skein

A few new wips to close the year

Most knitters like to close the old year with lots of FOs, ready to start the new year with new projects.  Me?  I'm just pleased to be not Christmas knitting, and I tend to relax over Christmas, and play with my yarn, which inevitably leads to new projects.

I started three easy projects.

The neckwarmer, in Alchemy's synchronicity

Look how frosty the ground is? This is early afternoon, on a sunny day (that lovely low winter sun). I've done all of the knitting now, just have to find a big button and then we'll have another FO.

This capelet from Louisa Harding's accessories book, using Impressions and the Sari Ribbon (those ends are part of the design, and won't be sewn in)

And some Gardening Gloves (i.e. topless mittens) from the same book.

Three very easy, mindless projects, which I'll finish over the next few weeks.

We had an enjoyable couple of days with Chris's parents.  I'd left the end dangling on his mum's scarf, as I wasn't sure how long to knit this. She asked me to knit it a bit longer, so I spent Tuesday evening knitting another skein. 

Anne and her scarf

We're off to spend the New Year in the stash flat (it's warmer!) so I won't be on the computer until next year - have a happy new year everyone, see you in 2006!

Another Christmas done and dusted.

Did you all have a happy Christmas and holiday?  It's always such a stressful time, we just cop out. Refuse to see any relatives or go to any parties. We met up with a friend on Christmas eve, went back for more drinks and had a very late night, which meant that Christmas day was a late start and rather quiet. We saw Billy for the first time ever on Christmas day. He usually stays with his mother and we don't get to see him until the 27th, but I bought him a pc game that will only work on our computer (not planned!). A nice bonus for Chris. We bought a turkey crown this year, I fainted at the price, but when we got it home and looked at the size, it served 7!  We've had 4 meals out of it already, and 5 roast turkey sarnies, and I've frozen 6 (good sized) portions of turkey soup today. Not bad.

I managed to finish the Christmas knitting in time!  Those grey socks are done!
These are for Chris's dad, modelled here by Chris. (He is just sooo used to doing this, hops onto the sofa, rolls up his trousers and poses!)

I'm trying to show off the heel...

The heel is a Dutch heel, but the heel flap is stocking stock and the middle section of the dutch heel is like a narrow band.

Here's another photo, the sock on top shows the sole and the heel.

Chris commented on the heel when he tried them on. He really likes this heel, said that his heel just popped into the sock heel and felt very comfortable. I will try this new shaping on his next socks I think.

I didn't do as much knitting as planned either. For some strange masochistic reason, I volunteered to cook at christmas!  Chris must have thought his birthday had come around for a second time this month. We usually alternate, with one person running around like a headless turkey, cooking, washing up, cleaning,whilst the other slobs in front of the tv. I just fancied doing the cooking this year, which meant much less time relaxing.

I wound off the Alchemy Synchronicity as planned. Spent most of Christmas day (when not running around being a Stepford Wife) knitting on Alchemy socks. 

Boxing day I frogged them.  I just can't quite get my head around knitting socks out of this stuff. It's wool and silk, and so soft.  It seems a waste to knit socks, when I have so much sock yarn stash. So I started a scarf. And didn't like it. So started another scarf. Frogged that one too.

I am now doing this wonderful little neckwarmer from Knitty.  I have two skeins of this stuff, which should hopefully be enough to knit the scarf and the flower. Wonderful yarn, wonderful colours.

This is a keeper.  It's much darker than in this photo, I will try and get some outdoor shots. Have I mentioned how much I'm enjoying knitting with this stuff?

I've also started a few other things (now that the stress of Christmas knitting is over) - more later. For now, it's bedtime, and we have a very early start tomorrow to go and see Chris's parents for our second Christmas. Hopefully back in London in a few days.  I will be so fed up with turkey and brussel sprouts by the weekend!

Merry Christmas!

Trellis finally off the UFO list!

Just a quickie today.

I've had my last two days off work this year.  Instead of working on the grey socks, I chose to sew up Trellis, from Jamieson's book #3.  All done now except for the buttons. I know, I know. I have hundreds of buttons, but this jacket needs nine buttons, and I can't find nine matching buttons.

