Finished object file: Agate sweater | Quince & Co. Tern

Again, food was used to coerce the child to cooperate.

This one I finished a while back in March for my girl's birthday. Miss L turned 3 and this has been the perfect layering piece for her this season.

Agate is from Quince & Co.'s Lost Coast collection, a collection of children's patterns designed by Ashley Hurst. Inspired by California's Lost Coast the collection is made up of warm and cosy looking pieces that would keep the little ones snug.

I knit the pattern with the called for yarn, Tern from Q&C because I loved it when I used it from the Immie Tee that I knit for Miss L when she was a bub. The yarn is a wool and tussah silk blend and though it is a fingering weight (4ply) yarn it knits up pretty quickly. I love the muted tones that it dyes up in which gives in my opinion gives the kids' knits a bit of a sophistication. For this knit I used the terracotta colourway because I was so drawn to the sample pictures and I knew that it would be a colour that would go well with jeans and with the pinks and reds in Miss L's wardrobe.

It knit up so quickly and I had it done well before Miss L's birthday. The lace panel was easy to memorise and since the front was just stockinette stitch knit in the round I just buzzed through it. However, it was not until I finished did I realise that the lace panel didn't finish correctly. I analysed my knitting and I am pretty certain that I knit it exactly as the chart instructions but the eyelets don't line up properly. I was tempted to frog the bottom of the jumper and to reknit it. I thought about it over and over but in the end I told myself to embrace the mistake; also, I had some other knits that I was keen to get started on so I let that one go.

I tried to contact the designer and to point out my suspected errata but I have yet to hear back from her. Since I have moved on from this knit I haven't been too overly hung up about it. However, in case you decide to knit the pattern I would end knitting the main lace panel after rnd 4 and then continue knitting the panel end chart.

Ultimately, Miss L doesn't know any different and she loves it. Since her birthday I have put her in it a lot because it was a handy layer to throw on during the cooler Autumn mornings.

What to knit Wednesday: Shawls

The 'Mara' shawl is a great staple wardrobe item

It's time for another 'What to knit Wednesday' post and today I thought I would talk shawls because I was recently asked by a church friend to knit a shawl for her - a commissioned project. To be honest I have only ever completed 2 shawls and I currently have one in the works but here are some patterns that I love.

1. You can't go past the classic style of the Mara shawl. This is a free Madelinetosh pattern that is designed for DK weight yarn but gauge is not as important with shawls so you can easily adapt it for another yarn weight without needing to swatch.

I knit it with the suggested yarn and followed the guide, buying 3 skeins of Madelinetosh Tosh DK. I must have misread my measurements because I ran out of yarn to bind off and had to patch it with some scrap yarn of a similar colour but the same weight.

Regardless, I love this shawl and I love this yarn. It's simple garter stitch pattern makes it a perfect everyday item and a staple of my wardrobe.

I knit this Hyla Brook for my mum last Christmas

2. The second shawl that I knit was for my mum last Christmas. I knit her a 'Hyla Brook' designed by Paula Emons-Fuessle using some Quince & Co. Tern. However, I was short of 2 skeins so the shawl turned out more like a shawlette. I love this pattern because even though it is a fingering weight knit it worked up pretty quickly with an easily memorised pattern. Another great thing about this pattern is that Paula has also created a checklist to help keep track of row counts and the percentage completed. So, because I didn't have a full 2 skeins I could use the checklist to track how far from the end I was and judge whether I needed to cast off early since I was running out of yarn.

3. On my needles right now is a 'The Age of Brass and Steam' shawl by Orange Flower Yarn. I'm pairing this with 1 skein of Australian independent dyer, Augustbird's gradient 8ply. This is my third attempt to use this yarn because it is not easy to find a pattern that will showcase a gradient yarn best. I'm hoping that this shawl will be a good pattern because according to Ravelry it only needs up to 240 yards/ 219 metres of DK weight yarn. 1 skein of the Augustbird 8ply has 258 yards/ 236 metres so theoretically when I knit up this shawl I will be able to go through each of the gradient colour transitions.

Augustbird White Gum Wool 8ply in 'Allegro' colourway and the pattern for the 'Bella' shawl in the background

4. I initially hoped to use the gradient yarn to knit a 'Bella' shawl. I even got so far as casting on and knitting the first 20 rows or so before I realised that this pattern was not knitting this shawl top down but actually starting at the bottom left hand corner and knitting across. I decided to frog it because I didn't want my gradient going diagonally up from the left hand corner. What I needed was a top down pattern for a triangle shawl if I wanted to maximise the visual effect of the gradient.

However, all is not wasted with this pattern. When I gave my friend some shawl patterns to choose from she has chosen this 'Bella' pattern. So, I'm quite excited that I will still be able to knit this and learn some new techniques while I'm being commissioned to make it.

5. My fifth shawl pattern is Alicia Plummer's 'Campside' pattern. She designed this as a free pattern for Pompom magazine's blog last year and it is a generous sized triangle shawl that incorporates 3 different lace eyelet designs. I wanted to knit this with the gradient yarn but it needs a whopping 780 yards/ 713 metres of DK weight yarn and that meant I would need 3 skeins of the Augustbird gradient. I wanted the gradient to transition once through each colour so that meant that I would have to keep alternating the three skeins every couple of rows and I in the end I was turned off by how cumbersome that was going to be.

Some 'Bubbles Darling'

For now I have queued this project and I think I might knit it up with the 2 skeins of 'Bubbles Darling' Red Riding Hood Yarns that I picked up at the Nunnaba birthday sale.

