Cambio casa

Sto cambiando casa, non so se chiuderò ATKnits ma nel frattempo si stanno preparando piccole-grandi cose e ho aperto una "sede" nuova. Oltre che su Maglia-Uncinetto.it, nei prossimi mesi mi troverete su Ai ferri corti, il blog del mio nuovo progetto (cartaceo).

Supereasy accessories

Rib and roll fingerless mittens

I am currently working on a handful of supereasy accessories, which will be on sale probably in a few weeks. The issue with these accessories is that they are geared to Italian mainstream knitters, which forces me to simplify trying not to idiotify the patterns. With one exception they will be beginners' patterns, using only knit and purl stitches and very basic shapes. To make these patterns a bit more interesting I am uysing stitch patterns from the Guernsey tradition, which make everything look nicer and more visually interesting but require no special skill, only a bit of attention at what you are doing.

Infinity scarf knitted a a strip and sewn

Designing this kind of stuff is a bit difficult for the very reason that you need to get nice results from a very limited range of tecniques. Not only cables or lace may be offlimits, but also short rows, directional decreases and other shaping is beyond the graspo of some of the knitters these patterns are aimed at. It's elating and depressing at the same time. Such limited resources make one strain to devise something that looks cute (or at least decent) once worn, is attractive to the eye but at the same time will not bore you to death in 15 seconds. Not fun, but oddly fascinating.

La maglia d'estate: un corso per lavorare il cotone

Il 12 maggio si terrà il mio laboratorio "La maglia d'estate. Come lavorare al meglio il cotone e i filati estivi". Il corso si terrà a partire dalle 10, presso la KnitHouse Unfilodi (www.unfilodi.com) di Carate Brianza e fino al pomeriggio, in una sola giornata.

- Quali ferri per il cotone.
- Tecniche di base per la lavorazione del cotone: il problema della tensione regolare.
- Il pizzo e il cotone, punti semplici e tecniche di bloccaggio.
- Le trecce e il cotone, come realizzare intrecci di bell'aspetto con filati poco elastici.
- Come ottenere un drape ottimale con un filato relativamente rigido.

Il corso prevederà come materiale un gomitolo a testa di filato Paris di Dröps (compreso nel costo del corso).
Le corsiste dovranno portare dei ferri (tradizionali o circolari a scelta) da 5 mm, a cui agguingere un ferro o una punta per i circolari intercambiabili da 4,5 o 4 mm e il ferretto supplementare per le trecce. Per chi non ne fosse in possesso potrà acquistarli in Knit-House.
Per il corso è necessario avere una buona competenza nel lavoro a maglia per quanto riguarda i punti base (dritto, rovescio e coste) e sulle diminuzioni (2 dritti assieme e accavallata o PPL) per la parte sul pizzo.

Il costo del corso che dura tutta la giornata di sabato con due pause ristoro offerte da Unfilodi è di 20 euro.
Per ulteriori informazioni visitate il sito di Unfilodi. per ragguingere Carate Brianza da Milano è possibile recarsi presso il capolinea di Sesto FS della linea 1 della metropolitana e lì prendere l'autobus per Carate (stallo Z221). La fermata Bianchi Ospedale (la prima di Carate) è a circa 200 metri dalla KnitHouse.

Socks and more socks

paradox Socks, photo ©EFN

These past few days have been sock-filled. First came the easy ribbed socks that I have published in Italian only on Maglia-Uncinetto.it, a supereasy pattern that I do not aim to translate. Then came the Paradox Socks, for the moment being only in English (but I will translate them a little later on to Italian) that went on sale as a part of the European Fiber Network KALendar. Hope you like them!

Finished and worn

It got so freezing cold that I decided to wear the new vest right away. It's knitted at 3 sts to the inch in pure wool, so it should keep me warm enough. For the rest it's a basic top-down raglan in stockinette with YO increases, thin garter borders and some waist shaping. With a bit of leftovers I made an I-cord to lace the front decoratively. Nothing fancy but warm.

A vest is (almost) born

Some knitting of my own that I can share, at last. This is a top-down raglan vest knitted on 6.5 (10 1/2) needles. Uberfast, all stockinette with garter borders. It took me lots of pondering to decide a way to make it look lighter, since the wool is rather bulky, and ended up doing all shaping with YOs. Decreases included. More about it once it's done.

Diamond Border Shawl, the English version

This shawl is knitted top-down with 4 increases on each RS row. The central part of the shawl is worked in stockimette stitch for maximum warmth and easyness, while the edge is woorked in a simple lace stitch that creartes large diamonds.
The original shawl was knittied with three balls of a nondescript cheap merino stash yarn from a market stall, a fingering chainette witha  delicately heathered coloring and a velvety feel, which unfortunately didn't block well. To work the shawl you will need about 600 meters or 660 yards of fingering or sock yarn in a single color or in two colors (at least 400 meters/440 yards in one color and 200 meters/220 yards in the other). If you have more yarn you can make the shawl bigger by widening the lace border by working more repetitions of the A chart.
Pay attention to the way you work the fist stitch in every row: it muust be kitted, not slipped, to grant maximum elasticity to the shawl and an easy blocking.
Continue reading the post for the pattern.

