Knitting in 2014: May

Another month, another FO.

This one is a surprise for my sister and her husband, who are expecting a baby later this year. I doubt they will come across this so hopefully the surprise will not be spoilt. They'll be getting it when I see them in a few weeks.

This was my first time using yarn from Bendigo Woollen Mills and I was hugely impressed.  It was lovely to knit with and so economical. I bought nine balls of Luxury 10 ply (200g each!) and have almost 2/3 of each left. The colour range is more limited in 10 ply (Luxury also comes in 4 ply, 8 ply and there may be a couple of colours available in 3 ply) e.g. there is no purple and no orange.  Nevertheless, I am happy with the way it turned out and I hope that the Mum and Dad to be will love it too.

Knitting in 2014: April

Just one FO in April:

This is a long scarf/shawl that I did as a test knit. The pattern is called Sixty Bushels Shawlette and is designed by Susan Elizabeth. The pattern is available through Ravelry.  I used thinner yarn than recommended but I like the way it came out. The scarf is very long though!  The pattern is simple and easy to memorise. I wanted something fairly simple to show off the long colour runs in the yarn and I think this worked out well.

The yarn is called Color Me Happy. It is 100% wool, laceweight, approx 700m in 100g and it smells sheepy! I love it. It is a little coarse and reminds me of the Jaimeson and Smith yarn that I used to make the Sheep Carousel tea cosy. I bought the yarn from Prudence Mapstone's stall at the craft fair at Rosehill at the beginning of March. I helped out at the NSW Knitters Guild stand one morning and th had some time to wander around in the afternoon. I was very restrained and came home with just this yarn.

Knitting in 2014: March

I had just one FO in March. I knit Cladonia Shawl in Fyberspates sock (in Rose) and a complementary variegated yarn by One Fat Slug.  I bought that one in a destash and I am not sure of the name of the colourway. 

And a close up to show some detail:

This FO is also called Plan A. I am taking part in a swap with some Ravelry friends.  Some people are knitting shawls and others are knitting socks. I love hand knit socks but don't enjoy making them and I guess some people like shawls but don't enjoy making them.  

My plan has been to knit two shawls and when they are done, I will decide which one to send.  The second pattern (Aase's Shawl) is not going so well but if I don't get it done, I will be happy to send this one.  It's a shame about Plan B.  The yarn is nicer (well, softer) than this yarn but I have issues with the pattern. 

Evening sky

We were walking home this evening as the weather was turning and saw this lovely sky. We'd had clear blue skies earlier in the day. I'm hoping for a bit of rain for the neglected garden.

Knitting in 2014: February

The first FO of the month was Crown Tee, designed by Jenise Reid. This was my first time using the famous Wollmeise (Lace-Garn in Maus Jung).  I'm still undecided about whether this yarn is up to the hype.  It is certainly very nice and the stitch definition is great but there is a lot of hype about it. I found it to be quite splitty so I am rethinking my plans for the second skein I have.

Back to the FO. I received this pattern in a Christmas pattern swap. I've admired it for some time but will admit to being a little dubious when I got the pattern. The waist shaping is unusual and I fall midway between two sizes with no easy way to adapt the pattern due to the lace pattern on the yoke. Anyway, I needn't have worried. I ploughed ahead with the larger size and it worked out pretty well.

Next up was a quick little project that I did as part of the Ravellenic Games on Ravelry.  The pattern is called Frigid  and is a headband/ear warmer that was designed by Kristina Proctor.  This pattern is also available through Ravelry. I have absolutely no need for an ear warmer in Sydney but I thought it was cute and I still hope that one day we will go somewhere snowy!  I used some leftover Lambs Pride Bulky

After that quick project, I wanted to knit something big. When we were still in England, I bought enough Rowan Felted Tweed Aran (colourway pebble) to knit Kittiwake cardigan, designed by Amy Herzog and published at knitty.com). There were almost two weeks left in the Ravellenic Games, so it seemed like a challenge.  I managed to get all the knitting and seaming done by the end of the Winter Olympics but it took three more weeks for me to sew on the buttons.  I got the buttons from SkullButtonry on etsy. They were a bargain!

Knitting in 2014: January

Now that I am up to date with knitting projects, I will try to do a monthly round up.

I have just one FO this month.

It is Song of the Sea cowl by Louise by Louise Zazz Bangham. I used a skein of Tosh Pashmina in the colourway Forestry. In reality, it is a bit darker than the photo suggests but just as lovely.  The yarn is a merino, silk cashmere blend and although it didn't seem particularly special when I was knitting with it, it softens up beautifully and the fabric has a lovely drape.  Rich brought this yarn back from a work trip to Philadelphia last year. Lucky me!

I left out a repeat of the tiny waves due to concerns about not having enough yarn but I had 10g left over so would have had enough. Pashmina is listed as sport weight but my skein seems to be quite light. The pattern is written for 4-ply and I went down two needle sizes from the suggested size and my gauge was pretty much spot on.

