knitknotnat

Little Knits

2012-01-27T11:06:00.001+11:00

Things have been a little hectic on the home front since the beginning of December so it's been quiet here on the blog. I tend to get a little burnt out over the Christmas period, and unfortunately my crafting (and blogging) can shift from an activity of relaxation and escapism to one of self imposed deadlines and stress.

But don't worry, I have been knitting. Here are a couple of little knits I made before Christmas...

A gold star decoration for my Christmas tree. I think it turned out well, although I didn't enjoy knitting with the synthetic and stretching metallic yarn at all. I really like the pattern - I'm a sucker for a centered double decrease - but I don't really understand the use of a provisional cast on that then asks you to pick up (a heap) of stitches to knit the back. I hope to make more for the tree before next Christmas but will have to look into a way to work around this issue.

A big heart for Nina. I used this pattern but found the original size too small and fiddly, so I fudged a supersized version. I'm not 100% happy with the shape and am not a fan of seaming small things like this (or seaming anything for that matter). If I want to knit a heart again I will try this pattern from Gifted: Lovely Things to Knit and Crochet (which I happened to discover at my local library this week - yay!) which is knit in one piece and uses short row shaping.

Post-Christmas in the spirit of using up left-overs, I started a bit of stash busting and cast on 3 new projects. I'll keep you posted on the progress...

Nina Kina

2011-12-13T08:24:00.000+11:00

A couple of weeks ago I finished the Baby Kina cardigan that I supersized for Nina, so I managed to get all 3 knit before the start of summer which is an fantastic achievement. Nina, most importantly, loves the colour and the soft drapiness of the fabric, and wanted to wear it straight away. Here she is in her Kina, self-styled.

There is a girl's version of this cardigan, which looks to be a little tighter around the neckline and with more pronounced gathers. Since I was using a different weight yarn to that specified I figured I would have to fudge it a bit either way, and this way I didn't need to pay for the pattern again. If you are interested in my mods check out my Ravelry project page.

Pimp my Baby Jogger

2011-12-11T16:09:00.001+11:00

It is that hot and humid time of year here in Queensland, so I desperately needed cool cotton seat liners for the twins' Baby Jogger City Mini Double, as they were getting so sweaty in it. I found some to buy online here but being the crafty type I decided I should make my own. I didn't really want to wait the 3-4 weeks the website indicates, nor pay almost $100.

I found this great tutorial on the Floating World blog, took a few measurements and drew up a pattern. The fabrics were purchased from Lindcraft but I couldn't find cotton batting there so I found this great eBay seller and bought it there (also got some toy rattle and squeaker inserts for future knitted toys - I've never seen these anywhere before!). I even pre-washed the fabric. It's not something I normally do (although I know I should) but after a recent shinkage disaster I didn't want to take my chances. Unlike the tutorial, I didn't use binding to finish the edges, but rather sewed it together with right sides facing, turned it in the right way and then top stitched it.

The tutorial instructs you to make friends with the buttonhole function on your sewing machine. Unfortunately my buttonhole function and I are no longer on speaking terms. After a couple of hours of screaming and swearing I got there in the end, but not before chewing up all of the green cotton I was using, so 12 out of 14 buttonholes are black.

After the stress of it all, I am very happy with how they turned out. Mind you, next time I might just buy them!

Formula Tin Succulent Pots

2011-11-15T22:04:00.001+11:00

We go through a lot of baby formula feeding the twins so I am always trying to think good ways to reuse the mountain of empty cans that accumulate. Then, recently my mum brought up a bunch of succulent cuttings from her garden and so began my first project, formula tin succulent pots.

Quick dry enamel spray paint in pink and "mandarin". 3 coats of the pink and 4 coats of yellow.

Drainage holes punched into the bottom with a carving fork. This was my husband's idea, I was going to use a drill. But I have to admit this was a quick and easy solution.

Add succulent potting mix, succulents and pebbles, and voila! I think they look pretty cute.

Christmas Craft Part 1: Potato Printed Wrapping Paper

2011-11-13T21:12:00.001+11:00

Every year at Christmas time I feel the urge to get crafty and I dream up a long and unachievable list of handmade and DIY projects. Having kids makes the urge even greater as I attempt to relive happy kids craft memories with my daughter, who is not always as cooperative as I might like.

Last Christmas was memorable for its handmade failures. There was the gingerbread house that collapsed within 12 hours due to the humidity, the gingerbread men that suffered a similar fate and started shedding limbs, and salt dough decorations that took forever to dry out and then went soggy and fell from the tree (leaving their ribbons behind). The most memorable disaster occurred when we were gathered at the dinner table and started pulling the handmade crackers. We were expecting to find a candy cane and hand written joke in each so it was quite a surprise when a small army of sugar ants came flying out!

This year I had grand delusions of making all gifts handmade, but luckily remembered just in time that a mother of three kids under four might not have a load of time on her hands. So instead I'm going to try and keep it simple, tasteful, and ant-free!

Potato Printed Wrapping Paper
Equipment: potatoes, cookie cutters, sharp knife, roll of craft paper or brown paper (we used a roll of craft paper from Ikea), kid's acrylic paints, plastic lids.

Press potato haves down onto cookie cutter until the cutter is about 1cm deep, or as far as you can go before it cuts through the other side of the potato. With the cookie cutter still in the potato, use a sharp knife to cut away the centimentre outside the cutter.

We chose just two colors, warm yellow and red, and used plastic lids from baby formula tins (of which we have hundreds) as paint dishes.

Red stars. I was happy with how these turned out, and with the streaky effect I got as a result of doing it on the timber outdoor table.

I think the squirrels are my favourite even though it is not very Christmassy, especially here in the southern hemisphere.

The last time I tried potato printing was 2 years ago...Nina was 20 months old and more interested in covering her body with paint. I thought she would be better suited for the task this time around, but she preferred mixing all the paints together and using a paint brush to create a giant splodge on the paper. She lost interest in about 5 minutes, and I was left wondering why I bother. She is so creative and loves craft but I just can't get her to follow my instructions on tasks like this. Maybe I am expecting too much from a 3 year old, or maybe the designer in me is containing the artist in her? Anyone have any good tips for engaging toddlers in these kind of activities?

Stay tuned for Christmas Craft Part 2: Cotton Braid for Wrapping Gifts.

Twin Baby Kinas

2011-11-11T23:13:00.001+11:00

I finally got a chance to download some photos from the camera so now is my chance to show off my first two Baby Kina cardigans (and my growing bubs). Olive and Eliza are now 7months old and were more interested in putting the cardigans in their mouths than cooperating for a photo shoot. I might try to photograph them again once they can sit up unassisted.

This pattern is a simple knit but my knitting of it was hampered by lack of sleep, teething twins and carpal tunnel (I had carpal tunnel after Nina was born and have it again now). I'm very happy with the outcome and absolutely love the yarn. I'm now a quarter of the way through a third Baby Kina for Nina but only seem to be able to manage 3 or 4 rows a night. Slow and steady...

Buttons for Baby Kina

2011-10-05T11:52:00.001+11:00

As a mother of twins it is now impossible for me to go anywhere without encountering total strangers who feel compelled to offer advice. One thing people often say is "you mustn't dress them the same!". I'm a pretty easy going type of girl and don't really go in for must dos and don'ts. I also know that the twins have very different personalities and get treated as individuals regardless of what they are wearing. I often dress them in matching or coordinating clothes because (a) it requires less thought and makes my life easier, (b) if they are wearing the same I know that one won't be any hotter/cooler than the other, and (c) my mother-in-law always sends 2 of every outfit.

So at the moment I am knitting not one, not two, but three Baby Kina cardigans. I had always planned to knit one each for the twins using the Debbie Bliss Eco Baby cotton, but originally I thought I would knit Georgie Hallam's Acacia for Nina using the Cascade Ultra Pima. Once I started knitting the first Baby Kina Nina saw the pattern and told me that she wanted one too. I decided she would get more wear out of a light cardigan than a knitted singlet, so I am going to fudge the pattern using thicker yarn and bigger needles , and maybe a few extra stitches, and hopefully end up with something that will fit a 3.5 year old.

On Monday we went on a little expedition to the local haberdashery shop to buy buttons for all three. I took a skein of each yarn and came back with two options for each. Now I just need to decide which ones to use.

Here's what I'm thinking...

Small shell buttons on the mauve

Square peach buttons on the peach

Large round pink shell buttons on the pink (these were actually Nina's choice and I think it was a stroke of genius. On it's own I thought the pink was too dark for the yarn, but held against it the sheen of the shell and the cotton complement each other perfectly!)

Or should I use the shell buttons on the peach to match the mauve cardigan?

Spring Knitting

2011-10-02T11:45:00.000+11:00

After finishing my Watershed a couple of weeks back the weather turned from mild winter to hot spring days and a woollen cardi in dark was the last thing I wanted to wear (there is always next winter!). The last thing I wanted to do was finish seeing in the ends of my second stripey baby blanket. For several nights I watched TV without knitting, and as nice as it was to have some snuggle time with my husband I was at serious risk of losing my knitting mojo!

Luckily a few days later a package arrived in the mail from Jimmy Beans Wool with just the soft and pretty cottony goodness I needed to get myself back on track. 2 skeins each of Debbie Bliss Eco Baby in mauve and peach and Cascade Ultra Pima in primrose. These will become little cardigans for my growing girls.

This was my first order from Jimmy Beans and I was very happy with the service and the prices (the Australian dollar was worth more than the US dollar when I placed the order - yippee!). It took about 14 days for the yarn to arrive via standard post. I'll definitely be ordering from them again.

FO: Watershed

2011-09-30T13:47:00.001+10:00

I can't quite remember where I first saw Amy Swenson's Watershed, but I liked it the instant I saw it and wanted to knit one for myself. That was back in July 2010. It stayed at the top of my Ravelry queue for over a year until I finally cast on in early August this year.

As much as I love the design I have to admit that I struggled with the pattern. It could have just been my baby brain but I found it hard to follow at first and had to rip it out and start from scratch twice. I also followed the advice of many other revelry users and made several mods to compensate for a few design flaws. I'm the kind of knitter that likes to stick to the pattern so it bugged me that I had to do this. Anyway, for the full rant check out my project page.

I didn't make things any easier for myself by substituting the recommended worsted weight yarn with DK weight Bendigo Woollen Mills Classic 8ply. To compensate for this I knit the size 42 which is two sizes up from what I normally would wear. I could be because of this that it sits a little funny in front of the arm holes, like the raglan shaping starts too high. Or maybe its the design. I will have to knit it again one day and let you know.

Saturday Morning

2011-09-10T12:05:00.001+10:00

With the twins a little under the weather and the weather a little windy, we decided it might be best to spend the day at home. Junior Chef and I whipped up a batch of raspberry muffins for morning tea and I got a chance to play around with my new camera.

We used this basic recipe, replacing the blueberries for frozen raspberries and adding some lemon zest. It's a good recipe to make with a toddler as it gets you to rub the butter and flour together, and what 3 yr old doesn't love getting their hands in the bowl. They might not have been the moistest of muffins but they were quite tasty and went down well with a coffee.

Stripey Baby Blanket #1

2011-09-05T14:45:00.001+10:00

I was planning on waiting until both baby blankets had been completed before posting about this but, seeing as the second blanket is languishing in the ends-need-to-sewn-in phase, I don't think I can wait that long. And hopefully showing #1 off will help inspire me to finish #2.

So here it is....Stripey Mitred Baby Blanket

I used this pattern and included the picot hem. I'm a sucker for a picot hem and I think it really makes the blanket. It's knit in the round, which means nice short rounds to begin with and long, slow rounds as you get to the outside. After a good strong blocking it turned into the lovely square it was supposed to and the yarn relaxed nicely. The result is a lovely floppy baby blanket that is the perfect size for the cot or the pram. For more details, see my ravelry project page.

The yarn is Bendigo Woollen Mills Classic 8ply, an affordable and reliable choice for a blanket like this. It is warm, wears well and is machine washable.

Without sounding too proud, I have to say that this has to be one of the projects that I am most happy with. Usually I pick fault with everything I make but every time I see or touch this simple blanket it makes me happy. Maybe it's because it was made with love? Who knows.

The twins love it but will have to share it for the time being.

The end of romance

2011-08-26T14:06:00.000+10:00

Remember this project I started back in December 2009? Well after many, many uninspiring hours of knitting and one long hiatus just before the finish line, I finally finished it.

Do I love it? Unfortunately not. You could say the romance ran out of this marriage long ago. I'm happy with the knitting (apart from one blaring mistake where I forgot to knit the lace pattern and just knit rib right in the middle just below the neckline!!) but it is a little too red, a little too big, and a little too long for my body shape.

