Home Again

Playing Around crossing the finish line at the Royal Yacht Squadron Cowes having completed the Round Britain and Ireland race in 12 days 22 hours 59 minutes and 28 seconds. That put them 3rd in class and 10th overall. Well done to all who sailed in the race, it was a very exciting fortnight watching their progress on the tracker.

Round Trip

A year ago my brother competed in the Fastnet race, now he's off again. This time he is aboard Playing Around Logic for the Round Britain and Ireland race. The fleet of 27 boats set off from Cowes today at 2pm heading east.

The original course would have seen them leave Cowes heading east to then drop down and head west under the Isle of Wight and start a clockwise circumnavigation of the British Isles. However, yesterday the RORC made the decision to send the fleet anti-clockwise. This was due to a weather forecast of Force 8 or worse off the west coast of Ireland for Thursday, just when the majority of the fleet were expected to be passing through.

The fastest boats in the fleet should be heading back into Cowes in around 7 days, Playing Around is expected back in 12 - 14 days. I'll be following their progress on the race tracker which shows hourly updates of positions and rankings and on the RORC and Sailing Logic websites.

Hot Town

Summer in the city.

Tomorrow I'm heading for the coast to catch up with my favourite little ladies but today I'm spending a last sweltering day in London. I've been here for a little while now working on a couple of shows. Unfortunately I've been so busy working I didn't get much opportunity to get out and about. I had a surprise visit to see Tap Dogs this week when I realised that a friend was working on the show. A quick text and I met up with him for a chat and a ticket for the back of the stalls. The show was great fun, you should catch it whilst it's in town.



I managed a visit to my favourite museum which is undergoing a facelift. It's still open for business though and it didn't spoilt my enjoyment of the quilt exhibition

I'm off to return a hire car to central London (Argh!) and buy some herbs to make my brother a thank you for letting me stay window box. Fingers crossed this sun carries on next week as we've got paddling, sand castle building and picnicing planned.

Last Chance Scarf

Pattern: The Cream of Spinach Scarf

Needles: 4mm circulars

Yarn: Sundara Yarn Fingering Silky Merino Splendered Things

In October last year I heard that a friend was in hospital having her appendix removed. I decided to knit a shawl or scarf to cheer her up. She is a lover of all things pink so I had a root in my stash and pulled this skein of Sundara FSM. A lovely silk/merino blend which is predominantly pink with touches of mauve/purple. Picking the yarn proved to be the easy part.

I cast on for Swallowtail. And messed it up. So I pulled it out and tried again, and messed it up. Again. So after four tries I decided to try a different pattern.

I pulled out my copy of 200 Ripple Stitch Patterns and found a stitch pattern that I thought would work. I cast on and knit for a couple of inches, before deciding that I didn't like the way that the colours were falling and so ripped it out.

I then tried Aria from Knitting New Scarves. The yarn was thinner than that called for in the pattern but I gave it a go anyway. And unsurprisingly it didn't really work, so yet again I pulled it out.

It was at this point that the project was renamed 'Last Chance Scarf' and I went looking through Ravelry patterns for some inspiration. If this was unsuccessful then that was it I'd have to think of something else. Luckily I came across the Cream of Spinach Scarf. Several people had made it from FSM so I knew that it would suit the yarn. The original pattern had three pattern repeats but I decided to do five to make it a good width.

The pattern is nice and easy to memorise with just two rows. You work the pattern on the knit side and then purl your way back. I knit the bulk of this project over panto, sat in the corner knitting away, show after show, with people dropping by to see how I was progressing. I finished just after Christmas and was able to use my new blocking wires to open the pattern out and make it nice and neat.

I'm pleased with the finished project. The yarn was lovely to work with, it feels really soft and luxurious with the simple pattern the colours really stand out. Hopefully my friend will like it.

Distractions

I've stalled a little on this cardigan. I knit the sleeves once but messed up the decreases and they ended up an odd shape. So, I ripped them back out and have now seeming lost the ability to pick up an even number of stitches.



