BeeKnits

Sweater Mania

2009-04-27T13:53:00.003+01:00

Never one to concentrate on one thing at a time, I am now knitting two sweaters at once. Henley Perfected in a duck egg blue and Arisaig in a bluey/lilac heathery yarn. Am a bit nervous about fitting given my podgy bits, and the lace making it hard to see what might fit. Am not very experienced at sweaters for people over a foot tall. I am trying really hard to finish the Arisaig before I start anything else. It is hard. Back and 2 fronts finished. 1.5 sleeves to go....

Spring Bunnies

2009-04-27T13:51:00.002+01:00

A treat for the girls for Easter. They sit on eggs. I love them, although annoyingly the girls were more interested in plastic tat eggs from the 'Easter Bunny'. Humph. They are from a pattern from Little Cotton Rabbits.

Whisper Cardigan

2009-04-27T13:46:00.002+01:00

And I finished this. It is so hard to photograph, so you will have to put up with a pick of my boobs. I do love it. But I wish I was thinner, it makes me look like a podge I think. Its so soft though. MMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Must loose weight. Meanwhile, the designer has published a similar cardigan with better coverage for the bloaters amongst us, so I might do that one. Or loose weight. Sadly (or not!) I did manage to acquire even more laceweight yarn during my recent trip to the US and am very into the idea of using it for proper garments, not just shawls....

The Beast

2009-04-27T13:36:00.004+01:00

So I got distracted from my Whisper Cardigan with another Girasole, this time a present for my mother in law. I used some New Lanark Aran in a speckled blue to make quite a heavyweight blanket. Boy did it take a while to get used to the thicker needles and chunky wool and at the beginning I wasnt sure I was going to enjoy this at all. It was a bit of a slog at times, but having finished one already I know the results would be great so slog on I did. I was also up against a deadline as we were visiting soon. I think it took me just over 3 weeks in the end. It got so so heavy! But all was made much easier by the purchase of some cable connectors so I had a 40" + 32" cable joined together. Hence the name: The Beast.

I blocked it by soaking it in the bath (it got even heavier!), rolling out the worst of the moisture in towels, then spreading on my bed (a king size, but still barely big enough). I carefully pulled and tweaked it, but didnt pin it, as I dont like the edge too pointy. Mercifully, it mostly dried in a day so we could actually go to bed.

And MIL loves it :)

And I have already bought yarn for a third, this time a sage green DK weight, so the size should be somewhere between my delicate #1 and my beasty #2. I am going to concentrate on other projects for a while though...the queue is long.

Another Use for Lace Yarn

2009-03-03T09:26:00.002Z

Yes, I have cast on yet another project. How could I resist when it addresses one of my current problems: what can I knit with a million skeins of laceweight yarn when I cant figure out what to do with shawls when I have finished them?? I do love knitting with the smaller needles and tiny yarn, so imagine my joy when I saw the pattern for the Whisper Cardigan in the latest issue of Interweave Knits. The only thing that held me back was wondering what it is going to look like on my lumpy torso, but then I thought, what the heck, who cares. And maybe the floaty back part will hide some of the back flab.

So I am using KnitPicks Shadow in Oregon Coast Heather, which is divine to knit with, so soft, and has some lovely colours in it, fawn (no not beige!) with hints of pink. The construction is basically a shrug with a dangly back part, which sounds awful, but I am hoping it turns out nicely. I have already done the basic shrug part and am onto the ribbed edging.

One slight snag is that I only have 2 skeins of the yarn and I will probably need a third. And you cant get it in the UK. Oh. But a lovely raveller is supposed to be sending me some. At least I hope she is lovely. She has my money, so hopefully all will go smoothly. Meanwhile, I knit on in hope and faith!

Bamboo

2009-02-23T17:44:00.003Z

Isnt it remarkable that they can take a big pointy scratchy stick thing and somehow turn it into something that looks like this:

The yarn is 100% bamboo and glorious and shiny and silky with quite a lot of weight which makes for a lovely drapey scarf. I bought it in PurlSoho in New York City last summer and wanted to buy enough to make a drapey cardigan wrap thing, but they didnt have enough. So I ended up only getting one skein which was barely enough to make this scarf (its short!) but still.

The pattern is the Montego Bay scarf which is so simple (K2tog, YO) basically but for some reason is impossible to get right and is very unforgiving as you can see all mistakes. But I got into the rhythm of it eventually. I do love it. I might have to revisit bamboo at another point, although will have to find something cheaper this time.

Meandering Vines

2009-02-23T17:36:00.003Z

Another big project that seemed to go on and on, but I only worked on it between other things. The lovely lovely Araucania Ranco Multy. MMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

I was a bit concerned that the varigation in the yarn would take away from the texture of the lace pattern, but I think its OK. It just makes it look more like something that is growing rather than something I knit.

I wanted a stole kind of thing that could be worn as a big scarf basically and it fits the bill wonderfully. It feels great too. Lovely and scrummy and bunchy all up inside your jacket.

Left Overs

2009-02-23T17:32:00.003Z

This is what I did with the left over wool from the Girasole after a week away in which my camera was brutally left in my pocket naked with random stones and shells given to me by the kids. It deserves better.

It was so nice to do something quick and straightforward for a change.

Finished!

2009-02-10T16:24:00.005Z

All done! I actually finished a few days ago, but my bleeding camera broke. Of all the times for it to crap out on me. Still I have a shiny new (well not so shiny and refurbished) camera now, and what better to photograph with it that this lovely thing. I do love it, and cant stop admiring the flower and leaf motifs. I will let you admire it before I reveal my reservations.

And the last picture tells the story of my lingering doubts about what to do with it. If I wear it as a shawl, it seems a shame to obscure its loveliness by bunching it up and also, and perhaps more importantly, it makes me look like an old granny. Its the edging I think. While ingeniously designed, it does make it look a bit too doily-like for my tastes. So what the heck am I going to do with it? I could use it as a throw for the couch, but the kids will probably muss it all up and it seems a bit too glorious for that. And it isnt the right colour. So I am musing on its use. M

And strangely, and I am not sure this has happened to me before, I miss knitting it. It was a pain in the end, but such fun making your way through chart after chart. I would kind of like to knit another one, but since I cant decide what to do with this one, it seems a bit pointless. I do have some lovely Cascade 220 in the perfect colours to match my couch, but I dont have enough to do the whole thing. Hmmm.....

Glorious Slog

2009-02-02T17:14:00.004Z

Wow this Girasole is a mixture of wonder and frustration. You get glimpses of loveliness as you see the pattern emerge, but mostly it looks like a big lump of nothing.

I have had a few setbacks, including failing to read Chart D properly and having to tink back over 600 stitches and thinking I had finished only to find I was still to repeat Chart G.

Anyway, good news! I am now doing the remarkably nifty knitted on edging which is fun for the first 10 repeats until you realise that there are over 200 of them in order to get all the way round. No matter! Today I have been glad I am knitting something I can drape over my knees as its blinking bloody cold out there today (first 'proper' snow for years!) and I must be nearly half way round after a few days at it. The incentive to keep going is to be able to spread it out in all it's glory once its completely cast off. Cant wait!