I have learnt a few things along the way though. Like how vintage pattern might look cute but aren't as well written or constructed as modern ones. This should so have been knit in the round, and I'm sure a more experienced knitter would have made the mods themselves.

Also, a little while after I started this project I came across the knitwear designer Amy Herzog and started ready her fit to flatter series, and through her I also got into Trinny and Susannah (as much they often annoy me) and learnt a few essential tips for knitting and dressing for my pear shape. If I were to knit this pattern again I would knit a tighter cropped version, with the bottom edge finishing at my waist, to accentuate my smaller bust and waist and draw attention away from my bigger hips (and now post-twins tummy!).

You know you have a problem when...

2011-08-25T11:21:00.001+10:00

...you wake up in the middle of the night, turn on the bedside lamp and demand that your husband pass you your knitting needles so that you can "pick up stitches".

I'm starting to think that sleep deprivation and knitting are not the greatest combination!

How do they make green wool?

2011-08-14T20:30:00.000+10:00

The other day my three year old daughter asked me how they make green wool. I tried to explain that they dye it - "you know, like when we dyed the eggs at Easter time". As often is the case, she wasn't 100% satisfied with my brief explanation. So I was thrilled when I discovered this picture book at the library a few days later.

Woolly Jumper: The Story of Wool by Meredith Hooper is a great book that describes the process of how wool is made, starting with the sheep in the field and finishing with the knitted jumper.

The main part of the book illustrates each step of the process and gives a simple description, but there is a more detailed explanation of certain areas and terms - like how the wool is "scoured" and "carded" on the inside back cover. This is written in very clear, kid-friendly language and answered most of the questions my daughter had asked me whilst I was attempting to read her the book for the first time.

I think it's a great book for both children and their parents. I learnt a few things myself and Nina is now keen to visit a sheep farm.

Rebel Knitter

2011-08-14T14:32:00.001+10:00

I should be finishing this...

...but instead I cast on this!

I do have a problem finishing things and in the case of baby blanket #2 I have hours worth of ends to weave in before blocking and then knitting on a border. But I just haven't been able to get this project out of my head and knew the only way to do it would be to get it on the needles. Now I just need to put them down again! In my defense, this project has been on my queue for a year and I've only got a few months left before it gets too humid and hot in this part of the world to wear wool.

I had grand plans of going paperless on this one and using my iPad to view the pattern but I just found it easier following the chart using a good old fashioned magnetic board and a pen (love my new pen which I recently purchased at one of my favourite shops.) More about the iPad and knitting apps later.

Where did the year go?

2011-08-11T20:34:00.001+10:00

I am very excited to be the proud new owner of an iPad and think it could breath new life into this old blog. So to kick things off I thought I might fill you in on one of few things that I did finish knitting in the past year.

The last thing I knit before I gave up the needles due to morning sickness was this Aestlight Shawl by Gudrun Johnston.

I made it for my dear friend Rebecca and now wish I had one for myself. I didn't love knitting it - after getting off to a raging start it felt like the edging took forever! - but I love how it turned out and love the colour (Malabrigo's Impressionist Sky).

New Beginnings

2011-05-11T12:11:00.001+10:00

Our gorgeous twin girls, Olive and Eliza, were born on April 5th. They are lovely, healthy little girls with very different features and temperaments.

A few days before I went into hospital I optimistically (or perhaps foolishly) decided to cast on these socks...

A nice and easy pattern that kept me company through the 6-odd hours of the classic BBC version of Pride and Prejudice watched marathon style whilst my daughter was in daycare and I had some precious time alone (alas, those days are now gone). This is as far as I got. It was hard to get overly inspired to knit these when the weather was still so hot and my feet and ankles were swollen beyond belief. The weather has finally cooled down now and my ankles are once again thinner than my calves so I will have to get knitting these again soon.

In the meantime I have started a more pressing project...pram blankets for the twins. After much consideration I decided to go with a colourful stripey mitred square knit in the round.

The yarn is Bendigo Woollen Mills Classic 8ply and the green colourway ties in with the green of our Baby Jogger City Mini Double stroller (love it!) nicely. Now I just have to finish two of these before Winter arrives.

Knit-not Nat

2011-03-05T12:51:00.003+11:00

For anyone out there who is still following my blog I thought it was about time I fill you on on where I went and what I've been up to - and as you may have guessed from the post title, there hasn't been much knitting lately.

So the last you heard from me was back at the beginning of August. It was at that time that I fell pregnant again and soon after I started suffering the most horrible morning sickness. I thought I had it fairly bad with my first pregnancy but this time around it was so much worse. I felt too sick and too exhausted to travel to work or leave the house and the thought of knitting made me feel nauseous - so much so that although I had finished knitting the Aeslight shawl for my best friend it wasn't until 6 weeks later that I could bring myself to weave in the ends and block it.

My plan was to wait until the morning sickness had passed and I had a cute little scan to show you at 12 weeks before posting again. Well here's what the scan showed...

...that's right - twins! Needless to say the news came as a bit of a shock. And we found this out the day after my husband had finished up work and we were getting set to move 1000km north, away from family and friends, for a sea change in Noosa Heads on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. After a day or two where we considered putting off the move, we decided to stick to our guns and we made the move in early October. (The morning sickness, by the way, didn't pass until I was about 19 weeks).

Since then we have settled in fairly well to our new life. Jamie has a great job at Ricky's, one of Noosa's top restaurants, and the hours are very family friendly. Nina loves the beaches and the parks and enjoys going to daycare a couple of days a week. I continued working from home for Polli until a few weeks ago, and have found a fantastic midwife to support me through my pregnancy, birth and beyond. We haven't had the best luck with the weather - Queensland has had one of the wettest Decembers on record, major flooding and 3 tropical cyclones - but the lifestyle is great and the people are very friendly. I've struggled with the humidity up here (definitely not conducive to knitting!) but am looking forward to a mild and hopefully dry autumn and winter.

I have started to miss my knitting lately and would love to knit something again before the twins are born. Although I might have left my run a bit late now that they are due in 5 weeks and expected any time soon. A friend gave me Vintage Knits for Modern Babies for my birthday and I would like to make a couple of the Heirloom Baby Blankets from the book, although I struggle to imagine a time when it will be cool enough to need blankets. Instead I might try to knit myself a pair of comfy socks to wear in hospital....

FO: Xavier's Grey Noise Jumper

2010-08-05T16:30:00.000+10:00

I decided to call this jumper "Grey Noise". It is quite a nice little jumper and in the Malabrigo worsted it will be very warm. It was very easy to knit and I liked the fact that it was knit in the round so I didn't have to do any seaming - just a little grafting under the arms. It was presented to my adorable nephew at his birthday party on Sunday.

After so much grey I was relieved to be surrounded by so much colour at the party.

Nina had a ball (and ate a little bit too much sugar!).

Construction Tools and Sydney Design

2010-07-29T21:24:00.000+10:00

My lucky friend Anna received a very awesome birthday gift this week, a set of 25mm (massive!) ebony needles and enough yarn to make a super chunky hooded scarf, by Nikki Gabriel. Here are a couple of rather dodgy iphone photos of Anna knitting at work.

Anna let me knit a row and I did find it a bit of a challenge to hold such large and heavy needles, but the bespoke yarn is gorgeous and I love the chunky designs. I especially like the idea of being able to knit up a quick garment like Nikki Gabriel's vest.

When I looked up the website i discovered that Nikki Gabriel is actually giving a workshop at the Powerhouse Museum in a couple of weeks as part of Sydney Design. There will be six workshops over 3 days (Fri 13-Sun 15 August), and for the $80 entry fee you get the workshop, pattern, needles, and 2 balls of yarn. I am definitely thinking of attending and maybe dropping by the Wild for Tea Cosies talk by tea cosy queen Loani Prior while I'm there.

A Grey Area

2010-07-23T08:37:00.000+10:00

There is something bewitching about this variegated yarn. I was so drawn to it's mix of greys and charcoals that I bought two skeins intending to knit it into something myself.

At first I thought it would make a great eternity scarf, but after further consideration I realised that I couldn't face knitting a big tube and decided that a triangular shawl might be more my thing.

On Monday night I wound the first skein into a ball. Warning bell 1: when I unlooped the skein I thought "it's very stripey". Undetered, yesterday I eagerly cast on Using Orlane's textured shawl recipe. Warning bell 2: it's hard to see the texture with so much variegation. So after knitting 40 rows I put my knitting away and moped around for an hour or so. I then browsed through every project made in this yarn on ravelry. I didn't like any of them! Finally I came to the realisation: I don't like the look of this yarn, or any variegated yarn, when it is knit up.

Woe is me! What to do now with 2 skeins of this accursed yarn? Bury them in my stash? Do a give-away? No. I have decided that it is still lovely yarn, it is Malabrigo afterall, and it might not look right for me but it would make a pretty cute jumper for a little boy that I know whose birthday is coming up soon. I know his mum will read this so I won't give any more away....

Hmmm, even the photos for this post are grey and dreary ;(

Blogworthy Blogs - stash, knit, repeat

2010-07-21T16:30:00.002+10:00

I can't quite remember how I stumbled across this blog, but I am so glad that I did. stash, knit, repeat is the blog of knitwear designer Amy Herzog, who has a "passion for well-fitting sweaters".

Lately the blog is featuring a series of tutorials called Fit to Flatter where Amy explains how to choose and modify knitting patterns to flatter your shape. I think it is essential reading for all knitters, especially if you are relatively new to knitting like me and have had issues with fit in the past.

I also like the idea of concentrating on your shape rather than size and have found the advice on her blog helpful and relevant to all areas of the wardrobe not just knits. I really love several of Amy's designs, especially Arm Candy and February Fitted Pullover, and will definitely be knitting these in the near future to fit and flatter my classic pear shape.

FO: Ishbel

2010-07-19T16:50:00.000+10:00

So I finished my very own Ishbel a couple of weeks ago and here it is:

I will probably be cast out of the knitting community when I admit that I didn't LOVE knitting this pattern. It could have been my needles. I used my Addi interchangable 4mm needles and the whole time I wished they were pointier. I also struggled a bit with the lace pattern, it just didn't "click" with me and I had to follow the chart stitch by stitch without knowing if it would turn out right. Luckily it did, and I am very happy with my knitting, so that's something.

I made the small size which turned out a bit smaller than I had hoped. It only used up 35g of yarn (Lush Yarn merino/silk fingering) so now I have half a skein floating around in my stash which I find a bit annoying. I might just have to knit myself a pair of purple socks or a matching Ishbel Beret. Next time would definitely make it bigger by knitting the stocking stitch section according to the instructions for the large size and the lace section for the small size.

I don't think it is a mere coincidence that my passion for blogging has waned at the same time as I stopped knitting for others and concentrated on knitting for myself. I am way too critical of the things I make for myself and am afraid that the blog will turn into a whine-fest if I continue to pick at all the flaws of each FO. I can reassure you with news that I have cast on a new project as a gift for someone else and I feel my inspiration returning already (what a relief!).

A Winter Wedding

2010-07-10T14:17:00.003+10:00

Things have been a bit quiet on the blog front lately. This is partly because I have been busy very busy at work and also because there was another wedding in the family. My beautiful sister Naomi married her lovely fiance Dan on Sunday 4th July (they like to refer to it as "Dependance Day" now) at Bellachara in Gerringong, about 2 hours south of Sydney.

Bridesmaids: That's me on the left and my sister Nicole on the right. The Bride: looking gorgeous in her 50's style dress.

My fears of freezing on the cliff tops during the photos were unfounded as it turned out to be the most perfect mild and sunny Winters day you could imagine. It was a beautiful wedding and a lovely long weekend away with the family.

My very talented mum was responsible for the knitted shrugs you can see in the photo above, and for all the dresses including the flower girls and the bride! She also knitted two other cardigans for the flower girls, and all this in the space of a couple of months. She makes it look so easy!

I have also been quite busy knitting something old (my not-so-romantic vest is almost done!) and something new (more on that later) and will soon be knitting something blue!

My Frosty Mitts

2010-06-27T12:39:00.005+10:00

For a while now I have been grumbling about how I haven't knit myself anything since I've been knitting this past year. Let me present my first FO, just for me....My Frosty Mitts!

This is the second time I have knitted this pattern (Susie's Reading Mitts). The first pair went to one of the winners of my knitted gift giveaway and I loved them so much that I wanted to make a pair for myself. I get very cold hands you see, especially when I am working at the computer so I needed them!

I took this project with me to Brisbane last week for a baby free weekend of knitting and catching up with my sisters. I am so glad you can knit on domestic flights now! It is the perfect travel project and I happily sat around knitting and chatting to my sisters on Sunday. It is such a rare and special occasion for the three of us to get together without partners and children.

