KnittingNatty

So, what's new

Yesterday, I finished the body of the thick and thin cardi coat (ravelry link)

I am none to  sure about the ribbing at the bottom of the garment, and am going to opt for the sleeves whist I make up my mind. This project has languished since the initial enthusiasm, and when I picked it up, I remembered why - too many stitches, and only a short needle. The yarn is so big that my usual method of throwing does not hold up. Anyways, at least it is quick, right?

I have also cast on the reversible cabled shawl which is a Lily Chin pattern published in Vogue some time ago. (Rav link here). It is going to take a lot of time to knit up - I bought a kilometer of yarn for it, hoping that will be sufficient. It's a shawl, right? So past a certain point, I'm sure it will be okay. I will beg a little more time before posting a picture for youse all to see. The WIP is not yet really photoworthy.

I have also cast on the sleeves for the Hubster's  winter pullover. Again, its not really worth a photo - although the Hubster's face when it is all finished will be a joy to behold!

After the Hubbie's pullover is done, I will be knitting up some more cardigans just for me!

WIPS in pics - Sunday edition

When we bought this house, it was full of old fashioned blinds. So, once again, I find myself making curtains:

The fabric is proper curtain material, a sunblock fabric with the pattern printed directly on - no more rubber backing to stick in the wash!

and it is as soft as it looks (but a bit delicate for pins...)

Onto knitting, I have started some more plain socks with the Noro that Donna sent me for my birthday!

And the Hubster's jumper (the Anniversary pullover) continues apace. This is the front, and makes for good tv knitting. Steady, steady...

Sunday afternoon roundup

It has been some time since I have done a Wips in pics post, so today is the day!

First, onto a long hibernating project, the men's sock in Cleckheaton 8 ply Country Silk (from memory). This is the project I am knitting to teach my friend how to knit. Yes, cyber friends, you are not  the only ones I have been neglecting, I've also been nelgecting some of my face to face friends as well. Sigh - my bad, entirely. I hope to catch up with the interepid newbie sock knitter this week, so its time to dust this one off and go buy another ball of yarn to finish.

Second, the Lotus Blossom Tank, for me!

This is actually proving difficult to photograph, and some of the stitches in the pattern are proving counter intuitive; with the garment being knit in the round, there is no let up in the  yarn overs or an easy alternate round. Instead there are purls on yos and K2togs where you think there should be ssk's, and I am using a too slippery a needle; but hey, whatever.  I am getting there and that is all that counts. This is not a process knit for me and I am not enjoying this lace. However, I do want to wear this to work asap; so although it makes my head hurt, I am battling on.

Next - the start of something wonderful - a pair of socks knit with Donni's own hand-dyed sock wool:

The pattern is matahari. I have added an eyelet row to the ribbingfor a ribbon detail later. You can buy some of Donni's lush and extravagantly coloured yarn from her Etsy store, Yarncakes. Buy many, buy often, I say!

Next, is Michele, which is far from stalled: I have started the front - this is the back to under the  armholes:

And I have almost finished Clue #1 of the "Secret of the Stole" KAL. I told you I was s...l...o...w... ! :o) I am up to row 60 or so, I think...

Fear not, this image represents many hours spent knitting, pre-stringing beads etc.

I have printed out up to Chart 5, so I have another 2 charts to print, let alone knit! Never mind, one day I shall finish her!

My pattern for the next lace extravaganza has arrived, Jae's "Pretty as a peacock" shawl! (KAL here). I'm just waiting for payday to order the yarn! Then it is a long long hyatis from the ordering of more yarn as I contemplate how to get through 2007's purchases! oh, happy, happy me!

(I will be setting up some more posts for through the week, to give you som real life updates, if you are interested! Come back later to find out more!)

What's been goin' on

There is always a lot going on. I mean to update and dont get around to it. I am home with 2 sick kids today, and he Hubbie is away for a couple of days - isn't it always the way? (grumble grumble...)

