Swapping

 Sometimes I wonder why I do swaps.  I get stressed out and often just flop in a heap or have a panic.

Then I get a beautiful parcel like this and I feel really lucky.

 I forgot how much I love matryoshka dolls until I got this box (on the left) the ribbon and the lovely material.

 Aren't these crochet doilies beautiful?  I think I might find some nice frames and put them on the wall of my craft room - or  I might put them on the front of some project bags, I can't decide.

And then this shawlette is just stunning.  In my favourite colour and in cotton too, I love it.

Beautiful Christmas presents.  Maybe I will do one or two more swaps this year, just remind me to do them when I'm on semester break!

Vogue 1250

 I got hold of Vogue 1250 when Lincraft were having a half price sale on Vogue Patterns.  I had read on other blogs where people said it was an easy sew and worked up  nicely.

This was my first attempt.

 

Yes, I really am that white! I finished it in time to wear to the inlaws Christmas celebration. (Although my dear husband did say 'Are you sure you can sit down?'.... thanks!)

 The material was from Spotlight and is a stretchy cotton - off the top of my head I can't remember what it was.

 I made the facing of the neck larger as some suggested but I don't like the way the neck sits at the moment.  The material has stretch but not nice drape at the neck.

 Apart from that I like the rest of it.

Now that I've made one the next one will be easier - when I can find the time and the space in my craft room.

Little Black Shrug

This little shrug is sooo comfy.

The pattern is from "100 Crochet Projects" and the yarn is Panda Purla.
I modified the pattern a little, but it's a lot of front loop crochet, to give the ribbed look.
The Panda Purla is really nice to wear.

Ravelled here

My version of a Chevron Lace cardigan

In my quest to make 11 wearable garments (with at least 60% of them for me) in 2011 I decided to embark on the chevron cardigan.

I wasn't too keen on the neck opening with the big gap across the stomach (the bit of me I normally like to hide) so I decided I'd make some modifications.

My first attempt involved making a smaller neckline but increasing down the front part.


I ended up undoing this attempt as I didn't like the shape on me and the armholes were too low.

Even though I added to the middle of the cardigan it still didn't sit right or join across the middle so I undid it (yep, even though I had pretty much finished it).
I didn't mind the back shaping though.


On my next attempt I used the correct neck instructions but kept extending in the pattern to end up with a v-neck shape.
I used a smaller hook to shape it in the middle and I also made the armpits higher and finished it higher on me.
I am happy with the results.





(Thanks to my three year old for the above photos)





I have some buttons - just have to put them on. It hasn't stopped me from wearing it though!



Details of project on my Ravelry page.

Three bags full

You are going to notice by the end of this post that there are actually only 2 bags here.
I made a lovely bag for Miss5's teacher - white material with black 'line' cat drawings, lined with purple. It was softly padded and I really liked it. I was in such a rush to wrap it and to make sure it got to school that I forgot to photograph it. You would have liked it.

Anyway, while I was making that bag I decided to do two more at the same time - hey, why not, I'm working to a deadline with very little time, a zillion things to do before Christmas and I'm busy making 3 bags, not just one.

I like this first one - yes similar to the one I made for my friend's birthday, but I liked hers too ;o).
Pocket on the outside so we can tell the difference if we're together (and to see whether an outside pocket works. I could make these truly reversible using this method).

It's actually a little bigger than hers too, just to see if that size is a good one.
This one's holding another project bag with 3 and a bit skeins of wool in it (one a big ball of Opal and one a large skein of handspun).
This is also similar to another model, but a little larger. The shape is not so pleasant to photograph at this size, but it will hold a lot. It has the above bag in it.
I haven't sewed down the blue ribbon and there are buttons to go on too. Maybe over the Christmas break.
The inside fabric. Cute isn't it?

The Bendigo Haul

I won't say we were full to capacity at the end of our Friday at the Bendigo Wool and Sheep Show, however we were certainly happy to dump things in the car!This was just Mum's stuff on the table.
She got some spare bobbins for her spinning wheel, and quite a bit of nice stuff to spin.
She's holding up a sheep print that will go on the wall too.


A stop at the Bendigo Woollen Mills got this nice pink cotton from the back room too.
And there's some lovely silky wool at the front, some wraps per inch measures and a nostapin (if that's the right spelling) for winding balls of wool by hand.
This lovely pinky purpley mixture came from Ixchel Bunny and the plan is to spin something for my DD (who chose the colour) I would advise leaving this until she will actually wear it - so the 12th of never. (Don't believer her when she says she'll wear it, your hard work just sits on the floor. Ask me how I know!)
I think that might be some orangey reddy purpley camel bunny in the plait next to it.
The nice green came from Pear Tree. I think it might be an alpaca blend or something like that.

And some of my stash. Some melon green cotton for a jumper I'm planning - cotton jumpers are great for Sydney. Some ten ply for a project I have in mind and something else, maybe 12 ply, for the achievement certificate.

I bought some very cheap Opel sock yarn (and will attempt them soon, I promise, especially if DH goes to the US and brings me back some knitpicks to knit them on), some Landscape dyes, some Pear Tree yarn, some cashmerino and some silk plus some wraps per inch measures.
One very full table.

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.)