More FO's

My So Called scarf is done amd I love it. Unfortuantely so does Miss B.

The only good thing about her liking it is that I have an excuse to make another one for myself.
That would involve buying more yarn, what a pity.




Also done are Dashing.

These I'm not so sure about.
I think it's the extra length on the arms , it feels weird.



Slowly my WIP list is going down and it feels good to not have so many projects hanging over my head.
As much as it was fun to cast on the second I found something I wanted to make, having so many projects going at once became a burden.
I felt pressure to work on this, and then, no I should be working on that.
It just took all the fun out of knitting and I found that really hard to accept.
For me knitting has always been fun and when it wasn't....... I felt a bit lost.

So for now I will keep working on those WIP's and add a frogpond item to the rotation every now and again.

Although I really, really would like to cast on for the Ribby Pullover.................

Interview Meme

Last week I read Nat's Interview meme. I really liked meme as it's a chance to get to know a little bit more about the people on the other side of the screen. I never knew she chased her husband........ go Nat!

I asked her to interview me.....

1. How long have you been knitting?

My Mum taught me to knit when I was about 8.
Chunky plastic needles, red acrylic yarn, 2 garter stitch rectangles sewn together to become a vest.
I remember being disappointed that my knitting didn’t look anything like Mum’s knitting and it took me sooooooo much longer to do.
I don’t remember if I wore the vest once it was done or not, I just remember those never ending garter stitch rectangles.

I played about with knitting here and there while growing up but really didn’t focus on it, I was much happier to spend my time curled up with a book.
Then Feathers came along; and I made a few scarves. I got bored with that pretty quickly and went on to beanies.
It probably would have dropped off again there as I wasn’t ready to jump in and tackle anything bigger, but then I discovered knitting blogs.
I also discovered bloggers’ fascination with knitting socks.
Some loved it, some hated it and many said turning heels was really hard.
That was the bit that got me, how could so many bloggers love making socks if it was so hard? So I had to try it, to figure out what was so great about it and to see if it really was that hard.

I bought a pattern, some sock yarn and a set of dpn’s. I took forever making those socks, procrastinating to avoid the heel.
I gave up trying to read ahead in the pattern, it just didn’t make any sense to me.
I stuck to one step at a time and it worked, I had socks.Then I wore those socks, and I liked it. They were so warm. I also found I liked wool much, much more than acrylic.
Damn…. There began the addiction.

2. What is your ultimate project?

This one changes depending on my mood, but usually involves something that involves

(a)lots of concentration (Diamond Fantasy Shawl: I know this doesn’t require much effort for others, but I have a talent for losing yarn overs).

(b) being rather large(Cabled Afghan: if it requires more than a jumpers worth of yarn I will be attacked by startitis and never get back to it).

(c) being beyond my budget and so luxurious that I would never wear/use the item due to fear of ruining it.

3. What are your pet knitting/ blogging dislikes?

Knitting dislikes

: Ribbing
: Ribbing
: Ribbing (Mum, look at your socks: Yes, I really, really love you :)
: all the really nice yarn lives in another country
: all the really nice yarn costs a lot
: my child insists that yarn fumes are not food
: I knit faster in my head than I do in reality. Very disappointing when I want something finished.

Blogging dislikes

: Wanting to blog and remembering I haven’t taken a picture yet. Always happens when it’s dark and cold.
: Wanting to blog but having no knitting progress and nothing to say.
: Wanting an update on someone’s blog….. and they haven’t blogged yet. Yes I am impatient.

4. Favourite memory of your child

Hmmmmmmm, this one is hard. What to share? What to share?

Miss B draws a lot and I try and keep up with the constant supply of paper, pencils and pens she seems to go through.
At Mum’s she was given a workbench to create on and exterior paint to play with. She spent the day happily explaining to Mum what she was doing and what colours she wanted next.
I’m not sure what she loved more, Mum’s total trust in her abilities to create something appealing or the chance to express her creativity in a medium other than pencil and paper.
It could have been just the chance to get messy. Either way she was glowing.

Watching your Mum and your child get messy creating something together is definitely memorable. ( Mum managed to get much messier than Miss B)

It’s even better when you don’t have to clean up the mess.

