Rowanberry

Little Sister's Dress

2010-12-11T09:07:00.000-08:00

It's finished! And just in time, as the baby's due in 3 days. I promise not to make the baby wear it if it's a boy though!

This is my version of the Little Sister's Dress by the genius Tora Frøseth in the 3-month size.

This dress went much faster than I expected, given the 5ply yarn and small needle.

I'm pleased to say there were no problems to report, just a beautiful and very clever pattern. I have experimented with this purl and knit striping technique in small hats before, and enjoy the effect it gives.

I actually didn't make any modifications at all with this pattern.

I did however use three buttons instead of the recommended two as the flower-shaped mother-of-pearl ones I wanted to use were quite small, and the dress looked better overall with three.

I'm very pleased with the result. I've been meaning to make this ever since coming across the pattern years ago. Now I had the perfect excuse!

Another bonus of this dress is that it starts off as a dress, then grows with the baby, becoming a tunic and then a top: very clever.

Helen's Blanket

2010-12-10T10:30:00.000-08:00

I just realised that I never got around to posting about this FO that I made a couple of months ago.

This is my version of the Cuddly Cotton Baby Blanket by Whitney Van Nes from the Purl Soho blog.

My friend Louise wanted a blanket for her Sister Helen who was expecting a baby. Well, the baby girl arrived safely and Louise gave her the blanket, but I hadn't posted because Louise hadn't given Helen the blanket yet and her sisters have been known to read this blog occasionally!

Anyway, knitted in butter-soft Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, this was a quick knit, which would have worked for a boy or girl.

The only modoification I made was to pick up and knit the yellow edging. The pattern had called for knitting one very long snaky piece of fabric that would have to be attached, which I thought unnecessary, and I'm sure it worked out much quicker for me in the end.

Like the Lanesplitter skirt which I had made immediately before this blanket, this was knitted on the diagonal, adding one stitch each row until the half-way point, then decreasing one stitch each row until you finished. It's a lovely way of knitting, and the fabric grows quickly.

I was particularly pleased with the softness of the yarn, which I have used before in other projects; it's perfect for a baby and yet is still washable.

Beautiful Booties

2010-12-10T09:59:00.000-08:00

Look: beautiful booties in a lovely Christmassy colour. Lovingly made by Louise's Mum for the baby. Aren't they gorgeous!

Ho ho ho.

A Tale of Two Berets

2010-12-06T07:40:00.000-08:00

A little while ago, my friend Louise, my best commissioner by far, asked me for a beret. Had I had more time, I would have come up with a design of my own to reflect her wishes, but given that time was running out before the baby came, I decided to follow a pattern this time, and give her the beret for her Birthday.

Now, I'm afraid I didn't get it finished in time for her Birthday, but it was a belated present. Above is my version of the Soft Linen Lace Beret, by Meg Myers which Louise had found the pattern for and liked. I made it in Rowan Cashsoft DK.

It was an easy and quick project (aren't they the best?!), taking a week. I followed the pattern to the letter, and was pleased with the overall result.

When we had originally been looking for a beret which Louise would like, she emailed me a photo of a cabled one from a shop. I looked around and found a similar pattern, which would do. Ordinarily I would have improvised one of my own to suit the exact item she was looking for, but time wasn't on my side.

Voila, the Grey Beret, my version of the Cabled Beret, by Ashley Elva. I hadn't used the yarn before, Louisa Harding Thistle (aran) and liked the way it knitted up, so may well use it in future.

This one was even quicker. The only modifications I made were to skip a whole cable repeat and reduce the no. decrease rounds at the crown, because it would have ended up being too slouchy (not what Louise wanted in this case).

Again, I'm pleased with this one, a two-day project. And more to the point, Louise likes both.

Meanwhile, back to the Little Sister Dress. I have a feeling I'm going to still be on this one when I'm in labour, but they do recommend doing something to take your mind off the pain!

Happy Christmas, Joyeux Noel, Buon Natale, Frohe Weinachten...

2010-12-03T07:46:00.000-08:00

I don't know any more greetings!

Surprise Baby Shower

2010-12-03T02:17:00.001-08:00

At Knit Night on Tuesday, everyone surprised me with a Baby Shower! I don't know how they kept it secret, but I really had no idea, and I was so touched.

It was lovely; everyone had made their own knitted presents for the baby. Above is Sian's brilliant dinosaur.

These are Lizzie's adorable green mittens, perfect for this weather.

This is Heather's bunny, which doubles as a blankie: how clever.

Don't you love Jayne's teddy? He came in a little box all of his own, and is quite small so perfect for little hands to grasp.

Toad made this beautiful, soft-as-a-feather alpaca hat. Toad is our expert resident spinner and (forgive me Toad for using the wrong terminology) blended two natural alpaca wools in brown and cream/white, then spun them to create a dreamy graduated effect when she knitted it up.

How clever, and it looks and feels so wonderful!

This is a very sweet little Zebra from Icy.

Really everyone, I was so happy to receive these beautiful and thoughtful gifts, and I know the
baby will be too when it arrives.

It's snowing in London! How exciting; this means Christmas is really on its way.

The tree's up and decorated and when I've taken some photos I'll post them.

Nesting, Part II

2010-11-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

All the eensy weensy clothes and bedlinen are washed and put away in lined drawers. We're getting ready here in Brook Green.

My parents came to stay last week which was wonderful. I made Bramble Fool:

We had a great week shopping and gallery-visiting. They are two extremely excited grandparents-to-be!

DH gave me some beautiful pale pink/white roses tinged in green:

The Baby's Room is coming together, with all the furniture built. Toys, baby wipes and bedlinen have not been taken out yet, but all in good time.

In the meantime, I am about 3 rows away from finishing Louise's beret, but have inconveniently run out of yarn (which shouldn't have happened according to the pattern). This means another trip into town just to get one ball, so I'll probably go tomorrow. It's cold here in London and she'll need a good head-warmer ASAP.

The Little Sister Dress is on hold in the meantime. More on that next time.

Nesting

2010-11-21T02:41:00.000-08:00

Can you guess what this is?

This is going to be a Little Sister Dress, by Tora Froseth. I've been wanting to make one for forever, and now I have an excuse! Of course, we don't know the sex of the baby yet, so if it's a boy I promise I won't force him to wear this!

However, this project will have to go on hold because up next is a beret for Louise in navy.

Meanwhile, having some time on my hands now that I'm on Maternity Leave, I've been doing lots of things around the house.

These are garlic and oregano croutons all safely packed up in the freezer to go with some parsnip and honey soup that I've also frozen (there's enough soup to get us through the next three winters!).

Chilli is next on the menu, and I'll be making extra quantities to freeze for those nights to come when we just don't have the time (or energy) to cook.

My little brother Rory and his girlfriend Rachel came to stay last week for his birthday so I made some blueberry muffins:

Back to the needles now, and I must pack the hospital bag!

Lanesplitter

2010-10-31T11:22:00.000-07:00

This is my Lanesplitter from Knitty First Fall 2010, which I actually finished a couple of months ago. I've just had it blocked and waiting for me to get round to threading the elastic through the waist band.

Being 8.5 months pregant at the moment, I'm afraid I can't model it for you as the bump wasn't taken into account when making my usual size! Some time after Christmas I should be able to wear it though.

There are lots of other great versions out there, and it was hard choosing the colour(s)! As always with Noro, the thrill is in waiting to see what colour combinations arise. In this pattern, the excitement is increased by alternating two balls at the same time. I know some people carefully chose when are where to start a new ball, and cut out sections they felt didn't work, but I just went with it and watched to see what would happen.

I'm pleased with the result. Above is the seam, which would be impossible to match up colourwise. I can't decide whether to wear the seam at the back or side.

It's basically one long rectangle, which is knit on the diagonal, so you begin by increasing at regular intervals to the mid point, then decreasing down to a point at the other end, all the while alternating every two rows with stocking and garter stitch.

Enjoy the magical Noro colour graduations...

Just a Teaser...

2010-10-31T11:20:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you anything about this one yet, though it's been finished for several weeks. More news later in the month probably x

Getting Ready...

2010-10-31T11:07:00.000-07:00

I'm officially on Maternity Leave (Friday was my last day)! DH hung the blind in the Baby's room today, and I tried to help.

I think the reality of being off work, and why I'm going to be off work is just beginning to sink in! Such exciting times; only 6 weeks and a couple of days to go. All the furniture and other bits and bobs arrive tomorrow, so I'll have more photos for you then.

In the meantime I'll leave you with an elephant tipping a hot air balloon...

Cabled Blanket

2010-09-26T06:32:00.001-07:00

It's finally finished!

Bigger than I expected and wanted, but I'll blame the yarn for that. It's as if it was Superwash, though it wasn't. Still, I'm happy with it.

I'll let the photos do the talking:

Finito!

2010-09-18T08:28:00.001-07:00

The blanket's O(ff)TN and blocking. What a relief! I enjoyed it and I'm happy with it, but definitely ready now to move on to new things. It turned out much larger when I'd soaked it; I actually wish I'd just left it without blocking, but too late now.

More on that when it's dry and I can take some good photos.

This is my new project. I'll let you guess what it is. Toad's doing one too, and I already love it!

The Cotswolds

2010-09-05T01:40:00.000-07:00

DH and I nipped off to the Cotswolds last week for a last getaway while it's just the two of us.

The sun was shining, we were in our new car and we had a lovely time. We stayed in this lovely little place in Kingham (above). Amaaazing food!

We visited Blenheim Palace one day...

... and wandered through the beautiful gardens for ages.

See how hot it was? Lavendar filled the air.

Back at home I made a plum and sour cream tart for DH's picnic that we're going to this afternoon.

This is something I've made a million times, and is extremely easy so let me know if you'd like the recipe.

Saartje's Booties

2010-09-04T10:41:00.001-07:00

These are my version of Saartje's Booties by a very clever knitter named Saartje.

This time I used a larger needle (3mm), as my first attempt a year ago (using the prescribed 2.5mm needle) resulted in far too small a shoe (the bootie was small enough to enclose a grape!). They are now rather large, but will perhaps do for a 6-months old baby.

This pattern has been top of my queue for years, so I’m glad I finally got round to making the booties. It has to be one of the most popular patterns on Ravelry, so I'm glad I could make my contribution.

Do you like the little mother-of-pearl flower buttons? Believe it or not, they actually came from my button stash. I did not buy new buttons!

The yarn you may recognise, as I have previously made Umbilical Cord Hats and my-own-pattern booties in it (as gifts for other people). It's Malabrigo Worsted in Amoroso, a spicy red that changes to orange, pink and purple. Although good in Stocking Stitch, I think the little bumps of Garter Stitch really shows this yarn off best.

One bootie is not as pefect as the other as I used the yarn frogged from the earlier bootie (see above); perhaps I should have ironed it before re-using it.

However, I'm really happy with them, and they will look lovely on a little girl if that's what we have, and will co-ordinate with the matching Umbilical Cord Hat I made years ago in the same yarn.

No Knitting For Now...

2010-08-29T01:56:00.000-07:00

As I plod on with the blanket, I'll update you on the baby's room. DH and I are currently trying to work out where best to place furniture. DH cunningly came up with a plan on graph paper (no, I didn't let him borrow my special knitting graph paper), and even cut out moveable furniture pieces.

