The Girl Can't Help Knit

My Big Fat Bed Blanket

2012-01-02T22:55:00.001Z

Pattern: Square Shawl from Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitters Almanac
Yarn: Rowan Big Wool, Rowan Little Big Wool (501 Pink, 507 Brown, 511 Green, 512 Blue), Rowan Biggie Print, other oddments of Rowan chunky wools
Needles:10mm bamboo DPNs, 10mm Addi Circulars (1 x 90cm cable, 2 x 1m cable), 10mm Inox circular (80cm cable)
Cast on: October 2010
Cast off: April 2011

This project had been percolating for a while before I cast on. I had a bunch of chunky yarn remnants from my early knitting projects including a sweaters worth of yarn that I reclaimed from a very unflattering FO! I bought some additional yarn to make mittens for Christmas 2009 knowing that the remnants would be added to this project.

I used the Square Shawl pattern from EZ's Knitter's Almanac. I decided not to add any kind of lace or cable pattern but to just stick with stripes. I didn't plan the sequence of stripes but just looked at what I had when each ball ran out and decided then whether to change colours or knit another ball of the same colour. I kept an eye on the amounts I had, using the small quantities early on. I only set myself 1 rule and that was that each colour had to do a full round. The stripes are different widths depending upon the amounts I had of each colour and what had fallen before the current stripe. I tried to mix up wide and narrow stripes to keep the irregular look. I had to rip a few rows at one point as I had overestimated the amount of the bright blue I had and it ran out midway around. It's a great pattern, and the circular cast on is pretty nifty (it did take me a few goes as I'm rubbish with a crochet hook).

This was a bit of a monster knitting project and by the end I was working with 4 large circular needles and knitting sat on my bed as I couldn't wrangle the project whilst sat in a chair! It did keep me warm while knitting it and I had to keep fighting the urge to stop knitting and take a nap. A blanket (or blankets) are a necessity at home as the heating is only turned on for a few days over Christmas each year and this is living up to expectations on the toastyness front. Which makes me very happy. I cheated a little (a lot!) and only wove in the ends that were close to the edge or the corner shaping (don't tell anyone will you?) and would show from the front (there were an awful lot of ends to weave in after all).

Oh, I should probably mention that the blanket comfortably covers my double bed (I think it would happily cover a king size). Definitely a Big Fat Bed Blanket!

Bad Girl

2011-12-03T22:32:00.003Z

For a girl on the wagon I've acquired a few skeins of yarn this year.

Misti Alpaca - Northern Lights

Kozmos - Mallard

Juno Pearl - Canopy

Wollmeise Twin - Sabrina

Wollmeise 100% - Sanguinella

Cascade 220 - Framboise

Cascade 220 - Azure

Cascade 220 - Burnt Orange

Cascade 220 - Hunter Green

Cascade 220 - Chocolate

The Cascade is for hats as requested by my god daughters (one pink with flowers and one striped), but I have no firm plans for the rest. The Wollmeise will most likely become socks. I was thinking Baby Surprise Jacket for the Misti Alpaca and some kind of shawlette or scarf with the Kozmos and Juno Pearl but who knows?

Slow Going

2011-11-30T14:00:00.002Z

Well 11 in 11 has gone from ticking along nicely to very slow going. Some progress is being made but not nearly enough if I'm going to manage to reach the finishing line.

Baby Surprise Jacket #1

Tiny Tea Leaves #2

Poppy #3

February Baby Sweater #4

Baby Yours #5

Kusha Kusha #6

Alhambra #7

Pomatomus #8

Baby Surprise Jacket, Tiny Tea Leaves, Poppy and February Baby Sweater are all finished.

Baby Yours has been knit and block and just waits to be seamed.

Kusha Kusha has been finished and blocked, I'm just waiting for it to dry so that I can weave ends and declare it completed.

Alhambra has passed the half way mark but remains stalled as I have to concentrate while knitting it. A concerted effort on this would see it done in a week.

I have been knitting Pomatomus on the tube and have reached the foot on sock one. I have 2 more weeks of tube travel before Christmas and hope to get sock one finished and a good portion of the second leg done.

Baby Mine is the last of the started projects and at the moment is one almost complete sleeve. This will be going with me to Spain and a couple of airport waits, flights and nights away on my own will (fingers crossed) see the back of this project broken.

And that just leaves projects 10 and 11. I had planned these to be Anemoi (a pair of stranded colourwork mittens) and Girasol (a circular lace shawl). While finishing the cast on projects this year is a possibility I'm pretty sure I'd need a thirteenth month to add completed Anemoi and Girasol to them. While my rules would allow substitution of a simpler pattern it feels a bit like cheating as I'd always planned to include Girasol in the years knitting. The most important knits will be finished - baby garments for imminent arrivals - and if they others don't quite make it ...

New Tricks

2011-11-27T21:50:00.001Z

Yesterday I went to London to take a knitting class. My first ever knitting class. Fair Isle the continental way with Juju Vale at Loop in Islington.

I had a great time. The group was nice and small and each student was able to move at their own pace with Juju working her way around encouraging people forward as they were ready. The classroom is in the basement of the shop and quiet despite the bustle of the store above.

When we arrived the table was set with a circular needle at each place and inviting groups of Spindrift yarn. We started off working with one colour and learnt the long tail cast on before joining into a round and learning to magic loop. Once we were familiar with magic loop we moved on to knitting continental style. And here I stayed for a while as I just could not get my fingers to cooperate! Finally I was able to introduce a second colour and start to follow a chart.

We were then shown how to catch long floats, purl continental and knit corrugated rib. I started to try these but with my new slower continental style ran out of time! I have a stranded colourwork project lined up for 11 in 11 and hope that by the time I have completed that I shall be a dab hand at continental knitting as I can see how useful it will be to have in my arsenal of skills. I don't think I shall be swapping my DPN's for magic loop any time soon though.

Ten Tiny Toes

2011-11-13T13:44:00.000Z

Pattern: Baby hat, socks and mitts by Sue Morgan
Yarn: Sundara sock yarn in Pine Over Gold
Needles: 2.5mm bamboo DPN
Cast on: July 2011
Cast off: August 2011

I cast these on as I finished February Baby Sweater to use up the small amount of left over yarn. They are from a pattern purchased at Get Knitted a number of years ago and are by the same designer as my go to adult socks. I doubled the length of cuff that the pattern calls for and knit it all in my standard K2 P1 rib to give an extra anchor against a sock resistant baby.

These are a really satisfying knit. They are quick, use a tiny amount of yarn and with their tiny heels and toes are super cute!

Ticking Along Nicely

2011-09-25T01:06:00.000+01:00

With the Knitting and Stitching show at Ally Pally fast approaching I've finally cast on some yarn I purchased there three years ago!

