I think he likes it!

And, despite my customary laissez-faire attitude towards swatching, it fits. Hurrah!

Back to work

After two long weeks off with the flu I finally went back to work today. I have been so ill and fed up that it was a relief to be able to go back, but it has really taken it out of me. I feel all wafty and pathetic so I've settled myself down to a nice relaxing evening of telly and knitting, which will be followed by a bath and an early night. After yesterday's post I surprised myself by immediately winding the skein of Cascade 220 which I had on the swift. With the application of some loud music and a bit of silly dancing round my kitchen I wound the whole thing in no time at all. I still need to find my winder though because I do like the lovely flat bottomed yarn cakes it makes, my hand wound ball has rolled off the sofa and across the floor so many times now that I've stopped bothering to pick it up.

This is the Knotty but Nice hat I linked to yesterday. I'm just starting to work the cable pattern and the chart is slightly making my eyes cross, half of the legend is over the page from the actual chart so I spent a few minutes marking each symbol in pencil so I don't need to consult the legend at all. I think I'm going to enjoy knitting this, my last couple of projects have been really simple so I'm looking forward to getting stuck into some good old cabling. My next project, I have already decided, is entirely stocking stitch so I will have something nice and simple to do when I am inevitably sick of cabling and charts. It pays to plan when you have an attention span like mine!

Today I also finally succumbed and bought Ysolda Teague's Whimsical Little Knits 2. I like a few of the patterns, but because I have so much stuff in my queue already I had been putting off buying it. However she is donating a lot of the profits from her sales this month to the Haiti appeal so I got on and bought it. I guess it was also a little treat for getting back to work. I love Ripley and Veyla in particular and can see both of them in my very near future!

Somebody stop me...

... 2 blog entries in 2 days? Crazy talk! Given how little I actually had to say for myself yesterday I admit that I this would appear a shade overenthusiastic, but what do you know, I actually have an FO for you. Hoorah! And I'm actually pleased with it, double hoorah! Plus - yes there's more - I promised I would make this for the recipient over 3 years ago so I think I get extra back pats for finally getting off my arse and completing this.


The pattern is Turn a Square (Rav link) and was super easy and quick and is a really great pattern for a simple hat. Mark asked for a red and black hat, I decided to make the red stripes bigger than the black ones and I think that was a good choice. Hopefully he'll like it and I'll get some pics of him wearing it when I give it to him, although he'll probably be so shocked I finally turned up the goods that he won't actually care what it looks like!

So now I'm on a roll, what's next? Apart from chipping away at all the UFOs I've got hanging around I have also promised two more friends that I will make them things. In an effort not to keep them waiting three years as well I'm going to jump right in and cast on for the first of them tonight. This Knotty but Nice hat caught my eye in the latest edition of Knitty and I'm going to make it in this rather eye catching shade of yellow.


Clearly the fact that the yarn is still on the swift is a minor obstacle I need to overcome before casting on! Unfortunately I can't seem to locate my winder at present so I'm doing it by hand, hence I've spent more time photographing the yarn than I have winding it....and apparently now I'm spending even more time writing about it, so perhaps it's time I just got on with it. Well, maybe after a cup of tea eh.....

Jess - this one's for you!

After receiving a complaint from my sister about my slack attitude to blogging, I'm going to actually try and update this occasionally. I guess that means I probably need to get on with some actual knitting and sewing too so that I have something to write about. I'm sure I could spend some time navel gazing and wondering what has caused my lack of motivation, but frankly I can't be bothered! So for the moment let's just concentrate on the things I have actually managed to make and then I'll worry about future projects another day.

Right...erm..well, I really have been crap these last few months and have almost nothing to report. A few rows here and there on this and that has pretty much added up to nothing. However, I have completed one thing and it's a goody! Ready?


