The joy of finishing!

Occasionally you just want to cast something on RIGHT THEN!!  That means finding yarn that isn't skeined and then choosing a pattern to go with it.  Oddly, for me that usually ends up being a shawl or scarf, because a girl with only one neck needs an unlimited number of shawls and scarves!

So between procrastination about how to finish some of the WIPs that have been haunting this place I decided to cast on a Multnomah with some Knitpicks Stroll Multi that was sitting about.  I nearly got the whole shawl out of 50g but unfortunately not quite so I had to start a second ball.  Having started the ball I decided to finish it and made the feather and fan border quite a bit wider than the pattern asked for.

I also managed to finish off this little tige and it has come out nicely I think.  I love Pear Tree Merino and the pattern (Topside Cardi) was quick and easy.  My only modification was to do a ribbed button band rather than the garter called for in the pattern.  I just felt that it was more cohesive with the rest of the design. 

Apologies for the crappy photography, sometimes the only time to take a photo is 10 o'clock at night!

Fugly?

It's done! But here is the funny bit, it isn't nearly as fugly as I thought it was. Finished and laid out to block it is really quite charming n it's own mismatched kind of way. Isn't that odd. All this time I thought it was going to be an atrocious mess and now I quite like it.

In all it is about 130cm square (that is a little over 4 foot for the rest of you) and a lovely size for a good lap blanket. Rohan has given it the snuggly stamp of approval and thus it has been adopted by the family.

The next project is to finish this little cardi. I put it away after doing the front band in rib, something I was not sure I liked once it was done. Bringing it out again today I think it actually looks okay. I might do the other band and then see how I feel about it. The pattern actually called for garter stitch but that just felt a bit mismatched for me with the 1x1 rib and the 2x2 rib and then garter as well. Oh well, as I always say, one of two things will happen - I will either like it or I will redo it.

Beeroramafest II

Just feeling a trifle weary this morning, maybe as a result of the running of Beeroramafest II at our place last night. So much home brew (the craft of the male member of the household) and so little time, not to mention nearly $400 raised for the local dementia respite centre in town.

School holidays are here at last and hopefully I might get some time to work on Fugly. That ugly little blanket and I have bonded and it is making steady progress. I also hope/plan/desire to clean out the huge array of toys that reside here. The problem with having three boys is that by number 3 you own pretty much every boy's toy know to modern civilisation and a few other random ones unearthed from the nether regions.

Stay tuned, hopefully these things will happen!

It's funny how this happens.

After finding this unfinished blanket the other day I have taken a new shine to it and added several inches. It's funny how that happens. Projects take your complete attention for a while and then, often for no reason, get turfed aside for something else. Sometimes all it takes is another look to make a project attractive again.

Bring on the fugliness I say!

Why yes, there has been things going on. Why do you ask?

Yep, there have been many things going on. You know, this and that and a little of the other, followed quickly by stuff and ending with things. Life, it has a nasty way of getting in the way of other stuff. Just as well it is punctuated by good fun, good friends and good times.

Yes, there has been crafting going on at my place. There was much Christmas knitting that came off the needles and was wrapped so speedily that none of it was photographed. Sorry, but you will just have to believe me that the kids' teachers liked there hand-knitted hats (for the gents) and Ishbel (for Mary). As for everyone else, no knitted gifts last year (well except for Sam, but I did start her socks about 400 years ago), maybe this year they will have more luck.

At the moment I seem to have started much and finished little. I did do a few knitted things for my friend Lucy's little baby Tom. Lucy is a mad keen Geelong Cats fan so I made her a little hat and matching socks, designed to fit come the football season. Yet again I forgot to take a finished shot but here they are minus finishing. Sorry, dodgy phone shot, but I really only took it to show a friend what I was up to!

Lucy also got a baby kimono and matching hat when Tom actually arrived (the others were baby shower gifts) but again no photo. Are you detecting a trend?

Other than those I have so many things unfinished. There is this....

I love it. I love the cabling, I love the colour but alas I don't have enough of the Bendigo melody to do full sleeves and I just can't decide whether to finish it as a vest, finish it as a tee or just frog it and find something else for the yarn. Thoughts?

I have started this too...

I like to call it "Fugly but Snuggly". It is just using up the bazillions of left over yarn scraps about the place. It is not the prettiest thing in the world but it is warm and it will get finished and probably donated to charity unless

someone claims it earlier.

I have also knitted a kimono jumper and hat about the same time as I did Tom's kimono but both are waiting for finishing and for a little girl to wear them I really do like them and I am hoping that another friend of mine produces the aforementioned bambino.

So just incase I didn't have enough WIPs lying around the place I decided that I should just start something else!