These are both 11 in 11 projects as the patterns have been queued for longer than I've had the yarn. And with these 2 projects well under way that puts me in a better position for hitting my target than I'd previously thought. I thought I had 6 more projects to cast on for but it turns out I only need 4 more. 7 + 4 = 11 right? right? someone please tell me I'm right!

February Baby Sweater

2011-09-20T16:51:00.011+01:00

Pattern: Baby Sweater on Two Needles (February) by Elizabeth Zimmerman from Knitter's Almanac
Yarn: Sundara Sock Yarn in Pine Over Gold
Needles: 3.75mm circular
Cast on: June 2011
Cast off: September 2011

This has been on my want to knit list for quite a while. This version by Brooklyn Tweed sent me off to Amazon to buy Knitter's Almanac just so that I could knit one too. I then kind of freaked out that as a fairly novice knitter I couldn't follow the pattern. Fast forward a few years and this was a no brainer inclusion on the 11 in 11 list.

I used a stashed yarn, Sundara Yarns sock yarn in Pine over Gold (coincidentally a similar yarn and colour to BT's version). The yarn was a little crunchy and rough whilst I was working with it, which was unexpected as previous colourways that I'd used were lovely and soft. Once the cardigan was finished I blocked it using Eucalan and it softened up nicely.

I took this project on holiday with me, knitting happily away on the plane to and from Guernsey, neither security nor stewards batting an eye. The pattern is well written and I found it easy to follow. However, in my usually fashion I managed to sabotage myself. In this case when I switched from the garter stitch yolk to the gull stitch body I was so busy concentrating on the lace pattern that I kept forgetting to knit the first and last few stitches to form a garter stitch button band. I also forgot to start adding button holes, which is why this version only has two, slightly randomly placed, buttonholes. I've made a big note on the pattern so that next time I will remember to add button holes!

All in all I'm pretty pleased with how this project worked out. I like the strong colour combined with the openness of the lace and after it's bath the yarn has a softness that will be perfect next to a baby's cheek.

Blocking

2011-09-15T01:36:00.000+01:00

I finally got around to blocking the next two 11 in 11 projects today. With any luck (and by luck I mean if I don't distract myself) they should be completed with buttons and all this weekend.

Pink Poppy

2011-09-04T20:12:00.000+01:00

Pattern: Poppy by Justine Turner
Needles: 4.5mm bamboo, 3.25mm circular
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in 300021
Cast on: 26 August 2011
Cast off: 28 August 2011

This was a nice quick knit. The pattern was well written and easy to follow. The yarn is cashmerino aran which I've used lots and is always nice to knit with. If I made this again I would look at the slipped stitches. The pattern says not to knit them but I don't like how noticeable they are on the finished hat. With a more tweedy or variegated yarn they may have been less obvious so that could be worth a try.

This is the third finished 11 in 11 project. There are a couple more than are knit but need seaming or blocking. Having said that I will need to get a bit of a wriggle on to hit my December deadline, especially as Jared Flood's Girasole is on the list! I'm glad I've got a lot of baby projects in the 11 as several friends have bumps. I should be able to hand out appropriately coloured hand knits once the babies arrive.

Fasnet

2011-08-15T10:27:00.003+01:00

It's that time of year again when my brother heads off in a small boat to sail a long way. This year he is on Sailing Logic's Addiction Logic for the RORC Fastnet, a 608 mile race from Cowes, around Fastnet rock and into Plymouth. We spent yesterday on the green at Cowes watching the organised chaos of the race start. Conditions were just right that his class were close into shore as they crossed the start and we were able to see the opening jockeying for position, and finally spot Addiction. Current estimations put their arrival into Plymouth as late Thursday afternoon. I hope they all have a great sail, we'll be watching their progress here.

Hazy Lazy Days

2011-07-22T11:48:00.001+01:00

Following hot on the heels of the camping trip I headed off to Guernsey. This time for a week with the family and my cousin's wedding. We were held on the runway on the way out due to heavy rain and lightning, but once we were there the weather was glorious - resulting in a lot of pink noses.

Both the bride and groom's families took apartments at The Del Mar Court which I can highly recommend. The accommodation was well equipped and nice and clean as were the grounds and heated pool. The staff were friendly and couldn't do enough to help, sorting out any problems or queries promptly.

As this was a week of celebration there was a lot of eating and drinking but we managed to fit in a few touristy things too. A trip to Herm, a bus ride around the island and and afternoon watching sand racing at Vazon Beach before coffee and a sneaky ice cream at Crabby Jack's.

Happy Campers

2011-07-12T14:38:00.001+01:00

I recently returned from a couple of days camping with my friend and god-daughters. As I'm the only person who had camped before I booked a pitch on a small site 5 miles from their house. That way if the two girls (both under five) weren't enjoying themselves or the British weather did it's usual and wouldn't stop raining we could pack up and head home.

The site was fantastic. A small family run site with a mix of static caravans, tourers and tents spread over 3 fields. There was a small shop with a good selection of produce including local cakes and free range eggs.

We were the only tent pitched in our field and the girls enjoyed running around without any obstacles to avoid. Free range chickens, ducks and geese have run of the camp and on more than one occasion an inquisitive chicken had to be shoo'd away from supper preparation.

We had a trip to visit Mary Arden's house and farm which was in the next village. There was a great little cafe which provided a change my camping stove cooking. The girls enjoyed seeing all of the animals and had a good play in the playground.

The girls enjoyed themselves so much that I need to look for another local campsite we can head off to when the break up at they end of the month.

Sneaky Peak

2011-07-10T22:24:00.006+01:00

Knitting has been occurring around here,

and it's mostly been

stripy!

Here and There

2011-05-24T17:53:00.001+01:00

Yarn: RYC Cashsoft DK Shade 524
Needles: 4.5mm bamboo
Pattern: Here and There Cables by Norah Gaughan from Scarf Style
Cast on: December 2009
Cast off: December 2010

My little brother requested a scarf that was wide and long and green. After several sessions on Ravelry he chose this combination of yarn and pattern and then sat back and waited. He was very good and would only occasionally ask after his scarf.

This is a well written pattern and I love the finished result. However, the combination of a dark yarn and the cable pattern meant that it wasn't a good choice for show knitting. As this is where a large proportion of my knitting is done, in low light in prompt corner, it meant that this scarf has taken a lot longer than it should have.

In the autumn and winter last year I was working close to family and spent several weekends visiting them. This gave me a number of concentrated knitting hours on the train and ferry and finally this scarf began to grow. I cast off at the end of the eighth ball and wet blocked it to open the pattern out a little. It was dry in time for gifting at Christmas. A scarf long enough and wide enough for my gigantic little brother.

