Paradise Relocated

I'm stronger than my willpower

2012-02-02T13:24:00.000+11:00

Yep, I am because I have managed to cast on two more projects despite not having finished any others. I first cast on the Stockholm Scarf.

I am knitting this in the round with BWM Moorland in Dark Grape. Its been a long time since I have knitted with such thick yarn - 8ply! It feels very heavy and hard on the wrists.

The second project I cast on is the Pea Vines shawl. I am knitting this with a friend on Ravelry. I am using a yarn dyed by EmilyTheEnabler. I think its about a 3ply yarn and thus I have opted to knit the medium size version of the shawl. Photos later when I have more to show because its taken me three tries to get this shawl started and I have only completed two very long rows.

I am continuing on the Susanna IC January KAL and I have now completed clue 4.

Now am I going to manage to complete something before the next post or succumb yet again and cast on for that Dahlia cardigan which is clamouring for my attention?

One more off the needles

2012-01-24T12:42:00.001+11:00

I finished the SK Kozinski Mystery KAL and I am quite happy with the way this shawl turned out.

This shawl is started with a provisional cast on. I used an easy loop cast on with a second cable which made picking up the stitches really easy. The lace section is knitted first and the you pick up the stitches for the short rows to finish the shawl.

I used Drops Fabel yarn and 4.5mm needles and I added size 8/0 beads to the last lace repeat. I probably should have used size 6/0 beads because the beads are a bit lost on this shawl. I went down to size 3.75mm needles for the cast off and did a tight cast off. I have learned my lesson with these crescent shaped shawls, a tight cast off prevents rolling at the neck.

I have remained strong and I've not yet cast on anything new...yet....

In progress

2012-01-18T12:52:00.000+11:00

I am working on three projects at the moment and I am trying desperately not to cast on any more. But... yes there is always a but, there are several projects clamouring for my attention. I even have the yarn waiting so how am I going to resist. The two projects screaming loudest is the Sugar Plum Fairy KAL and the Dahlia cardigan. See what I mean? How am I suppose to resist

As for the progress I have made so far. I have finished clue one of the SusannaIC January KAL and I am about to start on clue 2. I'm using some handdyed yarn I swapped on Ravelry.

Not much to show yet but considering that this was yet another shawl that started with a 409 stitch cast on and it has 7 stitch nupps, a fair bit of knitting has already taken place.

I have completed clue 3 for the Shui Kuen Kozinski Mystery KAL and now have only one more clue to go.

This shawl started with a provisional cast on. I used an easy cast on and left the live stitches on a cable. So now I just have to add my needle tips to the cable and I am ready to knit the short rows for the last part of the shawl.

I have not neglected that blanket and I have finished another 2 and a half squares.

Now how long am I going to last before casting on something else?

I've made a start...

2012-01-10T11:43:00.000+11:00

.... finishing wips and starting new projects!

I finally got round to finishing the Birgit Freyer Mon Bijou shawl. As I have said before, I really love her patterns and this shawl was no exception. I always find her patterns very relaxing to knit. The stitches seem to fly off the needles. This shawl would have been finished ages ago had I not put it down because of other commitments.

The yarn is KnitPicks Gloss Lace in Mermaid. I was fortunate to get this yarn in a karma swap seeing as KnitPicks doesn't mail to Australia. Needle size is 4.00mm and the shawl measures 97cm from the centre neck down and 140cm in width. I used Matsuno beads 8/0.

I have also got back to that blanket and I have knitted another two squares. I am going to do my best to finish this blanket before the end of summer (I have to keep telling myself that).

And then of course I have started two new projects, both of them are mystery KAL's, The first is a mystery KAL by Shui Kuen Kozinski and the second is the SusannaIC's January Mystery KAL. A third KAL, the Sugar Plum Fairy KAL which has recently started still awaits me. More about the KAL's in the next posting.

Resolutions?

2012-01-02T14:29:00.000+11:00

Each year I think about making resolutions and mostly I manage to keep them. I think that's because I tend to make rather general and vague resolutions. And this year isn't going to be any different. I did think of adding a few more specific knitting resolutions but then I thought why? Well, I have to have at least one knitting resolution. So my knitting resolution is to finish all those wips that have been hanging around for ages (one of them since 2009) within the first six months of 2012. I think that sounds doable.

Just before the year ended I managed to finish one more shawl. This one is number 19. The pattern is the Language of Roses shawl. And the yarn is KnitPicks Shadow in Hot rod. I used almost 2 full skeins. There was so little left of the second skein that it didn't register on my scale. This was not an easy shawl to block because its not a true triangular shape and the roses at the end were a bit fiddly. It took me two attempts to get the shape more or less right. I would have liked to have blocked the shawl harder but I just couldn't get the shape to work then.

This will be my last commission knit for a while so that I can focus on finishing those wips and also participate in a couple of KALs.

Happy knitting in the New Year!

Muir

2011-12-29T11:32:00.001+11:00

I finished this project a while back but just didn't get round to posting about it. Muir is another commission knit I did so I didn't get to choose the yarn. The yarn is Moseley Park Yardea and is beautiful to knit with because it is so soft and stretchy. Unfortunately the colourway is not the best to show off this pattern and I had great difficulty in trying to photograph this shawl.

Fortunately the recipient has decided to over dye the shawl.

Now for all you knitters who have iPads, you must check out the knitcompanion app. I have recently discovered this app and I love it. Its a great way to import pdf patterns and then to combine all your charts into one and add a whole host of things to help you follow your chart. Do go and check out the tutorial videos to get a good idea how it works. You can download a free app which comes with sample patterns and gives you an opportunity to test it out. If you want to import your own patterns you will need to purchase the app.

And finally the year is drawing to a close. I wish you all a very Happy New Year filled with all you desire. And have you been giving some thought to those resolutions?

More quick gifts

2011-12-22T12:40:00.000+11:00

A friend had a dilemma. She wanted to give her young niece and nephews some toys for christmas but didn't know what to buy for children who are already swamped with toys. So I suggested something hand knitted and she took me up on the suggestion. So I set aside a few evenings and got to it.

itty-bitty toys by Susan B. Anderson came to the rescue once again, helped by my stash of left over sock yarn. I knitted two Baby Bears and a Monkey.

My friend was very pleased to have something unique to give to the children.

I hope those of you who were knitting for christmas managed to get it all done in time. For those of you who believe in christmas, I hope you have a merry one and for those of us who don't : Bah Humbug!

Oslo Walk

2011-12-08T11:25:00.001+11:00

I finished this shawl a little while ago but I have held off posting about it because it is a gift for a dear friend's birthday. But now I think its safe to reveal the shawl.

The shawl is another of Susanna IC's designs called Oslo Walk. I knitted this shawl with some KnitPicks Shadow in the campfire colourway. I have had this yarn in my stash for ages and I was waiting for the right project to come along. And this was perfect. Not only is the colour one that I think will suit my friend well but I also think it goes well with the pattern.

The shawl is knitted on 4.5mm needles and I used Matsuno beads 8/0 in a matt white colour.

Little things

2011-11-18T12:44:00.001+11:00

Sometimes when you need something really quickly it's best to stick to little things. And that is just what I did recently. I needed two gifts in a hurry. So I looked at my knitting books and I surfed the patterns on Ravelry and found just what I needed.

The first is Baby Bear from itty-bitty toys. I used some left over Noro Kureyon Sock yarn and 3.25mm circular needles.

The second is a seahorse knitted with half a skein of Anchor Magicline on 3.25mm circular needles.

Both toys are knitted in the round with a minimum of seeming and both knit up really quickly. I love not having to sew seams.

Twenty and counting

2011-11-08T09:22:00.000+11:00

In answer to your question Annie, I have knitted 17 shawls and 3 scarves so far this year. And of course I still have quite a few on the needles or in the queue! Now its your turn to total all your beautiful projects.

Here are the latest two shawls. The first is knitted from Val's handspun aptly named The Hungry Caterpillar. This yarn is a lovely blend of angora/superwash merino/merino twinkle bunny. The shawl is the Romney Kerchief and it was knitted on 5.0mm needles. I really like the way the pattern compliments the long colour repeats in the yarn.

The second shawl is a shawl I knitted for someone on Ravelry. It's the Little Leaves shawl. The yarn is Wollmeise 100% Merino Superwash (I don't know the colourway) and the needle size is 5.0mm. This yarn comes in such a generous skein that I was able to add an extra pattern repeat as well as a couple of extra rows of stocking stitch after I completed the short rows. I think the extra rows of stocking stitch causes the neck to role a bit so after a few different experiments I added an eyelet row followed by 2 rows of garter stitch and a very stretchy cast off. That seems to have done the trick. And I still had several grams of yarn left. I wasn't prepared to play yarn chicken by adding yet another pattern repeat! I also added Matsuno beads 8/0 in a silvery colour which look like dew drops on a tropical rainforest.

Now to continue to whittle away at that queue!

Crimson Tide

2011-11-01T11:14:00.000+11:00

While I was in Denmark earlier in the year I bought a couple of skeins of Kauni effect garn and I have been on the lookout ever since for the right pattern. Originally I thought of a Birgit Freyer pattern but couldn't find quite the right one. In my searches on Ravelry I finally came across Lagune and decided that this pattern might just work.

So the yarn is Kauni wool 8/1 and needle size 4.5mm and I used almost the entire 50g skein.

And why Crimson Tide? Well because this project made me think of a red tide and reminded me of a time we went looking for mussels in Cape Town. Do you remember the occassion Helen?

Shawl Swap

2011-10-20T11:46:00.001+11:00

My shawls from the shawl swap have arrived and I am delighted with them. If you are on Ravelry then do go and have a look at all the beautiful shawls that were knitted for this swap.

I received two beautiful shawls from froufrou. For this swap you could either knit one large or two small shawls for your partner.

Here are my shawls. The yarn for both shawls is Wollmeise and I love the colours. The first shawl is the Sugared Violets shawl.

And the second is the Kisseis shawl. froufrou has added some gorgeous beading to this shawl.

Aren't I the lucky one?