This is the Topside Cardi by Vickie Howell knit in the most glorious Pear Tree Merino in a colour not nearly done justice here. If you can believe me, it is a gorgeous apple green that is just as soft as butter. It only has the bands and sleeves to go so maybe it has half a chance of getting finished some time soon.

Well, that was cathartic! I feel all up to date now and way less neglectful!

It's Hip to Knit Sqaures

My knitting time of late has been taken up with knitting blanket squares for the Save the Children Fund's Born to Knit campaign. Basically, you knit 20cm x 20cm (44sts x 88 rows) squares in 8ply (dk) pure wool and join 16 together to make a baby blanket. I have done some squares for the boy's school and have also vowed to make a whole blanket myself.

I am up to square 8, nearly halfway, and it has been really enjoyable. I think that charity knitting is great for the soul. Giving your time to create something for someone you will never meet is an interesting concept. I like to think that the item will be a cherished item that will be immensely handy to its recipient.

You know what I think would be cool? If some of the readers of this blog joined me in my charity knitting. You might want to knit one square and post it to me (email me for the address) to join squares made by others or do your own blanket and hand it in yourself. I will give a random, yarny prize to someone who joins me on the quest by either knitting a square and sending it to me or knitting their own blanket and posting a link in the comments.

Come on knitters, lets cover the world in wool!

Okay.....

Maybe I do have a small problem....

But I mean, aren't they pretty?

The Knitting Naughty Corner

Do you have a knitting naughty corner? You the place projects go when they have committed the mortal fibre sins of not working, being boring or just losing your eternal love? I certainly have the KNC. Projects might languish there for days, months or even years. They go there for so many different reasons. Mainly it is because I have found better, more interesting or more pressing things to do. Last week I decided it was time to tackle the KNC and make some hard decisions about the fate of the recalcitrants dwelling there in.

This escaped! As far as I remember it went to the corner about Christmas last year for the sin of not working properly. As often happens with lace, I repeated the same row about 3 times, got the wrong number of stitches 3 times and cracked it once! Off to the KNC it went and there it stayed. I bought it out again last week and finished it off.

Luna Moth Shawl by Shui Kuen Kozinski knit with 8ply Bendigo Cotton in black (well technically I think the colour is called 'Noir' but it's black). My original plan had been to knit a cotton shawl for the summer months, you know, when the evening cools and such. It has become a winter finish but I am sure it will useful none the less.

It was a kind of enjoyable knit. The pattern is not particularly intuitive and it easy to mess up if you lapse in concentration. Would I do it again? Probably not.

The KNC isn't empty yet although this has managed to escape and is currently being finished.

Gotta Love Cute.

My beautiful little red-headed warrior requested the production of a Cats hat that "looked like it had ears" after he saw a hat that I made for the CCPAS auction. No worries, found some leftover white something or other, found a scrap of leftover navy whosawhatsit and set to work. Of course needed more than a scrap of the navy so headed off the next day to Lincraft*, grabbed some navy Cozy Wool and finished right smartly.

Looks cute huh?


Even cuter close up!


I tacked the corners in so they would stand up even better, so the warrior was very pleased. Little did I know that my mission was not yet complete. Apparently such a hat requires a matching "tail like Half-Cat" and so I went back to work.

Now tell me, is this the cutest thing ever?


* Is it just me or is the range at Lincraft always disappointing? There are some lovely looking yarns but you pick them up and they are overpriced, acrylic rubbish. I only went there because it was closer and was again just utterly confused with the decisions that their marketing department makes.

Twirly, Whirly, Glitzy Scarf!

I think I might have a problem, I appear to be blogging regularly again. It's a miracle I tells you, a miracle!

Today's blog is a special one. Over the next few weeks I hope to knit and/or sew a number of items to help Curtain Call Performing Arts School raise some funds for our upcoming show, Bye Bye Birdie. These items will be silent auctioned at the trivia night we are having on the 24th of June, but if any of my Aussie readers want to bid now I will shout you postage if you win. I will also text or email the top bidder here on the night if they get outbid to give them a last chance. If anyone from overseas wants to bid I will split you the postage cost.

Item number one:
This twirly, whirly ruffly scarf (modelled expertly by Max who was a great sport owing to the lack of chics around here) is handknit from handdyed (by Happy Spider) wool/synthetic mohair/glitz yarn. It has an eyelet edging and a garter border. It is nice and soft and cuddly for either big or little girls.

If you would like to bid just leave the amount in the comments section and shot me off an email at this email address so that I have a contact for you. Also give me a yell if you want anymore details.

Shhhh, it's a secret!

