March Mystery 220

I finished it!

I finished it on 29th March.

I knitted clues 2, 3 and 4 and completed the finishing (clue 5) in one day.

I made an i-cord for the first time.

I wish I had used a single coloured yarn - the pattern gets a little lost in this yarn.

It's a bit big for me but the beauty of charity knitting is it will fit someone!

Presenting, for your viewing pleasure, Liffey (Rav link), by Iryna Klionava.

To be honest, I would never have chosen to knit this hat - it's way too fussy for my ususal choice. I want quick knits because the faster I finish the project, the sooner I can get on to another. This suits my need for variety and gives more items to the needy.

However, the detail in this hat is gorgeous, especially the decreases around the crown. Check the Rav link to see them better.

Orenburg lace workshop

Galina with her Orenburg Lace Sampler Scarf

On the weekend, DD and I attended a workshop in Orenburg lace techniques hosted by the Blue Mountains group of the Knitters' Guild of NSW. The tutor was Galina Khmeleva. The workshop was very intense and we were both tired on Sunday night.

On the Saturday we learnt how to cast on (a long tail cast on I had not seen before), knit from a graph and bind off using Granny's Purl Stitch. Galina supplied the yarn for the workshop:  I knitted with a beautiful purple 50% merino, 50% silk blend - gorgeous.

On the Sunday we learnt how to make our borders turn corners, how and why to use stitch markers made of yarn (not plastic or metal) and how to block. The yarn for today's workshop was cashmere!

The weekend doesn't sound like much when I write it like that, but we were very busy all weekend!

The workshop was brilliant. Not only did we learn the techniques of Orenburg lace knitting but also the history of the region. Galina also had some beautiful articles to show us and some gorgeous yarns for sale. I was too busy knitting to take photos.

I bought a magazine with the pattern for her sample scarf (see photo) but I have to wait until Galina returns to America to get a copy of her first book (now out of print). In the meantime, I ordered her second book from The Book Depository.

I am desperate to try some lace knitting but do I have suitable yarn in my stash? No way! Acrylic will not work in this instance (lace needs blocking and acrylic won't be blocked). Because I have no pattern (yet), I want to work with the design in my head but I need a lightweight natural fibre yarn to work with. *sigh*

I do have some laceweight in my stash but I have no idea if my ideas will work or if I will have enough yardage to complete the project. Oh the frustration!

knitting progress

Some knitting has taken place here between the piecing and patchworking sessions. The socks are finished, except for the grafting.

The Cynthia Blue No-Purl Scarf, aka the Corrugator Scarf (Rav link), continues slowly. It's my commuter knitting and therefore doesn't get much knitting time since I only commute one day per week. I did, however, knit some last night while watching Midsomer Murders; I needed something I could knit without following a graph or instructions.

The March Mystery 220 project hasn't proceeded past Clue 1. I must get onto it before it's time to cast on for April! Even though I know what the finished object is, I'm not entirely sure what it looks like. I skimmed past a photo on another blog (well done on completing yours, C.)

My sample for the entrelac workshop (part 2) I am teaching at the Blue Mountains group of the Knitters' Guild of NSW is finished. This one (unblocked) is in garter stitch but the foundation triangles are made the same way as they would be for stocking stitch, except this way has no purl stitches.

And... since I didn't show you my samples for the workshop I did last weekend (19th March), here are two unblocked examples of garter stitch entrelac (a la Brenda Horne).
 

 

stash enhancement

I didn't intend to - I was curious.

DD and I went to the Big Box Craft Store on Tuesday. We went there on purpose. DD and I have a quilt to finish and needed batting/wadding and fabric for sash strips. It made sense to buy the same brand of fabric we had used for the quilt, right? We didn't want to buy high quality fabric to use with our "budget brand" blocks.

As I said, I was curious. So, even though quilting fabrics and knitting yarns are at diagonally opposite ends of the Big Box Store, I wandered around to the yarn department - out of curiosity, remember. That's when I saw them: the very same 100g skeins of sock yarn that I bought on special at the end of winter for $6 a skein; the exact same colourways that were $14.99 a skein during winter 2010.

And they were $2.50 for 100g. That's right - $2.50. So I did what any right-minded yarn collector would do - I bought ten skeins!


Now, the challenge is where I'm going to put them - my sock yarn box is so full the lid won't stay on: I guess I'll have to knit them!

The fabric we bought for the sashing is navy blue homespun - the photos will be more exciting (than looking at plain navy fabric) when we sew it onto the blocks!

And this fabric is not stash enhancement - it's the backing fabric for the project mentioned in my previous post. Isn't it cute?

