Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Finished on Friday


The Ravelympics are still on and I set myself up for two projects the Garter yoked Sweater, which you know about. I finished it on Friday, the kids chose the buttons earlier in the week. Lovely shiny green shell buttons which make everyone who sees them smile.
I was pretty unsure about this sweater right till the end but it is actually very flattering and I think I might at some point make another - high praise indeed.

IntSweMoDo2010#5
Garter Yoked Cardigan
Needles 4.5mm
Yarn Cascade220/Noro Blossom
Time 8 Days
The Mountain peaks shawl by Miram Felton was my other choice of project. It is something I have had in stash for ages/ years. I decided to cast it on a couple of months ago.
I managed 5 rows before I put it down so thought it would be a good wip for the games. But it looks like it won't get finished for these either as I am busy with this
and this.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Ravelympics Day 3


I have got off to a bit of a slow start as we have been away for the weekend. I had to pack it all on the Friday night and realised that I have put my 4.5mm circ somewhere safe- not with my other needles so I am having to resort to knitting the whole thing on straights which means that you can't really see what is going on. I suspect the needle will show as I finish the cardigan.
The yoke is completed it is OK. Just OK. It seems that like apples, Noro should not be bought online. On the colour chart colour 272 is a mix of greens and turquoise with a little brown and grey mixed in for good measure. My two balls although the same dye lot and colour were very different. Only one ball had any turquoise and that was only enough for the cast on edge. The rest of it was small bits of green and tons and tons of brown. I have had to resort to breaking the yarn at strategic places in order for the whole yoke not to turn out brown. The texture of the Noro is actually quite nice though I don't think it will ever be a favourite yarn. I might be tempted to use it again. I have just started separating for the sleeve with the grey cascade it should be OK.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Are you ready???


There has been knitting going on here the last couple of days. However, it is all about to be thrown in a corner . Ravelympics starts tomorrow. I really couldn't decide but I am going to be casting on the garter yoke cardi! I cannot take credit for the Noro yoke as I have seen it done before on Ravelry. Usually I really don't like the way Noro looks (hippy) or feels (scratchy) I haven't ever felt the inclination to knit with it. So this really is a bit scary as I could end up with a hippy scratch cardigan that I don't like.

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Owls is Finished


I stitched the buttons on Saturday afternoon. All 34 of them by 20 I was kind of losing the will to live but, I have to say it was worth the effort. I love this sweater. Warm, scratchy and very charming I haven't taken it off since the last button was tied on. You can't really see the colour of them but they are a light teal blue. Slightly lighter than Molly's eyes were when she was a baby.Unfortunately you can't really see in any of the photo's because the light is so bad. Perhaps we need more snow? It is certainly easier to take good photos with a back drop of white! Molly has lost complete interest in fighting the Owls since it was finished which I am very glad about as I wondered how I would get on with a kitten permanently impaled on my leg.

IntSweMoDo2010#4
Needles 6 mm
Yarn Purelife British Sheep Breeds 5.5 balls
Time 7 days

Sunday, February 07, 2010

Not Many People Have got One of Those.

In recent years there has been a trendy towards the rustic, the vintage the shabby chic. Mainly I think as People try to make sense of a world that is too fast and because of that often slap dash. Most of my friends live in very modern houses made of very modern materials. Many of them are quite happy with the modern but some crave what went before filling their homes with little pieces that they have found in charity shops or on Ebay. I am lucky, my home originally belonged to my grandparents, my dad moved here when he was two. Mamie my grandmother lived here for the rest of her life. When Elenya was two we moved in nothing had been changed well- ever. Mamie's appliques are on the wall,
her table cloths adorn my tables which she either bought at antique shops or her parents gave her. My children play with the mechanno set that belonged to my dad when he was little and my sister and I tinkered with during the our holidays. Her blankets live in the airing cupboard.
This suits me fine I am not a great believer in change, for change sake. It makes me uncomfortable. Sometimes though the 21st century catches up.
Every house in the area is having cavity wall insulation My little fire puts a spanner in the works it may do a stirling job of keeping the room warm, My children assure me that it is a magic door by which father christmas gets in and I love the way it looks but, it hasn't heard of regulations and because of that yesterday it had to be capped off.
So whilst Mario and his friend the plumber were under the floor with lengths of copper pipe.
I decided to embrace change and take one of the very oldest blankets from the cupboard and turn it into something else. I picked up the cushion kits when I was at woolfest last year they are made in a really scratchy yarn straight from the sheep and make perfect cushions for my front room.

