skein

Harbour Lights

No knitting revisited today, I have a finished project!

I had a bit of a KAL fever at the beginning of the month, and joined a few more ravelry groups.  I blame that KAL fanatics ravelry group. Each month it lists KALs and CALs, a lot of which I want to join!   

This was a KAL from the Inspiration Knits ravelry group. Of course I bought the Safe Haven e-book rather than an individual pattern!  

This is Harbour Lights, a double thickness cowl.  The pattern suggests using Blue SkyAlpaca sport weight but as it uses small amounts of several colours, it would have cost me a small fortune to buy it all, and I did have lots of small skeins of Easyknits Little Guys and Big Boys!  I find the yarn morelike a heavy 4ply,  so it makes a great sub for sportweight. 

It's double layered, worked in one piece (after picking up the stitches at the side of the strip) and folded over. No intarsia!

Nifty little project!

 

Wurm Hat

Knitting has been happening, but blogging and updating ravelry has not!

This is the Wurm hat.  It was meant to be for one of my nieces, but I think I may run out of time for Christmas knitting, and I may have to keep this one...

Such a quuick knit!  I used Manos Silk Blend. lovely for headwear.

Instead of the rather abrupt way of decreasing at the top I started decreasing a few pattern repeats earlier, just on the frist or second round of the knit sections. making a more tapered decreasing. 

Great for pulling right down on cold days!

 

Knitting revisited - Arabian Nights Blanket

Time for another blanket.  It's the second Debbie Abrahams Mystery Blanket, Arabian nights.

Knitted over the course of 2009, it's knitted in Rowan's Cotton Glace, with a little bit of Cashcotton and 4ply cotton in there too. 

A selection of squares.  Beads, sequins (a pain!), texture, colour.  

   

Enough variation to keep me occupied each month.  Coming together into a fabulous blanket. 

 

ravelry link here, blog post here. 

Quick knitting catch-up

I seem to have a lot (for me) of little projects ont he go at the moment.

I have socks, plain blue ones which I am determined to finish this month, in time for Christmas. No photo, I keep forgetting to take any!  I'm only on the heel flap of the first one, not looking good for finishing this moneth!

I have a finished a Wurm hat, another Christmas present.  Needs ends darning in and a wash.  A late night photo with uncombed hair in dim light!

Another Christmas gift, more felted clogs, are started. No photos yet. 

A KAL, this is the Safe Haven cowl, from the Inspriation knits ravelry group.  Knit a strip, pick up sts each edge, work one side of the cowl, do a turning row and work the other side (which happens to be striped, though I have no photos)

 

Another KAL, a mystery shawl in the ravelry group You and I MKAL series.  No photos, but I'm using some anonymous Shetland type yarn. It;s knitted from the bottom up, so starts off with very long rows.

And finally the Woolly Wormhead annual mystery hat KAL. I hope that this phtoos is vague enough and doesn't give too much away.  Knittee in Scrumptious DK, Deep Aqua. 

 

No chance of me getting a bit bored! In fact, I'm even thinking about joining another KAL next month. The KAL bug seems to have bitten. 

Knitting revisited - Koigu Gypsy shawl

The weather is a little colder today, so I thought I'd blog another shawl.

It's the Gypsy shawl, knitted in TEN DAYS in January 2010,  I used the called for yarn, Koigu, think I bought it from Stash in Putney.  A pleasure to knit, with its easy lace pattern.  

Now I don't normally do a fringe, especially when it's cutting lengths of Koigu!  But it's a great shawl, love the koigu and it's great to wrap around your shoulders, though I:ll never be able to carry off wearing a fringed shawl!

Notes to self:

1) when I get home, get the shawl from the shawl box and wear it.

2) when I get home, get the Koigu stash out and think about that Linen scarf I wanted to knit. 

ravelry link here, blog link here. 

A few finished things Felted Clogs and a toddler Lush Cardigan

Althoguh I haven't done much knitting I seem to have stuff finished and stuff on the needles, and I've just not got time to blog...

Anyway two more finished things, fro Christmas

Lush Cardigan for a 2 year old.  The photos are rubbish, and the colour is more of a baby teal than as deep as this. 