Since then, he has become even more manly, and mapped out the shapes on the floor of the room.

Pea and spinach fritatta I made last week for dinner.

I'm about two thirds of my way through the blanket, and progress is going quickly now. DH and I are going to the Cotswolds this week for a last break as just the two of us, so I should be able to make some progress on the blanket then.

See you when we get back.

What's New?

2010-08-14T02:40:00.001-07:00

Yes, I know: it doesn't look like much, but I thought I'd better show you what I'm working on while it's in progress, as it'll be a while before I can show you photos of it finished.

This is the Cabled Baby Blanket from Simply Baby. I really thought I'd get fed up with all of those cables, and the fact that there isn't a single area of mindless stocking stitch where I can catch up in speed, but in fact I'm really enjoying it. I've always loved cables, and these ones are forming a nice visual pattern. The wool is very soft and it's going to be very snuggly for a little one.

Here are the cables up close. I'm knitting much looser than I normally would so that it stretches well when I block it. I don't want it to end up handkerchief-sized!

I promise to document my progress on this WIP.

Above is the most wonderful pompom, designed and made by my friend Louise's Sister Ruth. She's so talented; I just think this is the most original idea. I've been meaning to show it to you for ages, but kept forgetting.

It hangs in our bedroom and brightens even the most grey morning!

Ruth has just had a little boy, and people are always encouraging her to sell her goods more; maybe she'll have some time now. I hope she does; she deserves to get credit for her creations. If so, I'll let you know where you can buy them (they come in all sorts of colours, shapes and sizes).

Araucania Rainbows

2010-08-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

Do you like these miniature socks? They're really, really tiny, and took very little time to make - bonus! They're baby-sized and I'm not sure how long it will take before a newborn outgrows them, but I really don't mind. I just couldn't resist knocking up a quick pair.

So that's what I did yesterday...

They're Great Baby Socks, aka North Country Cotton Socks from Cherry Tree Hill Yarns. The pattern calls for a "light worsted", but I made these in Araucania Ranco Multy, which my Mum gave me as a present when I was last up in Scotland.

The colours are so beautiful, though like Koigu the yarn is nicer up close than from a distance.

There's not much to say about these, as they're so tiny and were so quick to make that the whole pair went by in a few hours. I would recommend the pattern though. I can't say enough how refreshing it is to read a pattern which has no mistakes.

Edited to add: the only modification I made was to use Magic Loop instead of DPN's.

The other point I would make is that they're great to make if you've never made socks before. They take you right through the entire construction process, in exactly the same way that adult socks are constructed. There's no complicated, reinforced slip-stitch heel or anything, but that's not exactly required for someone who won't be puitting any weight on their feet for a while! I feel this way about most garments. Jumpers and cardigans are the same: they're constructed in the same way, but you see the results so much quicker and the entire process is therefore more enjoyable.

I can't wait to see these little socks on our newborn when the time comes. In the meantime they're joining the ever-growing pile of baby FO's!

Doughnut Peaches

2010-08-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

Now you may not know just how much DH and I like our peaches, but these are particularly good. They're called Doughnut Peaches and I've only ever had them in France and Italy before but they seem to have made it over to Portobello Market in London now. White flesh and pink, pink skins are the best combination, though I don't mind yellow peaches at all, either. Or nectarines mind you (white or yellow).

Anyway, these are flat, not round and very juicy. Rebecca at work very kindly brought them in one morning and I sent her off for another load the next day to get DH and me through the weekend. Have a peachy day x

Let's Swing

2010-08-07T05:31:00.000-07:00

It's finished! This is my version of the Swing Jacket by Chesley Flotten from my Mum's book, Soft & Simple Knits for Little Ones by Heidi Boyd.

It has a sweet little I-cord tie as a closure...

... fluted sleeves which echo the swing back,

and it's edged in garter stitch round the sides and bottom.

The neckline is edged in what looks like an I-cord bind-off but but it's actually 6 rows of garter stitch.
Knitted top-down, it suited me because as you know I like to make things in one piece, which this is, and it’s unusual to find a pattern like that (usually I convert them all).

Although pleased with the result, I didn’t enjoy this knit as much as I wanted to. And I was knitting in Aran and big needles (usually my favourite). This may partly be because I knitted it far too long and had to frog about 8 inches of the entire jacket!

Despite following the pattern to the letter, the stitch count did not match at the point when you divide the sleeves from the body. I fudged it and went with my count, because the pattern count just didn’t work. Everything else was fine though.

I love the way the back kicks out; this is a style that really suits adults, and I'm sure will look lovely on a little one-year-old. Can you see in the photo below, the way you increase around three stitches in the centre of the back as you work down the garment? It's very neat and looks good.

This was not my favourite knit, but I'm pleased with the outcome, and I think it will look great on (probably in the winter due to the weight of the yarn). By the way, I used Artesano Alpaca in Aran. I have used their alpaca many times before, and like it, but only in finer weight, so I was delighted when I found this while I was in Scotland. It was really the colour that drew me, but the softness, halo and weight were also great.

Can you see the resemblance between the blue yarn and blueberries (something I eat far too much of)?

Now the little jacket is finished I've started working on a white cabled blanket (from Debbie Bliss' Simply Baby - what a useful book!). More news on that soon (or at least when I've made more progress than a garter edge and first cable repeat). In case you're wondering why I've made so many knitted baby items, DH and I are expecting our first baby! It's due in December (so it could be a Christmas baby). It's currently a very exciting place here at Rowanberry HQ.

Harris

2010-07-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

A dreamy week in photographs...

Wild, windswept white sands edge the entire west coast of Harris.

See, the sun did come out.

Would you look at those grey rain clouds!

The colours were beautiful.

Fishing boat at Rodel, the most Southernly point of the island, where we were staying.

The pier at Rodel.

St Clement's Church, a 16th Century little gem.

Summery meadow at Huishnish, on our favourite day.

Cotton flowers abounded...

... as did irises...

... and waterlillies, in every pond, puddle and lochan.

Holiday Part II

2010-07-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

Summer cherries. Brought home on Monday night by DH. Lovely.

The second week in Scotland was spent with my family in Speyside. Much knitting was done, amongst lots of other wonderful activities.

Our friend Sheena gave me her 1950's editions of Vogue and others that she had been given by her friend Jessie. They're so interesting and fun to browse through. Bed-jacket with sleeves that extend into gloves, anyone? Mohair "thorn" crown?

My Mum sent me home with the most beautiful Araucania skein hidden in my luggae. What a treat! I've never bought this before, but have always wanted to try it, and these colours are so tantilising. I feel a pair of miniature socks coming on...

I had already bought in Three Bags Wool (the best ever shop, and now in a larger, better shop space in Craigellachie). This is destined for a sweet little cardie from an edition of The Knitter.

I also bought some pure white merino for a cabled blanket from Simply Baby.

My Mum is making the most adorable sleepy suit in aqua and off-white alpaca - the softest ever!

We cooked a lot together while I was there, which I always love so much. This is a poached salmon for friends who came over, garnished with nasturtiums.

Followed by a strawberry and lemon tart, which looked like Strawberry Shortcake, and was deeelicious.

I didn't want to leave!

So what's OTN? This is a clue...

... I'll leave you to guess, but it's Artesano Alpaca in Aran, a lovely powder blue. Progress is going well, but not as quickly as I would have hoped, given the weight of the yarn.

Back soon with more knitting updates, I'm sure.

Provence Cardigan

2010-07-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

This is the Provence Cardigan by Cecily Glowik MacDonald for Classic Elite Yarns.

Though I loved the teal version in the original pattern, I happened to have this fuschia in my stash (are we all proud of my stash-busting?!).

I'm really pleased with this. I made the 6-9 months size (I'm covering all ranges of sizing at the moment).

It's a fast, easy, delightful knit, with just a little lace to make it interesting. Notice the leaves at the bottom of the two fronts? I'm not mad about lace, but this little detail is subtle and really finishes the piece off perfectly. The leaves are so sweet and pretty.

It's edged in moss stitch at the ends of the sleeves and bottom of the cardigan. You'll notice the neck edge has a garter edging instead. I had originally immediately decided to convert the neck edge to moss stitch to mirror the rest of the garment, but in reality this would lead to all sorts of messy stitches and fudging around the corners. The garter that the designer used works so much better and she was right to do it.

As you may already have guessed, I converted this pattern to knit it in one piece, merely picking up stitches around the arm-holes to create the sleeves. As usual, I'm pleased I did that, as it makes everything go so much quicker, results in no seaming and I think little bodies would appreciate not having abrasive edges inside the cardigan rubbing against their skin.

There was a minor issue with the sleeves as I of course had to reverse the shaping as I knit them first of all top down, and second of all in the round. They worked out perfectly though.

I seamed the tops using Mattress Stitch, but could have easily done a 3-Needle Bind-Off, and that may have been even neater; I do love a good 3-needle bind-off. Oh well, next time.

I will almost definitely make another one, probably in a larger size and perhaps in lavender, teal or powder blue. This pattern seems to look good in every colour.

Lastly, before I sew them on, can I ask you for your advice: the buttons. All through knitting this cardigan, which only took about a week (and remember I only have evenings free to knit), I had imagined it with mother-of-pearl buttons. I had imagined little heart ones. Can you believe that in the huge button stash I didn't have anything suitable, (only little flower-shaped mother-of-pearl ones that were too small)? What a shame, I had to go and source some new ones! Of course, I knew exactly where to go and as soon as I got back from my holiday, snatched them up on Monday at lunchtime.

I'd be grateful if you would take a look at the following options, and let me know your feelings. I am now leaning strongly towards the round ones, as I feel the hearts could distract from the leaves in the cardigan, which should really be the only decorative feature. Anyway, I'd appreciate your opinions:

Option One, Mother-of-Pearl Hearts:

Option Two, Mother-of-Pearl Rounds:

Or something else altogether?

Baby Shrug

2010-07-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

This is the Baby Shrug by Debbie Bliss from Simply Baby.

This is the most wonderful book. I want to make almost everything in it, which is a miracle considering I bought it without having seen it beforehand. I already have the yarn (yes of course, new purchases - yarn ban, what yarn ban?) for a couple of other projects, including a striped jumper. I have also got this yarn, Cashmerino Aran in dusty pink to make a larger version of the same bolero. I had never bought a Debbie Bliss book before, never mind a baby one, as I'd been saving this as a treat over the years. Now I'm so glad I've finally succumbed.

The Cashmerino Aran is the softest, most beautiful yarn and knits up so well (and quickly - bonus); I can't believe I haven't knitted with it before. This little shrug, size 3-6 months took two evenings when DH and I were on holiday.

Don't you love the lavendar colour? I wasn't sure when I picked it out as I don't normally go for this colour, but I'm so in love with it now!

When I was making it I couldn’t see how the sleeves were going to be long enough for arms, but they worked out fine. You knit the entire garment in one piece (can you see why I chose this pattern?!). Actually I chose it before I read through the pattern, and the one-piece-factor was a pleasant bonus. Then you just pick up stitches almost all around to create the ribbed edging. Sounds complicated, but wasn't in the slightest.