Still dont know what I am going to do with it though ;)

Market Winding

2009-01-24T16:26:00.005Z

So last summer I got myself a construction set in the US, and made myself a lovely low tech piece of kit for winding yarn. Those poshies with oodles of cash can by themselves a swift for holding skeins of yarn that need to be wound into a ball. Elegant though they are (and yes, I do lust after one) we have neither the money or space for one. So through the power of Ravelry I discovered that you can make one from Tinker Toy sets, which of course means nothing to me, but Matt tells me its an old stylee construction toy set from his childhood, I suppose a bit like Meccanno is to us. Anyway, a trip to Toys R Us and a squizz at this website and I made my own. Woot!

I did fork out for a proper ball winder though (also not cheap). Makes life so much easier. And I am totally in love with the gorgeousness of the balls they produce. Like little cakes, almost good enough to eat. Yum.

Between wetting myself at Girasole and waiting for the yarn to arrive, I spotted another gorgeous shawl called At the Market, by Ilga Leja. Isnt it lovely? I just had to knit this one too and got my hands on some lovely green
Manos del Uruguay Manos Silk Blend on sale, which is the one I am winding in these pics. The shawl is knit on the bias to get that lovely drape. Its a fun pattern to knit and I love the geometry of it. Sadly, I just had to get on with my Girasole once that yarn came, but will get back to this as soon as that one is done.

Is there any rest?

Love

2009-01-24T16:16:00.005Z

Did you ever see a piece of knitting and just about wet your knickers in excitement? No? Just me then.

It happened when I saw Girasole by Jared Flood. Isnt it just about the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?? Of course the fact that he is not only a knitting designer but also a professional photographer doesnt hurt. But still. I was so excited when I saw it I immediately spend hours online looking for the perfect yarn. Not an easy task since you can make it in thicker weight (aran) for a blanket effect or thinner weight (4ply) for a shawl effect. I kind of wanted to make a thicker one, but the truth is I really dont enjoy using the chunkier needles. Just not as satisfying for some reason. I also limited myself to sale yarn since the whole thing takes up to 1800yds, which could work out pretty pricey. I almost went for Rowan Cashsoft which is a mid weight DK, but in the end I plumped for Araucania Ranco semi-solid which is a kind of fingering/4ply weight. Its the same yarn I am using for my Meandering Vines shawl and its so lovely to knit with, although not the softest, it seems to be quite tightly spun so doesnt split at all. Its yum.

Anyway, I have been knitting it for a week or so. What fun! It starts with a 'disappearing circular cast on' which is totally mad and quite infuriating, but leaves a lovely ring of stitches in the middle. The knitting goes quickly at first, but as the circle gets bigger and you get more and more stitches it slows down considerably. I still totally love it, but wonder what the heck I am going to do with it when its finished. I have no idea how to wear a circular shawl.

A Hug for a Friend

2009-01-24T16:07:00.004Z

I have a friend who is going through a hard time, so I decided to knit her a hug. I just love this pattern, Abby from Knitty.com. I used Knitpicks Shimmer in the 'cumulus' colourway that is a lovely subtle grey, but with browny bits, so nice and warm. It is so soft to knit, an alpaca and silk blend. Fortunately for me, I have a ton of it in my stash in various colours. Look forward to knitting with it again. :)

I didnt get great pictures of me modelling it, but you get the idea. Its all very Dr Zhivago dont you think? I am thinking of knitting one for myself, but the specs make it look a bit odd. I had to take them off for these pics otherwise I looked like a nob. Also, my hair got in the way. Maybe a hairnet on first? Urgh.

I think she likes it. And I am sure it looks better on her than it does on me.

Ice Cream

2009-01-05T14:35:00.005Z

Yum!

Do you know what it is yet?

2009-01-05T14:00:00.003Z

A challenge for my reader(s). This is going to be a classic toy. Can you guess what?

A prize for the first to get it. To be determined.

In progress.....

2009-01-05T13:51:00.005Z

1. Something for a friend...but its secret.

2. Meandering Vines stole in a heavenly yarn bought in a lovely knitting shop in Chatham, Cape Cod whose name escapes me. I love love love knitting with it. Have used all of one skein and am waiting to wind the second so I can continue. I think I actually might wear this one.

3. A big cowl that I started ages ago but havent got around to knitting for ages. Its a lovely colour, I should get back to it, but its boring to knit.

4. A Debbie Bliss jacket/cardigan that is knit sideways. I love the look of it. I am using some Cascade 220 Heathers that my mother-in-law snagged for me in a closing down sale. Appreciably cheaper than the Alpaca Silk the pattern calls for!

Cat

2009-01-05T11:18:00.003Z

Feeling a bit guilty that I was knitting furiously for the in-laws, I asked my mother if I could knit anything for her. Assuming she would like a scarf or hat or gloves or something normal. She chose this Alan Dart cat (feck, in finding that link, I see that he now sells it himself. Grrr). Took me 100 years and fifteen million failed auctions on ebay to get the pattern, and OMG what a pain in the arse to knit all the little bits. And he looks odd, which of course my mother pointed out. And he doesnt have any whiskers. Which was also pointed out. I am not sure I want to grace my blog with him, but I think all that work deserves some record.

Creatures

2009-01-05T11:13:00.008Z

I knit these lovelies for the girls for the plane ride over to the US. I think they deserve a blog entry. I love their clothes :) (I think I like them more than the kids do). Bunny even has a cardigan and matching hat in the same yarn as Molly's swing cardigan. I am a genius.

Something else I finished on the Cape

2009-01-05T10:57:00.008Z

I think I mentioned this before (ah yes!) but I totally adored knitting this. The yarn is the most wonderful I have used to date. I still have a skein upstairs and am saving it until inspiration hits. I finished it on holiday and have memories of knit, knit, knitting away on it, sitting in the cottage in the evening, watching Americans compete in the Olympics (why bother showing anyone else?) and waiting for Alex and Eri to arrive. Once finished, I used my new blocking wires to block it in the sun porch, then had an extensive photography session with it on the back deck. It is my Cape scarf :) And I wear it often. I am not sure its my colour really (one thing that is holding me back from knitting the second skein), but I love it anyway.

Also, while I was knitting it, I photographed it extensively as a WIP meaning to send the photo to the Knitty Calendar photo competition. I think I did pretty well in the end, but stupid me missed the deadline for photos. Doh. So here they are on my blog for posterity :)

Beach knitting

2009-01-05T10:29:00.006Z

During our month-long holiday in Cape Cod, I
a) did a lot of knitting
b) bought a lot of yarn
c) not much else.
I had several beach knitting projects, nice and mindless. Knit it in the car and when visiting friends in NYC. Sadly, I havnt knit it since! I do love knitting it, but its just that I cant imagine what it will be like finished. Or if I will want to wear it. Its called my Stawberry Shortcake Clapotis because it reminds me of Haagen Daas strawberry shortcake ice cream, which I havnt had in years, but had glorious crunchy bits. On a childish note, the yarn is Fannies Fingering, which makes me snigger.

I also had a ton of yarn shipped to my parents-in-law prior to our arrival, as well as the wonderful Harmony Options needles which are both beautiful to look at and to knit with. I dont use anything else now. The truth is, I now have enough yarn to knit with for 5 years, so knitting from stash from now on. This is my pledge. I started this sweater for Matt while on holiday, and finished it a month or so after we got back. Its the biggest thing I have knitted to date, and got right hacked off by the weight of it on the needles (its basically knit in the round in one piece, bar the arms), but I loved its construction and its turned out really nicely. Its made in this yarn, which has flecks of yellow and red in it. Matt chose it. Also a plus: a) it fits! and b) he wears it! Woot!