Scarves

2011-10-13T14:59:00.000+11:00

Two more projects have been completed. The first one is the Flit 'n Float scarf I knitted for Val. This gorgeously soft yarn, Fancy-Knit Castoro,was beautifully dyed by Val. I was such a pleasure to have such fine yarn slip through my fingers. I knitted this scarf on 3.5mm needles and added some extra lenght to the scarf by knitting an additional 40 rows stocking stitch and adding an extra pattern repeat in the centre of the stocking stitch section. Despite adding the extra length this scarf only took 55g of yarn.

In return for knitting the scarf for Val she sent me these 2 beautiful skeins of her own luscious handspun as well as this lovely nostepinne. It feels so good in the hand and is a pleasure to use.

Now the question is what to knit with it. I'm thinking 198yds of heaven? Any other suggestions?

The next project is a small shawl or scarf, the Ginkgo Shoulderette Shawl. I knitted this in Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 4 ply in the Red Earth colourway. I have now knitted quite a few shawls in Luxury and I have to say that this yarn really lends itself to shawls. It's soft, feels good against the skin and has a lovely drape. The shawl/scarf was knitted on 4mm needles and took a mere 66g of yarn.

There are more shawls on the needles and I'm sure you will be surprised to learn that there are even more in the queue!

The secret is out

2011-10-07T17:57:00.000+11:00

My swap partner in the Shawl Swap on Ravelry has received the shawl I made for her so I can now share the details with you. The shawl is Morgain and I knitted her with Tosh Lace in Dahlia on 3.5 mm needles. One of the joys of knitting this shawl is that you can stop knitting at any point. I continued knitting until I had about 4g left and then I cast off and was left with 2g of yarn. I didn't feel like playing yarn chicken and decided not to try and squeeze another row out of the yarn before casting off because the rows were becoming very long at that point. I ended halfway through chart 5. The shawl measures 158cm x 80cm.

I think my partner was pleased with her shawl.

Now I'm looking forward to receiving my shawl from my patner sometime next week.

Secret and non secret knitting

2011-09-20T12:02:00.001+10:00

I see its been a while since I last posted. I have been busy knitting but I can't show it yet because its part of a secret shawl swap on Ravelry. Here is a preview of the shawl, disguised of course.

I will be able to tell you more by mid-October.

In the meantime I have a few things that I can show and tell you about. We are about to visit some friends who have recently moved into a new house and mentioned that they will need some house slippers for guests. So this week I sat down and knitted a few pairs of slippers for them.

The first three pairs are all Duffers knitted in different sizes and different yarns. These slippers are knitted over 19 rows with almost any feltable wool on size 8mm needles. They knit up really quickly but I found it strange and even a little difficult to knit with such large needles again.

A friend gave me a bag of the gray wool which I used for the above slippers. I have no idea what sort of wool it is as the ball bands have long since disappeared. I presumed that it was 8ply yarn and thus held the yarn double for the slippers.

The next pair are made with my own handspun My spinning is so uneven ( I mean arty of course) that I decided that felting was the best option. I have a sneaky feeling that spinning isn't really part of my future.

The third pair of Duffers are made with some left over Bendigo Woollen Mills Rustic 12 ply. I decided to knit the smallest size with this yarn and just managed to have enough yarn.

And the final pair of slippers are the Non-felted slippers. I knitted these slippers with some ancient (and discontinued) Cleckheaton 12 ply which I picked up for a song at a farmer's market many moons ago.

These slippers were a good stash busting exercise. And also a good way to use up left overs, you know the ones I mean? Too much to throw away but not enough for a substantial project. With Duffers you can mix and match your yarn and use up all those odds and sods you have lurking in your stash.

Spring has sprung

2011-09-09T13:54:00.000+10:00

For quite some time I have been thinking that it would be nice to have a shawl knitted in bamboo. Just before going to Queensland I managed to swap some yarn on Ravelry and got hold of some Cleckheaton Bamboo. I matched the yarn with Cassandra and finally got my bamboo shawl.

The colour reminds me of spring and the shawl was completed just as spring has made its appearance in the garden.

I knitted the shawl on 4.0mm needles and used just under 3.5 skeins. The shawl took forever to dry when I blocked it (I had forgotten that aspect of bamboo) and as a result was not dry in time to make the trip to Queensland. It only came off the pins when I got home.

Back from the Tropical North

2011-09-06T20:29:00.000+10:00

I have spent the last couple of weeks travelling along the Queensland coast from Cairns to Rockhampton. Despite having visited Cairns many times I have never seen the coast down to Rocky. It was an interesting drive but the part of the drive that had the most impact on us was the approximately 200km from Townsville to Tully that got hit by cyclone Yasi in February this year.

We wanted to see to what extent the area had recovered. The majority to houses and businesses seemed to have been repaired but the rainforest was looking very sad. The canopy has disappeared because all the large trees have either fallen over, had their tops broken out or had all leaves stripped and now only have epicormic growth. To me it looked like the Kinglake and Marysville areas that were hit by the bushfires in 2009.

Here are a few photos of the depleted rainforest.

And here is the contrast of the rainforest in the Daintree that escaped the eye of the storm.

And to end on a feathered note, some of the birds I saw on this trip.

A Pied Heron.

A very cheeky Rainbow Lorikeet.

A serene Wonga Pigeon.

Some knitting will appear soon!

Something to show

2011-08-19T13:58:00.000+10:00

So, its been a while since I have posted. I have been busy knitting but for quite some time I have had nothing to show for my efforts. And this is likely to remain the case for a while as I am involved in some secret knitting. More about that another day.

I finished my Elm Leaf scarf some time ago but wasn't able to block it until yesterday. I think the scarf has come up rather well. This scarf is one of the side projects of the Back to the Garden KAL.

I knitted the scarf in Bendigo Woollen Mills Classic 2ply in Peony on 2.25mm needles and used size 8/0 Matsuno beads. I knitted 15 pattern repeats for the scarf.

I have been working on the main shawl for the Back to the Garden KAL but progress has been slow and I have only finished chart 2. I'm off the Queensland for a couple of weeks so there won't be much knitting news until I return.

A Winter Queen

2011-07-29T12:27:00.000+10:00

I finally managed to finish my Summer Queen stole. This was a very interesting stole to knit. It's the first time that I have knitted a stole with a double edging. The main body of the stole is knitted with the yarn held double. When you get to the edging you place a life line in your last row of the main body (I left a KnitPicks cable in) and then drop one strand of the yarn and continue with one strand for the first edge. Once that edge is completed you pick up the stitches on the life line and knit the second edge.

The stole is nice and long so you can wrap it around you with ease.

As for the stats. The yarn is Morris Empire 2 ply in Midnight Blue and the needle size is 4.0mm.

Something done

2011-07-24T12:25:00.000+10:00

Finally! It's taken quite some time but I have managed to complete something. This is the Emily Dickinson shawl which was a commission for someone on Ravelry.

I came close to finishing it a couple of weeks ago but then I ran out of yarn 26 rows from the end. So more yarn had to be ordered and it arrived on Friday. I was anxious to finish the shawl so I grab a few moments between undertaking activities with some visitors from Holland and managed to finish the shawl.

So, here she is. Knitted in Jamieson & Smith 1 ply cobweb yarn on 3.5mm needles. And I used 6/0 beads in black.

No knitting

2011-07-15T12:13:00.000+10:00

I have been rather under the weather with a cold and thus I've not been knitting. Wait, let me rephrase that, I haven't been knitting much. The reduction in knitting also means that I have no progress to show you.

But I did receive something rather magnificent this week from Ozifarmer over on Ravelry. She sent me this wonderful needlecase in exchange for a shawl that I knitted for her.

Have a look at it. Its so clever. It has a zipped pouch for my cables. Another pouch for accessories and even a pouch to hold my knitting gauge!

I love it. Thank you Dawn!

New beginnings

2011-07-02T14:35:00.000+10:00

There is something delicious about starting a new project. You select a pattern (or it selects you) and then you hunt for the right yarn and you dream about the completed project. Sometimes I get a little carried away doing this and before I know it I have several new projects on my needles. That recently happened again.

First I cast on for the Summer Queen KAL. This is going to be a stole. The main part is knitted with the yarn held double and the edging will be done with a single strand of yarn. I'm using Morris Empire 2 ply in Midnight Blue. Here is clue one completed and last night I started clue 2.

While waiting for clue 2 I cast on the Elm Scarf. This is one of the side projects in the Back to the Garden KAL. What? You haven't joined up yet? Well hurry over right now and join up for 12 weeks of fun. The first part of the main project will be released tomorrow. I'm knitting this scarf in Bendigo Woollen Mills Classic 2 ply in Peony on 2.25mm needles. And I am adding some lovely opaque pink 8/0 beads.

And my third project is the Emily Dickinson shawl which I am knitting on commission for someone on Ravelry. This is strictly daytime knitting as the yarn in Jamieson and Smith cobweb weight in black. The pattern is easy but the yarn makes it a little tricky and casting on 545 sts was no joke. Some of the rows that require beads are taking me nearly an hour to knit. I will be relieved once the decreases really start taking hold because as you can see it's all stitches and hardly any rows!

Extravagant colour

2011-06-26T13:55:00.000+10:00

At the beginning of the year I committed to knitting 6 pairs of socks this year when I joined the Super Special Six Pattern Sock Club 2011 on Ravelry. Six patterns were chosen at the start of the year but fortunately we don't have to stick to them. Although I have just completed my third pair of socks, I have so far only knitted one of the selected patterns. Good thing there is no such thing as the knitting police!

So here is pair number three, Gluttony Socks. Although I used a gradient yarn I didn't attempt to mix the colours according to the pattern. I also modified the pattern a little to suit my foot. Instead of casting on 72 sts I only cast on 68 and decreased to 66 sts once I had completed the ribbing. Oh, and I didn't follow the gauge in the pattern either but I knew that with 2.25mm needles and a gauge of 8sts = 1" I should be fine. And, I am happy to say, the result is a perfect fitting sock.

Two shawls

2011-06-20T16:08:00.000+10:00

I finally feel that life is returning to normarl. And having completed two shawls has helped to enhance that feeling. I really missed not knitting lace while I was away (the little bit of knitting I did on the Hypernova scarf didn't really count).

The first completed shawl is Windsbraut Bertha which was a Klabauter KAL. There were only 2 clues and thus this was a quick and very gratifying knit. The yarn is Garnstudio DROPS Fabel and I used 4.0mm needles.