I finished the mitts on Friday evening and am a bit annoyed at myself for not loving them as much as I should now that they are finished and all mine. They fit perfectly around the hand but I can't help wishing they were a little snugger around the wrists. Do all knitters suffer from this? Perhaps I have been subconsciously avoiding knitting for myself because deep down I know that I am an ungrateful perfectionist who will just pick at the flaws.

Rather than dwelling on this situation I have pushed on an cast on yet another project. A Ravelry standard. Can you guess what it is?

I am also very close to finishing my Romantic vest, which has been on the needles since December. Hopefully I will be happier with the outcome of these.

A Bundle of Joy

2010-06-14T16:55:00.005+10:00

Can you relate to that really satisfying feeling you get when you pick up a lovely set of needles, a gorgeous yarn and a well written pattern? I had one of those moments last week when I started knitting a gift for a good friend of mine who is expecting her first baby. In this case the needles were Knitpro Symphonie 3mm wooden DPNs (a must for toy knitting in my humble opinion), the yarn was Sublime Yarn's Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK and the pattern was Ysolda's elephant Elijah.

After knitting Ysolda's Sophie bunny earlier this year - and loving it! - Elijah was sitting on my queue just waiting for an occassion to be knitted. The disappearing loop cast-on is still tryingly tricky, but once that is under your belt it really is quite an easy knit. Like Sophie, Elijah is knitted completely in the round and stuffed as you go. After knitting the head, you pick up stitches and start knitting the body, and so on and so on. This time I took Ysolda's advice and used a crochet hook to pick up the stitches, which was much easier.

To make things a little trickier for myself I decided to give Elijah a striped jumper (the arms were the worst - 5 needles, 2 strands of yarn and a knitted head to deal with!). After inspecting the other FO's on Ravelry I decided that it was essential, otherwise the trunk can look a bit odd.

I used Morris Empire 8ply for the jumper and scarf and think that it matches the Sumblime yarn quite well. In fact I think it actually out-performs it, as there was a bit of pilling on the head by the time I had finished. I will definitely use Empire for knitting toys in the future (although I might go down a needle size to tighten up the fabric a bit more).

After a week of knitting my heart out and a very late night on Saturday (note to self: I need more than 7 days to knit a toy!), my little bundle of joy made his way to his new owner as we celebrated the imminent arrival with a delicious high tea at Sydney's Observatory Hotel.

Cedar Leaf Shawlette

2010-06-05T21:06:00.002+10:00

The Cedar Leaf Shawlette I have been knitting for my mother in law's birthday (which was on the 5th of May!) is finally finished and on it's way to the land of the long white cloud (New Zealand). I am really happy with how it turned out. I love the design, the colour and of course, the yarn.

This Never Not Knitting pattern is fantastic, it is clearly written and laid out. It was quite a straight forward knit, even though it was my first real experience of short row shaping, using the "wrap and turn" method. I loved knitting the body of the shawlette. I think the fact that you never reach the end of the row makes it quite addictive. Also I like that you knit fewer stitches as you go as opposed to more like some shawls.

I did have a bit of a mishap on the last row of the main crescent part, where you are supposed to pick up the wraps as you knit right across. I don't quite know what I did wrong but I think in some cases I was actually picking up a stitch before the stitch to be wrapped!! I was also a bit put off by the little loops left by the wraps on the wrong side (is that normal?) Anyway, I couldn't figure out how to fix my mess and ended up ripping back to the garter stitch trim (so almost the entire thing). Knitting it the second time in one week wasn't quite so fun but knitting the leaves was enjoyable even if they seemed to go on forever.

If I was keeping it for myself (alas I am not) I would definitely wear it as a scarf as opposed to a shawl but it looks great either way.

Happy Blogiversary to me!

2010-06-02T19:23:00.002+10:00

Firstly, a big THANK YOU to everyone who has been reading my blog over the past year. My Blogiversary was actually on Saturday (29th May) but yesterday a parcel arrived in the mail that gave me a real cause to celebrate. My Malabrigo order arrived from Eat.Sleep.Knit in the US after just 8 days! Talk about speedy service - just the way I like it. I am so happy with my choice of colours in the Worsted Merino: I went with Frost Grey (at the front of the box in the picture above) and SFO Sky (the variegated grey at the back is so much better than I had expected!).

The box also included the urgently required skein of Silky Merino in Lettuce needed to finish my Cedar Leaf Shawlette, which I'm happy to say is finished and currently blocking on my yoga mat in the middle of the living room. I'll fill you in on all the details after I take some FO photos.

Favourites: Necklaces

2010-05-27T10:01:00.000+10:00

Favourites is a new regular section of my blog where I will share a selection of patterns for a particular type of project, recently added to my favourites in Ravelry.

This week is all about Necklaces.

A friend of mine recently saw a cool knitted chain necklace being worn by a lady at a Sydney Writers Festival event. She asked the lady where it was from and was told that it was an Etsy purchase from Poland. After a quick scour for the "knitted chain necklace" on Etsy, I'm pretty sure that this is the one in question: Golden Chain by Celapiu

It is very cool! I like it but I would never wear something like this. It's possibly a little too big (and too cool) for me to wear at this stage of my life (maybe back in my twenties!).

So I took my search to Ravelry and found the following patterns for necklaces that I would wear...

#1 - sev[en] circle by Kirsten Johnstone. Free pattern available to download from Ravelry

sev[en] cirlcle. Image from Ravelry

#2 - Ruffled Crochet Bib Necklace by Stefanie Fail. Free pattern published on the A Common Thread blog

Ruffled Crochet Bib Necklace. Image from Ravelry

#3 - Indian Gold by Alyssa Kabel. Free pattern available on the concrete is made of glass blog

Indian Gold. Image from Ravelry

I love all three of these patterns and hope to have one on the needles in the near future.

Oops I did it again!

2010-05-25T14:17:00.003+10:00

Once again I have run out of yarn in the final stages of a project. You may recall that this happened to me last year when I was knitting the Moss Stitch Hoodie for my nephew. In that instance Ravelry saved the day and a very lovely lady from Missouri, all the way on the other side of the world, was kind enough to send me a couple of balls of Naturally Merino 10ply (we still keep in touch on Ravelry which is nice).

This time around I should have known better. I am knitting the Never Not Knitting's Cedar Leaf Shawlette in Malabrigo Silky Merino. Having consulted other Raverly users' project notes I knew that it would be tight, if not impossible, to knit this out of just 2 skeins. So on Sunday night the inevitable happened and I ran out of yarn with just two and a half leaves left to go.

I had even asked the store where I bought the yarn to hold an additional skein for me, but that was weeks ago and I never got back to them, and of course now they and the only other Malabrigo stockists in Australia are out of stock!

The upshot of this disaster is that I placed my first order with US online store Eat.Sleep.Knit yesterday and my order has already been shipped. To make it worth my while in terms of shipping, in addition to the skein of silky merino that I need to finish the shawlette, I added 2 skeins of Malabrigo Worsted Merino in Frost Gray and 2 skeins in SFO Sky (I love grey!). Now I just have to wait 10-21 days (fingers crossed that it's 10!) for it to arrive.

One skein of Malabrigo Scarf

2010-05-20T09:15:00.000+10:00

My sister Nicole entered my knitted gift giveaway back in March hoping to win a red scarf. Even though she wasn't an official winner I wanted to make her something. She is a regular follower of my blog and one of the few who leaves comments (which is always nice!). She has also just returned to work after her second child so I decided to whip her up a one skein wonder as a mothers day gift.

Having the self imposed restriction of using only one skein made the pattern choice a little tricky but I ended up choosing to knit the Drop Stitch Scarf (ravelry link) by Christine Vogel.

It was a nice brainless knit and only took me a few days to finish. I followed the lead of other Ravelry users and wet blocked this, increasing the size from 115cm x 15cm (knitted size) to 165cm x 17cm (after blocking). The result is a good sized scarf and the stitch and slight variegation of the yarn show up beautifully.

Koolhaas Complete

2010-05-19T07:27:00.000+10:00

It feels like an eternity since I started knitting Jared Flood's Koolhaas hat for my husband but I am happy to report that it's finished.

One thing that slowed progress considerably was losing my cable needle down the side of a seat whilst knitting on the train. It was so frustrating and it was my only cable needle so the hat had a hiatus until I got around to buying a new one.

The other thing that slowed me down was all the cable crosses. This being only my second attempt at cables I was painfully slow. If I were to knit it again I would definitely take the time to learn how to cable without a cable needle.

Apart from the above I was very happy with the pattern and my knitting but am very cranky at myself for losing count of the cable repeats and knitting 7 instead of 6 (which was the number recommended for large) so it really is a bit big. It will keep Jamie's ears warm though.

I'm a bit disappointed with the amount of piling the yarn has done in the short time since I finished. J does rub his head a lot which doesn't help. I still love this yarn and love this colourway: Azulprofundo.

Phat Knits

2010-05-18T14:50:00.000+10:00

Image from Bauke Knotterus website

Jamie stumbled across this on the web the other day and new that it would tickle my fancy. Dutch design studio Bauke Knottnerus create crazy cool interior products made from giant threads. I love the concept and this knitted hangout mat in particular. I wish I knew how they actually made it...giant needles??

A Big Day Out

2010-05-17T20:07:00.000+10:00

I am pleased to report that our day out in the city on Saturday was an all around success. The Beginners Crochet workshop was a good introduction into crochet. Over the space of four hours we learned the 4 main stitches and finished with a granny square.

I have to admit that I was surprised that I got the hang of it at all. I tried to get my mum to teach me late last year and it was a disaster. I think the problem was that I went to her with a pattern in mind and tried to launch straight into it before even learning the foundation stitches. At the time I also struggled with holding the yarn in my left hand and keeping my tension.

This time around I didn't even think about it and it wasn't an issue. I liked the fact that workshop teacher, Jeanette, didn't care how you held your hook or yarn as long as you got the end result.

Stitch sampler - chain stitch, double crochet, treble and half treble. I lost a few stitches along the way but I was getting the hang of it.

My first ever Granny Square - my precious!

Morris & Sons were kind enough to give class participants a student discount of 10% off all purchases after the workshop. Maja and I didn't take much convincing to take up the offer, but I did have trouble deciding on colours for my granny square. I couldn't resist buying some of Morris & Sons' own Empire yarn. It looks so delicious and comes in a beautiful range of colours. Pity in is made in China (from 100% Australian merino at least) and so pricey ($10.90/50g). I have Maja to thank for helping me select these beautiful, grown-up colours.

Morris Empire superwash merino 8ply in Bluestone, Smoke and Pumpkin

After the workshop we reunited with our husbands and my little angel and enjoyed the world's best dumplings at Din Tai Fung at World Square, before catching a bus to Newtown to check out a designer kidswear sale. We must have got there a little late in the day for the clothes but I did snap up these 3 gorgeous Lark knitted cupcakes for just $5 each.

Lark Cupcakes - cute enough to eat!

It was a great day out and now I am itching to start a big granny square cushion for my sofa but I am banned from picking up the hook until I at least finish the now very belated birthday shawl for my mother in law.

If I could crochet...

2010-05-14T20:30:00.000+10:00

Tomorrow I am doing a Beginners Crochet workshop at Morris & Sons in Sydney with my good friend Maja. This is my belated Mother's Day present and to add to the excitement of the day my husband has the day off (a very rare occurrence for my chef) and will be looking after my daughter with Maja's husband and then joining us for lunch. So in anticipation of acquiring my new skill I have decided to compile a list of crochet projects that I would like to undertake...

1. A big granny square cushion cover

Images from Ravelry. Copyright Nikki and thornberry

Left: Swanky Granny Cushion byNikki from Mama Blue Knitting Goods based on Craochet Cabana's Basic Granny Square
Right: Circle in a Square Cushion Front by Thornberry based on a motif from the quarter of an inch blog

2. Potholders

Images from Ravelry. Copyright Illanna and throughtheloops

Left: Illanna's Floral Pot Holders.
Right: throughtheloops' Potholders. Pattern by Bea Aarebrot

3. Pincushions

Images from Ravelry. Copyright Olesdatter and Leanda Xavian

Left: Naalepuder by Liselotte Weller. English version of the pattern available free here
Right: Hexagon Pincushion by Leanda Xavian. Pattern available to purchase on the very pretty One Loop Short blog

4. Baby Booties

Images from Ravelry. Copyright Sylvia Schuchardt

Left: Little Button Loafers (baby booties) by Sylvia Schuchardt
Right: Baby Mary Jane "Skimmers" by Sylvia Schuchardt
Both patterns available from Hook Candy

5. An Afghan

Images from Ravelry. Copyright Alicia Paulson and Nova Seals

Left: Sunshine Day Baby Afghan by Alicia Paulson
Right: Ruby Hexagon Blanket by Nova Seals. Pattern available for free on Ravelry or the Novamade blog.

Wish me luck!