And I started a dress for Molly with some sale yarn which is a linen mix, so stiff and soft at the same time. (The original pattern calls for 100% linen which feels like it would knit like wire, as well as being tres pricey.) I am not sure if I would have started it if I knew how much knitting there is in it. Its knit from the top down, so seems manageable at first, but as the skirt flares and flares the rounds get huge! But well worth it. She loves it, and despite her long body, it seems lengthy in that region so I think will last a while. Its really heavy to wear though!

2009 and onwards.....

2009-01-05T10:23:00.003Z

...I know, I know. Dont nag.

First some belated Christmas cheer, then on to the catch-up.

Scarves for Sister-in-laws

2008-08-03T16:22:00.006+01:00

I sure do hope my in-laws dont read this blog. If they do, their surprises are ruined. I have 3 lovely sister-in-laws. I have 3 brother-in-laws and one brother. They are all married. You do the math. Anyway, 2 of the lovely ones are the mothers of my 2 newest nephews and neices. [And the other lovely one is married to my brother, to avoid confusion and unnecessary upset]. The new mothers' babies have had plenty knit for them (see below), and it kind of sucks when you become a mother and all the gifts are for the baby and none for you. So, I knit them both scarves. And because nobody loves a bitch-fight I knit them the same one in different colours.

Its this in Debbie Bliss Cathay, the grey/blue left over from my tank top, and bubble gum pink I also got in the JL sale. The pattern is originally meant for laceweight I think, but I like the way it came out in the heavier yarn. The weight makes for nice scarf hanging.
I used 2 skeins for each and they probably could do with being a little longer if you like scarves for flinging around. These are more the neck-warmer type. I may well knit one for myself actually. It was a great handbag/knit-while-you-natter project.

An Even Smaller Hat

2008-08-03T16:16:00.003+01:00

This hat is for nephew, who is still tiny and as a boy, probably too macho for a pink berry hat (although I havnt met him yet, so I am guessing). The pattern is by Ulli S. Shibuya and knit in some RYC cashcotton 4ply I snagged in the John Lewis sale for silly money. I was trying to be smart and get coloured garter stitch stripes, but it didnt work out quite as I hoped. I also couldnt find a small enough bowl or large enough dolls head to model it on, just a plastic toy cup, hence its cake-like appearance. I dont think C has a cake-shaped head, so it should look better on him. I hope.

A Smaller Hat

2008-08-03T15:56:00.011+01:00

I love this hat. I wonder if I should make an adult version. Would that look ridiculous? ;) Its for niece baby C, who is just over 6 months. I realised as making it that I have no memory of how big a 6 month old baby head is. Smaller than my father-in-law, presumably. Its from this pattern, and knitted in Debbie Bliss cotton angora, which is a dream to knit with, but has lousy reviews on Ravelry regarding wear. But how much grief does a baby hat get? Especially as it might not even fit. It did fit this bowl nicely though, which was great for blocking it a bit, and fantastic for photos :)

Hat for Silly Grampy

2008-08-01T17:36:00.004+01:00

My father-in-law is a big guy. With a big head. At least I hope its big, cos this hat is huge!!

Its got a nice bit of low level cabling in which is pretty, but not too girly I hope. I managed to do it without a cable needle, which is good as those suckers are a real pain in the arse.

Felted Ruffle Drawstring Bag

2008-07-31T13:33:00.003+01:00

I needed a little bag for Molly to put some bits in for our flight next week. I got the idea for this for some gaming dice bags on Ravelry, but none seemed quite right so I kind of made this one up. I got a bit bored by the end so decided to do a little ruffle at the top.

Its hand-felted, and I probably could have felted it more, but it was beginning to look too small so I stopped. I am still not convinced its big enough, but its pretty darn cute non-the-less. Its made with Rowan Tapestry yarn which is a wool/soy blend. Lovely colours with nice long stretches. It felts nicely, although the end product is very 'knit-your-own-yoghurt' hippy styleeeee.

Heres how I did it:

1 skein (plus a little bit) of Rowan Tapestry
5.5mm circulars (I used magic loop; use dpns if you prefer)

CO 30st
Garter stitch back and forth for 40 rows (20 ridges).
Place marker, then pick up stitches on the other 3 sides of your rectangle as follows: 20 stitches on first edge, 30 stitches on cast-on edge and 20 stitches on last edge. 100 stitches
Join in round and knit in round (stst) until bag measures approx 15cm.
For ruffle:
Starting at marker, [Inc 1 (knit in front and back loop), K1] for one round. (150st)
Knit one round
[Inc 1, K2] for one round (200st).
Knit 3 rounds.
Cast Off.

Drawstring:
2st i-cord as long as you like.

Sew in ends. Felt.
When dry, cut small holes in lower edge of ruffle to carry drawstring.

Look at these!!

2008-07-14T17:14:00.005+01:00

They are these. Arnt they great?! I going to make 2 families of 4 for Mary and Lizzie's kids. I used Rowan Tapestry with has gentle colour gradations, so they are kind of colour coordinated in a subtle kind of a way.

Creatures of the Reef

2008-07-14T16:43:00.008+01:00

So I finally finished my first big lace shawl! I am inordinately proud of myself. As mentioned it is intended as a gift for my grandmother-in-law. Its probably the first item I have knit which I dont really like (in that I dont think its the most beautiful thing I have ever seen), but it is perfect for her, and after all thats what matters!

It started off slow with casting on over 400 stitches and I had to do it twice after switching to Addi Lace needles after a few rows. With rows that long, the thing grows very very slowly (no more 'just let me finish this row....' since it would take half an hour!). But they slowly but surely get shorter and shorter, and following the charts becomes easier, helped out a lot by stitch markers.

And I am surprised to see that it really only took me a little over a month. And that is only evening knitting when I wasnt tired since reading lace charts and small children dont mix ;)
But the trouble with lace is that it looks like a dogs dinner for the duration of knitting, so its not like you can periodically gaze and stroke it and admire your handiwork. Its not until the blocking where its true beauty is evident and the little crabs and fishies came into their own. I particularly like the 'seafoam' section at the neck too.

So please excuse the vast number of photos. I just couldnt stop! Will update in a month or so to report on the reaction from Nana. Fingers crossed, eh?

I am in big trouble.....

2008-07-05T19:25:00.002+01:00

OK, I have too much to knit for various things and time is rapidly running out. Instead of just getting on with it, I am going to document it all here. And that will make me feel better organised. Or make me freak out. One or the other.

1. School knitting
I have had big plans to knit stuff for teachers and/or pupils in each of the girls' classes, but this is going to have to be scaled down. Only 2 weeks to go!
- a felt bowl for Rosie's main class teacher. Done. But its a bit rubbish. Hmmm
- something for her non-main teacher plus 2 main teaching assistants. What though?
- I was going to knit a mess of cupcakes and dinosaurs for the classroom. I am rapidly thinking that this isnt going to happen :(
- Something for Molly's keyworker from preschool. Cupcake? Not sure. Cupcakes for everyone??

