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

 

 

Liverpool Tunic

Hmmmm. My muslin Liverpool tunic is looking suspiciously like a school uniform. Or like one of the old Qantas hostie uniforms without the style and panache of the originals!

 

Not quite the result I was looking for, but more the fault of the fabric I chose than the design itself. In fact, I'm loving the pattern! Just not loving the fabric quite as much as I obviously did when I bought it earlier this year. I reckon the Liverpool tunic is most successful when teamed with a fabric with a large scale design.

 

This version has the short sleeve intended for the hot weather but I think the elbow or 3/4 lengths would be more flattering for me next time. I have secured the ties in front for display but they are actually intended to be tied at the back.

 

And, funnily enough, it also helps if you follow the detailed instructions! I kept second guessing them a couple of times only to find out that each time I was WRONG!!

 

And so, after having a little break from this garment with just the cuffs, buttons, buttonholes and hem to finish, I shall continue on. I haven't made a shirt for about 15 years so it has been fun constructing this one. And I want to finish it. I need something new to wear!

 

At least, until I make another......

 

 

And I am still having fun sewing and not packing boxes.

 

Sam xx

Miss E's In threes cardigan

I

So, how is the knitting of Miss E's cardi proceeding? Well.....

Ta-dah!

Sort of.

Because Miss E has worn it for about the two minutes it took to organise this photo, and then she removed it, declaring she won't be wearing it again.

Oh. Oh well.

On to the next one!

pattern: in threes cardigan

yarn:     Taradale by Emotive Yarns

colour:  hibiscus

time taken: 3 weeks or so

I found the pattern very easy to follow and it knits up very quickly! Will I use it again? Yes! In fact, I had great plans to knit one for Miss M in the wool I used for her crochet hat. Only thing is, she declared she wanted something girlier, prettier.

Great! The perfect excuse to check out some different and new patterns on ravelry. Hooray!!

Sam xx

Night Time Knitting

I couldn't sleep the other night. One of the twins had woken up and needed a toilet stop, so I helped out, as you do. Afterwards, whereas she fell asleep straight away, I found myself wide awake with a brain that would not stop! What to do??

Knit!

So I did. I got up and spent a quiet hour or so working on my latest project, in threes - a baby cardigan, which I am making for Miss E. I have never knitted a top down design before and I'm loving this one. I plan to make another for Miss J, and possibly Miss M as well.

The yarn is Taradale by Emotive Yarns which I purchased from my not-so-local yarn shop (a 45 minute drive from me) and it is a 70% wool/30% soybean protein mix.  I chose it because it was the only remotely interesting thing I saw in the shop that was 10ply and I was in a "I want to knit now" mood! The colour's name is 'Hibiscus'.

I love how you never know exactly how the garment will look before you use a yarn such as this. It's exciting on both pattern and colour levels to see how it all evolves into a unique piece. The company Madelinetosh also make gorgeous variegated yarns that I am currently coveting. Maybe a beautiful yellow for Miss J's cardi?? Ooooooooo. Yummy!

So, I am having some knitting fun. And not just in the middle of the night!

Do you have a favourite variegated yarn at the moment?

Sam xx

Spot the difference

Before.....

.....a birthday present that I liked, but it was far too large and couldn't be exchanged.

After!

I took in the bodice, reset the sleeves with a slight gather in the shoulder, and then redid the skirt in the style of the Schoolhouse Tunic and the adjustments I made to the pattern to fit me.

Ta-dah!!

I'm much happier, now.

Many adventures planned for tomorrow - can't wait!

Have a lovely Easter.

Sam xx

The Perfect Tunic

Like many, I have searched for a great tunic shirt in the shops.

Actually, let's get real. No I haven't! I do not like shopping because it takes so much time. I would much rather sew a tunic instead, make a garment I really like and one that fits me. So what if I haven't sewn clothes for 15 years??

My research led me to the Liverpool Shirt. So I bought that pattern. But I wasn't quite convinced. What else is out there? Ahhh! The Schoolhouse Tunic by Sew Liberated. That looks a bit easier and less time consuming. So I bought that pattern too and I received it on Thursday.

And do you know what??

Ta-Dah!!!

Finished this morning at 7.30am, after a night dreaming (nightmaring?) about how awful the back pleat was. I had read Kate's post here about her experiences with sewing the Schoolhouse tunic, about how she needed to make alterations to her tunic before she could make it work for her body shape. Another blogger said "Yikes" when she saw the way the fabric bunched up at the back.

Yikes, indeed. I had a large blobby bit of superfluous fabric right in the sway of my back. It had to go. So, this morning, I undid that part and put two darts in instead. Muuuuuch better!!

Will I make it again? Yes, I will! I cut the pattern one size smaller than was recommended for my bust size and was very pleased that I did. It was spot on. The version I cut out was also 2 inches longer than required. I may put another inch on next time just to make sure. I found the instructions easy, although I used this tutorial to help me, as it illustrated each step clearly and in detail.

Is it my Perfect Tunic? I think it is pretty close...... I am already planning my next version.

Unravelling....

Yes, I have unravelled the mitts. What a surprise!!

I didn't like the way the sewn seam looked so I unravelled them to the point just above where the writsband is sewn in, and have continued to knit them in the round using double point needles. Much better!

And, even better than that, I have enough yarn remaining to finish the second wristband. Yay!

Now, if only I had remembered to get some buttons when I was down the hill this morning.....


Have fun!

Sam xx

Not Enough Yarn

I have been a regular knitter since I was 18 and you'd have thought I'd have learnt by now to always, ALWAYS buy more wool than the pattern states.

But not this time. No.

I began to knit these fingerless mittens from a free pattern on www.ravelry.com. They look brilliant, stylish - the perfect test for the Biggan Design wool that I received earlier this week.

The pattern requires and lists 50g of yarn. I hesitated for less than a second - the Biggan wool is only 105m. Is that enough? Must be. Let's get going! But halfway through the first of the wristband details it became clear that there is Not Enough Yarn.

Oh. Bother.What to do?

Well. I'm not ordering more. And I refuse to unravel. These little mitts will now be a very simple design. Let the wool speak for itself, I say.

But it's still frustrating!

And to be honest I did learn something new from this pattern - how to increase without leaving a largish hole behind. Handy. Pardon the pun.

Sam xx