WIP Wednesday

Hmmn... what is this fluffy, grey object, I hear you wonder. Well, it is all I have managed so far of my reindeer. I'm finding the Rowan Alpaca Cotton yarn difficult to knit with as it is so fuzzy, and counting the rows on the knitting is practically impossible (as I found when I realised I'd misread the decreasing instructions and had to take out a good few rows). I obvioiusly need to press on with this to have him ready to grace our home over Christmas so he is the #1 knitting priority at the moment. In fact, if I can get today's tutoring session prepared quickly, I may just manage a bit more of him before collecting I. from school.

I just couldn't resist

this gorgeous Rowan reindeer pattern which is in the current issue of Knitting magazine, and I got the wool for it in John Lewis while I was supposedly beginning my Christmas shopping yesterday. I've never knitted a toy before, but I'm looking forward to having a go at this once I've finished working up my pinafore pattern.

On my needles

...and on my lap this morning is my new design. It is a "no sew" baby/toddler pinafore dress in Rowan handknit cotton which I am in the last stages of test kniting and writing up the pattern. I hope to have it as a download on Ravelry in the near future.

Started out here as a lovely bright morning - now it has clouded over. I think it may be time to light the woodburner...

Summer Garden Stripes

My first completed knitting design project - a baby blanket knitted in Rowan Handknit Cotton. I loved these delicious colourways, Gooseberry, Delphinium and Thunder together, and the names inspired my "summer garden" name, even though it was photographed today minutes after being finished, in my Autumn garden.

An easy and enjoyable project, though knitting all the stripes does take quite a while!

Pattern for Summer Garden stripes Baby Blanket

Supplies:

Rowan Handknit Cotton ( which is machine-washable)

Colour A - 334 (Delphinium) - 4x 50g balls

Colour B - 219 ( Gooseberry) - 3x50g balls

Colour C - 335 ( Thunder) - 1 x 50g ball

Needles:

Pair 4.5mm needles

4mm circular needle ( 80cm long)

Using colour B and 4.5mm needles, cast on 116 st.

Row 1 - k to end

Row 2 - k1, p to last stitch, k1.

These 2 rows form the stocking stitch pattern.

Continue in stocking stitch following this stripe pattern:

B - 6 rows (in total)

A - 4 rows

B - 6 rows

C - 2 rows

A - 6 rows

B - 4 rows

A - 6 rows

C - 2 rows

These 36 rows form one rpt of the stripe pattern.

Work a total of 5 rpts of the pattern , then proceed as follows:

B - 6 rows

A - 4 rows

B - 6 rows.

Cast off.

Weave in ends in same colour stripes using duplicate stitch.

Borders

Short side borders ( work both in the same way)

Using 4mm circular needle and colour A, pick up 113 sts along one short edge.

Row 1 - k1, m1, *k1,p1, rpt from * to last 3 sts, k1, m1, k1. (117 sts)

Row 2 - k1, m1, *p1, k1, rpt from * to last 3 sts, p1, m1, k1. (119 sts)

This forms the moss stitch pattern.

Rpt these 2 rows 4 more times (10 rows in total, 135 sts)

Cast off.

Long side borders (work both in the same way)

Using 4mm circular needles and colour A, pick up evenly 145 sts along one long edge.Work 10 rows in moss stitch increasing as for short edge borders.

Cast off.

Finishing

Sew together border edges using backstitch.

To block, machine wash at 30c then pin out on blocking board or large towels to the finished dimensions ( 86cm x 68cm). Leave to dry.

If you find any problems with this pattern, please leave a comment or e-mail me on silverfamily7@gmail.com.

WIPs and FOs. ( or works-in-progress and finished objects, if you prefer)

My partly-knitted sock - long way to go on this project! Opal pattern and sock yarn.




My first attempt at designing. Cabled cushion cover - wool is Rowan Kid Classic. This is attempt #3. Just as well I didn't decide to design a sweater...





Kaalund kit and wool - lovely to knit with and gorgeously soft.

This shrug was started in June 2008 and finished early Sept 2009. Oh and I just sewed the ends in this morning... Sirdar Just Soya pattern and yarn. I didn't like knitting with this as the yarn split so much and the pattern appeared to be wrong in the stitch count in the patterned section with the result that I went wrong on the back. Or maybe it was just me. Anyway when I realised the mistake I was so close to casting off that despite being the biggest perfectionist going, I couldn't bear to rip it all out and start again. Also, it helps me learn to deal with imperfection!

September - a fresh start

September...the Jewish New Year...back to school...a fresh start.
And a fresh start for this blog which has been languishing sadly neglected for too many months.
At present I'm in a knitting phase, having finished both the shrug I started way back last year, and started and finished the scarf from the kit I bought months ago.
My current challenges to myself, now I am back intoi knitting in a big way are to teach myself to knit socks and to design a knitted item myself.
So... a sock is duly in progress on the needles, but the 2.5mm needles are so sharp they have actually ended up making a hole in my finger (ouch!!) - well a break in the skin anyway. So I have temporarily transferred to challenge #2 - a knitted cushion cover
Photos of these and finished items to follow.

ps. Further to the posts about our new windows and doors, I'm pleased to report that everything is finished, bar the painting, including a lovely new deck. So, wonderful light inside the house and a great area to sit outside. In fact the previously dark and grim corner of the sitting room has now become my favourite place to sit and knit. Kniting on the deck is good too, except in blazing sunlight.

Scrapbooking vs Knitting

I love them both! But I have found that I can't scrapbook and knit at the same time (well obviously not at exactly the same time...) When I am in scrapbooking mode, which I am at the moment, I don't seem to want to knit, and vice-versa. I think they must use different parts of the brain that I can't engage in the same time period.

Currently I am working on some layouts for a magazine challenge, an art journal challenge, and a layout for the Cybercrop on UK Scrappers, and my mind is in overdrive thinking of ideas for these. But I also have a pile of unfinished and unstarted knitting projects which are having to wait their turn. One knitty thing I have to do, though, is sew up the legwarmers my DD1 has just finished, her first project since learning to knit over Christmas. In fact I must go and get on with this job now, as she wants to wear them for an audition she's going to tomorrow!

Winter

In many ways I love winter - lighting the fire in the afternoons to welcome the children back from school; shutting in the hens and drawing the curtains before tea time; wonderful frosts like we've had here recently; sunshine and blue skies like today. I love the items that provide us with extra warmth in the winter - snuggly scarves, gloves and hats, and the old-fashioned hot water bottle. DD2 has always ben a particular fan of the hot water bottle and I was thrilled to find a really lovely pattern for a knitted cover in the book "The Gentle Art of Domesticity" by Jane Brocket. The pattern is from the Sarah Dallas book "Knitting", and I have made one for DD2, although as I can't quite remember how to do crochet edging it's not completely finished at the top! I'm intending to make one each for DD1 and DS too, but judging by the number of other projects, both knitting and scrapbooking that I've got on the go, it may be next winter before those two can also cuddle up with their new hot water bottle covers!