skein

October round up

including a few things which were finished this weekend.

The new things.
A couple of washcloths for Christmas, knitted in Crystal Palace's Cotton chenille.  One skein makes two cloths, a free pattern here.

And a blurry indoors shot

Another one skein Feza scarf. (Very horrible to knit with, IMO, but the recipients will think it's a work of art)

A Dale baby cap to match the cardigan.

And last, but not least, Chris's birthday socks, in Fortissimo Sinfonie (I think) which he doesn't know about.  I've been knitting these on the commuter run and spare evenings when he's not about.

 

I'm especially pleased as the socks, scarf and washcloths are also on my Who Wouldn't Love a Handknitted Gift? list.  Including the hot lava cardigan, that's five out of fourteen gifts knitted already.

The rest?
Hot lava

Another Feza scarf

Some more socks

And my seasilk International Scarf Exchange scarf

Not as impressive as September, but I feel quite pleased with all of the little things that have been finished off. I just wish some of those UFOs could be finished.

Hot HOT Lava Cardigan

I've a finished garment! 
This means:
* I've finished the current knitting on the yahoo knitalong group.
* It's knitted from stash, Debbie Bliss Maya leftovers, thereby qualifying as a stashbuster.
* It's a Christmas gift, and should be included in the Who wouldn't love a handknitted gift? blog.

               

Three birds with one stone, not bad!

It's the Hot Lava Cardigan, a free pattern here.
I had just under four skeins of Maya in stash, and knitted the smallest size.  This was started a few weeks ago, but I didn't have any fun with bamboo circulars or dpns, and had relegated the wip to the bottom of the wip pile. Picking up some 7mm Addis from Stash did the trick, and most of this was knitted over the weekend, a very quick knit!

It's a very weird looking piece of knitting when it's not being worn. You knit a sleeve in the round, then work back and forth for the width of the back, join into a round again for the second sleeve.  The back/fronts/collar are knitted by picking up the stitches on the back edges, joining into a round and knitting a big tube, increasing at the fronts for the bolero and collar.  It looks as if one's forgotten to leave an opening for the head! 

If anyone's knitting this, you really have to do a super-loose cast off, as that tube has to s-t-r-e-t-c-h all around from your back, around your fronts and behind your neck.  I ended up doing a crochet cast off with an extra stitch.  There's an instruction video at

this site (just scroll down to the double crochet bind off and click on the video icon).

I tried it on last night (smallest size) and it didn't even cover the boobs.  So I've asked a couple of work colleagues to try it on. Remember, this is for a very petite, thin, flat chested person, and is a tad too small for these models. And we hadn't anything that would close the fronts, though model D tried a paperclip!

Model K's back view

Model K's front view

Model D's back view

D's front view

(closed with a paperclip!)

These photographs aren't the world's best, but you know what?  Dana came into my office a little while later and told me that they thought it was wonderful, and would I consider knitting them one? (I presume one each, not to share!). Even in its unwashed and unblocked state, with stray ends hanging down and no closures. And a size too small. Ah, what a complement!

Socks and more socks and knitting needles

Those pesky Lorna's Laces socks in the Argyle shade are finished, and have been finished for a few weeks.
Toe up, short row heel, 3x1 ribbed leg, 68sts on 2mm dpns. Started August, finished October.

Sorry about the photo - Chris insisted on putting them on and then wouldn't move off the sofa for a photograph!  They fit well, and these are the first Lorna's Laces socks that Chris has owned, as I usually use the German self striping yarn and keep the other sock yarns for myself.  I've a few shades of LL which will suit him (i.e. highly patterned or very contrasting and bright colours) but otherwise I'll stick to the cheaper European sock yarns such as Opal and Regia as he likes these and can't tell the difference! 

Speaking of self patterning yarns, I've started Christmas/Birthday knitting, and I find recipients are more pleased with these types of yarn than the variegated yarn that doesn't stripe.  So I dipped into the self patterning sock yarn box and randomly selected a couple of balls for sock gifts.
One pair for Chris, to be knitted in secret, and the other pair for a femail relative. Except he isn't going to be getting too much of a surprise. Look at these socks. The colours are identical except one has black stripes throughout and the other has blue stripes.

The background colours are identical (or would be if I turned the on sock upside down as one's toe up and the other's top down), so I'm now going to give the (not secret) pair on the left to Chris for Christmas, and the (secret) pair on the right will be birthday socks.

Knitting needles
Several weeks ago I tried out a pair of knitting needles in Stash. Absolutely gorgeous needles. In birch, highly polished, a good point and fantastic polymer clay tops (or finials, as Serendipity Needles calls them).