The second shawl is the Celeste shawl. This shawl was meant to be knit with one skein of Tofutsies but I ran out of yarn by the time I reached the final chart so I simply omitted it. I don't think it has made much difference to the shawl. I find the shape very interesting. The shawl sits well on the shoulders without any fear of it slipping off.

Bertha is destined for a fellow Raveller. I started knitting Celeste for her but then decided to give her a choice and she decided on Bertha instead. So Celeste will join the new gift pile.

Strictly knitting

2011-06-11T16:52:00.000+10:00

I've got lots of show and tell today. I'll start with the shawl that I finished knitting before I went on holiday but didn't have the time to block until I returned. The shawl is yet another Birgit Freyer design called Lazy Lilly and the yarn is Kauni Wool 8/1 Lace . The shawl was knitted on 4.0mm needles.

Disaster struck while I was blocking the shawl. The yarn snapped! As you can see below I tried to repair the damage. Fortunately the repair isn't noticeable when I wear the shawl.

While on holiday I completed a pair of Anastasia socks. The yarn is Ripples Crafts Hand Dyed Yarns Sock in colourway Stormy.I really like this yarn. I now have several pairs of Ripples Crafts socks and I find them comfortable to wear as well as hard wearing.

My only other holiday knitting was to start a Hypernova scarf. The yarn is Wollmeise 100% Merino Superwash in Rabarbar. This was my train knitting and I haven't got very far. This scarf is also a reminder why I knit scarves so seldom - they do seem to go on forever!

And now to the projects I have started since being at home again. First off, a peir of top-down fingerless mitts I whipped up one evening. The cold weather we have been experiencing of late was the incentive. The yarn is some lusciously soft handspun and hand-dyed lambswool I received from HappyKnittingMum in a Magical Red Shoes swap.

Next up is another KAL, Windsbraut "Bertha". I'm using Garnstudio DROPS Fabel and 4.0mm needles for this shawl. There are only 2 clues for this shawl. This is a photo of the first clue.

And finally I have cast on Celeste from Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders. The yarn is South West Trading Company TOFUtsies and I'm using 4.5mm needles.

Well, that should keep me busy for a while although I'm still itching to cast on more! I'm looking forward to BadCatDesign's Back to the Garden KAL which starts soon. Treat yourself and go and check this out. A lot of fun awaits.

It's been a while

2011-06-05T14:08:00.005+10:00

In fact I have been away for two months and it is a little unreal being back home again. I had hoped to be able to blog along the way but it never worked out. So I decided to give you a quick photographic summary of my trip in this post

Our trip started in South Africa. We spent most of our time in Cape Town and surrounding areas. The Cape is a beautiful part of the world.

Here is one of the many examples of the beautiful Cape Dutch architecture.

Hout Bay is a lovely fishing village and where you can find the best fish and chips!

On to Holland where we had hoped to see the tulip fields. Unfortunately for us the summer came early to Holland and the tulips were over. We did still manage to see some magnificent tulips when we went to Keukenhof.

We went for many walks in beautiful woods like this one. And where I managed to pick up a tick!

Then we had a brief visit to Germany. Here we went to the magnificent Rhododendron Park in Bremen.

And finally we had a few days in Denmark where we saw quaint villages

and loved picturesque Copenhagen.

Along the way I also managed to acquire some yarn. Most of my acquisitions were thanks to Weaverannie. She and her husband treated us to a wonderful day. They showed us that they live in one of the most beautiful parts of Holland. And here you can see where she provided us with an opportunity to indulge ourselves. I found gorgeous yarn and Bruce found some lovely embroideries. Thank you again Annie!

Some knitting did take place but more of that next time.

Capelet

2011-03-29T13:30:00.004+11:00

My Burnham Wood Capelet is finally done. And although I'm quite pleased with the end result, I am afraid that it will be too small for my mother. That probably means that I will just have to wear it. I think I can cope with that.

I knitted this with Bendigo Woollen Mills Cameo. This is one of those yarns you find in the famous backroom. This is a fabulously soft yarn but does shed like crazy while knitting with it. After I washed and blocked the capelet I wasn't aware of anymore shedding. I hope it stays that way.

Now I'm going to be saying goodbye for a while. I'm traveling to South Africa and Europe for the next 2 months and I think my internet connection will be rather intermittent. I will try and keep up with your blogs while I am away and if I get a chance to post here I will do so.

Slow progress

2011-03-15T13:12:00.003+11:00

I am working on the capelet but progress is slow. This is partly (or should that be largely?) due to the fact that I keep swapping cable knitting for lace knitting and partly because I need to rip back every now and then. Yes, it's the usual missed cable crossing causing me to have to rip back. Mostly I catch the error quite quickly, because I can assure you its a pain to rip back umpteen thousand stitches (that's what if feels like). Nevertheless, I have discovered an error many rows back and for the time being it will stay there. I will use the cheat's method to repair the mistake when I'm done with the knitting.

Here is a photo of the progress.

To ease the frustration of miscrossed cables I knitted this lace shawl.

It's one of Birgit Freyer's many shawls called Marella. I really like her patterns and intend to knit more of them in the future. This one is done on 5.0mm needles in Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 4ply in Lake. The shawl measures 48 x 104cm.

A Test Knit

2011-03-04T14:35:00.003+11:00

I know I shouldn't be doing this kind of thing when I need to finish this capelet but....

When I saw Celia's Tines shawl and she asked for test knitters, I just couldn't resist. I also thought that it should be a quick knit and thus I could afford to take a break from cables. This took me a week to knit but it shouldn't have taken more than 5 days. One of the reasons it took longer was because I had to rip the lace border. Here's the story:

By the time I reached the lace border I was a bit concerned that I wouldn't have enough yarn. I decided to put in a lifeline and if I ran out of yarn I could just rip back to the lifeline and knit the border in a different colour. Half way through the border I discovered that I had dropped a stitch right at the beginning and just could not repair the damage. So, lucky for me, I could rip back to the lifeline and re-knit the border. And as fate would have it I had enough yarn for the shawl. And another lesson learned: It was because my cable was too short and thus my knitting was all bunched up that I hadn't noticed the drop stitch.

The yarn for this shawl is Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 4ply in Ghost. Needles 4.5mm. And the blocked shawl measures 184 x 65cm.

Madam inspired

2011-02-26T11:57:00.003+11:00

I have decided to knit my mother a Burnham Wood Capelet for when we go to visit her in April (I better not dawdle!). I was inspired to give cables a go again by a couple of Mary's recent projects.

I'm knitting this with Bendigo Woollen Mills Cameo from the famous backroom at the mill. This is a fabulous soft blend of wool and angora. Probably not the best yarn to give good cable definition but it will feel great against the skin. It also happens to be in my mother's favourite colour. It doesn't look like it in the photo, but the colour is a lovely soft blue.

Oh, and I have also put my hand up for a test knit - just for a bit of cable relief. But more of that later.

I can see clearly now....

2011-02-19T10:40:00.004+11:00

Well almost! My surgery went well and my eyes are improving on a daily basis. Thanks to all for your kind thoughts and good wishes. It will take another four to six weeks for my sight to settle down but in the meantime I can see well enough to knit again!

I managed to finish another Annis. I had knitted the lace section before my surgery so I could relax and finish off the stocking stitch section without a great deal of strain.

I knitted this with Naturally Dawn 2 ply. This is a lovely 50/50 wool/silk blend and I do enjoy working with it. It is also lovely to wear but alas this shawlette is not for me. I was worried that I wouldn't have enough yarn so I replaced the nupps with beads. Why is it always so difficult to capture beads in a photo?

I hope to get back to normal knitting time the coming week. And I will try and catch up with your blogs too.

A Brief Intermission

2011-02-06T13:28:00.003+11:00

At least I hope it is going to be brief. I am having eye surgery over the next two weeks and won't be able to read for a while. I am hoping that I will be able to continue knitting in some form or another. So if I am absent from your blogs you will know why. I will return as soon as possible!

In the meantime I leave you with another shawlette, the Lacy Baktus. I knitted this with Noro Silk Garden Sock. I have to say (yet again) that I love the Noro colours but I'm still not mad about the yarn. This skein had only one knot for which I am grateful. The yarn also only broke once - this is due to the very uneven spinning of the yarn. But despite this I am still pleased with the end product.

Autumn Leaves

2011-01-31T14:35:00.003+11:00

Although we are still in the heart of summer my 22 Leaves Shawlette reminds me of autumn. The shawl is knitted in Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 4ply, colourway Red Earth.

This is a terrific pattern but you do have to keep your wits about you at the start of the pattern. There is also a larger 34 leaves option. I was tempted to knit the larger version as I had plenty of yarn to do so but I'm a bit pressed for time so I stuck to the smaller version.

One more for the gift pile.

Something Fishy

2011-01-22T16:37:00.003+11:00

One more for the gift pile. This School at Play scarf is from the Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders book. Its a great book full of ideas for using up those sock yarns we all have stashed away.

I knitted this scarf in Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 4ply in Lake on 4mm needles. The scarf measures 25 x 153cm. Luxury is a really lovely yarn. It is so soft and feels great against the skin. I'm definitely going to make more shawls and scarves out of this yarn. I feel a trip to Bendigo coming on!

A quickie

2011-01-17T12:37:00.003+11:00

I needed a bit of instant lace gratification and Nypon supplied it! This is a very quick knit. I knitted this shawlette in the course of three evenings. The shawl is knitted on 5mm needles with Bendigo Woollen Mills Classic 5 ply in Ensign.

The shawl can also be knitted without the stocking stitch section. The pure lace version also allows you to increase the size. This shawl can be knitted in any yarn weight. A lovely versatile pattern and one more for the gift pile.

Indecision

2011-01-11T16:00:00.004+11:00

I have been struggling to find projects to settle down too. I've been spending hours on Ravelry looking at all the lovely patterns and matching them to yarn in my stash. Part of my indecision is due to the fact that I am having eye surgery next month and thus I won't be able to knit anything too fine or intricate (so of course that is exactly what I am in the mood to knit!). Another influencing factor is that I need to get some gift knitting done to take on our travels in April and May. So what to knit?

Well it helped that Shur'tugal was the first pattern on the Super Special Six Pattern Sock Club 2011. So I could actually start and finish my first project for the year. And I made these from stash yarn.