2013 in knits (November and December)

November

Holden

Another Holden.  I knit this as a present for a friend who was very good to us when we first moved to Sydney.  The yarn is Ella Rae Lace Merino and I cannot wait to get my hands on more of it.  It is just lovely.  I made this Holden the same as before but blocked it differently. The first one was blocked with straight edges but this one has points. I prefer the look of this version.

Rock Island

This is a Jared Flood/Brooklyn Tweed pattern that I have wanted to knit for some time. Rich brought back this beautiful yarn (Madeline Tosh prairie in Spectrum) from his trip to Philadelphia last summer and I knew I needed to make something special with it.  

It is probably the most complicated thing that I have made so far but I really love it and I am please with the way it turned out. I will wear it as a scarf when winter comes.

December

Most of December's knitting was done on a pair of socks (ok, just one sock) that looks great but doesn't fit.  It'll have to be ripped back and reknit a some point in the future.

Balls Up!

My new knitting group has a tradition of going for a pre-Christmas afternoon tea and doing a Christmas ornament gift swap. Even though I was a newbie in the group, i jumped at the chance to jon in.  I had a hard time deciding what to make.  I have a little book of mini Christmas knits but wanted to make use of yarn I already had and so decided to knit a bauble instead.  Balls Up! is a super pattern and is freely available through Ravelry. It's knit around a polystyrene ball to give it a perfect shape but you could also stuff it or knit it around a regular bauble.

Aussie brunch

It's a lazy Saturday morning here in Sydney. We've just eaten brunch featuring my new favourite food, avocado.

Today's brunch was toasted rye sourdough with (almost perfectly boiled egg) and avocado. The avocado was mashed lightly with a bit of salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Delish!

I've liked avocados for some time but buying them in England was like a cruel game of roulette where the chances of getting a good one were slim. Waiting for it to be perfectly ripe was also tricky. Here they are plentiful and usually perfect after a day on the windowsill.

2013 in knits (September and October and a little bit of November)

September and October were interesting months for us. We moved out of our old house at the beginning of September and moved to Australia in the middle of October. In between, we visited friends and family, spent a few days in London and later in Cardiff and finally spend a couple of weeks back in Southampton before flying out to Sydney. We slept in 11 different places before moving into our apartment here in Sydney at the start of November.  Of course, there was still knitting time.

September

Fovever Baby Blanket

This pattern is from Purl Soho but it is just a large rectangle worked in cartridge belt rib.  The blanket is a present for our friends whose baby was due in November. We visited them on our in-between-homes travels so we wanted to give it to them in person.  Little Madeleine arrived towards the end of November.

October

Shalom cardigan

I've wanted to knit this for a while and wanted to use Rowan Cocoon. Thanks to my lovely sister who gave me a gift voucher for a yarn shop, I acquired said yarn during the yarn shop's summer sale. The colour is Scree. Unfortunately, the yarn sheds like crazy.  Hopefully I will still get some wear out of this when autumn arrives in Sydney but for now it is packed away with the winter woollies.  

The pattern is by Meghan McFarlane and is available at her blog Involving the Senses or just find it through Ravelry, which is what I did.

Imagine When

This was done as part of a KAL. It is a J O J I pattern that is supposed to be knit it one colour. I used two because I didn't have enough yarn in one colour and I like how these two yarns go together. The red is Madeline Tosh Merino Light in Tart and the grey is Old Maiden Aunt bamboo/merino in dreich. 

November 

Zigging Hat

I've included project in this post because these four projects were completed after we moved out of our house in Southampton but before we moved into our apartment in Sydney in the second week of November.  Nothing was really blocked properly (or at all in some cases) during this period but not to worry.

Zigging Hat pattern is by Sezza Knits and I found it when I was browsings patterns during the Indie designers KAL. It is a quick knit that I did with the leftovers from Imagine When.  This was a present for a friends little one and also helped protect an important shipment of Tim Tams on their journey from Australia to America.

2013 in knits (May, June, July and August)

Much of the summer was dedicated to getting the house ready for selling, keeping it clean and tidy for viewing and once we had accepted an offer, getting our stuff ready to ship. There was still some time for knitting.

May

Golden Hour

I love this sweater but I hate the yarn. It was fine to work with but it pilled really badly after just a couple of wears. I would consider knitting this sweater again with different yarn. I love the garter stitch hem and cuffs.

June

Just a quick project for June. In fact, it was knit in single day.  Almost.  I finished the bind off at 00:30. The pattern is called The Age of Brass and Steam and the yarn is Mirasol Miski, which I think it is baby llama.  This was for a swap. The recipient likes orange!

