. . . blues . . .

# veryslowfashion, started this more than two years ago.

It is a free pattern from one of my favorite designers: Norah Gaughan. Pattern is: Norah’s Vintage Afghan for Berroco. Here is the project.

I started it with all kinds of ecru, off-white natural yarns that were in my stash: cascade eco, undyed fingering weight yarn held double, unknown European wool, … in natural tints. Every square used a little less than 100 grs of it. Used needle size 5 mm / US 8.
I stopped after 15 squares because it should have taken me one more year to finish it and I had to buy some new yarn. I also thought a smaller afghan would just be perfect to replace the old blanket on the couch. Finished size is now 180 cm x 115 cm (71″ x 45″)

…

Finally decided I prefer color. Such a pity I didn’t take photos of the undyed squares.
Here are some leftovers to give you an idea of the colors before.

Dyed all the 15 squares and 2 extra skeins for the finishing in ‘indigo’ acid dye.
Found a large pot in the Turkish shop around the corner. It is 20 cm high and 28 cm diameter which is about 12 liters. I will be using it only for wool dyeing. The acid dye powder was in my stash for a couple of years. I used the whole 50 grs for a total weight of ± 1600 grs of wool (15 squares + 2 extra 100 gr skeins). That gives about 3,2% of dye stock.
Could do all the dying in two times. I didn’t really measure the dye I added in the first pot. I poured in about half of the dye ‘à vue’. The idea was that he squares would have different shades of blue and that was exactly what it did.

The different wool qualities made for the shading. See the difference in these 2 skeins.

I learned that superwash is much paler than the rustic wools. In one of the squares it is really obvious: I used 2 strands of fingering weight together and one of them is ‘superwash’.

I added 50 ml vinegar per 100 grs in the pot before adding the wool. If I would have wanted more solid colors it would have been better to heat dye and wool first and leave to simmer for 30 minutes and THEN add the vinegar.

I am quite pleased with the color (I expected it to be more very dark ‘indigo’ though). It will be perfect with our black couch.

Lay out of all the squares …

They are all a bit different in size. Hope it will be better after joining. Think I will use an I-cord-join: first pick up & knit sts at both sides that need to be joined, then cast on 3 sts, slip the 3 sts back to left needle, k2tog, k1, ssk, repeat until all picked up stitches have been worked, bind off.

Still had some yarn left so picked up & knit stitches all around and finished it in moss stitch with an I-cord bind off.

These blue shades are very difficult to capture, they have something greenish over them…

 

Tada, finished, washed and dry … Let the cold come …

… wrapped …

I noticed I’ve never really showed my ‘wrapped collection’ here before.

Wrapped pullover

This is something different, isn’t it ? I’m quite proud of it.

The diagonal cabled wrap hides a pocket and turns around the neck to form a cosy collar. It’s unusual construction makes it very addictive to knit.

It is worked from the bottom up. The collar is asymmetrical in the back going from halfway the right sleeve to the top of the left sleeve. I knitted the sleeves from the top down.

Wrapped hat

I made matching hat to go with my wrapped pullover 🙂

A quick knit in chunky yarn and large needles.

This is a new way of constructing a hat in one piece. It is reversible and can be worn in many ways, backwards (what is back or front, anyway?), inside-out, …

The wrapped hat is worked from the top and completely seamless, apart from a few live stitches to be sewn, using the kitchener stitch. The crown is formed by 6 sections. 2 sections are ribbed and form the start of the ribbed cables at the sides.

And I made … a wrapped pullover for him 🙂

This looks wuite classical with the drop-shoulders, but the assymetrically placed cable at the front and the back makes it interesting and stylish. It is worked top-down starting with a provisional cast-on at the shoulder. I added also a breast pocket.

Back and front are worked separately to the armholes and joined in the round. The stitches of the sleeves are picked up and the sleeves, worked top-down, it was easy to  adapt to any length.

My brother took my first wrapped pullover I made in Cascade Yarns Eco+, so I made a 2nd one in Lett Lopi. It has less stitch definition but I really love that dark bottlegreen color…