Tea with the Queen

2011-05-19T17:42:00.001+01:00

Yarn: Sublime Baby Cashmere Merino DK Shade 0001 (light pink)
Rowan Pure Wool DK Shade 00042 (dark pink)
Needles: 4mm and 4.5mm bamboo
Pattern: Tiny Tea Leaves Cardi
Cast on: January 2011
Cast off: February 2011

I've had this pattern in my queue for quite a while and as I had some lovely pink Sublime yarn in the stash it was ideal for 11 in 11. The yarn was lovely and soft and a joy to work with. The pattern was well written with interesting shaping and patterning at the start before speeding through stockinette to the finish. I put shorter sleeves on as I didn't have enough yarn for the full length ones. The buttons on this cardigan came from the stash. Originally from Duttons for Buttons a fantastic shop in Harrogate that I can never resist when I'm working there. Well it is only 2 doors away from the theatre and like a treasure trove!

The resulting cardigan was so cute that I couldn't help but knit it again for the older of my 2 god daughters. This did mean breaking the no new yarn rule though but I think it was worth it to have 2 little ladies decked out in fantastic cardigans. The buttons for this darker cardigan came from the stash too, the rest of the set having been used on the Pink, Pink, Pink cardi from last year.

They like them so much that they picked them to wear when they went to see the Queen! You can't ask for more than that.

Sundara Scarf

2011-02-10T19:03:00.000Z

Yarn: Sundara ASM in Speaking of Parrots and Dancing With Your Imagination
Needles: 5mm Addi circulars
Pattern: Edwardian Waves from 200 Ripple Stitch Patterns by Jan Eaton
Cast on: September 2010
Cast off: January 2011

I bought this yarn in 2009 and in March 2010 made a Drop Stitch Scarf with the skein of Speaking of Parrots. Despite other Ravelers having used 1 skein of ASM for this scarf mine came out very short and it languished unblocked in the knitting basket.

Fast forward to the autumn when I was knitting gloves for work in horrid squeaky acrylic yarn and needed a 'palette' cleanser. I reclaimed the yarn from the Dropped Stitch Scarf and teamed it with Dancing With Your Imagination, then I picked a stitch pattern from Jan Eaton's book.

This yarn was lovely to work with, a real treat after grey acrylic! I think that the stitch pattern shows off the yarn really well and I love the way the two colours sit together, almost blending in some areas. After a month of use the scarf is a little pilly now, but that's to be expected and I don't mind as you can still see a soft sheen from the silk.

11 in 11

2011-01-30T22:20:00.002Z

I've seen a few variations on this Ravelry with people pledging to knit 11 shawls or sweaters or pairs of socks in 2011. While I would love to knit myself 11 sweaters by the end of the year I know that this just wouldn't happen. It would be at least 2 full time jobs worth of knitting time and I'd need 2 full time jobs to fund that quantity of yarn! I'm also continuing last years pledge of using up my stash and there isn't really enough of any one yarn to knit me a sweater.

The Aim

:: Knit 11 items in 2011

The Rules

:: The yarn has to come from the stash
:: The pattern has to be one I've wanted to knit for a while
:: I have to finish before midnight December 31st 2011

I have put a group of patterns into my queue on Ravelry that are contenders. They are a mixture of lace, cables, baby sweaters, shawls and so on all of which could be made from the stash. There are more than 11 items on the list so that I can choose what I fancy as the year goes on and I see how much work/free time that I have.

One down, ten to go!

Baby Surprise Jacket

2011-01-29T10:14:00.002Z

Pattern: Baby Surprise Jacket from Knitting Workshop by Elizabeth Zimmerman
Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton in 907 (deepest olive) and 900 (antique)
Needles: 4mm bamboo circular
Cast on: January 2011
Cast off: January 2011

This is another of the kids kits that I put together last year and the first of my 11 in 11. I went away for a couple of days over New Year and grabbed this to keep me going on the train and in front of the telly. The pattern has been in my queue for a really long time. In fact I bought the book in July 2007 after seeing this version by Brooklyn Tweed.

The yarn had also been in the stash for a long time, since 2005 I think. I had planned to make a Handsome Hound but never quite got around to it. Since I sold the Lucinda Guy book that the pattern is in two years ago it is unlikely to get made now!

As I had a limited amount of yarn available; 2 balls of antique and 1 of deepest olive; I decided to make the jacket striped. 4 rows of white then 2 of green. I had intended to knit this without any alterations as it is the first time I have knit this pattern. However, I did end up making 2 small adaptations. Firstly when told to knit 10 bumps (2 rows of garter stitch = 1 bump) across the center section I only did 9. This was to keep the stripes correct. The other alteration was to pick up stitches around the neck, knit a row and then cast off. This was to neaten the neck up and to make it match the front edges. The buttons again came from Franklins in Salisbury.

Having knit this pattern once I can understand why people return to it time and again. I have a feeling that this will not be the last BSJ that turns up here!

Green and White Cardigan

2011-01-27T14:00:00.001Z

Pattern: V-neck Cardigan with Contrast Ribs by Debbie Bliss from Baby Knits for Beginners
Needles: 4mm bamboo
Yarn: Sidar Snuggly Baby Bamboo DK
Cast on: May 2010
Cast off: December 2010

This was another of the baby kits that I put together last spring. Having finished it just before Christmas it sat in my knitting basket for only a few weeks before being sent to some friends for their new arrival. I adapted this pattern in the same way as Pink, Pink, Pink to be knit with as little seaming as possible. I did however, cast off and seam the shoulder stitches as casting off front and back shoulders together on Pink, Pink, Pink didn't look very neat. As I had plenty of yarn this time I picked up stitches around the armhole and knit each sleeve separately. The cream rib yarn came from the stash and the buttons were from Franklins in Salisbury and picked to help tie the two colours together

Striped Socks

2011-01-21T22:35:00.008Z

Yarn: Regia Design Line Kaffe Fassett, Exotic Pool #4453
Needles: 2.5mm bamboo DPN's
Pattern: Simple Sock Pattern by Sue Morgan
Cast on: September 2010
Cast off: November 2010

I started these socks for me. However, when a friend asked where she was on the list for a pair of knitted socks and listed her favourite colours as blues, greens and purples they quickly got redirected. They are the usual pattern that I use for socks, with a K2 P2 rib as I wasn't concentrating when I cast on and forgot to do my usual K2 P1!

Pink, Pink, Pink

2011-01-12T14:11:00.001Z

Pattern: Debbie Bliss Ribbon Tied Hoodie
Yarns: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran; Cashmerino Astrakhan 31016, 31015
Needles: 4.5mm circulars
Buttons: Painted wooden buttons from stash
Started: March 2010
Finished: November 2010

The dark pink yarn was left over from several previous versions of this top which I supplemented with a couple of balls of light pink from the stash. This sweater would need to be stripey, as there wasn't enough of each yarn to knit the whole project in. When I weighed the yarn there was roughly twice as much light pink so I decided to knit wide stripes, 8 rows of light pink then 4 of dark pink.

