Monster Modular Bathmat.

Here it is, my latest FO and FP (Free Pattern).

Monster Modular Bathmat.

This was inspired by the “Extreme Knitting” work of Rachel John. The work is made on large needles (these are only 20mm, hers go much larger) and using many strands of yarn together.

It’s a quick pattern and a great stash buster, although be warned – it does make the shoulders ache!



Materials:

Assorted yarns (high acrylic content recommended, given use of item). Approximately 600g in dark colours and 300g in light colours.

Size 20mm needles.

Gauge:

Not important.

Finished size:

Approximately 39” x 27”.

Lah Lah’s Top Tip.

If you’re working in two “colours” to give the effect of the white squares, it is easier to work if you combine all your strands of yarn into one working ball for the light colourway. This makes it much easier to carry the yarns neatly, by twisting the light colourway over all of the dark strands at the end of every alternate row, thus avoiding long “floats” when the other colour is rejoined.

To work:

The pattern is garter stitch (every row knit) throughout, and is used by working a number of strands together. The aim is to make a combined “cord” (nb – not spun, just hold the strands together) with a wraps per inch figure of 3 (approximately). If using double knitting weight yarn, this is about 7 strands worked together.

It is, of course, possible to have all of your strands the same colour, but I rather like the marbled effect of similar colours combined together.

For the purposes of this pattern, “dark” means combined strands of dark yarn, and “light” means combined strand of white and pastel yarns.

1st mitre square.

Using “dark” cast on 21 sts and knit one row to last st, p1.
Row 2: sl1, K9, sl1, k2tog, psso, k to last st, p1
Row 3 and all odd numbered rows: sl1, k to last st, p1
Row 4: sl1, k8, sl1, k2tog, psso, k to last st, p1
Row 6: sl1, K7, sl1, k2tog, psso, k to last st, p1
Row 8: sl1, K6, sl1, k2tog, psso, k to last st, p1
Row 10: Change to “light” yarn. Sl1, K5, sl1, k2tog, psso, k to last st, p1
Row 12: sl1, K4, sl1, k2tog, psso, k to last st, p1
Row 14: sl1, K3, sl1, k2tog, psso, k to last st, p1
Row 16: sl1, K2, sl1, k2tog, psso, k to last st, p1
Row 18: sl1, K1, sl1, k2tog, psso, k to last st, p1
Row 20: sl1, k2tog, psso

Keeping this stitch on the needle, and using the dark yarn, pick up 10 sts along the side of the square, then cast on 10 sts (21 in total) and work one row.

Make the next mitre square in the same way as the first, and then make two more. Fasten off the yarns.

Cast on 10 sts and then pick up 11 sts along the side of the 1st mitre square, and knit one row. Then complete the square and the next three squares in the same way, picking up sts from the mitre just worked and the corresponding mitre on the first stripe.

Repeat one more time until you have 3 x 4 mitre squares.

Edging.

Using dark, cast on 4 sts and knit 1 row, picking up 1 stitch from the side of the first mitre square on the last stripe. Turn
1st row : Sl1, K1, psso. K2, P1.
2nd row: s1, K3, pick up the next stitch from the side of the mitre square.

Repeat these two rows until you’ve worked all of the way up the side of the mat, ending with a 1st row. Cast off, leaving your last stitch on the needle, then cast on 4 sts and repeat the edging along the short end of the mat.

Neaten all ends to finish.

Big projects and a sign of the times.

Knitting


Yet again, I've been trying to sort out my queue.





I've finished the crochet gloves,

but now must move on to other things (mainly gloves, tea cosies and socks), so it looks as though all of my projects are small.





However, I have completed one large project - mega in fact as it was using size 20mm needles. Inspired by all of the giant knitting at Ally Pally, I've made a monster bathmat, the pattern for which will appear in another post.



Writing
Precious little activity, although I am taking a long time to be rejected, following my latest submission. Is this a sign that my work is being pondered over, laughed at (in a good way) and generally heralded as the next big thing? Or is it that the slush pile is huge. Or is it that it got lost in the post. Ah well, no news is.....well, it's no news, to be honest.

Life

I witnessed a sign of the current economic climate yesterday - a Bentley in Lidl's carpark. Made me smile.

Money earned, money spent

What a week!

Jo from knitting group (I know you're lurking Jo....) passed a job my way. She does a fair bit of knitting for other folks, including some fantastic knitted cakes for a local cafe. She is really busy at the moment with knitting projects, so when the lady from the cafe wanted a teacosy made, she passed the gig my way.


Cheers Jo! Here's the finished object:

So, as I'd earned a little money from my knitting, I decided to spend a lot at (dah dah dah..... Ally Pally!), Yes, it's that time of year again when Les goes to North London and spends all her birthday money.

I found I was calmer this year, as I realised that NOT EVERYTHING WILL BE SOLD BY THE TIME I GET THERE!!

However, by the time I got to the Black Sheep stand, the jumble sale of yarn packs was still there, but there was nothing I wanted!

Oh, how discerning I've become.


I also took a bit more time to look at the displays this year (only a bit, there was still some serious shopping to do) but here are a few things I found impressive.


Giant knitting was a theme this year - here was a display in the palm court entrance.




There was also a chance to buy big needles (seriously tempted, but I've got some 20mm somewhere, so I thought I'd give them a go first).













The hyperbolic crochet reef was also very impressive.....

... as were the exhibits from the student shows.

This was my favourite.

But in the end, I'm a shallow individual, so it was all about the shopping.

Here's the stash, guys!

(Including some Kauni effektgarn - that made me so happy!)

One down

Knitting.





I've finished the first of the small projects I had in my queue - a tea cosy for Delia.

Observant readers (!) may notice that Delia had a tea cosy not long ago - well she has two teapots (now that's what I call posh) and this is for the smaller pot. She wanted greens, so this turned into a nice little stash buster.

The next project will be a pair of tapestry crochet gloves for Ros, in time for her birthday (Nov 4th). Shouldn't be a problem.

Writing

After reading an article in one of the writer's mags, I've decided to send off my (re-ordered) first three chapters to another publisher. I'm so predictable - full of bravado when it goes off ("well, if it's rejected, that's fine") and full of upset when it's rejected, but it's definitely not going to get published sitting on my computer, that's a given.

Life

My work is busy at the moment, and on Monday I woke up thinking "I'll be glad when this training is over". It occurred to me that I am forever wishing my life away, waiting for something to finish. I think I may be happier if I learned to live in the moment. However, since coming to this point of view, I have turned into "Mr Creosote" and am eating everything in front of me (even the cat looks a bit worried), so I'm obviously not finding this new viewpoint to be a happy one!

Perhaps it will be better when..........