Katie Knits

Moving Out

2006-11-23T15:38:00.000+11:00

I'm moving over here, come on over for a visit.

And The Winner Is....

2006-11-15T19:02:00.000+11:00

Glenys (unfortunatley blogless) - congratulations!

A HUGE thankyou to everyone who took the time to enter, thanks to your imput some exciting new yarns & colourways are on their way!

The dyeing for Ecoyarns has kept me pretty busy but I have been working on a doily for my Mum for Christmas.

Block me already!

This is a different design that the doily I blogged about before, the other one turned out too small, more of a coaster than a doily.

I doubt I'll get another one done before Christmas because I still have the two felted bags to finish & a shrug for my eldest niece to knit, it might have to wait till Mother's Day.

All Work & No Play

2006-11-10T18:37:00.000+11:00

Makes this a very boring blog!

Here is the reason I have been so quiet lately:

But that's just a box I hear you say.

Yes, that is just a box, but it's a very special box.

Inside can be found gorgous Merino, Baby Alpaca & Cotton yarns dyed in 5 brand new colourways, exclusive to Ecoyarns.

I must keep you in suspense however as I don't have permision to reveal the colourways yet.

As for the competition, I will be drawing it next Wednesday, so if you haven't already, enter now for your chance to win 100g of Elizabeth yarn dyed in the colourway of your choice!

I NEED YOU!

2006-10-26T15:29:00.000+10:00

I'm throwing it open for you to help me choose which yarns to stock in the store.

I want as many opinions as I can get, so anyone who knits, has thought about knitting... crochet even, direct them here, because I want to know - What do YOU want?

Edited to add: All entries will be put in the draw to win 100g of Elizabeth 4ply Merino dyed in the colourway of their choice!

Name:
Email Address:
Would you like cotton yarns to be added to the Live 2 Knit range?	Yes No
What weight cotton yarns would you prefer?	4ply Fingering Weight 5ply Sport Weight 8ply DK Weight 10ply Worsted Weight 12ply Aran Weight
Would you like more Soy Silk yarns to be added to the Live 2 Knit range?	Yes No
What weight Soy Silk yarns would you prefer?	2ply Lace Weight 8ply DK Weight 10ply Worsted Weight
Would you like more silk yarns to be added to the Live 2 Knit range/	Yes No
What weight silk yarns would you prefer	2ply Lace Weight 4ply Fingering Weight 5ply Sport Weight 8ply DK Weight
Would you like more wool yarns to be added to the Live 2 Knit range?	Yes No
What weight wool yarns would you prefer?	2ply Lace Weight 4ply Fingering Weight 5ply Sport Weight 8ply DK Weight 10ply Worsted Weight 12ply Aran Weight
Would you like a feltable yarn to be added to the Live 2 Knit range?	Yes No
What weight feltable yarn would you prefer?	8ply DK Weight 10ply Worsted Weight 12ply Aran Weight
Would you like a bamboo yarn to be added to the Live 2 Knit range?	Yes No
Would you like cashmere yarn to be added to the Live 2 Knit range?	Yes No
What weight cashmere yarn would you prefer?	2ply Lace Weight 4ply Fingering Weight 5ply Sport Weight 8ply DK Weight
What else would you like to see added to the Live 2 Knit range?

Get Felted!

2006-10-20T18:30:00.000+10:00

I finished up the Weekend Getaway Satchel and felted it with the Sophie bag over the weekend.

Felted bags with Penny for scale

Sophie didn't felt as much as I would have liked but the satchel felted like a dream. I had the same problem with the first Sophie I made, light coloured yarn does NOT felt well, when am I going to learn?

I still haven't decided on handles for the satchel & I'd like to put a purse frame in it too, I think it's gonna look great when it's all finished!

I've found another felted bag pattern that I'm gonna make next at Garnstudio.

OMG!

2006-10-13T17:44:00.000+10:00

I am in a spin, I have just discovered that Phildar have finally started printing their patterns in English & you can order directly from them!
I absolutely love Phildar patterns & in the past have paid an exhorbitant amount of money to get the English translations from England or the US but no more!

I have some actual knitting content today, I even have photo's to proove it - see.

