Knit For Victory Update

No, I haven't finished my navy jumper, but I've cast off the back! Just the sleeves, collar and front bands to go (plus the eye-straining task of sewing the whole lot together). You're probably sick of photos of bits of navy knitting, especially as the stitch pattern doesn't really photograph very well, so I thought I'd share my next Knit For Victory project with you.

I'm well aware that I won't complete the next woolly in the allotted time, but that's okay. I joined Tasha's knitalong with the aim of completing the navy cardigan, and anything else is jam. Because I got stuck in a wardrobe rut, I've been noting down what I wear every day for a few weeks, and it's been really useful, revealing that I wear a lot of black and grey in winter. I had planned to do something in black yarn next, but I've abandoned that as it'll be easier to see the stitches in the lighter days of summer, and I really need some more everyday colour to wear.

I'm trying not to buy any more yarn next, as I want to run down my stash so I'll have room for a sewing machine. However, pretty much every pattern I found requires a substantial amount of yarn, and aside from the black I didn't seem to have enough 4ply in any one colour for a vintage-style woolly. Then, on a hunt through my patterns, I found the pattern at the top of this page. Isn't it perfect?

The pattern uses five colours. It's a proper 1940s make-do pattern. The grey and white I've chosen will keep it neutral enough to stop me feeling overwhelmed with colour. The toning pinks and berry purple are a gorgeous yarn from a yarn club Fyberspates and The Natural Dye Studio ran a couple of years ago. It's called 'Unicorn' and is 80% baby camel, plus some silk and cashmere. I've had the yarn in a box for ages, and never quite knew what to do with it. Now - well, soon! - it can become something really special. (In case you're wondering, the grey is alpaca and the white alpaca-rich, so they should have a fairly uniform texture when knitted up together.)

I've really been enjoying the knitalong so far, especially the discussions in the Ravelry group Tasha set up. It's been great learning that so many other people do colourwork the way I do, dropping the unused yarn! And seeing other people's use of colour, and the patterns they've found, is fantastic. There's still time for you to join in...