Pop Smear

Rather Productive

nobody@vox.com(Sarah) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 09:17:21 +1200

I had this feeling it had been months since I'd updated my knitting projects here, but looking back I see it has been just over a month since the last substantive update. Why did I think it had been so long? Quite frankly, because I've finished so many things!

Recently Finished Knitting

That's two pairs of bed socks (pattern from Mel Clark's blog Slip Slip Knit), two Leisl cardigans and a boucle Urchin (patterns by Ysolda), one handspun (mine and my Mum's) draught stopper (requested by a sister), a pink cardigan (made for me, but gifted to Mum as a better fit), one cotton baby hat from LMKG) and a tiny cotton bunny (for my latest great-niece), a handspun potholder (an exercise in stash reduction), and most recently a grey cap-sleeved cardi (from Drops Design), and a cabled hood (adapted from a "harf" pattern in Intertwined).

There's plenty more detail on all of these projects in my Ravelry Notebook, if you're curious! And if you're not a member of Ravelry (and you care at all about kntitting, crochet, etc.), why the heck not?!

Cotton Heart

Right now I'm waiting for some paint to dry, and it's actually a little exciting. I've painted some giant iceblock sticks - from the craft shop - to serve as hangers for a mobile I'm making. With little knitted cotton hearts in two shades of pink, this is another gift for my newest family member, Emily Jasmine. Just some sewing, stuffing and asssembly, and it'll be ready to send off to Perth.

Next on the agenda are a cardigan for Dad, a couple of cardigans for me, and a bag for a swap. I hope to make some progress on those before August 8! Not because that's my birthday (it is), but because with the kick off for the Olympics, I'm beginning an event in the Ravelympics, a KAL (that's a knit-a-long for the uninitiated) wherein I shall attempt to complete a challenging project in 17 days. I'm pretty sure the longline sweater dress I've chosen to knit in mohair will be a challenge, and so will require a lot of focus...

For now though, I'm off to swatch for my Dad's cardigan. It's a horrible day (there are weather warnings and alerts all over the place) and so inside knitting is the place to be. And should the power go out, I can always knit by candlelight.

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Bored With Winter

nobody@vox.com(Sarah) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:27:54 +1200

Sleepy Maddy

Maddy and I are so over this dreary, rainy, windy and generally horrible weather. But knitting, and knitted things, do help!

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Finishing Up

nobody@vox.com(Sarah) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:24:34 +1200

Blanket

Since I fnished Mum's jersey in early May, I've completed quite a few projects. And not new projects, either (though there certainly some of those), but some that had been sitting around, neglected, for quite a while!

To the left here you'll see my mitred-square blanket, finished just one week shy of the one year anniversary of its cast-on! After much prevarication (and sitting half-completed for many months), this blanket (that I first mentioned here) is done. It is cosy and warm, and a big hit with Maddy. It (rather like the cat) graces the bed at night, and the sofa during the day. I'm really very pleased with it - and pleased to have the stash of yarn set aside for it gone!

Two pairs of socks were also completed, putting an end to the second-sock syndrome. One pair of brown socks in Naturally Sensation (a merino/angora blend), which I'm loving as bed socks. The other pair, in Naturally Vero Tweed, were sent off to my Mum! I did manage to get both of these completed before a year was up, but for the second pair (which I wrote about when finishing the first sock) it was a pretty close call!

Finishing these items, and unravelling a couple of things I absolutely knew I would never finish (because I no longer wanted them), meant that for probably the first time since I was a teenager, I did not have somthing half-finished somehwere! I've always had lots of things on the go, so it was not something I expected to revel in, but it gave me a great sense of control!

So, those new projects that I've finished recently and not blogged about, well, if you're on Ravelry, you can check out my Handspun Garter Mitts, Aspire Garter Mitts, Handpun Scarf, Vero Tweed Calorimetry, Hottie Cover, Mum's Felted Bag, the Brown & Turquoise Bag for my bag swap recipient, two simple beanies for KidsCan, and the Handspun Mittens I mentioned in the last post, and twelve pairs of preemie baby booties for charity.

Booties

Is it any wonder I haven't had much time to spin (or blog)?! Right now I'm working on some preemie mittens, and a jersey for myself (I got a bunch of this done on WWKIP day - check out Catherynne's nice recap of our day knitting in public on Waiheke)!. I have bought some new yarn, too, so another jumper or cardigan for myself should be coming along fairly soon, along with long queued socks and a beret! I wonder, however, how long this finishing thing will last...

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Project: Handspun Mittens

nobody@vox.com(Sarah) — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:37:27 +1200

When I was at the Autumn Home Show last month I was tempted into buying some dyed and carded polwarth fibre from Sharon of Jumbuck Carding. There was only 85 grams left of the heathered sliver (top-left), so I nabbed that, and a quantity of a solid purple.

Heathered Purple Polwarth

I didn't have a plan for them when I purchased (no surprise, I'm sure), but got spinning pretty quickly, at first on my old Traveller (now gifted to Mum), and then on my new Joy.. Soon I had 170 grams of about a sport weight yarn (plying together a single of each sliver), ready to knit. But what to knit?!

Not a scarf, or a hat, or a fraction of a jersey. So, mittens or gloves it was. I did eventually settle on a fingerless glove pattern, but given that I had no real plan before, I saw no need to stick to it. As you've probably gathered from the title of this entry, I made mittens!