Pre-felted Sophie bag as modeled by Penny

I am also around halfway through the Weekend Getaway Satchel. Since I'm knitting it in black I will save you the picture of an unidentifiable black blob, for now.

I know this is supposed to be a knitting blog but I have to confess, before I was a knitter, I was a crocheter (is that even a word?).
Anyway my Mum said she was looking for some doily's but couldn't find any she liked, so I have started a crochet doily to give to her for Christmas.

Crochet is kind of like lace knitting it looks crap until you block it!

In other non-knitting news I thought I'd share with you Penny's latest trick. I'm still working on getting her to do it on command but she does volunteer it a lot.

Aww, how cute

*Double OMG, I have actually been able to post. Blogger has not been playing nice lately & frequently won't let me log in, stupid thing!

She Lives

2006-10-04T18:42:00.000+10:00

Yes, I am still here. A lot of behind the scenes Live 2 Knit stuff has been keeping me busy, busy, busy!

I have moved to a new shopfront & location www.live2knit.com.au, very exciting! (Don't forget to update your links).
I'd love for you all to pop over & have a look & let me know what you think, any suggestions or improvements would be most welcome.

Not much knitting happening, the fronts of the Rebecca cardi have stalled in favour of some Christmas knitting, how organised is that?
One Sophie bag & the Weekend Getaway Satchel from the Spring 05 Interweave Knits, though mine will be MUCH smaller!

Tense

2006-09-14T11:06:00.000+10:00

First of all I want to thank everyone who gave help & suggestions for better looking left slanting decreases, I clearly have some homework to do before I get to the decreases on the fronts which I have just begun, meanwhile the sleeves have been blocked.

I'm knitting this up in Katia Mississippi, perhaps it's just a cotton thing, maybe it's the adjustment to a more substantial yarn & needles thing (after all I've been knitting socks most of the year) but I am finding it hard to keep an even tension. Blocking has straightened things out a lot but, you know, it's not perfect.
I've also just noticed that the YO's on the right side are bigger than the ones on the left, what's with that?

And now for the final reveal on the Kool-Aid colours:

L-R: Artic Green Apple, Pina Pineapple, Mango, Orange, Tropical Punch & Watermelon Cherry.

2006-09-07T09:12:00.000+10:00

The people have spoken & the first delivery of Koolaid has arrived.

TOP: Watermelon Cherry, Mango, Pina Pineapple, Orange
BOTTOM: Lemon Ice, Tropical Punch, Arctic Green Apple

I'm not 100% sure what all the colours will turn out like so I'm going to have a bit of a play on the weekend, I'll post the results next week.

The Rebecca Cardi sleeves are D.O.N.E.
They prooved to be a bit of a lesson in left slanting decreases.
I am looking for one that exactly mirrors K2tog, I started out with SSK, or actually K2tog tbl, I thought they were the same beast but they are different - who knew!

K2tog tbl - stitches appear to zig zag

Then I switched to K1, Sl1, PSSO which is much better but still not exactly right.

sl1, k1, PSSO - left leg is too pronounced & long

I'm hoping that blocking will even everything out but does anyone know of a better left slanting decrease?

Kool Aid Dyeing?

2006-08-24T13:10:00.000+10:00

Live 2 Knit has the opportunity to offer Kool Aid for dyeing yarn.
I have to place a minimum order so I am trying to gauge whether this is something you would be interested in? As a rough estimate prices would be around $1.20 per sachet.

Take the poll

Free Poll by Blog Flux

Congratulations All Round

2006-08-23T09:06:00.000+10:00

... That's the sound of my online presence lately, nothing!
J had to go into hospital last week to have a knee op.
In between my role as official gopher & caretaker while he gets back on his feet (literally), I re-cast on the Rebecca Jacke Sleeves & am making some progress.

I've put the baby socks on hold, I ran out of yarn & time... Last Monday morning, my sister in law gave birth to her 4th child & girl! Welcome to the family Angelique.

Another Little Princess

Also congratulations to my younger brother, Michael, who participated in an engagement ceremony with his wife-to-be Kae. Michael is currently living in Thailand, where he met Kae.

Look at that Rock!

The Happy Couple

It's a pity I couldn't have been there, I would have loved to have seen the whole thing.