2. In-law knitting
Since we dont see the extended inlaw family at Christmas, I am knitting them gifts for our trip in August. Only a month to go!
- Creatures of the Reef lace shawl for Nana-in-law. Getting on with this, probably 2/3rds the way through, but its a big project.
- Spirogyra fingerless mitts for MIL. One done, the other started. A quick project so should be OK
- Both (nice) sister-in-laws are supposed to be getting a scarf. One is about 3/4 done. Havnt started the other one yet. Gah!
- Something small for cousin's kids (4 of them aged 1.5 to 5). Was going to do knitting bunnies or similar, but going to run out of time. More likely will be gnome babies or these which are too cute.

3. Airplane knitting
By which I mean I have knit Molly a bunny with clothes for the flight over (and its too cute!) but need to do more clothes and make a monkey and clothes for Rosie.

Urgh...feel ill now....better go and get knitting!

Adventures with Lace

2008-06-28T16:29:00.005+01:00

I think I am hooked on lace! I have 4 projects on the go, and all of them are lacy. (This doesnt include the non-lacy projects I also have on the go, of which there are many. Oops.). I am not sure what it is about it. It requires more concentration that just straight knitting, since you have to follow charts do fancy things like yarn overs and knit 2 together etc etc, but of course the beauty of it is that individual stitches are easy, its just the way they are all put together that makes it look complicated. So you get to produce a really impressive piece of knitting without doing anything at all hard. Hurrah!

So, to list:
1. Creatures of the Reef Shawl intended for my Grandmother-in-law. I couldnt resist the little sea creatures and since she lives by the beach, I thought it appropriate. I am enjoying doing it, but it is a long project..I have almost finished the crab/seahorse section and am dying to get to the starfish! It is great fun to see the animals emerging, but they wont look truly ace until after blocking.
2. Lace Ribbon Shawl, a recent Ravelry favourite. I am using a sumptuous (ooo, dont get to use that word often) 2ply silk/cahsmere blend from Violet Green which makes me want to cry when I knit with it as its so soft. This one is going to be for me ;) The pattern was a pig at first when reading off the chart, but once I learned to read the knitting it became a lot of fun. Only started it a few days ago but loving it.
3. Started this morning the Isobel scarf from Cider Moon with the Debbie Bliss Cathay left over from my tank top thingy. Looking good so far. This one is for a sister-in-law. Not sure which one yet.
4. The Upstairs Shawl in another pant-wetter from Violet Green, this one a 2ply merino in a imaginatively named colourway, Squid Ink :) This one is for me too. So sue me.

And another thing I have discovered is that regular old circular needles are pretty pointless for lace. Literally. Their ends are too fat, and since you are overwhelmed with K2togs (knitting 2 stitches at once) with the old lace (thats what makes the holes!), or sometimes even K3tog, then pointy ends is what you need. So in steps Addi Lace Turbo needles...oh boy they are like knitting with butter. Well, not really but you know what I mean. They are pointy, and smooth (plated with something that looks like 24c gold, but probably isnt) and the join between the needle and cable is smoooooooooooooooooooooooth, so your stitches dont catch. I think I am in love.

Oh, and the other really great thing about lace is that a little yarn goes a long long way, so even though it might get a bit pricey, a whole 100g skein can make a huge shawl that takes you months to knit. Great value for money :)

Nephew

2008-06-28T16:25:00.003+01:00

He is still to be born, but I finally finished his cardigan. I was really pleased with this one. Rosie chose the buttons, which really finish it off nicely. His mum was really pleased with it too :)

Creatures

2008-06-28T16:18:00.004+01:00

For some light relief, a few quick and easy projects from Alan Dart. The sheep is from his farm selection, and the elephant from the Noah's Ark set. I love to knit them, but the fiddly bits like legs and ears can try my patience, so they are good 'once in a while' projects. The legs have straws in them, which is genius since it makes them stand up. The elephant is knit from Mirasol Hacho left over from my skinny scarf. He looks quite lovely, I think.

Such lovely patterns, with all the shaping in the knitting. So clever.

Friends

2008-06-28T15:46:00.015+01:00

I have this really great friend. The kind of friend that will always step in to help you out. She is lovely. When I was accepted onto my teacher training course and was looking for childcare for Molly, she immediately offered to have her one afternoon a week and even more on occasion. She loves my kids :) I met her when our eldest children were babies almost 7 years ago and inbetween then and now we have run a business together and lived to tell the tale. We share a sense of the absurd and both have 'difficult' mothers. She is lovely. Did I already mention that?

So after I started college and she started watching Molly for me, I starting knitting her a gift. I had wanted to knit the Clapotis ever since I joined Ravelry, since you cant surf for 2 minutes on there without coming across another one that someone has knit. And it looked fun.

And it was! It's knit on the bias, starting at one corner and working your way up. Its basically stocking stitch, but ever once in a while you get to knit a stitch through the back loop to twist it.This starts to make sense once you get to the point when you are dropping stitches....woot, such fun! (as previously documented on this glorious blog).The twisted stitches border the dropped on, so basically tighten the bands of stocking stitch. Its such a clever pattern. I have to admit, though, that it gets a bit of a slog in the middle section, but its so worth it, because the result gives such a fantastic drape for the shawl, especially once it is blocked.

I wish I had a better photo of it finished, but I rushed it off to her and now its too late, but you get the idea.

And you know what, she loves it! Whooo, it made me so happy to be able to do a nice thing for someone who has been so kind to me :) Thanks, Abi...you're lovely :):)

Its Magic!

2008-06-16T10:15:00.006+01:00

When me and the kids were on holiday a few years ago in Pembrokeshire, we went to a medieval fayre thing, and the kids had a go at felting with fleece. In other words, take some stinky sheep fluff, add soapy water and mash it around on a board until it made a flat blob, then hang it in the tree to dry. They enjoyed the mashing but were underwhelmed by the result. As was I. And I didnt warm to random things made this way either ie felt hats and sculptures.

So when I joined Ravelry and came across various photos and whatnot of felted items I paid no attention. Then I saw a pattern for a lovely Solstice bag that I had my eye on. Turns out it was felted. So I put that thought to one side. Then I saw some lovely coloured yarn on sale online, Trendsetters Granito, which happened to be especially for felting. The yarn made me buy it....and so to my first felted bag.

I started with the Sophie Bag. It knits in the round and is easy peasy with just a bit of shaping. The handle is i-cord grafted on with Kitchener stitch, my first go at that and a nice introduction as only 6 stitches :)

And then to the washing machine. A 60 degree wash in a front loading machine with a few pairs of jeans. If I had read as much about felting before I did that as I have since, I would have been way too intimidated to try. There is a ton of information out there about dos and donts of washing machine felting, much of it contradictory. For example, Felting Lore has it that front loader washing machines make felting much more tricky than the top loaders used often in the US. Anyway, I didnt read any of this until it was too late. And by that time, the bag had come out like this:

Hurrah! Ignorance is bliss!! Its like putting your knitting in a magic cauldron, waving your wand and pulling out something completely different. I love it! The bag is fits my purse, phone and lipstick and is perfect for taking out when I dont need to carry all the other extraneous rubbish that usually resides in my handbag. And it is much admired. So much so that I have been commissioned to make one for a friend :)

And of course, I couldnt stop there. One disaster later when I tried to use up some Debbie Bliss Pure Merino that didnt felt (I later read on Ravelry that DB yarns often dont felt as they have been treated to make them washable), I made this out of lovely heather mottley pink 100% wool aran from New Lanark (great price!) and gave it to Rosie's friend as a birthday present. Mindful of the poor carbon footprintingness of doing a 60 degree wash for one tiny item (and my washing machine takes 1.5-2hrs to do that!) I decided to try hand felting in hot water...which kind of worked, but my hands got hot, so I ended up sticking it in the washing machine in the end anyway. I think I need to get myself a plunger.