Sewing up the sides under the arms was a bit tricky. They aren’t the same length, so they’re gathered a bit at the back under the arm, but I think it’ll be fine when it’s on.

My only criticism of my version is that the front of mine looks curvier than the rounded curve of that in the book, but I didn't go wrong anywhere according to the pattern, and followed it faithfully. I'm sure it will straighten itself out once it's on a little body.

Friendship Booties

2010-07-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

Friendship Booties by Lorna Miser (yes, she of Lorna's Laces fame) from Faith, Hope, Love, Knitting.
How sweet are these? My friend Jayne says I made her cry when she saw the photos! They're so tiny, and will encompass a newborn foot so well. All you need to do is tie the ribbon snuggly.

Now, I know they're not a complex pattern and won't fit for very long; they're just a bit of fun but I enjoyed making them and am really pleased with the result.

Each booty is basically a square of knitted fabric, with eyelets along two opposite sides, through which you thread your choice of ribbon. I chose a rainbow stripe that I happened to have in my ribbon stash. Yes, you've guessed it, for as long as I've had the button problem, I've had a ribbon stash, though I wouldn't say it's quite as serious... yet. (You need only search the blog for the word button to find the myriad posts dedicated to the wondrous things!).

The ribbon is very girly, though it could have been worse (I have metres of pink gingham, grosgrain pink edged in dashed white lines, even birds and hearts). For a boy I would change the ribbon (fear not, boys are also catered for in the ribbon section).

Although I'm not religious in any way (the book is quite spiritual), I really fell in love with the ethos behind this book , when I found it when on holiday in the States last year: as Lorna says, "Each story has a knitting project that relates to that friendship". Though there are a few projects in the book which don't appeal to my personal taste, the story behind these miniature booties really touched me.

Though I can't put it as well as her, when Lorna designed these booties she had recently started looking after bunnies with a friend, with the aim of using their fur to spin and knit with. Thus the angora became these little booties for three new Mums when Lorna had her first daughter, along with two others who became friends. One of the other Mums took to the spinning and dyeing of Lorna's angora so much that she eventually set up a knitting and spinning business with Lorna. Apparently their daughters are still friends today, ever since they met in their little angora booties as newborns.

I didn't use pure angora, but Sirdar Snuggly instead as I was struggling to find bulky weight angora. However, they're still extremely soft, snuggly and sufficiently fuzzy to have that "aaww" factor!

Elfin

2010-07-22T10:49:00.000-07:00

This is Elfin by Woolly Wormhead from her inspirational Wee Woolly Toppers book.

I made the biggest size, 6-12 months, thinking it would be fun for a little boy when he grows a bit.

I love the way the colours merge into each other (ah, the magic of Noro), although again there was some minor colour selection from me.

It's a great shape, and should keep a little head warm.

I'd recommend this pattern. It's a quick and easy knit in a 1x1 rib, with some clever decreasing (to account for the rib) at the crown. I really love Woolly Wormhead's hats. She a genius in headgear! I've also made Buzzbee from the same book before, and have my eye on some more, Tubey and Doodie amongst others.

I'm sure it will look much better when it's on a head, I'm afraid the grapefruit I tried to photograph it on just wasn't cutting it!

Baby Beanie

2010-07-22T10:27:00.000-07:00

This is a teeny-weeny newborn hat for a little one (most definitely a girl!).

I knocked it up myself and am quite pleased with it. The colours in the silk garden help of course, but I have to admit that I did what I never do, and what my Mum always does, and cut out the colours which I thought clashed or were too dull. This resulted in a fun rainbow stripe, with colours slightly blended into each other.

This is the crown: just a simple decrease. I could haved added a little I-cord, pompom or loop at the top, but liked it in its own simplicity. What do you think?

Little Bo Peep

2010-07-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

These are the matching/contrasting Baby Bonnets from Last Minute Hand-Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. Yes, that book again; it really is that good, believe me!

I made them in Rowan Kid Classic, a wool/mohair/nylon mix that I have previously used for the Red Side-slip Cloche, amongst other things. I wanted natural colours, and you can hardly call the heather colour natural, but it's a soft hue and looks beautiful in person.

There's a lovely old-fashioned feel to this pattern. I had worried that it just wouldn't translate in today's modern fast-paced world, but you can modernise-it-up. Some of the kids on Ravelry are really rocking it!

It's a very easy construction to learn, and I polished both bonnets off in a weekend (a weekend which was also filled with other activities, so they don't take a whole weekend!).

The garter edging is very pretty, don't you agree? I also learned the applied I-cord binding which I had wanted to try for ages. This was a really good project for it.

Each bonnet uses much less than a ball, so you can easily get the two bonnets out of the two balls, with lots left over. I may make some matching mittens; my only worry would be that they could be a little itchy for tiny hands. We'll see.

Next up, expect something in Shocking Pink! It's almost finished; I'm just working on a sleeve.

Bear with me while DH and I take a well-earned rest over the next couple of weeks. We're off to the isle of Harris, followed by some time with my family in Speyside. Bliss; can't wait.

Shock Horror, Actual Knitting

2010-07-01T11:09:00.000-07:00

This is the Child's Placket Neck Pullover from Last Minute Hand-Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.

I made it a couple of weeks ago but hadn't got round to blocking it. We like? I love!

The pattern is brilliantly written, like everything else in the book. Fans of this blog will know that I've made many of the projects from it already. It really is the best book, and my go-to-pattern-source for new inspiration.

My favourite part is probably the miniature orange buttons, which really lift the jumper. It was a great fun, easy and quick knit and I'd love to do another some time.

As always, moss-stitch is such a great "edger" to a garment. It's always been my favourite, though garter-stitch can also look just as effective. You may have noticed that I have a little crimped edge to this jumper. This was not intentional; I merely threaded the blocking wires* through every other, rather than every stitch. I'll probably re-block to make it look smoother, but it's no biggie.

* I really can't believe I waited until fairly recently to succumb to the wires. I ordered these from The Loop in Islington (now Camden Passage) and they have revolutionised my garments and the entire way I approach blocking; what a life-saver! Get them, if you can.

Do you like the raglan sleeves? I'm really pleased with the way they turned out. The pattern appealed to my love for knitting in the round, and I did the same with the sleeves (which wasn't in the pattern), then joined them on the one needle, reducing stitches towards the neck opening as I went.

I think an orange one with perhaps green buttons would also look good. Probably one day, but I have a huge list of projects waiting to be done.

Mid-June Update

2010-06-26T07:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of knitting over the last few weeks. I don't have anything to show you today, but does it help that I have 3 FO's blocking and one OTN which is almost finished? Should have some photos and reports for you very soon. Watch this space...

In the meantime, I leave you with Summer raspberries.

Quilts

2010-06-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

Well my weekend got off to a great start. This morning some of us from Hammersmith Stitch N' Bitch went to the fantastic Quilts exhibition at the V&A.

It was a beautiful sunny day...

... and we saw some amazing, intricate quilts.

The exhibition is focused mainly on British quilts and starts back in 1700, working its way through to the present day.

Photographs were not allowed so I managed to sneak some in without a flash, but missed most of the older, more traditional ones.

The blue and red patchwork one above was made in Cardigan, Wales in the 1860's.

Up close they are all incredibly detailed and eqsuisitely put together.

The floral cotton one above uses the Union Jack motif, which you notice more from a distance. Although not a fan of this flag, I absolutely loved the way this quilt-maker/artist achieved a fresh, contemporary feel by using bright, modern fabrics with a more modern pattern, yet still completely rooted in the tradition of quilt-making.

This detail is from a quilt made by the Canadian Red Cross during the 2nd World War and gifted to a family in London whose home had been destroyed (in fact each of the children in the family received one). I love that this was part of the effort played by Canada in a war so far from home.

It also reminded me how often quilts are given as gifts of comfort. Their use is almost always consoling and protective, be it for the sick, newly-born or beloved family member. This is a tradition that runs through the entire history of the quilt, as I learned today.

I was lucky to have with me Heather who, having quilted before, knows a vast amount about the technical side. Helen was also greatly inspired, and I'm really looking forward to seeing her creations after she moves back to New Zealand on Thursday.

For my part, although I dabbled in some piecework at the age of about 10, I really can't ever see myself making a quilt (unless it was the size of a doll's cot perhaps!). I admire immensely the skill that the women (and men - often soldiers) invested in this craft, but can't imagine I would ever have enough ability.

So although I did buy some limited-edition V&A printed fabric which was made especially for the exhibition, don't worry, I will not be moving away from my true love of knitting. My dress-making class is going well; I have learned a lot and am enjoying myself, but I certianly don't feel the confidence I have with a couple of needles and some yarn.

The progress on my tank top has stalled, and I really feel to get back into my mojo I need to pick up another project. Watch this space...

The One Where A Car Drove Off With My Cotton Reel

2010-05-29T08:02:00.000-07:00

How do I begin?...

Well to start with, unfortunately I don't have any photos to illustrate my yarn.

I told you that I had taken up dress-making classes, right? Well, last Monday night I took along my sewing machine to class in order to get some help as I was having trouble picking up the lower thread. Apparently this is a common problem with my particular model (a Toshiba SPA15). Fortunately the lovely Carrie quite by chance has the same machine, and was able to help me fix the problem.

This explains why I drove to class, which isn't too far away: I had to carry my not-so-light sewing machine. Stay with me, I'm getting to the crux of the story...

When I got home, and opened the front door, I suddenly felt a tug on the machine I had cradled in my arms. Would you believe, I had left the cotton reel from the top of the machine in the boot of the car (it must have fallen off when I was driving), and I had carried the machine across the street and into the house with it still attached to the car.

The tug I felt was actually a passing car taking the thread with it! I couldn't believe the thread didn't snap. This all resulted of course, in me traipsing round the neighbourhood trying to untangle the entire mess, meanwhile tying my legs, ankles and knees together at regular intervals. The whole adventure took about half-an-hour, and I ended up with a huge pile of unusable tangled thread.

Everyone I have told this to said they wished they had been there and had had a video camera to capture it. It was funny, and I'm sure the neighbours would have found it hilarious if they were looking out of the window, this scatty woman wandering around Brook Green in search of
some (to them) invisible thing.

Not Much Knitting, But Lots of Food

2010-05-29T05:01:00.000-07:00

Progress on the Tank Top is really slow, so in the meantime let me show you some food instead:

This is a Nigella's Chocolate & Coke cake that I made for DH's Birthday. It may not look like much, but let me tell you, it was amaaaazing. You actually put a whole (small) bottle of coke into the mix, and though the mix seems incredibly runny, it actually sets into a delicious, moist cake. You can't taste the coke, but let me tell you, there's a whole pack (250g) of butter in the cake, and another whole pack in the icing!

Between the two of us, our friend Louise and her family, we polished the whole thing off over the weekend. I had thought I'd be taking the leftovers into work on Monday but there weren't any!

The cake had followed DH's requested Birthday meal of Spaghetti & Meatballs, his favourite.

Lastly, this is Gypsy Tart that I made last weekend for a beautiful, hot, sunny day (our one day of Summer for 2010?) last weekend, when DH's family came over for his Mother's Birthday lunch.