Oh yes, I think I'm completely justified in wearing that smug expression - who doesn't want to look that cool! By way of an explanation, this was a commission, meant as part of a chili pepper costume for a fancy dress party. I actually earned myself a tenner and a very large box of chocolates for my troubles so I guess they must have liked it. I roughly followed this pattern, but obviously deviated from the plan towards the top, I can't remember exactly the mods I made but I think I detailed them on my Ravelry project page, should anyone else in the world actually want one of these for themselves. There has been talk of me producing a whole range of veg related balaclavas. Just to be clear, this will never happen!

Unfortunately that is pretty much it, my sewing machine has been buried under a load of stuff since I moved, but I am absolutely itching to make a load of stuff so I will hopefully go digging this week and sort that out. Perhaps I'll even complete something and then I'll have something to write about next time.

I know, I know...

It has been a while and I have no real excuse except for being a bit busy. I have got a couple of things finished and I still want to chat about the books and magazines I have bought recently but I have just found out that I am moving in a week and a half (OMG!) so it's all hands to the pumps for the next few days. Obviously it wasn't a total surprise as I did choose to move, but I didn't expect things to go so fast. The place I am moving to is a teeny weeny little flat just for moi and I am currently freaking out about/looking forward to the challenge of utilising the space I have so that I can fit all of my crap in. I hate moving but I am really excited. Yay!

UFO’s!!!!!!!!

I have finally got back into the swing of things now that the weather has cooled down a bit, but unfortunately the more agreeable temperatures have brought with them a serious case of startitis. I have so much stuff on the go at the moment I can barely keep up.

This is a Marie skirt for Jessie. I got this far but I want to measure it on her before I go any further and she is on holiday, bummer. So that went on one side and I got on with this

The asymmetric top from Burda World of Fashion 07/09 I have done all the main seams but I didn't have any inclination to cut bias tape so I'm waiting til I can buy some from a shop. Lazy? Yep. So I moved on again.

These are all the bits for a Maryy from Burda Style. I'm planning on making three of these so I'm pleased I have made a start. Why three? Well one is for Jessie, but that will be the last of the three. I'm also making one for me in a really lovely silver grey jacquard with a hearts pattern for a wedding next week and before that I want to make another one for me in some striped seersucker which will act as a bit of a muslin for the smart one for the wedding. I really need to be sure that the dress will flatter me before I go out and buy shoes to match!

I also still have a whole heap of unfinished knitting projects, same old, same old. Brights 2 is moving along at a reasonable pace, it's starting to look like a cardigan now

My first Kai Mei is currently waiting patiently with it's heel all turned waiting for me to remember where I put my stitch markers so I can get on with the foot . I know I could just use little scraps of yarn, but I flipping well bought little stitch markers for sock knitting so I'm flipping well going to use them!

I also have received a new book of patterns and a copy of Knitscene so I'm itching to start yet more stuff. I would tell you exactly what all my faves are but I'm afraid I won't be able to hold myself back from starting something new if I think about all those lovely patterns right now, so I'll save that for my next post!

Tunic Dress

I finally completed the tunic dress yesterday and what do you know it wasn't a total disaster in the end. It has it's little 'issues' but overall appears to be wearable and Jess likes it, so hurrah! It's a little loose in places and a the hem looks rubbish but given how wrong it went I think we can just be grateful it actually looks like a dress! I will be making the pattern again (correctly!) because it is really nice.

It is actually really nice to have something to write about because it has been so hot here for the last couple of weeks that I haven't really got on with anything. I do hate complaining about the heat because it seems so stereotypically British but the weather has been really sticky and close. So once the temperature dropped just a little bit the other day I was able to pick up where I left off and finish Jessie's dress and also get on with Brights 2 which we last saw with an unwanted row of eyelets. As always, when I finally got on with it that problem was easily sorted and I couldn't work out why I had left it so long! I have now finished the increasing for the sleeves and now I'm making a charge for the neckline. when I actually get on with this it is a really quick knit and I can't wait to have it done.

That's pretty much it today, I ordered the latest copies of Interweave Knits and Knitscene a couple of days ago and also Kim Hargreaves Amber so I'm sure I'll have plenty of things to say when they arrive....and of course a complete rethink of my knitting queue!