Yeah, I’m a little weird….

But lovable, I promise. :o) There’s no need to be afraid. They lock me up at night, so I don’t roam the streets. :o) It’s not pretty is it? The things I share on this blog….
I was making a hat for Grace using the left over yarn from her BSJ and pretty much making it up as I went along, so of course I wanted to get a bit of an idea of where I was up to size-wize etc. A two year old’s head is pretty big you know. This is made based on Grace’s measurements (not just a guess) and look it fits (albeit snuggly) my head.

And here’s the finished item. I hope she likes it. She is always trying to put little Olivia’s knitted hats on and of course they are far too small for her, so I promised her I’d make her one of her own. Using up left-over yarn is very satisfying too I have to say. You’ll be sick of it by the time my basket is empty!!!

I did warn you. And there’s one more ball to go!! I made these (Saartje’s Bootees - see Ravelry for pattern) up for one of my hubby’s work collegues whose sister has just had a baby. She was admiring Olivia’s recently when Tegan took Olivia in to her Dad’s work to show her off, so I did what any knitter would do, and whipped her up a pair. They really take no time at all. Olivia has grown out of hers now, so Tegan wants me to make her another pair. No prizes for guessing what the last ball of this yarn will be used for. Stay tuned. :o)

Ashlyn’s Scarf

Another finished item!  I’m on a roll at the moment.  No, actually it only seems that way.  :)  I finished this one over the weekend and have already put it into the mail to Ash.  Naturally the weather has now warmed up again, just as I finish Ash’s scarf, but we’ve got a few months of winter left to go, so I hope she’ll get some wear out of it before Spring.

Specs: 

• Pattern:  My So Called Scarf
• Yarn:  Merino Sock Yarn in ‘Passionfruit’ from The Knittery
• Needles:  3.25mm straights.

I love the way this pattern mixes up the colours giving a nice textured look with no colour pooling.   I hope you like it Ash!! 

Grace’s BSJ….again.

Grace came to visit yesterday afternoon and she was wearing her new BSJ.  I was really pleased as apparently she had been given the choice of two cardi’s/jackets to wear and she chose the BSJ.  For a two year old to actually want to wear my handknits makes me a very happy knitter!  I managed to get this pic which was the best of about 4 or 5 I snapped off very quickly.  She’s so fast and as is typical of most two year olds, her attention span is brief, so I was grateful for this one!

And while she was busy playing with Nanna and the toy car, her mum snapped this one too.  I was just home from the gym and hadn’t even had a chance to change yet, but I didn’t care.  At least gym clothes made for comfortable ‘playing’ clothes, even if I was getting a bit chilly by the time they left.  :o)

A BSJ for a Two Year Old

I have finished Grace’s adult version of the baby surprise jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman.  I have to say I was a bit worried about this one.  It was an ungainly thing to knit and if you thought the original BSJ pattern was hard to figure out, the adult version is worse.  It’s just so ambiguous.  You really need to have your wits about you, think the various steps through and follow your gut in some instances.

For example, the instructions for the double decreases when you are finishing up the neck bands are poorly written.  I followed her instructions to the letter even though my gut was telling me that it wouldn’t work, and I was right.  I ended up ripping back and doing what felt right to me and it worked perfectly.  Then I worried as I got closer to finishing that it would be way too big for Grace.  It just felt huge.  But thankfully, I needn’t have worried at all.  It fits perfectly.  I gave it to her this morning and she tried it on - fits like a glove.  But I could have kicked myself for forgetting my camera.  We tried to take a photo with my mobile phone camera, but a rapidly moving two year old doesn’t photograph very well.  She was just a bright pink blurr!  It was her second birthday on the weekend.  She has grown so fast and is talking up a storm these days.  I’m so glad she likes her new cardi and more importantly her mum loves it too, so I know she’ll get plenty of wear out of it.  We still have a couple of months of cold weather ahead, so it will be well used.  I’m a happy knitter.  Now if only the cardi’s I made myself all turned out so well!!

And look what the postie delivered to me this week.  A wonderful totally unexpected surprise from Robin.  Thankyou dear friend.  I love it all - gorgeous yarn, knitpics needles and a wonderful bookmark that says “I love knitting”.  Those colours truly brighten up this grey winter weather.  I can’t wait to cast on.  :o)

Progress is being made too on the ‘My So Called Scarf’ I’m making for my eldest daughter.  It should be finished soon.  I’m using Merino sock yarn in ‘Passionfruit’ from The Knittery and it is looking gorgeous.  I love it so much, I might just be tempted to get more and knit myself a scarf in this.  Such gorgeous subtle colours.  Pics soon.  :o)

Breathing Easier

Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement after my last post.  Life is a lot better now!  The exam is over and I think I did quite well actually…phew!  I’m on mid-semester break now and breathing a lot easier.  I’m enjoying the break very much (understatement!).  :o) 

We’ve been away camping for a long weekend to Girraween National Park (Qld).  It is one of the coldest places in Queensland in winter and on Friday night/Sat morning it got down to -5C.   Very chilly in a tent, let me tell you.  But the days were glorious.  I’ve included a few photos here for you to give you an idea. 

