All posts tagged: knitting

Spring knitting, apple cake & the prettiest view

Published by fairfaxhill

I started knitting the Dawn Singlet top and decided to make mine blue. This is another pattern by Sandnes Garn. It’s in the same booklet as the April top, which I finally finished some days ago. I love how my April top turned out, even if I’m still recuperating from all the work it took to make it. It was challenging to finish the sleeves and collar in one weekend, mostly because you are just repeating the same thing over and over, but I knew I had to push myself to finish it, or else the project would end up in a bag again with my other UFOs and not be picked up again for another six months or more. To keep myself entertained I watched a bunch of episodes of the Envidiosa/Envious series on Netflix. I had watched season one already, so it was fun to marathon knit and watch the show at the same time. Now that I think of it, I need to watch the final three episodes. It’s in Spanish and …

knitting detour: how my plan to make a tote bag turned into a stripy summer top

Published by fairfaxhill

How does this happen? I’ve managed to start – and finish!– another project that’s not what I intended to work on. For the record, I have three other projects on my needles at the moment. One of them I started last summer… I guess I should make a better effort to stay out of yarn stores! A few weekends ago, I was browsing the isles of Joanne’s Fabrics store and managed to leave with six balls of 100% cotton yarn in tow with the goal of making myself a new tote. I wanted to replace some of the bags I typically carry around, which are looking a bit tired after much use. I also found yarn in a green color I loved. Is it just me? I can never have enough tote bags. I always need to supplement my purse with bags to carry books, knitting projects, samples, treats, or to use if I stop at the supermarket on my way home. The bag I was going to make, a free pattern called the “getting …

february makes: from sweaters to crème brûlée (mishaps included!)

Published by fairfaxhill

Here’s a quick update on what I’ve been up to lately! As some of you saw on my Instagram feed, I finished making the sweater I started last February. I was modifying the Malaury pattern, replacing the texture created by knit and purl stitches with mock cables for my version. The result was a happy surprise. (I’m feeling pretty confident trusting my math when adapting patterns now–it fits!) I also learned a new technique for attaching a collar that I might start using more often. The pattern called for a back-stitched collar, which was new to me. I normally pick up stitches around the neckline, but the pattern said to knit the collar separately, leaving one of the edges on scrap yarn. I was having a difficult time wrapping my head around the process, and even after finding this helpful tutorial, the whole thing looked way too complicated. Then, I remembered watching a video showing a similar technique that looked much simpler. The difference: no stitches that could potentially unravel! You simply take the finished …

geogradient shawl

geogradient mkal: how it’s going

Published by fairfaxhill

This month I’ve been working on the Geogradient Mystery Knit Along by Stephen West and I haven’t had time for much else. Books I want to read, and recipes I want to try are piling up! But I’m close to done, and I predict the shawl will be finished within a week. Reflecting on the colors I chose. I signed up and purchased a kit online because I thought that would be easier than trying to pick out yarn at the local yarn store and putting together my own gradient. Looking back, I wish I had taken a bit more time to think about my colors. I knew I wanted to use Holst yarn because that’s what I used for my last shawl and I really liked the result. (This yarn is also quite affordable, and considering you have no idea what your final project will look like when you join a mystery KAL, it was a no-brainer for me!) But the thing is, I had recently ordered shade cards from Holst to have handy …