In preparation for not being able to see too well soon I started the following two projects both of which are destined to be gifts. The first is the Lacy Baktus.

And the second is the Cerus Scarf. Both these patterns are very simple and knitted on relatively large needles.

I also managed to reach the half way mark with my never ending blanket and yet I remained restless. Then, last night, I cast on Nypon. Relief! Finally a little bit of lace to keep me happy.

Fresh start

2011-01-04T14:07:00.004+11:00

I had considered doing a retrospective post but once I started adding my projects for 2010 together I decided not to. Should you be interested and you are on Ravelry then you can see my forty completed projects here. And no Mary, I didn't count socks and mitts separately and even if I did I couldn't match your massive achievement of 97 completed projects!

Instead I am going to focus on the year to come. What would I like to achieve in the knitting world this year? Well, first and foremost, I would like to complete my Summer Squares Blanket. This poor blanket was very badly neglected during most of 2010. Just before christmas I decided to mend my ways and had a spurt of activity. Over the past two weeks I have managed to complete 11 more squares. I am now only two short of the halfway mark. I have completed 26 of the 56 squares.

This project also ties in rather nicely with two new groups I have joined on Ravelry. The first is the Stash Down Under group. Yes, yes I intend knitting from stash this year. With a caveat or two! For example, yarn acquired while traveling falls into the souvenir category and has nothing to do with stash enhancement nor does gifted or swapped yarn count. (These are my rules and I will bend them as I please).

The other closely related group is the Super Special Six Pattern Sock Club 2011. The intention is to knit six patterns this year. The patterns have been preselected through a voting process. The good thing about this club is that the rules are there to be adapted to suit your own purposes. The first pattern, Shur’tugal, is already underway and here is my progress.

I also intend learning new techniques and this sock pattern has already taught me something new in terms of twisted stitches.

My knitting output will be seriously compromised in the first half of the year for a couple of reasons. Nevertheless I intend to make the best of the situation by choosing appropriate projects but more of that at a later date.

Happy Knitting to all in 2011!

The last one for the year

2010-12-28T13:38:00.003+11:00

My last shawl of the year is the Crest o' the Wave Stole. This stole has been on my needles forever and a day. I would pick it up and knit a couple of pattern repeats and then put it down for something more interesting. The yarn, which is Touch Yarn Kid Mohair Merino 2 ply, has been frogged a couple of times as well. I could just not find the right pattern for it. I finally realised it needed something simple and that was the problem. The pattern is a simple 12 row repeat. So simple in fact that I got very bored with it. Still, I persevered and finally finished the stole. I had intended to keep knitting until I had used up all the yarn but I fear that after 40 repeats I had had enough!

The stole measures 170cm x 52cm. It is intended as a gift but after trying it on I realised how soft and warm it is. It might just not quite make it to the gift pile!

Magic Yarn Ball

2010-12-22T15:04:00.004+11:00

This year I decided to participate in a Magic Yarn Ball swap for the first time. I have often seen them happening on Ravelry and wondered what it would be like to take part in something like that. Well now I know and can highly recommend it. It is great fun.

The object is to discover the likes and dislikes of your partner in terms of yarn, colour, patterns etc.. You then collect a number of appropriate little gifts which you then wrap up in the yarn you have chosen for your partner ending with a pattern at the top of the yarn ball. The intention is then that you partner starts to knit the pattern and the further they go the more little gifts fall out of the parcel.

My wonderful partner discosmurf sent me my yarn ball wrapped in this cute little project bag. The yarn she sent me is from Jolly Jumbuck and the pattern was for a Multnumah shawl. This is a shawl I have long been meaning to knit and the yarn was perfect for the shawl. I immediatly started knitting the shawl.

My first gift to be revealed was this wonderful apron.

The further I knitted the more I discovered. Here are all the lovely little delights that awaited me.

And here is the end product.

Thank you again Kate for a wonderful magic yarn ball. I can't wait to do this again.

Time flies

2010-12-18T10:36:00.003+11:00

Its been a while since I've posted. Time is just flying by at the moment. I blinked and next thing I know Christmas is upon us. Nevertheless my needles have been clicking away and I managed to finish this Maia Shoulderette for 27gab on Ravelry. This was another Work for Yarn commission. And my reward was a skein of Wollmeise in Rhabarbar.

The yarn is Wollmeise 100% Merino Superwash in Merlot and I knitted it on 3.75mm needles. I ran out of yarn just 50 stitches short of completing the cast-off but fortunately a friend who came to visit was able to help me out. She very kindly dropped off her skein of WM and I could use as much as I needed to finish the shawl.

A little bit goes a long way

2010-12-06T11:36:00.004+11:00

I have taken a liking to Malabrigo Lace. Not just because its wonderfully soft and feels great against the skin but also because those tiny skeins seem to last forever. Have a look at this. Out of a 50g skein (colourway Orchid) I got the following:

Abrazo knitted without any mods on 5mm needles. This used 30g of the skein. Next time round I would knit the short rows two stitches past the decrease rather than 4 stitches to create a larger shawl.

Then with the left over 20g I knitted this little cowl, the Lacey Small Shell Cowl. This was also knitted on 5mm needles. Its a simple pattern repeat and I just kept on until I ran out of yarn.

I am not knitting many gifts this year but these two were quick and easy and very satisfying to knit.

Left over sock yarn

2010-12-02T10:25:00.004+11:00

In one of her recent post Mary reminded me that there are other useful things that one can do with left over sock yarn. I have a whole tub full of left over sock yarn and I have been meaning to knit a sock blankie with it. I don't really need a sock blankie I just happen to think its rather pretty. On the other hand, the amounts of left over yarn from each skein is quite large - enough for something useful. I don't wear knitted hats and thus I don't knit them but I would wear fingerless mitts and I am happy to knit them for myself as well as for others. I made a pair a little while back for a swap and so decided I would do so again.

This time the pattern is Blackrose Wristlets, the yarn is Conjoined Creations Flat Feet and the mitts were knitted on 2.75mm circular needles.

Any suggestions you might have for mitts made with left over sock yarn will be most welcome.

Magellan has finally arrived

2010-11-26T11:11:00.004+11:00

I really like the shawls designed by Monika Eckert and this year her work has been prolific. Unfortunately I have just not had the time to knit most of her shawl patterns. But I was determined to knit this one: Windsbraut "Magalhaes" (Ravelry link).

I'm afraid I can't tell you much about the yarn. It was part of my $10 Swap parcel and all I know is that it is pure wool 2 ply and I used 63g of the 120g. I knitted this shawl on 3.5mm needles. Like all Monika's patterns, this was very easy to follow and had I not had so many interruptions it would have been a very quick knit.

More lace work

2010-11-18T14:54:00.002+11:00

I have completed my second work for yarn project. This one was the Lilac Leaf Shawl from Knitted Lace of Estonia. I knitted this for superkath2000 on Ravelry.

The yarn is Ixchel cashmerino and the needle size 3.75mm.

And my reward was this lovely skein of ToshLace in Calligraphy.

Blogging Buddies are the Best!

2010-11-11T11:28:00.006+11:00

A while back I asked Mary a favour. Not only did she agree but enhanced the entire experience. I asked her to forward a parcel to me. When I opened the parcel I found these luscious goodies had been added.

Two fabulous skeins of Jade Sapphire and some cute (and very handy) buttons. I have been petting the yarn ever since.

Mary you are a marvel. Thank you ever so much!

Working for yarn

2010-11-02T13:38:00.007+11:00

I've joined yet another group on Ravelry. This is an Australian work for yarn group. I just went for a look and had no intention of taking anything up but.... Someone wanted a worker to knit Romi's Celeano Shawl. This is one of her 7 shawlette series. I was immediatly drawn to the pattern and then as an added sweeter it was to be knit in Wollmeise. Well I have long wanted to try this yarn but couldn't never be bothered to go to the effort and expense to get hold of any. So an ideal opportunity presented itself and I grabbed it.

Here is the end result.

It was a bit difficult to capture the true colour of the yarn but it lies somewhere between the first and the second photo.

The yarn is Wollmeise 100% Merino Superwash in Spinaci and the needle size is 3.75mm.

I knitted this shawl for 27gab and my reward was a lovely skein of her handspun in laceweight.

I was so pleased with the whole experience that I am now awaiting the yarn to knit a Lilac Leaf stole from Knitted Lace of Estonia.

Synesthesia Socks

2010-10-28T15:36:00.004+11:00

A while back a got some lovely yarn in a cotton/wool blend in a Karma Swap on Ravelry. When I saw the yarn I thought I would knit a pair of socks for my friend Val. While checking out her queue to see what might take her fancy my attention was drawn to the Synesthesia Socks.

Why might you ask? Well of course because its a pretty pattern but also because its an interesting condition. According to Wikipedia it is "a neurologically-based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway". I recall the little daughter of a friend of mine once remarking upon hearing a piece of classical music "that tastes green!" I think that illustrates the condition rather nicely.

So here are the socks. The yarn is Brown Sheep Cotton Fine and the needle size 2.25.

I have also recently had a birthday and was taken to Bendigo Woollen Mills on the day. This is my haul.

Not a bad way to spend a birthday.

Another Featherweight Cardi

2010-10-22T14:49:00.004+11:00

I find my first Featherweight Cardi a very useful item of clothing and I wore it so often last spring and summer that I decided I needed another one for this spring and summer. So here it is.

I knitted a moss stitch border for the cuffs and bottom of the cardi but decided on something different for the collar. I knitted an lace edge pattern from Knitted Lace of Estonia. Its called Äärepitsi Kiri 7 (Lace Edge Pattern 7).

The yarn is ColourMart Cashmere/Merino 1.16 and the needles size 4.00mm. And at the moment the weather is perfect for this cardi!

$10 Swap

2010-10-17T13:46:00.005+11:00

I received my parcel from abcdee80 in the $10 swap and I am just so impressed. My partner has excelled in the bargain hunting stakes. Just look at the amazing things I got!

- Six skeins of lace weight yarn!
- A jar of buttons
- A zip
- A pattern for a bag
- Two garden catalogues
- Chocolate
- And a set of gorgeous stitch markers

Thank you again abcdee80 you made my day!