I cast on kids kit #2 to try and distract myself from loosing my picking up stitch mojo. This is another Debbie Bliss pattern the Contrast Rib Cardigan from Baby Knits for Beginners.


My final distraction was to cast on a pair of socks for work knitting. Much easier to pick up and put down when I only have short bursts of knitting time.

I have a DVD fest planned for the weekend, which will hopefully see me tied to a chair for long enough to sort out some pink stripey sleeves.

Eric - Evil Cardigan of Doom

Pattern : Eric Cardi, Rowan Milk Cotton Collection

Yarn : Rowan Milk Cotton DK (Aniseed and Apple Pip)

Needles : 3.75mm

I have fought with this pattern for a long time. Originally I cast on for the 0-3 month size in October 2008. However, I found the pattern awkwardly written and the yarn difficult to work with. As a result it languished in my knitting basket until well after the birth of the intended recipient. During the big knit last summer it came out of hibernation and was frogged. I was determined not to let this pattern beat me, after all it looked very cute in the book! This time I cast on for the 9-12 month size as this was the largest I could manage with the yarn I had. There was no way that I was buying more of this stuff!

This pattern has been a real struggle for me. As it is a raglan this meant that all the pieces had a great deal of shaping and with each shaping came the frustration of having to decipher the instructions. I was also left with 5 pieces - 4 of which ended in points - to sew together. I don't like this as it was hard to sew them together neatly and has left some ugly seaming at the neck.

I added a couple of irregular stripes at the bottom of the cardigan as I felt it was a shame that the contrast colour was only used for blanket stitch around the edges of the finished garment. I think that the stripes would have been better if they had been regular as they look like an error rather than a choice. However, there was no way I was ripping out to correct this once I'd decided that the stripes didn't work!

All in all, I'm happy that this project is off the needles if only that it means I never have to see this pattern again. Even though this yarn is very soft and will be perfect for a baby's cardi, I won't be using it again as it has been such a paint to knit with. My copy of The Milk Cotton Collection will be going up for sale so that I can't be tempted by any of the other cute knits in there - I just can't face another awkwardly written pattern.

Busy Beaver

I've been a busy beaver for the last couple of weeks. I went through my stash and pulled all of the yarn that I'd bought for baby or child projects. I looked through my patterns and picked a few projects, some tried and tested and some new. Then I made up kits, I put a copy of the pattern in a freezer bag along with the required yarn. I'm away again next week, for around three months this time. Now I have a box of knit kits which I can dip into and just start knitting. This will hopefully speed up productivity as I won't loose time having to match yarn and pattern each time, and I also don't need to carry a box of books and magazines in addition to the box of yarn ;) I need to get some of these cardigans and jumpers done before the recipients grow up too much.

I've also been cranking out the knitting. Eric - the evil cardigan of doom - is almost done. It just needs buttons and edging. I've also started on kit #1. A ribbon tied hoodie in pink and um, pink. I've made this a couple of times but this time I'm trying to knit it without needing to do any seaming. The back and fronts are being knit in one piece, and I'm planning to pick up stitches and knit downwards for the sleeves. This will also give me some wiggle room if I need to alter the sleeves due to lack of yarn! I've also finished knitting my French Press Slippers, they 'just' need sewing together and felting. I've got another week off and hope that I'll get one or more finished and blogged before I have to pack the car and head off again.

1,2,3, hat

Pattern: Urchin by Ysolda Teague

Needles: 7mm

Yarn: Rowan Little Big Wool #512

During the last dump of snow we had a friend jokingly asked me to make her a hat like mine as her head was cold. I had downloaded the Urchin pattern a few weeks previously and hat a ton of the Little Big Wool so I thought why not?

With the chunky yarn it was a nice quick knit and the construction was interesting. I did have to start twice as the pattern was written in a slightly confusing way. It wasn't until I knit the pattern repeat for the second time that it clicked and I realised that I had somehow managed to skip several rows on the first repeat. As my hat (purchased several years ago in Castle Douglas during a very wet week) has a flower on it I thought that one would be in order for this hat too.

