Beanie Boys

I think the boys liked their Christmas beanies*.

What do you reckon?

Pattern found here (how I love ravelry.com!)


xx

*Early Christmas pressie giving - their family is heading to Europe on Friday.

These last two weeks - November 24

 

 

1. I finished some Christmas presents - two knitted boy beanies, and three crocheted cotton washcloths inspired by onecraftymumma's dishcloth swap;
2. We had visits from three cheeky frogs who found themselves in a supposed Shangrila, aka our girls' toilet. So ensued the 'frog check' routine, which soon lost its charm, especially at 3am. 
3. I finished another painting, "Mistaken Island";
4. Miss M's soccer wind-up was held on a magic day at Frenchman's Bay - heaps and heaps of kids of different ages, all playing together and helping each other in the water - truly awesome.
5. I finally got a much needed haircut;
6. The blue tutu-ed twins experienced their first ever concert week of dance extravaganza rehearsals and performances - all 3 and 1/2 hours of it - with great energy, excitement and success (not to mention relief on Mummy's part), and;
7. I had two of my paintings accepted for display and sale at the Albany Visitor Centre. Yay!

Busy, busy. As ever.

Life is good. Hope all is well with you.

xxx

Easy Folded Poncho #2

I finished this new Easy Folded Poncho on the weekend, knitted with a secret recipient in mind!

Pattern::   Easy Folded Poncho by Churchmouse Yarns
Yarn::      Malabrigo Silky Merino in Blackberry bought from Suzyhausfrau
Ply::         8ply
Needle::   4mm
Yardage:: 750 yards

No modifications this time.

So simple to knit, so easy to wear.

I'm already making another one!!


xx

Yarn Along

Something else cultural that I managed to experience while in Perth during the school holidays last week was, well, I read a book. These book reading moments have been scarce of late, so I took to the task with relish and read "Burial Rites" by Hannah Kent in three days.

 

It's good. Very good.

 

And there's knitting in it, too which is understandable given that the characters are holed up in Icelandic winters with little to do.... keeping hands from being idle. For very powerful reasons!

 

I loved it, I cried over it, I recommend it. So very, very well written by a talented young Australian writer.

 

 

Next to 'Burial Rites', in the photo, lies my tikkiknits Darwinia dress I am making for Miss M. It's quite a lot further along than this photo indicates as I took the shot in Perth and left the novel behind for Dad to read.

 

 

For my next reading adventure, I have been seduced by the recommendations of @cypressfoss on instagram #book_chat, that 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall' by Anne Bronte is one of her all-time classic favourites - I have purchased a copy online and am awaiting its arrival. Impatiently!

 

If you are on instagram and love books, #book_chat is a hashtag book club you need to discover - with giveaways!

 

It's so very good to be reading again!

 

 

Joining in with other Yarn Along sharing here.

 

 

xx

Darwinia Babydoll Dress Ta-dah!

 

Seriously, this was so much fun to knit! I started this as a bit of a knitalong while watching the Tour de France. The dress is finished, and the tour continues. Yay! More knitting time!!

 

Tikki Knits' Darwinia pattern is cleverly constructed in one piece from the top down, and is written in detailed instructions which kept me interested every step of the way. The design can be knitted in two style options, Babydoll and Dress, and its flexible sizing makes it adaptable for all sorts of little girl body shapes and sizes. 

 

pattern::    Darwinia by tikki knits (aka Georgie Hallam)

style::        Baby Doll version

size::         size 21 inch chest and 5 year old lengths

yarn::        Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 8 ply yarn in Sunflower

needle::    4mm, 3.25mm

yardage::  470m or so

mods::       I didn't knit the eyelet row for the ribbon - Miss J didn't want it.

 

I am really impressed with the Luxury 8ply; it's so soft and squishy, surprisingly so for such a well priced yarn.

 

And I have a very happy Miss J - if had let her, she would have worn the dress when it was still wet so I only needed to lightly block the hem, just enough so it wouldn't fold over. Now that I have made one, I have an order for another, the dress this time, from Miss M who has chosen "big girl colours", because "they are more sophisticated, Mummy!" Hilarious!!