Rather than knitting this in flat pieces and seaming them I decided to try and eliminate as many seams as possible. I knit the body in one piece, casting on all of the stitches required for the back and both front pieces. Once I reached the point that the armholes need to be I used the extra balls of yarns to knit the 3 sections. I then cast off the shoulder seams together leaving just the collar stitches live. These were then knit across and cast off in the purple that I'd cast on in.

The sleeves came next. Once again I weighed the remaining yarn and now I had more dark than light pink, so I decided to reverse the body stripes knitting 8 dark to 4 light pink. As it didn't look as though I would have enough yarn to knit full size sleeves I decided to pick up stitches around both armholes and knit the sleeves together from the top down until I ran out of yarn. I looked at the shaping of the original pattern to work out how many stitches to pick up and when to decrease. On the first attempt I picked up too few stitches and decreased too quickly giving me a very oddly shaped pair of sleeves. So I ripped them out and tried again, finishing these normal looking sleeves with 1 round of purple before casting off.

The next step was to create some button holes. I did this by crocheting up the left front leaving 6 chain loops for each button hole. The final step was to sew on buttons and weave in all the ends.

This was the first of the baby knit kits that I put together. The aim of the kits was to stash bust and end up with a supply of baby goodies to gift to friends. I pulled yarn and patterns together into baggies so that I could quickly pull a new project once one was finished. When a friend announced the arrival of a little bundle of joy all I needed to do were the final stages, button holes, buttons and weaving in ends. Luckily this cardigan has gone to a little girl despite her dad requesting pink whatever the sex!

Berry and Bark Socks

2011-01-11T17:40:00.001Z

Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Select in Caribou Creek
Needles: 2.5mm bamboo DPN's
Pattern: Simple Sock Pattern by Sue Morgan
Cast on: April 2010
Finished: September 2010

These were made to my usual sock pattern. They have a K2 P1 rib and as they are for a friend I shortened the foot a couple of rows.

The yarn was nice to work with and I love the subdued colours of Caribou Creek.

Home Again

2010-09-06T12:00:00.001+01:00

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

2010-08-23T12:00:00.004+01:00

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

2010-06-28T22:47:00.008+01:00

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

2010-05-21T10:00:00.003+01:00

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

2010-05-01T18:42:00.007+01:00

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

2010-04-01T18:15:00.001+01:00

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

2010-03-22T23:00:00.001Z

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

2010-03-13T23:44:00.003Z

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

2010-03-08T13:30:00.001Z

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

2010-03-01T14:39:00.016Z

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

2010-02-27T12:25:00.009Z

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

2010-02-22T11:07:00.002Z

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

2010-02-18T15:39:00.006Z

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

2010-01-23T13:10:00.008Z

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

2010-01-01T21:37:00.004Z

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.

Tweedy Pi

2009-12-12T11:52:00.015Z

Pattern: Pi Blanket from Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmerman

Needle size: 5mm

Yarn: Rowanspun DK

This shawl was lovely and simple, mostly just plain knitting. You start at the middle and knit, then you increase, knit some more, increase again, and each time the knitting takes longer before you reach the next set of increases. This made it an ideal project to knit at work. I followed the plain pattern throwing in a YO K2tog round when I hit the knit 96 rounds section to break things up a bit. As I had 5 balls of yarn for this project I decided that when I reached half way through my 4th ball I would prepare for casting off. I knit a YO K2tog round followed by 2 plain knit rounds 3 times. Then I did the knitted cast off that EZ recommends. The 3 rounds of YO K2tog's gave me a bit of interest at the edge as the cast off is plain garter stitch. I love this pattern and think that I will be knitting another Pi in the future, with some patterning this time. The yarn was good to work with and I think the tweedy flecks give a bit of interest to what otherwise would have been a bit of a plain knit. Unfortunately this yarn was gifted to me a few years ago and has now been discontinued.

I cast on for this on a set of 5mm bamboo DPN's. Once the first couple of increase rounds were out of the way I moved onto an Addi premium circular needle. I've seen these recommended on various blogs and decided to treat myself as I knew this project would be on the needles for a while. I have to say that they didn't disappoint. The joins between tip and cable were nice and smooth so I wasn't having to ease hundreds of stitches over snaggy joins. The tips were also comfortable to hold and sharp enough to make knitting easy (but not so sharp that I was accidentally splitting stitches all over the place).

All in all this was a good project and is currently in use keeping my knees warm in a draughty prompt corner.

Mr Vanilla

2009-11-18T23:02:00.022Z

Pattern: Simple sock by Sue Morgan

Needle size: 2.5mm DPN

Yarn: Regia Canyon Color 2804

Cast on: July 2009

Cast off: September 2009

These are my seventh pair of socks knit from this pattern, with the usual modifications.

I chose the yarn after seeing Jane Brocket's Liquorice Allsorts socks. Unfortunately, they were on her old blog which has now been taken down and so I can't link to the clever pictures of her finished pair.

Whilst Mr Vanilla may be finished I have enough of this yarn for another pair. These will be going to my brother who expressed interest in these socks (and took the photos for me)

Unfortunately for him I was too far into this pair to alter the shaping to fit his big feet so he'll just have to wait for his own pair - Mademoiselle Vanille.

Alone. Not lonely.

2009-10-12T17:26:00.008+01:00

My life is a solitary sort of life. I work away from home and live in peoples spare rooms and this seems to worry people. My landladies worry that I spend too much time alone in my room. My dad worries that I go to the cinema on my own. Luckily I don't mind, I'm happy with my own company. I've found that I'm more likely to have a bout of loneliness when I'm with a group of casual acquaintances, people I've been thrown together with through work, than when I'm on my own. I find that I'm more observant when I'm out on my own. I took myself off to Llandudno for the weekend recently and had a happy couple of hours wandering on the beach taking pictures. I was on my hands and knees taking pictures of worm casts, pebbles and snails. The kinds of things that I would have walked right past had I been chattering away to a friend.

I'm less likely to go into a coffee shop when I'm on my own, but I'm working on that. On being braver about going to the theatre or cinema or out to eat on my own. As I'm not planning on changing my career any time soon I'll have plenty of time to practice. So if you're out and about and spot a slightly pink in the face knitter having a coffee, it might be me.

Bandwagon Scarf

2009-09-14T20:45:00.018+01:00

Pattern: Noro Striped Scarf by Jared Flood
Needle size: 4.5mm
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden 2 balls each of 272 and 245

I started this in the spring and after spurts of work on it over the summer have finally finished it in time for the colder weather.

Apart from 1 shade of brown I love the two colourways of this yarn and the way that the colours have fallen together.

The yarn was lovely to knit and the 1x1 rib has given a nice dense fabric which will keep my neck toasty warm in the winter.

The finished project is a little scratchy but hopefully a wash will sort that out.

The only issue that I had was that the first two balls of yarn were of differing lengths. I don't know whether this was due to a small ball or a large ball as I had no way of telling without ripping back and weighing them. Life is definitely too short for that. It did leave me with a little fudge at the end as I was determined not to waste any!