And a close up of the yoke, You start this cardigan with the lace yoke knitted sideways, then stitches are picked up for the body and sleeves.  I didn't particularly enjoy knitting the yoke, Sometimes a lace pattern just doesn't flow!

More felted clogs!  One more pair to knit. They're fast, but a bit tedious, especially the sewing up!

I'm not going to felt them - I'll just wrap them up with felting instructions. 

 

Knitting revisited - Hall of Fire Tam

This week it's a hat, the Hall of Fire Tam, another Renaissance Dyeing.  I do love a kit!

Knitted in February 2012, this is a fairly recent knit.

Their Organic Poll Dorset is brilliant for colourwork.  You know how usually, with stranded knitting, a good wash or press evens out the fabric?  Well with this yarn it's pretty even before blocking.  I'm thinking that another little kit might be on the horizon for knitting over Chrsitasm.

Love the colours too!

Ravelry link here, blog link here.

October knitting and November knitting goals

Well.  October knitting plans ere a complete disaster!   I realised that I'd have a lot of knitting to do, but still, this close to Christmas and it was a massive FAIL!

October goals

Blog:

1) Lacy Baktus Done!

2) Ribbed hat Done!

Finish:

3) Kraka  Fail!  Sometime near the beginning of the month I realised that my row tension was out, and it wold be too wide.  I still intend to knit this, it's in the naughty corner.  

4) Felted Clogs  Done!

Continue:

5) Babette.  Slowly, doing.  I'm not as thrilled at this process, joining, sewing in ends and crocheting small squares.  

Start and finish:

6) A WW KAL Fail!  The yarn wasn't right, and I ran ou to ftime...

7) A cowl, another KAL from the ravelry Cowl group, New Bittersweet Cowl  Fail!  Again the yarn was wrong, it has a very slight variation in colour which of course pooled in a way which I didn't like. 

8) A baby cardigan for toddler(!) P,  Done!  I haven't had time to blog it yet though.

9) Socks for Christmas. These'll be plain, and dark grey. Fail!  I changed my mind on the colour (too tangled up) and went for a blue pair, but only managed an inch of knitting. 

10) Some mitts, I think, Done!  And I love them.

So, a fail for October, overall.  I've got to start knitting a few smallish Christmas gifts!

November goals:

Blog:

1) Lush Baby cardigan

Finish:

2) Plain blue Opal socks. Xmas knitting.

Start and finish: 

(all for Christmas!)

3) Felted clogs 1 

4) Felted clogs 2

5) Hat 1 

6) Hat 2

7) Hat 3 (for a toddler, who wants a bloody pompom!)

8) Another toddler cardigan for a second birthay

Start and finish (may not be for Christmas knitting, but Ill wiat and see!)

9) WoollyWormhead's Mystery hat KAL.

10) Inspiration knits ravelry group KAL 

11) You and I ravelry group mystery shawl KAL

ELEVEN!  Well, we'll wait and see.  Lots are small, I just need to spend more time knitting and less time looking on ravelry for new patterns and KALs!

 

Knitting revisited - Picnic blanket

I've had no time to blog this week, so let's just say that NaBloPoMo (or whatever) is out of the window for November, I've just about found time to squeeeze in this post!

This week, on a damp and gloomy November day, I've chosen a blanket, but not the warm, snuggly blankets, this one is knitted in Rowan Denim!  It's the Picnic Blanket.

 

Started in September 2007 and finished in December 2008, it was a lot of knitting. I spread it out over the months, so as not to get too disheartened or bored. and allowing myself time to knit other things.  I am not a monogamous knitter. 

 

This blanket obviously uses a lot of yarn, and it's Rowan, not the cheapest around.  I loved the blanket, but  probably wouldn't have knitted it in the yarn specified if I didn't already have some Denim stash from Libertys sales or discount evenings.  The rest was bought in bits and bobs over the months, so it didn't feel as costly as it would have had I bought the yarn in one go.  My outlook is that the time I spend knitting is far more cost effective (and I have something to show for it) than the same number of hours spent in the pub!

This was a present for Mr.C., for the boat.   I don't think that it was intentional, but it was finished a few days before his birthday. It covers up the horrible seating covers, and still looks good after all of these years.  I LOVED taking it to the laundrette, putting it in a big machine on a hot wash, and then in the big tumble drier!

ravelry link here, blog post here.