 

Love love love this pattern!!

 

 

 

xxx

Granny's Favourite Cardi Ta-dah!

Miss E is loving her new cardi - she chose the yarn and buttons herself, so I'm hoping it means that this time she will actually wear it! And she is!! Hooray!!!

pattern::     Granny's Favourite
designer::  Georgie Hallam aka tikkiknits
yarn::         Moda Vera Pure Wool 8 ply printed from Spotlight
needle::     4mm
yardage::   5 skeins = 435 yards / 397 m

I really enjoyed knitting this pattern - it was fun and has been so well written, allowing for all ages, sizes, arm lengths and yardage. It's seamless, too! In fact, this pattern encourages that the knitter plays yarn chicken to see if they can use up all their yarn.

Fun, fun, fun! I'll be knitting this again.


xx

Great Day

The perfect morning view,

 

 

a family beach adventure,

 

 

and Knitting Club.

(or Crochet Club, or Bubbly Club, or Wine Club as some have suggested it should be called!)

 

 

A great day!

 

 

xx

Line Break Shawl Ta-dah #2

My second Line Break is now finished. Which is great, because the colder weather has arrived with a blustery blast and I get to wear my new little scarf as much as I like! Yay!!

pattern::   Line Break Shawl by Veera Välimäki
yarn::       Madelinetosh Merino Light
colour::    Charcoal (not quite as dark as the photo suggests)
needles::  4mm
yardage:: 1.6 skeins = 672 yards / 614 metres

It's so warm and cosy. Lovely! Details ravelled here.

So. What's next?

Hexagons!


Happy Mothers Day for tomorrow!


xx

Line Break Shawl Finished...

....and blocking!

 

This time I decided to dispense with the dental floss which I used last time to assist with achieving sweeping curves along the eyelet edge. I've decided that this shawl is for me, that I'll wear it as a scarf, and that having perfect eyelets is not as necessary.

 

And now the shawl is off the needles, I am having some trouble deciding what to do next.....

 

....although I can pretty much confirm that there will be some hexagon happenings in the next little while! That pile of colour I purchased last week in Perth is calling my name.....

 

 

Sam xx

Yarn Chicken

 

I've been playing yarn chicken.

 

And now, after my rather arrogant declaration at the completion of my first Line Break shawl, that I had soooo much yarn left over that I could add another section before the border, it is clearly evident that I am wrong.

 

So wrong!!

 

 

'Bok, bok, begerk!!'

 

 

xx

Rainbow Creatures

 

For a supposedly small garden we have a surprising amount of birdlife around our home; silver eye finches, blue wrens, seagulls (not so exotic), pelicans soaring above our heads.....

 

and "Rainbow Birds".

 

I think it is a rainbow lorikeet that flew into our window this morning. It lay stunned and winded on the path for a few minutes, turned itself upright, sat quietly for a few more minutes while it gathered its senses, and then, suddenly, flew away.

 

All of this was witnessed by the girls who had run into the front room to see what caused the "bang" on the window. The suspenseful moments of "will he, won't he" were accompanied by my running commentary about what was happening and what the positive and negative outcomes might be. Phew!! I am soooo glad the rainbow bird survived! 

 

 

And there are other rainbow creatures hiding in our garden - Miss E took this photo of her newly completed Rainbow Doggie as she frolicked among the foliage. Awwww! Miss E often sneaks away with my phone for her covert photo shoots. I must admit, I do love to check out the images which magically appear on my phone from one day to the next! 

 

Rainbow creatures on the rainbow coast.

pattern:: Muffin the Puppy
yarn:: assorted 4ply yarns from my stash
needle:: 3mm

A rainbow puppy sister for her birthday doggie.

 

Sam xx

New Knitting

 

I couldn't help myself - I loved the other shawl I made so much, I just HAD to cast on another Line Break shawl, once again in the lusciously beautiful Madeline Tosh Merino Light, but this time in the Charcoal colour way.

