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Eye Candy: SWTC Saphira

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saphira swtcOne of the great things about all the knitting-related work I do is that I get to play with a lot of different yarns and work on a lot of different projects. I thought it might be fun for you (and keep me trying new things so I can share them) if I posted every now and then notes on what I’m working on and what I’m working with.

Today I got into a moment (OK, a couple of hours) of panic about how soon it will be time for me to turn in my book and how much knitting I still have to do before then. I also got word that an adorable set of twins — a boy and a girl now eight weeks old — are going to model for my book. Which means I need something for them to wear.

I’m planning a pair of intarsia sweaters, probably one with a flower and one with a truck, but I’m not sure yet. I’ve long known, however, that I wanted to knit them in Saphira, a bulky superwash merino from South West Trading Company. I had a tiny (and I mean tiny, what you see in the picture is all there was, I didn’t even leave enough to bind off) sample of this yarn to play with and I love the softness, the fuziness and the nice even stitches, which should be great for intarsia. It also knits up super fast, which is great for needing to make two sweaters while the kids are still the same size!

Now that I know my gauge it will be a lot easier to estimate how much yarn I’ll need and to make the charts for my intarsia designs. I guess that’s what I’ll be working on this weekend!

What have you been working with lately? Any new projects on the horizon for the weekend? Spill it!

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Comments

  1. I can’t wait to see what your intarsia sweaters look like. That is so cool you are giving away a copy of Stitch London.

Have you read?

Use Your Sock Yarn Scraps to Knit a Colorful Scarf

Using your yarn stash is important to me throughout the year, but as I start to feel the end of the year coming on I get more excited about using things I already have in the house. Maybe that’s because I don’t want to go to a store in the thick of holiday shopping times, or I like the idea of having a little space in my stash when the new year rolls around.

It’s super satisfying to use up all the little odd balls you’ve made over the year (or years), and I have several stash busting blankets I work on when it’s cold and will maybe finish someday.

If you’d like to start a stash busting project that’s perfect for using up odd balls, check out the Soukish pattern from Neisha Abdulla. This pattern is made for fingering weight/sock yarn, and it’s worked in a tube with allover color work.

This is great for a couple of reasons. You don’t really have to weave in your ends when you can hide them in a tube (this is one time you might even get by just tying a knot when you change colors!) and you can change colors whenever you run out of yarn and it will look good.

Of course the pattern is made with blocks where the designer changed colors, but you can change yours more or less often as you need to make it work for your stash. You can use blank charts to design your own color combinations, or even your own stitch patterns if you like. You can also adjust the length of the scarf as needed or turn it into a cowl based on the amount of yarn you have.

This project looks like a lot of fun and would be a great thing to have on hand to stitch up and then to wear during the cold, gloomy months.

You can get a copy of the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Neisha Abdulla]

Another Way to Use Up All Your Sock Yarn Scraps

Gather Your Scraps for a Fun Wrap

A Scrappy Shawl Knitting Pattern to Use All Your Odd Balls

Use All Your Yarn Scraps on This Great Cardigan Knitting Pattern

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