I have been knitting though - 2 sleeves for Michele and a good start on the back, so it's  going well:

Did I tell you? I also started a sock for my Hubbie:

And I have finally started the secret of the stole. I had to pre-string the beads because the hole was too small for the crochet hook which I had bought especially. But that doesn't matter because I will use it for the next beading/ knitting project. And besides, I really like the beads and didn't want to go and buy some others, as the project is looking like how I wanted to. Well, you know, as much as you can when it is a hint by hint proposition ;).

I am sorely tempted by lots of new projects, having been restrained all year in finishing off long term WIPS, and seem to be casting on with abandon at the moment. In the pipeline is a jumper/ sweater for Tony and more socks for me. Oh, and a felted/ fulled snuggly for my beloved coffee pot. That one will be a stash buster with some leftover Silk Garden. The kids are really taken with the knitted toys books I recently splurged on, and have put in their respective "orders".

Ariann languishes for the want of 2 sleeves.

I just wish I had the time to execute all my grand plans!

Endings and beginnings

I have been knitting as fast as I can, but only making inroads into some new projects, and it seems without much progress.

1.    I have cast on a new jumper for Caitlyn in size 3 - this is a simple design with a complex-ish start. I am also knitting it in the round, and if I had to frog it and start over, I would do the little bit of maths required to make it go around and around without the jog at the sides where the seams are supposed to go. Nevermind, next time. It is too big - back into the stash it goes.

2.    I am also making steady steady progress on the sock of Robbyn's design - easily memorised, by a knitter who should be publishing her designs for money. Honestly, this pattern is great and deserves a look-sie if you are short of inspiration for your next sock pattern.

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3.    The jaywalkers are still missing a heel, and dammit, I missed out on being the 750th sock!  I have been watching this and thought that it must be close to the next 50th pair of socks. Ah, virtue is its own reward and all that. Bah, humbug!
***

4.    I have finally frogged the Ariann sleeves as I have been threatening to do for ages and hope to make this my next project to concentrate on.

5.   There is a new KAL in town - the Tour de France KAL: How could I resist, being half French, and all? Now to pick a project... Hmmm... I am thinking of a whole project from start to finish, or a large project from my long term WIPS... Not entirely sure yet. But please go and check it out!

6. Project Spectrum is just not doing it for me with the current colourways, so I think the tour will do handsomely in its place. I own very little red black and metallic stash yarn.

7.    The pinwheel jacket is finished! A complete success as far as a stashbuster went - I used bits from stash exckusively and had just enough of some colours to finish it. Fourteen colours were  used in all. Pity Caitlyn will not try it on!

"Yet, dammit", her mother mutters...

Project Spectrum update - changing of the guard

The first round of PS brought for me, the finishing of a few WIPS:

• The blue lace panel jumper
• Baby J's jumper
• Navy socks for the Hubster
• A few rounds of Icarus - into Chart 2
• Magical progress on the Jo Sharp jumper (This is magical in that it did not eventuate)
• A new cast on project in the colours of the PS season (This was going to be a cabled beaty from Inspired Cable Knits, swatched, and cast on once unsucessfully)

The new colours of yellow pink and green will see the following WIPS dealt with

• doctorfish socks
• cul-de-sac vest
• Daffodil jaywalkers
• Yellow "Donayle" socks - I have wound the yarn into a ball
• A new cast-on project - Michelle from Hot Knits by Melissa Leapman - I have cast this on in the round but put a twist in it. Part of the bad karma
• Another new cast on project  - Ariann - got to get some thinkin and calculatin for DK weight done to keep going.
• And in the "now you're really dreaming" category, Venus, a vest from Rowan #36.

WIPS in pics

Okay, so since I did not get any knitting done whilst we were away,  I have been knitting furiously to try and get some blogworthy progress to show you all.