It still doesn't grab my attention, but that might just be because I've been staring at this for 27 months, and it's time to put it away until next winter. That usually works for me!

I'm at the heel of my last Christmas gift.  (I have a couple more gifts to knit, but these don't have to be ready until next month).  Really, really boring now.  Only really, really boring because I want to get knitting on Other Things.  I will try to finish these off in the next few days, ready to start something else!

Christmas Knitting - 6 days to go!

And what did Dawn do over the weekend? 

I finished sock #1 from Vintage socks.  One more sock to go before the Christmas deadline.

These are quite unusual, for plain socks.  A 3x2 longer-than-usual rib, then a plain sock, but with a peculiar dutch heel. It all adds up to a very vintage looking sock. Even Chris commented on how unusual they look. I quite like this one.  A warning though; the sock narrows down after the dutch heel to 62 sts, giving a very snug fit on the foot.  I just hope the recipient (in his late seventies) doesn't suffer from swollen feet!

I spent most of yesterday working on the Trellis Jacket.  I'm not enjoying this at all. I've gone off the design!  The sleeves are practically cap-less, which I hate. The colours aren't my cup of tea (though they are in the photo, amazing what flash photography can do, isn't it?) and it's garter stitch.  I gritted my teeth, and knitted like a demon.

Just the sewing up and sewing on of buttons and it's finished. Phew!  Another thing that might be struck off the 2005 list.  I really want to clear the decks of UFOs and WIPs for 2006.

Tiger feet

Yesterday was a day off work, and I've finally finished Chris's tiger socks. This is despite having to traipse into town to attend our Christmas breakfast at 7.45am.  In a pub. Lager, beer (Rosey Nosey) and champagne. This was meant to be a quick breakfast, out by 9am, so that all the guests could go to work afterwards, but of course I stayed until 10.30am, which meant that I didn't get back until nearly noon. 

Chris loves his socks. They are the *best* fitting socks I've ever knitted.  I can't think what I've done differently, except for using a different patterned yarn. I suspect the pattern has a lot to do with the fit of these socks.  I'm pleased though, this yarn has been sitting around for a couple of years now.

I've used the afterthought heel again. I like the fact that the pattern isn't interrupted on the foot.  It will also work well for those variated yarns that suddenly start pooling on the gusset. 

The Christmas knitting isn't going too well. I still have a sock and a bit to go.

From Nancy Bush's Vintage socks book. I'm sticking with the pattern so far, even down to that weird Dutch heel, but I might graft the 14 toe stitches rather than pulling the thread through and fastening off.  Has anyone ever done this with toes? I imagine that it might unravel or gape a bit.

I've had to make a decision on Suzette as well. I'm frogging it.  Not really!! I've ran out of one of the colours, and - guess what?  It's discontinued!  Three cheers to Rowan!  Oh, how I love 'em! I bought this yarn last Autumn.  I'm going to wing it and omit that colour for the last six inches of yoke left, and pray it isn't obvious.  I think it will change the overall look though, just hope it looks deliberate, as if it's a design element.  No pictures yet though, my circulars are far too small to spread it out! Soon!  I'm looking forward to starting that Louisa Harding capelet over christmas, and intend to use that very expensive but delicious Alchemy yarn on Christmas day, my treat to myself. And what a coincidence, Get Knitted have it on their site now!

I didn't make it..

The tiger socks weren't finished for Chris's birthday yesterday.
I don't think he minded, he had these socks instead

I've been rushed off my feet, what with three birthdays and christmas shopping, so I've hardly done any knitting, hence no posts here.

Tiger socks are coming on.  The two socks on two circulars method isn't my favourite, so I've transferred the socks to dpns and finished the first one off at the cinema yesterday. 

Halfway through Harry Potter I encountered the dreaded knot-in-self-patterning-yarn, you can just see (halfway down the foot) the one row of light amongst the orange. Chris doesn't care though, and he doesn't wear sandals and socks, so no-one will see it. It's just very annoying.  Basic ribbed top, plain foot, with an afterthought heel.