The flower and leaf are from a crocheted set I bought on etsy two years ago with the intention of using them on a little girls sweater/cardigan which I haven't got around to yet. The recipient was very pleased with the finished hat, declaring that she would keep it on in bed! What more can you ask for? An interesting, quick project knit from the stash.

Mittens

Pattern : Bella's Mittens

Needles: Bamboo DPN's

Yarn: Rowan Little Big Wool (pink - 501 , Green - 511 )

This was another pattern found by lurking on the people page at Ravelry looking at all the completed projects. As I read through the Twilight Series at top speed last spring and a number of my friends had both read the books and watched the first two movies, these seemed like ideal christmas gifts. I had a look at the pattern page on Ravelry to see what yarns other people had used and spotted a fair few pairs made up in Rowan Little Big Wool. I have used this yarn a few times for different projects; hats, scarves and even a jumper (beautifully warm but gigantic and unshapely so only used in the privacy of my dad's very cold home!) and it knits up nicely. I soon discovered that the yarn had been discontinued but spotted some on ebay. I picked up packs in four different colours. The left overs will be used up in a blanket I'm planning for myself with oddments of Rowan chunky yarn from the stash (Big Wool, Biggy Print and Little Big Wool).

I knit up three pairs of these before Christmas and a third just after. The pattern is free and available here. It is written very well and easy to follow. I used DPN's for these as I'm not a fan of the magic loop method that the pattern calls for. Only the first pair got blocked as I didn't have time with the others, it didn't seem to make much difference anyway.

Olympic Endeavour

Pattern: Deep in the Forest Mittens

Needle size: 2.5mm bamboo DPN's

Yarn: Sundara Sock in Beaded Turquoise and Cactus Flower

I cast on for this, my Knitting Olympic project on day 4 of the winter games in Vancouver. It took me a while to get into the swing of knitting with 2 colours, making sure that the yarn carried on the back was loose enough to keep the knitting flat but not too loose. The first mitten knit up slowly, it took from day 4 to day 15 to complete. This left me with 2 1/2 days to complete mitten 2. By now handling 2 colours was almost second nature and having met all of the different elements of the mitten already I could just crack on with the knitting, no stops for pattern interpretation required. I took the mittens to work and knit on all my breaks, even a couple of rows gained here could make all the difference. I stayed up late watching the Olympic coverage and knit, I got up early and knit before work. On Sunday I sat down in front of the fire and knit, and knit, and knit. I knit through the highlights of day 16, I knit through the Men's 50K Cross Country Ski, I knit through the Ice Hockey final. My fingers flew and by the time we reached the closing ceremony I was knitting my way up the thumb. And on through the closing ceremony I worked grafting the thumb, weaving ends sewing the seam on the cuff hem. By some miracle I had finished just as the speeches drew to a close. And so I sat in my new mittens and watched as the Olympic flame was extinguished. Somehow I had finished. Mitten 1 took 11 1/2 days to knit and somehow I had pulled off a miracle and knit mitten 2 in 2 1/2 days. Truly an Olympic endeavour!

For mitten 1 I followed the pattern for the braided cuff. This resulted in a braid pointing the opposite way to the image on the pattern. So for mitten 2 I reversed the pattern and ended up with mirror image braids, a small detail but 1 that pleases me no end.

This is the first pattern that I have knit with a cuff seam, and it was much easier than I expected. I have seen this mitten knit with a picot here rather than just a plain edge and I think I may try that if I knit something similar in the future.

All in all I'm pretty pleased with these mittens. This pattern was easy to follow, and apart from a discrepancy between the written instructions and chart over the starting point for the thumb gusset and the braid coming out reversed if knit as written, there were no problems. I think I may have got my tension sorted out quicker if I had knit a pattern like Eunny Jang's Endpaper Mitts where you aren't having to carry yarn over such large areas and where the pattern is regular and easy to memorise allowing you to keep a closer eye on the knitting with out constantly referring to the chart. Having said that I'm glad I chose the pattern I did and am very happy with end results. Now I have 4 years to pick out a project for next time.