Bags and things

2010-10-10T14:55:00.005+11:00

I have been beavering away on yet another Ravelry swap. This time its a $10 swap. The intention is to put together a parcel of goodies for your partner without exceeding a $10 limit. So for my partner I made these Always and Forever Fingerless Mitts from some leftover Tofutsie yarn.

And this Take Everywhere Bag from Knitted Favourites (this is the only link I could find!), which I knitted with some Cleckheaton Country Naturals 12 ply I picked up for a song at a country market.

I have filled the bag with some yarn I got at the Australian Country Spinners Millshop, handmade soap from my local Sunday market and a sweet smelling sachet to ward off nasties made by a friend of mine.

I hope my partner likes her bag of goodies.

Lilac Stole

2010-10-03T13:59:00.004+11:00

I have finished my Lilac Stole. This was yet another pattern that formed part of the Summer Swatch Me project. It was a very easy knit because the pattern repeat was so easy to memorize.

I knitted this stole with ColourMart Cashmere Merino 2/14NM on 3.5mm needles. I added red AB 8/0 seed beads. This is a large stole, it measures 223.5cm x 40.6cm. One of the features of the stole that I particularly like is that the border is picked up and knitted on only one of the long sides of the stole.

A flock of sheep

2010-09-27T12:44:00.003+10:00

Over on Ravelry there is a group called Aussie Karma Swaps. I have been having quite a bit of fun over there participating in various karma swaps. At the moment there are swaps running for sock yarn, leftover yarn, natural fibre yarns, the kitchen sink where anything goes and many others. My favourite is the handmade swap and I have swapped hand knitted toys for lovely totes and project bags. My last couple of swaps netted the following lovely goodies:

A gorgeous flock of handmade sheep cards made by Allison70. I think they are ever so cute.

And after watching the threads closely I finally scored some glass stitchmarkers made by the very talented sthrnx.

I have been knitting but the completed things I can't show you yet and the wips are just not very interesting at this stage.

A year later

2010-09-20T12:18:00.008+10:00

And I am still working on my Summer Squares blanket. Despite all my good intentions my pile of squares is growing ever so slowly.

Last week I finally managed to add two more squares to the pile. I still intend making a queen size blanket so I still have a long way to go!

I really don't know why I am so tardy because I love knitting these squares. Perhaps its because there are too many distractions? Like this Featherweight cardi I have started for the ColourMart competition.

And then there's the Lilac Stole I need to finish plus all the knitting I've been doing for a couple of swaps I'm involved in (and forgot to take pictures) and then there's some socks I need to knit, not to mention that new laceweight calling my name.......

My summer is here already

2010-09-11T13:30:00.006+10:00

I have finally had the opportunity to photograph my completed Summer Swatch Me Sampler. This has been a wonderful 12 week project consisting of the sampler as well as many other side projects and culminating in a design your own project.

The stats for my sampler:
Yarn: Australian Country Spinners 3ply pure wool (also possibly know as Cleckheaton Babysoft)
Needle Size: 3.5 mm
Finished Size: 91 cm x 137 cm
Beads: Miyuki Triangle 8/0 Amethyst Lined Light Blue

I am currently working on the Lilac Stole which is yet another of the possible Summer Swatch Me projects. The yarn for this project is ColourMart Cashmere Merino 2/14NM on 3.5 mm needles. And I am using size 8 seed beads in red.

And just to keep life interesting I have also cast on the Crest o' the wave stole in Touch Yarns Kid Mohair Merino 2 ply.

And next week, thanks to Mary, I will be casting on for the Featherweight Cardi for the ColourMart competition on Raverly.

From my window......

2010-09-05T13:08:00.008+10:00

As a teenager and young adult in South Africa, my favourite radio program was one called From my window... the sea. It was a program that focused on literature, poetry, art and music. I spent many a hot summer's afternoon with my my bare feet on the cool slate floor, listening and dreaming to this program. While we were visiting Queensland last month this program often came to mind as I was presented with beautiful scenery - often while looking out of a window! So here are a few photos of some of the beautiful places we visited.

And I simply couldn't resist these sheep. Not quite sure what you would do with their fleece though....

As for knitting? Well I do have something to show but we have had so much rain that I have not been able to photograph it yet. After 13 years of drought I never thought I would be able to utter such words again. Victoria is awash at the moment with many unfortunate people experiencing flooding. Nevertheless it has given me great delight to walk in my garden and feel it squelch underfoot.

Queensland socks

2010-08-30T14:55:00.007+10:00

Here I am back again from a lovely holiday. I don't have much to show knitting wise though. I did very little knitting while we were away but I did manage to knit these socks.

The socks started life as a pair of Tuscany socks. They are toe-up socks. Once I started the pattern on the leg section I found that it didn't really grab me. Perhaps I should rephrase that because they grabbed a little too much - the legs were a touch too tight for me. I didn't want to start all over again so instead I ripped back just the legs and then knitted a simple slip stitch pattern which I borrowed from the Lava Flow pattern.

Oh and the yarn is Opal Neon. This was also my July Personal Sock Club Yarn. I'm running behind now because I haven't even looked at what August has on offer for me. I think I might have to let it lie for a while because I am eager to get my Summer Swatch Stole finished. I have some catching up to do - such a lovely prospect.

It was warm and sunny in Queensland and we managed to miss the awful weather that Victoria experienced in our absence. We have come home to definite signs of spring.

What a welcome sight!

By the skin of my teeth

2010-08-07T14:16:00.003+10:00

I have managed to complete one more project before leaving for warmer climes. Haruni, my tenth shawl for the 10 shawls in 2010 group on Ravelry.

The shawl is still wet and blocking in these photos and there is no time to wait for the shawl to dry. I knitted this in Bendigo Woollen Mills 4ply Luxury in Ice on 3.5 mm circulars. My only modification was to knit an extra repeat of Chart A.

I had a near disaster 4 rows from the finish when my cable broke and I watched my stitches running away from me. It took me ages to transfer the stitches and then carefully pick up the stitches that had run away. Fortunately it is a very easy pattern and I was able to hook the stitches all back in place.

Now as to the travel knitting. I am taking along a pair of socks for the plane trip and the Featherweight cardi for the balmy tropical evenings.

Annie, I will be gone for 3 weeks and will only have intermittent internet access. I have already signed up for the Klabouter KAL but will only be able to knit the shawl when I get back.

Did you mutter something about measurements Mary? I don't think I quite heard you!

Decision time again

2010-08-04T12:35:00.003+10:00

Before talking about my need to make decisions, I want to show off my new socks.

These are the Trail Socks designed by BadCatDesigns and are part of the Summer Swatch Me project. This is such a good KAL. We are knitting a sampler and have reached week 7. Each week, in addition to the sampler pattern, there is also a pattern for either a hat, mitts, socks, scarves or bookmarks or any combination of the afore mentioned. Treat yourself and go and check it out if you haven't yet.

I knitted these socks using Little Lotus bamboo sock yarn on 2.75mm needles. And note that the socks are mirror images!

Now for those decisions. I am about to leave for warmer climes. We are heading for the sub-tropics for three weeks to escape the last of the winter. So what do I take with me to knit while I am away? I'm thinking maybe socks (I have yet to knit both my July and August Personal Sock Yarn Club socks), or a scarf or maybe another Featherweight cardi or some combination of these. What would you recommend?

Warm feet

2010-07-31T11:28:00.005+10:00

I have made several pairs of these felted clogs over the years. A pair for myself, gifts and house slippers for guests (we try to keep a shoe free house). I have had to darn my slippers quite a few times now and finally decided it was time for a new pair. So this week, over a couple of evenings, I whipped up this pair. And as we have a reasonable amount of water at the moment I thought I could justify a bit of felting.

They are knitted in Bendigo Woollen Mills Rustic 12ply in the colourways Pacifica (soles and cuffs) and Cayenne for the uppers.

And now I have warm feet again and hopefully will be able to shake off my chilblains.

Eyjafjallajökull Shawl

2010-07-26T13:51:00.000+10:00

You know how sometimes you see a pattern and you just have to knit it to the exclusion of all else? Well this pattern from Anna Dalvi spoke to me that way. The Eyjafjallajökull Shawl. Does the name trip lightly off your tongue? Well, if you are having some difficulty then this might help you.

I wanted to knit this in a fiery red but the yarn I had was just too thin to give me the definition I wanted. And as I had to knit it now I had to find something in my stash. All that fitted the bill was this green yarn from Bendigo Woollen Mills. Its a 3ply. Not sure if it's Luxury or not because I bought it from the wonderful Back Room. Needle size 4.00mm. And the shawl measures 132 cm in diameter.

I thoroughly enjoyed knitting this shawl. The pattern is easy to memorize and simply flies off the needles. Oh and this is also my ninth shawl for the 10 shawls in 2010 group on Ravelry.

Taking stock

2010-07-17T13:57:00.004+10:00

I've reached the half way mark of my Personal Sock Yarn Club.

From left to right I have knitted the following: Luminare, Angee, Gail, Traveling Woman, Master Upstream and Dahlia.

I have only recently finished my June project. I followed Cat Bordhi's Upstream Master Pattern. The yarn is Heirloom Jigsaw. Its been ages since I have knitted with a self striping yarn. And take note Mary, I only managed fraternal socks despite my best efforts!

Annis

2010-07-13T11:19:00.003+10:00

I started knitting Annis while on Kangaroo Island. I loved the feel of the Malabrigo lace because it is so buttery soft and I knew it would feel great against my skin. But as the shawl progressed I realised that a variegated yarn often doesn't go well with lace.

I persevered knowing in my heart of hearts that I should stop and frog. But as you can see I carried on to the end.

The yarn is much too busy and consequently the detail of the pattern is lost.

I thought that with the large chunk of stocking stitch that I would get away with it but unfortunately I don't think so.

I console myself that the shawl feels good. You live and learn.

And now for some knitting

2010-07-06T18:23:00.003+10:00

While on Kangaroo Island I managed to complete two projects and start a third. First off the rank was a Saroyan shawl.

Ever since I saw a picture of this shawl I have been itching to knit it. And I found the perfect yarn for it, Bendigo Woollen Mills Persian in Silky Berry (another backroom find). I modified the pattern only slightly by knitting seven instead of six leaves on the increase and decrease sections. I'm so pleased I did because I managed to use up the entire skein.

