End of year tidy up

It's funny how you get the urge to tidy up before the New Year.
In my case there is so much to tidy up everywhere that just some things will get the necessary attention.
One of the lucky recipients was the #5 Pullover - cast aside until I cooled off about the pattern's instructions. When I picked it up again yesterday I finally worked out that I didn't need to frog it back. So now it is sewn up, neckband done and buttons on for finishing.
I think I may have have made it too big but at least a child can grow into it....

Other things ...

I've had these fabric prints from when I was at Art School. They are the 'seconds' and are salt prints, an old method of printing photos, which I made on fabric. One of my sisters thought they would make a good cushion and she was right - so both sisters got them for presents.

That's my father in 1912 when he was about 3.

The other project I made for a gift was a mosaic tray -

I rather enjoy these projects as it was a really crappy tray until I painted it and mosaic'ed it.

Knitted gifts

 
The knitted items were mitts and shawls - above and below.

Except I forgot to photograph the matching mitts for the second shawl.

I also made a couple of Dalek cloths 

Now I'll have to think up something new for next year.

Three little words

Well Tempest is finished. Nice isn't it?

Then I noticed that the neck wasn't really quite right. So I looked at other ones in Ravelry and finally it dawned on me that I had overlooked 3 little words in the pattern - "sew shoulder seams"!!!!!!

What was I thinking? Obviously not much at all.

The only solution is to frog the bands, unpick the sleeve seams and work again.

I hate going backwards but I am going to hate it more if I don't fix it - so maybe it will be done by New Year, along with my other fix-it project - the child's pullover.

Meantime I am going forwards with the Spotty Cardy. 

It's a little uneven but I aim to improve as I go.

And after Christmas I will post images of some of the things I've been making for presents.

Have a good one.

Colourful knits

 

Well I finished making the Christmas presents - the knitted ones anyway.

Also made these balls above to adorn some Christmas trees.

Next I started on the pullover below. It is a Lang yarn pattern - adorable - the child and the pullover. The pattern itself is another matter however - incomprehensible and unworkable in places. I've resorted to just making it up. Now I have  a problem with the raglan sleeves being too short so will have to rip it back and adjust the pattern to make it work. But it has annoyed me so it is having a wee rest for now.

So next up is Tempest and I am making it using some yarn from the Mill Shop in Milton. It was a total bargain and I loved the colours - I bought 4 different colours. It has a 'high twist' so I have been extra good and swatched, washed my swatch and now I've even washed the pieces before assembling.
For now they are drying.

So I've started something else - Spotty Cardi. Officially it is Design R0040, Ladies' Jacket from the Regia Journal 001 - Colour Effects by Kaffe Fassett. There are some great patterns in there - all in a similar 'Persian Poppies' style using the Regia Kaffe Fassett yarns. I don't think it is too easy to buy the Journal though - the only way I could find it was to buy it as a kit. The main colour of the kit was a light blue/green - not really my colour. However my sister loved it so she then ordered the gray and we swapped.

I'm working on 2.5mm needles - and have done about 4 rows of rib. It might take a wee while.....

That makes 4 wip's - hopefully I'll get some finished before starting anything more.

Fast knit

There you go - Shellseeker is finished. I have to say things go faster with a thicker yarn - this was an aran/worsted weight. It seems a good comfortable fit. I'm figuring that the half wool/half cotton will be perfect for Dunedin summers.

My next projects are mostly gifts - so I may not have too much to show for awhile.....

At long last

Hazelhurst is finished. It only took 3 months. And we have the cold weather this long weekend to wear it. Win, win. My knitting had been somewhat 'bumpy' but I followed the instructions to steam it, inside and out, and that seemed to do the trick.

And so now I have been able to move on - to Shellseeker which I am making using the suggested Spud & Chloe Sweater wool/cotton yarn. I wanted knitting that required a bit less concentration so that I could watch The Killing/Forbrydelsen, the second series, that was lent to me. Perfect for our long weekend. 10 hours of gripping viewing AND hand-knitted jerseys.

