Review: Alterknits

If I were in the business of judging a book by its cover Alterknits would have me. The fabric covered spine looks delicious on any bookcase. When it's pulled down the wonderfully shot front cover begs you to open it up. Inside the projects are presented much like the cover. A blend of techniques, styles and materials.

I'm a big fan of introductions, both to books and patterns, that tell me what the designer was thinking. Radford gives out her aims as trying to 'reorder the way I… looked at knitting's potential'.

Some of the patters appear to miss the mark by a few years. The Zigzag Sweater Blanket is made from felted sweaters in a way that designers and craftspeople have been exploiting for a while now. The Recycled Sweater Totes is a more ingenious take on this.

The knitting you would have to do for some of the projects is hardly challenging for people past the advanced beginner stage, the difficulty in the pattern appears to be in the different techniques and materials. Some of the patterns call for crotchet, sewing, eyelet setting, and embellishment in a way that may be annoying to people who, by preference or ability, only knit. Especially in projects like Velvet-Trimmed Raglan Pullover which, aside from the velvet trim, is very plain.

The projects knit with different materials do not miss the mark. The Crepe Paper Crown looks stunning and I can't wait to try my hand at the Herringbone Leather Cuff. Even the more common none-yarn materials such as wire are given a new, creative twist.

The garments come in a range of styles so most people should find one to suit themselves but only three sizes are given for the adult project with no written guidelines about how much ease to give. Thankfully the pictures are very useful for understanding the pattern. They manage to be the perfect balance between artfully shot and practical.

Aside from the patterns there is a 'creativity notebook' and exercises sprinkled throughout the book. The note book may come in useful, if only for the graph paper, but the exercises seem quite tired and forced. Neither detract anything from the book or - more importantly - increase the price. Which is, at least in the UK impressive value for money.

Does the book show a new potential of knitting? In places. It is much like any other pattern book though. Projects you want to knit, projects you don't want to knit. There is something for every taste but definitely not everything for all tastes.

Links: Leigh Radford, eratta

Takeing it one twist at a time (and enjoying it)

There is a point when I’m writing where I have no enthusiasm for it. Sure, I have enthusiasm for the idea, the story, the subject but I don’t really feel the need to put it down on to paper. To make those words real. This happens to me for the first one hundred words or so. In knitting it’s until I get through the first couple of repeats or until the pattern is easily seen in the work.

I got to that point last night with my vest and fell, as I did with the back at the same point, in love with it again. I can see my progress and the rows seem to be shorter. The only thing keeping me from going further than what you see in the picture is my eyes. They had a problem keeping open.

Now I wonder what the knitting equivalent is to my writing ‘wall’ around 700 words?

Fit for a Regent… eventually

Well I didn’t actually get as much knitting time in as I wanted. The pills made me drowsier than I thought they would and the lace pattern on the Summer Lace Anklets isn’t easy for me to memorise (possibly because I’m reasoning it isn’t worthwhile to learn as I’ll do 16 repeats for the pair)

I started them in a DK weight cotton but I couldn’t see the pattern at all. I slipped in a quick wool shop visit and picked up some purple Yorkshire Tweed 4-ply after reasoning the red was too bright and the green was not going to go with much. I love Yorkshire Tweed. I do. I’ll use the black for the foot.

The patterned vest is not inspiring me right now I got through one cable repeat. That’s seven rows. Seven rows in two months. I lied a bit in the progress bar to make me feel better. Will hopefully meet that tonight because I need some mindless knitting for the new Doctor Who. Yay!

And the significance of Regent Street? None actually. Really. I just like the word Regent or Regency, it’s Regenty.

Personally, it’s the legs and the arms I feel sorry for…

Yay! Only the heel left and my boyfriend will have a nice green pair of hand knit socks. Now I want some. Only ankle socks. So on Thursday night I was browsing Get Knitted and found these three patterns. Which came this morning with a lolly (and a pen but) Okay… so two of them aren’t ankle socks but spiders, and lace! I really need new ankle socks (getting blisters after loosing my last pair) so I may, if I can get the wool and the needles, start them on the train down to London next week. Fingers crossed.