I just have to wait for the cold weather now so that I show off my flash new scarf.

The One with all the Knitting

2009-08-29T09:21:00.000+01:00

Amongst all of the sewing I've got some knitting and finishing done. Thanks to the Scrubs box set. I stuck a disk on every morning and started working through the projects in my knitting basket.

Boat Necked Jumper

This is a Debbie Bliss pattern that I've made a couple of times, for this version I substituted Cashmerino Astrakhan for the Cashmerino Aran that the pattern calls for. I've used the Astrakhan for a couple of things and it looks really cute for baby clothes.

This one just needed seaming as I finished all of the knitting last year. I was a little worried that after a years hiatus this little jumper and the jacket below would be too small for their intended recipients. I delivered them this weekend and thankfully they both fit. I usually plan projects the next size up from the child's age at the birthday/Christmas that I intend to gift a project. This gives me a chance to get finished before they are too big as I have a habit of getting so far and stalling, usually on the seaming. I will spend weeks knitting only to let the pieces sit in my knitting basket for the sake of a couple of afternoons sat seaming! Daft I know.

Ribbon Tied Hoodie

This is another Debbie Bliss pattern that I've made a few times and is written for the Astrakhan. I made a few mods to this version, I only knit the first 5 rows of the hood before knitting a row and casting off in the contract colour. Instead of a ribbon tie at the neck I opted for 3 buttons with crocheted button holes to give it more of a feeling of a little jacket.

This knitting on this was complete last year, but has been hibernating as the first version of the collar sucked. It rolled back on itself and I was too frustrated with it to pull it out and work out an alternative. Once I started on it again it came together pretty quickly. I like the mods I've made to this and am planning a couple more. The knitting is pretty quick and now I've got the mods sorted that won't slow me down. I've had to do a bit of searching to find the yarn though as it seems to have been discontinued. However, between Ebay, Ravelry and Jimmy Beans Wool I've got my sticky mitts on enough yarn to make 3 more of these so that all the little girls I know will have one.

Pi Shawl

I was introduced to Elizabeth Zimmerman through Brooklyntweed's blog. It was the February Baby Sweater that first caught my eye, quickly followed by the Baby Suprise Jacket. As a result I purchased Knitters Almanac and Knitters Workshop, the books that featured the two patterns. It was only then that I realised that EZ writes guides more than patterns and at that time it was beyond my skills to pick out the instructions from the text. Fast forward a while and I was sorting my stash out and came across some hanks of Rowanspun DK that I'd been given by a friend a few years ago. It's been lurking in the stash as I didn't have a clue what to use it for. I had a thumb through EZ looking for some inspiration and came across the instructions for Pi. Brooklyntweed had made a blanket version and his pictures help to inspire and push me over the edge into action. I swatched in a couple of needle sizes to see what it would look like, I like how my swatches have come out and think that I would use a shawl in this tweedy grey colour. It will be great over my shoulders in a draughty prompt corner.

I swatched in 3 needle sizes 5mm, 5.5mm and 6mm. I like the look of the swatch below. However, I'm going to have to swatch again as I didn't mark the 3 swatches and can't tell for certain which size it is that I like! I think it is the 5mm as the plain stockinette section is the tightest but if I'm going to put that amount of knitting hours into something I'd rather knit a second set of swatches and double check. It would be a bummer if I fudge it and get it wrong.

Mr Vanilla

The knitting on Mr Vanilla has been ticking along nicely. I've finished the first sock, I just need to graft the toe and weave in the ends, and have just started the heel flap on the second sock.

Pomatomus

Pomatomus has also had a bit of time spent on it. It hasn't progressed very much though. Some how I managed to loose 2 stitches in one of my pattern sections and didn't realise for about 20 rows. As it is lots yarn overs and K2togs and twisted stitches I had to unknit the offending rows and work out my mistake before continuing. I'm back on track now thankfully but still haven't made it to the first heel yet.

The one with all the sewing

2009-08-19T23:00:00.011+01:00

I've been having a productive couple of weeks around here. The end of my holiday is getting ever closer and I've finally found my focus. Knitting has been finished, swatching has been done and the sewing machine has had a good work out. More about the knitting later this post is all about the cloth.

Needle Roll #1

I wanted to get my needles organised as they get into a big mess in my knitting bag and take ages to sort through when I need to find a pair! This is made from two Asda tea towels and a piece of scrap fabric from a work project.

One tea towel and the scrap fabric were cut into a rectangle. The second tea towel was cut into three strips, each seamed along one of the long edges . The fabric was then arranged with the right sides together, stitched around and bagged out. Then a quick press before sewing the hole closed and stitching channels for the needles to live in. The last job was to sew on a piece of cotton webbing to tie the roll closed with.

As you can see I like a bamboo needle!

Baby Bag

This little bag is for Missy who is three. Like her mum she had a bag to carry all the things her baby needs. It had a bottle, a nappy, a dummy, a toy, some baby wipes and sun lotion. Unlike her mum's it was an old gift bag and so got a little soggy this summer. We watched her push her baby across the lawn in her stroller leaving a trail of belongings behind as the paper bag finally gave up the ghost! So this little bag is a replacement. I made it out of some left over furnishing fabric. It is reversible and has 2 pockets on each side, ideal for tucking your baby's bottle in. I hope she likes it.

Needle Roll #2

When I first started knitting in earnest it was with chunky Rowan yarns like Big Wool and Biggy Print. I made hats and scarves, a couple of jumpers and a poncho. I moved on to finer yarns when my knitting speed picked up and when I realised that a chunky jumper on a chunky frame really isn't very flattering!

I made this second needle case from the scraps left over from the baby bag, I've made it differently to the first one for this reason. It is as wide as my scraps allowed and there wasn't enough fabric to make a flap at the top to hold the needles in so I put a band across instead. Again I used a piece of webbing as the tie.

TV Cover

The last piece of sewing was a cover for the flat screen in the kitchen. I used a piece of plasticised fabric and some flannel to create a sleeve to slide over the TV. The plastic fabric stops the screen getting splashed and the flannel stops any scratches. Now Dad is happy that his TV is protected from haphazard washer uppers and I only have to worry about not splashing the window!

That's it for the sewing round up, next time it will be the turn of the sticks and string.

Fastnet

2009-08-09T12:11:00.005+01:00

At 1pm today my little brother will be setting off on a jolly big adventure. He is competing in the Fastnet race aboard Jaguar Logic. They will leave Cowes today, sail around the Fastnet Rock and head to the finish line in Plymouth, a total of around 600 miles. This should take between 3 and 5 days depending upon the conditions. I'll be keeping an eye on their progress here. He has competed in a number of races this season to prepare for this and is quite understandably excited. So fingers crossed Mr, I hope you have a great time and have some good sailing weather. See you for Dark and Stormies and some sea stories when you get back!