The blocked shawl measures 203 cm x 40cm. I know the colour of this photo is all wrong. I think the sun decided to disappear at this stage.

The second project was a pair of CookieA socks, the Cubist socks. I do like her patterns and really should knit more of them. This pair was knitted with Ripples Crafts Hand Dyed sock yarn in Jess.

I was rather taken by the heels in these socks.

And finally I started my Summer Swatch Sampler. BadCatDesigns has come up with a great KAL because not only do you get the patterns for the sampler but you also get patterns for socks, mitts and hats that utilise the sampler patterns. It's a great idea - go and have a look.

I'm using some 3ply yarn I picked up at the Australian Country Spinners Millshop in Wangaratta. So far I have completed the Peacock and the Lotus patterns.

This stole calls for a provisional cast-on and I decided to try Judy's Magic Cast-on using two KnitPicks cables. This means that I can leave the stitches on a cable ready to be picked up when needed. I've done this once before and it worked a treat.

Island life draws to a close

2010-06-29T14:23:00.004+10:00

Our time on Kangaroo Island is fast coming to an end. By this time next week I will be back in the comfort of my own house with reliable internet connection again.

In the meantime I managed to get up close to some of the locals. Here is a rather attractive specimen.

A family group lazing in the sun.

Having a bit of a gossip.

And one of my favourite birds, the pelican.

Knitting has been taking place but more about that once I am home again.

From Kangaroo Island

2010-06-09T13:49:00.007+10:00

I had started writing this post before I left home just over a week ago and it has taken more than a week to get back to it. I'm on Kangaroo Island at the moment with a rather intermittent internet connection. But the views more than make up for the lack of internet.

Before leaving home I managed to finish these socks. They are Bordhi's Bartholomew's Tantalizing socks using her Sky architecture. The yarn is the lovely sock yarn I got as a present from Val. Although I like the look of the socks I am a bit disappointed with the fit. They don't fit as snugly as the other socks I have knitted using Bordhi's other sock architectures. I think it might simply mean that Sky architecture is not meant for my feet.

I have also been mulling over what yarn to use for my Summer Swatch Sampler which is due to start soon. I ended up paying an unexpected visit to the Australian Country Spinners Millshop in Wangaratta and picked up some pure wool 3 ply there which will probably do the trick. And here is my swatch.

And finally here is a little fellow I met on my walk yesterday morning. In fact there were two of them lolling on their backs right up against the rocks.

Apologies for the lack of links but my connection is just too slow and my patience far to thin to sit around waiting!

A lovely surprise

2010-06-08T14:20:00.005+10:00

Some weeks ago I bought some KnitPro needle tips from The Knitter's Studio and as a result I won their May Prize Pack! My prize arrived yesterday and I was absolutely delighted with it.

It includes a gorgeous Buddy Case, KnitPro Shawl Pin, Debbie Bliss Magazine and a packet of StitchDots. I have been wanting a shawl pin for some time and now I have one! The Buddy Case has also arrived just in time for my trip to Kangaroo Island. Now I have a practical case for all my knitting notions. I will be spending several weeks on the island and will have to go very prepared knitting wise. I'll be taking several projects with me.

I finally got round to blocking Gabriel's Wings. I knitted this shawl with a skein of Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn. Its quick, easy and uses up all the yarn in the skein. Don't you just hate having those little left over bits of yarn?

Meet Gail

2010-06-03T12:47:00.006+10:00

When I opened my little project bag to see what it contained for my May personal sock yarn club I was delighted to see that it was the yarn I had chosen to knit a Gail (aka Nightsongs) shawl with. I have wanted to knit this shawl ever since I first saw it but somehow never got round to doing so. My personal sock yarn club is really paying off. Mind you, it helps to have a bad memory because so far I have received a lovely surprise each month! This is my fifth shawl in 2010, so I am half way towards my goal.

The yarn is The Knittery 4ply Sock: Merino Cashmere (OLD) in Warm Pinks. When I first felt this yarn I knew it was far too good to become a pair of socks. Unfortunately this yarn is no longer available.

Once you get your head around the chart then this is an easy shawl to knit. You just keep knitting leaves until it is big enough(or you run out of yarn) and then knit the edging chart. I misjudged my yarn a bit and was unable to knit the final two rows of the edging chart so did a bit of a fudge and managed to have enough yarn to cast off.

I have recceived a lovely skein of Spacefrog yarn from Val. She sent this as a thank you gift because I knitted her this scarf. Its a lovely colour and I have already cast on for Bartholomew's Tantalizing Socks.

10 shawls in 2010

2010-05-27T14:19:00.004+10:00

I'm a late comer to the 10 shawls in 2010 group on Ravelry but I couldn't resist joining when I became aware of this group. I've been on a bit of a roll with my lace knitting of late and I think I'm catching up on getting 10 shawls done. For a shawl to qualify the minimum requirement of meterage is 250 meter (ca 273 yards) whereas 2 must use at least 500 meters (ca 546 yards) of yarn.

You have already seen three of my shawls for this year: Traveling Woman, Snow Queen Pi Shawl (much more than 500 meters!) and Brandywine Shawl.

I have just completed my fourth shawl, the Milkweed Shawl. I knitted this shawl in some Fleece Artist Sea Wool which I won in a karma swap on Ravelry. I get fed up having little bits of yarn left over so I decided to try and use up every last bit on this shawl and I succeeded. But I did have to fudge things a bit because I didn't have enough yarn for a full pattern repeat.

I have two more shawls on the needles at the moment but more about them later.

The next two

2010-05-18T12:30:00.005+10:00

Two scarves to show this time. First my Dahlia scarf. Quick and easy on 5mm needles. The yarn is Henry's Attic Kona hand dyed by Kelebek. I was very pleased with the way the yarn bloomed ever so slightly after washing.

The scarf is soft and cuddly but light as a feather. It measures 188cm x 30.5cm.

The second scarf is the one I knitted for my friend Val. The pattern is the Oiseau de Feu by Caoua Coffee and is based on the following tale:

Igor Stravinsky’s ballet “l’oiseau de feu” (firebird) tells the story of Prince Ivan, who one day captures a bird with brilliant plumage, the Firebird. In exchange for her freedom, the bird gives him one of her feathers and her promise to come to his aid if ever he needs her. After the bird has flown away, Prince Ivan catches sight of 13 princesses who are captives in the magic garden of Kashchei, the evil magician. Though warned, he tears open the fence to follow the girls, whereupon he is suddenly confronted by Kashchei himself. When the magician tries to turn him to stone, Ivan pulls out the feather and summons the Firebird, who appears true to her word, kills the magician and frees the prince and the princesses.

The main pattern of the scarf shows the fence of the magic garden with the beautiful princesses behind, while in the border you find the feathers of the firebird.

The luscious yarn is Pagewood Farm Alyeska Hand Dyed Sock Yarn and I used 3.25mm needles. The scarf measures 135 cm x 20cm.

One of three

2010-05-15T19:32:00.005+10:00

It has been a while since I last posted but I have been a bit busy. I've finished three things of late but so far I have only had the opportunity to block and photograph one of them.

Here is my Brandywine Shawl.

I knitted this shawl with a skein of Tofutsies and although at first I was a little uncertain about the wisdom of this I grew to love it. And I think it has worked quite well.

I added 3 extra repeats because I wanted to use up as much of the skein as possible. I must say there is a lot of yarn in a skein of Tofutsies! The yarn also blocks very well with no retraction when I removed the blocking pins. I knitted the shawl on size 4mm needles. The shawl meausres 143cm by 86cm.

I hope to show you my other completed projects in the coming days.

A little lace

2010-05-04T15:15:00.005+10:00

I've been indulging myself by knitting some lace. First off I finished my Raha scarf. This was such a quick knit and great for a bit of instant gratification.

The yarn is Morris Empire 4ply in Luxe and I knitted on 3.5mm needles.

Since finishing that scarf I have cast on three more projects.

I'm knitting a Brandywine shawl. The moment I saw this pattern I wanted to knit it using the Tofutsies that J so generously sent me. I felt a little unsure that this was the right yarn to use but as the shawl progresses I feel that it is working out. The shawl is soft and drapey.

The second project I cast on resulted from my May Personal Sock Yarn Club. The yarn for this month is some Henry's Attic hand dyed by the lovely Kelebek and given to me for my birthday. She calls this colourway Strawberries and Cream. I had originally matched the yarn to the Traveling Woman pattern but as I have already knitted this pattern (that's what happens when you instantly forget what you put in your little sock yarn bags) I decided to try another pattern. I first cast on for a Multnomah shawl but the yarn didn't work for me. So I then decided on the Dahlia scarf and I think this is a good match.

The third project I have cast on stems from a request from my friend Val. She wanted a lace scarf so she sent me the yarn and we decided on the Oiseau de Feu scarf. Other than that the yarn is fingering weight I know nothing else about it. But it is a beautiful colour and very soft and silky - a delight to knit with.

Well I daresay these projects will keep me out of mischief for a little while.

Finishing and starting

2010-04-30T14:44:00.004+10:00

I finally got round to finishing my Luminare socks. These socks have been on the needles since February but I just didn't get the chance to finish them. Once I finished my mother's cardis I picked them up again and zoomed through to the end.

I knitted these with some of Ms Gusset's hand dyed sock yarn. This yarn was given to me by a friend without a label so I have no idea what the colourway is. I made one modification to the pattern. I only cast on 64 stitches rather than 72. I found that even with the correct gauge 72 stitches was just too big for me.

As soon as I finished the socks I delved into my personal sock yarn club and came up with the Raha scarf pattern from Knitted Lace of Estonia. I'm knitting this in Empire 4ply Luxe. And, yes, strictly speaking it's not really sock yarn but as it was part of my 4ply stash I included it in my sock yarn club.

It's great to be knitting socks and lace again - I think I am going to stick to this for quite some time.

No sewing!

2010-04-25T13:29:00.004+10:00

Well, almost none. I finished the Eyelet Cardi for my mother last night. The only sewing required was a little bit under the arms, the button and the button loop and weaving in the ends. How good is that?

This cardi is knitted in Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 8ply in Delphinium (in my previous post I incorrectly called it Periwinkle). I used 4mm and 3.5mm needles. The only modifications I made were to make the sleeves full length rather than 3/4 and I knitted 4 rows garter stitch for the edging rather than just 2. Because the yarn is so soft I knew the edges would roll so I hoped the couple of extra rows of edging might help prevent that. Time will tell.