Knitted Gifts for Friends Old and New

2010-05-10T10:40:00.000+10:00

So some of you might remember that back in March I ran a giveaway on my blog, the prize being that I would knit the winner something. It was a blatant attempt to draw in a few extra comments on my blog. Desperate? Maybe, but it worked; although most of the comments were from people who are friends or relatives. To keep things fair I decided to have two drawings, one from the friends/family category and one from my unknown blog followers. Nina literally drew the names out of a hat (ok, it was a bowl) and the winners were my good friend and former work colleague Kate, and Ravelry knitter and blogger Sarah from North Carolina.

Now that both winners have received their prizes I can finally post pictures of what I made for them.

Kate had requested something for her head in the colour of the ocean, so I knit her the Slouched Tuva Hat by Turvid in Malabrigo Silky Merino Yarn in Teal Feather. I didn't love the pattern and it's not as slouchy as I would have liked but I did love knitting with this yarn and think that it looks great on Kate.

This is a little gift tag I whipped up to go with these gifts

Sarah requested something for her hands in the sunburst orange so for her I knitted Susie's Reading Mitts in Malabrigo Worsted in the Rhodesian colourway. I was so happy with how there turned out, even after the small hitch of making the first mitten a size too big and having to knit it a second time.

A big thank you to Sarah for sending me the picture below. I'm so glad you like them.

Finders Keepers

2010-05-09T19:53:00.003+10:00

The Finders Keepers is a design and craft market held in Sydney and Melbourne biannually. I decided to take a drive with Nina yesterday to visit my good friend, and Finders Keepers exhibitor, Nicky of The Near Future and to pick up a Mothers Day gift for myself.

Anna at the Near Future stand at the Finders Keeps market

Traffic and finding a park proved to be a bit of a nightmare, as did navigating the crowds with a stroller. Luckily Nicky and Anna offered to look after my pram and my daughter whilst I had a look around (big thank you girls!!).

A mountain of pompoms on the Dreamers & Believers stand

The absolute highlight for me was discovering Dreamers & Believers and purchasing myself one of their gorgeous Dreamcatcher necklaces. I rarely fall in love with accessories but this is just my cup of tea and affordable too. The pendant features a pompom trapped in a wooden ring, below which are three pretty beads. And you get a second pompom of your choice so that you can mix things up depending on your outfit. I wore mine today and just love it!

My lovely Dreamcatcher necklace

I also purchased one of Nicky's fabulous over sized tote bags. I got the mosaic, I love the colour and the yellow contrast lining. I think that it will make an ideal knitting bag, and is ideal storage for at least 3 or so WIPs.

A Mitten Reincarnated

2010-05-07T14:02:00.000+10:00

Here's another craft project from last week.

When I started knitting last year it was the middle of winter and I was working in a freezing cold office here in the mountains. I decided that I needed a pair of fingerless mitts for working at the computer. Instead of using a pattern I decided to improvise with a lace stitch square that would be sewn up the side leaving a hole for my thumb. As you can probably predict, this project went wrong in so many ways. For a start I was using a wool/soy blend yarn which was quite horrible to knit with, especially in lace. As it was my first attempt at lace knitting I had to cast on and knit the ribbing 3 times before I got the pattern right, I kept mysteriously losing and gaining stitches in all the wrong places (later I found out about threading a piece of yarn through the stitches at the end of the ribbed section - if only I'd known then!). And to top it all off they looked terrible when I finally finished them. I didn't even bother to sew up the second one.

One of the "mittens" before reincarnation

On the positive side, what I did learn was how to draw up a lace pattern on a graph chart and how to read and knit from a chart, which I find much easier than reading the pattern.

So after being stashed away in a drawer for almost a year, I came across these again in last week's tidy up. I also came across 2 empty tea tins that I had stashed away at Christmas time. I try not to collect junk as we don't have the room for it in our little cottage, but I thought these tins could be useful for something. And so, two lost souls have come together in a new form. I painted the tins black and stitched up the misused mitts to form a pretty little tin cozy. One of which is now an ideal container for storing my collection of old straight needles and the other will be a gift for someone in my family.

T2 tea tins getting overhauled: Monk Pear and Girlie Grey (my favourite)

Mrs Sniffles - Knitted Tissue Box Cover

2010-05-06T21:11:00.000+10:00

Last week when it came time to take photos of my little knitting nook at home, I had to do some serious rearranging, tidying and styling. One of the items that stuck out like a sore thumb was the ugly tissue box sitting by the lounge. Solution: I decided to knit a stylish tissue box cover.

I jumped on Ravelry to search for a pattern, but there was nothing suitable. I did a google image search for inspiration and all it came up with was the frilly numbers you see at a country craft fair or school fete. Then I went back to Ravelry and searched for box, thinking I would find something with the basic structure I was after. What I found was Erica Knight's Knitted Baskets (Rav link) made from heavy string. I loved the concept and decided to give something similar a go. I purchased a ball of 3mm string from the local discount store and cast on....

Here's my pattern, designed to fit a tissue box sized 22.5w x 10.5h x 11.5d (cm).
Yarn: 1 ball (80m) of 3mm household string
Needles: 6.5 mm (US 10.5)

Main Panel
CO 22 stitches
Knit in moss stitch alternating K1,P1 rows.
Knit 22 rows or until it measures 14.5 cm from cast on edge.
Knit 4 stitches in moss stitch then cast off 16 stitches, knit final 4 stitches in pattern.
Knit 4 stitches, turn work and cast on 16 stitches using cable cast on. Turn work and knit last 4 stitches.
Continue in moss stitch for 22 rows or until work measures 30cm. Cast off.

Side panels x 2
CO 8 stiches and work 14 rows in moss stitch
Cast off
Sew side panels to main panel.

And there you have quite a funky tissue box cover. Feel free to use this pattern as a guide but you will need to experiment a little to get the right size for your materials. Warning: String is definitely not a great joy to knit! I'm thinking of making another one soon in leather thonging.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Blog Week Round Up

2010-05-06T20:49:00.000+10:00

4 days have past since my last post and after blogging everyday for a week it feels like an eternity. I even feel a little guilty - like I haven't been doing my home work. I have, however, been trying to read as many of the other Knit & Crochet Blog Week posts as I can, I have been finishing up and photographing a few projects, starting new knitting projects and even trying my hand at continental knitting (not a raging success unfortunately, but more on that later).

I am so glad that I took part in blog week as it was a real challenge for me and I think it has made me a better blogger. It has also opened up even further for me the amazing online knitting community. A big thank you to my followers old and new and to any visitors who have stopped by my blog over the past week.

Here are a few of the other great blogs that I have discovered during blog week:
A Girl in Winter
Fridica
Little Sparrow Knits
The Student Knitter

Oh, I'm so excited (can you tell?) to have the new Hipstamatic app for my iPhone - LOVE!

#7 - What a Yarn

2010-05-02T15:22:00.004+10:00

And what a week! Today's post is the final post of Knit & Crochet Blog Week and I have to admit that I am glad it is so. Blogging every day is not as easy as it looks, especially trying to fit in a family and husband and some actual knitting at the same time! But I am so glad that I have made the effort and definitely think that I am inspired to keep challenging myself and blogging on a variety of topics each week (or fortnight!).

To wrap it up here are a couple of yummy yarn's in my stash that I am just itching to use...

Malabrigo's Silky Merino in Lettuce colourway from Tangled Yarns. I've raved about my love of Malabrigo Yarns and this yarn especially before so I won't bore you again. But let me just say that I LOVE it and if you haven't tried Malabrigo yet you are missing out - really! I don't want to knit with anything else at the moment. If you live in Australia and are finding it hard to come by, visit the Tangled Yarns website. I hope to cast on Never Not Knitting's Cedar Leaf Shawlette in this tonight. I planned to knit this for my mother in law for her birthday but it is going to be a bit of a belated present now.

I also can't wait to use this 50% silk/50% merino hand dyed fingering weight yarn from Lush Yarns. the colour is called "Violet Sky" but I couldn't quite capture the richness of the colours in the photograph, I think because of the luminosity of the silk. But take it from me, it is beautiful!

I definitely want to knit myself a shawl out of this. Either Kirsten Kapur's Lavalette(left), Gudrun Johnston's Aestlight Shawl (centre) or YsoldaTeague's Ishbel (right).

Thanks to everyone for tuning into my blog this week! I hope you have found these posts informative or interesting. I haven't had a chance to read everyone else's posts but plan to sit down with a cup of tea tonight and indulge in reading what other knitters have been up to. I'll do a round up over the next couple of days and share some of my favourites with you.

x Natalie

#5 - Location, Location, Location

2010-05-01T20:49:00.004+10:00

After yesterday's wordy post I thought I might let the pictures do most of the talking.

I knit at home on the lounge in the evenings after my daughter has gone to bed and I knit to and from work on the train twice a week. Today's subject inspired me to do a bit of a tidy up and a rearrange at home and even a bit of home accessory crafting. My old diamond stitch mittens have been reincarnated as a smart needle storage tin, and I knitted a tissue box cover out of string. More on these DIY projects next week.

#6 - Buttercup Revisited (a lesson about ease)

2010-04-30T20:11:00.006+10:00

I'm skipping ahead to Day 6's topic today so you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see where I like to knit. Today I am going to revisit a past FO (or finished object). Since I have been knitting for less than 12 months it is more modern history than ancient, but I thought I could share an insight that I gained recently that would have come in very handy had I known it when I was knitting this last year. Read on if the terms positive ease and negative ease make you feel uneasy (hehe!) and if you don't have time to read it all please do yourself a favour and visit the 2 links at the bottom.

The project was Buttercup by Heidi Kirrmaier, started in September 2009, finished in November 2009, intended for me but given to my mum. The problem was that it turned out way to big for me. Although the pattern states that it is "designed to have some positive ease" I didn't really understand what that meant. I chose the size - medium - based on the "to fit bust" measurement and since my bust measures 36" and medium is to fit 36-39.5" I thought that was a safe bet. Big mistake. The pattern clearly states that the finished bust size is 40", had I simply held a tape measure at 40" around my bust I would have known it would be too big. Had I only taken into account the fact that all of the tops in my wardrobe fit closely around my bust (because this is what suits my figure)! Had I only tried it on a few times whilst I was knitting it (news flash Natalie: you can do this with a top-down knit!). Had I only realised that I could start knitting the smaller size to fit my modest bust and then do additional increases to fit my ample hips!

But I didn't. And after 2 months of grueling, repetitive knitting, and then after suffering the heartbreak of it not fitting, I gifted it to my mother and cast on the next project. I couldn't bear to revisit the pattern at the time to figure out where I went wrong.

So it was just a few weeks ago now as I was knitting a pair of mittens for the winner of my knitted gift giveaway (Sarah, if you are reading this they are on their way!) that I had a Eureka moment regarding ease. I had just knit 75% of the first mitten when I realised that it was too big. The pattern in question reads: Finished Measurements, approx 6 (7, 8) inches around hand (1 inch of negative ease for a snug fit). I had been making the 7" size to fit a 7" hand. WRONG! What I needed to do was minus the "1 inch of negative ease for a snug fit" from the hand measurement, i.e. knit the 6" size. This sounds so obvious to me now but at the time I felt like I was doing a cryptic crossword. I was tempted to push on anyway but I just couldn't. No one likes a sloppy mitten and I like to make things to the best of my ability, so I cast on again and what do you know, they turned out perfectly.

So that little breakthrough led me to realise that I needed to know more about ease and fit. I highly recommend reading these two articles on the TECHknitting blog:

Negative ease and positive ease

Gauge, ease and fashion--or "why doesn't my sweater fit?"

Maybe I will knit Buttercup for myself again one day, but for now I am avoiding large panels of stocking stitch worked in the round and am happy and proud whenever I see mum wearing hers.

#4 - A New Skill - Continental Style Knitting

2010-04-29T15:10:00.000+10:00

I often bemoan the fact that I am a painfully slow knitter and it takes me an eternity to finish each project. I have also lately been suffering from a bit of RSI that could possibly be in part due to my nightly knitting vigils. The solution to both these problems could well be to learn how to knit in the continental style. I have been considering this for a while and have recently been motivated to learn after my good friend Maja made the switch.

Maja used the video tutorials on the Drops Design website (knit and purl) but after spending an hour and a half on the train this afternoon watching all the videos on YouTube that come up when you search for "knitting continental", this is by far my favourite...

It is clearly explained visually and verbally and shows the knit and purl stitches as well as YO, K2tog, and SSK. I've heard that purling in continental style is difficult but this technique looks quite straight forward. Mind you, I haven't even picked up the needles and tried it yet so I will have to report back on this matter.

Once I learn the continental style and master 200 stitches in under 3 minutes it is only a matter of time before I will be able to give current speed knitting world record holder Miriam Tegels a run for her money. She can knit 118 stitches per minute - awesome!