So I am a felting convert. On the needles is a big bag but maybe I will get around to that Solstice Bag one of these days......

Rosie's Sweater

2008-05-31T12:32:00.009+01:00

Ever since I finished Molly's Swing Jacket, Rosie has, somewhat understandably, being nagging me about knitting something for her. (And boy, can she nag ;)). Avid readers of this blog (ha!) will know that the initial plan was to knit her a rusty red version of the Ink Flare Sweater that I made for myself. But since I dont love that sweater, or knitting with the yarn (Noro Cash Iroha), I just kept putting it to one side for more exciting projects. Then I started a raglan sweater in the same yarn, using the top-down raglan calculator...but again, got bored after a few rounds and kept putting it to one side. Poor Rosie, every time she saw me knitting on something else, she would ask when was I going to knit on her sweater. Ah she does a good line in guilt.

So, finally I decided to go the chunky/big needle route and get something finished. I went with Click Chunky cos a) its, well, chunky and b) its cheap yet soft and springy. Surprisingly so for 70% acrylic. I like it. And I found a Sirdar pattern for a simple raglan sweater....so the plan was definitely coming together. After a small hitch where I took the yarn but not the pattern on a 3 day visit to my mothers (=lots of knitting time), followed by lots of ranting and stomping then loosing of the will to live as I tried to find something online using her dial up, I finally got started a few days ago on our return.

I knitted up the back quickly, but as I started the front I began to yawn a bit, so decided to stick a pattern on the front. I searched for a dishcloth pattern or similar, but nothing was quite right. So I ended up designing my own fish pattern on graph paper. First one (the little fish) fell foul of that problem where graph paper is square, but knit stitches are oblong, so he is longer and thinner than I wanted. But still OK. The bigger fish I tried to compensate, but he still came out too long. I tried to pretend he was OK and finished the front, but figured every time I looked at it, it would piss me off, so I frogged back and redid it, adding some bubbles this time for a larf. Am quite happy with the result :) It the spirit of sharing, the pattern for the fish is below.

As for the whole sweater, it is pretty snug on Rosie, despite me working to gauge (had to go up a needle size as usual), so I wish I had done the next size up, but hopefully she wont grow too much over the summer. She loves it :) Which is good, because I had started to wonder if I was going to be one of those people who knits awful ill-fitting sweaters that are obviously handknitted that people only wear out of obligation. Maybe I should stick to shawls and bags.....

Moss/Seed stitch Fish pattern

Big Fish (left facing)
Row 1: P1 K1 P1 K18
Row 2: P3 (K1P1)3 K1 P7 K1 P1 K1 P1
Row 3: K2 P1 K1 P1 K4 (K1P1)5 K2
Row 4: P1 (K1P1)6 P4 K1 P3
Row 5: K2 P1 K1 P1 K4 (K1P1)5 K2
Row 6: P1 (K1P1)6 P2 K1 P1 K1 P3
Row 7: K4 P1 (K1P1)8
Row 8: P1 (K1P1)8 P3
Row 9: K4 P1 (K1P1)8
Row 10: P1 (K1P1)6 P2 K1 P1 K1 P3
Row 11: K2 P1 K1 P1 K4 (K1P1)5 K2
Row 12: P1 (K1P1)6 P4 K1 P3
Row 13: K2 P1 K1 P1 K4 (K1P1)5 K2
Row 14: P3 (K1P1)3 K1 P7 K1 P1 K1 P1
Row 15: P1 K1 P1 K18

Small Fish (right facing)
Row 1: K3 P1 (K1P1)2 K5 P1 K1
Row 2: K1 P1 K1 P3 (K1P1)3 K1 P2
Row 3: (K1P1)7 K1
Row 4: P4 (K1P1)5 K1
Row 5: (K1P1)7 K1
Row 6: K1 P1 K1 P3 (K1P1)3 K1 P2
Row 7: K3 P1 (K1P1)2 K5 P1 K1

My First Lace Project

2008-05-21T18:05:00.006+01:00

I finished something! This is the lovely summery vest top with a bit of lace at the bottom I did with the DB Cathay yarn. Its called Soleil and is from knitty. Heaven to knit with (although a bit splitty), it was a perfect first lace project as it wasnt too arduous and once it was done, it was straight stocking stitch in the round. I really enjoyed knitting it. It fits too, although it does feel a bit 'chunky' in this gauge. I imagine it would look smarter in a thinner yarn. But I wore it today, and really enjoyed knowing I was wearing something I made. Yay!

Now I have about 8 skeins of Cathay left over, since I bought enough for a big sweater, so have to decide what to do with it. I am thinking it might lend itself to a really slinky Clapotis, but that might be because I am totally in love with the other one I am making (in Louisa Harding Grace) because I have got to the dropped stitch part......woot!! Such fun. Its true, I am sad!

Booties

2008-05-21T18:01:00.004+01:00

Who can resist these lovely booties. They are a ravelry favourite, designed by Saartje, and much knitted. They knit up flat, so no fiddly dpns and seaming on such a small item is a breeze. No idea if they will fit, or stay on! I would love to knit a whole mess of these; I definitely need more babies, although not personally, you understand.

I've started so I must finish...

2008-05-05T08:52:00.005+01:00

OK so I have a starting problem. Or a finishing problem, depending on how you look at it. Last Saturday I started 3 new projects, while still having 4 on the go, in various stages of unfinishedness. The lure of new projects is too great. Finishing them is boring. Oh dear. In the spirit of transparency, this is what I have on the go at the moment.

1. Rosie's ink flared sweater. A smaller version of the one I did for me, in rust red with grey stripey bits. I am kind of making it up a bit as I go along, a bit risky. Its not so interesting to knit, but she is always nagging me about it so I keep on keeping on.

2. Toddler Coat for C by Debbie Bliss. Its lovely to knit, I should get on with it. But its in size 12-18mths, so no immediate rush.

3. Shawl-collared cardigan by Debbie Bliss for soon-to-be nephew, also C. All done except blocking and sewing. Must finish soon as he is nearly an actual nephew rather than a soon-to-be one.

4. Cotton Lace Shrug. Glorious project in Debbie Bliss cotton angora which is lovely to knit. My first lace. Requires concentration, so I cant do it while I am chatting or watching The Apprentice. So progress is slow.

5. A 'Clapotis' shawl (apparently pronounced Clap-o-Tee), which is meant as a 'thank-you' for a friend. In Louisa Harding Silk and Wool yarn, which I got cheap from ebay. Not sure about it, but am suspending judgement. Anyway, the shawl is fun fun fun to knit, as its done on the bias and then, *gasp*, you drop a load of stitches. Hehehe. Cant wait for that bit. (Bloody hell, I am sad...)