During Chatters on Friday morning, I cast off the back of the LPJ. I have knit the back a total of two times, with frogging of rows the second time around at the hip shaping, waist shaping, and then before the decs for the shoulder shaping. I have lost count of my estimate of how many balls of  yarn I have reknit so far with this project. Lets just say I am getting my money's worth! :)

After some dramas with the lace pattern, the front panel of the LPJ is now well underway.

A pic of my small stash acquisition from the Spindle Tree, Hobart; destined for a narrowish scarf of some sort. Robbyn, you'd love this stuff - it smells very sheepy; it's very soft and is hand dyed and hand spun. I would have bought more but that's all they had in the basket by the door.

And a pic of my sock yarn stash acquisition as well from Katt. Go check her sale page and resist if you can!

The boy's jumper I recently finished has been returned to me as the neckline is apparently unsatisfactory. There will be some RX knitting factored in this coming week, as I also need to add some length to the  collar of the Ladder Stitch Cardi as well.

The Calmer socks are almost finished, just a heel and some grafting to go. At least that is one I can cross off the list! (And send off as a belated birthday present. Lets hope they at least will be well received).

Also my replacement copy of IK Winter arrived along with the original copy whilst we were away. Would anyone like it mailed to them? (AUS only) First in, best dressed.

Oh, and Bron? The Christmas dawg came with us on our holiday in the car, and made it as far as Brisbane. He couldn't make the cut for the baggage to Tasmania, but he said to tell you that he enjoyed the car there and back home very much, although I wouldn't let the kids hold him out the window as he would have preferred - ROFLOL

Circle of yarns

Fiona asked where was the photo of me rolling around in the yarn - lol. I thought about it, but that cotton's a bit slippery, you know? And it would tangle on itself, and if Caitlyn got wind of it, well, there'd be no end of trouble. The fact that I even thought about it this much should tell you something about me...

But I have been admiring the yarns sitting on my craft table admiring the colour combinations there, so I thought a picture may satisfy Fiona's urge for a yarn orgy:

And most of it should be finished by Xmas. Gulp!

(Does anyone want the 3 balls of yarn from the Ladder Stitch cardi - it would make a great little girl's handbag, that kind of thing. First in, best dressed)

Finally, happy thanksgiving if you are in the thanksgiving frame of mind!

Knitting update

Now for the 3rd instalment of "WIPs in pics". We start this episode with the cabled cardi Twist. She is all knitted up and wet blocking. I have a habit of wet blocking, and on this ocassion, the yarn has been traipsed around on the floor a bit, and so needed a bit of a wash. I decided to reblock the back, just so everything would be all fresh. I did not use pins, but just rolled out the edges and let the natural curve of the last edge stitch hold it all in place.

(And now it has started raining). Ahh, the irony.

We are past the heel and into the gusset decreases for the (2nd) st st sock. I love the look of the sl 1, K1 heel; I am saving a proviso as to how well this heel will wear. Time will tell.

My dear knitting friend Bron sent me some gorgeous Knitpicks needles in the sizes I most commonly use. Unfortunately, I have to tink Icarus a little (it's okay, there are lifelines) but after the tinking, she will be slipping onto something a little purple and shiny :)

Thanks Bron! I can see more of Icarus being done now her needle has arrived!

Slack arse

Okay, I've been a slack arse, and spent too long gazing at my own navel.

Time to get on with it! Viola, the second instalment of "WIPS in pics", for your viewing pleasure:

Here are the buttons I chose for Twistt (yes, I was tired and cranky, much better now, thanks - it's safe to come out of hiding now)

Progress on Twist: 9 inches. These are the last panels of knitting before seaming, button bands and a collar. I am going to have lots of yarn left over:

Blue socks for me (yarn from the Knittery, colourway "Cloud"): We're in the downward spiral towards the toes on sock number one:

Dishcloths. My drawers should smell really good by Christmas!

(red is so difficult to photograph!) Anon!