Sunday, December 29, 2013

Week One Hundred and One

I am still out of the city and haven't extracted my camera images, so the finished Belladonna Cardigan photographs will have to wait.

I have two new projects to show.

A simple raglan sweater for my boy using Sunrise Fibre Co Aran Tweed. I though I would try it out as its unusual to find a super wash tweed yarn and it seems good for childrens sweaters. This colour is called Fresh Mint.



The second cardigan is in Rowan All seasons Cotton in the colours Scarlet, Tornado and Organic. (I'm trying to stash-bust my ASC yarns)

I browsed my library and remembered how much I love the Miss Bea series of books by Louisa Harding. My girl has outgrown the sizing for these of course, but this Ballerina Cardigan, when knit in aran gauge instead of the original hand knit cotton gauge, plus the addition of a very few stitches will make a cute cardigan.

The off white is intarsia and I have duplicate stitched the blue.




Saturday, December 21, 2013

Week One Hundred

One hundred weeks of crafting!  I'm out of town this week as it is Christmas Week.

I can't upload photos when I'm away. Next week I will extract what I hope will be a wide assortment of images on my camera.
I will update my knitting progress on Ravelry.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Week Ninety Nine

I finished my daughter's Crown Sweater. It is knit in Rowan All Seasons Cotton,in Framboise and Scarlet. I'm hoping it will suit well next year, Rowan ASC was very hardwearing for my kids pre-schooler sweaters. But she is getting taller, so she will probably outgrow it before it is worn out anyway.


The motif is from a chart originally designed for a baby jumpsuit in lace weight yarn. Knit in worsted gauge yarn it has come out big enough for a pocket. The mismatched buttons from the stash box are our own choice.



Belladonna Cardigan is progressing. The pattern is Brigid Jacket by Courtney Kelley. I have modified it to make it much longer (the original is cropped with 3/4 sleeves). I have knit ribs throughout, including all the way up the sleeves. (Seaming these in will be a challenge!)

I finished knitting the two cabled fronts and have set them out blocking.


I'm still very unhappy with the dye lot variations. I tried to blend the skeins but some pieces are still pretty 'stripy' where the 'more plummy' contrasts the 'more blue-grey'. I'm hoping that when all the pieces are assembled the overall effect won't be as noticeable.

I have two button options.

The first is a russet plastic. They have been in stash for a while, I might have bought them when I received this yarn. (I can think of no other project reason I would have them). The colour is within the range of yarn fibre colours and the russet does pull the plum tones out of the yarn quite prettily.


This picture shows the variation, even with alternating skeins one front is darker than the other.


I'm not completely sold on the russet buttons though because I fear that with everything being so inconsistent, choosing another not quite the same element might just be too much. Makes my eyelids twitch.
In which case I'm considering simple pearl shell buttons for a higher contrast.


The wide ribbed button bands are still to be knitted on.

Both the buttons are the same size and in both cases I'll sew six on. So I can decide at the very last moment and take into account how I'm going to wear this cardigan.


Monday, December 9, 2013

Week Ninety Eight

I finished the Incan Gold cardigan. Knit in Sundara Yarns Fingering Silky Merino.

I'm very happy with the way it has come out, it is light and drapey, just perfect as a layer over a sleeveless dress.




The buttons were in stash. A vintage amber glass. I would have liked to have had more than seven and spaced them closer together. Its an aesthetic decision rather than a functional one as I don't plan to ever wear this cardigan closed.






The cushion i finished a few weeks ago came back from upholstery. I chose red velvet backing and piping. 



I'm knitting a baby (boy) cardigan as a gift. This is Debbie Bliss Andes yarn (alpaca and silk) and the pattern is Boy-o-boy by Carol Scott. I will modify it to do the sleeves in pain reverse stockinette so I can pick up the stitches at the shoulder and knit down.


Saturday, November 30, 2013

Week Ninety Seven

This is Haven, knit in Rowan Cocoon (colour Quarry Tile) gifted for a friend. I have a picture to show because I photographed this quite a long time ago but couldn't show it until it had been received.