The wattle was just coming into bloom - another couple of weeks and it will be a blaze of gold out there in the bush.  This photo is a wattle reflection in almost still water.  Glorious.

And I finished my scarf!  The Saraha Jitterbug looks great and I’m really happy with it. 

This is another ”My So Called Scarf” I finished earlier.  :o)  I actually made this one before the Saraha version.  It’s made with odds and ends 8ply (DK) for my hubby to wear on his way to work (he rides a motor bike to work, so it is a bit chilly these days!).  He loves it and it gets lots of use.   I’m now making yet another version for my elder daughter.  This time I’m using Merino Sock yarn from The Knittery in Passionfruit.  Pics later.  It’s looking great so far.  I’m not sick of this pattern yet either.  So easy to knit and great relaxing tv knitting.  Younger daughter was eyeing the latest version off and I have a feeling there’ll be another request before too long!  Good thing I’m not sick of it yet eh?!

Good and Bad; Yin and Yang; Up and Down: Life…you know.

This has the potential to be a woe-is-me post, but actually it isn’t. It’s all good really. You know …. what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger etc. I have an exam this Friday. It covers topics 7-10 of my unit. I have covered (for reasons good, bad and indifferent) topics 1-6. Shit. Please excuse my swearing, but this dilemna constitutes a good swear word I think. So, despite the fact that I’m presently blogging, I’ve been spending the last few days madly reading and cramming. I might just do it….but if I do, it will be more arse than class. However, the light at the end of this tunnel is not necessarily a train, (although ask me about this after Friday) it is the mid-semester break beckoning to me with days of endless sunshine, cups of tea and knitting - dammed well pleasing myself anyway!!
Probably due to the stress I’m under at the moment, some rather awful stuff I’d rather not deal with has resurfaced and has been causing me some emotional pain. I thought I’d dealt with all of this, but like a ball that’s been held under the water, it has flown out to hit me in the head when I least needed it. The good side though, is that I’ve had some really insightful moments and I’ve realized (duh) that you can’t suppress this sort of thing indefinately. As I said, it has a habit of coming back to bite. Anyway, it’s all a bit tough at the moment. The knitting - usually my savior when things are rough - is on the back burner because every (the majority of anyway) waking moment is filled with the fall of Eastern European Communism. Gah. Geesh, I’d rather be knitting!

State of Play

I have had a really busy few weeks, between the excitement of a new baby in the family, lots of relatives visiting, family birthdays (including mine and my daughter’s 21st) and exams on top of it…well lets just say it’s hectic. I thought it was high time I post again and certainly high time I talked about my knitting!

I’ve been making yet another BSJ. Well actually this is the adult version which I’m making for Miss Two (Grace) and taylored to her measurements. I’m almost finished, but have stalled at the final band around the fronts, neck and bottom. There are too many stitches for my Addi Turbo, so I’ve had to order a longer one. I tried to do it on the smaller needle and stuffed it up completely because there were so many stitches rammed onto the needle I couldn’t see what I was doing. Consequently a bit of ripping was to be had and I learned a lesson - less haste, more speed…or something like that. I had to accept the wait for the new needle to arrive. :o)

So in the meantime…. as I didn’t have much in progress on the needles, I went back to this long time WIP - my moss stitch scarf in 2ply baby alpaca. I had to order another ball because I’m making this a little wider than the example one I’ve based this on and I think I’ll need more than just the one ball to complete it. Because of the fine yarn, it takes for ever to make any progress. I ‘dips me lid’ to all you lace knitters out there! Knitting this is a bit like reading the phone book!

My long-time penfriend Barb in Canada and I share the same birthday. And as we celebrated this since my last post, I have some birthday booty to show off. Barb sent me this wonderful yarn - it’s Colinette Jitterbug in Sahara. I adore the colours so much I just couldn’t make socks out of it for my feet, so I’m making ‘My-So-Called-Scarf’. Impatience got the better of me again, and I started this almost as soon as I’d unwrapped the parcel!!

Barb also sent this! It lives on my coffee table and regularly gets opened at a random page for a bit of Harlot wisdom. Great pressie Barb! Thank you!

And speaking of pressies….the lovely Nat sent me this during the week. A gorgeous notebook and bag insert for my study folder which just happens to be just the right size to take a sock in-progress for a bit of knitting relief when I’m at uni. I love them Nat, thank you. I felt really spoiled this week. :o)
Thank you everyone too for the lovely well-wishes for the birth of Olivia. She and her Mum are doing well. Liv is just an angel child - hardly ever complains about anything and sleeps and eats perfectly. Miss Two is coping pretty well with the new addition, but we’ve had a few moments. ;o) In all though, things are going really well. I’ll post some more pics eventually. :o)

At long last…

I’ve been quiet on the blog I know, I apologise, but this little lady is the reason.  Meet ‘Olivia Kate Ashlyn’ born yesterday 13th May, 2008 at 7.43am 8lb 10oz and 53cm long.  She put her poor mother through a 53 hour labour!!!  My poor daughter Tegan endured it all very well all things considered.  I cared for Grace whilst all this was going on.