2006-08-11T10:11:00.000+10:00

Live 2 Knit got a mentioned on Whipup - YAHOOO!

2006-08-10T12:09:00.000+10:00

I FINALLY started the Rebecca Cardi, I then had to un-start it.
I'd read about how the Rebecca instructions were dodgy, to say the least, so I decided to start on a sleeve, good practice for the real thing I thought. I merrily knit 32 rows of ribbing before reading the next instruction, which, if I had followed it, would have meant that the ribbing didn't line up with the next sequence - STRIKE 1.
I have now decided to knit both sleeves at once, so far I've re-cast on one sleeve and got a second ball of yarn out ready to cast on the second, what can I say, I got side-tracked...

by this...

That is a teeny, tiny little sock cuff.
My sister-in-law is due to have her 4th child in just a couple of weeks & in my usual style I have left it to the last minute before deciding to make a gift, I'm using the leftovers from the Pomatomus socks, I'm not sure if I'll have enough yarn but I have some scraps from the Peacock Socks that I might be able to use for heels & toes if I have to.

It's also my eldest Neice's 5th birthday this week, she's the one I'm making the shrug for but that has also been un & re-started recently but it's not going to be ready for gifting because it's just not working the way I want it to, so I've banished it to the naughty corner until it's ready to play nice.

And see, my little Penny is a girl after Cindy's own heart

Check out those GREEN paws!

There's a Pomatomus on my Roof Eating Cake!*

2006-07-31T17:09:00.000+10:00

A truly reversible sock (the one on the left is inside out)

Stats:
Pattern: Pomatomus
Needles: 3.25mm DPN's
Yarn: Live 2 Knit Elizabeth 100% Superwash Merino in the Tutti Fruity colourway
Started: Approx 7th May, 2006
Completed: 29th July, 2006
Notes: Even though it took me almost 4 months to finish them, I really enjoyed making these.
I made the leg one repeat shorter than the pattern called for as I was a bit worried about running out of yarn, I shouldn't have worried as I have plenty left over. I also changed the toe shaping by following the decreases from the Lana Grossa Jojo sock as I prefer a more rounded toe.
Despite being incredibly stretchy they are quite snug fitting & require a bit of maneuvering to get on & off easily so I'm a bit worried they won't fit my Grandma, but as I doubt she will ever wear them... Perhaps now she will wear the other pair & show these ones off instead.

Here's another view...

I think I must have taken 25 photos trying to find the right angle to show off the pattern & the yarn, perhaps this colourway is a bit too vibrant for the camera as they look really great in true life.

*Does anyone remember that book?

2006-07-21T13:13:00.000+10:00

The slump continues, I haven't visted any of the formus in what seems like forever & I am so far behind on my blog reading that I'm almost too scared to look.
I have been knitting, probably ripping more than I knit though BUT I do have a FO to show you.

Stats:
Pattern: Adaption of Urban Necessities
Needles: 4mm DPN's
Yarn: Live 2 Knit Marilyn 100% Superwash Merino in the Commando colourway
Started: 11th June, 2006
Completed: 16th July, 2006
Notes: These were a fairly quick knit and could easily be completed in a weekend, if you weren't as flakey as I am at the moment.
At the 11th Hour J decided he wanted fingerless gloves instead of the flapper mittens so these were completed even more quickly than expected.
As with any gloves the fingers were a bit fiddley, I used the Russian Bind Off (see the 4th post down) and a 6mm needle to ensure correct blood flow to the fingers, though I did need to block out the thumb holes as J seems to have inherited some serious gorilla knuckles from somewhere. They have been tested & received the full seal of approval!

I'm Still Here!

2006-07-10T17:16:00.000+10:00

I just wanted to let you all know that I'm still alive & haven't been carted off to the loony bin just yet.

Thankyou so much to everybody who left commiserations and advice, work has been hellish this last couple of weeks, thankfully we're through the worst of it now & I'm back to my needles again.

I'm working on pairs at the moment, the second of J's gloves & the mate to the Pomatomus sock, so as diversion from the boringness that is my knitting at the moment...

Aawwwwwwww, how sweet!