There are only three ingredients: pastry (if you don't make it yourself), evaporated milk and muscovado sugar. It's veeeery sweet yet not rich, and it's light and sultry. We loved it, and I'll be making this one again! My Mum told me about it (she's made it and the family loved it) so of course I wanted to give it a try.

What do you use for your baking beans? I've always used my Mum's staple: Black Eyed Beans, and they work really well.

Let me know if you want any of the recipes. I didn't mean to come across as blowing my own trumpet, and I can't take the credit as the cake recipes aren't my own, but I can tell you that you won't be disappointed if you try any of them.

Colour Me Happy

2010-05-09T05:48:00.000-07:00

DH dragged me to Purl Soho at their new premises (it wasn't exactly hard to get me there, but it was nice to know that he wanted to go too).

Would you look at the wall of wool? Please can I have one at home?!

It was huge, perfect, my home from home. Fabrics were at the back, and though I flirted with the idea of getting some, I managed to concentrate on yarn alone.

The staff were great, very helpful and it was all over a truly inspiring experience.

MY HAUL

Of course I broke my yarn-buying ban, but as Toad has already pointed out, it doesn't count when you're abroad. I'll take that.

Here's 7 skeins of Manos Wool Clasica in Tomato, destined for the Hourglass Sweater in what else, Last Minute Hand-knitted Gifts (Purl Soho's owner's book).

I couldn't resist a ball of Knit Collage in Cherry Blossom. I've seen photos of and read about this, and just had to give in to the urge. I may make a small cushion and back it in a floral fabric.

Can you see the little crocheted and fabric flowers that are attached, and little strands of silver. It's very girly and pretty, hand-spun of course.

I also picked up two little kits, the Japanese one for me and the penguin for my Mum. They should be fun to do (apologies again for the rotating photos).

Last of all, some little heart stitch-markers: aren't they sweet?

In Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, I spotted my first ever knit grafitti:

And at the Frick in New York, this beautiful La Greuze painting, "The Wool Winder".

The Big Apple

2010-05-09T05:21:00.000-07:00

We were in NY for a wedding, and I'd never been before, so here's my photo tour.

The Met.

Central Park.

Jackie Onassis Reservoir.

The Guggenheim.

Caravaggio at the Met.

Corot at the Met.

Cezanne at the Met.

On the way to Ellis Island on the ferry, we passed the Statue of Liberty.

The Chrysler Building.

Outside the Rockefeller Centre.

From the Top of the Rock.

A Norman Foster building.

Philly

2010-05-09T04:55:00.001-07:00

Robert Indiana's Love sculpture.

Such a wonderful city, smaller and quieter in comparison to New York. I had the advantage of being with DH, who lived here for work many years ago; he was a great tour guide.

William Penn.

Rodin's "The Thinker" outside the Rodin museum.

Rocky outside the Museum.

At the top of the Rocky steps at the Museum.

Modigliani.

A huge Chagall theatre backdrop.

Boathouse Row.

Street mural.

Amish at Reading Terminal Market.

State Representatives who signed the American Constitution.

The Liberty Bell with its famous crack.

Blogging Update

2010-05-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

I'm in NY so won't be able to post for a couple of weeks. See you after Philly!

Tank Top Progress

2010-04-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

I really can't call this Honeycomb anymore. It's just a stocking stitch tank top. Progress is going well, if slowly (reminds me of the Simple Yet Effective Shawl I made over a year ago. If I had just stuck with the one skein of yarn that the pattern called for, instead of pushing on with two, I might not have got so fed up).

Anyway, not much to show; I'm just letting you know that I haven't forgotten to blog, but I don't have any interesting FO's this week. People have mentioned before in the Comments that they like seeing my progress as well as the FO, so here you go.

I'm past the wasit shaping, and increasing for the top section before doing the straps. There's still a long way to go, but it's getting there and I like the colour.

I'm wondering about what to tackle after I've finished this. A jumper perhaps... but I'm getting ahead of myself: concentrate, Rowan.

Ding Ding, Round Two

2010-04-17T04:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, I immediately cast on for another Side Slip Cloche as soon as I'd finished the oatmealy one.

I love the colour, fit, softness of the yarn and just the whole thing.

This is one of those rare patterns that is just so clever I wish I'd written it myself. It's also really fun to knit, and has the bonus of looking and feeling wonderful when it's finished.

I made this one in Rowan Kid Classic, and again managed to get the whole hat out of one ball, just. This yarn gives a lovely halo and is very soft and warm.

The only difference with this version was that as the ball of yarn seemed smaller, I decided to start the band with only one ruffle instead of two, which the pattern calls for. When I finished the hat in the end I had enough yarn so just knitted up a second ruffle, picked up stitches above the lower, larger ruffle and bound off the two rows of stitches together. This has resulted in a row of unnecessary bumps on the right side, but you can hardly see them and it's not a big problem. If you didn't know, you'd just think it was part of the pattern. I had first tried to pick up stitches on the band, knit the smaller ruffle in reverse and cast off, but no matter how many versions I tried, the cast-off edge was completely straight and didn't curl like the ruffle edge should. Therefore I changed it, knitted the second ruffle separately and attached it, which worked out better.

I don’t think I’ve got this one out of my system yet, so if anyone wants one, please just ask: I’ll be happy to make one for you.

Have you read this book? It's The Friday Night Knitting Club, by Kate Jacobs.

If you have read it please let me know what you think, but don't tell me the plot as I've only just started it.

I'd heard of this book a long time ago, but never got round to getting it for myself. Then Jayne brought it to Knit Night one week. She'd bought it in a local charity shop, and it turned out that this actual book belonged to Victoria, who's also in our group. She had read this very book and taken it in to the same shop when she'd finished it. So now it's come full circle; the whole group is sharing it, and it's my turn to borrow it.

I love that we're all sharing it. It's meant to be really good, and some of our own characters may even feature in the book! Happy reading and knitting.

Side Slip Cloche

2010-04-11T08:14:00.000-07:00

We like? I do. I had so much fun knitting this hat. I saw the pattern for the first time about a month ago and have wanted to make it very since. It's the Side Slip Cloche by Laura Irwin, which is in her Boutique Knits book. Though it's not exactly the weather for such a warm hat now that Spring is on its way, I just had to do it, and plan to wear it all next Winter.

Heather kindly lent me the pattern, and I knitted the band on Friday night, finishing it this morning after I'd left the band to block yesterday and overnight.

It's great to know that I can make a hat so quickly (2 evenings' worth) and with just one 50g ball of yarn, though if I wasn't such a tight knitter it would probably be much slouchier, which may look better. I had to use a 4mm needle instead of 3.75mm, as I only had straights, not a circular in 3.75mm. However, I think it worked well, and the cloche would have been even smaller if I used the smaller needle, which wouldn't have been good.

The ruffle is so pretty, and great fun to make (imagine a 3-needle-bind-off without the bind-off, one of my favourites!). Some people who have made it on Ravelry mentioned that the joining part of the ruffles is difficult to work out, though I can honestly say I didn't have any such problems; if you're making one, just look at the photo of the designer's one and you'll work it out.

The yarn is Rowan Alpaca Cotton. When I went to find the yarn specified in the pattern, Rowan RYC Soft Lux, I discovered it had been discontinued. I knew that in order to achieve very little stitch definition, I needed something fluffy, hence the alpaca, and this yarn was the right weight (worsted). Some people have made it in pure cotton, and others 100% wool, but I really prefer less stitch definition in this hat. The colour is a lovely oatmeal, and I wanted something neutral-ish which would go with most of my coats in winter.

Look at the detail here. Basically you make two ruffles, one larger than the other, then the band, sew it together, pick up stitches round the selvedge edge, and knit up in the other direction, increasing once, and decreasing much later. Much fun was had.

I didn't need the second ball so I think I'll return it and make one in red, because I like elisheva's one so much on Rav (though goodness knows I don't have the colouring to pull it off!). I just love the pattern so much. It's a flirty little Flapper number and I am going to wear it to death!

It's That Time of Year Again

2010-04-10T04:36:00.000-07:00

Doesn't this make you smile? We could be in Japan, not West London! Is this an overladen bough, or what?

Apple blossom in our area always looks like snow (and it isn't long since we had snow). I also often think the covered branches look like furry teddy bear legs!

Last weekend I went to Louise's for a lovely Easter Sunday lunch. We had a great day. Here's a shot of the pavlova (more like a soft merringue) that I made. Let me know if you want the recipe.

Last weekend I wound a skein of lace yarn into a ball for Heather in our group. I must try to remember the name of it. It's the softest thing I have ever touched, pure cashmere, and a lovely acqua colour.

Can you guess what this is? I should have a new FO for you fairly soon.

Is Spring Really Here?

2010-04-10T03:41:00.000-07:00

Well, judging by these guys, I think I can safely say: yes! At the very least, it's on its way.

The daffies are out in full bloom here in Brook Green, and we're loving it.

Believe me, I've still got the heating on at work, but the sun is warming things up a bit. Of course, this sunshine yellow really helps!

FO's, But Not Mine

2010-04-05T10:03:00.000-07:00

But first, here's evidence of my little Sister knitting. My and my Mum's influence has finally rubbed off on her. It only took a few years! She's making a scarf for her friend in Colinette Point 5. She swears that this is the only thing she's ever going to make; little does she realise that this is just the beginning!

Below is Jayne's scarf. Jayne's a regular at my Stitch N' Bitch in Hammersmith and started working on this scarf as her first ever project. She actually finished it ages ago but brought it in to Caffe Nero on Tuesday to show it off. Doesn't it look great?

And finally, Gardenia below is showing off her Grandson's cricket jumper, specifically made in his club's colours. Gardenia's a new member and a very welcome addition to the group. I took the photo just when she'd finished the neck. All she needed to do then was sew it up (I bet she's done that already by now).

Twit Twoo

2010-04-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

I needed some quick gratification last night, so I knitted up this little fella. It was a kit that my Mum gave me for Christmas from The White Company. I loved making it, and it's turned out really well.

The only modification I made was to knit the owl in the round, which I finished off with a three-needle bind-off.

Sewing on the felt parts was fun.

It's basically a striped tube. As I was making it in the round it was a good opportunity to practise jogless stripes. Here's the inside, which looks neat and tidy.

This shows the jogless stripes from the outside. You just slip purlwise the first stitch on the second round of each new colour, then knit the round as normla, though most of you will probably know that. It doesn't look too bad, but it's far from perfect, and I would really have to work on my tension if I was making a garment, where it really mattered as I tend to pull each round very tight to avoid holes, resulting in pulled fabric. Still, it's better than the zig-zags you get with normal jogs.

Compare it to the other side, which is perfect, because of the absence of jogs.

Happy Easter

2010-04-02T08:43:00.001-07:00

In the absence of any willow, or any other suitable branches that I could have put in a vase, I hung some eggs on a plant, the bonsai tree.

This pretty little heart is from my Mum (it came in the post!).

Honeycomb Problems

2010-03-28T03:15:00.000-07:00

I have only got this far on Honeycomb. I've finished the waistband, which was a nice twisted rib. My progress was hindered earlier in the week when I accidentally made a moebius by twisting the c/o row. Not to be deterred, I swiftly cast on again, and have made good progress, considering how thin the yarn is.

