Tag Archives: wool

Door 8 – Is it worth it?

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When I first moved to London, I used to order my – up until then favourite – yarn brand in Germany. It’s Lana Grossa and they do have very nice things. I used mainly their Merino range Cool Wool which comes in a variety of thickness and great colours. But are the high delivery costs really worth it?

So I went to John Lewis and bought some Debbie Bliss Rialto and realised that this is just as soft 🙂 The colour range is more limited and has more subtle shades, maybe a bit too “grown up” for my children projects.

This year, I thought I should  buy a bit cheaper, especially if I knit something for the shop to be able to reduce the prices. But I realised quickly that cheap Merino is actually not as soft as the slightly more expensive brands, so I have to say: Yes, it is worth it!

So I am back to Debbie Bliss, still missing a bit the Lana Grossa Cool Wool though.

and here they are again

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As I have finally been able to get pictures with the super chunky cowls around my neck, I wanted to post a quick update.

I have to say, I am growing to really like that green cowl and the many ways you can wear them. Not being able to decide if moebius or straight was actually a good thing. And using buttons to keep all options has been one of my better ideas lately 🙂

So here is the simple cowl:

cowl moebius version
cowl straight version
cowl half open

And here the much longer version wrapped twice:

chunky infinity scarf
super chunky infinity scarf wrapped twice

And I have just started to make another cowl for a friend, I will make it even larger I think. Considering that it is a really quick knit, I should be able to post it here soon.

all wrapped up

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I have been quite busy lately, my first knitting class has finished this week and I am fairly pleased with how all went. After a bit of a slow start my students are now all busy knitting and want to continue. They all have already projects in mind.

I did underestimate though the attendance issue and will have to change my program for the next classes which will only happen in the new year to make sure I can make the most of a relatively short time.

On the other hand I have been trying to find the perfect neck warmer. So at the moment it is all about cowls and infinity scarfs in super chunky yarn.
I personally don’t like having a huge scarf around my neck if it isn’t actually that cold but many people seem to like it. So I have started with this set of super bulky cowl in green and longer version in reddish tones (using Rowan Big Wool).

cowl with buttons
infinity scarf

I couldn’t quite decide if I should make them just in the round or as a moebius version so I decided to actually use buttons and keep both options. IMG_0987

For the longer version this is maybe a bit pointless but it was initially meant to be a simple cowl and then I found it not wide enough for the super bulky look and just continued knitting and as I find those buttons really great I just kept them.

individual buttons

I also really like the pattern which is *k2, p2* on an uneven number of stitches. I found it when I was looking up fisherman rib as I had never tried the proper one. And then I found this cheat version and I realised that I had used that in the past (a loooong time ago) but as double rib not understanding (but irritated and disappointed) that it should be on an uneven number for that fisherman effect. So now I am slightly obsessed with it, I guess to come to terms with my simplified fisherman….. I am also using it at the moment for another infinity scarf for my sister except that I have knitted that one in the round so the stripes are vertically and not horizontally when worn. And I will knit another cowl even wider than the green one.
And as I am currently also working on a simple garter stitch scarf for myself too I should probably stop talking and go back to my needles.

So hopefully I will soon be able to not only blog about all my currently unfinished projects but maybe also post some pictures with those neck warmers around a neck rather than just lying on my table.

 

 

just a little something

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just a little something

just a little something

Last Wednesday was the last day of the summer term in nursery and therefore my first last day as a mum and I had no idea how to thank the teachers.

Chocolate? The key worker has allergies and can’t have chocolate, a few of the others were fasting.

Flowers? It had over 30C so they would have been withered before even getting there.

So, I needed to knit something…  just a little something as I didn’t want to overdo it.

The pressure was on, just a few days to go and all of a sudden I had plenty of ideas. So I made

IMG_0587

a bookmark

a book mark for the teacher who is in charge of the library. She was really touched as it was so “thoughtful”. I found it a bit too bulky to be actually useful to be honest and would have already better ideas… I guess for next year.

a phone case

a phone case

a phone case for the one who is really strict about the no-phones-in-the-classroom-rule. She was really pleased as apparently she keeps dropping her own phone.

IMG_0595

hairband with little arrows

a hairband for the key worker who has just really nice long hair and has often some kind of elaborate hair styling. And she was actually wearing a dress in a matching colour on that last day. And maybe I can make a matching scarf next year as it will be the final one for my daughter.

a small bag with i-cord and buttons

a small bag with i-cord and buttons

and a small bag for the head teacher as she doing her rounds with a small shoulder bag and I had already thought in the past that I should knit one for her. It is about the same size as her usual one, so it should really suit her needs.

In fact, I am really pleased how all these little somethings turned out. They are the perfect size for these kind of occasions and can be really personalized.

In fact I made a few other hairbands, both for girls and women.

trio of lace hairbands
narrow lace hairband
cotton lace
ear covering

I will definitely continue to experiment with hairbands, so far I did a few narrow cotton ones with a bit of lace to make them more interesting, a very simple red one with a knot and a similar but more girly one with a proper bow (I will try a flower version too), a few wide cotton ones with lace and a woolen one that should cover the ears as well. I guess that one could actually be even wider.

The other thing that keeps me busy knitwise these days is the fact that I will be giving knitting lessons for beginners starting from September. I am currently preparing samples and hand-outs. My students will be people who use the services of the Children Centers in the Borough, so I guess mainly mothers of young children like me.

Hairbands and little bags for their children will actually be the perfect projects for them. But I am still thinking of something a bit more suitable for little boys…. they all like bags but it would be nice to have something more boyish too. So any ideas of very simple and quick knits for little  boys are welcome.