Putting Summer Away

It's time to put away the Summer clothes and Summer knitting, time to bring out the wool. The change of seasons can be tricky, because it takes a while for the weather to fully turn and settle down. It can be hard to know what to wear because while it still feels almost like Summer outside, it's already woolly sweater weather in the office.

Fingerless mitts are an essential accessory for this time of year. Having perpetually cold fingers rather than cold palms and wrists, it took me a while to come round to this particular article of clothing, but they do actually make a difference in a chilly office. I made Liz's lovely Berry Hill fingerless mitts earlier this year and I've gotten a lot of use out of them, so I decided I had to make more. I just finished knitting up a pair of Hand Charmers. Being full of holes, they probably won't do much to keep me warm, but they're very funky!

Charmers knit from one of my all time favourite Fyberspates
colour combinations. Doesn't chartreuse and orange just scream Autumn?

I was lazy and didn't do the thumb or the provisional cast on - I figured I was only going to wear them lacy bit out, and with all the crazy colours the seams wouldn't show that much.

I also started a pair of Cotton Reel fingerless mitts in pink and orange alpaca. After a couple of inches I decided the colours weren't contrasting enough, so I unravelled and started in cream and brown Habu wool/linen. This time I almost made it through an entire mitt before deciding they were a) too big, and b) too contrasting. At which point I gave up altogether.

I think I'll save the Habu cream and brown for a pair of mittens. Stranded colourwork creates such a warm and toasty fabric, it makes more sense to use this technique on full mittens. I've got my eye on Deep in the Forest mittens, which will look great with lots of contrast, and will also suit the heavier wool/linen yarn.

But that is for later in the season. In the meantime I've gone back to the pink and orange alpaca. I'm knitting a simple pair of stripey fingerless mitts, because I love the wackiness of the colour combination, but the shades are too similar to show off patterns well. The psychadelic combination reminds me of Disney's Alice in Wonderland.

Hooka smoking caterpillar

Cheshire cat

Ok, so more orange than pink, but it's the same general concept

We're enjoying a temporary return to Summer in England at the moment, which I hope will give me the window of opportunity in which to knit up my alpaca fingerless mitts, just in time for the return of cooler weather.

Early Autumn Knitting

Colours of the season are.... orange and purple! It's not exactly the Pantone prediction, but close enough. Nothing exactly new for me - I've already got quite a bit of orange in my wardrobe, but not so much purple, so it's a good area for expansion. And a nice change from my usual green (a colour obsession which lately has been morphing into mustard).

I started knitting a purple Whisper cardigan way back in June but had to set it aside because of my fiber rule (no wool knitting in summer). Also our new kitten went absolutely mad for the Madelinetosh laceweight and wouldn't allow me to get any knitting done. I was able to make excellent progress in Paris after I finished my last summer project (which I just have to quickly share here, even though it's not purple or orange).

Gretel by Julie Weisenberger in Habu painted cotton gima

I'm calling it Mustard and Mayo. I think it turned out brilliantly, right down to the way the speckling intensifies toward the top. The pattern only takes two skeins of cotton gima, so is more affordable than most Habu projects. And so quick and elegant. I'll have to make at least one more.

I managed to complete Whisper upon my return from Paris, in spite of kitten attacks. The pattern is ingenious. You start with the sleeves, pick up the neckline and waist in the round, do a couple of inches in rib, then bind off the neckline and continue the lower back until you reach the length you want. Absolutely no seaming or finishing anywhere.

I made some modifications - I did a provisional cast on for the sleeve so I could make them longer using any yarn left over after everything else was done. I did the back about an inch longer, then returned to knitting the sleeves. After adding some length I decided I didn't like the bell sleeves that much. Not wanting to go back and completely redo the sleeves, I decided to try a puff sleeve. I k2tog all the way around the sleeve and continued for a couple of inches of rib (mirroring the rib on the collar). I like it!

The designer offers this pattern with a modified sleeve here.

I used a deep-purple-verging-to-black Madelinetosh lace, which unfortunately doesn't photograph well in my dark, tiny flat. Madelinetosh is gorgeous, albeit a bit pricey. Fortunately this cardigan took only one skein of laceweight.

The other Fall project I've just finished is another Rose Red hat by Ysolda Teague. I've already made five or six of these - so many I've lost count - but I just can't stop! It is the most satisfying hat pattern ever, incorporating both lace and cable. For best results use angora. I usually use Orkney Angora St Magnus, which is 50% angora, 50% wool. But when I was in Paris I couldn't resist a tiny bit of yarn shopping, and I picked up some insanely fuzzy Anny Blatt Angora Super, which is a sneeze-inducing 70% angora, 30% wool. In orange, naturalement.

To complete the orange and purple theme, from Galleries Lafayette I bought a purple wool hat and floral wool cowl in khaki and orange with hints of yellow and purple. As you can see, even Bon Marché approves of the colour combination.

Any resemblance to Jack Nicholson's Joker are unintentional and incidental. I would never have even thought of this if it weren't for my husband. Thanks Richard.

Personally, I think he is stylin. Throw a bit of green in there and we're done.
Oh yeah, I forgot, his hair. More on the Joker's evolving looks at the IGN website.

Paris decor

No need to tell you that the French are famous for design and quality. Unfortunately I'm unable to indulge in expensive French fashion, apart from the occasional Longchamp bag and Chanel No 5 perfume, but housewares are another matter. They are a relatively affordable luxury I feel I can indulge in because pots and pans, cutlery and tablecoths can give you years of practical use.

We've been collecting Mauviel cookware ever since we started going to Normandy regularly. It is manufactured in the town of Villedieu-les-Poêles, and every time we pass by we stop for another piece. It is gorgeous cookware - bright warm copper on the exterior, if you can bother to shine it, which I usually can't. But the proof of the quality is in how well it performs, and I've never used a better pot. They heat up and cool quickly, so food cooks quickly, and perhaps more importantly, stops cooking the minute you take it off the hob. Also, food doesn't stick to them, so they are really easy to clean (apart from the fiddly polishing). These pots will last a lifetime, if not longer, so they are actually quite good value for money.

7 piece set will set you back around $1,220. Buy pieces separately to reduce sticker shock!



Another of my favorite French brands is le Jacquard Français. Jacquard refers to the type of loom used to make damask, a cloth where the patterns are produced by weaving rather than printing. Le Jacquard Français produces damask tablecloths, dish towels and aprons in cotton and linen, in a range of lovely colours and patterns. They use some really bright and unusual colour combinations, which is probably why I like them so much.

The woman whose flat we were using in Paris has a fabulous collection of Jacquard Français. It turns out her mother used to design for them and got a lot of the pieces on sale at the factory outlet in Gérardmer in the Lorraine region. Perhaps we need to start visiting other parts of France than just Normandy.

A tablecloth for every occasion

I love the mustard one with Chinese designs, but unfortunately my little flat can't support such brightness, so I'm sticking to cream and grey. The last tablecloth I picked up was too big for my table (see previous blog post), and now the new one is a tiny bit too small! But I don't care, I'm using it anyway.

I've got my eye on another item for my next shopping trip in Paris - a Peugeot pepper grinder. I've gone through so many crappy pepper grinders, I think it is about time I get a good quality one. The Peugeot ones make you feel like you are in a high class French restaurant. They cost about the price of a meal in that restaurant, but unlike the meal you get to keep it forever.

classic grinder available from Richmond Cookshop

You can get Mauviel, Jacquard Français and Peugeot from Sur le Table in the US (one of my favorite cookware shops). I haven't looked in the UK - Paris is so close, you might as well take the Eurostar over for a shopping trip.