Piecing in Knitterlandlessons learnt

 

1. Just because you're piecing scraps doesn't mean the 'rules' don't apply!
2. Don't stretch the fabric while sewing and/or pressing.
3. Press, don't iron!
4. It's better to square the work up as you go, not wait until the piece is the finished size.
5. It's better to press the work thoroughly - from the front as well as the back - before squaring up.
6. Seams need to be the same width, not fluctuate widely (in the same seam).
7. Beware the curving of seams as you come to the end of the seam, especially when piecing longer strips.
8. Working with the grain of the fabric instead of pulling against it will result in less curved seams!
9. Stitching small pieces of scraps together ad hoc (and pressing each seam) takes just as long (possibly longer) as if you'd cut the pieces deliberately!
10. Two small pieces the same width can create funny angles when sewn together if care is not taken to match edges carefully and keep the seam straight!
11. Any piece with a non-square end, will not be square when attached to another piece. This is okay, if you don't mind weird angles.
12. Small pieces less than one inch wide are liable to disappear when seams are sewn.
13. It's probably better to cut all those thread ends as you go rather than wait till the project is done.
14. A small project, only 18 inches wide and 24 inches long, made from dozens of small pieces has many seams and therefore takes much longer than you anticipate!

close up detail from lower left side

A good project for learning some valuable lessons and a useful top created. Now I just need to wash the flannelette fabric I bought today for the backing (no wadding on this one).

Piecing Adventures in Knitterland

DD is not here today but there were only four more blocks to go for all 30 blocks to be complete so I spent the afternoon stitching and ripping and stitching and pressing and measuring and trimming and stitching some more, until I finally had these:



We used only one directional print in our choice of twelve fabrics. When we originally cut out the pieces, we had no idea how it all came together. Now we do, and sideways birds were not an option. So, today I cut some more little pieces. And all my birds perch upright - which is how it should be (at least to my eyes).



I'm off to use the scraps to make another cover for the change table for GB#2 (we no longer use the change table for GS#1, he's too wriggly and we'd rather have him wriggling on the floor where he can't hurt himself!)

Patchwork Adventures in Knitterland

It's been a long time between sessions but DD and I had a play-date on Wednesday.

First there was the setting up of equipment.

Then a dive into an enormous box to see what we had been up to when we last sewed (June 2010).

There was quite a bit of stitching

And pressing

And a fair bit of stitch-ripping

Which resulted in six of these (all done by DD, though not all were done on Wednesday) - look at those beautiful points:

And two of these (DD's on the left, mine on the right - it's really not as wonky as that photo makes it look):

Not much to show for several hours work. One of those last two blocks, which contain 13 pieces - some of them small and fiddly, took me an hour to sew and press and sew and press and measure and sew... well, you get the idea.

Because I know you want to know, C; the blocks are 8 1/2 inches at this point in time.

Sydney Craft Expo 2011

On Friday, I volunteered to assist with the Knitters' Guild of NSW stand at the Craft Expo which was held at Rosehill Racecourse. I had the afternoon shift (1.00 - 4.30pm) so I had the morning to do as I pleased. I attended the following seminars:

• Scrap Happy with Pam Davis of "Picklemouse Cottage"
• Quick and Quirky Quilts with Judy Hansen of "Busy Thimbles"
• A Flannel Affair with Pam Davis of "Picklemouse Cottage"
• Charm Pack Quilts with "Logan's Patchwork and Quilting" 

Yesterday, DD and I went to the Expo for the day. We attended the following seminars:

• More Quilt As You Go Ideas with Michelle Poole of "Moonshine"
• Children's 'I Spy' Quilts with Heather Bartsch of "Barossa Quilt and Craft Cottage"
• Quilt as You Go Scrap Savers with Julie Wallace of "Quilters Barn"
• Patchwork for Beginners with Julie Wallace of "Quilters Barn"
• Tips, Tricks and the Latest Gadgets for Patchwork and Quilting with Elizabeth Wallace of "Aussie Patches"

Are we sensing a theme here? (Stop smiling, Delighted Hands!) The fact of the matter is that there were no seminars on knitting, only one on crochet, and one on dyeing. So, of course, we had to take the patchwork options! LOL

We had no intention of taking that last seminar. We're not interested in buying any more gadgets but somehow we ended up in the seminar anyway! And the outcome was a lengthy chat with Elizabeth Wallace and two more people joining her patchwork workshop on 9th April! (take that grin off your face, C!)

As for retailers, if one took away all the stalls selling patchworking materials more than 50% of the Expo would have gone. Take away the papercrafts and beads and 90% of the Expo would be gone! Let's just say there wasn't much there if your only interest was in knitting, crochet and dyeing.

So, was there any retail therapy for us? Well, put it this way: if we get out the sewing machine from hibernation, GB#2 will have four new cloth books!

FO Friday

In my post on 1st March I said I would come back with photos of finished objects. I also said on Wednesday that there were items in my knitting corner that were awaiting photography! DD visited on Wednesday so photos were taken and I have some goodies to show you.

