Hat & Cowl Test….

Test knitting is done. I think I passed, whoohoo! Bree is happy with the projects completed, I think.

French Braid Cowl…..Malabrigo Worsted Polar Morn. Needle: 5mm

Size: 28cm x 137cm Blocking Wires: essential, Buttons: East of India

Got rather excited when I was asked to test knit this, so excited, that I knitted non stop, and spend a whole day just knitting in my pyjamas, in my little knitting world, ignoring everyone. Finished a skein in a day.

I couldn’t put it down, we’ve all been there before, love the yarn the pattern, just want to knit all day.

Completed after 4 days, on and off knitting, would have finished it sooner if it wasn’t for my sore arm.  I’m pleased with it, very pleased. Love the design. Wasn’t sure about the buttons at first but I think they are growing on me, yes, I think they work.

Obstacles Hat…..Malabrigo Twist Terron Needles: 4mm and 6.5mm

The yarn is extremely soft, as you expect from Malabrigo. The hat and the yarn choice is a lovely combination. Sadly, for me, not the fault of the design or the designer, this hat is a little too small for me. You see, I have a huge noggin, my mom says I have a huge noggin, thanks mom! So this beautiful hat seems to rise up over my ears and likes to sit snuggly above them. It fits Mr Snobs perfectly, but he refuses to model or wear it, Men don’t do cables……since when??

I should block it, but I love how it looks unblocked…..decisions.

Modelled: My sister

Photography: yarnsnob

Testing French Braid…..

I’ve never tested knitted for any designer ever so when I was asked by Bree to test knit her newest and upcoming design, I jumped to the chance, who wouldn’t?

Bree is a from a group of well know and up and coming bright and talented designers. I first found her, well she found me when she introduced me to a couple of her new designs,  Rasta and Twist Cowl featured in the new Malabrigo Book 3. Both are just totally ME! Of course, I had to get my grubby hands on it.

Testing, testing, French Braid Cowl …….

Have you ever seen cables like these??? They are just bursting with Malabrigo goodness! Dare you touch your screen, they may just pop out at you!

I just want to run my fingers over those cables! It’s been a while since I worked with Malabrigo. I worked on it all day yesterdayand got through one skein. I almost forgotten how good its feels…oh YUM!

The cables go on forever and ever! The design of this is, that it wraps round your neck, twice and is fastened at the front with buttons. The pattern is due for release for Malabrigo March on Ravelry or maybe as an ebook……take note all you Malabrigo fans

Really, I’m Not Hiding……

Hello 2011 and Hello to you all. Here’s wishing you all a wonderful new year. It’s been almost a year since I lasted posted on the blog, I’m sorry. Life got in the way, it’s no excuse so I hope I am forgiven.

To be honest, I lost interest in blogging. There were days when I just didn’t know what to write about, days when I’d write up a post, then have second thoughts about publishing it. I do feel bad, I know there were many of you posting comments and hoping and wishing I’d write up a next one. My readers deserve better, much better,
sorry.

So…..it’s 2011, a new year a new start, where shall I begin? Knitting, of course. I do have lots to show you….lots, oh yes.

Vinterblomster………………One Became Two

This is probably my longest wip. I casted on in January 2010 and finally finished them in December 2010.  We had the coldest winter for years, with heavy heavy snow and ice. It was the bitter bitter cold mornings that slapped me in the face, a wake up call to finish these mittens and I am so happy I did. They were a pleasure to knit, watching the mitten form, row after row, the pattern, the flowers, the petals. I really don’t know why it’s taken me so long!

I couldn’t resist these cute knitted dolls. I started one and I ended up making 6!! Gifted 2 to friends and one, Miles is waiting for his eyes and cheeks so he’s not in the photos.

Dolls are from Huggable Friends 2 booklet a collections of knitted dolls which include: Ella, Finn, Abbey, Kate, Mike and Miles. A delight to knit, a delight to stuff and a delight to hug!

I wanted to knit Rosamund for a while now, ever since the pattern came out back in 2009.

I love the braided cables on the edging of the cardigan how they then twist and twine onto the funnel shaped collar. I wear it opened under a long sleeved t shirt, only because I can’t find those buttons…….which I placed on top for the photoshoot!

A feast for your eyes but there is more to be revealed…….later my friends

Brassiere Caresse Point Mousse…..

I really really love this cute little gilet. Lovely pattern by La Droguerie.

It’s such a shame that they don’t publish their patterns in English as the designs are so chic and I am feeling the love for their designs so much. Such a simple design, yet so wearable for the Spring, a cute little number for my wardrobe, don’t you think? Now I just gotta wait for the weather to warm up a little so I strut this little number!

Yarn: RYC Baby Alpaca in Chifon 212 7 balls with just a tiny amount remaining.

Size: L.

Needles: 5mm.

Kindly translated for me by a fellow raveler. Thank you.

My choice of yarn gave the gilet a lovely fluffy effect and a pleasure to knit, however I did find it a little splitty at times. I used the Russian join method to attach new balls. This is my new method which worked well. I also chose a size slightly bigger size as I wanted the gilet to fit more around my bust area, rather than have a gaping gap.

The colour has been very difficult to capture. It’s more of a wine colour as in the first photo. I also chose to have buttons rather than a shawl pin but there are some lovely shawl pins around, but I much prefer buttons. Finding just the right place to add two buttons holes proved a little difficult. I had to frog back a few times, it was either too close to the edge or too far back. I still think it’s a little too far back so at times it tends to curl over but I can live with that………and you all know me by now, I like to make two of everything. Yes….I have some Rowan Kid Silk Haze on order for another together with maybe some Drops Alpaca which I will knit together to make another extra extra fluffy one!