 

I was sad to see the last one go, but I am delighted it has been so enthusiastically welcomed into its new home. That it is so appreciated makes me feel good!

 

Ahhh. I do love a new project.

 

 

What projects are you undertaking at the moment?

Do you have a gorgeous yarn that you would recommend?

 

 

Happy weekending!

 

Sam xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easy Folded Poncho Ta-dah!

Ooo, it's lovely! I wore this poncho for the first time last night to warm myself up - I had been sitting on the couch completely absorbed in the little hat I was crocheting when I suddenly realised I was cold. Very cold! Poncho to the rescue!

 

Pattern::   Easy Folded Poncho by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas

Yarn::      Rowan Felted Tweed DK in Carbon. Lovely blue undertone to the grey. Bit scratchy on

                exposed skin. I would use the suggested alpaca yarn next time.

Needles:: 4 mm

Yardage:: 6.5 skeins = 1242 yards / 1136 m

Mods::      I added 10cm to the width and 20cm to the length, which I felt would be a better fit for

                 a…..hehem….. more solid girl. It worked.

 

This pattern is certainly very easy with lots of lovely stocking stitch....lots and LOTS of stocking stitch! I did find myself getting a teensy bit bored by it but, admittedly, it was the perfect mindless knitting project for TV watching. Just make sure to stop and measure towards the end or you may find you do too much.....

 

Anyhoo, now I am working on a couple of smaller projects for the girls. I was told off for spending too much time working on projects for myself! Miss J has chosen a hat, Miss E would like a rainbow doggie to match her birthday present, and Miss M would like me to sew a new dress for her. Oh, for some mindless stocking stitch.....

 

Have a beautiful Easter holiday, everyone.

 

 

Sam xx

 

Line Break Shawl Ta-dah!

My mother-in-law isn't convinced by this asymmetrical knit.

 

"I think you've done something wrong there, Sam."

 

It's meant to be like that!

 

And even though I was also dubious at the beginning, I am totally convinced now. When this piece is draped around the neck as a scarf, the eyelets in the design follow and accentuate the contours. In addition, the ends fall in waves of flowing folds. It is, if I may say so, rather gorgeous!

 

The Madelinetosh Merino Light yarn is divinely soft, and is a perfect choice for this piece.

 

Pattern::        Line Break

Yarn::           Madelinetosh Merino Light

Colourway:: Lustre

Needles::      4mm

Modifications :: Rather than follow the pattern's directions to knit in garter stitch, I used stocking stitch. This resulted in a smaller scarf than I was expecting and, as a result, if I were to knit this again I would include another repeat of the eyelet section before beginning the border as I had plenty of yarn left.

 

Love it - and I hope its recipient does too!

Project ravelled here.
 

 

Sam xx

 

 

 

 

Line Break Blocking

 

 

One of my new knitting group* and I have been discussing the delights and joys of blocking. She never has. Blocked, that is. And I always have, although not always with the greatest of success, but I do find on the whole that my knitted garments are only finished to the best of their potential once they have been blocked. So I am a definite blocker!

 

My usual method has been to pin my knitted pieces out on the ironing board and then to steam them with an iron and damp cloth. For bigger garments, this was never possible, and I used to wet the piece then lay it out on towels laid out on the carpet, which is what I learnt to do when I was living with a family of mad keen knitters in Austria while on Exchange**. Now I lay my sexy printing blanket on the outside table and use that to block my big knitted pieces, which is what I have been doing today.

 

My latest project, a Line Break shawl designed by Veera Välimäki, needed some more thought in regards to blocking. I don't have any blocking wires - didn't even know what they were until recently - but I used a technique suggested on the Rain Knitware Designs group on ravelry.com, namely to thread a non-stretching nylon through the eyelets on the outside and bottom edges to support the shape of the shawl.

 

It worked to a degree, but I found that in order to achieve the shape I really desired, I resorted to using pins as well, although I did find that the dental floss thread helped to support the edges so I didn't get too many pointy bits where the pins were inserted.