#3 - One Great Knitter (or two)

2010-04-28T08:31:00.000+10:00

Today my job is to write about a knitter whose work (whether because of project choice, photography, styling, scale of projects, stash, etc) I enjoy. I can't start anywhere else but with my lovely and über-crafty mother, Michelle.

Mum has been knitting since she was 8 years old, so that means she has been knitting for almost half a century! She also spins, weaves, sews, and paints, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Name a craft and she has most likely tried her hand at it.

Her craft room is an experience in itself. Walls lined to the ceiling with crates full of yarn, categorised by colour or weight or application. There are shelves full of spindles of weaving yarns and a loom or two, and bookcases crammed with craft books. I am so lucky to occasionally have access to this wonderland (closely supervised of course) and a stash that makes the mind boggle.

Mum is one of those knitters who can knit up a garment in just a few nights or a few hours if it is for one of the grand kids. She also seems to be able to just figure things out and makes things up as she goes. Basically she is the polar opposite of slow and steady me, who is always grabbing my trusty Needlecraft book or looking for video tutorials on the internet. Below is a picture of my little angel Nina wearing one of the garments her Granny knit her last Winter. I love this hoodie and will try and squeeze her into it a few more times before she grows out of it totally.

Knitter in the making, Nina, wearing her gorgeous yellow cabled hoodie.

When it comes to a knitter outside the family and outside of my actual circle of friends, then the other great knitter whose work supplies me with many hours of online browsing, reading and spending is Kelly of Tangled Yarns in Brisbane.

Tangled Yarn' s Snapdragon Tam by Ysolda Teague (photo © Tangled Yarns)

I feel like a bit of a knitting groupie but luckily I have already confessed to Kelly that I am writing about her. I first discovered Tangled Yarns when I was on the hunt for a Malabrigo supplier in Australia, and when I found the online store it was like someone had created the dream online knitting store just for me! I then subscribed to the newsletter, started following the blog and joined the Ravelry group, all of which are inspiring and informative.

Unlike most e-newsletters, which seem to just want to sell you something, the Tangled Yarns weekly newsletter is a great read and always welcome in my inbox (I have never said that about a weekly newsletter before!). I love how Kelly takes the time to point out interesting patterns in a new publication, or suggests and links to online patterns that can be made from her yarns. Such a great idea!

I love the projects that Kelly chooses to make. They incorporate gorgeous colours (and many shades of grey - my favourite!), and cover many styles from children's wear to toys, afghans to cardigans. And as you can see, all are beautifully photographed. She also makes me want to learn to crochet!!

Tangled Yarn's crochet projects: (L-R) Filigree Bowl by Linda Permann, Babette Blanket by Kathy Merrick, Ruby Hexagon Blanket by Nova Seals. (Photos © Tangled Yarns)

#2 - An Inspirational Pattern

2010-04-27T10:12:00.001+10:00

So the brief for Day 2 of Knit and Crochet Blog Week is to write about a pattern or project that I aspire to. The first pattern that came to mind was Herringbone Mittens with Poms by Elliphantom Knits.

Photo © Elliphantom Knits

I can't recall how I came across this pattern but I stumbled across the Elliphantom blog shortly after I picked up the needles again last year and I fell in love with it instantly. I printed out the pattern, took it my mum and said "this is what I want to knit next". With some motherly reassurance she suggested that it might be better for me to start off with something a little more straight forward and monochromatic. In other words it was beyond me.

A year later and I still haven't had the confidence or inclination to tackle a colourwork project. I'm sure that I could get the hang of it and am definitely much better equipped now with a good foundation knitting knowledge.

My latest colourwork knitting fantasy is the Pixie Poncho by Rachel Russ for Spud & Chloe. I may skip the mittens altogether now and start with this project for my daughter Nina. So cute!

Photo © Blue Sky Alpacas

#1 - Starting Out (or a brief history of knitting and me)

2010-04-26T14:00:00.001+10:00

Early Memories...
My early memories of knitting in my life are rather sketchy. This is due either to the fact that I have an appalling memory or maybe it's because knitting has always held such a steady place in my life it is impossible to say when I first became conscious of it. My mum has always knit. She is an amazing knitter and my inspiration to learn how to knit well and pass the skills on to the next generation.

My earliest of memories of knitting myself is a hazy recollection of learning how to knit one day in class at primary school. I must have been about 8 years old, and I remember that the class was held outside on the playground, but that is about all I can recall.

Starting out (the first time)...
The first FO I can remember knitting was a long multicoloured scarf that I used to call my "Doctor Who" scarf. The year was 1999 and I was on a break from university for the winter. I spent a few days at my sister Naomi's flat in Katoomba, and recall knitting in a rocking chair in her kitchen whist she cooked up a storm. That scarf was the beginning and the end of my first dalliance into knitting. For many years I wore and loved that scarf and it brightened up my drab winter wardrobe. A year or so ago it made its way to the charity bin. I managed to find this photo of me wearing it back in 2000.

Me and the "Doctor Who" scarf on the right and my friend Ingrid on the left, standing in front of the Arc De Triomphe in Paris.

Starting out (the second and third time)...
2002 - I knit myself an entire jumper. A seventies pattern with a giant cowl neck, in an electric blue mohair blend. The arms were too short and I only wore it once. Heart breaking. I'm not sure where this one went too and I don't have any photos but let me reassure you that it was very blue, very big (the collar that is) and very fuzzy.

2004 - I picked up 3 books for $3 from a charity shop. They were volumes 1-3 of the craft series "Make it Yourself" from 1973 (I am a sucker for vintage patterns!). I decided on a ribbed pullover, chose some wool from mum's stash (a green tweed wool), borrowed a circular needle and cast on. This was my first attempt at knitting in the round and I made the classic beginners mistake; my cast on stitches got twisted! And I had knit an inch or so in k4 p4 rib before I even noticed. I did get back on the horse again and managed to knit up to the armholes but then had to get my mum to take it from there. I really couldn't get the hang of knitting on 4 needles.

Finished in time for the following winter there were just a few problems with this one - (1) I don't look good in green, (2) I don't really look good in ribs, and (3) the yarn is itchy (not great for a turtle neck). I've still got this one in my wardrobe but it is more of an around the house jumper.

Starting out again (and sticking with it)
Fast forward to May 2009...I was feeling a little bit lost. I was not happy being a full time stay-at-home mum. Don't get me wrong, I love my baby girl, but I didn't have a job to return to and felt my confidence was at an all time low. As a designer I didn't have an outlet for my creativity, and trying to fit in hobbies, exercise or a social life is pretty hard when you are at home alone 5 out of 7 nights felt like it was impossible.

So this is the kind of funk I was in one day when we went to lunch at Young Alfred at Customs House in Sydney. It was there that I picked up a flyer for the ABC's Knit In, and on that day I decided that I wanted to use the opportunity of being at home and living close to my mum to learn how to knit. And properly!

On the 27th May I joined Ravelry and on the 29th May I posted the first entry on my blog. I think that Ravelry has definitely helped me to stick with it this time around. It is such an amazing source of information and inspiration and really does feel like an online community. I guess I am a much different person this time around too. Knitting helps to keep me company and sane on the many nights that my husband is at work, and it's something that I can pick up and put down as my daughter's needs demand during the day.

Since May I have started working part time as a graphic designer for Polli, so now I have a great balance between family, work, and craft. I look forward to my commute to and from work twice a week as I can indulge in uninterrupted knitting time. I think since May the the longest time I have gone without knitting is the 5 days of our honeymoon in January.

In under a year I have completed 16 projects, there are 2 on the needles, 9 on my queue and 100's in my favourites!

Blast from the Past

2010-04-25T19:56:00.002+10:00

These 3 patchwork jumpers (that's Aussie for "sweaters") were made by my mum for my sisters and I back in the Eighties. Each one is jam packed full of crazy colours (Ken Done eat your heart out) and features appliqued characters, knitted crocheted, beaded, you name it. I'm so glad she has kept them and was happy to photograph them for her today.

At the time I adored mine. Mine was based on a circus theme with a trapeze artist, elephant, lion and clown. I can remember being stopped by total strangers in public who wanted to adore the jumper and found out where it was from. At the time, of course, I wanted to die of embarrassment. This is one of the many jumpers that my mum knit for me during my childhood, but one of the only ones that I have a vivid memory of. You can probably imagine why.

With the 80s continuing to make a revival in fashion, you have to wonder when we'll see something like this in the shops or on the catwalk!

Blog Plans and Meal Plans

2010-04-23T14:59:00.003+10:00

Today I found out just in time that next with is Knit & Crochet Blog Week. The brainchild of Eskimimi Knits, Knit & Crochet Blog Week will bring knit and crochet bloggers together as they blog about a common topic each day for 7 days. For more info visit this post.

I love this concept! I have to admit that at times I am hard pressed to come up with things to blog about, or else I feel that I should dedicate my time to actually knitting rather than blogging. The fact that I am really quite a slow knitter is in many ways responsible for this. Anyway, having a week of predesignated topics is just what I need to get the blogging juices pumping and who know where it will lead me.

I have recently gotten into the idea of meal planning too. As the wife of a chef you would expect me to be full of ideas and inspiration when it comes to cooking but unfortunately the opposite is true. I don't know when exactly it happened but I lost my cooking mojo around the same time as I met my chef. It could have a lot to do with the fact that he has always either worked nights (and I would often settle for an egg on toast for dinner) or cooked for me on his nights off. Now that we have a toddler in the picture I can not get away with eggs on toast anymore - plus my husband would love it if I actually cooked something for him once in a while. Oh, and did I mention that the other thing I detest is grocery shopping? This one might have something to do with fluorescent lighting or the toddler tantrums...not sure!

So anyway, a few weeks back I came across the Mealopedia website, where you can browse and select menus for each night of the week or even choose them at random. Then you can print off a shopping list and list of recipes and voila! - you are set for the week. I have to warn you that the recipes are pretty basic, but I have been using them as a starting point and then adding spices and ingredients to enrich the flavour. Already I have found myself looking forward to preparing the evening meal and thinking about which meals I want to make in the weeks to come. Progress!

An Autumn Day

2010-04-20T17:49:00.004+10:00

Earlier this week I took a drive with my husband and daughter out to the Mount Tomah Botanic Garden. I wanted to make the most of our day off together and to enjoy the autumn colours of the upper Blue Mountains. Here in Sydney the cool autumn weather that we experienced over the Easter long weekend seems to have retreated again and the days are unseasonably warm and sunny in the mid to high twenties.

We made our way to Mount Tomah via the Hawkesbury towns of Kurrajong and Bilpin, stopping at a roadside fruit stand to buy freshly picked pink lady apples, homemade plum jam and a bottle of famous Bilpin apple juice. The narrow windy roads flanked by orchards and rolling green hills remind me of driving through New Zealand's North Island. I found it interesting how much the landscape changed once we left the Hawkesbury and re-entered the Blue Mountains, returning to the gum forest.

The grounds and views from the Botanic Gardens are beautiful and breath taking. As are the views along the Bells Line of Road between Mount Tomah and Bell. It was a fantastic day out (although next time I will have to get organised and pack a picnic to eat in the gardens) and a timely reminder of what an amazing place I live in.

Babushka Dolls

2010-04-12T12:21:00.006+10:00

Over a year ago I was given a lovely gift by my talented and crafty friend Caroline; a handprinted craft fabric panel by Kristen Doran. Half of the fabric is printed with 8 adorable dolls and the other half with pretty coordinating fabric.

I finally got my act together and decided to sew these little treasures up as a birthday gift for Nina. Some of them are a little wobbly but she doesn't seem to mind. As is her way, she loves the tiniest dolls the best.

I love Kristen Doran's products and think they make lovely gifts for crafty ladies.

Fabric panel image courtesy of Kristen Doran Design

Sophie and the Easter Bunny

2010-04-06T17:19:00.007+10:00

You may remember that I decided to knit Ysolda's Sophie as an Easter gift for my daughter Nina. The pattern was challenging at times but I was very happy with the outcome. Unfortunately there were a couple of problems: firstly, between Mum and I we had knit 2 Sophies, but between my sister and I there are 3 children (that's right, one of had to knit another one). Secondly, when Nina saw the grey Sophie that I was making she said to me "I want a pink one!". The solution to both problems was obvious, I had to knit a second Sophie in pink. I hate knitting the same project twice, but the second one did knit up a bit easier (though not much quicker) than the first. Knitting to the last second, I finished Nina's Sophie the night before Easter.

Mr Easter Bunny - a gift for my nephew Xavier.

I added a tail to both bunnies (a bunny's gotta have a tail!). The first tail was added at a slightly lower point than the second - it looks a little too low but in this position it works well to keep the bunny upright when sitting (tripod effect).