My new shawl is out

Here is the Italian version, the English version will be available soon.

Snowing hard

These are the days I am really happy for having learned to knit socks.

Get ready

It's almost here

It's almost here

Just block it...

Cuff anklets

This is brioche honeycomb in the round. On Lorna's Laces Sock yarn. Cool, eh.

Meetings

One strand of Kauni meets one strand of KidSilk Haze in Kaffe Fassett colors. Isn't it lovely?

Waiting to be blocked

Easy steps

From

Photo, Unfilodi.com

to

in 3 easy steps (remove tag, pull out yarn tail from the center, start knitting), to

YarnTomato.com

in 12,653,908 extremely difficult steps.
I do not know why I don't have any problem knitting from international brands' yarn hanks, but when I have to knit from an Italian hank most times as soon as I start knitting the hank goes BOOOM!

Magic...

I love the magic of blocking. This swatch is knitted in Drops BabyAlpaca Silke on 4 mm needles and is both a test for a review of the yar and a swatch for a shawl I am developing.

I have a brand new knitting notebook

Just let me sleep

I should really be typing the handouts for my next lesson at Unfilodi on brioche knitting, but I am so sleepy that I write a sentence and have to stop because I feel faint. 

Il laboratorio su maglia inglese e maglia brioche si terrà sabato 17 dicembre, quind tra un paio di settimane, da Unfilodi di Carate Brianza. Il costo del laboratorio è di 20 euro e comprende lezione, filato e pranzo a buffet. Per ulteriori informazioni sul laboratorio vi rimando alla pagina relativa sul sito di Unfilodi.

A really BIG Cowl

The Italian version of this cowl was published on M-U.it. La versione italiana di questo collo è stata pubblicata su M-U.it.

Collo Big a colori

Two hanks of Bracco Big, big fat needles and in a little more than one hour here's a perfect and very warm accessory ready t be gifted. 

Materials

• Bracco Big, 35% baby alpaca, 28% acrylic, 22% polyammide, 15% merino wool, 100 g = 40 m, 1 hank each coll. 5 (a) e 6 (b)
• 15 mm 16 cm long circular needle
• one 6 mm needle or, if you are using an interchangeable circular kit,a 6 mm pit (optional)
• a crochet hook at least size 10 mm (optional)
• Scissors

Tension: 6 sts = 10 cm in g st
Measures: circ. = 63 cm, height = 22 cm.
Notes
In this pattern the short rows are knitted by simply turning the work with no need to wrap and turn: the garter stitch and the thickness of the yarn prevent holes and unevenness in texture.
The first stitch in each row should always be knitted, never slipped. This will make the sewing up easier.

Collo Big grigio su grigio (non cambia molto)

Esecuzione

C.o. 35 sts with the long tail method and col. a.
Knit 1 row, start working the hort row pattern.

First short row section

• Row 1: k 5, turn.
• Row 2 and all even rows: k all sts.
• Row 3: k 10, turn..
• Row 5: k 5, turn..

Continue knitting 5 sts more on each odd row until you will be knitting 30 sts. 

Central section


Turn and knit all sts, then knit 2 rows from end to end.
Join col. b, k 2 rows with col. b, k 2 more rows with col. a and cut leaving a 30 cm tail. Continue working with col b for 3 rows. 

Second short row section

• Row 1: k 30, turn.
• Row 2 and all even rows: k all sts.
  
• Row 3: k 25, turn..
• Row 5: k 20, turn..

Continue knitting 5 sts less on each odd row until you will be knitting 5 sts only.

Final border

K 2 rows.
B.o. all sts with EZ's sewn b.o. using your fingers to run the yarn tail through the stitches, if you like you may use a very big crochet hok to hel you sew the stitches. You may also substitute the needle (or just its tip) with a 6 mm needle to make things easier. 

Finishing

Seam the short sides together still using either your fingers or the crochet hook.
Wash the cowl in warm water and let it dry (veru slowly) on a flat surface.

A loud POP

Often enough the foreign knitters think that since so many gorgeous yarns are produced in italy, this country must be a sort of Mecca of good knitting. Sometimes I wonder how can be people who knit, out there, when the best instructions that Italian books can give about knitting are like this example.

Sorry, guys: I know, this is bad porn

Yes, the text explains exactly what you seem to understand frm the picture: to cast-on on a circular needle, cast-on on a straight and transfer all the stitches. That's the best circular cast-on you can work according to them. On reading this I heard a loud "POP" and it took me a few moments to understand that it wasm't from some outside sourche: it was my brain popping apart!