One Thumb

Right Mitten

Call me a heretic, but I didn't work them in the round, preferring to use straight needles, and then seam. I do dislike rangling dpns for fingers and thumbs.

Anyway, the mittens are nice and soft, and a pretty heathere colour! I'm very pleased with both my spinning, and my knittings. And that my fingers are warm!

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Project: V-Neck Pullover

nobody@vox.com(Sarah) — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:11:30 +1200

V-Neck Pullover

If you have a good memory, you may recall that I was working on a jersey for my Mum. Well, there were long periods of time where there was very little work happening on the jersey front. Finally, however, it is completed! And handily (but coincidentally) just in time for Mother's Day!

The pattern is from Fitted Knits, and customised to fit my Mum (and she will attest to the many phone calls I made asking her to measure from here to there, and around that).

V-Neck Pullover

The pattern has the ribbing on the arms starting above the elbow (and the body ribbing startng a little higher), but this version has the ribbing starting below. It's still one heck of a lot of ribbing! For more details, check out my project at Ravelry.

When I started (and to below the neck - top-down - the first time around), I was working with the 8 ply yarn, and modifying the stitch counts. That was a pain (as were the large numbers of stitches), and in the end I started over with the yarn double-stranded, getting closer to the pattern gauge. Unsurprisingly, it grew much more quickly (and would have been fniished a while ago had I not been distracted)!

Whenever I took this out with me to knit somewhere, people remarked on the colour, which was picked by Mum. I'd never knit with the Bendio Woollen Mills yarn before, before I'm sure I will again. While the crepe was a little "crisp" at times when knitting, it softens and bloom very nicely on washing (and this variety is machine washable). And the 200 gram balls make for less ends to weave in (especially when working with two strands at a time (from the outside and centre of a cerntre-pull ball). That's always a bonus!

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Fruit & A Little Labour

nobody@vox.com(Sarah) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:30:30 +1200

Feijoa Jam and Maddy

So, it turns out that I have two feijoa trees at the end of the yarn (you can just make one out, left, in the picture above). Now, I'm still unsure how I did not notice this fact last year, but it hardly matters as I've capitalised on it this year.

Since first spotting random green things on the ground beneath them a few weeks ago, I've made two lots of Feijoa & Vodka Jam (not exactly following that recipe, but pretty close).

The verdict? Delicious! It's a little tart, a little sweet, and perfect on crumpets!

Jam making isn't all that I've been up to, either. Since my last update, I've purchased a new spinning wheel, done a little dyeing, some knitting, and been rather busy! I'm sure I'll get around to providing details for those not yet in the know about those activities, eventually. ;-)

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Pattern: Simple Knitted Rose & Leaf

nobody@vox.com(Sarah) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 16:32:28 +1200

Rose & Leaf

I'm demonstrating/teaching knitting flowers later this year, so I've been working on simple patterns to use (much easier than getting permission from designers to use and teach their designs).

Leaf

I've got a few up my sleeve so far, but so far this is the only one I've tested. So, I'm releasing it to the world!

If you would like to knit a very simple flower and leaf, you can download my pattern in PDF format, here or at Ravelry.

(112 KB)

Any questions, let me know!

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Spinning A Yarn

nobody@vox.com(Sarah) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 18:48:04 +1300

Spinning Wheel

A little over a week ago, I made what could be labelled an impulsive purchase. One I really never thought I would make. I bought a (second hand) spinning wheel.

I've maintained for several years that I would never take up spinning - rather like my assertion that I will never take up quilting (but not quite so emphatic as that one).

I'm not the most coordinated person in the world (unless you're talking matching shoes to an outfit), and in the couple of times I'd tinkered with my Mum's wheel it was plainly obvious that my usual inability to do use my hands and feet at the same time with purpose (I usually only swing one arm when walking) and complete lack of patience and dislike at not being good at not being good at things, all meant that spinning and I would not gel.

So, why do I now have a spinning wheel? I'm not really sure. But I can report that with a little perserverance, and rather a lot of swearing, I'm actually spinning yarn that looks like yarn. Knitting it, even (a cushion cover and hat, so far). I'm seeing improvement, and that's enough to keep me going!

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Woolly Mammoth

nobody@vox.com(Sarah) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:41:38 +1300

Crochet Elephant

Well, he's not really a mammoth, he's an elephant. Or a miniature crochet interpretation of an elephant. He's fuzzy, though!

I haven't really crocheted anything other than blankets, scarves, or trims before, so I was a bit apprehensive about trying to follow a pattern (particulary as the US patterns use a different terminology to the English ones that I learned with). Still, a couple of imperfections aside, I'm really please with out he turned out.

The pattern is a free one from Lion Brand, and he's the Amigurumi Elephant (I'd link to the pattern, but you need to register - for free - to see it). If you're on Ravelry, you can check out the pattern (and other examples made) here. My project is right here.

The yarn I used is a merino/angora blend, from Naturally Yarns.

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Pattern: Plain or Flowery Slippers

nobody@vox.com(Sarah) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 21:29:13 +1300

Plain Slipper

Flowery Slipper

If you too would like plain or flowery slippers, and are prepared to knit them, you can download my pattern in PDF format, here or at Ravelry.

(161 KB)

Any questions, let me know!

NOTE: If you downloaded the file 'plain-or-flowery-slippers.pdf', please note that an updated file, 'plain-or-flowery-slippers-0708.pdf', has been uploaded which correct some issues with row numbers. Please download the new file.

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