5. Favourite comfort food/ item (can be yarn...)

Chocolate!!!

As much as I love yarn, if I am craving comfort I tend to gravitate to pattern books and magazines.
Deciding what I’d like to make next is much more comforting than untangling yarn or frogging.


DIRECTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEW MEME
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explaination and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

A Meme

I did end up posting Mum's socks, Express Post, so hopefully she got them yesterday. I am hoping they dropped them off in her letterbox and didn't leave that annoying little red and white card that means you have to run to the post office. If that happened she may not get them until Monday or later.
I should have just held on to them.

Here's a meme, just because I was curious about what I have or haven't done.

Here's the key: Bold for stuff I've done, italics for stuff I plan to do one day, and normal for stuff I'm not planning on doing.

Afghan/Blanket
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Top-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dyeing with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
KnitHousehold items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dyeing yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
KitchenerBO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
EntrelacKnitting
purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
IntarsiaKnitting
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Mum's socks are done!!!

I would love to say that these were finished and gifted on the weekend in time for Mum's birthday, but they weren't. I finished grafting the toes and sewing in ends just now.

Kit pretending she wasn't about to sit on the socks

Throw some ribbing into my knitting and it slows me down a lot.
3X1 rib in Cleckheaton Marino Bambino. Soft and machine washable.



Now the dilemma is do I post them and hope they get to her tomorrow?

Remember this is Australia Post we are talking about.



Or do I hold onto them so I can give them to her in person if we manage to catch up this weekend.



I have visions of her dropping in and me having nothing to give her because I posted it.



Blah!.

Another Finished Object!!!

Kneewarmers are done.

They are funny looking things, all bumpy and odd shaped.
I feel kind of weird sending these off to Great Grandma,



they look so odd, yet they are what she asked for.

Central Park Hoodie all done and dry

The sun came out after all today, so you finally get to see a finished and dry Central Park Hoodie.

Yay, something green for project spectrum.

I love this pattern.

Once again I used Bendigo Rustic yarn in 12 ply, this time in Elm.

5.5mm Addi Turbos for the cuffs and body. I only changed to 4.5mm Addi's for the sleeve cuffs.

I used just under 4 balls ( they are 200gm balls) so I have a ball left to play with.

I am taking the fact that Miss B doesn't want to take it off as a sign that she likes it.

As a bonus you get to see Miss B in her cow pj's.

I have no idea why she couldn't put some jeans on, but she is 13, there doesn't have to be a reason.

Kit and Lucy think Miss B should decide what to wear.

Central Park Hoodie is done and washed and is now taking it's time drying.



Miss B wants to wear it 'right now', so of course the weather has decided to help by being wet and gray the last few days.

I have been working on Great Grandma's Knee Warmers. I have figured out the short rows, but am having problems with gaps. I am fine when increasing, no gaps at all. The wraps do their job perfectly.

As soon as I started decreasing there were huge gaps.

I think it has something to do with the huge markers I was using to mark my place, I may have knit a bit looser to accomodate the marker. Although I used the same markers for the increases with no problem.

I probably just need more practice. Hopefully the second one will come out better.

Lucy had claimed CPH as her personal blanket and really isn't happy about it being finished. It's no fun sitting on throw rugs that you are allowed to sit on.

Almost done

Central Park Hoodie is soooooo close to being done, just the button band to do.

What do I decide to do instead?

No. I didn't cast on for something else. I did start rearranging furniture though.

So of course I am now in the middle of it all and have furniture blocking all the doorways and haven't quite decided what to move next to make room for moving the next thing.
I figured I was just too tired last night so I went to bed thinking I would be able to make more sense of it all once I had had some sleep.

I got up this morning only to find that I feel crappy, all achy and nauseuous. Blah.

Miss B then decided to tell me she has a sore throat and a runny nose.

All I want to do is curl up on the couch with my knitting.

I have a wardrobe, three bookshelves and some other bits of furniture in between me and my knitting.

Temptation

It is bad enough that my last shade card from this place went missing.
( I think someone hid it from me in an effort to prevent yarn purchases and just so they know, no it didn't prevent yarn from finding a new home here).

