Never Ending Yarn...

Having too much yarn is a rare occurrence for me. Not in life generally, my yarn stash is a fearsome beast which I believe one day may actually become a self-sufficient lifeform. However, too much yarn for a single project. You are far more likely to find me, having finally got round to knitting with a yarn that I bought four years ago, running out half way up the final sleeve of a project and being reduced to begging for extra balls of that specific dye lot, in the most obscure corners of the internet. However, this time I have too much yarn.

This yarn originates in a sale in one of the local yarn shops where the Cygnet Prism yarn was discounted. I bought a bag of the Cygnet Prism in the shade of “Radiant”. It is a beautiful yarn, incredibly soft, and goes through the different hues of reds and pinks to make whatever you knit with it look like a sunset. The yarn was consigned to my stash until I found a project to match it. Years passed.

The yarn resurfaced recently for two reasons. Firstly, my daughter wanted a hat in red. The new hat was needed because her old one, knitted in the softest rowan wool in autumn brown, had been felted in the washing machine. Everyone proclaimed their innocence, but the felting was undeniable.  Secondly, as I was unable to get to yarn shops due to lockdown I decided to have a rummage through the stash to find something and rediscovered the Prism yarn. It was perfect.

I cast on the hat with a thick rib and then a soft rounded top. My daughter loved it. She then demanded a scarf. Willingly, I cast on thinking that actually the scarf would show the self-striping pattern of the yarn to perfection. I was approximately 15 inches from the cast on edge when my daughter came to inspect progress. She didn’t like it. She wanted a thick one like my scarf. My scarf is knitted in a lovely, blue, chunky, wool. A long discussion ensued where I explained the impossibility of knitting a chunky scarf in DK weight yarn. She countered this by explaining the impossibility of her wearing a scarf she didn’t like. I lost the battle and ripped the scarf back and double balled the yarn. I started knitting double thickness on 7 mm needles and had done several rows before realising the striped yarn didn’t match. Bad language ensued and I spent hours double balling 4 balls of the yarn so the pattern matched exactly and reknit the scarf. Once it was done, the bad language was forgotten it was really lovely. My darling daughter then raised the prospect of mittens. I was dubious about this – she once got through 6 pairs of gloves in half a term even with them sewn to her coat. I gave way to pressure and cast on and produced mittens. 

I then looked in the bag of the cygnet yarn. I still seemed to have 6 balls left, despite the double balling. Can yarn breed…?

Never mind. I was determined to finish this bag of yarn
before I got any more either from the yarn shop or the stash. I cast on a baby blanket. I decided to crochet. After the excruciating ordeal of knitting thumbs with only 6 stitches on dpns I wasn’t feeling much like knitting. Once the blanket was completed, there was still more yarn left, several balls of it. I cast on a baby cardigan. I would make a whole baby set, that
would use it up. The baby cardigan knitted up well. Admittedly, some minor bad language was used when I realised I had started the second front at a different point in the self-striping pattern and I had to reel it back, spool through the ball to the right point, and start again. Never mind it was finished and soft and warm
and beautifully coloured.

There was still yarn left. Time for a hat. Baby hats don’t take long and unfortunately they also don’t take much yarn. I completed the set and admired it. Then I looked in the bag. I still had 3 balls of the Cygnet yarn left plus small balls from spooling to get colour matches. I recounted. How was this possible? Either my yarn stash has actually developed a way of cloning itself – not necessarily a bad thing or there is a rip in the space time continuum. Either way I’m determined to finish all this yarn before I begin something else. So two hats, a cardigan, a blanket, and a scarf later what should I make with yarn that never seems to run out? Answers on a postcard please…

Felicity

 

 

 

The patterns for the baby set are below. Cygnet Prism yarn originally came from Rainbow Valleyin Chatteris (https://www.enfys.me.uk/),

BoPeep yarn came from Sew Much To Do in Ely (https://www.sewmuchtodo.co.uk/) and the buttons came from Always Knitting and Sewing in Chorley (https://www.alwaysknittingandsewing.co.uk/).

Blanket Pattern:

Yarns Cygnet Prism, BoPeep: 4 mm hook, English terminology. Special stitch 3treble cluster = 3 trebles into the same stitch. 3treble cluster +1 = 4 trebles into the same stitch.

 Step 1: Chain 5 and join in a loop

Step 2: Chain 3, 3xtreble crochet cluster into the loop +one treble

Step 3: Chain 3, 3 treble cluster into the single treble on the previous row, 3 treble cluster +1 into the top of the initial chain 3 on the previous row

Step 4: Chain 3, 3 treble cluster into the single treble, 3
treble cluster between the treble clusters of the previous row, 3 treble cluster+1  into the last treble of the row. This makes the increases.

Step 5: repeat Step 4 until the blanket measures 30 inches along the side.

Step 6: Chain 3, 3treble cluster between the treble clusters of the previous row to the last cluster, then treble into the last stitch of the previous row.   This makes the decreases.