I am about 99.99% sure that my sister in law doesn't read this blog. Further to that I am actually pretty sure that she doesn't even know I have a blog. If I am wrong, "Hi Ral", please stop reading here.

My latest finished offering is Holden, a lovely quick freebie knit in Wired for Fibre Rita (80/20) in Baroque. It is a birthday present for the aforementioned Ral that she will get on Sunday. It is very pretty, have a look...


Hopefully the recipient will like it and wear it lovingly. Most of the time I think she appreciates handmade things and then sometimes I'm not so sure. Oh well, no one said that zealotry was easy!

So I am not the only crafter in the house.

While Jason and Bevan were outside making the back gardens more dog-proof than they previously were, Duncan and I did some crafting together. Sometime ago I taught Duncan how to use the sewing machine and he made a little bag (probably didn't blog that but it cute and a fair first attempt). Today he decided that he wanted to make himself a heat pack.

He did everything from choosing the fabric to the final product with the exception that I threaded the machine. The finished heat pack is pretty good. A little wonky down one side but still very functional and funky.

Seeing as I had the machine out and running I decided to whip up a hot water bottle cover for Rohan who has quite taken to this charmingly old-fashioned heating method. For weeks I have been filling the bottle and lamenting that, whilst warm, the rubber is hardly snugly. Well, with the machine threaded and fabric on the table I really had run out of excuses!

See, much snuglier. :)

Well now let me see...

A few things have happened since last we did meet.

Jason and I celebrated our 15th Wedding anniversary. Okay it isn't 50 years but I still think we are doing pretty well.


To celebrate in style we ditched the children with various relos and friends and took off on a 12 night cruise of the South Pacific (Pentecost Island, Port Vila, Port Denerau, Suva and the Isle of Pines to be precise). Some photos to make you jealous....


Is that the greatest hat you've ever seen. There was a slight theme to the adventure. The next few photos might give it away....









You're quite correct, the weather was stunning (and a lot of drinking was done). I did manage to get my Hedera socks in Lang Jawoll Magic finished whilst away. It does suck sitting on your own private balcony knitting away in the sunshine. Really it does.

The pattern is adorable but I have to say, with all due respect to my mother who purchased this yarn, if Wollmeise is Hitler’s apology for World War II this yarn is his last act of revenge! It is sticky and fluffy and the ball is terrible (reball if you do buy it). Thankfully it is also very cozy and very pretty. In defence of Mum, I would probably have picked it off the shelf too.


I also cast on Batik on the ship and finished blocking it today! I had about 20 cm left of a skein of 80/20 Wollmeise in Mistelzweig (we're different). That is just a little tighter than I like to run it usually!

But the result is truly stunning. I love the combination of the cables and lace, especially with the twisted stitches.

Cables a la Carte

Remember this design?
It is finally ready for purchase! Only took a few months....

Some days just call for a silly hat!

For some reason this was a hat that just had to be made! It's utter silliness appealed to me and the idea just had to become a reality. The design is a sick and sad product of my warped mind, the yarn is Evoke FBF merino (siren colourway if you are interested) and the result is, well, just a bit silly.

I hate to say it, but I think it is just silly (and daggy) enough to be a little bit cool. I haven't written the pattern for this as I am not sure there is a need for very silly hats but if there is interest I certainly could. It must be about time I gave you all another freebie anyway.

So school started back today.....

The last year for a long time that my boys will all be at the same school. My big boy is in grade six this year! How the hell did that happen? Surely it was but yesterday that he was born...

Anyway, with the kids in school there was just one thing to do - hit Purl's Palace before it closes forever and undertake some retail therapy to soothe my "distress". is this ruler bangle just too cool and nerdy?


I promise, crafty stuff will come soon.....

Still Alive

Thought it might be best for me to at least flag my alivedness to the cyberworld by way of a quick post. There are no photos (I HOPE that I know who has my camera and that I will get it back tomorrow) and no knitting (see first point) and no new patterns (although one is ready to fire when I find the motivation.

I have to tell you all that I have been very low on motivation for the last little while. My brain goes so slowly and the day seems to go so quickly that I go to bed wondering where the day went. I have gotten some things done but not much. Hopefully some more medication (oh thank you great pharmacologists) and some resolution of some ongoing crap (although I am not that hopeful that this will happen) will see my improvement continue.

So in case you were wondering....

Yes....I am still alive
Yes....I have been doing some stuff that hopefully you will see soon
Yes....I do think about my blog and my followers and the fact that I have sadly neglected both
and
Yes....I am trying hard to get better.

Comfort is in the eye of the beholder

A spot in the sun....

A spot in the shade....

On some cushions....

But lying on the stones?

Knitting content coming soon (I promise).