July Knitting Update

Phew, is it seriously August already? I honestly don’t know where the time’s gone this month, but I definitely feel like I’ve been productive! If you follow me over on Instagram, you might have noticed that I’ve not been as active as I often am, but I’ve definitely been putting the work in offline.

I’m still deep into my yarn de-stash, and that’s been my number one priority this past month. I’m so determined to get through it all, so that I can start to work on some of the beautiful patterns that are in my wishlist. I’m also especially excited to pick out the yarn for each pattern with care and dedication, choosing just the right one for each project. It’s a new way of working for me, and has been the inspiration behind my current de-stash so I can’t wait for it to become a reality!

So, let me tell you a bit about my month in knitting…

I’ve been working on my dream blanket for coming up to two months now, and I’ve just hit the half-way point. I honestly can’t tell you how excited that makes me! At June’s knit club, I think I was just about on my third ball out of 20, and sometime in July I set myself the target to hit number 11 in time for July’s knit club. It seemed a little crazy, and it saw me knitting furiously for those final few days, but gosh was it worth it! The dreary weather here in the UK has everything feeling like Autumn, and I’m so desperate to have it done in time for cosy evenings in with my love!

Sticking with the home furnishings theme, I’ve just finished another exciting project that fulfils a desperate need. Back when I started Knits Please I made up some grey and mustard colour block cushion covers. At the time, they were the perfect project to get me going and they turned out great, but now I can’t stand them! As well as my personal style evolving, the design has not stood the test of time and I’ve been so keen to get rid of them for ages. Now I get to replace them with these gorgeous and simple jersey yarn cushions. They’re going to be so much more durable, and they fit my personal aesthetic 100%.

You might have seen on Instagram that I’ve been working on a couple of vests this month. These seem to be my staple, and have been the perfect go-to for stash-busting those smaller yarn quantities. This classic black vest spoke to a lot of people, and while it’s not perfect (the straps are a little too long so it sits a little low for my liking), it’s a great addition to my layering wardrobe and will be providing some extra warmth all winter!

My second vest was an update on this roll neck that I made last year. The pattern is pretty much the same, with some minor alteration to the neckline. The one thing that I didn’t like on the original was that the underneath ribbing sat quite low, and therefore showed a lot more at the bottom of the roll neck. This time around, I shaped the neckline a little later, and kept it slightly smaller. With thanks to those of you who suggested Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off, I was able to keep it more snug, and still get it over my head!

One of my last projects of the month was this incredibly adorable headband. This was my first attempt at cabling, and the wonderful Kari-Helene kindly gifted my her Diana Headband pattern so I could get some practice. I’m going to write a full post about this headband, and my experience knitting cable for the first time, soon.

I also had a more difficult moment this month. You might have seen my improv vest and halter vest, both made from Debbie Bliss Cotton Denim DK. I am so unbelievably in love with this yarn, and had such a fun time playing around with ideas to come up with these two original designs. I can’t deny that I’m really proud of how they turned out. The shaping on both of them was just was I was going for, and style-wise they were right on the money. However, they are no more! I’m trying not to be sentimental about my knits, favouring the desire for items that I will actually wear over the romance of hanging onto something that I’ve created, and these items are just not cutting it. The first is too big around the body, so it hangs down revealing way too much side boob than I can be on board with. The second fits much better, aside from the fact that it’s really short, and flashes my bra every time I lift up my arms. Instead of leaving them in my wardrobe, unworn, I’ve ripped them up and plan to make just one top with the two balls. I guess I’ve learnt that I need a bit more coverage to feel comfortable these days, and I’m OK with that.

So I guess there’s a lot I’ve shared here that hasn’t made it to Instagram, but I’m hoping August brings another month full of great knits which I might be more active about posting! What did you get up to in July? Have you got any Autumn WIPs on your needles like I have? I’d love to know how you’re getting on, so please drop a comment below!