It was a reasonably quick knit using all of the four balls of yarn. I love it so much, if it was for anyone other than the recipient I might have struggled to give it away. 

I will definitely be knitting one for myself in the New Year.



I have lots more crafting news.

I am knitting the sleeves down on the Incan Gold cardigan. I am very happy with how it is coming together. I hope it will be finished soon. That and the pink "crown" sweater for my daughter.

The cross stitch cushion from a few weeks back has come back with its upholstery finishing. It looks beautiful in my daughter's bedroom.

I've started a baby cardigan. Actually I have two baby cardigans on the needles. One is committed and one was because I found myself without knitting one afternoon. 

When my camera and I return to the city I will update all this with photographs.
This is the last week of school term and the long summer holidays are due. I am looking forward to lots of crafting. I will be dusting off the sewing machine.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Week Ninety Six

No photographs this week.
I am still knitting on the Incan Gold cardigan. I am almost finished the body and by next week I hope to have at least one sleeve complete.

I would be further along but three days of non-knitting have set me back. I also have a quick baby gift to finish as well.

All this to show next week! And school holidays are approaching - less than two weeks!

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Week Ninety Five

I have knit only on one project this week. I have challenged myself to knit this fingering gauge cardigan  by the end of this month. 

I have seven days progress to show and thirteen more days to finish. 
(I'm hoping that this on the dress form is at least 30% progress.)



I showed the yarn in skein form last week. It is Sundara Fingering Silky Merino in the limited edition colour Incan Gold. The buttons are the vintage glass also shown last week. I'm still very happy with how they look with this yarn.


In the coming week I'm hoping to finish the body and pick up the sleeves. Then the final week to complete two 3/4 length sleeves.


Sunday, November 10, 2013

Week Ninety Four

I have been knitting a sweater for my young daughter.
Its in Rowan All Seasons Cotton, a simple raglan seamed construction knitted in the round from the bottom up. The main colour is Framboise, the contrast Scarlet.

I was inspired to apply a charted motif I saw in a recent magazine (Ravelry link). My version is modified for a larger gauge (the original is for a baby onesie, knit in laceweight gauge).

The crown was probably big enough not to be lost on the front of the sweater but i thought better located on a single pocket.




Four buttons from stash added extra decoration. I have since sewn them on with gold thread.

I considered two options, the alternative was to make the pocket entirely in the contrast colour.


I have knit two sleeves the back and almost the front all to the underarm. Very soon I will be joining them together for the decreasing yoke rounds. I hope to have this finished for next week.


I wound some yarn in preparation for a cardigan. This is Sundara Fingering Silky Merino in the colour released two months ago 'Incan Gold'. 



I'm planning a very simple top down cardigan with seed stitch edges. I have these pretty vintage glass buttons in stash. Unfortunately only seven but I think a wider spacing won't be an issue as this little cardigan (like my Starry cardigan completed in week eighty) will be worn unbuttoned.

Here's a close up of the buttons.


Sunday, November 3, 2013

Week Ninety Three

This weeks crafting has been a little bit here and a little bit there. I haven't made visible progress on any of my major projects.

I have made one tiny knit, a little sweater for my daughter's 18" doll.


It was only an afternoons knit. I cast on some stitches for the front and knit up, the little motif is from a free Ravelry download. Then I cast on the back, adding a few more stitches as my front piece looked a little small. I also split the back at the underarm and cast on three additional stitches to make an overlap which I could fasten with a press stud. 

I did a three needle bindoff for the shoulders, collected all the saved stitches and ran three rounds of 1x1 rib for the neckline.

I picked up the armhole sleeve stitches and short-rowed (by eye) to get a sleeve cap. It was at this point that I realised I was running short on yarn so I did a single stripe and finished with the contrast colour.

The cuff has a k2tog decrease to give a slight puff to the sleeve and a 1x1 rib.

The yarns are all leftovers from previous projects.

- MC is Madelinetosh Vintage in Grapefruit.
- Tulip leaves are in Madelinetosh DK in Thyme.
- Tulip flower is Madelinetosh Vintage in Lepidotera.



I have a few in-progress photographs on my Ravelry page.