6. A skinny scarf, which is basically DK wool knitted on 10mm needles, so you get a big floopy stitch. So easy and fun. And the wool I am using is Mirasol Hacho which is 100% merino hand-dyed and is gloriously bright coloured. It is from a project in Peru which helps the children of the yarn producers and workers, so I can feel self-righteous as I knit.

7. And finally, since some Debbie Bliss Cathay was finally shipped to me after a 3 month wait and no apology (getknitted, I will not be ordering from you again. Grrr) I changed my mind about what I wanted to knit with it, and am now doing a simple tank top with lacy edging. Its knit in the round and I am enjoying it greatly. The yarn is heaven to knit with. My gauge is off, not having a 4mm circular, so am doing it with 5mm in the smaller size and hoping that it will kind of fit me. If it doesnt, I will give it to someone bigger/smaller than myself, as appropriate.

And I havnt even mentioned the half finished dinosaurs and bags. Gah! Someone slap me with a wet fish if I start something else when I havnt finished these yet.

All the cool kids are doing it...

2008-05-05T08:52:00.001+01:00

Yay, I have converted several people to the Joys of Knitting! I feel like a pusher ;) Last weekend 16 mums and some or all of their kids met up in a big house in Malvern for chat, wine, chaos and laughter. And knitting! I got a job lot of cheapo needles from ebay and raided my stash for God-awful acrylic yarn and on Saturday night (after probably too many glasses of wine) we had a little knitting group. My lovely friend Louby, a champion knitter herself, and I coaxed some friends through a good few rows of garter stitch. All but one had previously knitted, but way back then, so we didnt have too arduous a task at all. They did very well, and one went off at a great pace and tried all manner of stitches. I hear she has since made her first garmet. Woot! I think we might have made at least a few converts. Ah to spread the joy. I loved it :)

Sheep!

2008-05-04T19:08:00.002+01:00

This is a chubby one from an Alan Dart Shaun the Sheep Mobile pattern. Weird to knit with the furry yarn, but so cute! Quick to do, although fiddly with the legs and such. He has a bit of a glazed expression, which is quite apt, cos he is meant for my brother. Who is old enough to know better, but doesnt.

My First Sweater

2008-05-04T18:57:00.004+01:00

I finished my first sweater, the Ink Flared Sweater from Black Dog Designs. I enjoyed knitting it, but not that happy with the way it turned out. The yarn (Noro Cash Iroho) is mildly slubby, by which I mean there is a sodding great slub every once in a while, but the rest of the yarn is quite smooth. As a consequence, the fabric looks smoothish with a slub here and there which looks more like a snag. Grrr. And it wasnt super great to handle while knitting, although it is soft to wear and quite snuggly.

The other problem is that I dont think it really suits me. The highish neckline makes my boobs look huge! Anyway, it will be a good slobbing around in sweater which is fine, although a bit bloody expensive considering! At least I got the yarn half price on ebay. Oh and the raglan sleeves should have been sewn up differently I think. I am currently knitting a smaller one for Rosie so will try again with that one. Need to do some research.

Swing Coat

2008-04-17T13:23:00.008+01:00

Finished!! I am really proud of it, and Molly loves it. I am surprised and delighted at how fantastic it is watching one of my creations walking around :) There was a minor hiccup with the buttonhole, which came up too high on the neck, but I just sewed the button on (not my choice, Molly picked it out, but I think it works) and put a popper on the back.

And am going great guns with my Ink Flare Sweater, which I need to finish up before I make a smaller one for Rosie. She is nagging me!!! Oh I just realised I didnt mention that. Its from http://designsbyblackdog.blogspot.com which I am knitting in a kind of bluey grey. Its fast and fun to knit, and I have high hopes that it will look great. Hopes rather than expectations that is, since I have no idea what kind of freaky shape it will turn out to be. Watch this space!

Oh and someone in Texas is making my cupcakes! Whoot!! http://woolwindings.blogspot.com/2008/04/crazy-for-cupcakes.html

So a good day in beeknitland...

A Lesson in Tension

2008-04-13T13:11:00.003+01:00

Oh dear. Well, the swing jacket for Molly (Catherine Tough's Easy Knits for Kids) was going really badly. Its all garter stitch and it was so slow and was resulting in knitting related injuries on my forefinger. Grrr. I finished the back and 2/3rds of a front section over Easter weekend, but it was no joy. Then something made me check the tension (I know I know I should have done it before I started *rolls eyes*) and it was way way way off. It might have fitted a 2yr old. If they were very very small. Gah!

So I ripped it, and started again, instead of 3.75mm needles I went way up to 5mm (mainly cos my 4.5mm ones were in use). Oh what a difference! It knit like a dream, like a knife through butter, blah blah you get the picture. No longer tight and nasty, the knitting became loose and lovely. Hurrah! The down side is that it isnt as even, it feels a bit floopy, and it doesnt look as neat. But it feels softer. You can see the difference here. It nearly killed me to rip all that nasty knitting that I sweated over, but it was definitely for the best.

So have been going great guns ever since. Nearly finished the last piece and sewing up is on the agenda for this evening I think. Woot!

So I guess I have discovered I am a tight knitter...who'd have thought it? Its not like I have a tight-arsed personality. Oh. Well, OK then ;) So tension squares for me from now on. Or maybe just bigger needles. A lesson learned anyway.

Something I learned

2008-04-08T10:34:00.001+01:00

Dont try and knit with bamboo needles in a swimming pool. Well, not in it, obviously, but while sitting watching your kids have a swimming lesson. I guess the humidity is the problem. Either way it makes the yarn stick to the needles in a horrible way.

Just thought I'd mention it.

More on cakes

2008-03-28T12:53:00.003Z

I thought I would post a photo of my 'learning curve' on designing my cupcake pattern. As you can see, the first is too round and the second is too fat! The first 2 are in DK, and the final one in aran weight. I am quite pleased I managed to perfect it in only 3 goes :)

And here is a whole plate of them I made for a friends daughter. Yum!

Coming soon: The Slice Of Cake Learning Curve

Another random update

2008-03-28T10:31:00.008Z

Here are some thing I have knitted but not blogged about to date.

Firstly I had my first experience of a) hand-dyed yarn and b) knitting in the round. I saw a girl in a coffee shop with a knitted headband, it looked South American/Inca-ish and was lovely. So I thought I would see if I could manage one. So one lovely skein of 4ply from www.kraftykoala.co.uk in 'sunflower' colours and a circular needle later here is the result. I loved knitting it and its just knit knit knit and no brain power required at all. I do wear it a bit, but not sure if I look like a complete twat it. Oh well...Lots of the yarn left too, so have to decide what to do with it. Am also looking for more knitting in the round project and have my eye on an elephant ;)

Other things:

1. I have started a garter stitch 'Swing Jacket' for Molly in lovely cerise pink/purple Rowan Cashsoft Cotton DK which is absolutely gorgeous. The pattern comes from Catherine Tough's book 'Easy Knits for Little Kids'. There is a quite bit of mohair in the yarn though, which turns it quite furry, which isnt apparent from looking at the ball of yarn. Garter stitch is way slower to knit than stocking stitch though :(

2. I have started a couple of knitted bags from Emma King's '25 Bags to Knit'
One in greens/yellows (for me!) and another using Rowan Summer Tweed and Rowan Cotton Glace in pink (for someone else) and I have yarn to make another in blues. Most of the yarns are worked double thickness which is a bit of a pain, but I am hoping for lovely distinctive bags at the end of it :)

3. Have knitted a few more gnome babies and random dinosaurs!

4. Have started another Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino affair, this time in green for A and H's forthcoming baby (a boy apparently!). Its a pair of little dungarees with moss stitch detail, so cute! I must do them a pair of shoes too :)

There must be more....but it escapes me right now. As usual, too many projects, too little time.....