I know I said that I’d take my Yoke vest with me when I came home on Thursday but those progress bars have guilted me into picking up my patterned vest. As soon as I’m done with the heel I’ll get to work on that and I have plenty of knitting time this weekend. House sitting until Wednesday and then a train to London. And new travel sickness pills!

Well considering this post is short on pictures have a gratuitous elephant shot from Chester Zoo this Thursday.

P.S I'm going London next week.

Green Goats and Hamsters

Did you notice? On the pictures of Monty? He was wearing something. A goat cosy? No, a wrist warmer…

I was up late a few nights before Valentines Day and decided to knit it for Tom. I was going to do a big purled 'T' but I went for something more personal. A green goat. Look, I didn't intend for it to be so satanic looking.

Well it didn't fit. I knew I should only fall for men with girly proportions. Strangely Tom still wore it and even showed it to his Mum. She, no doubt thinks I'm a. a Satanist and b. a bad knitter. Much like my mother, in fact.

I've finally got around to knitting a fitting one. It looks like this (only without the needle coming out of the top)

Warts and all

My last project was an attempt to tidy up my stockinet stitch, for the most part I succeeded. Looking at the Yoke Vest though that all seems to have fallen apart.

My hands got used to working the knit so the parts worked straight are, as you can see by the picture, disturbingly crooked. I thought I'd decide tomorrow if I was going to frog it and do that part again or not but looking at the pictures now I'll definitely have to. Ahh well. Truth be told I'm not happy with my yoke or my collar. I could have ignored it if it was just that but… no point in letting a good learning experience go to waste. Or a lovely top like that sit in my wardrobe because someone may point out the faults.

I'll take it home at the weekend and concentrate on the socks until then. I miss the DPNs.

Pretty Maids All in a Row…

Pattern: Garden Scarf (Stitch ‘n Bitch: The Happy Hooker)

Yarn: Louisa Harding Kashmir Aran (55% Merino, 35% Microfiber, 10% Cashmere) Colours 10 (purple), 11 (black), and 12 (grey)

Hook: 5.5mm Clover with the paddy thing.

For: Me

Alterations: None

Opinion: Quick, easy to memorise. Must leave longer tails to weave in the future and stop skipping the slip stitches.

Yoke vest is coming along nicely. As you can see by my brand new spanking progress bars (or not depending on when you are reading this) it's nearly 90% finished. I accidentally bought Alterknits while shopping for Tom's birthday present (and One Skein yesterday, A Year of Cooking Like Mummyji on Thursday. I need to be sedated or something) and as I'm itching to start a new garment after I've done with this it's leaving me with a rather painful choice.

From top going clockwise: Abstract Cardigan (in black/dark purple) from Alterknits, Puff Sleeve Bolero (black/dark red) from Loop-d-loop, Prepster from The Happy Hooker or Foggy Panda (in a monochrome version) from Rowan 38?

I want to make and wear things that are fun…

Two Down, Procrastinating to go…

I'm back from my self imposed blogging exile. Sorry I don't mention it but essays have a way of creeping up on you. Or me. Just me? Don't look like you're so bleeding innocent.

And Knitting? Well I've knit the Yoke Vest from Loop-d-loop so many times the book is starting to live up to it's name (it would do even more if it was called Accidentally Snapping Stitch Markers and Occasionally Flinging Them Across Your Boyfriend's Bedroom As He Sleeps, In The Dark, Never To See Them Again, although I admit that is far too long winded) I'm using the discontinued Rowan Polar which I snagged from the clearance section of Stash. It's a darky purple. I know, I keep knitting in colour but it's a gothish shade and you know… please don't take away my goth card!

Crochet? Well I made a Garden Scarf using Louisa Harding Kashmir Aran, which is also available from Stash. It's lovely, soft, the colours are like jewels, and it's relatively inexpensive. For the scarf I should have used something able to keep it's shape better but I'm thinking mittens, hats, bags. Never too early to start doing coordinating winter accessories, I'm thinking one red/black, one purple/black one black/black.

Monty? He's back home in London but not before sampling the snow in my Aunt's front garden. I stayed with him in london where we went to watch Tom do his radio show.