Another WIP

I've lined this one up for the Tour de France knit-a-long as well.
It's a simple lace pattern (that I've had to unpick umpteen times because I wasn't paying attention or my mind simply wondered) and I'm using one of the balls of yarn that I dyed.

















I'm really enjoying it and hopefully just the one ball should make a nice length scarf as I don't have any more in that colour!

The second hat

Here is the second hat.
For me.
The cables around the bottom form owls.
My first go at cables, I'm a bit apprehensive, cables on double pointed needles aren't easy - needles sticking everywhere.


I am involved in a Ravelry knit-a-long tied to the Tour de France.
My goal is to finish as many works in progress as possible. I think I have lined this one up as a warm up lap as I might have it finished before the TdF starts... I have plenty more unfinished things!
I'm on the "Silence-Lotto" team, we'll be barracking for Cadel Evens.
(Which on a side note, takes me back to when I was pregnant with the boy wonder 2 years ago. I ended up sitting up late at night watching the Tour as it was the only show on tv that gave me enough light to knit by with out having to turn the bedside light on. It was exciting to watch Cadel then, and I think I may have stuck 'Cadel' on the list of possible names, but my dear husband vetoed it pretty quickly, he wasn't sitting up and watching the TdF! I finished the jumper but didn't sew it together before The Boy Wonder made an appearance so maybe I should finish it this time round...it's soooooo tiny compared to the great big thing he is now.)

A matching hat

Being that it's cold down at The Farm and we're due to head down in a week and a half, in the middle of winter, I thought I'd better make some hats.

Here is the first.
It's a matching for the stripey vest.
Unfortunately he won't wear it. It's more fun to pull your hat off than leave it on.
Maybe when his ears are so cold they're about to freeze and fall of he might like it a bit more.

His sister likes it so I asked her to model it.
She told me that she was sick of smiling and so would look like this.
I suddenly flashed forward to her teenage years. *shudder*


And here she is trying hard not to smile and seeing as her face is a naturally smiley one it is much more effort to pull a bored face.
The only way I've found to keep her quiet.

Don't cover Thomas!

The vest is washed, blocked and dried - despite the rainy weather we've had here lately.
This is the second wearing. The first time I dared put it on over a Thomas the Tank Engine top, and despite the fact he loves that it has all the engine colours in it, he doesn't like it covering Thomas - he walked around holding his vest up so everyone could see Thomas. (Like we didn't know Thomas was there.)
It suits his happy, cheeky personality.

And now when he takes off he looks like a bright streak of colour.
Lots of people have commented on the top - apparently it's a big hit, which is good as I thought it might be a bit gaudy.
It's just right for a very cheeky, nearly two year old.
I have to knit another one, *exactly* the same.... for his big sister as she loves it too,
and can squeeze into his, but the arm holes are a bit tight.
The next one should definitely be quicker to knit.... when I work up the enthusiasm.

[Photos taken at Playgroup today.]

World Wide Knit In Public Day

My photos from WWKIP at Darling Harbour.
It was nice to get out. Thanks to my lovely husband for looking after the children.
It was nice to visit in the city.

Just for me

I really want to knit something just for me. Something to show off.
Ok, so I've got a green lacy scarf on a set of needles somewhere, but that was really to practise some lace (having not done it before) and to give some of my dyed wool a test run.
I had a cardigan in mind but I really want help measuring myself up for it and then adjusting the pattern. I also need to know I have enough wool to finish it before I start, otherwise I'll get something else.

So.. what should I do? Well I've been looking at Ishbel for a while. It seems to be the current trendy thing to knit, and I figured I might be able to get it done to wear to the Bendigo Wool and Sheep Day.

What to make it in? Well I've dyed some red and some blue yarn, but as I was going through my stash to hunt down something for DD I found some yarn I bought in NY.
It's a cashmere/silk mix and I'm hoping it washes up a lot softer than it currently is!

I love the red colour in it.. not too fussed on the red/green mix, but beggars can't be choosers and I think it wasn't priced too badly.
There is definitely enough in it to make the small size Ishbel and if I'm smart enough I may be able to make it a little bigger, but not the big size.This is it caked and sitting on my bench.
It sort of has a Christmas feel when I look at it here, but in real life it feels very rich in colour, and caked is very red dominant.
I cast on last night. The first part seems pretty easy, I'm enjoying it ,let's see how I go with the rest.
Will post project photos soon.

