Year of projects - 17.11.13

It's done!  My Miranda jumper, finally finished, ends sewn in and sort-of-blocked, (the blocking was a bit of a disaster, as with the weather getting colder and living in a house with no central-heating it just wouldn't dry, so I gave up trying and just dried it without stretching.)

I am pleased with the finished sweater and am planning on taking it out on it's first night out this evening!

The hood is plenty big enough, I have a huge head and lots of hair, so I made sure I added some more to the mix when measuring against the pattern.  I did the same with the length as I can't stand a jumper which you have to keep pulling down...apart from that and my 'make-it-up-as-you-go-along method' of widening the cable section, its pretty much as the pattern says.

I used some nice Rowan Silky Tweed in Bolero, size 5mm circ needles and off I went.

 

(I am standing on my piano stool to try and see myself in the mirror!)

 

I'm quickly onto the next project...no dilly-dallying as this is a gift that needs to be done this week.  It is Clapo-Ktus which is knitting up a storm (now that I understand what I have to do!).  This will hopefully be done in the next few days and then I'm slightly off-piste with some Christmas knitting....I think I may be off-piste a while!

Last, but not to least, my little give-away from last week.

The winner is Lily Razz

I'll  email you now so I can pop your goodies in the post!

To catch up with my fellow YOP-ers, check out the ravelry page here.

Year of projects - 10.11.13

So don't fall off your chair, but I might just have pulled off two weeks in a row (although that does actually depend on me pressing publish!)

This first picture is a ravelry pattern which I thought would make a good gift for a friend who has just had a baby boy.  (I've looked through all the patterns on ravelry and for some weird reason, none of them look familiar so I'm not sure which one I used!)  I made it with two different yarns, Picasso by Robin and Sirdar Click both at a bulky weight, so the finished blanket was quite heavy, I'm not sure if this would make a better floor mat for that reason.  I've wanted to make a star since seeing the beautiful one made on HillyTownBlue probably over a year ago.  Mine didn't end up growing that big and I think I maybe didn't count carefully as it didn't sit as well as it might have.....

I  hoped my Miranda would have been finished this week, but  I  have still not been able to cast on for the hood.....but I am getting there.....maybe next week.

Well this week, as I told you  last Sunday, my friend and I went to Christmas Crafts at the NEC in Birmingham.  I was lucky enough to win tickets from Sarah at Crafts from the Cwtch

 

 There was plenty to see, do and to spend your pennies on.  We tried our hands at some Decopatch and also Fimo modelling.  We also spent ages rifling through this huge pile of reduced wool  at one stall, it would have been tempting to just launch yourself in, but I restrained myself!

 

So I bought..........some yarn, some bags of ribbon, some decopatch bits and bobs (see the big ram's head?) a rainbow quilt starter set from Dickory Dock Designs (a lovely stall with so many colourful fabriccy things for kids), some paper strips to make 3-D stars for the Christmas tree, some embossing inks and powders...oh, and lots of inspiration (which was free!)

(My friend's fimo creations left, mine right)

The fimo tutorial was brilliant, I learnt a few techniques which were just genius and I brought my little stash of things home and baked them in the oven.

Anyway, I know this post has been a little off track, but wanted to share my lovely day with you all....I know that some of the makes that I show off in future will have been inspired by this day out.

I felt quite christmassy seeing all the festive ideas around me, so I thought I would put together a couple of things to offer as a giveaway on my blog. 

So here you are, if you would like to have a chance to win the above Scandinavian Christmas 3-D Star Kit (plus a few extra bits to inspire you, hopefully), then leave a comment below.  I'm not worrying about where it gets posted to, so go right ahead and add your name to the hat, why don't you!

To see other Year of Project work, check out the Ravelry page here.

Year of projects - 03.11.13

So if I just sneak in at the back, quietly and not make too much of a scene d'you think anyone will realise I've not updated my year of projects progress for....uuummmmm....six weeks.......

Somewhere along the line I have a three/four post cork which is stopping progress.  I have a post about the long-gone summer, two posts at least about Austria and then one about our walking adventures...but it can't go on, and I have to get back on track...I hope to get them done in the next week (or ten!)