Nina's pink Sophie enjoying the Autumn afternoon on the lawn.

Nina was thrilled to meet the Easter Bunny in person at the local supermarket.

Miffy Birthday Cake

2010-04-06T15:56:00.007+10:00

The evolution of a Miffy birthday cake - apologies for the poor photos taken late at night

I was unable to find a recipe/template for a Miffy birthday cake for my daughter's 2nd birthday party so I decided to make my own. I borrowed a cake board from my sister and was limited to its size: 30cm x 45cm. I then scaled it down slightly to fit a 23cm round tin and a 23cm square tin, so that I could bake both in my oven at once. Feel free to use my templates to make your own Miffy birthday cake (Template 1) (Template 2).

18/4/11: Photobucket has removed my templates from their website due to copyright reasons (grr!). If you would like the templates emailed to you please leave a comment below including your email address, however I can not guarantee a speedy response as I now have newborn twins at home.

I used the same basic cake recipe that I had used for her 1st birthday cake (a simple number "1") but this time I used Bakels Whip 'n' Ice for the icing. A cake making friend recommended this to my mum and it was ideal; it is very white (essential for a white bunny) and quite easy to use. I think you have to purchase this from specialty cake decorating stores. Miffy would not be complete without her black outlines so these were done with licorice straps, licorice discs for eyes (2 year olds love licorice, right?!).

Although I couldn't bear to eat a piece at the party (having had my fill of cake cut-offs and icing the previous night) I would say it was a big success. The best part of the day for me was when Nina was asked what her favourite thing about her party was, and she replied "my Miffy cake". She is not even old enough to know how to suck up to her mother so I was thrilled and very touched.

Knitting Miffy

2010-03-27T13:48:00.002+11:00

Today, when searching for a good Miffy image to form the basis of Nina's birthday cake, I came across this gorgeous picture of Miffy knitting - I knew she was "a smart little bunny" but I didn't know she could knit!

A Knitter's Handbook worthy of your Knitting Bag

2010-03-26T13:02:00.005+11:00

As a public transport knitter, and one who it of an intermediate skill level but likes to "do things properly", I occasionally get stumped when starting a new project on the train and have need for a compact reference book. I hate these moments where I have to put away my knitting and wait until I get home and look up one of my large heavy reference books or do a search on the internet for some of the newer techniques.

Recently I came across and purchased "Vogue Knitting Quick Reference: The Ultimate Portable Knitting Compendium" from The Book Depository.

...Just on the side, I LOVE this website! If you don't know about them already you should check out their website. Based in the UK they ship anywhere in the world for FREE! And it doesn't take very long to get deliveries. Amazon orders take about 4-6 weeks to get to Australia and even if the product is reasonably price the shipping cost is usually a deal breaker. But I digress...

Anyway, when the book arrived I was quite disappointed. It really didn't live up to the claims of its subtitle. My main grievance was with the cover and the overall size of the book. Firstly it is a weird sized book measuring 8.5" wide x 7.5" high; not particularly "portable". But far worse than that is the cover and the binding. The book is spiral bound and the cover, which is made of quite a thin card stock, is attached to the back of the spiral after a few reads the front cover tends to overhang the rest of the book. I've only owned mine for a month or so and already the cover is looking very scrappy, and this is only after a few times in my knitting bag. This might sound very superficial but there is just something very un-flickable about this book, and I think that a good compact knitting reference should be able to be easily flicked through.

The information inside is useful and clearly illustrated, but it lacks an index and so far it also missing 2 techniques that I would have like to be included: 1) long tail cast-on, and 2) Circle/Disappearing loop cast-on. I have used it a couple of times but it now lives on my book shelf rather than in my knitting bag.

Today, I chanced upon a handy little book at my local library, "The Knitter's Handbook: Essential Skills & Helpful Hints from Knitters Magazine". I was taking my 2 year old to story time and passed it on display on my way in. When I got a chance to look through it I was delighted by what I found. Firstly, it is a great size (6.25" wide x 8" high), and although it is also spiral bound, it is covered with a nicely designed and robust hard cover. I also like the way that the information is grouped together in general categories which form the chapters, and these appear in alphabetical order: basics; bind-offs; buttons, buttonholes & zippers; cables; cast-ons; etc, etc. Each chapter starts with a mini table of contents and finishes with a notes page. It also has an index, which all good reference books should.

The first thing I looked for in the table of contents was long-tail cast-on. It's in there! I didn't expect to see the disappearing loop cast-on in there but found it on page 47 in the Circular Knitting chapter, described as "Circle Cast-on".

I've already been online and ordered this book from Amazon (when I typed in the ISBN into Book Depository it brought up a book with a slightly different name and a totally different cover - possibly just the British release but I didn't want to risk it) - now I have to wait until the last week in April for it, but at least i have my library copy in the meantime. I think this book is well worth adding to your collection, especially if you want something that you can throw into you knitting bag.

Got the Bug

2010-03-24T16:31:00.002+11:00

I am quietly thrilled that a close friend of mine has recently caught the knitting bug. Like me Maja learned to knit from her mum as a child and picked up the needles again in her twenties, and then put them down again. Until recently. It could be the nesting instinct of an expecting mother and might pass, or she might be in for the long haul. So far things look promising; Maja has whipped up two baby hats in less than a month and is planing a third. And none of these are for her own baby yet!

Twist stitch baby hat (above) and little Indie Lloyd (below) in her Debbie Bliss striped hat.

Maja is one half of the very talented designing duo behind Australian jewellery brand Polli. Check out their amazing designs and say hi to Maja on Ravelry.

Knitted Gift Giveaway

2010-03-20T08:22:00.005+11:00

I am a big fan of the blog giveaway. Most of the time I am a bit shy when it comes to leaving comments on other peoples blogs, but the promise of a giveaway helps me to come out of my shell and find my voice every time (funny that!).

A couple of weeks ago I even won something - yay! Hadley at shescrafty handknits did a giveaway of her Tassel Pixie Cap pattern. I am so thrilled to have won this and am planning to knit this with the gorgeous yellow Malabrigo Worsted that I bought at the beginning of the month. Now I am hoping to win the 16-Cable Hat giveaway on the Never Not Knitting blog.

So anyway, it got me thinking that I could do my own giveaway. I don't have any patterns or products to giveaway but I thought I could knit a gift for the lucky winner. There are a few conditions: it has to be a one-skein project, there will be a short wait for the gift (I'll try my best but I am a tortoise when it comes to knitting), and the winner must agree to send me some photos that I can post on my blog.

In order to enter all you need to do is leave a comment on this post and answer two simple questions:
1. I would like a knit for my...
(a) head
(b) neck
(c) hands
(d) feet

2. My favourite colour is...
(please describe the colour, shade, intensity in at least 3 words. E.g. "warm yolky yellow")

I will choose a winner at random from the comments and post the details on my blog. Please make sure that I have a way to contact you (via email, your blog, Ravelry, etc). Entries close 27 March 2010.

Comments for this post have now closed - winners have been notified. Thanks for all your comments! knitkntnat

Koolhaas Progress

2010-03-18T16:32:00.000+11:00

Progress is slow but satisfying. Any accomplished cable knitter would groan at the sight of me painstakingly knitting the 1st and 5th rows of the cable repeat, where every second stitch is crossed. Having only ever knitted one cable before I think it was pretty ambitious of me to even try. Next time I might try to master cabling without a cable needle.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Easter Bunny's Coming

2010-03-15T14:28:00.000+11:00

My almost 2 year old daughter is at that age of discovery where every second she asks (or demands) "what's that?". She was particularly curious about the brightly coloured shiny eggs and bunnies that started appearing in the supermarket a month or so ago. I explained to her that "the Easter Bunny is coming" and to my surprise she has been happy enough with this explanation so far. This year Easter will be a lot of fun. I'm planing an Easter egg hunt I'm the garden for her, at the end of which she will find a gorgeous knitted bunny!

I purchased the pattern for Ysolda's knitted rabbit Sophie last July but after one too many failed attempts at the fiddly disappearing loop cast on I gave it up. Easter gave me the perfect excuse to pick it up again but this time I did things a little differently. Firstly I did not try to knit it with acrylic yarn (I feel nauseous just thinking about the stuff I started to use last time), I bought myself a set of 3mm Knitpro Symfonie Wood DPNs, and most importantly I convinced my mum to do a Sophie knitalong with me.

We spent about half an hour huddled in front of the computer with out knitting needles trying to make sense of the instructions for creating the disappearing loop cast on. There was a lot of swearing, and dropped needles, and more swearing! But we both got there in the end. The head and body knitted up beautifully and quickly. I love Ysolda's ability to incorporate the increases and decreases into the character of the toy, and stuffing as you go and attaching appendages by picking up stitches means that there is now seaming or sewing in ends.

I've knitted the legs now and am half way through the first arm. The legs were straight forward enough but the arm was a bit tricking to begin with due to the head getting in the way and maneuvering 5 needles in such a tight space.

Nina's Milo Vest and Poor Boy Cap

2010-03-14T08:00:00.000+11:00

Today the weather was finally crisp enough to dress Nina in her new Milo ves t and Poor Boy cap, both of which were finished a couple of weeks ago. I am very happy with the vest and she looks super cute in the cap even though it is way too big and I had to pin the peak back with a brooch so that she could actually see.

Find me on Ravelry

2010-03-13T20:45:00.004+11:00

In answer to my own question I found the following information about blog widgets on Ravelry. I am a bit too tired tonight to figure out the progress bar widget (plus it is get awfully busy on my sidebar) but I did install the find me on Ravelry button. I downloaded the glossy icon from the very informative Laylock blog and then used the step by step tutorial for bloggers on this page. And hey presto!

You might also like...

2010-03-13T20:10:00.002+11:00

I've been wanting to install this widget for a while but couldn't figure out where to get my hands on it. If you are a blogger like me and interested in installing it too here is the link to Link Within.

If there are any Ravelry addicts out there who know how to install the Ravelry project progress widget please leave a comment and point me in the right direction.

Progress Report - Romantic Vest

2010-03-12T19:15:00.005+11:00

Although it is a painfully tedious process, I have been forcing myself to knit a row here and there when I'm on the train or in the car. And slowly but surely I am beginning to see a faint light at the end of the very long tunnel... I am almost finished knitting the back! How I will ever find the motivation to even cast on the front I don't know but for now I am focusing on the positive aspects.
Listening to the Never Not Knitting podcast helps to keep my mind entertained even if my hands seem to be working in slow motion.

I also took courage today when my sister sent me 21 gorgeous photos of my nephew Xavier wearing the seed stitch hoodie that I knitted for him last year. The fresh autumnal weather this morning gave her the opportunity to put it on him, for what could be the last time as he is almost too big for it now. At the time I found knitting the seed stitch very tedious but seeing it again now after 6 months I am very impressed with how it looks and am proud to have knitted it.

So onwards and upwards...

Malabrigo March

2010-03-02T20:59:00.005+11:00

You've got to love express postage! My second order of Malabrigo arrived from Tangled Yarns yesterday and this time I am in love! The blue (azul profundo) for Jamie's hat is perfect and the other two colours (vermillion and Sauterne) are divine. Not exactly sure what I will do with the last two but I'm sure I'll think of something!

Stash Guilt

2010-03-01T18:15:00.002+11:00

I'm feeling a little guilty this afternoon; because of a couple of recent yarn purchases. Retail guilt is something I experience on a regular basis; not because I shop a lot, but because I tend to agonize over any purchase that is not essential. This really takes the fun out of shopping. It usually doesn't extend to the buying of books and toys for my daughter or the occassional purchase from an online yarn store. But this time is different...

Today I received a package in the mail from Tangled Yarns, an online and retail store based in Brisbane. I came across this store when I was searching for Australian stockist of Malabrigo yarn. There is such a cult following of this yarn on Ravelry that I really want to see what all the fuss is about. I have a pattern queued: Koolhaas by Jared Flood for Jamie (which 763 out of 4474 Ravelry users have used Malabrigo to knit) and now just need to get my hands on the yarn.

When I went to place my order a week and a half ago Tangled Yarns were out of stock of most colours of the Worsted Merino (10ply). By this stage I was in a bit of a frenzy, I wasn't prepared to leave the online store without some Malabrigo in my cart! So I ordered a skein of the Silky Merino (8ply) in teal feather and a skein of Cascade 220 (10ply) - also hard to come by in Aussie yarn stores - in teal also. I don't remember what the logic was at the time. I think I'd figure it out when they arrived. And today they did and I'm not happy with myself.