Skeined

I re skeined the ball I was sending in my green swap - skeins just seem to show the colours nicer.

I added my own label.
This is probably a truer colour.
It was more bright green and darker green than yellow and green.
It looks nice all skeined up. I hope it knits up nicely too - I am knitting a similar yarn and enjoying it, it seems to work well for lace, but I hope it doesn't pool too much. I really try to avoid pooling by using colours all in the same tones, this yarn has quite vibrant changes so there will have to be some pooling, but once knitted it will hopefully work well.

Oh, I also sold one of the skeins I dyed (the other green one here with more blue toning) to one of the ladies in my Guild knitting group. She's a new knitter and has no stash! Just one big (and I mean HUGE) pink ball of yarn. I passed on a simple lace scarf pattern that I'm working on too - it will be interesting to see what she comes up with. (It may be nothing until one of us can rewind the ball for her!)

Spoilt Green!

I received a package today! It completely surprised me as I am waiting for the men to deliver the new beds. I thought they were early, but it was our parcel man! (I extra love Australia Post today as it's raining and getting kids to the Post Office is nothing short of torture for me and everyone in there.)

I extra love that I get to open it while DD is at school and DS is asleep.. it's all mine!

It's from the lovely and talented Susie.

A box full of yummy greenness just calling my name.

For someone who sneaks a peak at every present she can, putting these out to photograph with out looking, was sheer torture.
Yummy yummy green goodies.
The green spiral bag is crocheted and beautiful. It's dark with light spirals on that side and light with dark spirals on the other side. Susie is a very talented lady. I love this bag.
And the long 'thing' is a circular needle holder and I love the fabric. In fact I love the fact I have a circular needle holder as just last night I was looking at my zip lock bag of circular needles wondering what I could do to keep them contained.
Ask and ye shall receive! Love it.
There is a gorgeous row counting bracelet, which could be knitted and crocheted, I'm not sure. I'm sure it's her own design and it's very clever.
The yarn is Cleckheaton Country Silk 8ply.
I like Cleckheaton yarn and I want to hunt down a pattern that will show off the silk in this yarn. (I'm doing a lovely little lace pattern in a scarf that is suitable for 8ply, it might look good in this.)
Love the coffee cup with the green yarn on it (it has a hot drink in it as we speak).
And there are some lovely little stitch markers on an impressive safety pin at the front there. All created by Susie as well.
Close up of the bag.
I love spirals. We saw lots of them in Ireland and Scotland, there's something quite soothing about them.
Bracelet and yarn.
Stitch markers + safety pin. (sorry it's raining here so getting the best light has been hard)
The circular needle holder + a gauge (and I was looking for one of those last night too!). Love it.
Rolled up.
So my colours.
I am a very happy swapper.
I hope my partner likes hers too.
Susie, I'd just like to say I think you've done a fantastic job. I love that you've thought about me so much and everything is just perfect. Thank you so much.

A loose thread

This project started because I had some yellow wool (from a swap) that I wanted to use.
I dropped into our local charity shop and managed to score some red, green and blue with the intention of creating the little Mister a vest.
(At 2 you can wear primary colours and look happy and full of energy - while I'd love to make myself something in these colours I'm not sure it would have the same effect if I wore it.)

I didn't start with a pattern (lesson number one, a pattern helps) and so just started with measurements and what was in my head.

I had it about 90% finished and decided I didn't like the armholes so I pulled it back to 50% and started again.

I did find a pattern and based my arm holes around that (loosely around it, the gauge wasn't the same nor the stitch count or the size I wanted etc etc) and got working (lesson number two, patterns should be modified if your children don't fit conventional sizing!).


So now I've finished all bar sewing in the end threads... and there are plenty of those.
It looks a little odd in its shape, I was worried it wouldn't fit, but the neck and armholes fit perfectly and it comes down nice and long like I wanted.
It fits 5yo little Miss as well, but the arms and neck are a bit tighter. She's happy to share it though.
Now that I have the basis for a pattern I like I'm going to make her one of her own.
We'll see whether she chooses rainbow too, or pink and purple.