On Saturday afternoon I popped in (for several hours knitting of course) and there were the needles

Click on the picture to get a larger view.

These are the three that walked home with me at the weekend.

Beautiful!

Scarf received!

This is practically a duplicate post to the one I left at the International Scarf Exchange, apologies to any ISE readers.

My scarf arrived today!

It's beautiful, in Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk, sent from Eve in Pennsylvania. 

Included were optional extras - candles, calender, and lots and lots of sweets. We ate so many at work yesterday (yes, the whole office helped me out) that I didn't eat lunch until 3pm!

Everything arrived wrapped in tissue paper in a big box. 
Here's the goodies:

See all of those sweets?

Outdoor scarf shot:

What you probably don't know Eve, is that in ISE2 I sent my pal a red Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk scarf! In a reversible cabled design!

International Scarf Exchange

My scarf has been knitted and blocked for a few weeks, I just needed to get my act together to take photos and gather a few choccies etc for the package.

It's the Maple Leave scarf from Heartstrings Fiberarts.
Knitted in Handmaiden Seasilk, Wildflower, purchased from Get Knitted.  Lovely to knit with, and it blocks beautifully.

And a close up

Ignore the wonky left edge - it's mainly due to the way I laid the scarf on the floor!

This will be in the post tomorrow to my scarf pal, along with the 20g leftovers,  so that she can sample it herself. The deadline for receipt of the scarves is 1st November, so I'm cutting it fine (that's a hint; it's going overseas).

Unfortunately as soon as this was off the needles the void was more than filled with several other wips. Two pairs of socks, the Hot Lava Cardigan and the Four Panelled Jacket, to be precise! 

Ally Pally haul

This year I was a little restricted in what I could buy as I was off to visit the family straight after Ally Pally for a few days, and didn't want to struggle with lots of bags and an overnight bag as well.  Apart from jamiesons, I stuck to sock yarn and the odd bit of lace yarn.  I didn't do Ally Pally justice this year, missed loads of stands, including House of Hemp and the Possum stand! 
Jamiesons was my first port of call, for the Simply Shetland 3 book and a kit for the Sandia Caped Coat (it's top right in the photos).
A close up of the yarn

Then onto Cherry Tree Hill yarns for some sock yarn and some suri alpaca laceweight yarn. 

From Get Knitted

More lorna's laces, some Handmaiden silk and Fleece Artist. The Koigu is bought specifically for the Traveller's stockings in Knitting on the Road.  I started these yesterday, but I'm using short bamboo dpns, and there's too much manipulation of the stitches for bamboo needles, so these have been put aside until I transfer them onto metal dpns (and get the right left slant decrease sorted out - I've been knitting them incorrectly and have to frog).  Not to worry, I have two pairs of socks OTN at the moment to keep me going. 

From Touch I bought two lace scarf kits, very handy for exchanges.

From Habu, some silk mohair and some bamboo

Also a sheep pin, some sheep soap and a scarf kit from Wensleydale Longwool Sheepshop, probably for gifts (though that scarf kit looks a bit tempting!). No photos, by this time my stamina was flagging.

I wanted to visit lots more stalls, but time and tired feet got the better of me. I missed out on the Possum and Hemp yarns! 

I very nearly bought a knitting machine!  Fortunately some of my fellow knitters passed by at the crucial time and distracted me!

Coming later this week - the Lorna's laces socks are finished at last, as is the scarf for my scarf exchange pal. Just need to get organised and sort out photos. 

Lonesome Skein scarf

A very quick project, suitable for inclusion in the Lonesome Skein group as well as being the very first Christmas gift.
Take one skein of yarn (Feza from Stash Yarns)

Wind it into a ball

Spend a few hours knitting and we have the first Christmas gift of the year, a novelty yarn scarf!  Relatively painless (I'm not the greatest lover of knitting with big needles and novelty yarns) and very quick!

Excuse the fuzzy photos, I think my digital doesn't like dim lighting and sparkly yarns!

Feza is basically one of those magic balls, where you knot lengths of yarn together into a ball.  Furry yarns, ribbon yarns, sparkly yarns, shiny yarns.  I'd make my own, but I don't have enough novelty yarns in stash, just the odd ball of sparkle or fur for adornments.  I do NOT like knitting with this at all, but as it's just an evening's work it's bearable.  I cast on with the furry and cast off with some weird sort of ribbon with gaps in it (just big enough for the needle tip).

With Ally Pally Knitting show this week I might be on the lookout for some odd balls of novelty yarns to make more of these scarves.  Great stocking fillers or last minute birthday presents for winter birthdays.

