January binge knitting
Like many areas in the northern hemisphere, January is regarded as a long, cold, wintery month up here. The winter season was late settling in this year as our local weather remained warmer than usual right through December. Regardless, January has always been a cocoon month for me. The Christmas rush is over, and the cold weather and sparse daylight means I spend more time at home, indoors.
The past few years, I find I binge knit through this part of winter. I cast on multiple projects, usually targeting a specific ball(s) of yarn, or a technique I've wanted to try. January is often when I start knitting for myself again as well.
This year's binge-fest started with casting on my Plum Pudding Scarf. I had almost a full ball of NORO Kameki yarn in my stash full of rich purples and blues, that I'd set aside for myself. So I decided on a bias scarf design featuring what I call a broken bamboo stitch and plain garter stitch. It's a simple pattern and creates fabric that lies pretty flat hanging from the needles. It's still a work in progress, so more on that later. I will be posting this as a free pattern before the end of the month.
Next I cast on the Dandelion Field Mittens pattern from DROPS Design. I had received several balls of beautiful Rowan Felted Tweed for Christmas and was eager to get this lovely colorwork project started. I adjusted the wrist width and length but otherwise followed the pattern. Next time, I may increase the needle size from 2.75 mm to 3 or 3.25 mm as the mittens just fit. I love how they turned out and expect to get much wear from them.
I was asked to make a shawl for as a gift for a family member's grandmother and came up with what I'm calling Nan's No Fuss Shawl. I had a ball of Leo and Roxy superwash sock yarn in a pencil grey color and decided to create a no fuss everyday shawl. It is a crescent shaped shawl, featuring alternating bands of stockinette and hurdle stitch, finished with an I-cord cast off. It was a very quick knit and turned out lovely. I've had a couple of inquiries about this shawl so I plan to write a pattern for it which will be featured on this blog very soon.
I also cast on the Close to Me Shawl by Justyna Lorkowska. I had purchased a lone ball of a German sock yarn through Facebook Marketplace that I thought would be perfect! This pattern is interesting but simple enough to qualify as a stress-free knit. It's still a work in progress, so to stay tuned.
I decided to explore felting this month as well. I knitted up a bag shape using odd balls of worsted weight yarn held double. I took measurements before and after felting to get a sense of what might be possible. The resulting bag will need a lining to help it retain its shape, but I'm pleased. It should make a great project bag! The picture to the left is how it looked before felting. It measured
I also frogged a project - an Icelandic style sweater made with Istex Einband yarn. I really didn't like the resulting fabric. So despite having the body and one sleeve completed to the armpit, I pulled it all back. I realized that stitch choice/fabric created has a huge impact on how I feel about every project so I decided to start swatching. As luck should have it, my first stitch and needle choice yielded a great result. I made an 8 inch swatch in hurdle stitch. Then I made a large swatch in the round to see how much my gauge changes. I have made plans to knit a slipover using this stitch configuration and yarn. I'll post more information as my experiments continue.
Often while I binge knit, I'll listen to podcasts, sip tea or coffee, and think of other possible knitting projects. It's an utterly decadent way to spend time cozy in my home. It's a nurturing activity, and heaven knows we all need lots of that in our lives.
What do you like to knit during the dark month of January? Do you like to binge knit? Leave me a comment and let me know.
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