The 2014 Great Mid Winter Swap

Yes - it is that time again. All the secret squirrel projects came out of hiding, gifted to happy recipients and drooled over by the rest of us. And lots of ideas for future projects.
I made a 4 colour version of The Koru Cowl, using hand-dyed yarn, for Kirstine/Kiwiknit.

 The colours were a bit 'out there' - I'm still not 100% sure about them.

My gift was wrapped in gold paper which then revealed this cute tin.

And inside:

The cutest and warmest of mitts. The maker modelled them for me.

And just in case I needed extra help there were some buttons:

Gosh - we all say that it isn't a competition but I think I need to step my act up next year…..

You can see more photos here (kindly posted by Angela)
2014 Mid Winter Swap

Why did the chicken cross the road?

 To get this - a coat for hens that don't have their full quota of feathers.  The SPCA in Auckland rescues hens from battery cages and they are often missing some of their feathers so the coats are to keep them warm until their feathers grow back. I used scraps from an earlier crocheted cowl - hence the very stylish colour-block coat. Bet the other hens will be jealous.

 And I finally finished this - Britannic. It fits perfectly.

 And another pair of Birdie's Mitts for a friend.

You can never have too many mitts either

 First up are my Kellie Fingerless Gloves which I made for wearing under my leather 'rigger' gloves. I now have a casual job at the local port counting logs prior to loading. It is an outside, work-in-all-weather type job so I figured I would need something to keep my warm in winter. I used a fine possum/merino yarn, doubled to get the equivalent of a fingering weight, and knit them on 2mm needles so they would be very dense.

 And then something a little more delicate: Miss Havisham, a Vintage Purls pattern and using Vintage Purls yarn. Added detail included beads and a little over-embroidery. I won't be wearing these on the wharf.

F

Marching on

 And here we have Rebel Jacket No.2 - also referred to as my Sgt Pepper Jacket.

 The first one I made was in red, cream and grey - so this is a little more subdued.
The 3 darker colours are from the Mill Shop in Milton. They are a 50/50 alpaca/merino mix.
And the lighter mustard highlight colour is from Skeinz - a blend of various yarns.
All were an economical  buy which was a good bonus.
Also the buttons were sourced from our local Shop on Carroll; an Op Shop which recycles buttons from old clothing among other things. Also making it more economical.
The jacket is supposed to be made from a worsted/aran weight yarn and I used DK and made a size smaller - fortunately it seems to have worked out.

Easter is a time for finishing...

 First up in the finishing stakes is another Zuzu's Petals - this one for me. I fell in love with this particular Zauberball (Sphinx) - gorgeous shades of teal/green/browns - perfect. I put it on to take the photo and didn't want to take it off - so there it stays for the day. Cosy neck - yay!

And this is the Tutu Tea Cosy - it is for a charity auction. It seems a bit odd…….

Mitts for the Farmers Market

My friend makes and sells chocolate at the local Farmers Market - which is held at our Railway Station. Her stall is on the the railway platform and, even in summer, can be rather breezy and cool. I made her some mitts last year and then she asked for another pair - so this is the 2014 model.

 I've used a Vintage Purls Sock yarn - the chocolate colour is called Leathermoon.
The other is a lovely coloured yarn I bought at Unwind - by the local Tria Fata Fibre Arts - colour is called Belize.

 It is a 'mitts for chocolate' barter - win win!

one can never have too many cowls

I wanted something straightforward to work on during Unwind - so started on this cowl. I have made this before - it is The Cosy Neck Warmer by Lucy of 'attic24'. She has written up a great tutorial for this. The yarn I used this time was Lion Brand Cotton Ease - left over from the baby blanket I made last year.

More Unwind things

If I was a better person I would have remembered to take some photos of the general event - but there you go - I forgot.
My friend Ngaire has a trader stall where she sells great screen-printed Tshirts - with a knit theme. She made a wee space for me and I sewed some boxy shaped Project Bags.

 The one below was a 'work in progress' - it was a great fabric - a toile look but the images were actually 'Day of the Dead' figures. It proved the most popular.

Unwind Design

Well now I can introduce you to The Koru Cowl.
This was my design for our Knit Retreat last weekend - Unwind, 2014.
It can be made using Double Knit or Fingering-weight yarn.
My lovely friend, Seta, modelled it and it really improved the quality of the photos.

The pattern for The Koru Cowl can be found on Ravelry.

I received lots of lovely comments on my design and, best of all, it won the competition - by popular vote! Happy days.

More mitts

I am mostly working on the prototypes for my Unwind design - hence my lack of posts this month.
But I have also made a pair of Bonnie Jean mitts for a birthday gift.

Something old

This is Viajante which I made late last year for my sister who was going to the UK over Christmas.
It took a while to make but the lace weight is just right as it isn't too bulky. I used Vintage Purls lace yarn.

Now there are two

 So I finished the Hodge booties.

Also I finally got around to decorating an old pair of white Converse sneakers - plastic lace and fabric paint. I'm really happy with the transformation

Another FO

For the last month or so I've been working on slanted-sleeven using a Vintage Purls sock yarn in a lovely silvery grey shade. It is to go with a dress as I always find it is not usually warm enough in the evening to do without. The pattern had me flummoxed at the start; I think because it is written in the European style. Anyway after a bit of intensive reading I worked it out and have to say it was very precise and quite easy to work from once I had figured it out. The cardigan is a top down, seamless construction - I am always in awe of anyone that thinks these up - they are a lot of work. I kept the length quite short to go with the cinched-in waist of the dress. I finished it off with some little silver buttons - $1 from Shop on Carroll (our local upmarket op shop that has lots of great buttons).

I am also working on the larger size of the Hodge booties - they are irresistible. And I love the colour which is a mix of an orangey red and pink - another Vintage Purls sock yarn.

But wait … there's more

 I forgot to show my two other Christmas cowl presents - this is Quoits a Vintage Purls Sock Club pattern and both made using Vintage Purls sock yarn.

 And then there was the Teeny Tiny things for Baby F - born 10 weeks prem - so the
booties should fit as they are very small

 The Tiny Nordic mitts and...

 The booties are Hodge; a Stella Lange design. The top part is folded over a rib pattern underneath - which means they are supposed to stay on. I've used Vintage Purls sock yarn for them.

Now I'm working on a design for Unwind so can't show that until it goes public in mid March.