Knitting Blogcast #17 | The Woolly Wordsmith

The self-draft parade

Jul 15, 2025

Welcome back to the seventeenth iteration of my knitting blogcast. Here, I share my knitting makes. Today, I am going to show you what I have been knitting recently. Thank you for being here with me.

Today’s quote comes from Portuguese Nobel laureate José Saramago. I am currently reading some of his works for my upcoming trip to Portugal, starting with Manual of Painting and Calligraphy.

“Statues and paintings last longer than this frail flesh.”
― Manual of Painting and Calligraphy, José Saramago (1977)

Saramago’s words here remind me to live in the moment. It also reminds me to look upon works of art as windows into the souls of the past.

Works in Progress (WIPs)

Spring Dreams Socks by Jane Carr (Ravelry: Spring Dreams Socks)

I am self-drafting a pair of lace socks with Blackwattle Yarn & Fibre Mallee in the beautiful colourway of Terra Rosa. It is a 4-ply sock yarn with a 75% merino wool and 25% nylon blend. I used The Ultimate Knit Stitch Bible and chose two different lace stitches, one that is wider to go in the middle, and a smaller one to go up either side.

About halfway through the foot, I got distracted with other projects and life events and put down the Spring Dreams Socks for about a week. During that time, I completely forgot that I modified the smaller lace slightly, so there are a couple of repeats with a small mistake. It is barely noticeable and I don’t mind, so I’m not going to frog half a sock just to remove two eyelets.

I have now finished one sock and I’ve started on the second one. I decided to go for a shorter sock than usual because I am aiming to wear these in spring and summer. I decided to go with a twisted rib because I love how clean it looks. I really don’t think I’ll ever be able to return to a non-twisted rib for sock cuffs.

I’m really interested to see how these end up wearing because I’ve never used this yarn for socks before. I’ve been trying to find sock yarn that isn’t Regia that will hold up to constant wear. So far, I haven’t had much luck. Hopefully Blackwattle comes through for me!

New Cast-Ons

Colour Block Cardigan by Jane Carr (Ravelry: Colour Block Cardigan)

I finally cast-on a project that has been mulling about in my head for quite a while now. Several months ago, I received two packets of three Caron Cakes, which is an 80% acrylic and 20% wool worsted/chunky yarn. Initially, I wasn’t sure what to do with it because the cakes were in a repeated colour pattern. So, I decided to split the cakes up into their colours, weigh each colour, and create a colour block cardigan.

I had an exact idea of what I wanted and I couldn’t find any patterns that matched my vision. So, I decided to take the plunge and self draft my first major garment. I began with a gauge swatch and then worked up the back panel based on some (honestly very unexact) measurements I took. It was a bit of trial and error, but I managed to successfully complete the back panel. I then joined the front two panels and worked increases for a rounded neckline, before joining it all up under the sleeves and knitting the body using intarsia for the colours.

I have decided to do the bottom ribbing and button band last, so I put everything on hold and picked up for the first sleeve. Since this is a set-in sleeve pattern, I had to do short rows on the sleeve cap before beginning the decreases. I ended up only decreasing until the elbow and then I knit strait. For the cuff, I did a twisted rib with a 2 for every 3 stitch rate, so the sleeve has a slight ballooned effect.

I have been trying on the project as I go. I don’t think it is perfect, but I keep reminding myself that this is my very first completely self-drafted garment. If it doesn’t work out, I can learn from the experience. If it does work out, I’ll have my ideal cosy cardigan.

Underlace Top by Lily Kate France (Ravelry: Europe Top)

If you’ve been following along on my knitting journey for a while, you might remember the Sunshine Tee saga that I had earlier this year.

In brief, I purchased some Great Ocean Road Woollen Mills summer fiesta yarn (4ply, merino and linen blend) to make a summer top. I tried to use it to knit the Sunshine Tee by Andrea Gaughan but I just couldn’t get it to work. To be clear, the pattern and yarn were not the problem. The problem was me and several knitting mistakes that I made along the way.

I finally decided to frog that project and use the yarn for a different project. I will be travelling to Europe over August and I have decided to make a tank to take with me. I am hoping that the merino content will prevent the top from getting too smelly and the linen will make it quick-drying.

I scoured Ravelry for the perfect pattern and I settled on the Underlace Top by Lily Kate France. I really like the feminine touch of the lace and that the stripes were already worked into the pattern. This is my first time making a garment from this designer, but I have had her designs saved in my Ravelry favourites for a while. I am finding this pattern easy to follow and enjoyable to knit so far.

I have just finished the back panel and I’m ready to pick up for the front. The back panel has a little bit of neck and underarm shaping to it, making it fit really nicely. The only negative I have is that I’m having some trouble keeping even tension with this yarn. I think it is just a combination of the fibre content and a relatively flowy gauge causing some issues. However, I’m not concerned about it because the overall look is supposed to be effortless, summery, and flowy, not perfectly structured.

Wearing my Knits

After shaving off the pilled parts, the Polina Pullover is back to its original beauty. While the pilling of the Morris and Sons 100% Australian Merino yarn does require a bit of upkeep, I think that it is worth it for the warmth and softness. Even in very cold weather (for Australia), I have felt nice and cosy in the pullover despite it being only a 4-ply yarn.

I have also found that, because it is 100% merino, it needs very little washing. I find that it does not hold smell at all and I can easily go 10-20 wears until I feel like it needs a wash.

Up Coming

Since I am about to travel, I’m not planning on casting on anything new until I’m on a plane. I am hoping to finish up all of my current WIPs before leaving Australia. I am going to take with me some reclaimed 100% 2-ply merino yarn with me and make a Naked Tee by nakedknit. With such a small weight of yarn, it is perfect for travel.