I don't love the teal colour of the Cascade 220, and it's not the most masculine of colours either. It is definitely not the yarn for Jamie's Koolhaas. The malabrigo silky merino is divine to touch and a lovely muted teal colour, but it is only a 150 yard skein so not enough for the Koolhaas even if I wanted to try and make it in this.
Solution:
1) I've ordered the Malabrigo Worsted Merino in 3 different colours (since my last order Tangled Yarns just so happened to receive a new shipment!). Hence the stash guilt.
2) I have queued a different hat for Jamie to make use of the Cascade 220 and I've queued a hat for myself to make use of the malabrigo silky merino. And so my queue of projects grows...

Milo Vest

2010-02-28T12:06:00.004+11:00

I am very happy with the results of the Milo vest that I knitted for Nina. It's a great, simple top-down pattern knitted in the round. I chose to knit this for 2 reasons: 1) I wanted to road test the Utiku Perendale 8ply yarn that I bought in NZ last year (it is so reasonably priced and the colours are great so it could be a staple), and 2) I wanted to knit something with one skein and that included a cable. My first cable!

The yarn is not the softest and is a little fuzzy but it knits up nicely. Hopefully it won't be too scratchy, but it shouldn't matter with this garment because she will always wear something under it. This is going to be a nice warm vest for Autumn/Winter.

So this was my first attempt at knitting a cable and I am very happy with the result although I actually missed one row out of the giant cable repeat. Because of this and the fact that I knit tightly anyway (and especially when crossing the stitches) I think that the cable is a little tighter than it should be. I stretched it out when wet blocking it and I think that has made a big difference as you can see in the before and after shot below.
Left: Before blocking. Right: After blocking

Above: Close up of my cable

Above: A very lovely cast off edge. I used the decrease cast off method for the first time and loved it. I tend to cast off too tightly and usually find it slow going so this kills two bird with one stone. I used this Knitty article for instruction as recommended in the pattern.

I ended up with half a skein left and have decided to whip up a cute hat to match.

I love my iPhone apps

2010-02-24T23:12:00.002+11:00

I recently joined the "I love my iPhone" group on Ravelry and tonight I excitedly lost myself in a thread where people were sharing screen grabs of their homepages. It's a great way to see what apps other knitters are into.
I've subsequently discovered and downloaded the following apps:
• ConvertKnit - this is the first app that I have paid for ($1.99 AUD) and at a glance I'd say it is worth every cent. It has needle size conversions and a needle gauge, yarn ply conversions and a meterage to yardage conversion. I like that you can set your default units too.
• KnitCounter Lite - I haven't really had a chance to test this one out yet but I'm already thinking of upgrading to the full version so that I can count stitches/rows/increases on multiple projects (in the Lite version you can only have one project on the go at a time). I'll report back once I've road tested this a bit more.
• Needles - a free app to keep track of your knitting needles. Works really well, and is free after all, but there are a couple of things that bug me... Firstly, although you can enter needle lengths in metric units when you go back to view the list of needles they are displayed in inches. Secondly, the sizes and lengths of needles in the metric are direct conversions from the imperial rather than true metric sizes (eg. 40.64 is the metric size rather than a nice tidy 40cm). Also there is no 30cm length in the circulars section. Also it would be handy to include crochet hooks too. And the store locator only caters for the north American market (but us Aussies can use Ravelry's yarnphone for this). All this aside, I have already added all of my needles and am sure it will come in very handy.

Also learnt how to take a screen grab on my iPhone; hold down the home button and press the sleep button!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Knitting on public transport

2010-02-18T23:36:00.001+11:00

I was surprised the other day when a friend of a friend told me that she read my blog. It was a bit of a confidence boost, but at the same time it made me feel like I should be offering more. I thought I could start by telling you a bit of more about me...
I love to knit on public transport. Two days a week a commute via train from the Blue Mountains - an hour and a half west of Sydney - to Stanmore in the city's inner west, where I work as a graphic designer for Polli. The trips to and from work are my time to indulge in uninterupted knitting pleasure - no toddler or husband fighting for my attention.
Last week I did something I didn't think I should do, but couldn't resist...I cast on a new project before finishing my current one! At first it looked like my Bluebell Romantic Vest might be forced into early retirement by Nina's Milo vest, but this week I made a pact with myself; Milo on the way to work, Bluebell on the way home. Mixing it up like this suits me to a tee; it breaks up
Milo's stocking stitch in the round and my vest's fairly tedious ribbed lace pattern. I think I will make a habit of having a couple of projects on the needles at the same time, as long as I make sure to share the love.
Perfect for early morning knitting, Milo vest in 8ply
On the way home, my Bluebell vest progresses slowly but surely.

Big Cook Little Cook

2010-02-02T15:51:00.000+11:00

I might be biased but I think my husband is a genius! Sometimes I am a little wary when he decides to start baking without a recipe, and talks in ratios. But today the proof of his culinary prowess is in the pudding - or should I say cookies!

Chocolate and Pecan Cookies

250g butter

50g peanut putter

120g brown sugar

450g plain flour

100g dark chocolate chips

100g pecans, roughly chopped

2 eggs

3 tbs plain youghurt

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp all spice

Raw sugar for dusting

Method:

Preheat oven to 165°C

Combine the flour and spices in a large bowl and then rub in the butter and peanut butter until combined and sandy. Add the sugar. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and yoghurt and then add it to the rest of the mixture. Fold in the chocolate and pecans.

Form heaped teaspoons of the mixture into balls and place on baking trays approx 5cm apart. Flatten slightly and sprinkle with granulated raw sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

Big cook (Jamie) and little cook (Nina) in action! Nina is the chief taster and in this picture she has just discovered that flour does not taste that great just on its own.

Slow Progress

2010-02-02T15:43:00.003+11:00

So this is where I am at with Bluebell Romance Vest... I plan to get back into it any day now.

Tying the knot

2010-02-02T15:26:00.005+11:00

I hope that people will forgive me for being such a bad blogger and lazy knitter over the past 5 weeks. I reason for this is that I am only just recovering from the insanity of planning a whirlwind wedding, over the Christmas period no less, and tying the knot on January 16th. It was a wonderful day and the weather was kind to us in that it didn't rain, although it was humid like the tropics (thank god for the fans!).

Thank you so much to our amazing friends and family, especially my bridesmaids and those who travelled from interstate and NZ.
Also a big, big thank you to Anna and Nicky for doing the flowers and saving the day when my Etsy hair pieces didn't arrive in time (the arrived on the Monday after!).

The highlights of the day had to be the first kiss with my husband (I know it sounds cheesy!) and the amazing 7-piece jazz band, Howler's Cotton Club.

I was expressly forbidden to take any knitting with me on the honeymoon, which would have seemed out of place lying on the beach at Kingscliff anyway...

Bluebell Romance

2009-12-27T10:14:00.002+11:00

I love knitting with Patons Bluebell yarn, and I love the fact that it has been around for so long. I picked up this pattern booklet at an Op shop a few months ago and was taken with the vest on the front cover. I have purchased a packet of Bluebell in red and have decided to make this for myself as my next project. Last night I even knitted a tension gauge, so I'm hoping that this one will fit me. I'm looking forward to knitting with lace stitches as a change from the stocking stitch of the past two projects.

Haltermelon

2009-12-26T15:23:00.000+11:00

Just as planned I finished Nina's Haltermelon top just in time for a hot and humid Christmas Eve day lunch.

This is such a cute pattern. I made size 2 for my 18 month old daughter. She is petite around the chest so it is a bit big on her at the moment but she will grow into it in no time. In the meantime I have knitted an i-cord to go through the eyelets so that I can gather it with a bow.

I also picked up the stitches along the neckline and knitted a trim to match the one on the bottom edge. I wasn’t happy with the watermelon seeds that I embroidered (I didn’t like that i couldn’t get them to be a uniform size unless they were going in the same direction - though mind you, I am not an accomplished embroiderer), or the ones that I knitted and sewed on, so I found some small matte black buttons instead.

I found this video on YouTube to help me with the cast on: Purling in a Long-tail Cast-On

Market Vintage

2009-12-05T19:55:00.007+11:00

A couple of weekends ago I ventured out on a 30 degree hot morning to the Glenbrook Growers Market. It wasn't the ideal conditions for organic fruit and veg, but I did manage to pick up a Mon Tricot stitch encyclopedia and a very vintage Patons Fair Isle book. Both for the bargain price of $1.50!

That afternoon at the monthly Guild meeting I also picked up a few more treasures from the Seventies thanks to our convener Merrin, who had cleaned out her Mum's garage.

A Buttercup for Mum

2009-11-27T18:10:00.002+11:00

Having finally finished my Buttercup I am filled with both joy and disappointment. Joy at having finally finished this large (by my standards) and monotonous piece of knitting, and disappointment because it doesn't fit me. I made it in the Medium size and think I didn't take into consideration the positive ease. So much for the bad news, it turns out that it fits my Mum perfectly and who better to give it to (finally I get to repay her for all of the knitted garments she has made me over the past 30 years). Both the colour and the style look great on her and it feels amazing on.

Can't wait to cast on my next project which will make use of the 2 additional balls of yarn that I bought for this project unnecessarily. I am going to make Never Not Knitting's Haltermelon for Nina x

Street craft - Katoomba

2009-11-12T20:47:00.005+11:00

We ventured up to Katoomba on a sunny spring day this week to meet our wedding celebrant. After the meeting we had lunch at our favourite upper mountains cafe - Fresh - and I was delighted to discover several instances of street crafting along the main street.

Sock Workshop

2009-11-08T14:55:00.003+11:00

At last month's Knitters Guild meeting a couple of the ladies held an all-day sock knitting workshop. We learnt how to knit a pair of socks for 1 year old, and I was one of the lucky few who happened to have one of these creatures at home. We knit one sock in the workshop but I then decided to knit another pair, making the ribbing longer and lengthening it in the foot. I also decided to do some knitting stitch embroidery (yet another first) to tart them up a bit. Using scraps of embroidery yarn, the hearts are different colours but I don't think it matters.
Jamie joked that it was ideal for me to knit a pair of woolen socks for Nina in time for Summer, but luckily we are currently experiencing below than average temps for this time of year.
These are knitted in Patons Merino Deluxe DK which is a delight to knit with.

A Bout of Booties

2009-10-19T16:21:00.004+11:00

Blue Booties for Felix

Peach Booties for India

Yellow Booties for Alice

I have been wanting to knit Saartje's Bootees (ravelry link) ever since I started knitting again at the beginning of the year and have finally had an occasion to - 4 friends had babies in the past month - so I knitted 3 pairs in one weekend to have a break from my Buttercup woes.I used whatever yarn I could find in my mum’s stash. The last pair (the blue ones) were the best and were knitted in Patons Bluebell which is a lovely 5ply and what I used for Nina’s beret and mittens.

I couldn’t figure out how to do the long tail cast on using 2 strands of yarn so I turned the work and did a cable cast on. This worked fine and would recommend it to others who are new to LTCO like me, you just need to remember that when you are on the second strap you need to purl all stitches instead of knitting.
I also skipped the button loops and sewed the straps down and the buttons on top. Most newborns hate getting dressed and I think it would be easier for the (sometimes) stressed out mum.

*Just did a search through the comments and forum postings on this pattern and found this youtube link (thanks to Ravelry user Zippy69!) which shows it perfectly. There is something so very Zen about the LTCO!

Buttercup Progesses Slowly

2009-10-19T16:04:00.003+11:00

My hopes of finishing Buttercup before this month's Knitters Guild meeting were sadly not realised. I am in the midst of stocking stitch in the round drudgery! And taking a weekend out to knit 3 pairs of Saartje's Booties did not help matters (but more on that later). I am fairly happy with progress despite this and the fact that my knitting to this point is not flawless. I am a little concerned that Medium size is going to be a bit bigger than I'd hoped, and am also worried that I will be a ball and a half short of the cotton yarn. I enjoyed learning how to do long tail cast on ( I used this tutorial) and think I will use it on a regular basis, as it seems to get around the fact that I normally cast on (with cable cast on) quite tightly and slowly.

Build me up Buttercup!

2009-09-25T09:05:00.000+10:00

I wanted to knit myself something for summer, in order to keep the spirit of knitting alive through the warmer months. I've chosen the very popular free Ravelry pattern Buttercup by Heidi Kirrmaier; a top-down raglan tunic with a lace detail across the decolletage. I am knitting it in the lovely Jo Sharp Soho Summer DK Cotton in Blush (which is a bit softer than it appears in the photos below).

I cast on last Friday night in time to take it along with me to the Knitter's Guild meeting on Saturday and have set myself to finish it before next month's Guild meeting. So far I have been doing well and am currently into the lace part, soon to separate the sleeves and continue knitting the body - tedious stocking stitch in the round.

New and Old Books

2009-09-24T13:59:00.008+10:00

My sister Naomi is lucky to live in Brisbane. Not only is the weather warm all year round, but she has access to the amazing yarn and thread store: Threads and More. I am very jealous even though I have never even been there!