Scarves again

My scarf exchange scarf is finished

and blocking

As this is a long scarf, I've used blocking wires rather than just pinning it out. I don't want little pin points all along the edges.  This was blocked in a hurry on Thursday night. It took most of the evening to put the blocking wires through the edges of the scarf (cooking and phone calls intervened) but the seasilk didn't dry as quickly as laceweight wool would have and in fact was still damp on Friday morning. I'm hoping it's bone dry tomorrow night when I pop over to the stash flat to see where my Ally Pally exhibition guide is!

Not much knitting has been done this weekend. We went out for lunch yesterday to celebrate Chris's father's 80th birthday. I managed to knit on the Lorna's laces Argyle socks on the train journey down, but too much wine with lunch and too much vodka on the train home meant no knitting at all last night.
Here's a picture of the birthday boy with son and grandson. I think Billy's been watching too much of the Godfather!

October knitting

I need to finish off a few things this month and start on christmas and birthday knitting. Did you know it's just over 11 weeks to Christmas? Yikes. 

Discounting my UFOs, and the Leapin' Lizards knitalong, which is a long term, no rush, stashbuster project, I have only THREE things on the needles - a pair of socks, my seasilk scarf exchange and the Debbie Bliss silk shrug. Which leaves plenty of time for Christmas and birthday knitting, I hope.

I think that I'll incorporate the various knitalongs into my Christmas/birthday knitting, as most of the October polls were for things that I want to knit.

Let's see.  We have the  Six Socks Knitalong October sock, which is the first sock pattern this year that I'm tempted to knit. Then there's the Knitting on the Road Knitalong, which has opted for the Traveller's Stockings, on my to-do list for ages. Vintage Socks Knitalong are due to start knitting the Gentleman's Socks in Railway Stitch.

Who wouldn't love a handknitted gift is starting up for December 06. A great motivational aide for last year's Gift Knitting.

Knitalong is knitting (as I am) the Hot Lava Cardigan. I'll be using stash (leftover) Debbie Bliss Maya.

Traditional Knitting are starting on a gansey knitalong.

And last but not least I've joined a new knitalong - open until 16th October - the Lonesome Skein knitalong. Right up my street - a knitalong for odd skeins of yarn, with loads of links for all sorts of patterns - socks, mittens, baby, dishclothes, scarves. Who needs IK's Holiday Gifts issue?

I've got my knitting cut out for me this month I see.  Pity I didn't join Socktoberfest!

And because I don't do photo-less posts, here's a photo from the front door of the stash flat at 7am the other morning - Autumn is on its way!

In another few weeks this will have turned all red. It's wonderful when the sun is shining on the red leaves, and the living room is infused with a red glow. Can't wait. It also means jumper weather!

 

September knitting

Doesn't time fly!  I can't believe we're into October already.

What did I manage to achieve for my September knitting?
1) Finish Fixation socks. Done!
   
These only used one ball of Fixation (or Elann's equivalent, I can't remember) but that's because they will be a gift for someone with tiny feet. That's how much yarn I had left over.

2) Lorna's Laces Argyll colour socks for Chris. Still on the needles, though I'm on sock #2 now.

3) Finish Flower Basket Shawl - done!

4) Finish Henley - frogged!

5) Finish the Debbie Bliss silk shrug cardigan. 
Um, hardly any progress on this, I keep getting waylaid by new stuff!  I've finished both fronts, and most of the bag. Only the 3/4 length sleeves and another 10 rows of back to go though.

6) Finish the Swallowtail shawl - done!
But the photos are crap. I need to get out in decent daylight. I also want to reblock this shawl. I blocked to the given measurements, which was a big mistake as the shawl is hardly stretched out at all.  Although you can see the lace patterning, believe me, it could do with a more severe blocking to open up the lace.  Next time I'll try to be a little bit more precise. Although this is blocked out to the given measurement one side of nupps is not as open as the other side (I think it's when I smoothed out the shawl; as it's not blocked severely it caused one side of nupps to not open out as much)

blocking

Trying to dangle Swallowtail over a wall and photograph in low but bright, sunlight.

Blurred.

7) Finish the Dale Baby Cardigan - done!

All in all, not bad for a month's knitting.
I've not finished the Argyle Lorna's Laces socks or the silk cardigan, but I've finished a baby kimono

and nearly finished (just the felting to go) a Noni carpet bag

I'm especially pleased to finish the Flower Basket shawl (otn since April) and those blasted footlets (July).  Now to decide on October knitting!