However, here's where the real problem began. The first round of the Honeycomb pattern is: K1 (C2F, C2B) Repeat to last stitch, K1. The dilemma here was whether to bother with a cable needle (tedious) or leave the slipped stitch hanging before coming back to it later (risky). The latter seemed like the obvious option, but let me tell you: it took me at least an hour to do this first round. That is unacceptable for me! I need to be going much faster than that. I'm used to cabling without a cable needle; it makes progress much faster. However, the combination of evening knitting (dark), colour of wool (quite dark), texture of wool (tweedy) and hanging stitches made it so easy to drop a stitch, and progress was slowwwwwwww. I normally use much thicker yarn where the hanging stitch is much easier to idfentify, so this was difficult.

Bearing in mind that the cable round is repeated every 6 rounds, this will take me forever to finish. I am considering giving up now. Alternatively, I've considered doing a simple stocking stitch tank top, which I would actually prefer anyway. I realise that I would have to modify the pattern, as cabling pulls the fabric in. Presumably the waistband width wouldn't change, so I could stay where I am (as long as I remember to frog the first Honeycomb pattern round after the rib). What would you suggest for modifying the size of the overall tank top to make it in stocking stitch? Should I just give up on this project altogether?

Before embarking on this, I did read comments on Ravelry from those who had finished Honeycomb, and knew that the cabling would be a pain, so I can't blame the pattern. It's not that I can't do it, just that I want to enjoy my knitting, and this round was far from enjoyable!

Speaking of Knitty, have you seen the Spring issue? Warm weather knitting really isn't my thing anyway (I like to make woolly garments to provide warmth in winter), so I wasn't expecting to find anything I liked. The only one I would even consider would be Emmaline, but if I'm honest I probably wouldn't wear it. For me, and it's just a personal taste thing, not snobbery, I'm not keen on short-sleeved knitted cotton tops in Summer. Why not just wear a T-shirt? Sadly, I didn't like any of the other patterns, and I spend months waiting for the new issue, so it was a little disappointing. I did like the idea behind Tribute (a sock pattern written by a woman in tribute to her friend who had lost her battle with cancer), but I'm not in the mood for socks yet!

I'm probably just being too picky... I should really embrace the knit I'm working on, and stick with it, so back to work now.

Edited to Add: I'm now on my third gauge square, trying to get gauge in stocking stitch. I think this is the way forward for me.

Tank Top...Early Days

2010-03-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

Well, the blanket's finished, so on to something new. When I say finished, I mean that all of the knitting is finished, but I still have to weave in the ends and block it. Still, it's the weekend and I want to enjoy myself; that's a Monday night job.
Therefore I've begun Honeycomb, a lovely textured tank top that I plan to wear over a white shirt, or perhaps a short-sleeved top. It has the perfect scoop-neck that I was searching for, a great slip-stitch pattern, and a twisted rib waist-band, which is where I am currently. It goes without saying that I have adapted this pattern to be knitted in the round, and I'm using 4.5mm circ's, size small.

I have been meaning to make a tank top for years, and searched many pattern databases for the perfect style. I had always wanted a scoop neck, so this fit the bill, and it's nicely textured without being bulky. If I was to make another in future, I may consider a V-neck in plain stockinette, as that would go much quicker. But that's a long way off!

When I found this pattern, I searched in vain for the correct wool, Elsebeth Lavold Silky-Wool, and couldn't find it for sale in this country. So I took myself off to the Ravelry projects page to see which yarns other people had used, and came up with Rowan Felted Wool, based on some useful recommendations and advice that someone had posted. This is the perfect suubstitute for me, as I wanted a tweedy, non-silky yarn anyway. It has a great range of colours, and in particular a good red, which is the colour I had originally intended to make the tank-top in. Now that I've started knitting with it, the red seems a little darker than I expected, but I'm sure I'll like it more when I get further into the piece.

My Stitch N' Bitch, Hammersmith SNB is planning a Tank Top KAL this year, following on from the highly successful French Press Slippers KAL that we recently undertook. I'm sorry everyone that I've already started, but I'm happy to stop at the end of the waist-band and hold off until we're all ready.

Colour Wheel

2010-03-20T14:44:00.001-07:00

The blanket is almost finished.

This is one of those projects which, though different on the reverse, unusually looks just as nice. The colours are lovely, as are the textures created by the cotton and slip-stich combination.

I've just realised this one looks like a snail.

This week I received in the post some buttons that I bought on Etsy. Don't you love them?

They are from PaperFish and I found out about them from Petit Filou. The red toadstool-like ones initially appealed to me, but I couldn't pass up all of those divine colours. There are some great colour combinations to play around with:

Powder blue and dark fuschia...

...teal and orange.

Think of all the different accessories and jumpers they'll look good on. In fact, I'm starting a dress-making course next week, and have an idea in my head for a garment that could do with some polka-dot button adornment! Don't worry, this doesn't mean that I'm giving up on my knitting. Far from it; I'm just adding another string to my bow and kickstarting my memory of past sewing.

Once the blanket's finished I'm moving on to my tank top. I'm making it in Rown Felted Tweed in Rage (dark red). Looking forward to it!

Happy Mothers' Day

2010-03-14T08:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers' Day to my Mum. She's just got some new hens, so I painted her favourite for her, Biddy.

Library

2010-03-13T05:27:00.000-08:00

I forgot to tell you about these. For my thirtieth birthday, my good friend Alex who is faithfully good at indulging my passion for knitting, gave me some wonderful surprise books.

This Haiku Knits book by Tanya Alpert is incredible. It has designs in the most unusual shapes, and is very inspiring. You're going to see examples of my attempts at some of them in the years to come.

The Norwegian Handknits book has some beautiful traditional intricate designs, many of which we will all recognise, but it is also a great read. The two authors (and knitters) have taken inspiration from the Vesterheim Museum in Decorah, Iowa and proivided modern knitting patterns for many of the ancient and delicate pieces they found on view there.

It's fascinating to read about the history of the Norwegian immigrants to the States, and to learn about individual crafting women, men and children, the stories and hand-made garments they passed down through the generations. I've been reading it on the bus to work each day, and would really recommend it. One day I must tackle one of those flower-star designs (though I incorporated one into a Christmas decoration I designed, years ago).

This Elsebeth Lavold book is also very interesting, and has lots patterns involving complicated twisting celtic cables.

Am I a lucky girl or what? Actually, now I'm 30, perhaps I can't be called a girl any more? I went for an eye test yesterday and have been told I now need glasses for television and the computer screen. Is this just the start of the slippery slope into old age? Aagghh!

Weekend Activity

2010-03-07T06:04:00.000-08:00

This is my Birthday painting from my wonderful Dad, "Across the Moray Firth from Culein", which is on the coast not far from my parents (they live inland). We've hung it temporarily in the bedroom where there's already a hook, while we work out where it looks best. Isn't it beautiful?

Did I mention that my Mum gave me some great buttons? Here they are: 5 cats...

... and a little mouse!

Last night we had our friends round for dinner. On Friday night DH completed a butchery course at the Ginger Pig, a very upmarket butcher in Marylebone High Street, which was his Christmas present from me. He really enjoyed himself, and came back armed with lots of beef. So we thought we'd take the opportunity to offer it up for our friends.

I'm afraid I neglected to photograph the exceptional Boeuf Bourguignon with celeriac mash that he made, but here's the crab that later went on crostini that we shared around before we sat down at the table.

According to Chef DH, basically you mix crab meat with diced, de-seeded tomato, parsely, lemon juice, capers and chopped artichoke, season then serve on toasted slices of ciabatta. Bliss.

We followed up with cheese and chocolate mousse, but it was the beef that really shone last night. So yummy x

New Hat, and Birthday Surprise

2010-03-06T04:35:00.000-08:00

Well, I promised more knitting, and here it is.

Another snowboarding hat for DH's Cousin, this one in an all-over 1x1 rib. His Mum liked the last one so much that she asked for another; I love getting commissions!! I made this one up as I just couldn't find any good patterns out there, and I'm happy with the way it turned out. Let me know if you would like the pattern and I'll email it to you. It's done in Rowan Pure Wool Aran in Navy.

What's OTN? Remember this? I'm doing another, this time at the request of a friend (can't say any more at this stage as it's a secret).

I've done this much. This is one of those projects that looks incredibly complicated, yet is really a simple knit, using mosaic knitting to create an illusion of fair-isle. The spectrum of colours and interspersed garter rows really make this a beautifully-textured and pretty piece. It also goes very quickly, considering it's quite a big blanket. That must be down to the large-ish needles (4.5mm) and the changing of colours, which makes me want to plough on.

Last week I turned THE BIG 3-0 (don't worry; I still feel 17, so far). I received some beautiful presents, both in the post from my family and in person from DH. Plus work threw me a little party with cake, balloons and pressies, and we went out for drinks. So I thought that was it.

I was wrong.

On Friday night I arrived home after work to find DH cooking. Thinking he was preparing a birthday meal, I went into the spare room to take off my coat and change my shoes. The door was closed which is unusual, but I assumed this was because DH wanted to stop the cooking smells from entering the bedrooms. Imagine my surprise when I pushed open the door mid-conversation with him, to reveal 4 Hamiltons squeezed into our little spare room!

DH had organised for my whole family to fly down from Scotland for the weekend, including DB's girlfriend Rachel. Most of Scotland was cut off last week because of the heavy snow, so it was also a miracle they made it. They had to leave home at 5am to catch a 4pm flight (it's only an hour's drive to the airport), and Rachel even had to take a different flight.

We had such a great time, once I had recovered from my fright, and I was given lots more presents, including a wonderful landscape painted by my incredibly talented Dad.

DH had made Pho with beef three-ways, his speciality and much-loved by the whole family.

On Saturday he had arranged for us to go to Greenwich by boat, so we got the boat from Embankment and took a great trip down the Thames (something none of us had ever got round to doing before), admiring the architecture on the way.

We got off at Greenwich, had a nice lunch, looked around the market and did a spot of shopping (naughty me), then took a look around the Naval Museum and Naval College. It was so interesting, and there were some wonderful buildings to look at.

A huge fresco inside the dining hall:

That night we had dinner at Roussillon, another family favourite, and they left after breakfast on the Sunday. The weekend was perfectly finished off with another party on Sunday afternoon: with my friends! It was another surprise, and a great way to end the weekend.

Here's a gorgeous plant that DH's grandma gave me. Can anyone tell me the name of it? To me it looks like a daisy, but has the fragrance of a chrysanthemum, which makes me feel really nostalgic; I love the smell of chrysanthemums.

Meanwhile, back in the reality of real-life now the birthday celebrations have finished, I'm considering what I really want to pursue this year with my knitting.

I started off the year really aiming to complete some knits for myself, as I spent most of the last two years making things for other people. This is not a complaint: I truly adore giving people things I have lovingly created. It's just that I really need to get some more skills under my belt, and I feel that I can do that when making things for myself, when they don't need to be too perfect if I'm the only one wearing them.

In addition, I'm considering designing some more things. I've had so many different ideas in my head for a couple of years now, and I've just started to get them down on paper. I really need to get them onto needles, and plan to do that soon. When it comes to what I knit, I make up quite a large percentage of my projects, as I can't always find patterns for exactly what I need in books, on Ravelry and elsewhere. My free patterns have attracted a little attention so far and some time in the future it would be good to earn just a little money from my designs, though I'll work on that later.