I knew that I wanted blanket backs and was going to go to a charity shop to look for such a thing when I remembered the oldest blanket, rough scratchy and perfect to go with the fronts. I am really pleased with how they turned out and I am sure that Mamie would be tickled if she knew what happened to her blanket.


Are we getting rid of the fire? No it is a conversation piece, I still love the way it looks and we really can't have father christmas being locked out can we?.

Thursday, February 04, 2010

The Owls and the Pussy Cat


I realise that I keep showing you finished items which in my opinion is not that interesting. I figure that some of you at least would like an update on Molly so I thought I could combine the two things. Molly is now a thriving half grown kitten she is still fairly small and at 5 and a bit months probably will never be big. We worry that her eyes are slightly different shapes probably because they were so infected when we got her. They run when she is teething or feeling cold. Like Tigger she has a very short coat. She never meaows put instead makes a kind of trilling noise and purrs like a revving tractor.
When she went for her last lot of shots the Vet said they were very impressed with my nursing as apparetly they hadn't thought she would make it. Luckily Molly had other plans. Her fur has been the topic of many a conversation. She is now more grey than brown but she has had stripes and bambi spots turned grey and now again sports some very distinctive stripes on her tail. My latest knit is a great hit- with Molly.
She has been very interested in the yarn since it came into the house. Rowan Purelife British Sheep Brands Dark Grey Welsh smells of sheep! I love the smell, warm, cosy and natural. It drives Molly wild, brings out the play instinct and it is almost her colour so good for hiding in.

I was a little bit worried about the shaping of this as it is all at the back a real junk in your trunk look I thought it might be a little puffy but I have tried the body on and it is a flattering shape. I didnt want to take it off as it is lovely and warm. A factor that is very appreciated at the moment as we yet again have snow, just enough to be annoying rather than everything making everything grind to a halt.
I think I should finish Owls in the next couple of days a highly recommmended pattern.
I have just heard that the Designer Kate Davis is in Hospital so I would just like to add my well wishes to the others in Blog land. Get Well Soon!

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Hmmm Malabrigo - Just Bliss


It turns out that it is quite apt showing you Bliss IntSweMoDo2010#3 today, as I started it on the first of our snow days in January and as I write the first of february's snow is settling outside.
I was making the katherine Hepburn cardigan but I couldnt concentrate with the children running in and out of the house trailing snow as they went. I wanted a stash buster, something quick and most of all I wanted to make something cheerful. The four delicious green hanks of Malabrigo that I bought at Harrogate seemed like the perfect answer. Coupled with Bliss by Samia Buchan a pattern that I had been eying on Ravelry. It turns out that I only used 2.5 skeins so there will be another Malbrigo knit in my near future.
I struggled a bit with the pattern as it was charted more like a cross stitch than a knit and some of the wording was a little strange. I hated this at first but actually it was a good thing as it slowed me down a bit and I had to think about where the stitches were actually going rather than just mindlessly making them. The cables on this are beautiful, very celtic and the Malabrigo seems to make them pop. The combination of cables and the green I have visions of the Green Man hopefully hearalding spring in the not two distant future. Least I hope so as it is far too cold to wear yet.
IntSweMoDo2010#3
Needles 4.5 mm
Yarn malbrigo worsted 2.5 Skeins
Time 23 days

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