A new shade card was sent out and drooled over and so far I have been resisting.

But now they have done it.

Bendigo Woolen Mills have an online store.

I don't think I can resist anymore.

Knitterly guilt?

I was reading I heart knitting where Amanda mentioned wanting a scarf from a store, but not feeling that she should not buy it as she knits, she could make one. She probably wouldn't ever make it, but she could.

I do this too.

I walk around in stores and see jumpers/ sweaters/ scarves that I figure I could make better/ a little longer/ cheaper/ in a nicer colour. Wool instead of acrylik. For whatever reason, the item stays in the store and I go home dreaming of knitting yet another item for Miss B and my wardrobes.

Thats where it has become a problem as it mostly stays a dream.

There is only so much knitting time in a day and the WIP list insists on growing.
The store bought knitwear in this house is slowly wearing out or being grown out of and since I decided I was smart enough to knit something wearable, these things haven't been replaced as they once would have been.

During the last two weeks while Miss B has had school holidays and was able to wear her normal clothes instead of her uniform I discovered that she has grown. A lot.

Her jumper status , once I remove the ones that now imitate 3/4 sleeve tops, is down to
- 1 school jumper
- 1 other jumper

Eeeeeeeeeeek! Knit faster?? Go shopping??

Do other knitters experience this?

Do you feel that since you now knit, that you shouldn't be buying store bought knitwear?

Is there a place for store bought knits in a knitters home?

Do you suffer knitterly guilt?

Something we did in the holidays that wasn't knitting

We dig out an old picture frame.

Ditch the glass.

Drill a heap of holes in the backing.

You could probably just poke holes through with a hammer and nail, but I didn't have any nails and the drill was much more fun.

Glue some fabric over the ugly backing.

Get lazy and decide to paint the frame later.

Put the frame back together and stick earings through holes.







Decide a bigger frame would be better next time, but for now be happy with cheap holiday entertainment and cute earing storage.








Just to add to the knitterly chaos that my loungeroom has become, I decided there was someone else I wanted to make something for. My Mum.

The WIP list multiplied so quickly last week that I really don't think one more will hurt.


Here is kit with the start of some blue socks .


Now just remind me not to give the blog link to my Mum until these are done and gifted.

Funny things happen in school holidays. All the projects I have been thinking about casting on all term suddenly demand that I start them now. So of course I pick something. Something called "My So Called Scarf"

It feels really good to be working on something new.

Then something else happens. We have a few cooler nights and requests start sneaking in.

A brown beanie for one person. A beanie is a pretty small project, I can deal with that.

Miss B decides that if I can knit for that person, then it's about time I started her Central Park Hoodie. She is right, so Central Park Hoodie gets started.

Nanna looked like she would really like to run off with a pair of fetchings last time she was here, so she gets a pair made especially for her, colour chosen by Miss B.

We visit Nanna and drop off her Fetchings . Big grins and squishy hugs follow.

Nanna definately knows how to recieve a handknit and has ensured a place in the "people to knit for" list.

Later that night we speak to Great Grandma, recipitant of the Green Tree Frog Socks ( also on people to knit for list), and she explains that since having knee surgery her knees ache. The Doctor has recommended she keep her knees warm and could I please make her some knee warmers.

Of course I can.

Well, I could if I actually knew what they were.

Something like leg warmers I was imagining.

And this is where I love the internet so, so much.

http://www.sarahpeasley.com/freepatterns/philskneewarmer.pdf

A pattern. Already there. Exactly what I need. Perfect.

And that is how the WIP list grows.

Weekend happenings

Yesterday

Tigers and I attended Denise and Helen's commitment ceremony.

The weather was perfect, the waterfall was beautiful, the bubbles were fun and the couple are so obviously in love with each other.

It was an honour to be a part of it and to be reminded just how wonderful love is.

Today

I knit.

And Knit.

And Knit.

And then I cast off.

I am really, really happy with how Urban Aran has turned out.

I am a little worried about putting in a zipper.

Actually I think I am more worried about being able to find a zipper.

How Kit earns her keep........

Kit has decided some food shopping needs to be done.