Firstly, a hat knitted by DD - her first foray into slip stitch patterns; we are both very proud of her results.


As for me (specs on my Ravelry project pages if you want them; listed here in italics):


Lime Spider and Coconut Ice beanie
pattern: Fourth Grade Hat (Rav link)

I said the striping of the yarn looked like lime and pink coconut ice; DD said Lime Spider (or icecream soda) and Coconut Ice, hence the name.

This is an attempt at conventional entrelac - I'm not in a hurry to try this style of knitting again, it's slow and seems to use more yarn than a conventional beanie would. The hat designed by Abby Franquemont looks great, mine less so. Not quite sure why - perhaps the fact that it's knitted in a hand-dyed acrylic and therefore can't be blocked is part of the answer.

Why did I choose to knit this in my handpainted acrylic? I wanted to see what the shortish colour repeats would do in shorter rows of stocking (stockinette) stitch.

I also tried to modify the pattern because it was getting too big - my modifications were not as successful as I would have liked!

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Socks for Someone #1 - a fraternal pair
pattern from the ball band of Moda Vera Noir sock yarn

My first attempt, following the pattern exactly, gave big, baggy socks that were enormous on WM! I ripped the 3/4 finished sock out completely and started again.

I have never done this kind of heel before and was reasonably happy with it, except for the hole where the short rows of the heel joined the foot. If I knitted it again I would slip the first stitch of every row while knitting the heel gussett - it is so much easier to pick up stitches along the gussett if I do that!

These took so long - Second Sock Syndrome plus no record of modifications on the first sock = pain in the knitting needles! I am determined that in future I will knit two socks at the same time; I have enough dpns to do that!

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DD and I dyed 400m (200g) of yarn in this beautiful colourway. While I was winding it into a ball, I started singing "Sunshine Lollipops" so that became the name of the yarn!

Sunshine Lollipops Scarf pattern detail

Sunshine Lollipops scarf
pattern: Drop Stitch Scarf by Christine Vogel (Rav link)

I just love, love, love this pattern - so quick to knit, so bright and cheerful (well, in the yarn I chose and in the yarn on the Ravelry pattern page). How many other patterns give you an eight feet scarf (2.4 metres) in just three days?

I knitted this one in wool. I knitted till it was 1.8 metres long. I usually knit in acrylic and forgot the magic of blocking - voila! eight feet of scarf! I will definitely be knitting this pattern again!

And I'm in good company, more than 5,000 people have this in their projects list, and another 5,000+ in their queue!

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I had some yarn left over from the scarf so I knitted a hat:

Sunshine Lollipops beanie
pattern: Slip Stitch Stash Hat by Renee Rico

If I had not been using a slip stitch pattern, I may have had enough to knit a child size hat but I decided to incorporate some scrap yarn (as the pattern suggests).

The lower third of the hat contains only the Sunshine Lollipops yarn - variegated yarns make interesting slip stitch patterns without the need to join in new colours.

slip stitch pattern detail

crown detail (a slip stitch modification on the original design)

What's in the knitter's corner?

My knitting corner is a mess! My preferred place to knit is on a 2 1/2 seater lounge (sofa) looking out onto the garden. My knitting bag, a project bag (or two) and a book (or two) are usually all that's on the other seat. Today there is a pile of stuff on the "spare" seat. It doesn't usually look like this and today it will be cleared and look like normal again. I like to be reasonably tidy and to be able to just move things quickly so someone can sit there if need be. I have been so busy knitting and reading or listening to audiobooks that I have got into a big jumble!

So what's there?

• two hats, a scarf and a pair of socks waiting to be photographed - scarves, socks and hats look so much better modelled than photographed flat (DD is visiting today so we can take the photos and pack the stuff in the "ready-to-go" charity box)
• my March Mystery 220 project - second clue today; woo-hoo! action: knit the clue then pack the WIP in a project bag until next week's clue
• one Ambassador of Love mitten (Rav link) - incomplete, waiting for the top to be grafted and the thumb knitted; this was one of the two January Mystery 220 projects; I cast on two days ago - I am knitting it as a mystery object so haven't paid attention to the pattern page
• three loose dpns that were being used for the mitten and will be needed again to complete the thumb
• a magnetic board holding the chart for the Ambassador of Love mittens
• No Purl scarf (Corrugator scarf) - started last week and ripped out and started again last night because it was too narrow; this is my television/travel knitting
• the project bag containing the yarn-in-use from which I am knitting the No Purl Scarf
• two pre-wound balls for the No Purl Scarf - the project I took to DD's and didn't get around to knitting!
• an empty project bag (to be used for the March Mystery 220 project)
• scrap papers containing instructions for the Corrugator Scarf, the Ambassador of Love mittens and the Old Shale Wimple (now frogged but I'd like to try it again)
• two knitting books (Rav links): Handknits to Wrap and Adorn (I was going to knit a beanie from this book but settled on the Slip Stitch Stash Hat instead) and Big Book of Knitting by Katherine Buss (I was looking for cast on instructions but it didn't help because being left handed I couldn't follow the directions and didn't have a mirror handy)
• patterns for Slip Stitch Stash Hat and Fourth Grade Hat (Rav links): both completed - see first bullet point
• a yarn label with the instructions for knitting socks - file for possible later use/reference
• a pair of scissors and a pin cushion holding my tapestry needle and needle threader (used for grafting and sewing in ends) - these are usually on the lounge within easy reach
• a tape measure because my knitting bag is under so much stuff I can't put it away
• a booklet containing information about workshops and coupons for the Craft Expo which opens tomorrow
• The Tin Ticket: the story of convict women in Australia; my great-great-grandmother, Agnes McMillan, is one of the central characters
• Bridget Jones's Diary - I've never seen the movie and was offered the book to read - didn't even finish the first month of the diary, didn't like the writing style or content; skipped to the end which was as I expected! Won't bother to hire the movie!!