This is a top-down pattern and very easy to knit. If you need some soothing, mindless knitting then this is the pattern for you.

Now I'm hurrying off to knit some socks and lace.

Hardly a stitch

2010-04-18T12:40:00.003+10:00

Life has been pretty of late and I have had scarcely a chance to knit. I did manage to finish a pair of Dzonba slippers which I started ages ago. I used some leftover Ripples Crafts sock yarn in Primrose.

And I have started on the Eyelet Cardi for my mother. Again I am using Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury but in 8 ply this time. The colour is Periwinkle.

I must confess that I am starting to develop lace withdrawal symptoms and I'm on the verge of stocking stitch overload. But I shall persist and reward myself with some indulgent lace knitting when the cardi is done.

I can't sew

2010-04-11T13:56:00.004+10:00

Yet again I have had to face the fact that I am no good at sewing. I promised to knit my mother a couple of cardigans while she is visiting me. She got to choose the patterns and yarns. When she chose the Farmer's Market Cardigan I was quite relieved because a cursory glace at the pattern had me believe that not a great deal of seaming was involved. But as things turned out that was not quite the case. The body of the cardi is indeed knitted as a whole with no seaming. The sleeves and cabled edging, however, required seaming, lots and lots of seaming. Seaming that is on show and is meant to be nice and neat. And I don't do nice and neat but I'm very good at dog's breakfast seaming. Still, I muddled along and here is the end product modeled by the new owner of the cardi.

The yarn is the gloriously soft 10 ply Luxury from Bendigo Woollen Mills in Ghost. This yarn is a real pleasure to work with.

I am happy to knit miles and miles of stocking stitch or even garter stitch but please spare me the seaming!

The Snow Queen has arrived

2010-03-30T15:14:00.005+11:00

I finally finished my Snow Queen. This was one of those projects where I regretted it coming to an end because it was such a joy to knit.

Yarn: Bendigo Woollen Mills Classic 2 ply in Almond. 1200 yds

Needle Size: 2.25mm (1), 2.75mm (2), 3.25mm (3)

Finished size: 104cm (41")

There are a lot of nupps in this shawl. I had never made nupps before and had said that that was one of the new techniques I wanted to learn this year. Well I can now say that I have conquered nupps and that there is nothing to be afraid of!

Now go and get the pattern and get knitting. You know you want to....

A family affair

2010-03-30T14:39:00.004+11:00

This past weekend Bruce, my mother and I all submitted hand made items to the Ballan Craft and Quilt Fair.

My mother submitted these cute mice based on Alan Dart's Tales of Yore pattern.

And this beaded teddy bear.

She got a Highly Recommended for both submissions.

Bruce entered this lovely cross stitch and got a third prize.

I entered three shawls and won three prizes!

I got a first prize for my Dark Star shawl.

Second for my Panama shawl.

And third for my Silvester shawl.

Wips and more wips

2010-03-23T15:37:00.005+11:00

All I seem to do these days is cast on. I have nothing else to show. So I thought if I air all my wips I might be able to organise myself sufficiently to get something finished.

So here is the list.

I'm still busy with my Snow Queen. Only 10 rows to go to complete Chart F and then there is only one more chart to go. I am enjoying every stitch of this shawl - even the nupps!

I have also started my March Personal Sock Club project. I am knitting the Luminare socks with Ms Gusset's hand dyed sock yarn but unfortunately the label is lost so I don't know the colourway.

Next on the list is another pair of Dzonba slippers using left over yarn. The yarn is Ripples Crafts Hand Dyed sock yarn in Primrose.

And finally I have started the Farmer's Market Cardigan for my mother. The yarn is Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 10ply, colourway Ghost and is sheer heaven so work with - it just slips through your fingers. I have promised to knit my mother 2 cardigans while she is visiting me. I hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew. It also means that all the other projects will not be getting a great deal of attention over the coming weeks.

I have been knitting

2010-03-16T14:26:00.005+11:00

I did do a bit of knitting while I was on holiday. I seemed to have started quite a number of projects the last few weeks but I have managed to complete a few. And here they are.

First I made a vintage hand towel. I first saw this towel on Bells' blog and just knew I had to knit it. I knitted this one for a lovely friend in Perth.

And then I knitted a second one for myself.

I also knitted a pair of Mountain Form Slippers for my mother.

These were all really easy knits and very suitable holiday knitting.

Since returning home I have also knitted a Keyhole scarf for a gift. I couldn't make up my mind what I was going to knit for this gift except that I wanted it to be appropriate for the recipient. After much stalking and searching I settled on this pattern and decided that it would be a perfect match for a skein of Ridgy Didge Handnspun Yarn.

And I think the two have worked well together.

I have also cast on another couple of projects but they are being neglected at the moment while I focus my attention on my Snow Queen.

Sun, sea and sand

2010-03-13T15:30:00.004+11:00

I had a wonderful time in Perth. The weather was great, even the few days of 40+ were manageable. And what helped was the fact that we went swimming on this beach almost every day.

And yes most days the beach was that empty.

We were also fortunate enough to be around for the sculpture exhibition at Cottesloe Beach. Here is a small sample of what was on offer.

I thought it was a wonderful setting for a show.

I loved every minute of the holiday and was happy that my mother arrived during our stay there. Now we are all home and settling down for a long visit. Some knitting did take place but more of that in the next post.

A brief pause

2010-02-21T14:30:00.004+11:00

I am disappearing for a couple of weeks. I'm going to Perth to meet my mother who is coming from South Africa for a nice long visit.

Unfortunately I am going to have to leave my Snow Queen behind. I have just started on Chart F.

I hope I will still have enough internet access to be able to visit blogs and Ravelry while we are away. I'll think of you all as I relax on the beach!

Finish Line

2010-02-18T12:59:00.005+11:00

I finished my Traveling Woman for the Short Track Shawl Event in the Ravelympics a few days ago but I hadn't got round to blogging about it until now. So here she is.

The yarn is sock yarn from Ewe Give Me The Knits. But unfortunately I don't know what the colourway is.

This is a very quick and easy knit - a real pleasure.

I also finished my Jeweled Steps using the Flat Feet sock yarn. I like the colour but I did find knitting with such crinkly yarn was hard on my wrists and I had to keep a close eye on my tension.

Here is a close-up of the steps. Wrapping the stitches with this yarn was not ideal.

And for the first time I tries my hand at EZ' sew cast off. I've never bothered in the past but decided to give it a go and I was surprised at how easy it is and I'm pleased with the smooth finish.

I'm getting there

2010-02-15T13:35:00.006+11:00

I have been away for a few days. We went to the coast and I made a new friend.

A gorgeous King Parrot.

These wild parrots are amazingly trusting, especially when food is involved. And while I was feeding the parrot a few curious Sulpher Crested Cockatoos arrived.

Some knitting has been happening. I am knitting Traveling Woman for the short track shawl event in the Ravelympics. The yarn is sock yarn from Ewe Give Me The Knits.

And I am more than half way through Chart E of my Snow Queen Shawl.

BadCatDesigns has also just released a new shawl pattern, Persian Princess. Have a look at Mary's beautiful version.

Starting over

2010-02-08T14:34:00.005+11:00

I started Chart D of my Snow Queen shawl and found that not only was I having trouble with making the nupps but I was also not happy with my stitch definition. I figured that my yarn was just too fine and inflexible. So yesterday I ditched the whole lot and started afresh using Bendigo Woollen Mills 2ply in Almond.

Now I'm much happier. I have yet to start Chart D with the new yarn but the few nupps I have made so far were much easier to make so I am hopeful that all will go well.

And while I was paying a visit to the frog pond I decided it was time to admit that my Maltese Shawl was never going to progress.

I started this shawl more than a year ago and although I have picked it up a couple of times since then I just can't get into it. So I admit defeat. The yarn needs to be used for something else and one day I will try the shawl again but with a different yarn.

Beginnings

2010-02-06T13:32:00.008+11:00

I seem to have started (and continued) a few things of late but I don't have much to show for my efforts.

Firstly here is my Snow Queen shawl. I have completed the first three charts and chart D now awaits my attention. I noticed it has a lot of nupps in it so I am going to get plenty of opportunities to conquer this technique.

Secondly I have started to knit a pair of Jeweled Steps. I'm knitting with Flat Feet for the first time. It is a strange experience. I like the colour changes but its a little awkward knitting with crinkly yarn. And the knitting looks a bit bumpy as well but I'm sure that will smooth out once the socks are washed and blocked.

And finally, I have opened my February Personal Sock Yarn Club and the yarn is from Ewe Give Me the Knits. This is destined to become a Traveling Woman.

From little things....

2010-01-30T12:24:00.004+11:00

... big things grow. Or so the song tells us. And I hope that this will be the case for my Summer Squares blanket. I have finally completed another square. Here is the leaf.

Its been so long since I have worked on this blanket that I have forgotten how many squares I need. But I know I need many more!

I've been hoarding all my left over sock yarn because I just can't bear to throw out such pretty stuff. I thought I would knit one of these with all the left over yarn (and still might) but then I saw Dzonba on Ravelry. I knitted this in the course of an evening. When finished they look like this:

But once you put them on they look like this:

I used some left over Bendigo Woollen Mills Miami for these. This is a cotton/wool blend and as a result doesn't have a lot of stretch in it. I think if I used this yarn again I would do an extra increase row or two.

Summer Lace: Panama Shawl

2010-01-27T15:31:00.003+11:00

I finished my Panama Shawl yesterday.

This is a very large shawl. The KAL consisted of 10 clues and from the sixth clue onwards you were given the option of finishing the shawl. I finished my shawl after the sixth clue.

The yarn is Bendigo Woollen Mills 3 ply but I have no idea what the colourway is. It was one of those bargain buys from the famous backroom at the Mill itself. Needle size 3.5mm.

Now I am eagerly anticipating the start of the Snow Queen Pi shawl and I need to start practicing my circular cast on.

FO: Angee

2010-01-19T11:43:00.004+11:00

I have finished the first project in my personal sock yarn club. Angee by CookieA.