2006-06-30T11:17:00.000+10:00

Have not knit a stitch in over a week.
Experiencing serious withdrawl.
Eating too much chocolate as a result.

One Down ...

2006-06-22T13:32:00.000+10:00

... one to go.

The most boring shot of a sock taken in the history of blogdom, ever!

I'm really enjoying the clever patterning in this sock, the way the ribbing of the cuff merges onto the scale pattern then back to ribbing for the heel, so I don't know why it has taken me so long to finish this one lone sock.
If truth be told I feel like I've slipped into a bit of a funk in the last few months, I'm feeling lazy & uninspired, I've only got a few small projects on the needles at the moment, perhaps all I need to get me back into the swing of things again is a big project, like the Rebecca Apricot Jacke I've been threatening to start for months now.
I think I'll finish J's gloves first though, every night he's been asking me when they're going to get fingers!

Fingerless gloves don't concern Penny, she's got far more important things to worry about, like should she scratch her ear or chase her tail?

A Brief Diversion

2006-06-15T10:49:00.000+10:00

I should be knitting Pomatomus for my Grandma, they were, after all, supposed to be a Mothers Day present, or even my neice's shrug that is "this" close to being finished, but I'm weak & cast on something new...

Knit in Live 2 Knit Marilyn 100% Superwash Merino in Commando colourway

Years ago (before blog) I knit a pair of Broadstreet Mittens that were supposed to be for J, somehow they found their way into my winter jacket pocket where they settled in & made house. Now it's time to make amends with some Urban Necessity Gloves from MagKnits.
They are knitting up very quickly, what you see here was knit in one afternoon, so hopefully they will be a short diversion.

Penny doesn't care what I knit, so long as someone plays with her!

New Stuff @ Live 2 Knit

2006-06-07T10:17:00.000+10:00

Introducing Marlene, the newest yarn to be added to the Live 2 Knit range.

Marlene is a 2ply laceweight 50% Merino/50% Silk yarn that can't be beaten for lacework. It has a generous 450m per 50g skein so you will need only 1 or 2 skeins for a gorgeous scarf or shawl.

Lilacs shown in Marlene (50% Merino/50% Silk - 2ply)

Lilacs is the first in a series of semi-solid marbled colourways that I will be adding over the coming months so stay tuned.

Another new colourway I have recently added is Commando.

Commando shown in Elizabeth (100% Superwash Merino - 4ply)

Commando features army camouflage colours, making it acceptable for the boys (and men) in your life. (I know this because I've been promising to knit J some socks for months & this is the colour he requested.)

For more details on these and the entire Live 2 Knit range click here.

How Excitement!

2006-05-24T21:50:00.000+10:00

I'm in the latest Creative Knitting Magazine, well my stitch markers are anyway.

Bottom right hand corner of page 8

And at The Wool Shack too, check them out.

Stuff

2006-05-19T17:26:00.000+10:00

My Mum has commissioned me to knit another pair of socks for my Grandma, they were supposed to be done for Mother's Day but due a crisis of pattern indecision they didn't get started till then. I tried at least 10 different stitch patterns before I finally listened to the whispers I'd been hearing all week:

'Pomatomus, Pomatomus, Pomatomus'
'Why don't you make some Pomatomus?'
'How about Pomatomus'
'You know some Pomatomus would be nice'
'I want to be Pomatomus!'

So I relented and cast on for Pomatomus, or should that be Pomatomi?

Knit in Live 2 Knit Elizabeth 100% Superwash Merino Tutti Fruity colourway

The shrug I'm working on for my neice's birthday is nearing completion at last, poor blogger than I haven't even show it to you yet.

Knit in Live 2 Knit Marilyn 100% Superwash Merino Monet colourway

The old fear is rearing it's head again, will it fit, I'm torn between just finishing it & hoping for the best and actually going over & getting her to try it on.

After the hard lessons learned with Lacey & Selma I'm hesitant to commit to the Rebecca Apricot Jacke so it hasn't made it past the swatching stage yet but I have a plan. A plan that's been brewing and growing over the last few weeks it requires a measuring tape, some graph paper, a pencil, an eraser and a friend, a very close friend...

Perhaps Penny will help me.