It'll be a long processs before I can release anything, as I also greatly enjoy knitting from a pattern, and you can imagine how long my Ravelry queue is! What do you think? Please tell me; your comments mean a lot and I look forward to them after every post.

Tulips

2010-03-06T04:19:00.000-08:00

Have you ever looked inside a tulip before?

I don't think I have, and yet I often admire them from the outside. They have beautiful transparent lines running up the centre of each petal, which I had never noticed before.

I love the way they're stretching out to reach the light. They look like a menorah!

These are beautiful birthday tulips from my family in a lovely new tartan vase.

This one has delicate curled edges. They're bringing back memories of painting and drawing for Higher Art and Portfolio Art at school. From the age of 15 to 17 I would literally spend every free waking moment at home sketching detailed drawings of different flowers and plants as still-lifes were a major component of the programme.

More knitting in the next post, I promise.

French Press Slippers

2010-02-21T15:03:00.000-08:00

They're finished!

In Malabrigo Worsted, Forest. Extremely quick, and the pattern's very well written, so easy to follow.

Pesto

2010-02-21T11:26:00.001-08:00

What to do with a packet of basil that's hanging around in the fridge going nowhere? Make pesto of course.

I just blitzed the basil with pine nuts and parmesan and seasoned it. Job done.

Yesterday I whipped up a pair of slippers. My group, Hammersmith Stitch N' Bitch is doing a KAL, which we've called Slippathon 2010, for the French Press Slippers that almost everyone on Ravelry's made - they're popular! They're currently in the washing machine felting. Photos to follow when dry. I'll show you everyone else's versions too when we've all finished.

DH's cousin's hat is also blocking (from Friday) and I'm about to start my next project: a present for a friend's sister's baby, at her request. Then I'll start thinking about the tank top that I want to start. The group's also doing a Tank Top KAL, though we'll all be using different patterns. It should be fun to see how they all turn out.

Gentle Rose

2010-02-20T04:10:00.000-08:00

It's finished and I love it!

I wore it to work on Tuesday, which was also Knit Night, and it got lots of good comments.

It's been finished for three weeks, but had to be blocked, plus at this time of year I always have to wait for the weekend to photograph FO's because it's dark when I leave for work in the morning and even darker when I get home.

What I loved about it:

Moss Stitch edges

Cabling detail - the amount, process and the finished result

Beautiful yarn

Beautiful colour

Fluted sleeves which also turn in at the elbow to createa puffed look - they feel really nice and look flattering

Ribbing - flattering and clever arrangement - the ribbing on the fronts and back is echoed by the sleeves, the detail of which also taper at the side

Sizing is perfect

Very thick and warm

Speed of project - v. quick; took about 3 weeks

Would make another, or similar with modifications

What I didn't love:

At least one knot in every ball

Depth of colour differed noticeably, despite using exactly the same dye lot throughout

As you can see, the positives far outweighed the negatives.

The only modification I made was to knit the sleeves in the round (of course) and the entire body in the round, only separating at the very top of the fronts and back. This made it much quicker, and of course I avoided having to seam.

I would have picked up stitches and knitted the sleeves from the body, but I didn’t want to fuss over the sleeve shaping calculations, so I knit the sleeves in the round separately and joined them to the body using mattress stitch. I thought I would be able to kitchener stitch the top of the back to the two fronts, as I did on the neck band join, but as they’re ribbed they looked better with mattress stitch.

Yes, there is band of slightly different-coloured pink along the bottom. I used exactly the same dye lot for the whole project. As I have enough yarn left over, I thought about picking up the stitches and re-working that area, but there’s no guarantee that the colour will be right that time. Fortunately you don’t notice it so much when it’s on.

Dinner!

2010-02-14T13:26:00.000-08:00

Delicious pissaladiere, expertly cooked by DH. Yes, having issues with rotating the image. Blogger doesn't always make things easy.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T04:51:00.000-08:00

DH and I realised on Friday that we had worn the same socks that day (sort of). Are we telepathic or what? Yes, I know: cheesy.

Gentle Rose is blocking, along with the Dream in Colour Shrug that I made a year ago and never got round to blocking. I'm now on to another comissioned hat and will soon be working on a blanket for a friend's sister (at her request). Any good baby blanket suggestions welcome please. So far I've got the Big Bad Baby Blanket, a Log Cabin, Brooklyn Tweed's Tweed Blanket and the Honeycomb one I've made before.

Spinning Night

2010-02-13T03:58:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday night, Hammersmith Stitch N' Bitch had a change from our usual venue of Caffe Nero. Instead, everyone came to my house and Toad taught us how to spin!

Here we are learining how to card roving to form a rolag, and using a drop spindle. Toad was a great teacher, incredibly patient and calm, and had kindly brought enough drop spindles so we could all use them at the same time.

Andrea brought along her friend Blanca who was visiting from Germany, and was a great addition to the group.

Here's Toad showing us how to spin using her wheel. She looks very professional with her apron. Believe me when I tell you that her hand-spun yarn is very good. I keep telling her to sell it on Etsy.

And me trying it out!

I much preferred using the spinning wheel. It must have something to do with using the foot peddle as you have more control (this is something I know how to do with the sewing machine). I can't say that I produced great results; they were far from that, with the tension being completely off, resulting in thick and thin "yarn".

However, we got the idea and could only hope to reach Toad's skill level one day. The drop spindle I just couldn't control. It was really hard to spin it in the air at the same time as pulling out the rolag to create the spun wool, though others found it easier than I did.

Here's Jayne using the wheel:

And Icy using the drop spindle:

Some had better results than others, mine clearly being the worst! Andrea even began knitting with the yarn she spun!

She mixed up some green, blue and natural roving, carded it and spun it using the drop sipindle, then knitted this swatch, which looks very impressive. She said it was very dense and rough, as there was a lot of spin in the yarn. It really makes you realise just how much work goes into creating the perfect yarn that we all knit with.

We were well fed and watered and a great time was had by all. Can't wait to catch up next Tuesday, back at our usual spot.

My First Pair of Socks!

2010-02-09T02:38:00.001-08:00

Can you believe I finished them? I hardly can, but they were a lot easier than I was expecting. They're for my DS, and have been posted off to her already.

Most of you readers will think I'm a bit pathetic for not having managed to make a single sock before, but in case there are any sock novices out there, the pattern is Simply Splendid Socks by Lucy Neatby. I couldn't believe how easy it was, and really enjoyed the whole process. The reinforced slip-stitched heel, and then turning it, were my favourite parts.

You may have noted the sock-blockers. They're from Fibre Trends, and though they did a good job, for someone like me who probably isn't going to make enough socks to justify them, they were a bit unnecessary!

The yarn is Drops Fabel Superwash, and is self-patterened (obviously). I loved doing each row, not knowing what colour was coming next. Of course, it's not perfect, and doesn't make exact stripes, but I think that's what makes these socks unique, and all of the pastel colours sit beautifully alongside each other.

If you haven't made socks before, give it a go. It's worth the effort, and soon my little Sister's toes will be warmly encased in them.

My Mum's making some in a lovely blues-and-greens colour combo in the same pattern, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they turn out.

Pears. From the supermarket. I just love the way they're snuggled in their packaging. Reminds me of Orla Keily's prints, though I'm sure the pears would have come before her designs! If you hadn't guessed, yes I'm a fan, and have got several products.

Greenwich Market & Pressie in the Post

2010-02-07T13:26:00.000-08:00

On Sunday Julia and Jo, two University friends of mine, and I went to Greenwich for lunch and a good look around Greenwich Market.

Here we are at one of the stalls. Jo and Julia are wearing scarves they had just bought, knitted in Scottish lambswool (of course).

We proceeded to buy up most of the rest of the market too. Here we are (minus me - taking the photo) at a stall with a girl who makes beautiful hand-sewn skirts and jackets. Yes, we bought those. They were really inspiring, and I'm really looking forward to the dress-making course I'm starting in April now.

If you haven't been to Greenwich market before I'd really recommend it. I'm ashamed to say that I had never even been to East London before, and was pleasantly surprised. We're going to make a point of having a proper walk next time, maybe flying a kite at Blackheath, and visiting the Observatory and the Maritime Museum. The market itself is a foodie and crafter's heaven, with everything from hand-crafted leather makeup purses, to handpainted lampshades, and tiffin bites and mulled wine.

Over the border, and high up into the Highlands, my Mum has got hens. Isn't this the sweetest photo of her? She's so happy with her new brood. The one in her arms is Biddie.

While not looking after her new feathered friends, she found time to knock up this beauty and spirit it down in the post to me:

This is one of her own creations, a scarf knitted in Colinette Point 5 (major thick-and-thin fun) and my favourite colour combination so far. This one is a rib, though she also does stockinette and moss (all work really well). If you look closely you'll notice that she held two yarns together. To pump up the colour, there is a beautiful purple Debbie Bliss tweed running through this, with litle flecks of red and green.

Tonight's our Spinning Night at Hammersmith Stitch N' Bitch, so I'll report back soon with photos. Can't wait!

THE CARDIGAN

2010-01-24T12:56:00.000-08:00

Here it is on its very handsome new owner:

Lawrence loves it, so that means I'm happy too. We had a lovely lunch with his family today.

Let me just apologise once again for taking sooo long to get it finished, and give it to its recipient.

I actually finished it in its raglan version back in August, but decided the shoulders just weren't working. so when we got back from the States I took it back to the armholes, leaving the sleeves intact, and re-worked ordinary shoulders, which I feel work better.

Josh's Hat

2010-01-23T05:50:00.000-08:00

Remember this? Josh's Mum Sara texted me a photo of him in his hat this week. Looks like he's one happy boy. What a handsome little guy. Gotta love that Malabrigo.

Gentle Rose is going well, and it's very fast. I'm up to the armholes in just a week. Planning on finishing the back and two fronts by the end of the weekend, then it's on to the sleeves.

The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that I have knitted all three parts together. And yes, those of you who know me will realise immediately that this is to avoid seaming! My reasons are two-fold: A, with a little modification and calculation, it's easier and quicker; and B, there are no visible or feel-able seams whatsoever, so it looks and feels better. It's a winner all-round!

There's a nice moss stitch border at the bottom (love a good moss edge; it flattens, doesn't curl and the texture is always great), plus a lovely cable edging at the front. I haven't done cables for ages, and have really loved getting back into them. They're so much easier than you think they're going to be, so if you're in any doubt, take it from me, and try it.

Winter roses from when Julia came over the other night. I love roses with a tinge of pink or red at the edge...

Noro Cardie

2010-01-16T10:44:00.000-08:00

It's finished! Another one for the FO pile. I made it in August when we were in the States (two 10.5-hour-long flights provided a great opportunity) but only got around to sewing it up last Saturday. So here it is, freshly blocked.

It's the Noro short-sleeved cardigan from the Designer Mini Knits book, by Jenny Watson.

I'd definitely recommend that pattern; it's very quick and easy, and of course the Silk Garden is lovely work with. I added an extra 10cm in length, which certainly helps.