It doesn't look like I will pry myself away from my yarn anytime soon,
she will just have to do it herself.

So she goes hunting.

Can you see what she brings in for diner?

Yep, it's a little lizard.

Yes it is all in one piece, it is just trying to get under the step and away from Kit.

Kit brings them inside quite often and meow's until I go and see what she has decided to gift us with.

Luckily she doesn't eat them or hurt them. Miss B takes them outside and sets them free.

I am grateful that she is only bringing in little lizards and not mice with all their icky germs.

Which is better?

Procrastination or frustration?

I can't decide.

I have now ripped back the top of an Urban Aran sleeve three times.
The math seems right but I am unable to follow my own instructions.
I keep going past the decrease rows without decreasing and wanting to decrease in the rows that I shouldn't.

I am begining to thing this yarn doesn't want to be a sleeve.

Things that induce procrastination.

Having to fix mistakes in knitting makes me procrastinate.
Not so much little things like a dropped stitch, but the ripping back and re knitting of sections of knitting. Definately something that can be done later.
While I'm at it I may as well start something new so that "fixing later" becomes even later.
You never know, if I leave it long enough it might just fix itself.





The lastest addidition to the frogpond was Urban Aran.





How did that happen? It was all knit, every last piece.










It was when I tried to sew it all together and I just couldn't get those sleeves to attatch to the body without being incredibly stretched accross the top that I realised something was wrong.



I tried again and again, and each time it came out looking a little worse.



Note: Chibi has resurfaced. Chibi was in the bottom of a bag. Appologies to kit.

Note: Must not always blame the cats.



So after much stretching and attempted sewing I did what I should have done to start with. I measured the sleeve. Ooooops.



That little thing called row guage meant that while the main part of the sleeve was ok, the shaped part on top, yes I know it has a name but I can't think of it right now, was too short.



Way too short.



So last night some ripping was done and the sleeves are back on needles.








I worked out some math that I think will make it all work out.



Then what did I do?



Procrastinated.........



I raided the stash and debated some projects for project spectrum.

Rustic 12 ply yarn in Elm from Bendigo

Patons Jet from Spotlight

Finally

Blogger actually let me in. I have only been trying on and off since 8 am this morning.
I guess blogger felt I had other things to get done first.


I still haven't found my chibi, but I did buy myself a new wool needle from Spotlight.
I grafted the toes and now have two finished pairs of socks.

Thuja socks in Cleckheaton Country - storm colourway.


Patonyle socks in unknown colourway - I lost the ball bands - but it reminds me of candy almonds.


After all this finishing I am really wanting to cast on something new.

An almost done WIP or where did the chibi go?

An almost finished pair of Thuja socks.




I just need to kitchener that last toe and of course now I can't find my chibi.

I had it out on the coffee tabe only days ago to do the other toe, so you wouldn't think it could have wandered too far away.

I have searched but can't find it. I am thinking perhaps it has been hidden.



Kit pretends she doesn't know what I am talking about.

The start of the patonyle socks.

Spotlight are currently stocking patonyle again. They don't seem to have a huge amount in stock and I don't know if they will be ordering more in. I say grab some while you can.

Stripey Socks are done.

The Lion Brand Magic stripes socks are done. I can't say I particularly like these, but it was good to try out a new (to me) yarn.





After knitting socks on 2.25mm or 2.5mm needles I found it felt really wrong to be knitting these on 3.25mm needles. The knitting felt all sloppy.
I am looking forward to working with some patonyle again soon.

And in UFO news I have decided that seeing as March is already halfway over, this months project will be one that doesn't involve a great deal of work.
In fact it wont involve any knitting at all.

The lotus blossum tank has been sitting in the basket untouched for months.

Everytime I pick it up to work on it I am doubtful. I don't like how it sits on the model in the picture. And in person it looks really big. Wide big. Wide like it could go around me twice.

Solution: frog and reclaim yarn. Some knits are just not meant to be.

Knitty

Yes, the new Knitty is out and I totally love Dashing.

I have managed to resist casting on immediately, but that doesn't mean I didn't hunt through the stash for a suitable yarn. :)