Socks!

I got some sock yarn to dye for Bendigo and decided I had better make myself a pair of socks. These really are my first pair of socks and I did them top down, two at a time.

I'd dyed them a nice red/raspberry colour and the yarn was a pleasure to work with.
The make up is - 60%Super Merino/15%Nylon/15%Bamboo/10%Silk. It's super soft and although I had reservations about how the socks would wear at first I am actually enjoying them.

The pattern was nothing complicated an Ann Budd pattern (here on Ravelry) from one of Ann's books that Mum gave me for Christmas.
Very happy, must get back to making some more socks.

The No-Edge-Vest

My little boy is turning into a fashionista.
He can be quite fussy about what he wears - at the moment it's either Thomas the Tank Engine or Toy story.

A while ago I made him a vest that had crochet round the neck and arm holes but no band on the bottom, when I wanted to make him another vest as the previous one was sitting above his belly button, he held it up to me and said 'like this Mama' and rolled up the bottom. He didn't want a rib edge. In fact when I queried him he didn't want an edge on any of it.

So he picked out the yarn at the shop by rubbing it under his chin to make sure it was soft and the colours were what he liked - he wanted green in it as well but I couldn't come at mixing olive green in here... it's not my colour.

So we got some zhivago (or imitation zhivago) and I started.

If you look closely the red and blue stripes are actually exactly the same size, crossing over in the middle. That maths took a while but I like the effect.
It does look like there's more blue though.

And here's the cheeky little monkey modelling. It was pretty hot the day I asked him to put it on so he was not too impressed and happens to have pyjama bottoms on and a singlet.
Prince Charming.
Doing some fancy model shots.

Showing off.


The pattern? Well I just winged it.

Braving the 2ply

My daughter's Year 1 teacher retired in the middle of last year.
I wanted to give her a nice thank you present as she'd been wonderful for my daughter and we really missed her.
The year before I made her a project bag that had cats on the outside and was purple on the inside (she collects cats and purple is her favourite colour). This year I wanted it to be an extra little bit special so I decided I'd make a shawl.

I hunted for about 2 weeks for just the right pattern. I didn't want to do a triangle shawl as I felt they were a bit 'granny' like and didn't want her to feel that was the message I was sending seeing as she'd just retired. I wanted a shawl that she could wear out that was almost scarf like but not really, for when she just needed something round her neck/shoulders.

In the end I settled on Annis. The next hard part was the yarn.
I ordered some Classic Elite Silky Alpaca in Plum. 2ply!!!! yikes.
Anyway I started.
This pattern also has nupps in it. These are little bumpy things in the pattern. I have heard they are a knitter's nightmare, but I found a tutorial on doing them with a crochet hook. Nupps - not a problem.

So in the end I finished and blocked it in time to give it to the teacher.
I'm not sure if she liked it, she didn't open it in front of me, but she is craft minded herself so I'm sure she appreciated it. (I'll try and find out this year if she liked it, but DD is changing schools so it won't be easy!)

Anyway, here are some photos. I'd happily make this pattern again. I think I might try in some yarn I've hand dyed.







Once blocked.




I love it in 2ply but I'm not sure I could knit it again. The yarn was definitely gorgeous.

More Testing - Big Brother Explorer Vest

I put my hand up to test this pattern in Ravelry and originally Miss6 said she'd like a vest and wear it, but after a few days of discussion she decided she wouldn't wear a vest.

We compromised and decided I could make it in her size (for the point of the test) but in colours for her brother so that he could wear it, because he will.

She did agree she'd put it on for photos though, but when it came down to it this afternoon she was pretty grumpy about it!
The colours are nice and they came from using food colouring when we dyed the crepe wool.


I asked Master3 if he'd try it on for me and he was only too happy too, especially if he got to see the photos afterwards.
He's been watching the progress keenly - although he did mention to me that it should have red in it too. Maybe the next one.
He knows what he wants.
I asked him to turn round so I could photograph the back - how cute is this?
It's a bit big, with plenty of length at the moment so it should fit him for *many* more years to come - the best kind of knitting.
He's cute isn't he?
At least someone appreciates the knitting! :o)

One Tea Cosy - finally finished, not quite as I imagined

I had big visions for the Group entry of the Tea Cosy competition this year - a lovely garden full of flowers. Well in my mind it was wonderful, we'd all make nice green bases and then some beautiful flowers for on top.
I have the "100 Flowers to Knit & Crochet: A Collection of Beautiful Blooms for Embellishing Garments, Accessories, and More" so I thought it would be a piece of cake.

erhmm. It didn't work out that way. I tried at least 8 of the patterns and they really did not in any way resemble what was in the book.

I threw things across the room and then I put it aside, constantly.

Eventually guilt got the better of me as everyone else would be making a tea cosy and I'd pushed them to do it and not even made my own.

So I ended up finding a very plain flower pattern which seemed to work. Not really knowing how to make it interesting and really just interested in getting it finished I decided to dye it with food colouring....

and so voila!.....