Do you like the buttons? I was finally able to use up some of the beautiful ceramic ones from my large button hoard:

My only problem with it is my own: it doesn't really suit big boobs. I've seen other FO's on Ravelry and they suit a flatter chest much better.

All in all, a fantastic project that I would strongly consider making again, perhaps even in a solid colour, though the subtle colour changes that you only get in Noro are really what makes this piece.

Whatever Became of That Mysterious Purple Yarn?

2010-01-16T10:14:00.000-08:00

Well, this is it. It was a slouchy snowboarding hat as a Christmas present for DH's cousin, David, a free-form loose beanie that I made up as I went along. No, that's not David in the photo; it's his Canadian cousin (David wouldn't let anyone take a photo of him!). Apparently he's happy with it, and I know his Mum was, so that's one happy customer!

I always mean to bring my camera to knit night, but never remember, so this week I took full advantage of it temporarily being in my handbag:

Some of our loyal members above and below, or at least the ones who agreed to be photographed. Jane (above, middle, made an entire hat in practically one evening!).

Toad's wearing her faithful and much-loved-by-the-group Noro scarf.

Last night my friend Julia came for dinner, and although I forgot to photograph the yummy roasted lemony-chicken we had, here's the thyme that later went ino it, beautifully ensconced in our Christmas pressie from DH's Aunt Terry, this lovely Chinese plant pot. Don't you love the smell of thyme? It's my all-time favourite herb.

It snowed again this week. Most of you probably think I'm a bit obsessed with snow, but please believe that we hardly ever get any snow in this city at all, so I'm embracing it.

FO's 2009

2010-01-13T13:30:00.000-08:00

So it's January and I've taken a little time to reflect lately. I thought I'd compile a glimpse of some of the things I made over the last year. I've got high hopes for myself this year: new techniques to learn and a whole new host of new projects and patterns. I'd also like to squeeze in a little designing myself if I get a second.

But for now, here's a little selection of my 2009 in knit-related photos.

One Down, One to Go

2010-01-10T09:26:00.000-08:00

Last Monday I finished the first sock:

I've started the second, but put it aside today to finish off the Noro cardigan which is now blocking (photos to follow when dry). As soon as it's finished, the pair is off to my little Sister.

At Knit Night this week we had our belated Secret Santa and this was my present!!

There's loads of things that take my eye in here:

I'd like to start this one sometime:

We were supposed to visit relatives today to give the cardigan to it's recipient, but unfortunately we weren't able to because Madelaine was ill. In the meantime here's a couple of teasers:

Must get back to the Gentle Rose cardie I've just begun for myself.

Some New Projects for the New Year

2010-01-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

When we arrived at my parents', my Mum presented me with two balls of wool: Drops Fabel Superwash. I'd sourced the correct needles and we promptly got started on our socks (she's got a different version in beautiful blues and greens).

This is how much I've done in less than a week. I've actually progressed further than what you can see - I'm just about to start the decreases for the toe - is that slow? I loved the leg section, the ankle and turning the heel. Look at the reinforced heel - this is the same stitch I did for the button band on the shortsleeved Noro cardigan, very nice.

The colours are so pretty, and I love knitting with the self-patterned yarn - you never know what's coming next.

Look what I got for Christmas! It's absolutely gorgeous and I want to make everything in it:

This wrap/cardigan I loooove, though I'm not sure when I'll have the time to do it:

I'm definitely going to make this scarf, possibly for DH. It has a really subtle detailed stitch and lovely textured effect, that you get with the Rowan Scottish Tweed that this book is based around.

This one's nice too. I can't fault any of the patterns in the book, though it would help if I looked like the model in the book!

DH's Grandparents gave me this great book for Christmas and I was really touched. It's got some great things in it, and is a really good read too (Kaffe features a lot so it must be good!). Can you spot Kate Moss on the cover?

I have my eye on this tank top:

I also got this gorgeous kit for a baby cardigan, hat and polar bear that I'll make for a friend's baby ...

... and this one for a sweet owl, which I hope to knock up shortly:

My Mum also gave me this vintage pattern book (she gets them from her friemd). I love looking through these. There are actually quite a few nice things in this one, like the Honeycomb cushion.

Take a look at these scrumptious scarves that my Mum made for friends in Colinette Point 5:

The green one she knitted held together with Noro, and you can see the colour graduations here; very clever.

I love the thick and thin yarn. I have some at home that I plan to use soon. My Mum's made two others before as well and they're just stunning.

My little Sister gave me this beautiful tin for Christmas and look what's hidden inside - they are so "me"!

Deep And Crisp And Even

2010-01-03T08:52:00.000-08:00

Well, amazingly I've made it back to London, considering we were snowed in at my parents' in Scotland for a week (we had 24.5 inches of snow to be exact - my Mum measures it and the temperature every day. -14 degrees was the coldest it got). Take a look at Christmas in the snow: walking in a winter wonderland:

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T03:58:00.000-08:00

I hope your 2010 is beginning well, and you're enjoying the rest of the festive period. I don't start back at work until Monday and am not ready to give up Christmas yet. Mind you, we've been snowed in for a week in Scotland and it keeps snowing every day, so we might not make it down South in time for work - yippee!

I never make resolutions, but this year I made one in November: I'm going to try very hard not to buy any yarn for the entire year. I've got loads at home and it needs to be used up. Plus, I'm looking forward to working out which patterns I can use some obscure yarn for. I've also got some crummy new Christmas presents to get started on!

Apologies for the complete lack of photos. I've got the camera withe me, but can't download the photos until we get back. Rest assured snow will feature heavily!

Ding Dong Merrily on High

2009-12-25T12:19:00.000-08:00

When I finally finished work for Christmas yesterday I went straight home and made Florentines to take to my In-Laws today. I'm glad to say they went down very well, but you should see the state of our kitchen! Toffee, sixty Florentines, milk chocolate, dark chocolate and lovely hubby making red cabbage to take to his parents in the same room just don't mix; nuts and candied peel are all over the floor!

Last night, Christmas Eve, we went to our friends Adam and Sara for dinner with Jurassic. I made dessert, a puff pastry apple and mincemeat concoction, a bit like a strudel.

Note my holly and berry motifs!

We're just back from a lovely Christmas meal with DH's family, and tomorrow we fly up north for Christmas in the snow with my family. Can't wait. Keep your fingers crossed for us that the flight isn't delayed by snow!

Happy Holidays x

Aeoilan Shawl

2009-12-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

With the sun shining this morning I took the opportunity to get outside and photograph the shawl.

It took a little while to find a good backdrop, until I found this wall. Wrapping it round a tree this time just wasn't cutting it.

I love the shadow of the branches against the shawl.

Half-way through, I realised the shawl was creating a delicate shadow onto the wall behind.

Here are some indoor shots, which show the true colour of the yarn.

It snowed here this week! Just in time for Christmas. I know this will look pretty pathetic for those of you who have proper snow, but it really is unusual to see snow in London.

As we walked home late on Thursday night, the snow was falling in large flakes and we expected to wake up to a winter wonderland, but there was only ice, so I don't have any good photos of our brief flurry.

Aeolian is Blocking

2009-12-13T06:34:00.001-08:00

It's finished, and I'm happy with it:

When it's dry I'll take some better photo's. If I hadn't had some other projects to finish (which I can't show you yet), it would have been finished weeks ago, but here it is now.

It was difficult to block. The points of the "flowers"at the edge are not as pointy as they would have been had I used lace-weight yarn. I had decided to use DK for warmth and weight and knew the finished result would not look the same. I made the smallest version so it's more wearable and found Adriana's blocking photo's very helpful, though my points are nowhere near as good as hers. Don't look too closely at the blocking as it's not perfect!

And yes, it's blocking on the faithful Barbie blocking towel: don't ask why I own a towel like that; it has something to do with DH's Stag do (Bachelor party).

Take a look at the beauitiful cardigan, below. It's Gentle Rose from last month's Simply Knitting. I already have the yarn for it (Patons Pompero in Ruby 32) and will be starting it over Christmas when I have lots of free time when we go to my parents in Scotland for 10 days). I like the puffed sleeves and colour, and love an open cardigan.

We're also going to get some skiing in as there's enough snow and the slopes are open at Cairngorm.

I also quite like Ginger, below, but it's quite impractical. The jury's out on this one.

Meanwhile, having been scared by some threads on Ravelry about moths desecrating entire stashes, I have invested in some vacuum bags to prevent that problem. You can see yarn, FO's and toys sucked up in this one:

Christmas is in the air, and I'm loving it.

Ding Dong Merrily On High

2009-12-06T03:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming, I can feel it!

Ever since the first Christmas Coca Cola advert came on TV a couple of weeks ago, I knew it was on its way (this is the benchmark I use each year). Yesterday we decorated the tree:

Though it has fallen over three times since then! This year we've topped it with a ribbon instead of the silver snowflake that we always use. I quite like it; what do you think? If I was at my parents' house, there wouldn't be any question: it's always the white dove with the little blue sequined eye.

You would be forgiven for thinking we had three children from this photo. In fact, we have none, and are just big kids ourselves. DH has two advent calendars this year; one from me, and one from my Mum. I have one from my Mum too! Yes, at the age of 29-rapidly-approaching-30, I still get an advent calendar and a stocking, and I'm very proud of it!

We also have an advent candle, a tradition my siblings and I always had as children, though this is an unusual one:

Do you find yourself reverting to your childhood self at this time of year? I certainly do. Many of our decorations are from my first ever little tree, one which I, like my siblings, had in my own room each year.

The sari girl was a new addition two years ago.

This is probably my favourite one, and comes from a tiny little village in the north of Scotland. My Mum had a tradition of letting us build up a collection from wherever we visited, so there are some from all over the world. Originally I had an angel-only tree, though this has now changed.

Peg-doll Liberty angel.

There are Russian Dolls,

finds from Istanbul this summer (note the all-seeing third eye motif),

and a fun camel,

always apples and ribbons,

home made stockings from a few years ago (I've done 6 in total),

hand-made christmas trees (also from a couple of years ago),

and all sorts of other goodies.

This year I haven't made a single knitted present (I may have gone overboard last year). It's been such a relief not having a deadline to work to, though there are two (commissioned)requests that I have yet to deliver. I like to have the tree up on 1st December but this year that was knit-night, so it had to wait til Saturday (the 5th, not too bad). I also have to have all presents bought before 1st December each year. Check.

By the way, someone on Ravelry has made a scarf from one of my patterns! I can't tell you how impressed and amazed I am!!! It looks really good, too.

Have you got your tree yet?

An early Happy Christmas to you all.

New Bunny

2009-12-04T11:00:00.001-08:00

Our friends Alex and Harry had a little boy a few weeks ago and this is what I gave little Benjamin:

Ben's a bit too small to appreciate him right now, but hopefully he'll grow to love him, like I do.

I made him up as I went along, using a variety of techniques, and am pleased with the final result.

You may recognise the yarn. It's Koigu KPPPM and a lot nicer in real life than photos can show (much lighter, with that magical watercolour effect I find with Koigu, plus a great sheen). It has speckles of light burgundy, dark blue, yellow and pale pink on a creamy background, though it's hard to pick them up in photos unless you're looking really closely.

