14 posts tagged “projects”

While it's certainly not the only project I am actively working on, the One Button Cabled Jacket I'm knitting in Patons Inca is the defintely the one I've made the most progress on in the shortest period of time. I cast on on Saturday, and am now about half done. Not too bad!

I will admit to buying the yarn on an impulse - nothing unsual about that, I suppose. Inca is a blend of wool, alpaca and acrylic, warm and thick, but not too heavy. I did have in mind a cabled jumper, but after rifling through pattern books, came across this Sirdar pattern which just about exactly matches the amount of yarn I have.

I am slightly worried that I might be knitting slightly too small a size, but I have my fingers crossed - other things I've knitted with this yarn have been quite stretchy. We shall see soon enough!

Another new project is a repeat of one from last year - little baby booties for Middlemore's neonatal unit. Last year I made twelve pairs, and I hope to at least equal that before the end of winter - so far, I have one bootie...

If you're interested in contributing baby items to Kidz First as well, you can find some patterns and more info on the Creative Fibre Auckland area website who have made knitting for Kidz First a project for this year. Creative Fibre is a national organisation for spinners/weavers and other fibre arts, in case you were wondering. The more the merrier, I am sure. Don't worry if you're not a member of Creative Fibre like me - you don't need to belong to get in on the project (last year I simply posted my donation directly to the hospital). But, if you're looking for a crafty group of people to join, do check them out - I love the "old ladies" (some of the funniest, most hardworking and generous people I know) who go to my spinning group.

I've been working on this cardigan for a couple of months now (after buying the pattern as soon as it was released in October! It's not quite done - I need to find some buttons, but it's close enough to call!

It was a bit of a mission to get through the stocking stitch, and on to the interesting smocking section. And that seemed to take me forever! All the details can be found in my Ravelry project.

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!

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?!

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.

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.

 

 

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...

When I want to make booties, I seem to go straight to this book, 50 Baby Bootees to Knit. While I haven't made anywhere near fifty pairs, I do find the patterns in this book very quick and simple, and easy to adapt.

So, in addition to the booties I made for my niece(s) offspring, and the two pairs for baby Penelope, this book has now been the source for two more pairs!

These green and brown slip-on style booties are for Helen, a friend who is due late February, early March. She's having a boy, so I figured I used up some of the green wool I ordered from Bendigo Woollen Mills last year for no apparent reason (or at least a reason that I can recall). Of course, two little slippers don't make much of a dent in a 200 gram ball of yarn, so I might have to make some adult-sized slippers for me! The undyed brown yarn is an NZ merino, from Naturally Yarns.

If you want more nerdy knitter details (and are one of the almost 76,000 registered members), you can check out the Starry Slippers and Harmonly Slip-Ons in my Ravelry projects!

I haven't really done a lot of knitting lately; I've been quite tired and tending to spend any spare time working or reading. Still, I have made some progress, clearing out a few old projects that were hanging around.

A pair of mohair socks that were three-quarters complete (that's one and a half socks) -and far too small for anyone I'd gift them to - has become one Christmas stocking trimmed with rick-rack, and a whiteboard duster (the leg of the second sock was folded, sewn, and randomly decorated). No way was I going to unravel the mohair knit on 3.25 mm needles, so it was either let them languish for many more months, toss them out, or torture myself by knitting an unneeded item. I'm happy to have found a somewhat practical solution!

A quick project was a pair of Saartje's booties, finished wish some neat "wooden" buttons decorated with leaves. I used a DK/sport yarn (Treliske Organic Merino) in a dark brown, on smallish needles; they're quite sturdy and pretty small. They're not for anyone in particular (though I've just found out that another niece is expecting...

Otherwise, I'm plodding along on a jersey for Mum, the Cozy V-Neck Pullover with Deep Ribbing from Fitted Knits. I've had to do some math, a I'm using an 8ply yarn from Bendigo Woollen Mills instead of the suggested heavier weight yarn. Lots of stitches, and lots of rows, but I think it will work out! Mum's not in a hurry, anyway. :-)

I'm also working on a hat (with cables) for a friend, and am probably just about halfway done on that; just need to focus! And this weekend I actually did some work on my mitred square blanket - I'm not officially further than halfway.

I still haven't made any real start on Christmas gifts. My table has been covered with supplies for who knows how long, but I've not jumped in yet. I will! And most likely before I finish the two pairs of socks I have half finished!

I've added a couple of crochet items to my queue, too - a tissue box cover and toilet roll holder! I'm not sure my crochet pattern reading abilities, and actual crochet skills, are up to it, but when I came across the patterns in a book when looking for tea-cosies (which I found), I couldn't resist. I'm sure I'll have fun with it, when I get around to starting...

Well, just about finished! No seaming (because there is none), just some ends to weave in, and I'll be sorted. This has been a satisfying project, and I think I'll get a lot of wear out of it. I can wear it alone, with a cami underneath, or even with a funky long-sleeved top beneath!

The finished is really even less than somewhat cowl-like, as rather than working sixinches for the neck ribbing as called for by the pattern, and folding in half, I worked about half that, and then cast off. The extra weight on the collar may have caused the neck to be more "cowl" like, but I didn't think the look was worth the effort.

