the amount of knitting-related books and accessories I've bought. During these summery months, I have been able to travel to a few different places. The South Coast, Yorkshire, London... each place has had at least one quaint craft shop and plenty of second-hand shops for me to find lovely little buttons, vintage knitting books and unique yarns. However, travelling around so much has come at a price - I haven't had as much time to actually knit! Partnered with the fact that I moved out of my flat last month, I've not had much time to spend on actual crafting. Nevertheless, I'll tell you all about the two items I've managed to finish this month, as well as some of my upcoming projects.
Peggy Sue Cardigan
My main project over the last month and a half has been the Peggy Sue cardigan. Made in Patons Smoothie DK, it's a rather simple cardigan with a beautiful cable edging. I'll admit, I did make a mistake with the length of the cabling. I did far too much stockinette stitch after misreading the pattern, but I like the way it turned out. It's more of a relaxed, casual cardigan than the classic vintage feel of the original pattern. I always love to adapt the things I make, so I'm quite happy to have my own unique version of the Peggy Sue Cardigan tailored to my own tastes. I've also discovered that my gauge is actually a bit looser than what most patterns call for when using DK weight yarn. As a result, the cardigan is relatively loose-fitting, at least much more so than the original design, but luckily it still fits well. I've also bought more Patons Smoothie DK yarn in pine green to make another cardigan. It'll hopefully be my own design, loosely inspired by the cardigan I've just made. Even though I have no idea what this second cardigan will look like yet, I've already had buttons hand-picked for it by an adorable button-matching service at Duttons for Buttons, North Yorkshire.
Rico superwash bamboo socks
The other project I finished this month was a pair of stripey socks in Rico Superba Superwash Bamboo. I've been wanting to make a pair of socks for a little while as I find knitting them to be a rather mindful process. I've previously made socks using a pattern from Paintbox Yarns, but this time I decided to try the basic 4-ply sock pattern from Christine of Winwick Mum. I've always heard good things about her patterns - rumor has it, she's the queen of socks. I'd have to agree, as the socks turned out really well. I'm also quite excited to try out my new 'Custom Socks: Knit to your Feet book by Kate Atherley. I'd love to design my own sock pattern sometime soon, and Kate's book looks like a perfect introduction to the ins and outs of sock knitting mathematics.
Giotto
My latest project is the Giotto jumper, a beautiful design by Jacki Boggs that I mum purchased a kit for at Unravel Festival in May. I say 'I', but I really mean that my mum purchased it with the expectation that I knit it for her! Luckily for her, I agreed to her proposal - it's a beautiful pattern and I'm rather tempted to knit myself another once I'm done. It's also my first bottom-up circular sweater, which is a little outside of my comfort zone but a good challenge. This will be a slightly longer project than the socks I've made this month, but I'm sure I'll find a couple of smaller projects to sneak in alongside it.
That's everything for the past two months. Hopefully next month I'll have made a good amount of progress on my Giotto jumper, although I'm starting a new job teaching in September so it might be a slightly hectic month. Wish me luck (not just for the new job, but for the bottom-up sweater too!)
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