knit – New England's Narrow Road

About the Solvi Pattern

The Solvi sweater pattern is from designer Jennifer Steingass. You can see the pattern page at Ravelry here.

Solvi means “sun strength” in Norwegian (info from Jenn’s Ravelry page). The pullover has a colorwork yoke and long sleeves. After the cast-on, choose either a rolled neckline or 1×1 rib. The designer says it is a good pattern for beginners. I assume she means beginner colorwork knitters. If you can follow the chart, you can knit the yoke. Only two colors are used at any one time. One small section of the chart can be omitted to shorten the yoke.

As a beginner knitter, this pattern would have been tough for me. The reason being that I was not a good chart reader at the beginning of my knitting journey. I also had no idea what short rows did for a sweater.

Now, I would only knit sweaters that do include short rows. In the Solvi pattern, short rows are incorporated after the colorwork section. This happens way down by the armpit area, which is odd. Short rows are usually made near the upper back area to lift the back of the neck.

Why I Chose This Pattern

I was hoping to find a pattern that inspired me, and the Fallow sweater was at the top of my list … for a while. Then I discovered Solvi in my knitting folder (an actual folder, not online) which I had purchased a while ago.

The Peacock blue yarn amounts to a little less than 1300 yards, which is not enough for my size. But we’ll see. I’m now knitting the body ribbing and have two full skeins of yarn left. I’m thinking that one for each sleeve should be plenty.

Knitting body ribbing

Fall is a hard time of year for me. While everyone is winding down from summer, and viewing the foliage, and breathing fresh autumn air, I am still sweltering in the Florida heat. Sweater season has arrived, and new patterns are showing up all over the place. Everyone (it seems) is digging out their hand knits and wearing them.

For me, it’s the time of year to keep an eye on the tropical storms and hurricanes (Milton hit my area as a Category 1 in October).

I’ve lost interest in knitting over the past few months, and I’m not sure why. Even so, I have not stopped knitting. My projects are many, because when one begins to bore me, I take up another. You may say, “me too” or “that is normal, we all do that!” but the passion is not there. It is just a life slump. They come, and go, so I’ll wait and it will pass.

I am a bit excited to try some new yarn, which will arrive any day now. I may use it to knit Fallow. We’ll see.

Ribbed Watchcap by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas

This ribbed beanie takes a long time to knit! It is a 1×1 rib all the way up to the decreases and top, using a size 1 needle. I have knit two hats from this pattern and love wearing them during Florida winter months. This slow and steady project is worth the time spent. Both of my hats were mostly knit while riding.

Keep it Simple

I like to keep it simple when knitting while riding. If I am making a hat, I like to have the cast on completed. That way I can do the knits, or knits and purls, while traveling. Of course you can knit any way you choose, but we are usually pulling the camper and the road is a bit bumpy because I am riding in a truck. Simple stitches are best for me. Choose what you can handle.

Any type of knitting that is round and round, without any guidance needed, is my preferred way to travel knit. If I had something more complicated – like a chart or colorwork – to follow, I’d use Knit Companion on my iPad.

The Musselburgh Hat by Ysolda Teague

I recently jumped on board the Musselburgh knitting bandwagon and knit this unique hat. My goal was to use up some stash yarn. This pattern begins with a tough cast on – it is knit from the center / top out. Get that over with and then it becomes a great take-along project. See my notes on knitting the Musselburgh on this page.

Musselburgh Hat knitting project — Musselburgh

Plan For Mistake Fixing – Bring the Tools

For a short trip to the grocery store a simple project with yarn, stuffed into a small bag, is fine. But for a longer trip, be sure to have the tools that may be needed to cut, mark, and fix mistakes.

A crochet hook is one thing a knitter should always have close by. If a stitch is dropped, the crochet hook (how to fix a dropped stitch video link) is needed for this fix. I’ve gone on short trips and dropped a stitch and had to wait until I got home to use my crochet hook.

Also take a project bag, all needles needed, scissors, stitch markers, measuring tape, the pattern, and enough yarn!

Socks Projects

I’m not much of a sock knitter, but I have made a few pair. Socks are the perfect take-along item because they are small.

A link to my review page (and pattern links) is at the bottom of each photo here.

hand knit socks in aqua blue variegated yarn — Shell Cottage socks

Perfect Newborn socks pattern knitting — Shell Cottage socks

Make Your Own Pattern

Sometimes it’s nice to take some yarn and wing it. Make some new dishcloths, or begin a simple scarf. Just cast on and knit. It’s a good way to use up stash yarn. (Hint: choose the right type of yarn for the project, cotton for dishcloths, etc.)

Key West Kotton yarn and Anzula "For Better or Worsted"

Caution – Avoid the Sun!

One thing I have to be careful of where I live is to keep the knitting out of the sun. My little take along project must be kept in a bag, and especially if I am away from the vehicle for a while.

The sun can fade and damage the yarn. The Florida sun is very strong, but I don’t think any project should be sitting in a sunny car. I think it’s risky. So be sure the garment is packed away in case the sun shifts.

More Pattern Ideas For Take-along Knitting

Classic Ribbed Hat, by Purl Soho (Free Pattern) – DK weight yarn suggested
Headband With a Twist, by Mirella Moments – Free Pattern
Small Fry Scarf, by Samantha Guerin
Scarflette, by Justin Lorkowska (Letesknits) – a more advanced, lace and cable knitting project, but so beautiful.

Do you have any suggestions for good patterns to knit while traveling?