Knitting Blogcast #3 | The Woolly Wordsmith

My first baby knit, a finished sleeve, and the arrival of winter.

Apr 22, 2024

Welcome back to my knitting Blogcast, where I share all of my fibre arts adventures. Today, I am going to show you my first baby knit, a finished sleeve, and why I’m knitting a tank top at the start of winter.

I have been inspired by the Danish Musing’s podcast, where Helle shares a quote before each episode, setting a theme and a tone. So, my quote for today is:

“Remember this: one can be a strict logician or grammarian and at the same time full of imagination and music.” - Herman Hesse, The Glass Bead Game (1943)

I am currently reading The Glass Bead Game and I think this quote perfectly sums up the art of knitting. It requires techniques, mathematics, and understanding construction, but also art and imagination. I do feel like the past few weeks, I have been balancing these two areas in my knitting, as I alter patterns and make what I love.

Finished Objects (FOs)

© The Woolly Wordsmith | Tiny, very cute, baby socks!

Baby Socks (Ravelry: Baby Blues)

A new cast on and a finished object all in one! One of my friends recently had a baby and I decided that it was time to make my first baby garment. I decided to begin easy with a sock. I have made a few socks in the past, so I feel very comfortable with sock knitting.

I used a mini skein of Circus Tonic Handmade Pageant DK Twist, which is a DK weight 100% merino wool. However, I would say it was absolutely on the lighter side of DK. It is a really soft blue colour and these socks are absolutely adorable!

I decided not to use a pattern, I just knit a top-down vanilla sock with a german short row heel. I did add a small seed stitch design on the leg for some added interest. If you are curious about the exact stitch counts, feel free to check out the Ravelry project page, where I included what I did.

I only used 13 grams of the mini skein, so I have 9 grams left, which is an awkward amount of yarn. At this point, I’ve decided I’ll just keep it and if I decide to do a smaller colourwork or scrappy project, I can use it for that.

Works in Progress (WIPs)

© The Woolly Wordsmith | One sleeve down, one to go

Polina pullover by Teti Lutsak (Ravelry: Polina pullover)

My dream project is coming along. I was a little bit worried about yarn usage, so after finishing a ball of the main colour on the body, i went on to the arm. I used almost 1 ball on 1 arm. However, as I am not used to working with wool and the blocking process, I am a bit worried I made it too short. I’ll just have to see after finishing and blocking. I think I’ll have plenty of yarn to finish the project with no stress and being able to add more to the arms if required.

I have been putting off picking the second sleeve up for a couple of weeks, just because I have had a lot of stress going on in my life. However, I’m sure once the second sleeve has been picked up, it will be finished in no time.

© The Woolly Wordsmith | Added cables on the front of the Audrey Top

Audrey Top by PetiteKnit (Ravelry: Audrey Top)

I made some good headway on the Audrey top over the past two weeks. I have now split for the front and back and finalised my additional design on the front (see below). Coming up with the alterations has definitely shown me the combination between logic and art in knitting.

Honestly, after knitting with nice 100% Australian merino wool in the Polina pullover, this cheap cotton is not feeling great. Plus, it’s getting colder and colder in Melbourne at the moment, so I really am struggling to pick this up. However, I need my 4mm needles for my winter project, so I need to finish the Audrey Top as soon as possible!

© The Woolly Wordsmtih | A completed short row heel

Morning Coffee by Valentina Consalvi (Ravlery: Morning Coffee Socks)

The Morning Coffee socks are so so so much fun. I’m almost finished with one sock. I’m taking it slow, it’s just my commute sock, so I get a handful of rows in each day, but I’m loving it. At this stage, there’s a good chance I’ll make them again, especially as the weather gets colder and I’m reaching for warm socks more and more.

Wearing my FOs

I have decided to add a new section to the blogcast to keep track of wearing my finished objects. Even though knitting is a relatively environmentally friendly hobby, there is still a lot to be done, including making sure that we wear our finished objects.1 I also think this is helpful to see how the garments and yarn wear over time.

The only finished objects that I’ve been wearing recently are the first socks I made, which have been on my feet daily around the house morning and night. They have felted on the bottoms, but that’s to be expected from a non-sock 100% wool yarn. The insides have also felted partially, so I do sometimes have to pull clumps of fluff out of them to make them comfortable.

Overall, they are keeping my feet warm, they are comfy and cosy, and I love wearing them. There are no signs of holes (yet! I’ve probably jinxed it now).

Upcoming

Finishing the Audrey Top is my top priority at the moment. I know that as it gets colder, I will want to work on it less and less, but also that I will have more need for the winter garments I want to make with 4.00mm needles. Once the Audrey Top is bound off, I will be casting on the Friday Slipover by Petite Knit for my partner to wear to the office over winter.

Thank you for coming along with me. Please feel free to comment any questions you have and connect with me down below. I hope you have a lovely, creative, week!

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Get in touch with me by leaving a comment, sending me a DM, or emailing me at jane.carr.writer@gmail.com.