Half a slow sock

Is it really the 29th!? Lucky I've given up on most of that Christmas list, or I'd be so stressed!

Here's a fun thing about knitting socks on two circulars... the ability to try on as you go.

Look, yellow!

Yellow cotton... hey... I hate knitting with cotton! How did cotton get into the basket when I only went in to get some 6mm and 5.5mm circulars?

Stupid soft cotton. I needed some yellow, because Someone is knitting yellow socks and I'm in a yellow mood. And then I thought, "get some green and make Byron a little Aussie Scarf". And then I saw this beautiful Bamboozle, with a swatch done. It's red and pink and orange in a way that makes me think of raspberries, and I immediately thought it would be fun to make Byron's friend, Zara, a little singlet top...

I picked "Katja" from Ravelry, though I think I'm going to need to buy a bit more.

When will I start my Viv?

Check out these keen little pre-knitters. Even Jasmine grabs my wool all the time. Yesterday she managed to grab it with her toes. Hehe!

P.S. You're such a bad influence on me, Tara, that when I saw "Twilight" in the shops tonight, I bought it immediately. I don't think I even read the back cover first!

Secret hat

I finally finished the secret Christmas hat, and it worked out really well. It's a simple rib but with a very neat shaping. I like it. It's pretty big on the boy (18 months old) but it fits me just fine. Of course, it's not for me.

The merino is the cheap stuff I got, locally made yarn that was not selling (it was grey) so the lovely people at Willabaa dyed it in blues and greens and made it half-price ($6 for 100g). The hat used about half of one skein, so I have 250g left Ü ...I plan to make some matching gloves.

Note that he's playing with the circulars that I finally stopped hogging.

It's about 5000 stitches, so if my dear hubby doesn't like it, he'd better not tell me so...

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Also finished the Bainbridge scarf. Used some very cheap bulky yarn. 150g. Probably made it a bit long, but oh well. I like the broken rib pattern (1st row: k1, p1. 2nd row: knit). I ended up turning it inside out because the purl side was interesting. Bit itchy, though, and not tight enough around the neck. Live and learn.

Finished the dropstitch scarf. Here it is blocking on the bed. A good blocking gave it about 50% more length! It's nice and stretchable. It's now 155cm.

And I'm up to the heel flap in my first Broadripple sock. Knitting with two circulars is going well, except that they're cheap and the yarn keeps catching where the cable and needle join. But it looks good so far.

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Finally, I bought a pattern off the internet, and I plan to make it for myself... for my birthday in April. Hopefully I'll make the deadline, because then I've got to do one for Byron in May and Jasmine in July (I have Weasleyish ambitions). Jasmine's getting a Bunnyhop, but I don't know what to make Byron yet. Still, I'm putting off casting on for the new project because once I start it I think my socks and gloves and little dress will be cast aside.

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It's the Vivian! (Ok, I may have already done a swatch...)

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This will be a bit of a challenge, and if that's not a challenge enough, I'm also challenging myself. I'm knitting a size smaller, because I plan to fit into it by then. Eeek...

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Also, I don't have enough yarn for the 44" one. Ü

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I have some worsted wool in a heathery green I like, but it was on sale (7 balls for $14). It's just Lion brand Wool ease Worsted, but that's what I'm using, and I can't seem to find more.

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Anyway, I need to lose 3 bust inches, which should be doable with such a nice piece of incentive.

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Dreams. Sigh.

I can't seem to sit still

I have been waiting and waiting to post, determined to have a finished object to put up, but alas! I can't seem to stick to one thing for twenty minutes together. It's getting ridiculous. So here are the current WIPs, between which I am happily swinging...

Ssh... this is the Christmas present I haven't let my dear hubby see me knit. It's a hat , and there will be fingerless gloves to go with it. It's currently a nice simple 3x2 rib, and I'm doing it on two circulars. He'll probably say it's too itchy (lol), but perhaps it will keep him a bit warmer in the shed next Winter.

This is the Make It Up as you Go dress. I started knitting a tube with cheap $1 balls of wool I bought, just for something mindless to knit while chatting to people (or waiting my turn in Carcasonne). I wrapped it around Nathan's bird stand, sprayed it with blue and aqua food dye (Byron's little fingers were itching so bad!) and then got it hopelessly tangled when I tried to roll it again Ü. Then I did a lighter one, and the other day, when it was nice and warm, I did a yellow/green, a yellow/green/orchid and a yellow/orchid. (Orchid is what the food dye box called it, and it sounds nicer than pink). Mum came along and helped me roll them back up, which was a great help!!