Now, on to those ends (or more likely, other knitting)!

A friend (rightly) observed that my knitting reminds him that I'm clever, so I figure I'd better add some more evidence, lest he or anyone else forget just how darn clever I am! I've been working away on this project for a while now (probably not as long as it seems to me), but haven't really posted any great detail here because, well, it's basically a brown jumper, and that's not particularly exciting.

It's all documented over at Ravelry, for sure, but I realise that while there are thousands of people in there, a lot of people are still waiting for invites! Anyway, as I near completion (and have more to say than "I'm knitting a brown jumper"), I figure it's time to show it here.

Wendy's Somewhat Cowl is the first pattern I've purchased and downloaded; I've knit from free online patterns, and plenty of books, but never before had I handed over a few dollars for a PDF. I like to look at patterns before I buy them, so I was taking a risk with this, but I'm glad I spent the minimal amount for this (even if I did have to print it out at the library; one day I'll get ink for my printer). It's a pretty straight forward pattern, and I've enjoyed knitting it.

This project is also my first top-down effort, my first short-sleeved knit, and the first garment I've come this close to finishing and actually still wanted (oh so many discarded garments, I usually avoid them to avoid that feeling)! ye, it's a lot of stocking stitch, but once you join to work in the round, it's all knit, and pretty darn easy to work at.

What do I like best about this project? Quite possibly absence of seaming. Even that fact that I have four inches of ribbing on the arms (I've just started the first short sleeve), and then 6 inches of ribbing around the large "cowl" neckline (to be folded and tacked down) doesn't dishearten me. No seams. It's not that I don't like seams, but I have terrbile seaming skills!

Coming a close second is the yarn I'm working with - it's a cashmere/merino blend from Naturally Yarns, and it's soft, and warm, and delightful to work with. Combined with the shaping at the waist, the drape of the yarn is just right, and I love the fit. I can't wait to wear it!

For those knitting at home, I'm working to the 34" bust size. That's a little bit smaller than my "high bust" measurement (up under arms), and about 4" smaller than I my actual bust. I decided though that I didn't want this to be baggy, and going up 4 inches in size to account for my boobs wasn't what I was after. The low/open neckline is allowing me to get away with working the smaller size without any additonal bust shaping/darts, and the only modification I've done is add one extra waist decrease (and the accompanying inch in length) and two extra increase after the the waist to account for my curves. Perfect! Sure, it was a bit of a hassle to try on (precariously watching two circular needles you pull it over your head), but it was definitey worth it - I'm getting the exactly what I want, so I'll have no excuses not to wear it!

Hrm, what else have I been knitting that I've not noted here? Well, I posted a picture of Maddy with my colour play scarf, which has had a lot of wear! I made slippers (and a matching tea cosy complete with pom pom), and I've just started knitting a jersey for my Mum. Yes, after years of knitting for me, Mum's finally going to get more than a pair of socks from me - now that I'm over my garment embargo, I'm happy to knit something just for her. :-) Otherwise, I've been queueing masses of Christmas decoration ideas - I might have to have a tree this year!

I'd planned (in as much as you can call a scribbled note on a whiteboard a plan) to spend my day off in the garden today, getting rid of the last of the weeds, and planting some spring/summer veges. When it came down to it though, I couldn't really be bothered - and besides, the weather is still so unpredictable at the moment, I rather not subject newly plante seedlings to hail and strong winds. So, I'll leave the gardening for my lunch breaks or that extra hour we're supposed to have now that DST is here.

The day was not wasted, however! I got out the book of kids knitting patterns I really should not have bought (though I have learnt I've become a great aunt again since its purchase, so maybe it will come in handy), and got to work. No booties or hats, or little jumpers though. I knit a penguin!

It's a pretty straightforward pattern (and one of a handful of toy patterns in the book  I shouldn'thave bought), and despite me knitting it on 2 mm with 4 ply baby wool instead of the suggested 3 mm needles and double knitting yarn, not all that fiddly (the wings, feed and beak are worked separately). It was my first attempt at intarsia (for the white belly), and that went well. Even the sewing up went pretty quickly.

This is an "extra" for an exchange pal (not so secret now) but I do have enough of the black wool left to make another, so there may be another one made eventually.

In other knitting, I've been plodding away at my Somewhat Cowl, just about to start on the post-waist increases (more on Ravelry). And for a sister's birthday, I've completed a scarf (three strands of different fibres/textures in a creamy shade, as in the Purl Scarf from LMKG), and a cotton washcloth. I haven't made any progress on my Endpaper Mitts since last weekend, but there is no pressing need for those!

In non-knitting "news", aside from the surprise arrival of another great-nephew, I've been reading more, sleeping less (despite starting work an hour later), and getting back to planning meals, eating properly, and acknowledging that I've been feeling crap lately and that I have only my bad eating to blame. I'm trying not to visit the wool shop constantly or otherwise spend too much money,  which explains the abundance of knitting books and novels I've collected from the library lately (gotta leave the house to break from work, and it's shopping or the library). I'm all geared up to start the gift making endeavour, and have ideas galore.