Step 7: Repeat the decreases in Step 6 until only 1 cluster remains. Chain 3 and treble into the single treble on the opposite side. Pull the yarn through the loop and sew in ends.

Step 8: With Bo Peep yarn join the yarn to the side of the blanket and chain two. Double crochet along all sides of the blanket and rejoin to the original stitch.

Step 9: Chain two and double crochet into each stitch of the previous row. When reaching the corner, double crochet three times into the corner stitch, then continue along the next side. When all sides are complete join to the chain and cast off sewing in the ends.

 

Baby Cardigan
Pattern:

In BoPeep with 3.5 mm needles cast on 78 stitches,

Back
Step 1: Knit K2, P2 rib for 10 rows

Step 2: switch to cygnet Prism and 4mm needles and knit across all stitches.

Step 3: Continue in stocking stitch until the back measures 20 cm from the cast on edge.

Step 4: At the beginning of each row cast off 5 stitches and continue straight until the back measures 30 cm from the cast on edge.

Step 5: At the beginning of each of the next two rows cast off 20 stitches.

Step 6: Cast off the remaining stiches.

Front

In BoPeep with 3.5 mm needles cast on 37 stitches

Step 1: Knit K2, P2 rib for 10 rows

Step 2: switch to cygnet Prism and 4mm needles and knit across all stitches.

Step 3: Continue in stocking stitch until the front measures 20 cm from the cast on edge. Ending with knitside (left front) and purlside (right front)

Step 4: Cast off 5 stitches.

Step 5: Continue straight until the front measures 22 cm from the cast on edge.

Step 6: On the opposite side to the arm shaping begin neck shaping.

Step 7: Cast off 2 stitches at the beginning of every

alternate row 5 times.

Step 8: Cast off 1 stitch every alternate row 3 times.

Step 9: Continue straight until fronts match the back.

 

Sleeves

Using BoPeep and 3.5 mm needles cast on 33 stitches.

Step 1: Work K2 P2 rib for 10 rows.

Step 2: Switch to cygnet Prism and 4mm needles and knit across all stitches.

Step 3: Continue in straight stocking stitch for two rows

Step 4: Every 3^rd row increase one stitch at both ends of the row until there are 65 stitches on the needles.

Step 5: Work 5 rows straight stocking stitch with no increases

Step 6: Cast off.

Assemble the cardigan but sewing the front and back together at the sides and across the shoulders. Seam the sleeves and set them into the armholes and sew in place.

Button Band

Left Front

With BoPeep and a 3.5 mm crochet hook crochet 41 stitches evenly along the side of each front. With 3.5 mm needles pick up 41 stitches from the crochet and knit outwards in a K2P2 rib for 10 rows. Cast off loosely.

Right Front

With BoPeep and a 3.5 mm crochet hook crochet 41 stitches evenly along the side of each front. With 3.5 mm needles pick up 41 stitches from the crochet and knit outwards in a K2P2 rib

For the second row, while remaining in the rib pattern make 6 button holes evenly spaced along the button bands. P2, K2 together, make 1, P2, K2, P2, K2 together, make 1, P2, K2, P2, K2 together, make 1, P2, K2, P2, K2 together, make 1, P2, K2, P2, K2 together, make 1, P2, K2, P2, K2 together, make 1,

For the next 8 rows K2,P2 rib and cast off loosely.

Neck edging

With BoPeep and a 3.5 mm crochet hook join the yarn at the top of the button band of the left front. Chain two and double crochet across the top of the button band, up the right front, along the back of the neck and down the left front finishing at the edge of the button band. Chain 2 and double crochet back along all the crochet stitches. When you reach the button band again cast off. Weave in all ends and block.

Hat Pattern

Step 1: Using BoPeep and 3.5 mm needles cast on 88 stitches.

Step 2: Work K2 P2 rib for 5 rows.

Step 3: switch to cygnet Prism and 4mm needles and knit across all stitches.

Step 4: Continue in stocking stitch until the hat measures 8.5 cm from the cast on edge.

Step 5: K10, K2together repeat to end of row.

Step 6: Purl next row

Step 7: K9, K2together repeat to end of row.

Step 8: Purl next row

Step 9: K8, K2together repeat to end of row.

Step 10: Purl next row

Step 11: K7, K2together repeat to end of row.

Step 12: Purl next row

Step 13: K6, K2together repeat to end of row.

Step 14: Purl next row

Step 15: K5, K2together repeat to end of row.

Step 16: Purl next row

Step 17: K4, K2together repeat to end of row.

Step 18: Purl next row

Step 19: K3, K2together repeat to end of row.

Step 20: Purl next row

Step 21: K2, K2together repeat to end of row.

Step 22: Purl next row

Step 23: K2together across all stitches

Step 24: cut the yarn leaving a long tail and thread with a needle then use the needle to thread through the remaining stitches on the needle pulling them off as you do so and pull tight. Hem down the sides of the hat and weave in all ends.

Please note the shaping in this isn’t my pattern. I took it
from a hat that was lying around the house. It was a gift and was originally store bought so if anyone knows who to credit the shaping to let me know!