Matinee Jacket

2008-03-28T10:25:00.002Z

I did get a photo of C in the jacket I made! Isnt she cute?? She wore it for her Uncle's wedding, and apparently got a lot of lovely comments. Arnt I clever? :P

Cake Glorious Cake

2008-02-29T13:36:00.007Z

I bought Molly some knitted cupcakes from ebay for her birthday last year, pre-knitting days. Oh they are so cute! So now I am feeling a bit more confident, I have been working on making some for myself. The first few attempts were a bit dodgy (too round...like a Christmas pudding!) or too big. In the end I realised I needed a different yarn (aran instead of DK) and lo and behold, here is the result! I am really pleased with them :)

Am knitting a set of six for one of Molly's friends birthday present next week.

I am so proud of them, I am going to share the pattern. I hope its readable, I have no experience in writing patterns! Feel free to make up for your own use or for charity, but please dont make them for profit. Thats a bit rude.

[This is an amended version of the pattern as of 23/3/09 which gives the same result but is (hopefully!) a bit clearer re the method of increasing for the cake part. Let me know if there are any other glitches.]

4mm needles, aran yarn (I used Patons Toddler Aran)

M1: Pick up loop between stitches and knit into the back of it to make an extra stitch.

Cake
Start with cake colour (mahogany for choccie cakes)
Cast on 7st
row 1: (K1, M1) 5 times, K1 - 11st
row 2: P
row 3: (K2, M1) 5 times, K1 - 16st
row 4: P
row 5: (K3, M1) 5 times, K1 - 21st
row 6: P
row 7-9: K
row 10: P
row 11: K4, (K1, M1, K6)x 2, K1, M1, K2 - 24st
row 12-14: stst, starting with a P row
row 15: K4 (K1, M1, K6)x 2, K1, M1, K5 - 27st
row 16: P
row 17: (K4, K1, M1) x 5, K2 - 32st
row 18: P
row 19: K6, (K1, M1, K8) x 2, K1, M1, K7 - 35st
row 20: P
Break off yarn and join icing colour
row 21-22: stst 2, starting with K
row 23: (K8, K2tog) x 3, K5 - 32st
row 24: P
row 25: (K4, K2tog) x 5, K2 - 27st
row 26: P
row 27: (K2tog) x 13, K1 - 14st
row 28: (P2tog) to end - 7st
Pass thread through stitches and pull tight. Sew up cake, leaving hole in bottom to stuff. Thread yarn through CO stitches and pull tight.

Chocolate button
CO 6st
Starting with P, stst 8 rows. Thread yarn through stitches and round edges of work. Pull tightly to make ball. Sew onto cake, passing the thread through to bottom of cake to fasten off to give a little 'dip' in the centre of the cake.

Sew straight stitches randomly on top for 'sprinkles'

Case
Using icing colour, Cast on 9st.
garter st 60 rows, Cast off.
Pick up and knit 28 stitches on row ends.
row 1: P
row 2: (K4, K2tog) x 4, K4 - 24st
row 3: P
row 4: (K2 K2tog) to end - 18st
row 5: P
row 6: K2tog to end - 9st
Thread yarn through stitches and pull up tight. Sew sides of case together.

Update on projects

2008-02-23T14:24:00.000Z

1. I finished the matinee jacket, but am kicking myself cos I forgot to take a picture of it before I sent it to J and I. Hoping they will send me one of C wearing it cos it certainly was cute!

2. I finished Matt's hat in a few evenings. I used a pattern from a Rowan book which called for Big Wool, but it was way to expensive and a bit scratchy so I bought a less chunky wool/acrylic blend that did the trick. I adapted the pattern a bit (cast on more stitches and did more rows) so wasnt quite sure how it was going to turn out, but it looks pretty good if you ask me!Matt says its the first thing anyone ever made for him, which is cute. He hasnt worn it much yet though ;)

3. Blanket squares coming along. Finished 4 now and another on the way. Have copped out a bit as it was proving too much of a headache to make them all the same size what with the different stitches etc, so I have decided to just do a hotch potch of sizes. I think it will look good.They grow pretty quickly though, so are great to do when I am fed up of the fiddly bits.

4. My Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino sweater. Have done about 15cm of the back, but have kind of decided to give up on it. Its really fine, will take ages and I am not sure I like it enough to put the effort it tbh. I think I will look for something a bit chunkier...

5. Topsy Turvy Doll....no progress!

6. I knitted a dinosaur. Who wouldnt?? Another one on the go too. I plan a whole bunch. They are from the Jean Greenhowe Toy Collection book. The kids love 'em.

Knitting in Public

2008-02-23T14:10:00.000Z

Its weird the reactions I get to knitting in public. I mean its not indecent or anything is it?! Its like I have felt the need to create a reason I am knitting. Like at a school meeting people made such a fuss that I said I had to knit Matt's hat when he wasnt around, or I have pretended I have a big deadline or something. But the truth is I just like knitting! If I am sitting listening to teachers talking about KS1 SATS for 45mins why cant I knit as well? Its not like I am reading a book or something, or talking on my mobile. I can perfectly well pay attention and knit!

But even being at friends houses causes comments, like a friend of mine implied that I didnt find them interesting enough, so I had to knit too. Actually, that one might have been true.... Also took my knitting to the pub but the light wasnt good enough, which is a shame because surely there is a place for pub knitting.:).

I guess the truth is you dont see people knitting much. In my communting days I do remember seeing the odd knitter though. That would be me if I still took the train! Maybe its my mission to educate people. I am certainly not going to change my ways and sit with still fingers. Knitting rocks!

Attention Deficit Disorder

2008-02-04T17:22:00.000Z

I have too many projects in progress. I think I have a problem with following through. It must be psychological ;) Here is what I have on the go:

1. Matinee coat in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino as mentioned below. Knitting finished just have to sew up now, hoping to do that tonight.

2. Jean Greenhowe Topsy-Turnabout doll. I couldnt resist after seeing one made up at Rosie's school. I have done the body and one skirt, other skirt is on the needles.

3. Blanket squares in greens and browns/chunky wool for a blanket for our bed, so needs to be about 2m square. Gah! Have done one square so far....its not very inspiring to knit, but I know it would be great to have on our bed so must pull finger out....

4. Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino purple jacket for *me*!! My first knitted item intended for myself. Might be a long time in the making though....

5. Have just ordered a pattern for a simple hat for Matt as a pressie for Valentines Day...so that will delay the other projects even further.

And as well as all this, I took a day out to knit myself a belt, as I couldnt find one in the shops anywhere and my trousers kept falling down. Didnt want to do anything too fancy, so did moss stitch, DK 5st across. Didnt take that long, but (as could probably have been predicted) its too stretchy. Oh well. Live and learn.

Will post again when and if I ever finish any of the above!