Originally I made a hat for Ben to match, but wasn't happy with the way it turned out, so I made Buzbee, one of Woolly Wormhead's Creations from Wee Woolly Toppers, a copy of which I have. It's a great book, with extremely-easy-to-follow patterns and some really innovative creations. Unfortunately I completely forgot to take photos before I gave the hat away with matching booties, but the booties are exactly the same as those I made for Joshua (my own pattern), if that rings a bell (again made with Malabrigo Worsted in Stone Blue). Like with Joshua, for some reason I was certain Ben was going to be a boy, so I didn't even make anything that a girl could wear as a back-up. Lucky for me my sixth sense was correct as I can envision me having had to burn the midnight oil otherwise!

In the meantime you'll have to content yourself with more images of Bunny until I have a photo of Ben in his hat (I made the 3-6 months size so he'd have something to grow into, so photos won't be coming for a while!):

It started with an arm...

Actually that's not true. It started with a leg on a provisional cast on. There also isn't a single seam! Everything is worked in the round and stitches are picked up, so there are no awkward joins either. That's why I made this one up, so I could tailor it to my wishes. While I am more confident in mattress stitch now, having mastered it with the cardigan, I still prefer knitting everything in the round where possible.

I've been very good this week, and when not staying late at work in the evenings, have concentrated solely on the cardigan, and have not even looked at the shawl, though it's been hard; I'm really looking forward to getting back to the Aeolian. So far the back and both fronts of the cardigan are finished, and I'm giving myself tomorrow to finish the tops of the arms, so I can seam on Sunday. Then I'll move on to the pockets.

We had a great knit night at Hammersmith SNB this Tuesday. All the regulars were there. I love hanging out knitting and chatting with them all.

Spanish Omlette

2009-11-29T09:45:00.001-08:00

Now this is nothing fancy, and I make it all the time, but I thought it looked good on the plate.

In case you're interested, here's how to make it:

Spanish Omlette (some say Frittata)

Serves 4-8 depending on how large a slice you serve!)

Approx. 200g baby new potatoes, cut into half-inch pieces

6 slices honey roast ham, cut into half-inch pieces

Half a red onion, chopped

150g cheddar cheese, grated

6 eggs (you can make this with 4 eggs, but I stretched it out)

Olive oil.

Preheat the grill to Medium. Parboil the baby new potatoes. Fry the onion in a very small amount of olive oil. Set aside.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl. Add the cheese, ham, par-boiled potatoes, onion and salt and pepper. Tip this mixture into the same frying pan and cook on a medium flame for about 5 minutes until the edges come away from the side of the pan (this means the bottom will also be cooked).

Transfer the frying pan to the grill and leave for about 10 minutes, or until the top is golden and the egg has set.

Take out from under the grill; it will keep on cooking.

Serve at room temperature with salad.

I almost always make this with chorizo for that Spanish feel, but fancied a change this time. I may make it with peas and ham next time, omitting the cheese. You can make whatever variation you like.

My little Brother came to stay at the beginning of the week and we ate it. It's a simple mid-week meal that I make very often.

I had a great time with DB, who was in London for an interview. Here's hoping he gets the job so I can see him more often!

My eyes are now swimming in a sea of camel stockinette, so I must get back to the cardigan. Having frogged it down to the arm-holes due to the fit (I want to get it right), I have now finished the back, and almost one front. Just one more front and the tops of the sleeves to go.

I'm also about 80% of the way through the Aeolian Shawl.

Give-away Winner

2009-11-15T04:27:00.000-08:00

I gave Rebecca an extra two weeks, but I'm afraid I haven't heard anything, so I've drawn another winner: it's Adriana! I've PM'd her on Ravelry and when she's given me her address I'll post the yarn off to her straight away.

Congratulations!

In an effort to put off a project that I have to finish, in true knitter style I have started a new WIP: an Aeolian shawl, below:

I've well and truly caught the shawl bug, though it's the actual knitting process and finished project rather than the usability of them that I enjoy.

I've known about the Aeolian for a while but wan't sure I wanted to make one so intricate, but having looked for another shawl pattern and not found anything nearly as stunning, I cast on last night. It has the advantage of being by the same designer as the Swallowtail (Elizabeth Freeman), which I really enjoyed, and doesn't involve increases on the purl side, a major factor.

I'm not loving the colour yet, but it was in the stash and I thought I'd use it up. It's Allison Avery Merino DK in Crimson, and it's very soft. I think it works better in fingering weight and darker colours. Navy blue could be nice...

Toad also recently lent me her EZ book, Knitter's Almanac, which has proved for some interesting reading.

DH has declined to have a pair of these made for him!:

The Hat

2009-11-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

Just a short post today.

New yarn for the hat, although I can't start this until I've finished a few other secret gifts.

This is still Dream in Colour, but the colour's changed to Visual purple, which I happened to have in the stash, waiting for another project.

Ysolda's coming to Stash on Thursday so I'm going to pop along and meet her, and try to stop myself buying one of her books!

Can You Guess What This Is?

2009-11-01T12:47:00.000-08:00

It's for a friend so I can't say yet, but some of you may know!

I've also got some lovely Dream in Colour for a project for one of DH's relatives. I'd better get going on it as I have that and the camel cardigan to finish before Christmas.

This is Classy in Bermuda Teal, and I'm just waiting for the go-ahead on the colour so I can get started. I'll show you the project later, when I can.

By the way, I haven't heard from the winner of the yarn giveaway yet. Rebecca, please leave a comment or email me so I can contact you for your address and send the yarn off to you.

If I haven't heard in a couple of weeks, I'll draw another number.

Til next time x

Swallowtail

2009-10-26T13:17:00.000-07:00

15 days and many, many nupps later, here it is:

This is my Swallowtail Shawl, beautifully designed by Evelyn Clark.

Now, those of you who read this blog are probably wondering why on earth I made this, given my (mild) dislike for lace and shawls. Yes, this is both lace and a shawl. Allow me to clarify: for some inexplicable reason I felt drawn to this particular shawl; it may have had something to do with seeing Natalie's shimmering version in the window of Stash a couple of months ago. The strange thing about lace is that although I don't always love the finished product, I do really love knitting lace.

Anyway, I knit it in Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk in a lovely dark grey. It's really good to work with and just slips off the needles. I only wish there was a slightly higher sheen to it.

Did you notice that it's cunningly hanging from a tree branch? I had wanted to photograph the shawl amongst the red and gold foliage of my favourite season, and all week had had one particular russet-hued Beech tree in mind. However, I walked around the neighbourhood all day yesterday in van searching for a branch I could actually reach. In the end I had to settle for a tree with leaves that were still tinged with the previous season's green, but you get the idea.

This pattern was a breeze. Saying that, in the beginning I frogged it a grand total of five times while I tried to work out the Budding Lace repeats. It took showing it to someone at Knit Night (thanks Mel) for me to realise that there were three words below the chart which I had completely managed to miss: "Six-Stitch Repeat". Noticing that at the very beginning would have saved me a lot of frustration!

After that it went very quickly. The fun part was the nupps - lots and lots of them every row once you get to the Lily of the Valley edging.

I plan on wearing it to work to keep my necky toasty and prevent my usual winter cold, while remaining smart enough for an office environment.

As soon as this was OTN and blocking I got started on something else. Can you guess what this yarn is? There's no prize, I'm just testing you!

I also have some work to do on the camel cardigan, plus DH' s aunt has asked me to make something too, so I should probably get back to it...

And The Winner Is...

2009-10-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your lovely comments; they certainly make pursuing the blog worthwhile.

Last night I closed the Comments, and drew a number. Click here to see that I did it fair and square. The winner is:

No. 38 = Rebecca!!!

Rebecca (posted 5th October at 17.23), please email me and give me your address so I know where to send your yarn! Alternatively, PM me on Ravelry; I'm Rowanberry.

I hope you all enjoyed this little competition as much as I did. it was a first for me, and seeing a new comment (or three) every so often really put a smile on my face!

Figs

2009-10-11T12:34:00.000-07:00

Last of the Summer figs. Sorry, I couldn't resist...

Little Joshua's Gifts

2009-10-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

Little Joshua arrived two weeks ago and we went over to give his parents, our good friends, his pressies:

Booties from my own pattern:

An Umbilical Cord Hat:

And a little bear, complete with matching scarf:

Joshua may be too little for them at the moment, but he'll soon grow into them.

Knitting Update

2009-10-03T07:58:00.001-07:00

I should be posting blocked photos of two cardigans, which I have actually completed, believe it or not. However, when I left my knitting bag behind at Knit Night on Tuesday, I also left my pins, so it'll have to wait until next weekend now probably, sorry.

In the meantime, in an effort to do something different, I've started a Swallowtail Shawl. I'm not normally a huge fan of shawls, but it's begun to get cold here in London, and it would be nice to have something cosy to wrap around my neck at work, that also looks quite smart. I've made a shawl before, but wanted to take on a lace one this time. Again, lace is also not a usual favourite of mine, but this shawl's been nagging at me to be made for a while. I quite enjoy lace, and was quite pleased with my Curlicue.

I've decided to do this in Baby Alpacas Alpaca Silk (50% Alpaca, 50% Silk) so it has a nice sheen to it. The colour I chose is a silvery-grey (but it's hard to see the silkiness in these photos). It's Slate, No. 100, dye lot 9421. Three skeins should do the trick. I'm enjoying it already!

Stitch Markers: The Agony and the Ecstasy.

2009-10-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, fellow knitterly friends, this week I lost my all-time favourite stitch-markers. Having searched the entire house and stash I finally concluded that I must have thrown them out with the old newspapers.

Trying to handle the pain of the loss, I took myself off to Stash on Thursday for the new Thursday Knit Night (it has changed from Monday nights since the merger with Socktopus) and took the opportunity to replenish my stock. However, imagine my sadness when I arrived at the counter where they normally keep the same version of my beautiful stitch-markers, to find that not only did they not have the same ones, but they had a different version, which were HARD PLASTIC. Obviously I still bought them (I needed some for a project and was coming around to the new colour scheme).

Here are the new little guys:

*** I have now abbreviated stitch-marker to SM - takes too long to type ***

By this stage, I've got to admit, I was loving the peach against the pinks, oranges and reds (yes, it's another Umbilical Cord Hat - below). However, I digress. Not wanting to be unfaithful to my original SM's, they just didn't quite compare. My original SM's were in the best purple and green shades you could imagine, and were rubber, which crucially meant that they didn't fall off the needles, roll away or get snapped. The new ones are alright (OK, now I really like the colours) but they're just not the same.

So imagine my ecstasy when I came across these:

Yes, this is the original set. I found them in my needle case, where I'd clearly been hiding them in case I lost them. Yes, the irony, I know. I'm sooo happy: now I have my favourites plus some new little guys to play around with (which have the added bonus of being much bigger, so will fit around larger needles.

Bear in mind that these are bog-standard SM's, nothing fancy. Furthermore, until this week, I also only had one set; I am not a collector/horader of beautiful and different SM's, like a lot of knitters. Then you will see that this dilemma I faced for a grand total of two days was indeed completely ridiculous. However, I'm admitting that, and I think admission is the first step towards recovery. It's just that the colour of an SM is really important; the way it looks against your knitting can really make the difference between loving that huge sweater and giving up half-way through. Fellow knitters, I know you'll understand.