I've actually tried a bit of Continental on this (woohoo!) and it's awkward, but already just as quick as my "chucking". I will definitely practice more. Maybe I'll be able to knit as fast as Mintyfresh one day... or perhaps Telly's gran...

Jasmine in the Pinwheel. I basically tied a toggle button thingy (whatchamacallit) to one icord connection and put it through the other. It's at the level of the arm yarnovers, so it should work either way. At the moment she's 4 months old, so its Babyways. I think the hood looks odd, but still cute. Here's the back...

Don't you love those funny bald spots? hehe. You can't really tell it's circular like this, and the arms are practically doubled back to the armpit, but Jasmine makes it work. She's just that cute.

Here's what I thought I would finish for the blog. There's actually another local gal (so I discovered on Ravelry) who has made the Dropstitch Scarf with almost the exact shade of the same local yarn.

I love the bright colors (which are hard to see on this picture). It goes hot pink to orange and blue to green, with just about every other color popping in from time to time. I've only got this little bit left now, and I'm hoping that I can block it to a good length. It needs a good blocking to bring out the pattern, I think. The pattern is simple but fun. Basically, it's garter stitch, but on the 3rd row you do a bunch of yarnovers (one "oval" is k1, yo, k1, yox2, k1, yox3, k1, yox2, k1, yo, k1) and on the fourth row you drop them off as you go.

I've been using the little Heroes Dumpling bag as my Dropstitch knitting bag. The scarf has filled it as the ball diminished, and I can hang it over my right arm to pull the yarn from as I go. It's a great little thing. I sat in the shopping center on Friday, grinning at Jasmine in the pram, and doing some public knitting. Fun. Nobody seems to knit in public here.

Behold: a finished object!

No, not Pastel... the headband. LOL. I finished it today out of scraps of the Bunnyhop. It has stripes, two rows of each color (the light and dark) and it's all garter stitch. The interesting flowery bit is a loopy icord edge (as in the Pinwheel Sweater) and its purpose is to distract your attention from the glaring error of accidently doing four rows of dark somewhere there. Can't even do a strip of garter stitch any more! Distracting little kids!

"Australia" is coming out tomorrow! I'm going to have to wait a bit to see it, but I'm really looking forward to it. Hugh Jackman is a fantastic actor (and seems to be a down-to-earth, likeable bloke) and it's all about my favorite country Ü. Go And See It!

I'm starting to think I would like Canada second. They have lots of yarn. But we have Christmas in the Summer, which makes so much sense (short nights, long days, barbecue and beach weather, etc.). And nobody wants knitted stuff for Christmas. Not really. Not when it's 38 outside.

Byron is 18 months old today! He's such a gorgie Ü. Chats all day. Says about 400 different words. lol. He and Jasmine had their shots (for 18m and 4m) the other day (that was fun!) and Mummy bought them a stash of new books for being so good.

Finished Pinwheel

Finally finished the arm today, and sewed in all the ends! It still needs to be blocked, but otherwise it's DONE!

Baby version (with the sleeves rolled up). Not really much of a hood, but wearable.

I like it much better as a toddler jacket. Apparently it fits til they're about 4. I'm going to put a couple of toggle buttons on, I think.

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I am not completely happy with the silly sleeve saga, but my dear hubby likes how it looks and has convinced me to leave it a while.

Besides, I can redo the sleeves any time I like in the future.

Basically, I looked at the yarn in the shop, decided it was the same, and bought it. Actually, I bought number 7 and number 8, which are quite different. One (which I used in the edge of the circle bit) has quite dark sections, and the second (which I changed to half way along the first sleeve) is more... er... muted? It didn't matter, though, as all the colors matched, and I thought, "Oh, well. I'll just get some more number 8 and do the other sleeve the same."

But it's apparently a very different dye lot!

You can see the difference in the first photo (of the back) that the dark stripes on the sleeve are much darker on the right sleeve than the left.

Grr! I think I will rip them out one day. But not yet.

My other gripe with the pattern is that some of the ends (where the colors join) can be seen when you fold back the collar for the toddler version. I wish they had the color joins along the side or something... sigh. Next time.

Anyway, I am glad to be finished it, and only mildly annoyed at the sleeves because it's midnight and I'm tired. Why am I up?

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Something finished

Ok, it was a quick knit, and it refuses to felt much (silly thing!) ...but it's fat and cute and I'm not minding the pink-green colors, now.

I love the creative little handle, how it can be two short or one long. Will have to make another one, maybe with a different brand of wool.

Also made this cheeky girl a little lace headband. Blocked it and everything. Was so cute! Put it on, and it stretched into pattern-oblivion. Should have just made it garter stitch!!

It's 135am. I must get off this silly thing!