So onto all things YOP.  I have finally got around to blocking my New Beginnings shawl by the brilliant Boo Knits.  I started this shawl while we were on holiday in Austria...this is the one that I posed with on the glacier at Grossglockner...(to answer the question, it was totally posed...if I had actually sat there to knit I think my hubby would have had a huge melt down!)

 

This is a beautiful shawl, I used a lace weight yarn that I bought at Wonderwool last year.  The colours are gorgeous and although would probably make most think of the ocean (especially with the ripple waves) for me it reminds me of the melted glacier waters in Austria.

I did buy beads to add on in the end rows, but decided near the end to leave them out and do the alternative straight edge.  I love my Quite Continental shawl with the beaded edge but I wanted something simpler this time.

While I've been putting off blocking the shawl, I have joined a KAL for Josee Paquin's Miranda sweater I was lucky to buy some Rowan silk-mix yarn from a clearance bin online and away I went.  Its a top down in the round sweater and when I get to it, it will be hooded also. 

Its a great knit so far, although I haven't understood the increases during the cable section, so have decided to do it my own way (which could actually be the way you are supposed to do it, but I'm being blonde!)

So there we have it....this is a little bit of the goings on....... with the sudden downturn in the temps and the wind and rain, I'm seeing some more woolly things down the road.  This week I am going to Birmingham NEC to the Christmas Craft Show after being a lucky winner of a pair of tickets from Sarah Crafts from the Cwtch I am hoping to come back with lots of inspiration and maybe a small pressie, as it has been far too long since there was such a thing around these parts.

I expect everyone is doing a somewhat better job of keeping up to date than me...check out there stories here.

Year of projects - 01.09.13

Well we are all home after our epic holiday to Austria...epic for the miles driven (2626), for the miles walked uphill and mountain, for the fun had, for the number of wow moments.....it is lovely to be home, but know that a little part of my heart remains in the mountains.

So here I am after more than a few weeks away from the Sunday updates...not sure how I managed to do it every week before, as now it seems near impossible.

The things going on at the moment? 

This was a quicky project for a birthday gift which I filled with a mix of chocolates, all tied up with cat paw ribbon, for a cat loving friend.

My multi-stitch stripe blanket, following Little Woollie's CAL is out of the bag again, and in fact travelled to Austria to be crocheted on in the evenings, so it is a little further along, although a way to go.  It is bright (my hubby does not love it) and I am so enjoying each section of it....how lovely it is to whizz along with my crochet hook after a lot of delicate knitting.

And last but not least, I am part way through my second Boo Knits shawl...and here I am at the foot of the Grossglockner (the tallest mountain in Austria) This is New Beginnings knitted in a part ball of fingering silk/BFL blend yarn  in a blue-green colourway.in fact it is rather glacier like, so may get a name to suggest it, as it has been worked on here at the glacier.  We drove through the High Alpine Roads to the stop point and walked down After we had recovered from the walk down to this point, we walked down onto the Paterze glacier...awesome and scary all rolled into one.  This was one to add to our memories.  It was a gruelling walk down, and far worse back up...tears from the boys and nearly tears from me too if I am honest!  Some of the stones here looked like they were made from silver....amazing!

Impressive eh?  This imposing peak is not the biggy...the Grossglockner is out of shot to the left.  No matter which picture I look at, none of them show the sheer vastness of the area...this one was taken from the glacier zoomed right in.....mind blowing.....

 

Sorry, a quick meander of topic... to catch up with other YOP projects, check out the ravelry page.

Pick-a-boo shawl knit-a-long

 

 So here it is...finally off the needles, my Quite Continental shawl by Boo Knits

A first in a few respects for me...lace work and beading....who knew there was a 0.6mm crochet hook?

 

I bought my hand-dyed yarn on Etsy from Perran Yarns and I can't recommend Steph's yarn enough, it is beautiful, reasonably priced and is soooo luxurious.

The pattern, even for a beginner at something as fine as this, was easy to follow and any swear words that occurred were purely down to my rubbish-ness!  I was undecided as to whether I was going to use the beads, but I was glad I did, as I found them useful as a marker for where I was in the pattern.  In the beginning, I found I lost my place in the pattern repeat and couldn't 'read' the stitches quickly enough, but as I got into the swing of things, I soon got into a rhythm, and I even did some knitting and beading at the beach while watching three boys swimming and sandcastle building.....get me!