The most pressing knitting project at the moment though, is to finish the Gentleman's winter socks from Vintage Socks. These are for Chris's father, and I need to have them finished and washed by next weekend.  It's slow going.  This is the first sock!

A long bit of ribbing at the top, then stocking stitch. I'm following the pattern exactly (with a few extra rows to make up for my row tension) even down to the seam stitch on the back of the leg.  I'm not sure about the seam stitch.  To me, it just looks like a ladder at the back! I do like this Regia Shadow, very subtle and great for texture I should imagine.

All other knitting is on hold until next week.  And have you seen the new pattern at the Six Socks Knitalong?  Very tempting to pick up the needles and start them, but I will resist, at least until these two pairs of socks are finished.  I'm doing the odd row on the yoke of suzette though, but the rows are pretty long, and I have another 4cm to go before I have a decrease row.  I can't wait!

20 days to go...

until Christmas.  But only five days to go until Chris's birthday, so that's the deadline for the tiger socks. They're not much longer than in my last post.  At least it's two socks at once.

I've finished another Christmas scarf, in Alpaca silk. A simple farrow rib pattern.

Cast on a multiple of 3 plus 1 stitch.
Row 1: (k2, p1) to last stitch, k1
Row 2: p1, (k2, p1) to end.

I've left the cast off end loose. Chris has been speaking to the recipient (his mum) about scarf length, and there's some confusion over exactly how long she wants it. I have another couple of balls of yarn, so I can add to the length if needed (or deduct). Love, love, love this yarn.

On saturday we went to the Yarn House in Caterham.  Jill and I met up with Sarah (hope that's the correct spelling) and Alpaca Woman.   I needed to buy some more alpaca silk for the scarf above, but unfortunately some Louisa Harding yarn and a magazine fell into the basket as well.

Jill had brought along this wonderful shoulder warmer, so I picked out these colours to make my own.

Impression and sari ribbon in rather vibrant shades.

And some odd balls to make hats and fingerless gloves.

Fauve, kimono ribbon, kimono angora and kashmir dk.

I've even finished a hat in the kimono angora! 

This is another Christmas present. Jill brought a bag of knitted hats with her on Saturday.  Which of course encouraged me to start knitting hats!

And another sock. From vintage socks, the Gentleman's basic winter sock.  The leg is half ribbing, half plain. I'm using a Regia yarn, Shadow, which has very subtle shades of grey. Very suitable for Chris's dad. Sorry Polly, I know that you'd love this shade, but I'm keeping it!

December already!

Wow!  Where's the year gone? The next five weeks are busy for us here.  We don't just have Christmas I (here), Christmas II (Chris's parents) and New Year, we also have 5 birthdays!  That includes Chris's, mine and Billy's (today!).

I'm rapidly reassessing my knitting presents as well.  Cutting right back, I can just about get by with finishing one scarf (half done) and 2.5 prs of men's socks. 

I had yesterday off work, and went over the the Stash flat to chill out, watch dvds and knit away on Christmas gifts.  Hmmm.  I intended working on these:

Chris's Tiger birthday socks.

I knitted instead on other things, only one of which is a gift.

This is the first sleeve of Trellis.

I really would like to finish this by the end of the year. It's been hanging around for a few years.  I don't do well with garter stitch (unless I have a brilliant book to read).

One more repeat on the Mystery Shawl.

It's a wide border.  I have 11 more repeats to go. It's really boring (but the finished shawls look great, and I love the Jamieson's yarn).
Another one that needs to be finished this year.

Vintage yarn

For my Vintage socks Kal:

And the Christmas knitting.  It's the Rowan free membership gift, quite a nice little scarf.

This is a lovely teal colour, not blue!  Blame the flash, and shorter daylight hours!

I've been working away a little bit on Suzette, but this is slow going. Wouldn't it be grand to finish Trellis, Suzette and the Mystery shawl in the next four weeks. It would clear the wip pile somewhat, ready for 2006 (!)