Sidelined

OMG! as they say. I see I have not posted here for a long while (August). All 5 of my faithful followers must be very distressed.
So what have I been up to?
I went to LA for a week and then on a cruise to Mexico for a week. One of my nieces got married on the cruise so it was a lovely family time - plus sun and heat.
I haven't done a lot of knitting - I'm still working on Hazelhurst and will update on that another time.

I've been sidelined by the making of cards. I had read that they were planning a new market in our new stadium so I suggested to a friend (who knows a lot more about card-making than me) that we have a stall. She agreed - and I'm glad she did as she has a lot more experience in these matters as well as being fun to work with.

So we started making cards. They took a lot longer to make than I had factored in to my plans so I've had to focus mostly on that recently. As a money-making venture I'd be better off working at the local supermarket but for fun and creativity it has been superb. My friend has a lovely subversive streak which I have copied with some of my cards, others have just been plain pretty because I enjoyed playing with the colour combinations so much. With the smaller square cards we also made the envelopes to get the right size. We used coloured/patterned paper which added to the 'prettiness.' We also made a few Christmas cards - seemed a bit early but they were popular.

OK - here are some photos. Excuse the quality as they were already in cellophane bags by this stage.

And this week...

 I made another Little Wildflower Shawl. Just counted them up - this is my ninth!
It's a birthday present for a friend.

And I'm chugging away on Hazelhurst - it might take some time. It looks a bit uneven but I'm hopping the final process of washing and blocking will sort that out

Normal service resumes

 With the Ravellenic Games over it was time to get back to other projects. And so I have now finished the Rowan Kidsilk Stripe scarf - the stripes are in the wool not the pattern. It is so soft and going to be very cosy to wear. Thanks cousin.

 Hats and I don't really have a great relationship but in winter they can be handy. So I'm always on the lookout for one that seems to suit me.  Morag, from Vintage Purls, showed me this one; it is Tweedle and made from her DK Max. It was a pretty quick knit and I like the result although I think I could do with better photos of the result. I would knit more of these in different colours - and could even omit the pattern and just do in stocking stitch.

And the big news is that I won a prize for my Ravellenic Games project - the Flag wrap. The prize was for the best use of national colours and I won 5 balls of Icelandic wool (Einband) in the colours of the Olympic rings - can't wait to see them and work out treasures to make with it.

Ta Daaaaaa

Well - it's finished - and even done before the Closing Ceremony.

I am well pleased. 

The photo below looks a bit odd because of the way I have folded the sleeves.

I really need someone else to take some photos - but I wanted to get them posted now so as to qualify within the timeframe.

I think it's worth a medal....

Progress report

Halfway through the Olympics - I guess I'm about the halfway mark. I hope....

Let the Games Begin

Before the Games started I was looking for something else to be knitting, a little extra variety because I am also making the Kidsilk Stripe Scarf. I've had this project on the list for a while and bought the yarn back at the March Unwind weekend - so it was time. It is Kate Davies' Hazelhurst. The yarn is Verandahyarns BFL (Blue Faced Leicester) Sock in Elizabeth Bennett (the red) and Naked. 

But finally the Games began and I could cast on. At times there have been 13 colours in a row however I am following Helene Magnusson's (the pattern designer) tutorials on yarn management and that has been brilliant. So far so good...

In Training

Well I had a rush of blood to the head last weekend - and decided to enter the Ravellenic Games - a kind of Knitting Olympics. This used to be called the Ravelympics but Ravelry got a 'cease and desist' letter so had to change the name !!!!*!*!*

Anyway, the aim is to select a challenging project and make it during the course of the Games.

I was inspired by designer Helene Magnusson's offer of anyone making one of her patterns and being in Team Iceland thus qualifying for a prize of a 4 day tour in Iceland in November. That could be an expensive prize for me - however......

I plan to make Flag. It means learning the technique of intarsia - another way of working with different colour wools. So I have been practising - and it is paying off!

I am also working on stripe scarf with the most beautiful Rowan Kidsilk Haze sent by my lovely cousin in Canada. It is great for Knit Nights as it doesn't require heavy concentration. The yarn is dyed that way - it's is so soft.

We received our second Winter Sock Club project - and they aren't always socks. This is a beautiful shawl in a soft violet. Not too demanding and I am happy to have it complete before I move on to my Olympian Challenge. And I can wear it of course.