 This is Grace meeting her new sister who was only hours old in this photo.  :o)  She even gave Olivia her ‘Elmo’ to play with and slipped it into the cot whilst saying “here baby”.  I think it might be a different story in 18 months time if Olivia wants to play with Grace’s toys!!

 I look about 407 years old in all the photos that were taken over the last day or so.  But having a toddler for two days and two nights with very little sleep to be had and a lot to worry about will do that to you.  Thankfully all are well and safe.  Mum and bub will come home today so I’ll be able to go and visit and get lots of cuddles with my new grand-daughter. 

Things will get back to normal here on the blog soon….I promise.  :o)

Attention: Australian Knitters!

Some time ago, I blogged about a small Tasmanian business called “In Sheeps Clothing” and how they produce wonderful handknitted clothing for sale from the wool they grow themselves.  Elaine and Penny recently left this comment on my blog, and I have reprinted it here for you all to see.  As they say, it is ’something that all (Australian) knitters should know’!  I’m glad they brought it to my attention.  If all the knitters in Australia voiced their opinion on this topic, it might make the CSIRO think again.  We haven’t much time, so if you are so inclined, please put pen to paper!  Follow the links for more info.

Author : Elaine and Penny
E-mail : sheepsclothing@bordernet.com.au
URL    : http://www.insheepsclothing.com.au

“Hi,
Something that Australian knitters should know. The CSIRO is planning to close the scour facility at Geelong, the only one of its kind operating in Australia, at the end of June 2008. Wool, white and coloured; cashmere, mohair and alpaca is scoured at this small facility that was set up for research purposes with government money matching that collected by a levy that woolgrowers pay. If the CSIRO is allowed to close this facility, it will effectively stop small farmers like ourselves from having their yarn processed in Australia. It is too expensive to consider sending small amounts of fibre overseas and who would want to when it would mean losing an Australian made product. There is more information on this blog set up by a member of the committee to save the scour: http://natural-fibres.blog-city.com/
and horror stories from some that have sent fibre to New Zealand. We should all be concerned about potentially losing this facility. Three small spinning mills in Victoria will be forced to close and no one in Australia will ever again be able to try to establish their own brand of Australian made wool or garments without a huge and risky capital investment. Anyone who is concerned is urged to contact politicians regardless of party, write to the papers - indeed anything to bring attention to this issue. Suggestions for letters etc. are on the natural fibre’s blog. Thank you.”

To Flash or Not to Flash?

 

I amuse myself a little too easily these days.  The title of this post tickled my funny bone this morning - it’s sad really.  :o)

None of these photos captures the colour of this yarn correctly, but it is actually closest to a blend of these and maybe leaning slightly more toward the second non-flash photo.  It was also difficult to get a shot that gives you some idea of how the pattern looks!  My apologies for the really crappy photos!

Stats:

• Pattern:  Lombard Street Socks by Susan Pierce Lawrence (Pattern available through Ravelry)
• Yarn:  Live2Knit Rita Sock yarn in Moss
• Sticks:  2.75mm Brittany Birch DPS
• Assessment:  LOVE this pattern!  It’s similar to Monkeys in many ways i.e. pattern set up and ease of pattern memorization, but it is different enough to warrant making both patterns.  I actually prefer this one to Monkeys.  I love the slightly twisted feature that almost looks like a tree trunk branching its way up the sock.  I thoroughly recommend it.  I think these have now become my favourite socks.  I love the pattern and love the yarn colour.  Result: Happy Knitter.

 

Now don’t fall over in shock.  Two FOs in the one day is a bit over the top I know, but there you have it. 

Stats: 

• Pattern:  Bianca’s Jacket - by Michele Rose Orne in Interweave Knits, Fall 2006.
• Size:  38″
• Yarn:  Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed Colour: Beach
• Sticks:  4.5mm and 4.00mm Addi Turbos. (I went down a size to what is recommended because I’m a loose knitter)
• Assessment:  I LOVE this pattern too.  When I tried it on immediately after seaming I initially was a bit disappointed as it was a little tight across the shoulders and under the arms.  But I should never under-estimate the power of a good wash and block.  Now it absolutely fits perfectly and looks wonderful (IMHO).  I knit this as written with no alterations to the pattern at all.  Yes, it is a short jacket, but actually it looks really flattering.  And I’m naturally a little short waisted anyway.    The yarn was a little coarse for my liking and after seaming, I was worried it wasn’t going to drape the way it should.  But of course, the wash and block beat it into submission and now it is much softer (although still not great IMO) and it drapes beautifully.

 So over all, I’m a very happy knitter today.  Bianca’s Jacket is the first cardi type pattern I’ve knitted as written that fits like a dream.  100% satisifaction.  You can’t ask for more than that!  I’ll get a photo of myself wearing it when the chief photographer comes home from work. 

One other happy little side-note to this FO story…. I HAVE AN EMPTY KNITTING BASKET!!!!  I never thought that would happen.  It won’t last for long, I’ll be casting on tonight for two more short-term projects, but I’m revelling in the sense of achievement while it lasts.  :o)

P.S.  Thanks everyone for your well-wishes for my daughter.  Things are looking more postive today.  :o)