Month: September 2024

The Un-Calm Down Cardigan

| Sonia Knits

So I haven’t told you, but I’d already restarted knitting The Calm Down DK cardigan once. It happened after Knit Night one week a few weeks ago, when something Karen said about row gauge triggered me. Long story short – my row gauge didn’t match the front left piece I was knitting, and I restarted the cardigan on smaller needles.

The new row gauge on 3.5mm needles still didn’t match the gauge of 22 sts on 32 rows (it had hardly changed), it was still in fact close to the gauge I acheived with 4mm needles which was about 28 rows, but the fabric was denser and I thought that it would be okay. Surely I couldn’t knit this on smaller needles?!

Fast forward to this weekend when I joined the fronts to the back after the armholes, I laid my knitting down over some of my knits from my wardrobe to compare.

The sleeves were going to be larger than my Pressed Flowers Sweater… yes that is a bad thing

Rather than investing anymore knitting time into this cardigan. I’m calling it… it’s being ripped out. I may never attempt to knit this cardigan again. I don’t think I’ve ever given up on a garment, but I’m glad I’ve made this decision at this point rather than thinking it was still going to work out, it’s not.

Good news is, I’m ready for a new cast-on for October 🙂 the next cast on has to be a winner.

The Beanie line-up

| Sonia Knits

Today, the fourth and final knitted beanie for 2024 was given to it’s recipient. So now I can show you the best bit; shiny, happy beanie people!

This is my brother, he works outdoors and gets up early to do it. Not sure how this is only the first beanie I’ve knit him, I know it won’t be the last.

This is an old colleague of mine (old, as in, I haven’t worked with him for about 18 months) who retired a couple of weeks ago. He always showed great interest in my crafting and yearly trips to the Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show. He’s a super nice guy, very knowledgable and helpful.

This is our friend, who is an amazing chef. I saw her chefing in the kitchen with a store bought beanie in the depths of winter, and I felt she deserved better. She loves her new beanie!

This is Tim, one of D’s oldest friends. He saw me knitting my brother’s beanie whilst I was in Bendigo and asked if I could knit him one. Of course I said I could, but there’s a queue!

I’m so glad I made the beanies for these people in my life. They were well received and I know they will be well used. For me, to see these photos, is so joyful. It makes the hours of knitting rows and rows of stocking stitch so worthwhile.

Still knitting grey

| Sonia Knits

This morning I cast-off the last of my Beanie commitments for 2024. Four grey double-brimmed beanies (triple, if you count the fold-up) is more than enough for one season I think. Fortunately now that the weather is fining up a little, the desire to knit beanies for gifts has lessened, as has the demand.

The final charcoal beanie (which is for our friend Tim) is currently blocking, so just imagine the last beanie pictured here, twice. I have got modelled photos of the first three beanies on their recipients, but I’m going to wait until I have the fourth portrait to show them all to you at once. I’ve really enjoyed handing over the beanies to the first three recipients, they’ve all been very well received so far.

This weekend, I was really hoping to have a new garment cast-on, but I thought it would be best to get back to my Calm Down Cardigan, that I’ve hardly begun (from way back in April). Sadly, it’s also grey, which really is not a joyful colour to knit for months on end. I just really want the finished thing, because I’ll get so much wear out of it. The yarn is Bendigo Woollen Mills Rustic, in the identical colour of the Bendigo Classic beanies. An unfortunate coincidence, but isn’t it lovely?

I’m very happy to get back to my projects and plans after this unplanned diversion into beanie knitting. Perhaps next weekend I’ll give myself permission to start something new.