Stranded knitting exercise

I'm a newbie in stranded knitting. I've already tried to work some motifs, but never knitted an entire project. I'd wanted to knit a dotty cardigan for my daughter for a long time, and tried to knit a swatch with alpaca yarn, always from Drops. The result was pathetic!


I thought I seriously needed exercises and decided to restart a long-abandoned project: Peerie Flooers by Kate Davies. I'd immediately fallen in love with this pattern and tried swatches with leftovers from a scarf project (left). The result (right) was rather lovely, but I didn't start the project as I wanted something vivacious like the scarf.


More than two years have passed since then and I've got wise (?), I now appreciate this tender colour combination.

This project was a good exercise for my right forefinger: I usually knit in continental style, but I held contrasting color yarns in English style throughout this project! And to my surprise, I got a better result than the swatch with alpaca yarn.


The yarn I used is Holst Garn Supersoft 100% Wool, that is somewhat rough before washing as you know. I think this roughness worked fine here: fibers of strands hold on, which keeps the fabric from puckering. I have to add that the English style made me knit with a looser tension.



The two sizes of the pattern are for adults, the S size was too tall for my daughter despite less repeats (3 rows of flowers instead of 4). I shortened the hat by rewriting the crown, with free OpenOffice spreadsheet!

I'll post photos of the hat "in practice" soon!

Olive Larch

Some of you caught sight of it on Ravelry, here's the latest project that has fallen off my needles, Larch Cardigan by Amy Christophers.

I'd wanted to knit this cardigan for a long time. I'd have liked to try the suggested yarn, Ultra Alpaca Light from Berroco with wool and alpaca, but finding no retailer in France, I opted for Alpaca of Drops (from Norway but sold by a French retailer). This yarn with 100% alpaca fiber is very affordable if not cheap, but soft, smooth, warm, a good value for money in short. The brand says the gauge is 23 sts x 30 rows and it's classified as sport weight yarn on Ravelry, but I think the fabric obtained with this gauge is light and drapey and you can use it as a heavy fingering yarn and easily go to 26 sts/4".

I share the photo of the yarn as its color is the closest one.

Let's get back to the cardigan.
It's very classically worked from the bottom-up with set-in sleeves, but remarkable for the originality of the collar. And I love the result!
It might seem simple and easy with st st and 1x1 ribbing, but it is deceptively. The ribbing is twisted, imagine knitting and purling all sts through back loop! And I have to add that there are not a few mistakes in the pattern... If you're used to knit clothes, it's not hard to realize them. But isn't it however frustrating and all the more regrettable because the design is really nice? I listed them up on my Project page, hope it will help you.

I chose metal buttons at La Droguerie (not Paris), that have a close looking to leather buttons that I initially wanted. I was told that I would need to remove them at every wash, the choice was not hard!

The color was really difficult to capture, when I was getting closer to the fabric with my camera, the color fading...

Another photo of the cardigan with the closest color on me.

NOTES
Pattern: Larch Cardigan by Amy Christophers
Yarn: Drops, Alpaca: #7233
Needle: 3.5mm (US 4)
Ravelry page: Olive Larch

Ecological Yarn 1

After a long wait which had worried me, the parcel from the USA has arrived on Monday! The reason of the delay is the strike of postmen (and women) in my city that had been lasting 2 weeks, yes, ça, c'est la France!

The parcel contained "American" ecological yarn. It's often said that a picture is worth a thousand words, here are the photos.

Opal

Talc

Ruby

These are Balance skeins from o-wool, balance between organic cotton and merino. This composition, perfect for transitional months, is rather rare in France, I was happy when I found it (on Ravelry search engin).

I chose this yarn for spring/autumn projects in my Queue, but the purchase was also motivated by the environmental and social commitment of the owner Jocelyn! All her yarns are made - scoured, spun, dyed - in the USA with products and process certified green, to perpetuate, even on a small scale, the local textile industry.
And half of the raw material - organic cotton - of this yarn comes from the USA, while organic merino from South America, hence my caution. The Americas are vast, compared to France, or Japan... That said, I fully support her initiative!

I'm so looking forward to knitting Shellseeker by Heidi Kirrmaier, in this soft color combination!