A Summer Singlet

This is another Katja , this time for Jasmine. Isn't she cute! I added a cable down the front, and a moss stitch panel down the back (to disguise the jog you get when you do a bit of garter stitch in the round). I also made the body first (with an eyelet row for a ribbon) and picked up the triangles later.

It's very soft and nice - Bamboozle, like the last one, but in blues and pale green/yellow. I finished it yesterday, and today was perfect weather for it.

Jasmine thinks she looks pretty good.

Here she is with a tshirt-suit under it. She'll be able to wear it all year!

I really should get on with the Vivian. I realized I made a slight cabling error. I've been cabling every 4th row, instead of row 4 and every 6th. Oops! I'm not going to frog, though, as knitting-hours are too valuable to waste (when you have littlies) for something so minor.

Olive bits

Hehehe. This project took me about 3 days, just doing an olive here or there in my spare time. I ended up doing 16, I think. It was lots of fun, and the Raveler who made them up was right... they are addictive!


This is a little present for my Mum and Dad for Christmas. Coz Olive 'em.

Used tapestry wool, and tried a few colors of "olive". Ended up liking a bit of a mix.

I got better as I went along. In fact, I could probably whip one up in my sleep, now, only I'd wake up to find a red olive stuffed with green. Ü

Green bits

I haven't posted for ages, because it seems somehow pointless to write anything in a knitting blog without pictures. But my progress on the Vivian is very slow. Some days I only get a row or two done Ü

I think I'm up to the 17th row now.




Anyway, I've taken a break these last few days to do the following:

1. Read! (Stupid addictive Twilight Series)

2. Hat lining. Sigh. My DH tells me that wool makes him itch, so rather than waste all the time put into his nice merino hat, I'm wasting more time knitting a lining in a super soft acrylic to somehow put on the inside. I'm doing about 20 rows of 2x3 rib (same as the hat) and trying to decide, as I knit, how I'm going to best attach it.

3. Another cotton Katja, this time for Jasmine. I should do my jumper first, but I want to make her this so she can wear it this Summer. Of course, it's Summer in Australia right now, so if I wait until the Vivian is finished, she'll be too cold, and before long, too big.

I started going backwards and forwards, but then I decided to join it, though it has to stretch a bit to fit on my 80cm circular. I added a cable down the front and a 7-wide column of moss stitch down the back, so that I can disguise the "jog" where you do a little garter stitch.

Well, one more week until Christmas, but only today left before my DH is on holidays, so I'm going to have to do a fair bit of his hat today!

I'm planning to start back on the Vivian in a few days. I even wrote myself out a bit of a schedule (which is setting myself up for failure, I guess, but I'm a ListMaker) to make sure I finish it by my birthday Ü

Hopefully it will fit! I must do more exercise!!

Katja

Here is the Katja I finished yesterday, while Zara's parents were over for tea. Zara is Byron's little friend (they've known each other since before they were born, pretty much, and are the same age.) So Zara is a lucky little honorary family member who gets a knitted Christmas present, when noone else in my family will Ü





Mainly because I saw the Bamboozle worsted bamboo/cotton, and had to buy it (it's very soft and pretty), and this looked fun to make...




I ended up buying one extra skein to finish it off, so I used about 2.2x 50g balls. I knitted a size 2 with 5.5mm needles instead of 4.5, so it's a little big for her (she's 18 months). But it's still cute and I love it! I added the ribbon eyelets, but forgot to buy a ribbon (that's present-wrapping curly 'paper' ribbon you can see), and right after this photo, I took it off and wrapped it for Christmas. (As the first grandchild on both sides, she's going to need all the presents she can get... LOL). I've already bought more Bamboozle to make one for Jasmine.



However...



I have stalled long enough, and am determined to cast on the Vivian today. I still have a few WIPs, but at least I am casting on! If I have time, that is. It's my MIL's 60th tomorrow (Happy Birthday, Cheryl!) and we're going out for lunch today. Anyway, I bought a 200g ball of nice soft Aussie merino from Bendigo Woolen Mills (online) and I'll order some more. It's cheap and nice!

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.