As you can see I've got some shawl knitting ahead of me. You may think when am I going to wear all these shawls but I'm starting to see a correlation between being a yarn addict and a shawl addict - it's a bit of a reoccurring trend in many of the other crafty/ knitterly bloggers that I follow.

What are your favourite shawl patterns?

I also have 2 skeins of the Augustbird gradient left after I knit the 'Brass and Steam' shawl, so, please share your pattern suggestions for gradients too.

Summer and knitting; are they mutually exclusive?

My Judith Shrug originally knit to wear at my brother's wedding last January

This may surprise some people but I love to knit all year round. For some people knitting is thought of as something only done during the autumn and winter. Admittedly getting all cozy on the couch with a bundle of soft, warm yarn is a very inviting idea during the cooler months of the year, but I cannot hold myself back and restrict this craft to the cold half of the year.

So, what do I knit during the summer? Well, let's be practical about it and choose projects wisely. Knitting a large blanket should be a project saved for the coldest part of winter so that you can snuggle under the blanket as you progress through it. Small projects like socks, hats and baby items are suitable summer time knitting because you are less likely to get swamped by masses of knitted fabric while you are trying to stay cool.

Chibi Maruko cowl I knit as a last minute gift 

This summer I have worked on a pair of Rye socks, a Chibi Maruko cowl, an Ava beret and a High-Water jumper for Sir S. The jumper has been the only slightly bigger project that I didn't feel like picking up during a hot and humid spell.

Another tip for comfortable summer knitting is to select a thinner yarn or one made of cooling fibres such as cotton, linen, bamboo or hemp. I have knit two projects with fingering weight yarn (4ply) and they have been light to touch merino yarns that haven't left a clamminess on the hands as I worked with them. I also have in my stash some lovely Quince & Co. Sparrow which is an organic linen yarn which I'm keen to try knitting with some time this year.

Quince & Co. Sparrow in my stash

You can also knit a lace project during the summer time. The lightness and airiness of many lace patterns will help you to avoid that uncomfortable bulkiness often associated with cold weather yarn craft. Casting on a lacey linen project such as the Nyanen Tee would make an exciting summer knitting experience in my humble opinion.

When it comes to wearing knitted garments I don't restrict that to the winter months either. We have had a very cool summer this year in Melbourne and that has allowed me to dress both the kids as well as myself in woollens on occasion. It has been possible to throw a Clemmentine Shrug or Immie Tee on Miss L as we head out the door on a cool morning or dress Sir S in his Purl Soho Easy pullover during an outdoor birthday party. Even today with a forecast of 36 degrees Celsius I comfortably wore my Judith Shrug to church in the morning.

Wearing my Judith Shrug to church this morning.

These items are all pretty trans-seasonal but since I love playing around with different types of garment construction and different types of yarns I have my eye on some summer specific patterns too. You can knit lightweight tees and singlets with linen, cotton or bamboo. Pretty little dresses and tunics for little girls such as Hannah Fettig's Sweet Pleat is perfect for adventures in the sunshine.

Miss L getting another year out of her Immie Tee

Do you wear knitted garments during the warmer months too? What craft activities do you prefer to do during the summer?

Babies need bonnets

My favourite thing to knit for new babies is a bonnet. I just finished one for our friends in Sydney who are expecting their first. 

For little girls my go to pattern is Melissa LaBarre's Crooked Little Baby Bonnet. The pattern is designed for worsted weight yarn to fit at 6-18 month but it also gives a suggested conversion for newborn babies. Melissa suggests by using sport weight yarn and using 3.75mm needles a bonnet sized 0-4 months can be achieved.

The first time I knit this I used some left over Quince & Co. Chickadee in Frost that I bought from my favourite online yarn store, yarn haus. Knit on the suggested 3.75mm needles the bonnet knit up into a tiny little slip of a thing. Though very cute I thought it would really only fit a small baby for a very short amount of time - because we all know how quickly those little bubs grow.

A tiny little bonnet knit in a 100% wool Quince & Co. yarn knit on 3.75mm needles

Since that first knit up I have made it twice and have upped the needles to 4mm for the bonnet and 3.25mm for the i-cord straps. I personally like the slightly larger fit that results from the larger needles.

Side by side the size difference is more discernible

I have also tried it with different yarns because now that we have moved into the Australia summer gifting a woolen bonnet is a little silly in my honest opinion. So, I've tried this pattern in two beautiful yarns that I purchased from my LYS, Sunspun in Canterbury. Debbie Bliss ecobaby cotton as well as some left over Skein Merino Silk Sport (a 50/50 merino silk composition that is just so luscious to touch).

Beautiful colourways and soft squishy yarn make Skein one of my favourite yarns to knit with

The cotton is ideal for the warmer temperatures but I didn't like the lack of springiness that cotton yarn is subject to. The bonnet is soft to touch and drapes nicely but I'd prefer it to hold shape a bit better since it is a hat after all.

This little cotton bonnet was ideal for a little December bub

The third time I knit it with the Skein Merino Silk Sport hoping that the springiness of the merino would help the hat hold it's shape. Now, after I have blocked it, my conclusion is that it worked really well in this yarn. There is a delicious softness that will make it lovely to wear against the skin and just enough spring to keep the shape of a hat. 

bonnet love

Just by knitting this pattern multiple times I have played around with sizing and yarn composition. This has given me the opportunity to learn more about matching the right yarn to my projects and how to make things bigger or smaller.

This pattern has really proven to be "third time the charm" and I have really enjoyed the experimenting and learning process that I have undergone each time I knit it.

The perfect little knit for a precious little baby girl

And the next time there is a boy baby to knit for I'll showcase my go to baby boy beanie pattern.