July 

This month I finished one of my oldest WIPs.  I learnt a few lessons with this one.  I bought the pattern book (Rowan Purelife - The Organic Kids Collection) and yarn over 4 years earlier and started knitting this little sweater with a view to giving it to my niece. Soon after, I learned that the cotton yarn is hand wash only. It hadn't even crossed my mind that there might be a whole book of patterns for kids in a hand wash only yarn.  I sort of lost interest in this pattern and only made it halfway through the first piece. In a fit of stash busting/pre-move sorting out, I picked it up again and finished it off.  

The fate of this sweater remains uncertain but at least I have freed up the needles that were hibernating for almost five years!

Lessons learned: read the care labels before purchasing yarn.  I also learned to do a little bit of crochet.

August

Two FOs for August!  The first is my featherweight cardigan. I love this cardigan!  There was a time not that long ago when I swore I would never knit another garment in fine yarn. Featherweight was just the thing to cure of of that silly idea.  It's an open fronted cardigan knit at a loose gauge so although the yarn is fine, it progresses at a reasonable speed.

Across the Beach

When I started knitting again in 2007(ish?), I told a friend that I would knit her a scarf for her birthday.  It took me a while, but this year I did it.  This was by far the most complicated pattern I have knit and despite frustrations along the way, I did enjoy knitting it. I love the FO. 

Although my friend's birthday was not until November, I needed to get it finished, washed and blocked before the movers arrived on 2/9.  I bound off on 29/8. Phew!  I posted it to C's parents and they kept it until her birthday.  

And a close up:

2013 in knits (January and February)

I think 2013 has been my most productive year so far in terms of completed knitting projects. I started off the year with the intention of finishing a few stubborn WIPs and of trying my hand at something a little trickier.  I'm pretty pleased with what I have completed this year.

January

Avast

The first thing to be completed was Avast for Rich.  This is a pattern from knitty.  I started this one quite a while ago, possibly even as far back as 2011.  At the end of 2012, the project was close to completion and I finished it in the first week of January.  Rich likes it and it fits well but I don't think that the yarn (KP Wool of the Andes) will wear very well.  It is already a bit felted where his backpack rubs at the back. I should have used superwash.  

Sheep Carousel tea cosy

For people who drink as much tea as we do, we really should have a proper tea cosy.  And now we do. This pattern is designed by Kate Davies and in addition to being extremely cute, I chose it because I wanted to have a go at steeking and am too scared to try it on a larger project and I wanted to learn how to do vikkel braids.

Harvest Dew socks

A nice sock pattern with slipped stitches, which break up crazy (and not-so-crazy) variegated yarns very well.  I started this pair of socks in the summer of 2012 and finished in January 2013.  

February 

Lizard Ridge

Another knitty pattern.  I started this one about five years earlier and picked up a skein of yarn as and when I found them.  Quite a bit of this project was financed by birthday/Christmas gifts from my mother-in-law and father-in-law! Hooray for guilt free yarn purchases!

I really enjoyed knitting these squares and I love Noro Kureyon.  I like the thick-and-thin, slightly coarse nature of the yarn and of course, love the colours.  I gather that many people find that this yarn is itchy but I am not one of them.  If I had been able to buy Noro locally or had been rich enough to buy all the yarn at one time, I might have put more thought into the colours used but as it was, I just bought them as I saw them or needed them.

I finished knitting the pieces in January and did the seaming and edging in February. I do not love seaming.

Little Love

February's other FO was a quick knit for my cousin's little fella who arrived that month. The pattern is called Little Love and I used some baby friendly yarn from my stash. It turned out to be pretty cute. 

2013 in knits (March and April)

March

Holden

I knit this as part of a KAL on Ravelry. It's a really easy but lovely project. I used laceweight instead of 4-ply and that worked out fine. The yarn is Malabrigo Lace in Velvet Grapes.  This was a Mother's Day present for my Mum, who happened to be visiting us in Southampton at the time.  

I am curious about how well it has held up. The yarn is incredibly soft and I fear that it might not wear well. 

Edit: The pattern is Holden Shawlette by Mindy Wilkes.

Annis

I wanted to knit a shawl for my mother-in-law for her birthday and thought that she might like this bright colour.  The yarn is Knit Picks Shimmer and the colour way is Shallows. It is a laceweight alpaca/silk blend. Instead of nupps, I knit in foil lined beads. I used the dental floss method to place the beads instead of using a crochet hook. It was much easier and much faster. I definitely recommend it. There is a tutorial on this technique at this blog

http://chaosvortex.blogspot.com.au/2009/09/i-try-beading-with-dental-floss.html?m=1

Here's the finished shawl:

Edit: The pattern is by Susanna IC and is published in knitty.com in the Spring/Summer 2010 issue.

April

Lepidina kerchief

This was a test knit for my friend Eddie (www.roued.com). It's a cute little kerchief that fastens at the back with a button. I knit it using some leftover Lambs Pride worsted that I got as a present several years ago. I had just enough left to finish this little project but I no longer have the ball band so I don't know what the colourway is called.