 

Blocking has completely changed the size and shape of this shawl for the better as it was a bit on the small size before. I had plenty of the second skein of Madelinetosh Merino Light left - if I were to knit it again in stocking stitch I would do an extra repeat section before the eyelet border. In this case, however, I don't think that a smaller shawl will be an issue -  its future recipient is more likely to use it as a scarf!

 

Back on track!

 

Sam xx

 

 

*Knitting group is awesome! Can't wait to go again!!

**A veeery long time ago!! They were the ones who also taught me to knit in the continental style, holding the yarn in your left hand, much the same as crocheting - or at least, the way I crochet.



Autumn Leaves Scarf

I'm keeping this one!

Pattern::  Autumn Leaves Stole
Yarn::      Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed
Colour::   Posy
Needle::   5mm
Size::       18 1/2 x  85 inches (47 x 110cm)

For a shawl, I would be inclined to widen the design, but at this size, it makes a fantastic scarf!

Love it!


Other Creative Spaces shared here.


Sam xx

New Knitting

It's official - I do not like garter stitch!

Actually, it's my hands that don't like it. After casting on my latest knitting project, Line Break, and knitting 20 rows or more, my hands cramped up. So, frog it I did, casting on again and knitting the shawl in stocking stitch.

Ahhhh! That's better!!

This yarn is Madeline Tosh Merino Light in Luster, one of my online yarn purchase colour mishaps*, but it's perfect for this project and for its intended recipient.

I'm just about to begin the short row section for the first time - and for my first time ever doing short rows!

And I'm having fun!


Sam xx


PS The plums in the photo are one of my roadside farm stall finds - I have plummy plans in mind!

* Obviously, I did NOT learn that lesson!

Knitting WIP

 

 

When I was packing up my wool stash for the move, I had to ask myself if I was seriously going to use it all. Some incomplete projects just didn't make the grade - the colour was wrong, the yarn wasn't right - and were gifted to the local op shop. Other yarn, such as this beautiful Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed that I bought 12 years ago, just had to come with me.

 

My initial aborted attempts to use this wool included an aran knit jumper and, when that didn't grab me, I then tried it in a jacket, but it wasn't to be.

 

And so last year, I tried again, and used 9 of the skeins to knit my first Mara Shawl for one of my buddies. Which then left me with eight skeins. Hmmm. Not quite enough to knit another Mara. But, after another lengthy ravelry.com pattern search (which I loooove to do), I discovered that eight skeins would be quite enough to make this pattern - Autumn Leaves Stole by Jared Flood.

 

So, I'm feeling good - I'm destashing!

 

And I'm knitting, which always makes me feel good!

 

 

Are you destashing?

 

 

Sam xx

 

Beanie

 

What a great little pattern this is - Snowflakes on Mulberries Hat designed by Amy Klimt. Fun to knit, quick, with top quality results. My only modification was to knit 17.5cm before beginning the decreases, allowing the wearer (in this case, G) to fold the lower edge up as much as he likes.

 

Knitted in Bendigo Woollen Mills Rustic 8ply in Graphite - grey, with an underlying blue hue, and oh so artfully modeled by G, while distracted by the cricket on telly!!

 

Hoping you all had a lovely weekend!

 

Sam xx

 

 

Mara Shawl #3

 

 

I seem to be addicted to the rhythmical loveliness of the Mara shawl pattern, because this is my third. Knitted in Bendigo Woollen Mills Classic 8 ply in Charcoal, 180 rows were knitted in stocking stitch before beginning the K1P1 ribbed section. And, having stated before that I prefer the cast off method recommended in the pattern instructions, I shall have to renege on that! I'll be going back to Jenny's surprisingly stretchy cast off next time.

 

Shall I knit another Mara? Absolutely! But not just yet - I have started a beanie for G using some of the other Bendigo wool I received last year. And in addition to that, I have been thinking about the practicality of a poncho for me, now that we live in cooler climes...... any excuse will do!

 

More sharing of Creative Spaces here.

 

 

Sam xx