Naomi recently gifted me the very lovely book "Knitalong: Celebrating the Tradition of Knitting Together" by Larissa and Martin John Brown, which she purchased at Threads and More. I was particularly taken with a line in the introduction that reads:

"taking up knitting is some sort of declaration that life should include more quiet hours and friends".

Many of the projects featured in the book can also be found on the Knitalong website. I am adding two of the projects to my ever expanding queue. The first is the Recycled Sweater Pincushion (left). My partner recently put my favourite Country Road woollen cardigan through the washing machine and felted it. I was too attached to it to throw it away and stashed it in a drawer. Soon it will be reborn as a very useful pincushion, The second project that I would like to undertake is Olive's Afghan; an large multicoloured chevron blanket.

From the new to the old...last weekend I went to a fete at the local retirement village and was delighted to pick up a weighty needlecraft reference book for the bargain price of $2!

"The Complete Book of Knitting, Crochet & Embroidery" published by Rainbow Books in 1972 is in amazing condition and is very informative. It even comes with some very groovy patterns such as a Fair Isle Toddler Dressing Gown.

Moss Stitch Jacket Finished

2009-09-24T13:43:00.003+10:00

I finally finished the Moss Stitch Baby Jacket (click here for the Ravelry link) for my nephew Xavier on the 7 September. I thought it looked way too big, but luckily he is putting on the chub and got a chance to wear it last week. He had the sleeves rolled up but other than that the fit was quite good. Thanks to my lovely sister Nicole for the photo below. What a cute little man!

New (Zealand) additions to my stash

2009-09-04T21:21:00.005+10:00

On our recent holiday in New Zealand I picked up a few balls of wool to add to my stash. In Palmerston North I picked up a couple of balls of the deliciously soft Sublime Yarns Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK in beige, which I hope to knit Ysolda Teague's gorgeous bunny "Sophie" with as soon as i have finished my current UFOs. I am obsessed with Ysolda at the moment and just wish I could knit faster.

On one of the final legs of our trip, driving from Palmerston North to Taupo I then stumbled across The Wool Company in Utiku and picked up 2 hanks in colours I liked just for the hell of it. I didn't have a project in mind but couldn't walk away empty handed. Their range of Utiku Perendale 8ply comes in a fantastic range of colours (including the two I bought which are Coral and Periwinkle) and at only $13 NZD for a 200g hank it is cheap as chips! Once I decide on a pattern to make for myself I will order more yarn from their online store. hopefully the shipping will not cost the earth.

Ravelry Saves the Day

2009-08-02T10:23:00.006+10:00

One of my latest projects has been a double-breasted hoodie in moss stitch that I was hoping to complete in time for the birth of my new baby nephew Xavier. Not only did I not finish in time to make this a gift at the time of his birth but I also had my own Knitter's Nightmare and ran out of yarn when I was 90% through. When I had purchased the Naturally Merino 10 ply the lady in the shop told me that it was the last 4 balls they had, but I didn't realise that it was a yarn from 2002 that I couldn't find any where.
After searching every online yarn store that I could find without success, I finally searched on Ravelry and found it in someone's stash. It was the same colour but a different dye lot, but it was my only chance. So I emailed the owner and asked if she could spare a ball. My new firend Joyce from Odessa, Missouri sent me 2 balls and saved the day. Today i sent her two skeins of yarn (below) hand spun by my mum. Now I just need to finish the jacket before it is too hot or Xavier is too bog for it.

Diamond Fern Stich Mittens

2009-07-16T11:09:00.000+10:00

After finishing Nina's mittens I decided to make something for myself; a pair of fingerless mittens to keep my hands warm whilst working at Wentworth Falls. It should have been a pretty straight forward project. I found a pattern on Ravelry for fingerless mittens in a feather and fans lace stitch, knitted flat and then stitched up the side leaving a hole for the thumb. Having already knitted the fan stitch sample square back in May I didn't think I would have any problems.

I first came unstuck with the pattern when it called for me m1 (make one). I am by no means an expert but as far as I can gather there are many different ways to m1. My bible on these matters, the 'Readers Digest Complete Guide to Needlecraft', describes 8 ways to increase by changing yarn position. The pattern also asks me to do yo (yarn over) increase, after a knit stitch and before a knit stitch, which again is omitted from the Guide.

In a fit of frustration I decided to scrap the project. I was not that passionate about the pattern and thought that I could improvise a similar pattern with a stitch I hadn't tried before; the Diamond Fern Stitch. Referring once again to my trusty Needlecraft book, I cast on for the third time (there was also a case of rib gone wrong) and knit the 8 rows of 1:1 rib and the first 20 rows of the lace stitch pattern. It was at this point that Jamie said to me "but the diamonds aren't going to match up!". And he was right. The stitch pattern in my trusty book started with the solid part of the pattern and finished with the open lace part.

CO #4 - I try to wing it, adding an extra 6 stitches to the CO and hoping this will complete the half diamond at the end. Something goes very wrong (I actually think I dropped a stitch to tell you the truth) and my lace starts going haywire.

Finally, I decide to get myself a pad of graph paper and draw up a stitch chart (below). And what a revelation! I am a very visual person and with the help of the stitch chart I could finally make sense of the relationship between the stitches and the pattern, and was able to complete the missing half diamond correctly.

Unfortunately the first prototype turned out too big, even for my wrists. They even fit on Jamie's calves. I didn't even bother sewing up the second one or photographing the finished one. But I am determined not to get despondent, and will revisit the project soon (after a few baby presents are knitted). Not too bad for my first attempt at an improvised pattern.

Recent FOs

2009-07-14T10:48:00.010+10:00

I have finally finished my 1-month stint of working full time and can now dedicate some more time to my knitting projects and blog posting.

I recently subjected Nina to a photo shoot to show off her new beret and mittens ensemble. Unfortunately I couldn't catch her with both on at the same time, and she's not very keen on wearing the mittens.

Milo Armadillo

2009-07-04T19:25:00.003+10:00

Nina and I recently joined the library and today I came across this lovely picture book, 'Milo Armadillo' by Jan Fearnley. I was drawn to it by the gorgeous illustrations, which combine drawings with a collage of textures, scanned fabrics and knitted panels. Particularly one where Gran is pictured in an armchair knitting furiously with her needles going "clickety-click" (very much like Nina's own Granny).

It wasn't until after we got home and I put a tired and grizzly girl to bed that I was able to read the story, which is that of a little girl named Tallulah, who wishes for a pink fluffy bunny but her Gran knits her something very different.

I was even more delighted to discover that you can download a free pattern for Milo Armadillo.

I'll have to put this one on the queue. Meanwhile, I have had a week of disappointment with my attempts to knit a pair of fingerless mittens (it really shouldn't be this hard!). Tonight I cast on for the 5th time! A tale for another time...

A Tale of Two Pom Poms

2009-06-21T13:32:00.007+10:00

...or Thin and Sad Vs Fat and Happy. It had been some time since I had made a pom pom, very possibly decades. I remember making them in primary school, so approached my first pom pom making project this century with a high level of confidence. how hard could it be? On top of the years of life experience I had gained since primary school, I had also purchased myself a dedicated "Pom Pom Maker" - so self explanatory is the task that the packaging does not bother to include instructions!
My first attempt took at least a couple of hours. I used my pom pom maker (below) and thinking I wanted quite a large pom I left the 3 coloured rings joined together and proceeded to wind my yarn in a radial fashion using a tapestry needle. I wanted to use a solid pink yarn to compliment the flecked hot pink yarn, so I painstakingly alternated the colours, winding only a single thread at a time. Increasingly I found it harder and harder to fit the needle through the centre of the pom pom maker. I had a bad feeling about this pom...

...The result is the emaciated, scruffy-dog excuse for a pom pom you see on the left of the top picture. What a blow! But I was not to be defeated, failure is after all the best way to learn. On attempt #2 i really smartened up my game. Using only the yellow rings of the pom pom maker, I thread both colour yarns through the needle at once and used them doubled over. What a brain wave! I'd quadrupled my productivity before I even started!!
The result is a fat and bouncy, heavy-weight pom. Almost a little too heavy to be attached to the beret, but it will go there anyway. He could still do with a hair cut, but I'm afraid that I will get carried away, so I have put the scissors away.

Raspberry Beret

2009-06-21T13:06:00.001+10:00

For my second project I wanted to tackle knitting something on four needles (having tried and failed in the past) and decided to knit a baby beret. I used a pattern that Mum had used to knit a couple of berets for Nina last winter, although Mum knitted hers in stockinette rather than garter stitch.
I definitely got the hang of the four needles by the end, and am happy enough with the result even though I had a few issues with the increasing and it looks a bit dodgy if you look close enough. It also sits a bit differently to the ones Mum made, in that it is quite wavy, but this is how it looks in the picture on the pattern so i assume it is right. Perphaps it doesn't have the same stiffness when knitted in stockinette?
Originally I planed to make it for my niece Charlotte's 2nd birthday. Nina's berets are quite big so I thought I could get away with using the 6-12 month sizing. I didn't finish in time for Charlotte's birthday and it is too small, so it will go to my muse Nina (though it won't fit her for long either).

The Doodle Pants Done

2009-06-11T14:09:00.006+10:00

I am very proud to have finished my first project within a week. I actually finished knitting them last Thursday but only finished sewing in the threads yesterday. Being the novice that I am I wasn't sure how to actually do this and was waiting for mum to get back from a road trip to Brisbane. Yesterday was so cold that I couldn't wait any longer and so with the help of a video tutorial on expert village I finished it off.

When I put them on Nina this morning I discovered that they are more "doodle tights" than "pants". Not the most flattering but comfy and warm none the less.

I definitely made some errors along the way (namely the ribbed waistband knitted with the wrong gauge needles!) but I have already learnt many new things: Kitchener stitch, how to knit and I-cord, how to knit a short row and how to weave in loose threads. I think the best way to get over the disappointment of one project is to move quickly on to the next, so I have started project two, a baby beret knitted on four needles.

Doodle Pants

2009-06-02T14:59:00.003+10:00

...so on Friday I bravely started my first project, Aubrey Doodle Pants for my muse Nina. I found the pattern through the Ravelry website, which ROCKS! I've had a few issues to tackle. Firstly, failing to get my head around the difference between metric, imperial, and US needle sizes resulted in my ribbed waist band being knitted with larger rather than smaller needles. I had to learn how to knit a short row and do kitchener stitch with the help of videos on youtube. Now that I am almost finished the first leg, I can't wait to start another project.

Stitches of Inspiration

2009-05-31T04:27:00.000+10:00

Nina's Rock Your Baby Pixie hat is knitted in moss stitch. Now that I know how easy it is to knit moss stitch I can see that this hat would be easy to make. The construction is very simple too.

This is a baby blanket that Mum knitted for Nina before she was born. It was only after I had knitted my sample squares that I realised it was in snowball sticth and moss stitch.

A Pretty New Needle Roll

2009-05-29T11:28:00.000+10:00

I decided it was time to do away with the dodgy old knitting needle bag with the broken zipper and jumble of miss-matched hand-me-down needles. Surely a serious knitter needs a pretty needle roll!

I found the pattern for this one on the lupinbunny blog and used an off cut of the Missoni Home fabric Haiti that I got during my Spence & Lyda days.

It looks pretty and is much more functional than my old bag, but I did have a few issues sewing the heavy linen fabric. If I were to make it again I would only use the linen fabric on the outside of roll, I'd sew the ribbon into the seam and I would make it wider to fit more needles.

Knitting 101 - Week 1

2009-05-29T02:08:00.000+10:00

Firstly let me clarify; I know how to knit, I know how to purl, I've knitted lots of scarfs and two jumpers in my time. But now I want to learn the tricky stuff and I want to knit beautiful things that I treasure rather than hide in a drawer. I want to get as good as my mum and to be able to pass on the knowledge to my daughter and even my sisters, should they ever want to learn.

This week we covered the basic equipment needed and Mum set me some homework; to knit sample squares of the following: fan stitch, snowball, stitch, moss stitch, garter stitch, stocking stitch, single and double rib.

Having never tried my hand at lace stitches before I ambitiously started out with Snowball stitch. After three failed attempts however I moved on to Fan Stitch. After dropping a stitch a few rows in this was the result of attempt two.

I've always loved the dense texture of Moss Stitch and was surprised to find out that it was just alternating rows of knit 1, purl 1. I think I need to work on my tension but this should correct itself with a bit more practice. The abominable Snowball Stitch took me a while to get my head around, but I got there in the end and was very happy with the result. Unfortunately my ball of wool ran out with just 3 cast off stitches to go, and since it was an odd ball from mum's stash I had to splice in a different yarn to finish it off.

After knitting these 3 sample swatches I am feeling restless and need to start a project I can sink my teeth into. Mum is away at the moment so i am boldly going to attempt to start something without her...