Moss Stitch Cardigan and Shoes

2008-01-15T14:42:00.000Z

So a few weeks down the line and I have finished the lilac cardigan and some darling baby shoes using Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. The patterns were from her Baby Knits for Beginners book, and I found both pretty straightforward to knit. I found the stitching up to be frustrating and dull and hard to get looking nice. Not so happy with the way the sleeves set into the body, but not sure what to do about that. There are a few mistakes in the cardigan, most notably in the moss stitch neckband, but it was so complicated to pick up the neck stitches etc that I daren't unpick it and do it again. It looks OK, just not perfect ;) Oh and the other problem was that I only bought 5 buttons like a dummy, so there is a little gap at the bottom but hey ho, thats stylee, innit? I hope I and J will understand and still remain the proud recipients of my first ever garment ;)

The shoes are just so adorable. I changed the pattern to include the little strap because there is no wa on this earth that shoes without a strap will stay on a baby's foot for more than a microsecond. As it is, they will probably come off, unless they are blessed with a baby that doesnt wriggle its legs. Unlikely, but you never know. Anyway, they are quick to knit, one shoe per evening, so undoubtedly I will do some more another time. I hope A and H hurry up and find out the sex of their baby so I can get knitting. I am hoping for a boy so I can do some different colours ;)

Oh and already on the kneedles is another Debbie Bliss pattern of a 'matinee coat' which sounds hopelessly old fashioned, but looks adorable, if a little impractical. And I have a bunch of chunky wool in greens and browns coming from ebay. The plan is to knit largeish squares in different stitches and colours for a blanket for our bed. It would be a super king size...I might be finished by next winter. All this because my Debbie Bliss Cathay is on back order, so my sweater is going to have to get to the back of the line.

Debbie Bliss - Baby Knits

2008-01-05T15:27:00.000Z

Oh, touching Debbie Bliss yarn in the flesh, Baby Cashmerino was fatal. And the colours. And the gorgeous photographs in her books. Now I understand what my friends were talking about when they mentioned being seduced by yarn and patterns. And out I walked from John Lewis with two Debbie Bliss books (Baby Knits for Beginners and Baby Cahmerino) and 5 balls of yarn. Yikes it is expensive!

But oh such a joy to knit. I really appreciate how awful that cheapo acrylic yarn I have been using (Stylecraft) has been, although its fine for toys I guess. So I am tackling my first garment, a moss stitch bordered baby cardigan for Ian and Jessie's baby. She is due end of Jan, so not much time, but I am loving it so far (mind you, only done the straight part of the back so far). The book is great too and I have already learned that I have been increasing stitches wrongly ;) and there are nice diagrams for stitching up, something I am keen to learn. So watch this space fo a pic once it is finished!

Oh but it doesnt stop there. I stopped by the DebbieBliss website and off I was browsing the adult patterns. After many happy hours fantastizing over the lovely knits there, then realising I would need 23 balls of alpaca silk at 3/4 pounds a ball, I got a bit disheartened. But compromised on 13 balls of Cathay and an asymmetric sweater. So also watch this space. I wonder if it will be finished by next winter ;)

And already too many projects on the line. I bought a load of cheapo pink yarn to knit a granny square blanket, might still do that if I have time. And I also have a vision of knitting a blanket for our bed. Maybe I will start stock piling taupe/beige/sage/green yarns ready for knitting up in the summer.

I can see I am going to be a busy bee....either that or all will come to nowt!

Jean Greenhowe

2008-01-05T15:10:00.000Z

It started off by me browsing knitted food on ebay. I was looking for stocking fillers and fell in love with peas in a pod with googly eyes. And baked beans :) But they were going for up to five pounds each, a bit pricey, so off I went to google and find a pattern, which eventually lead me to Jean Greenhowe and her delightful patterns. I bought JiffyKnits, in which she finds amusing and original things to do with garter strips. I just love the posing of the figures in those patterns, done with real humour. Matt and I chuckled over it several times. And also her Toy Patterns which includes bunnies, chicks, elephants and more. All charming.

Coming up to Christmas as it was, I started with the snowman family, all made from garter stitch, including bobble hats and bonnets. Easy, easy, easy and my confidence grew. So I tackled the free pattern her site for rainbow babies, a bit of stocking stitch and shaping and voila. I had to knit them only in the evenings to keep them secret from the kids, although they did see me a few times. I told them I was 'practising my knitting' which they seemed to accept. These little dolls really are adorable, and the rainbow 'pouches' they sit in are fun to knit and increase the cuteness. I made one for my 'Odddaughter', Kitty, who is 20months. She was a bit underwhelmed ;)

And still there was knitting time before Christmas, so I made a chick and his little sibling, cute cute cute! I ended up having Rosie and Molly give the snowmen and chicks to each other as presents, which confused them a bit but its the thought that counts, eh?

And still more time, from about the 23rd onward, I made some stripey garter stitch ball Christmas decorations. Fun and mindless to knit, the kids loved suggesting colours and they did look great on the tree. Too late for this year, I discovered knitted crackers and other decorations in another of Jean's books (Toy Bazaar or similar) so hopefully next year I can get onto those. Maybe I can even sell them on ebay ;)

Christmas Day ended with kids in bed, a warm satisfied feeling from a lovely day, and me sitting on the couch knitting an elephant. Ah bliss. And off to my mothers on Boxing Day for a few days, but disaster! I forgot my knitting!! Honestly, I felt like I had left my arm behind, it was totally weird. So a few days off, but once back home I knitted this gorgeous little girl elephant quick smart. I was going to knit her a brother, but ran out of grey. I couldnt resist photographing her knickers. Sorry.

So one raspberry coloured bunny later, I started making mice, one for each season.
Spring is finished and I was working on Summer (a bride) all the while wondering what the heck I was going to do with them, when my new Jean Greenhowe books arrived, courtesy of ebay, the Toy Bazaar and another Toy Collection. The former of which has some lovely rainbow playballs I started straight away for my forthcoming niece. And have nearly finished another one, but got sidetracked by visiting John Lewis and discovering Debbie Bliss.....

My Knitting Blog

2008-01-05T14:38:00.000Z

Well, here's a knitting blog. I want somewhere to log my progress from beginner onwards. Also to show off all the cute stuff I have been knitting. Who'd have thought the knitting would be so addictive!!

I learned to knit probably around age 11/12 from my mother. She taught me and my brother at the same time (he would have been 13 or so), and he was much more into it than me and made a glorious Dr Who scarf :) I dont remember ever managing to knit something without passing it to my mother every few rows to pick up a dropped stitch or repair some damage or other. I did manage to knit a pair of fingerless gloves on 4 needles though!

So, no knitting since then. I have several (mostly virtual) knitting friends and have been intrigued at their discussions of yarn addictions, glorious projects and beautiful end products. I even witnessed the construction of a mobius scarf once. But always busy with my crafty business, I knew I didnt have time to get absorbed in another activity. And now thats been shelved, I have time to do whatever I want. So I started knitting again at the age of 40!

So off I go to the shop and bought chunky denim wool and chunky needles, learnt to cast on from www.knittinghelp.com videos and off I went. I was pretty much a sampler in which I relearned stocking stitch, garter stitch and ribbing. It grew quickly and I wear it all the time. I must remember to thread in all the loose ends though!

Oh and heres a photo....

After that, I discovered Jean Greenhowe....a new post for that I think :)