Decorating

2009-08-02T11:48:00.006+01:00

Things have been topsy-turvey here for a while as my bedroom has been decorated. I was just about trusted to choose the colour for the walls and carpet which are very pale to try and give the room a light and airy feel. There were a few 'discussions' over the curtains and in the end I just bought them. I think they're a nice splash of colour, I don't think Grumps is convinced though! I had to shorten the curtains a little and used the off cut to make a runner for the chest of drawers. I decided to make a little quilted runner and pulled some of my hand dyes that work with the deep purple.

I then pieced them and came up with this.

This is the back of the runner, the curtain fabric will normally be on top, I think this many colours in one place would be a step too far for Grumps!

I now have a lovely bright room and with this old armchair I have a place that I can sit to knit or read in peace and quiet. Lovely.

Infidelity

2009-07-15T11:34:00.011+01:00

I always have a number of projects on the needles. Different techniques and yarns so that I have a nice variety to work through and combat the ennui a long stretch of garter or stocking stitch can cause. However, I only ever have 1 pair of socks on the needles. Until now that is.

This is Pomatomus my first pair of patterned socks and I'm enjoying knitting them. The pattern is easy to read, I love the way the colour is spiralling around the sock and the curves of the pattern itself. I do have to concentrate to knit them though. With a twisted rib, K2tog and yarn overs on every row I can cope with watching TV or travelling, but I need to keep a close eye on my hands so reading is out. This is a big problem.

I got stuck into this, just couldn't put it down. That meant no Pomatomus. So I cheated on it, cast on Mr Vanilla - this plain knit sock in this lovely stripy colourway.

As you can see I've been doing a lot of reading - I'm at the gusset already!

With this lot on the 'knitting' pile I'm going to be hanging with Mr Vanilla for a while yet. Having said that I'm off to the Isle of Wight with Pomatomus for a dirty weekend. I'm travelling by train so we'll have a few hours alone together.

In a pickle

2009-07-12T15:01:00.003+01:00

I had a busy day this week chopping and boiling and pouring to turn my pile of bargain fruit from the market in jars of yummy jam and chutney. I had a bit of help from this fantastic book - Sensational Preserves.

There is Garlic Chutney, Coconut Relish, Spiced Pineapple Chutney and Cherry and Blueberry Jam. All I need now is some labels and they'll be ready to go out as Christmas presents. I hope everyone likes jam!

Amish Diamond

2009-06-29T16:22:00.019+01:00

In the autumn last year I took part in a block swap with my dye group, using the Amish Diamond block.

I made these blocks. A set for each of ladies taking part.

And in return I received these.

We are currently running another swap with the same block. I should end up with enough for a quilt. This time around I intended to dye 4 new colours and make matching blocks like before. However, when I looked for fabric I discovered that I didn't have enough. As a result I pulled fabric that had been dyed for other things. Some were from last years swap and some left over from other swaps, I even over dyed a few pieces.

These are the blocks that I've made for this swap. I can get them packaged and sent off to the hostess tomorrow. Then I just have to wait for the return package to see what the other ladies made.

Socks, socks, socks

2009-06-17T09:53:00.011+01:00

I've finished the panto socks. They were cast on in January and finished in May when I was in Cardiff with my last show. I was a little dissapionted with the yarn. All was well on sock 1, but whilst knitting sock 2 I had to cut out several sections where the yarn was damaged. Other than that I am happy with these, the new cast on I used is nice and stretchy, I like the k2p1 rib, and I'm happy with the mod's I've made as they give a good fit.

As soon as I'd finished the panto socks I wound the yarn and cast on for another pair. Plain vanilla socks again, but this time for one of the girls that I was working with.

I love, love, love this yarn. It wound off the hank with no problems, it was nice to knit with and the colour is lovely, just perfect for T. The yarn was a purchase that I made from Geminiknits on etsy back in February and I'm very happy that I have a hank for me! I used the new cast on and the k2p1 rib again and as T has smaller feet than me I took a couple of rows out of the foot. These came away with me and between playgroups and car journeys and just sitting in the sun drinking tea I managed to get them done in 2 weeks.

I have cast on now for my first patterned socks Cookie A's Pomatomus in the Cherry Tree Hill yarn Tropical Storm.

I got off to a bit of a rubbish start as I kept dropping stitches on the cuff! I'm halfway through the first pattern repeat now and am liking both the yarn and pattern. They are going to be a lot slower going than the last pair though as they are heavily patterned.

Summer Holidays

2009-05-24T20:38:00.016+01:00

I'm taking some time off this summer. Having worked back to back contracts for a while I realised that I'd only had about 5 weeks off in the last 3 years. So I decided not to worry that I've got a big gap before my next job but to enjoy it instead. To catch up on the things that I love doing, dyeing and sewing and baking and knitting and being with the people that I love. So this will be a summer of crafting and visiting and taking time out (until someone rings and offers me a job!) to enjoy life.

I finished my last job on Monday and hit the road for my first visit. I travelled down to Somerset to hang out with my best friend from college and her two little girls. We had a great time, going to play groups and swimming and just enjoying each others company. With two girls under three it was more chaotic than relaxing, but great fun none the less and a great start to the summer.

I'm off again on Tuesday, to relatives on the Isle of Wight. Here's hoping the good weather we've had today is here to stay.

Jumping on the Bandwagon

2009-05-01T16:45:00.018+01:00

I've wanted to make one of these scarves for a while. I'd seen a few on Ravelry and in the blog-o-sphere that I really liked. However, having spent a number of hours looking at the yarn on the internet I just couldn't commit to buying without seeing it in person.

I don't think the colour variations within each ball can be fully appreciated upon a screen. I needed to touch the yarn and compare colourways in the flesh, so to speak.

I've been working in North Wales since Christmas and so Stash in Chester is nice and local. I've bought from them online in the past but hadn't been to their store. I had to wait until my show was up and running though as they are, unfortunately, only open during the week.

I cast on and knit this during shows as the 1x1 rib is nice and simple. The stripes lined up really well to begin with but soon ended up too similar in tone. Pale blue and dark blue would be okay together but pale grey and pale blue just ended up looking like big blocks of colour. I decided to rip back and find a point to take out a colour from 1 ball and carry on. In the end I just ended up ripping right back and reballing the yarn. (Sorry I didn't get a picture for contrast before I ripped) I then started working 1 ball from the opposite end to before. Much better this time.

The colour bands fit together much better this way round. I had to put it down again when I went into rehearsals for this current show as my spare time just evapourated. I've spent my days this week cracking on with this project again. The constant colour changes make me want to keep knitting just to see what comes next.

I should have this finished just in time for the better weather!

Still busy

2009-04-26T18:44:00.024+01:00

Over panto I also worked on some projects that weren't socks.

These mitt/muffatees were finished last Christmas for my friend Sarah. The scarf that goes with them was cast on and frogged before I got to the first pattern repeat as I had stuffed it up spectacularly. I had to leave the project then as a wedding knit needed some attention. When I was home for Christmas I pulled this out again and have been slowly adding rows to it. I've managed 2 full repeats so far and have been careful to thread lifelines in case I balls up again.