The shawl is perfect, blocking was my saving grace and it is a good size, although not so big as others (maybe I started out on too smaller needle?)  the mistakes which I'm sure I did, are not visible ....so I'll just keep quiet about them.

Thing is now....I am on a roll....I think I will be casting on another in the next day or so.  

In four days (whhoooppppeeeee!) we are off on our first 'abroad' holiday to Austria and I'm thinking another Boo Knits shawl would be a nice small project to take for the evenings.  Anyone who has any ideas how to stop three boys slapping each other in a 16 hour car-journey, don't hold back, I'm all ears!

Anyway....if you would like to catch up with any fellow Knit-a-long-ers  hop on over to Sarah's blog Crafts from the Cwtch with this week's link-up being hosted by the pattern designer herself....Mrs. Boo Knits.

Pick-a-boo Shawl KAL

So here it is....progress so far on my Quite Continental BooKnits shawl  which I am doing as a Knit-a-long.  I am about two thirds through the second lace section and starting to find things a little less stop and start, and a bit more natural.

After this section the final lace section is a little shorter again and then the bind off, which I am still unsure about, having read some more experienced knitters' questions.

I decided to bead this, despite the fact I am not terrible 'blingy' but I was up for the challenge, and the beads are indeed very subtle.

I am using tiny beads (I think smaller than intended) and a 0.6 crochet hook to put them on with....it makes me realise what painstaking work those crochet edges on old family tablecloths must have been.

Despite the very steep learning curve, and on occasion dropping stitches and not having a clue how to 'read' the stitches and rectify it, I am enjoying the knit and hoping that my blocking will work miracles!  Please tell me it will!!

I thankfully got the answers I needed to my unbalanced increases and am forever grateful to the blogging/ravelry community and to Annie who solved the issue in one sentence.

Soooo....what d'ya reckon....finished by next update.....;-)

To catch up with all the other intrepid knitters....call on over to Sarah's blog, Crafts from the Cwtch for the weekly link-up.

Year of projects - 07.07.13

I have to say I was more than a little disappointed at my lack of things to show for my efforts last year, I think there was a brioche hat extra, that I remembered after placing the pics together...but still, not much eh?  Then I remembered the Little Woollie blanket, the two Veera shawls, the toe-up socks, the Jared Flood blanket, the various other 'I couldn't resist' projects....so really not so bad after all.

So what I take from last year and not completing everything, is that I end up doing lots of extras.....so where does that leave this year's list?

New Things

I want to make some crocheted bags...probably similar to the Attic 24 stripey bags.

I would like to make myself another knitted jumper, but as of yet, have not decided which.

A pair of knitted socks....when I totally forget how boring they are to make!

Some washcloths (I do keep banging on that I am going to, but have still not got to it!)

A temperature blanket

I would like to join in some CALs and KALs as I find I get so much from them, something challenging!

Re-visiting!

Ten stitch twist as shown above only partly done.

Little Woollie mixed stripe blanket

Crocheted star blankets

Fingerless gloves

So there we have it.....vague eh?!  But I'm guessing that may keep me from feeling tied down too much.

So....while I have you attention, I wanted to pick your brains....I've just this week started making a Quite Continental shawl by Boo Knits as part of a KAL with Sarah from Crafts from the Cwtch I keep looking at the sides and wondering where I'm going wrong and should I rip it out?  But without knowing how to rectify things, I think what's the point?

Can you see the increases on the left in the picture are far more 'gappy' than on the right....am I missing something....will it just block out and not worry about it....I admit, I'm not sure I am the only one, so is it a common problem to have the tension different and what makes it like that on one side and not the other????   I am distorting it in the picture by pulling it, to make it more obvious. 

Any advice very gladly taken...the rows begin and end with...

K2, kyok....kyok,K2

K2, yo....yo,K2

Righty-hoh!  If you'd like to catch up with any fellow YOP-pers, check out the ravelry page.