Sunday, October 27, 2013

Week Ninety Two

Twigs and Willows cardigan is finished!
Knitted in Sundara Aran Silky Merino in the colour Green Tea. 



I alternated the skeins, there is a little bit of variation through the cardigan. One of the skeins had some golden green flashes. There are more photographs (including a modelled shot) on my Ravelry project page.



I'm very happy with the fit and lengths and even happier now that I see the buttons on. 
I was a bit worried that they might be a bit distracting with their black and green leaf design. 



Just as a reminder, here are the buttons (I didn't make a separate photo today)








Monday, October 21, 2013

Week Ninety One

I am well on the way to finishing Twigs and Willows. One front is now knitted and seamed to the back and the sleeve set in. 


















I am working on the second front and hope to have it finished this week.



After that its just button bands and buttons.





Floral Cross Stitch
I also finished the floral cross stitch. This will be sent for upholstering into a cushion this week. It is for my daughters bedroom.




Hair Clip projects.
I was prompted by a Ravelry discussion on the Sundara forum of how to use up the very small remnants of yarn. And I was thinking about gifts for small girls.


Flower with multiple yarns.
I used three yarns. Skein Merino Silk Worsted in the colour Geisha for the base flower. Madelinetosh Vintage in Grapefruit and Noro Silk Garden Light. (I wouldn't use this again as it looks a little 'messy' when crocheted next to the smoother yarns)



Th first round is a single crochet, then a combination of single and double (treble?) stitches to make a scalloped round.





The second layer was made with Madelinetosh Vintage in Grapefruit. I used my crochet hook to 'dig in' pick up stitches and 'cast off'. (Rather like the knitting technique.) I kept this round very loose.



The final round is a very small single crochet ring in the Noro.



It's a little overblown with three layers but I was quite happy with it for a first attempt.




Simple and quick little flowers
I made two clips in my second experiment. These flowers were so quick to make. Just a few minutes each.



(1) Make a slip knot. Not too tightly because I have to go back into this stitch for each ‘petal’ 


(2) Chain 6 

(3) Slip stitch back into that first slip knot to make a chain loop.

(4) Make four more petals the same way by chain 6, and slip stitch back into the first stitch. (Total five 'petals'.)


(5) Tie off and use yarn tail to sew to clip and fix bead in centre.




Button flower
This has a pink shell button as a base, then a crocheted flower (with Sundara Aran Silky Merino and using the technique above).



Finished with a button and the whole lot is sewn down to a hair clip.




Leaf hairclip
Botanical Knits has a pattern for little leaves (also a free Ravelry download.)
I made one with my Sundara cardigan yarn. 



I was looking through the button box for an accompaniment. But I settled on a gold button.



Sunday, October 13, 2013

Week Ninety

The Green Tea cardigan is progressing. I have finished both sleeves and the back. I am working my way up the first of the two fronts. 

Todays picture isn't much different from the previous.. just more of it.


I hope by next week I will be able to post a picture of the leaf yoke.


My young daughter is serious about training the puppy. We have a trainer to help us and our sessions require lots of treats for good behaviour. My daughter needed a little bag to hold all these food treats when she's out walking.

So I made her one. She chose the fabric from the stash. Its a quilting cotton, all up I used half a fat quarter.


Its just a little square pocket with a gather across the top edge to allow for a little more fullness inside. I added a fabric "cuff' to the top edge to allow a plastic 'ziplock' bag to be put inside and folded over the top edge.
Then just a red ribbon strap and a bow for extra girly decoration.

I will make her a couple more (for different outfits! Her plan, not mine.) My next one might incorporate interfacing inside the top edge.




Finally, I have noticed that jeans for my nine year old boy last about five minutes. The jeans themselves are fine but he goes straight through the knees. Not that I am a reluctant shopper for either of my kids.. but I hate to see waste.

I got crafty on sewing patches. The chino patch is a leftover from a Kokka cotton linen blend fabric I used in his bedroom. The stripe (appliquéd with gold metallic machine thread!) is a quilting cotton. 

My stash was quite limited for boy fabrics.