I like the pattern on this, it's pretty easy to memorise with only 2 different rows. It doesn't show too much on this picture but the size of the holes seems to vary depending on which pattern row I'm on. I've tried to compensate for the loose hole row but it doesn't seem to make much difference. So I think I'm going to go with the flow and hope it evens up in blocking.

Wavy is coming along well now I've got counting to 3 sorted.

I have finished the mitts that match the scarf. I decided to make them to use up the spare hank of yarn i had once the scarf was a good length. Somewhere I messed up though. I weighed the first mitt and the remaining yarn and they were within a couple of grams of each other. Easy, I thought. I can just pull a couple of rows from the scarf. However, once I had run out of yarn it was clear that I would need more than a couple of rows stolen from the scarf to finish. So I bit the bullet and bought another hank.

It seems a shame to leave less than a hank of this yarn hanging around. So, I now need to sit down and work out what row I left the scarf on so that I can use up the rest of the yarn. Still, the weather is getting warmer so I've got a while to get round to this.

And finally....A couple of berets. For a mother and son. A work colleague saw the Innocent hat version of the above beret that I made and asked if I would knit one for her. When she announced her pregnancy it seemed like the ideal time to get on with it and a matching one for her new addition.

They just need to block and have the ends woven in and they are good to go.

Busy, busy

2009-02-26T12:41:00.021Z

I've been flat out busy for the last couple of months. I went straight from London to panto and onto Wales for my current job. We have opened now and I, at last, have some time to myself. I did get some knitting finished as 2 shows a day over panto gave me a fair bit of mindless knitting time.

Firstly, the tube socks got finished.

(I mistakenly deleted the picture I had taken before I started wearing them, they are looking a bit loved now!)

I cast on 56 stitches for these rather than 60 as before to try for a snugger fit. I like the way the fewer stitches has made the colour pool into wedges that stack on top of each other. However, it has also made the cast on a bit tight. I think that I need to cast on and rib 60 stitches and decrease 4 stitches over my first knit round. A different cast on method may help too as I'm still using the knitted cast on.

I moved onto another sock in this yarn.

I liked the colours in the ball. It looked like I'd get small stripes of lots of colours. But, I needed to look more closely at the yarn as the changes of colour were much smaller than I thought. It knit up like this

which I hate. I also tried a 2 needle cast on which I managed to knit very neatly and tightly, so that I can't actually get it on! For these reasons this sock will forever remain a singleton, a sock full of fail. I have no idea what to do with the other ball of yarn. I might try a beret with it, the longer rounds may make the colours sit together better. Or maybe just destash through Ravelry.

This sock came next, in Schoppel Wolle, Adrmiral Flakes.

At the moment it is a singleton, but this one I shall be knitting a mate. I like the colours on this, it's like ice cream. Vanilla with mint and chocolate swirls. I did the 2 needle cast on I used for the fail sock but this time used a larger needle than for the body of the sock. I did a K2 P1 rib over 60 stitches decreasing 4 over my first knit round and it worked really well. I'm also happier with the heel on this one as I managed to get neater decreases. I'm having to fudge them as I have less stitches than in my pattern. The only thing I don't like about this sock is the way that the colour pools in blobs on the rib, but as I never wear skirts, only trousers this will always be hidden.

Other non-sock knitting was also achieved, but that can wait for another day.

Catching Up

2008-11-03T23:07:00.011Z

I had a lovely 5 weeks in London. I managed to catch up with a number of friends and also with a city that I love. It's been 10 years since I graduated from college and moved away from London and my fondness for the city had dimmed in that time. So it has been a treat to have had a job that allowed me to fall in love with the city all over again. It has made me want to come back and live here. That isn't possible at the moment but I hope that in the not too distant future I will get to call London home again.

Imagination?

2008-11-02T02:30:00.009Z

I spotted this on friday,

Angels fancy dress shop in central London. The queues run down the street in both directions. I love that there are signs by the door for a ladies and mens queue and security men. Are they there to check you're in the right queue?

What ever happened to using a bit of imagination? Did no one watch Blue Peter?

Acquisitions

2008-10-22T12:25:00.006+01:00

Recently I went to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace, and I bought myself some lovely things.

Firstly, Habu yarn. These are to make my friend Sarah a scarf. This scarf that I spotted on the

Habu website a little while ago. The idea of knitting with an unconventional yarn intrigued me but I know that I wouldn't wear the end result. However, my friend Sarah most likely will do. She studied fashion design and now works in theatre costume. I know that even if she doesn't wear it she will be interested in the materials it is made from and will understand and appreciate the work that has gone in to the gift.

I also bought this silk, which strangely looks and feels more like cotton, to make something for myself. A scarf or shawl-ette most likely.

Kauni 8/2. I've bought this in 2 colour ways, rainbow that I hope to use for a Clapotis

and this red/orange that I'm not sure about. Some kind of stole or wrap I think, I'm just not sure which yet. I'm stalking Ravelry's pattern page looking for ideas.

I also bought some sock yarn from Cherry Tree Hill to make , well socks. There's

Caribou Creek
Wild Cherry

and When Only Denim Will Do.

Lastly I bought 2 hanks of laceweight from the Natural Dye Studio.

I have found myself being drawn to lace projects of late. I have a few patterns saved in my Ravelry notebook and will now be able to start narrowing the choices down.

One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing

2008-10-21T00:13:00.002+01:00

Walking along Knightsbridge today these stopped me in my tracks. The windows of Harvey Nichols contained 2 dinosaurs. Escapees from the Natural History Museum down the road? No, these are cleverly constructed of coat hangers. Whoever saw a pile of wooden coat hangers and thought - Dinosaur Skeleton - is a genius, it certainly made me stop and look.

Here they are in all their glory.

Two dinosaurs on the loose and no Nannies in sight. What is the world coming to?

Out walking

2008-10-18T12:25:00.001+01:00

One of the things I love about London is going out walking. There are so many things to see whether it be a walk along the river, through a park or along the streets.

Yesterday I had a good wander from Charing Cross to Marble Arch, past Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park corner, along the Serpentine to Lancaster Gate.

I spotted these joyful chaps watching the boating on the Serpentine.

The idea of 2 snowmen enjoying the autumn sun made me smile.

They make me want to go back with a flask of tea and my book and settle down for an afternoon people watching.

Ending and Beginning

2008-10-16T00:35:00.003+01:00

Ended - my Lorna's Laces Iris Garden socks. Started in January and finished this week. They haven't been on the needles all that time. Sock 1 got knitted in the spring and sat with it's toe waiting to be gafted until the summer. Sock 2 I tore through in under 2 weeks thanks to the joy of tube time. Time spent travelling from A to B means I can get out my knitting and whizz out a couple of rounds before my stop. All those few rounds soon start to add up and before you know it, you've got a pair (the knitting whilst at work may have helped too!).