... by little

Progress is speeding up on the Deep in the Forest Mittens.

Day 15 saw mitten 1 complete and mitten 2 cast on and already at row 32 of the chart, half way through the thumb increases. With 2 days left it looks as though I may just squeak this one under the wire.

Little by Little

Progress is being made on the Deep in the Forest Mittens. Slow progress, but progress none the less. I'm 15 rows into the trees chart and not finding managing two colours that hard. I am fighting with carrying the strands on the back, I keep trying to pull them too tight and have to force myself to leave them loose. I just need to stop going out for lunch and progress might speed up.

Optimistic Olympian

Once again the Olympics are upon us. This time as the athletes gather in Vancouver I'm optimistic that I shall reach the podium. Not for me this year the hurly burly and excitement of the Ravelympics, for that way madness lies [ Beijing 2008. Projects chosen - 4. Other commitments - move house, start a new job. Projects completed - 1 (in December 2009) ]

This year I decided I would throw my hat in with the YarnHarlot. Her vision of The Knitting Olympics is of personal challenge, no teams, no events, no statistics. The idea was very simple

1. Pick a project that will challenge you as a knitter

2. When the torch is lit start knitting

3. Finish by the time the games end.

Simple. Just you, the yarn and 17 days. If you finish you win (and get a button for your blog) if you don't, well hopefully you've had fun and maybe learned something new (like don't bite off more than you can chew! Although that wouldn't be any thing new for me)

And so I picked my project and waited. For a while it looked like YarnHarlot wasn't in for the fun this time around, but that was ok this was a personal challenge after all.

Then the post came, and the game, well Games, were on. I had a prowl through the comments to see what other people were planning and came across these mittens. I had some yarn in my stash that would be perfect and so I switched projects.

And here we are day 6. It's snowing outside, the fire is going and I can't think of anywhere better to be than here finally learning to knit stranded colour work. With only 11 days left I do need to crack on if I hope to finish but with work quieter and my guests all gone I'm feeling quietly optimistic about the whole thing. It's just a shame my TV won't play any BBC channels so I can't watch events unfolding in Vancouver.

The Knitter's Progress

Progress has been made around here lately. This scarf has been finished and blocked. It's just waiting for some ends to be woven in.

I have made three pairs of these mittens since I found the pattern before Christmas. There are still a couple more pairs to go as I don't have a pair yet.

And finally progress is also being made on a scarf for my brother. I'm onto the third ball of this eight ball beast. It will need a good block when it's finished to open up the cables a bit and give it some much needed extra width.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

I've had a lovely Christmas this year. My current job is a hop, skip and a short ferry ride away from the Isle of Wight and some of my family. This was all the excuse that was needed to have a full on family Christmas, even Grumps made the trip down to join us. There was lots of yummy food, walks by the sea, excited toddlers charging about, old men snoozing in front of the fire, scrabble games and glasses of single malt. Perfect. I was spoilt with some great gifts from people who obviously know me very well! PJs, slippers, perfume, a jigsaw, a cook book and some knitting things. Knitted Lace of Estonia came from Bee and these fabby blocking wires were from my little brother.

Now I'm not really one for making New Years resolutions. They're like diets, the moment you say you can't have something that's all you want. Having said that I do have an aim for the year. To use my stash. I have a good stash of yarn that will allow me to knit a variety of projects through the year. I have enough for a few childrens jumpers, a couple of lace shawls, some socks and even an aran jumper for Grumps. I also have a large stash of fabric and a stack of books that I've not got around to reading yet. So the plan is to find interesting projects that will use up the stash. I'm going to keep a wish list of any yummy yarns or fabric that I spot during the year, then I'll have something to ask Santa for next year! At the moment I'm working on getting all of my yarn stash photographed and up on Ravelry so that I can see how well the stash busting is going. I have also been working on finishing projects that have been hanging around in my knitting basket for a while. A few things are finished, just needing a block and photos taking and then they'll be ready to share.