These were knitted two at a time on 2.25 circular needles and with Opal yarn in solid blue. I'm getting a bit better at moving the stitches around when knitting the gusset (something that is never a problem when knitting a Cat Bordhi pattern). I did have to redo the heels because I hadn't arranged the stitches properly and so when continuing the pattern across the top of the foot the pattern didn't align properly. Fortunately it wasn't difficult to redo the heels and rearrange the stitches correctly.

I have finished clue 4 for my Panama Shawl but there is really not much to show at this stage. I think my shawl may well be large enough by the time I get to clue 6.

I am also keenly anticipating the start of the Snow Queen KAL. BadCatDesigns has started to prepare the ground with a few tutorials on her blog. Very, very useful.

A digression

2010-01-14T13:00:00.004+11:00

Yesterday a friend came to visit and she taught me to spin with a spindle. And look here is proof.

I have made yarn! I like the challenge and the enjoyment of learning something new but I don't think I'm ready to go over to the dark side just yet. My pointy sticks are still my favourites.

And speaking of which, my socks and shawl are still progressing but another delightful distraction has appeared. I've been tempted by yet another lace KAL. This one is another of BadCatDesigns and is called the Snow Queen Pi Shawl. This one looks like it will offer quite a knitting challenge. Care to join me? Can you resist Annie?

On the needles

2010-01-07T19:25:00.004+11:00

Only two projects on the needles at the moment. On Christmas day I cast on for the Panama Shawl KAL. I zoomed through the first two clues and then a few rows into the the third clue I realised I had made a major boo-boo. I had only knitted half the shawl! That's what happens when you get over confident and think that you don't need to read the instructions closely but can just go straight to the charts and start knitting. So I had to frog the lot and start again. Now I'm back on clue 3.

The yarn is Bendigo Woollen Mills 3 ply and the needles are 3.5mm.

I also opened my first project in my personal sock club. The yarn is Opal solid and the pattern was CookieA's Vilai from Sock Innovation but when I sat down to cast on I realised that I would have to use TWO cable needles while knitting these socks. I was in no mood for such a fiddly pattern so I paged to the next pattern in the book and settled for Angee.

Ah this is much better. Enough of a challenge to maintain interest but not too much to become taxing.

I've been seeing quite a few Traveling Women around lately and I'm tempted to cast on. But then again I also have my eye on an Aestlight shawl and I really must try a Swallowtail........

Off the needles

2010-01-03T13:48:00.003+11:00

I finished these projects a little while ago but I've been a bit tardy posting about them.

First I made this reversible egg and nest for young Daniel and it was a great success.

He loved the way the egg transforms into a little bird.

The pattern is from itty-bitty toys.

Next I finished these lacy anklet socks for a special person and they will be winging their way to her shortly. I know she occasionally looks at my blog so I don't want to spoil the surprise completely. The yarn is Patonyle - lovely and soft. The pattern is from an old Creative Knitting magazine and unfortunately I now longer have the issue details. Oh and note the lovely sock blockers - this is their maiden fitting!

At the end of last week I received the Tofutsies from J. Thank you so much! They arrived too late to be included in my personal sock club but I already have plans....

Personal Sock Club 2010

2009-12-30T12:38:00.004+11:00

I decided that 2010 is the year I'm going to give my sock yarn stash a good work out. So to give myself some added pleasure I have set up my own sock yarn club. I've matched 12 skeins of sock yarn to 12 patterns. Not all patterns are socks because I felt that some of the yarn was just too pretty to live on my feet. So I've included a few lace projects as well. I've bagged them all up and here they are:

Since taking the photo all the bags have been put on the top shelf of my cupboard and on the first of every month I will randomly select a bag. I have already forgotten which patterns I've chosen so I'm quite excited about selecting the first project.

Of course this doesn't mean that that is all I will be knitting in the coming year! I have plans to knit a lot of lace but I suspect that the projects in my mental knitting queue will be reshuffled often as the year progresses and I find new distractions along the way.

Here's to a New Year full of knitterly goodness! I wish you all a wonderful 2010 and may your pointy sticks stay pointy and active!

Summer Lace: Silvester

2009-12-23T10:15:00.004+11:00

I have managed to finish my Silvester in time for Christmas. If you need a really quick and easy project then I highly recommend this one.

The stole measures 155 cm x 51 cm (61"x 20"). The yarn is Bendigo Woollen Mills 2 ply lace and the needle size is 4.5mm.

This was the first time that I knitted a stole on the bias and I must say I do like the effect. An additional bonus was not having to pick up stitches or having to knit on a border or edge. You simply cast on and knit from corner to corner. You can knit as many pattern repeats as you like. I knitted 5 repeats for this stole.

I tried photographing the stole in all kinds of light in order to capture the colour of the yarn and this final photo finally gives a truer reflection of the colour.

And now on to a bit of fun. Denise from Knitting in the wild is having a lace yarn competition. She has signed up for 10Shawls2010 and is looking for pattern suggestions. Why don't you hop on over and give her a few suggestions? Oh and while you are there be sure to check out her lovely completed lace projects.

I hope you all have a lovely time over the Christmas holidays.

The generosity of knitters

2009-12-18T14:22:00.005+11:00

When I first started to knit I was still at primary school and the only other knitters I knew were my mother and grandmother. As the years passed I continued to knit and still only knew very few other knitters. Knitting was an isolating pastime. Most of my friends found it a very unintellectual pastime and thought it all very uncool.

And then some years ago I discovered knitting on the internet and gradually found my way into the virtual knitting community. I have now made knitting friends all over the world.

As I get to know more knitters through blogging and Ravelry I am constantly struck by what a generous bunch of people knitters are. This year I have personally been on the receiving end of that generosity. It has manifested itself in many ways ranging from the many supportive and comforting comments I received last February during that horror summer, the lovely gifts I received participating in the swaps on the Australian Swappers group on Ravelry, through to the unexpected gifts and generous offers from my blogging buddies.

Yesterday I was again on the receiving end. This time knitter extraordinaire, Mary, sent me these beautiful sock blockers.

Look at the beautiful wood and gorgeous butterfly.

Thank you Mary you sure put a lift in my day. I can't wait to get my first pair of socks on them.

Socks and lace

2009-12-14T16:32:00.003+11:00

I have finished the Kai-Mei socks. Unfortunately they are not for me. The yarn is Tofutsies and I have to say its a lovely yarn to work with. It also feels good on the feet. I've made a couple of pairs of socks out of this yarn and I find they are ideal for those slightly cool days.

Its rather difficult to bring out the lovely sweeping design without a pair of feet in them!

I've succumbed to my KAL addiction yet again. This time it is another KAL from Knit & Knag designs called Silvester.

I've already completed 2 pattern repeats and I started on the third repeat last night. Talk about instant gratification - this is a really fast knit. The yarn is Bendigo Woollen Mills 2 ply lace. No idea of the colourway because I found this yarn in the magical backroom at the Mill itself. I suspect it is one of their colour experiments. Its a marled yarn made up of a deep red and a gorgeous blue.

Summer Lace: Dark Star

2009-12-06T10:14:00.004+11:00

Finally my Dark Star stole is complete. This is one of the many lovely designs from BadCatDesigns.

My stole measures 173 cm by 102 cm (68"x40"). The yarn is Ripples Crafts Hand Dyed Yarn in Steely Blue. This is a luscious Alpaca/Silk/Cashmere lace weight yarn. A real pleasure to work with. Oh and the needle size, 3.0 mm circulars.

Its really hard to get the full impact of this stole without a willing model!

Now I need to spend some time on my Summer Squares blanket.

Breaking from the edge

2009-11-29T11:58:00.004+11:00

I really should be finishing the edging on my Dark Star but every now and then I need a bit of distraction and lets face it, when it comes to knitting distraction abounds.

So I decided to join a friend on Ravelry for a quick KAL. We knitted the Rosebud Neckwarmer. This little scarf is meant to be knit in two pieces and then sewn together or grafted at the end. I decided to use Judy's Magic cast on and then just leave one half of the stitches on a cable while I knitted the other half, like this:

Once I finished the first half I just joined the yarn to the stitches waiting on the cable and knitted the second half. The pattern calls for plus minus 5 repeats. I thought my scarf would be too short so I knitted 6 repeats plus 10 rows. In hindsight I should have knitted 5 repeats and 10 rows because after blocking I think the scarf is just a touch too long to qualify as a neckwarmer.

The yarn is Morris and Sons Empire 4 ply merino in Luxe.

But, as if the scarf wasn't enough of a distraction, I also cast on for a pair of Kai-mei. And the yarn is Tofutsies.

And the week ended on a lovely surprise from Kelebek who sent me this lovely yarn which she dyed herself for my birthday. She calls it Kremali Gilek (strawberries and cream). And now I'm itching to cast on again!

Sock blockers

2009-11-21T10:00:00.006+11:00

I have lusted after a pair of sock blockers for ages but could never find any affordable ones (I'd rather spend the money on yarn). And then the other day I chanced upon this site where they show you how to make your own. Now when it comes to anything I have to make (knitting excluded of course) I am as ham-fisted as they come. But I decided to give it a go and here is the result:

I made 2 blockers and here are my first socks blocking.

The pattern is Sunday Swing socks and the yarn is Miami from Bendigo Woollen Mills.

I'm rather pleased with the result.

More birthday goodness!

2009-11-19T14:38:00.002+11:00

I just love it when my birthday season just keeps rolling on. Today I received this birthday parcel from the lovely Val.

Look! Two skeins of her own glorious homespun. I've already been trawling through the Rav patterns looking for just the right project. All suggestions welcome.

And to top it off she include this cute vinatage booklet.

It contains this lovely shawl.

The one thing you forgot to include Val is all the extra time I now need! Thanks again for a lovely gift.

Swing into summer

2009-11-13T12:14:00.005+11:00

For the past week it would appear that spring has made an early departure and summer is here with a vengeance. It is hot! And what does one do when its hot? One casts a pair of socks on of course.

I've started to knit a pair of Sunday Swing socks. I'm knitting these on 2.5mm circulars (two at a time of course). And the yarn is Miami from Bendigo Woollen Mills. Its a lovely 50/50 wool cotton blend and ideal for hot weather knitting. Unfortunaly BWM don't advertise this yarn on line nor has it been available at the mill shop my last couple of visits. Its a shame because these are my last skeins and I really like this yarn.