Knitting Blogcast #16 | The Woolly Wordsmith
Finished projects and self-drafted socks
Welcome back to the sixteenth iteration of my knitting blogcast. Here, I share my knitting makes. Today, I am going to show you what I made in May 2025. Thank you for being here with me.
Today’s quote comes from Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables. I am currently reading this gorgeous monstrosity and so many parts are hitting me so deeply.
“The brutalities of progress are called revolutions.”
― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables (1862)
In current times of extreme devastation in so many parts of the world, this is something important to remind ourselves of. Things WILL get better, no matter how bad it looks now.
Finished Objects (FOs)
Sea Haven by Jennifer Shiels Toland (Ravelry: Mum's Jumper)
In May, I was able to finish and gift the Sea Haven jumper by Jennifer Shiels Toland. I knit this piece in Heirloom Australia’s Cosy Comfort 8 ply yarn, which is a 70% Wool, 17% Silk, 13% Alpaca blend. I found the yarn to be incredibly luxurious, especially for the price point, however, it did shed quite a lot due to the alpaca content. The pattern itself was easy to follow with a simple top-down circular yoke construction. I made a couple of modifications to the ribbing, and knit the sleeves two decrease repeats shorter, but that was because my mum has shorter than average arms (sorry, mum!)
As I have previously discussed, this project was for my mum. She requested a handmade garment for Mother’s Day this year. While she did provide me with some colour ideas and showed me her pattern preferences, the colour and pattern I ended up choosing was a complete surprise. To really ensure it stayed a surprise, I would send any photos or videos with questions on length and fit in black and white and not show anything but stockinette areas.
I’m happy to report that my mum loved it! She has worn it a few times already (I gave it to her less than a week ago). Blocking made the fabric drape really elegantly and the alpaca fiber creates a beautiful halo. I’m really happy with the colour and the fit and I think it suits my mum really well!
While making this jumper and trying it on for sizing, I became so jealous that I have decided I will make myself something out of the same yarn for next winter.
I’ll write an entire post on completing this sweater, so look out for that soon, or go back to my previous blogcasts if you want any further information on the process. Ultimately, this was a huge success!
Hunter's Urban Dog Sweater by Lisa M. Barnes (Ravelry: Dog Coat)
As the weather got colder in Melbourne, I decided to finally make the dog coat the I purchased yarn for about 18 months ago…
I chose the Hunter’s Urban Dog Coat by Lisa M. Barnes because it was one of the few patterns that I could find that didn’t require me to pick up my dog’s paws and get him to put them through holes (he hates me touching his feet). I did have to alter the pattern quite a lot because I wanted to knit top-down in the round. I also wanted to add a diamond brocade to the top panel.
I used a cheap acrylic yarn that I found at a reject store. It is surprisingly pretty soft given how cheap it was. As expected, I purchased far too much yarn and I only ended up using about one and a half 100g balls.
The final coat looks really adorable on my dog, but unfortunately it falls off him because the sides on the top panel are not long enough. I plan to knit another coat for him that is modelled on his store-bought coats, which stay on him very well. Once I have made a successful coat, I will most likely frog this one. Just keep in mind that if you have a dog that likes to curl up in a donut or shakes their tail a lot, the Hunter’s Urban dog coat might not work for you. However, I do think that fluffier or smaller dogs would probably not have the same issue.
Hot Water Bottle Cover 2.0 by Jane Carr (Ravelry: Hot Water Bottle Cover)
In my previous blogcast, I showed a finished hot water bottle cover. I was talking about that project with my co-worker. I must have shown my excitement a bit too much because she decided that she wanted one too. She recently had a birthday, so I knew that this would be the perfect gift.
For this hot water bottle cover, I used Heirloom Australia’s 100% merino 8 ply yarn. Instead of cables, which I used in my original cover, I focused on colourwork for this one. I found the main colourwork chart in the 750 Knitting Stitches: The Ultimate Knit Stitch Bible by Pavilion Books. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to draft their own patterns.
The vertical stripes of the checked areas were done with a crocheted vertical stitch into a purl bump. Initially, I had planned to do this for all purl bumps. However, I ran out of time, as weaving in all of the ends for each crochet line took ages. While I like the final outcome of this technique, I doubt I will do it again in the near future because of how finicky and time-consuming it is.
I used moss stitch in between each colourwork section, and also at the top and bottom. For the neck, I used a standard 1x1 rib and Jeny’s Super Stretchy Bind-Off to make sure that there were no issues putting the hot water bottle in the cover.
Despite the struggle of the vertical crochet sections, I still mostly enjoyed this knit and I love the finished product (as did my colleague)!
New Cast-Ons
Spring Dreams Socks by Jane Carr (Ravelry: Spring Dreams Socks)
I am self-drafting a lace sock pattern. I am using Blackwattle Yarn & Fibre Mallee in the colourway Terra Rosa. It is a 4-ply sock yarn (75% merino wool, 25% nylon). I found two different lace motifs that I liked in 750 Knitting Stitches: The Ultimate Knit Stitch Bible and combined them to make the instep of the foot. There is a main lace motif up the middle, with a mirrored smaller one on either side.
I am calling these socks the Spring Dream Socks because the lace patterns remind me of the flowers of spring (and I know that I won’t be able to wear these for a long time because it is so cold in Melbourne).
I really enjoy the challenge of self-drafting or modifying a pattern. It can be really difficult, but incredibly rewarding!
Wearing my Knits
My socks feel like they are falling apart!! I don’t know what to do and I need your help. Anytime I have used non-Regia yarn for my socks, they look very disheveled very quickly. Am I not using a small enough needle? Should I only use Regia sock yarn? Is this a me problem or do other people have this problem too? Please help me, knitting community!
Up Coming
My next cast on is going to be a chunky colourblocked self-drafted cardigan. If you read my previous post about my own personal stash and how I want to use what I have in my stash, you will know that I have some carron cakes yarn to use. I think the self-drafting nature and quick-knit of this project will be a lot of fun. Will this be a really luxurious heirloom cardigan? absolutely not. But I’m still excited for it as a project and it will fill a need in my wardrobe.
De-stash
In 2025, I am aiming to use up my stash. While I did use about 70g of yarn completing the hot water bottle cover and about 150g completing the dog coat, my total yarn hasn’t changed much. My mum came to visit me and, while she was here, we purchased some sock yarn. I only kept one 100g skein for myself (the Prosper Yarns 4ply sock yarn in the colourway Tasman), and I am excited to use it to make my partner a new pair of socks.
How has your knitting been lately? For those in the northern hemisphere, have you been enjoying summer knits, or are you sad that it is no longer winter?
As always, thank you so much for joining me today.
Until next time,
Jane
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Hi, good morning, I love your dog clothes, I will try and make one for my small dog too.