And in the immediate vicinity?

• a bag containing two EZ UFOs - a February Baby Sweater that needs buttons and a Tomten that needs the zipper sewn in; the zipper is pinned but I have to search for some matching yarn/thread to do the job
• my Fibonnacci Strip blanket (afghan) which still has about 300 ends to be sewn in!
• my iPod (in its docking station) loaded with a couple of audiobooks - my current listening is Julie Andrews*: an intimate biography (by Richard Stirling), and next in the queue is Slave: my true story (by Mende Nazar)
• the TV guide from the Sunday paper

What's in your knitting corner?

*Although Julie Andrews had an intinerant childhood, for the most part she grew up in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, England; which is the same place where my great-great-grandfather, William Thomas Bowley, was born and raised. His father, Edward, was the local barber/hairdresser.

spring cleaning in autumn

We spent the day at DD and SIL's new home. Well, it's new to them but the building itself is about fifty years old. It's had quite a few owners and some have left a little bit of rubbish behind them.

Today the four us filled a two cubic metre (70.6 cubic feet, 2.6 cubic yards) skip bin with broken bricks, concrete and pavers, plus timber (lumber) and the loppings from several trees that were too big to go through the mulcher.

GS#1 had a wonderful day - he had a picnic in his own backyard with Grandad and Grandmum as well as Mummy and Daddy, and he got to play outside for several hours and to explore places he's never been allowed to go before. His favourite "toy" for quite some time was the whipper-snipper! Children find the strangest things amusing! He was not fond of the noise of the chain saw or the mulcher though and decided it was time to retire indoors when Grandad decided to use either of them!

Unfortunately, my camera-crazy SIL and photo-mad WM were both too busy to think to take before-and-after shots. There's still a lot of work to be done but we can all be proud of what we achieved today - the backyard looks better (though nowhere near complete) and a full skip is testament to how much work was really done!

I expected to spend the day looking after GS#1 so took plenty of knitting but got caught up in the madness that is garden renovation! Not one stitch knitted today! I'm exhausted and off to bed.

Mystery 220

I have joined the Mystery 220 group on Ravelry - knitting a project a month that uses less than 220 yards of yarn - should be fun!

I'm off to cast on the March project.

the first of autumn

In Australia, our seasons change on the first of the month (not on the equinox as in some other countries). Today is the first day of autumn - not that it felt any different to yesterday with the temperature forecast about 32*C (92*F) with high humidity. Yet there is a promise of cooler weather ahead.

The organisation I collect knitted items for, Australian Inland Ministries, is the charity of the month in April on knit4charities, as is another event I support: Sydney's Homeless Connect Day. I'm knitting as fast as I can but, as you all know, it's never fast enough! I have revisited some long neglected projects and have knitted new ones. I only cast on a new project when I have completed a UFO so that means relatively monogamous knitting is happening here.

I am currently knitting from patterns. That is unusual for me as I either use my "go to" patterns (especially for beanies and socks) or design my own patterns. Out of curiosity, I typed "charity" into the search box on Ravelry's pattern page and was stunned to get a very large number of patterns in response! I also trawled my friends' projects/faves to add to my Ravelry queue which is now so long (for me) that I'll never knit everything that's on there!

So here are a couple of my recently finished projects:

The Campus Scarf (Ravelry Link) knitted in Moda Vera Cynthia on 4mm (US 6) needles. I modified this pattern to use only 30 stitches because 42 was too wide. My scarf is a little narrow but it's long so it can be wound around the wearer's neck twice for extra warmth.

I'm ashamed to admit it but I finally got around to putting the zipper in this Tomten jacket! How embarassing - I finished knitting this in 2009!

More about my other finshed projects when I have photos to show!