Week 125 : Desert Blazing Star

I have cast on a new project. A cardigan  in sport silky cashmere by Sundara Yarn. The colour is Desret Blazing Star and it is the brightest, most saturated yellow I have ever seen. My iPhone isn't doing it justice.. imagine even more and deeper than this photograph.

That plus the silkiness of the 65% cashmere is making it an absolute delight.

I am knitting a very simple cardigan. With ribbed bands and raglan seams. Top down construction. I am hoping to find some vintage buttons on my next shopping try to All Buttons.

I was inspired after what started as an interior design conversation by another raveller. She showed me pictures online of this parisian apartment featured in Architectural Digest and I was drawn to the pop of yellow in the cardigan when worm with neutral basics.

Here is the link to the Architectural Digest site. There are lots more photographs of this apartment... all beautiful and worth examining. 

I have some charcoal grey wool Ponti fabric and I'm currently experimenting trying to find a good cut of slim legged pants.

And I have white linen for a shirt making a start on my new Spring wardrobe.

I have paused on my Stasis sweater. It is knit in Rowan Tweed and the contrast colour is in Noro Silk Garden number 301. But I have run out of yarn on the yoke!
Another skein is on its way to me and for now it has been put away.

A close up of the yoke colours.

School holidays start tomorrow and I will be out of the city a lot over the next three and a half weeks. Its a good opportunity for sewing and finishing some knit projects.


A late night Pinterest-ing led to an online shopping splurge and now I have some lovely wool felt coming from Purl Soho.

I'm inspired to make this throw. I will show the colours I've chosen as soon as I can.

Week 124 : Linen knit t-shirt

A quick t-shirt this weekend. I was sorting the craft room and discovered this long forgotten project.

I bought the fabric a long time ago, its a stretch knit. Linen or a linen blend in a soft grey. Its very drapey. Its not sheer, but its a fine enough fabric I might need to be conscious of what I wear under it.

Bought from Tessuti. I used the reverse side which is a little more matte in finish.

I overlocked the seams and hand stitched the hems.


I finished a few other projects in the to-do box (alterations mostly). So I have a clear run for school holidays in two weeks. we'll be leaving the city and I have hopes I'll get a lot done.


I knit on my Stasis sweater. I've now finished the second sleeve and have joined to do the yoke. This picture shows how the transitioning Noro Silk Garden yarn contrast has worked. I'm pleased my sleeves are both in the deep colours and somewhat balanced. I have fuscia pink and lime green coming up in the skein, which will be interesting to see on the yoke.

Nothing to report on the green Compassion silk sweater. Just more of the same and then plain sleeves after that. Until I get to the lace design on the yoke its going to be a boring knit.

Week 123 : Finished Floral Raglan Top

Only an afternoon to finish! Raglan construction makes for a very speedy assembly with an overlocker. The pattern was traced from an existing top in my wardrobe. Its a bit longer at the back than the front as the side profile shows.

I will definitely be making multiples of this.


























I slipstitched the hems under.

I finished the pink Windmill Cardigan too from Week 120.  Ready to post.

Week 122 : Floral Raglan Top

I can't remember what this fabric is, even though I bought it quite recently from Tessuti.
Its lightweight, with stretch and possibly in wool. The design is a very blurred floral in blues and teals.

Last weekend I cut a long sleeved raglan t-shirt for it to wear with jeans. I traced and cut the pattern from a top I liked the fit of. I hope to finish it in the coming weekend.

I used my new Swedish pattern tracing paper. Its half way between a very light interfacing (in that i is able to be sewn) but with the surface that can be written on. I used regular felt tip pens and the ink took well and clearly.

Otherwise I knit on the green Compassion silk from last week and I knit a small wool jumper in school colours for my kids school mascot.

Week 121 : Green Silk Compassion

I have finished the back of the Sundara Sport Silk sweater in the colour Compassion. Its held at the point of the bottom of the yoke and I will join it up for that stage when Ive done the front (next) and the two sleeves.

Its not a great photograph. the rich emerald silk is very hard to photograph even with a sophisticated camera. Even worse on my iPhone today. I tried to fiddle with the colour in photoshop (with marginal improvement)

It's been an extraordinarily busy week. Mostly with not crafty commitments, although I have finished the pink Windmill cardigan from last week (save for seaming and buttons).
I have been making sewing plans for the forthcoming winter. Fabric is folded and I plan a focussed cutting session for several garments both for myself and for the kids.

Week 120 : Windmill Cardigan

Several new knitting projects started this week.

Firstly a small cardigan, sized age 1-2 as a gift. I am knitting Spud + Chloe Sweater yarn a wool/cotton blend (which will be machine washable). I bought this yarn last year on our family holiday in Savannah.

The pattern is Windmill Cardigan by Louisa Harding from Miss Bea's Colours. The repeated heart motif is done in purl stitches on the knit background. I'm done with the back, both sleeves and one front. I have to complete the second front (with the buttonholes) but I can't confirm that until I've selected buttons.


I cast on a wrap cardigan for my daughter. She is very keen on ballet but the last couple of weeks has been chilly waiting on her class to start. She has a purchased wrap cardigan but i thought this would be nice for something pretty. I am using the pattern Theresa by Debbie Bliss, but substantially modifying it   to match the purchased cardigan we already have. My daughter can wear it before ballet and it will also look pretty over a summer dress.

I have two precious skeins of this sport weight silk cashmere. The skeins arrived as part of the Sundara subscription. Two skeins ruled out adult sized cardigans or sweaters (unless I created a scarf, or did something sleeveless).

I have another bright saffron yellow which I'm planning to cast on for myself in a long-sleeved cardigan. So I decided not to try to acquire more from other knitters' destashes.


I cast on a silk sweater for myself. I have knit this Lace Yoke Sweater myself twice now. the first version was in Anny Blatt Kanpur silk and was gorgeous until it met tragedy with a mistaken trip to the  washing machine. I knit it again in Fibre Co. Road to China Light and now I want to replace my original in silk.

This pretty green Sportweight silk is a special edition from Sundara Yarns. Its called Compassion.

Week 119 : Pink Scarf

I finished this gift scarf. I was worried it wouldn't be long enough, I knit on through misgivings.
It could definitely be a bit longer but after blocking I think its acceptable.

Its a gift for the eight year old daughter of a friend. I was told pink was her favourite colour.

Here it is gift boxed.

And here it is just before finishing modelled by my nine year old daughter.