In a twist

I might not rock at lace, but I'm undoubtedly the queen of cables. To take my mind of the shruggle I started on a cable tunic a while back. The back is finished and I've started on the front - I stopped at that point to go back to the shruggle, but as soon as I've finished the left front of that I'll swop back to the tunic.

The yarn for this is a cotton/acrylic mix. It's lovely to knit with and the stitch definition is great. It's worked really well for the cabling. The yarn given was a cotton, which I think would have turned out much heavier and probably not as cosy.

The yarn for the whole thing cost about £20 - £20 for a handmade cabled tunic! Which just goes to show that knitting doesn't have to be an expensive hobby.


Here's tunic! That's the completed back and the start of the front. I'm really hoping I get it finished in time for the cooler weather.



And here's the close up. Look at those cables! Look at that stitch definition! Cables rock.

The ongoing shruggle

Yes, that's right - I'm still at it. I started this in November last year and it's still going strong. Or should that be wrong?

Actually, though, I have improved no end. The back is complete and I've nearly finished the left front, and between now and November I did knit the back of a cabled tunic. So it's not too bad, I guess. I've definitely learnt a lot - such as don't knit with Kid Silk Haze, learn how to read charts before you start using them, lace is really, really hard. I also know what the stitches are supposed to look like so I know when I've gone wrong sooner. I understand where I've gone wrong too, which means my next lace project should be much easier. And yes, there will be a next lace project.

I might even do Cobweb again. But I don't think I'd do it in KSH. While it's light as air and pretty as the sea, it's a bugger to knit with and the stitch definition ain't great. But it's for my mum and she loves KSH, and that's the main thing. I think maybe a 4-ply mercerised cotton knitted up on larger needles would work quite well.



Here's the back and left front. The eagle-eyed among you might notice there's a small mistake in the lace. When I noticed it I decided it was far too late to rip it back. Besides, it's the mistakes that make it unique.



And here's a close up of the lace - the bit I got right. Check out that hot-pink duvet cover underneath! I'm very pleased I persevered with this.