I can't say it's the best thing I've made,
but I can say I am very relieved to have it finished.
Next year I'll keep my bright ideas to myself. :o)
Tea cosies aren't as easy as you think they should be!
And if you're wondering it's a posy of flowers, hence the ribbon.

I didn't knit this

Mum knitted Little Miss 6 this gorgeous bolero, but here she is doing some poses for us.

This is her version of walking down the catwalk (ie the path) and posing at the end.
Interesting.
I do like the hands on her hips though.
Nice jacket hey?
She used a pattern from Patons Book 1261 and Patons Zhivago yarn.
I've ended up adding a sparkly broach as a closure which looks just super.

Fingerless Gloves

I'd like to say "I whipped up these gloves in no time at all" but I don't ever just 'whip things up', well not knitted things anyway.

I used this pattern. Except I wanted to do it in 8ply not 4ply.
This, of course, took several attempts to get started.
But I did and I think I fudged my way through it.


I intentionally knitted them in white so I could dye it once it was knit - most people don't realise you can do this.

How did I get the colour gradient, well there are two colours there to start with. The very ends are the colours I used and basically I dipped the gloves in and held them for different lengths of time in the dye. (The darkest the longest etc) and as I got to the middle I blended the two colours.

What's interesting, and you can't see it here, is how the colours go when you the ribbing stretches. It's a very unique effect, you'd never get it by dyeing the yarn before hand. I quite like like it.

Oh, I did wear the gloves at Bendigo, but I am not really a glove wearer so ended up with them off most of the time.

A Simple handspun scarf

I made this scarf very quickly, amazingly quickly as far as I was concerned.
Ok, it's not a huuuuge scarf but the point of it was as an example for blocking when I went to the Bendigo Show.

I knit it on large needles - 10mm from memory, and it is a simple K2tog, YO pattern.

It could do with a good blocking couldn't it?

Le Maillot Rouge

In my crafting side trip I had to take a side trip. I was off at the Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show for a couple of weeks in July - ok I wasn't at the show for a couple of weeks, just 3 days, but the couple of weeks leading up to it I was down visiting with Mum and there was just no time to knit.

An-nee-way I'm back on track and the vest is whizzing along. I needed another ball of red and picked that up while I was away too.

So here it is... I've got the bands to do - my favourite part... NOT! And then I think I'm foolishly attempting the impossible, I'm going to try and embroider Thomas the Tank Engine on the front.
The Little Man has asked for a blue vest too. Unless the embroider goes like a dream I hope he's happy with just a blue one.

Vive la France!

I haven't caught up on all my crafty activities for June (or the end of May even) but I wanted to side track.

I'm... ummm, how do I put it? knitting for France? Well not really, I'm knitting along with the Tour de France I guess is the way to describe it.

This is my second year of watching the Tour de France and by watching I mean getting really involved - understanding what's going on, supporting teams and riders, oh and taking note of the scenery of course. (In fact the scenery last night was upsetting my knitting!)

Last year I supported Cadel Evans and his team - but this year I am supporting Team HTC Columbia. Why? Well they have a few Aussies riding and of course they have the very large ego-ed Mark Cavendish, but mostly I am watching to support Mark Renshaw.

Apart from the fact I actually went to primary school with a Mark Renshaw (not the same one) I think he is one incredibly devoted team player. He rides his heart out through the race, supporting his team members (this was in evidence last night) and then tows Cav to the front of the peloton, rides his heart out and Cav screams past him to (hopefully) take the sprint finish. I seriously hope he's paid a lot of money and really appreciated.

Anyway, riding aside, I have too much on my plate for TdF this year - I decided I'd make DS a vest with Thomas the Tank Engine on the front (he seems to like wearing vests), I'm also half way through a gorgeous crocheted shoulder wrap that I thought I'd do to wear to Bendigo and I have my tea cosy to finish for the competition.

To top all that off I am having a stall at Bendigo and I need to be ready for that.
Oh, and the kids are on school holidays so I need to keep them amused during the day.

This is all fine but the TdF starts at 10pm here in the Eastern States of Aus. So I'll pretty much be bleary eyed for the next 3 weeks. It's all in a good cause and by the end of the race I'm so much into it that I feel withdrawal when it's all over. :o(

This year I decided I might do some progress shots, just so you and I can both see I'm getting something done.



Last night I cast on (twice) for the vest. I've been tossing up for the last week about colours, but the little man has said he wants a red vest and I was trying to put green around it, but not sure I have enough. When I found the navy I thought it might work.
Originally I was going to knit it flat and try and do some intarsia, but I have since decided I'd knit it in the round and sew the picture on the front. As I haven't yet knit intarsia I figured this might be a less stressful option and actually mean the top gets finished.
I'm planning on making on Thomas one and one James one - so maybe I'll intarsia the next one.

See you tomorrow.

It will be a tea cosy... one day

For this years entry into the Morpeth Tea Cosy competition our Group is making a tea cosy garden.
I've got my cosy bit sort of finished.
Just have to get a move on with the flowers.
I had grand plans for the competition this year, too many other things have interfered, next year may be.