Beginning - Lorna's Laces socks in Wisteria this time. These will take a bit longer as they will just be out and about socks. For work knitting I'm continuing with my Wavy scarf.

I have to count to 3 repeatedly for this pattern and it's proving to be a bit beyond me. 1 day last week I had to rip out stitches on nearly every row due to my inability to count to 3. It's rubbish, even children can do it. 1-2-3. See, I can do it too - just not when I have that scarf in my hands! I don't mind being seen out knitting in public but I wouldn't like another knitter to catch me knitting, counting, tinking, reknitting, recounting, tinking again and again on a project that really is quite simple. I also have to keep the pattern with me at all times as it has a 44 row repeat which I can not memorise. It's just too similar, the same rows repeated in different orders sometimes paired, sometimes not.

Lovely, lovely

2008-10-15T11:53:00.001+01:00

Well the family holiday was lovely.

7 days in Dordogne enjoying lovely sun

and lovely food and lovely family.

I did knock out a fair bit of knitting, just not Lillith as planned. The Knit Picks harmony tips I bought for her were 2 different sizes, neither the size I need for the pattern! So they will be sent back from whence they came and I have still to cast on for this.

I then spent a week at home pottering about and dyeing some fabric. This is for the November

favourite technique swap on dyehard run off. I also dyed fabric for the autumn block swap which I spent my day off this week putting together.

I have cast aside the welcome to the world tank top as it is horrid. The yarn slid off the needles constantly and despite having achieved gauge, the neck ended up being far too small and tight to maneuver over a wriggling infants head. All in all it wouldn't have been much of a welcome gift so I shall have to come up with something else instead. I'm thinking a Baby Yours sweater by the Yarnharlot would suit, it looks a bit more interesting than a lot of baby sweaters.

Now I'm here,

working for a few weeks. I'm having a lovely time, the show is great as are the cast and crew and this is my favourite city. I've been out and about walking lots as we've had such fantastic weather. I'm saving the galleries and museums for when the rain comes. An added bonus of this job was the Knitting and Stitching Show. I usually attend in Harrogate but was able to make the event at Alexandra Palace show this year. In case you haven't worked out where I am

this should give it away. Lovely, lovely London.

How rubbish am I?

2008-08-24T23:58:00.000+01:00

Well the Olympics have finished and therefore I am officially rubbish. I didn't manage to get a single one of my projects over the finishing line. Never mind, it does mean that I'm almost done with the welcome to the world tank top and the Christmas present scarf is off to a good start.

While plan A - finish stupid amount of knitting whilst (moving house and starting a new job and visiting godchildren) watching the Olympics - failed, I've hatched a Plan B - holiday knitting. I'm going on holiday with the family in 3 weeks time and Lilith will be coming with me. I think I can handle that. In the 3 weeks before I go I should be able to finish the other Olympics projects. I think I can handle that too. I just need to order myself some more Debbie Bliss Pure Silk or the scarf will be more of a necktie.

Over Reaching Olympian

2008-08-21T21:25:00.001+01:00

I've been competing in the Ravelympics. However, I was a bit overoptimistic in the amount of knitting I would manage in a 17 day period. Especially considering the fact that I was finishing 1 job and starting a new one (including packing up my room and moving to Wales!) during the games. Well whilst Team GB have been having a great games I've not been faring so well.

I cast on for my Baby Dressage project on the opening day and managed a couple of inches over the opening weekend. I'm now on the front neck and think this one is do-able by the end of the games. I also cast on for Scarf Stroke with Wave in Debbie Bliss Pure Silk. I have 2 skeins of this yarn and having finished skein 1 I am about to finish repeat 3 of 10! I think that I've boobed there on the substitution! And no matter how hard I knit I'm not gonna make it with that project.

My third project was Ankle Sock for the Sock Put. I cast on for this on Super Saturday and realised that I hadn't read the pattern on this one very well. With a new pattern to follow it's going slower that I had expected and I've only made it to the foot of the first sock.

My final project is for the Laceweight Long Jump and is Lilith in Louet Kidlin Lace. This is still neatly balled and in it's bag with the pattern, needles and buttons waiting for me to cast on!

So all in all it looks like a bit of a wash out for my first games. Note to self for 2012 -don't get carried away with all of the cool sounding events - remember how fast you knit, read the patterns properly and above all BE REALISTIC! Still there are still 2 1/2 days to go so I may make it yet ;)

Socks made and socks yet to come

2008-07-02T13:12:00.002+01:00

I love sock yarn, especially the magic kind that does lovely stripes all by itself. When I learnt to knit about 5 years ago (taught by my lovely aunt) I read about it in a knitting magazine and wanted to have a go with it. I did knit my first pair of socks a couple of years ago but I was still a fairly new knitter and they took several months to finish because of the little needles. I had a go but couldn't work out grafting so did a 3 needle bind off and ended up with these funny funnel toes :)

But now I can knit quicker and those little needles aren't such a drag I had another go. I bought myself some Lorna's Laces for Christmas and made this

(It still needs a mate but I left this at home when I came away on tour so it will have to wait!)

I brought a ball of sock yarn and pattern on tour incase I wanted a change from all of the cashmerino astrakhan baby jumpers I'm currently working on (Sheepish in York were selling it at £2 a ball in January - it practically bought itself!). I only had a part ball having made a hat from it already so I adapted the pattern to make trainer socks. Three weeks later we have

And along the way this might have ordered itself from the interwebs

as might this

and a little wander in London might have taken in Iknit where this might have been purchased

as might this which also seems to have started turning itself into another sock! An ankle sock this time.

I'm sure loving this yarn as it has almost single round stripes. The pink does just 1 round but the purple does 1 round and a bit you can't see this unless you are looking very closely.

I'm seeing a lot more socks in my future. I can even wear these now I've got the grafting thing

It's funny what you miss

2008-06-23T22:59:00.000+01:00

I move around lots in my job and so spend my life living in people's spare rooms. Strangers spare rooms. And as lovely as these people are I'm always aware that it is their home I am living in. So I try and keep quiet and not hog the bathroom taking hour long baths (One of my favourite hobbies!) and generally keep out of their way.

One of things that I really miss is being able to make a mess in the kitchen. I miss baking and making jam and cooking things that take time or lots of pots. So when I'm at home I love to indulge.

Today I dipped into my favourite cook book - Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess - and made

Banana Bread for my Dad as he loves this and always takes cake in his pack lunch

and Banana Muffins for my friend and I as we both love banana (I modified this recipe to add a spoonful of Nutella in the centre of each muffin as we both love this too)

and finally a double batch of cupcakes which I will be taking to work on Wednesday for the meet and greet.

So having arrived home yesterday I've got my baking fix and done my washing and tomorrow I head off to Harrogate to do some proper work.