……and guess who I found sitting on top of this in the morning? Yup…..Holly. Bad cat.

There Is Progress…..

……..really there is,  on the knitting front, not on the yarn front, well..OK just another 10 balls of Rowan Cocoon in Shale and nothing more, honest!

I really stuck my nose into my knitting these past few days, wanting to finish lots of projects before starting another. I’m funny like that, it bugs me that something isn’t finished and just lying around. I hear voices in my head, whispers in my ear, unfinished projects call me……please finish me, please. No matter how boring the knitting is, I just need to get on with it and just focus myself on that project. My mind does wonder to other things.

So I got down to some serious business. I’d finish one row then on the next row, I see if I can knit a little faster and the next row after that. If my needles could create sparks, I swear I could make a little fire!

This is not the most interesting of projects, somewhat tedious with rows and rows of stocking stitch but I really wanted an over sized cardigan to throw over a t shirt come Spring, something classy and non too fussy and so I chose this. Yeah, I kept saying to myself, it’s only stocking stitch, you can do it with your eyes closed. Just focus.

Blanket Cardigan from the Sarah Dallas Knitting. How do you take interesting photos of a black cardigan? With difficulty.

What’s interesting about this cardigan? Not a lot but there is the strip which runs from one front to the back and the seed st border on the front.

There are sleeves to seam on and also the collar which is half done. I blocked and seamed the two fronts and the body sections as I wanted to try the cardigan on for size. Great fit, not too baggy as I feared that it may look like I’m wearing a bin liner with blue ties or something hideous. Mr Snobs said, Oh I have something like that! Oh great! Still I didn’t care. I like it!

As we all know, stocking stitch has a tendency to curl….damn them curls. I really blocked the s**t out of it, standing on it, stamping on it, placing heavy books over it. I plonked Holly on top of it, hoping that her warm botty may just flatten them curls! No luck. Still, damn them curls. It’s not going to lie flat although some sections are flatter than others.

See that curl? Blah!

I love that thin blue line.

I have a few options to fix that curl. Great advice from friends. 1. Buy another ball of the yarn and either pick up the edging and knit or crochet another row, or an edge. 2. Attach a strip of grosgrain around the bottom edge and sleeves, which means more sewing. 3. Block the crap out of it again, and again and again. I think I may opt to attach grosgrain and hope for the best!

La Drogueire Brassiere Caresse Point Mousse, Gilet to you and me. I’m lucky to have this translated from French by some Ravellers. Really simple but effective and totally wearable gilet. My garter stitches are not the neatest of my knitting, kinda messy in places and uneven. I’m planning to add buttons to this rather than a shawl pin.

Using a couple of clover leaf design coconut buttons from my stash. The pattern calls for yarn by the weight not by the yardage and I am realising I’m using more than what is required, possibly due to the fact I chose a DK yarn. I was so lucky to find a further two balls of this RYC Baby Alpaca DK in the same dyelot number after a major search across UK! Several calls and a couple of hours later, I sourced 2 balls and had them delivered to my home…Phew! Lucky or what? Who said knitting was easy!

55…..

Just when you thought I was all done with my bargain hunting….here I am, at it again, stalking, no searching this time for online bargains. I am a bargain whore, I admit it. There is no mistake about that. My last bargain purchases, were, somewhat fun and exciting. I managed to get 44 balls of yarn passed Mr Snobs,  right under his nose. This time the shopping is much more laid back but I had ask myself……. How do I get 55 balls of yumminess pass him this time? I have 2 weeks of him at home in my face 24/7! What do I do?

1. Do I smuggle them in by hiding them under my sweater and pretend I ate too much?
2. Hide them in the downstairs toilet or cloakroon and wait until he’s out or sleeping?
3. Put them in the boot of my car and bring them in together with the weekly daily grocery shopping?
4. Tell him Holly went shopping and brought herself some cat beds.
5. I’m ordering for a friend, they are not mine.
6. I’m knitting you a lovely sweater, they are ALL for you.
7. Say “Look what I got in the post today!” wave them about in his face and hold them directly under his nose?

Answer: No 7 and only with one question asked. “What are going to make with them?”

He’s good, he understands, he knows he’s married a crazy woman, who is stubborn, a perfectionist and always gets what she wants. I was expecting “Are you going to open a yarn warehouse or something?” “Are you EVER going to knit up the yarn you already have?” “You gotta stop, no more, the house is full of yarn, I won’t be able to find Holly.” Oh yeah yeah!

10 Rowan Cocoons

13 Sublime Angora’s – Feather, incidently 10 are on a flight overseas, gifted

and 15 Sublime Angora’s in Husk & 17 in Blacker

…….OH and a button

…..and do you know something? I ain’t got a clue what to make with them!

There has been some knitting going on, really there has…Blanket Cardigan from Sarah Dallas Knitting and a  Gilet from a French pattern. More on that when I quit shopping and actually do some knitting.

I also received some truely beautiful timber buttons from Nora in Australia, too beautiful to use, so I may just frame them Thank you so so much. Xx Ok…I’m going to do some knitting…really I am, no kidding!

Pssst………I have another 20 balls waiting to arrive….eeek! If you find the blog is quiet all of a sudden, you can guess what’s happened…Mr Snobs will have ordered me out of the house! Oh Help!