Attaining Nirvana

2006-05-10T17:52:00.000+10:00

My knitting of late has become very Buddha like, taking many incarnations to attain the perfect state of Nirvana.
I have started a pair of socks countless times in a hundred different stitch patterns before finally settling on Pomatomus and the shrug I'm working on for my oldest neice has been knit, frogged & re-knit enough times for me to have made eight, perhaps a little Buddhist meditation will help.

Here is the other reason I haven't done much knitting this week

Her name is Penny, she's 9 weeks old and she came to live with us last weekend. She is a Mini Foxie and is just too cute for words.

Peacock Socks

2006-05-03T01:36:00.000+10:00

A few people have asked me for the pattern for the socks I knit for my Grandma, so here it is.
It is totally un-tested though, so if you find a mistake, please let me know & I'll fix it up.

Gauge: 34st to 10cm
Needles: 2.75mm DPN's (set of 5) or whatever size gives you the correct gauge.
Yarn: 2 skeins Live 2 Knit Elizabeth 100% Superwash Merino in Peacock colourway
Size: To fit foot with approx 23cm circumference.

Star toe has been used per IK Spring 2006 edition.

Slip Stitch Rib Pattern:
R1: K3, P1, move yarn to back as if to knit, slip st, move yarn to front, P1
R2: K3m P1, K1, P1

Eye of Partridge Pattern:
R1: Sl1, *K1, Sl1* rep to last st, K1
R2: Sl1, P across
R3: Sl1, *Sl1, K1* rep to last st, K1
R4: Sl1, P across

Cast on 66 sts divided across 4 needles N1:15sts N2:18sts N3:15sts, N4:18sts, being careful not to twist sts join in a ring.
Knit in Slip Stitch Rib pattern until desired leg height is reached

Begin Heel:
Heel will be knit across sts on N4 & N1, beginning with WS row.
Knit in Slip Stitch Rib pattern across N1.
Combine Stitches from N1 & N4 onto one needle.
Turn. Sl1, Purl across.
Begin Eye of Partridge Pattern, starting with R2, knit 33 rows, ending on RS row.

Next Row
R1: Sl1, purl 17sts, P2tog, P1, turn.
R2: Sl1, knit 4sts, SSK, K1, turn
R3: Sl1, purl to within 1 st of turn, P2tog (stitch before & stitch after turn), P1
R4: Sl1, knit to within 1 st of turn, SSK (stitch before & stitch after turn), K1
Rep rows 3 & 4 until you have worked all stitches.

Next Row
Slip 9 sts from RH end of needle, this now becomes N1.
Pick up 17sts along heel flap plus 2 extra at the gussett to eliminate holes.
Knit in Slip Stitch Rib pattern across top of foot
Pick up 2sts at gussett & 17 sts along side of heel flap.
Knit to last 2sts on next needle, SSK.
Knit in Slip Stitch Rib pattern across top of foot.
K2tog, knit to end.

Decrease rounds:
R1: Knit to last 2 sts, K2tog. Knit in Slip Stitch Rib pattern across top of foot. SSK, knit across.
R2: Knit plain across sole & knit in Slip Stitch Rib pattern across instep.
Repeat rows 1&2 until you have 66sts left.

Continue knitting plain across sole & in Slip Stitch Rib pattern across instep until foot is desired length.

Toe Shaping:
Decrease 2sts at each side. 64sts - 16sts per needle.
R1: K2, P1, Knit to last stitch 2 on needle, P2tog
R2, 4, 6, 8, 10 & 12: Knit all Sts
R3: K3, P1, Knit to last 2 sts, P2tog
R5: K4, P1. Knit to last 2 sts, P2tog
R7: K5, P1, Knit to last 2sts, P2tog
R9: K6, P1, Knit to last 2sts, P2tog
R11: K7, P1, Knit to last 2sts, P2tog
R13: Knit to last 2 sts, P2tog
Repeat R13 until 8sts remain.
Cut a tail approx 20cm long & thread through remaining 8sts & pull tight.

Weave in all ends & cast on for another!

2006-04-25T07:22:00.000+10:00

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Lest We Forget.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2006-04-14T08:26:00.000+10:00

I'm back from holidays. The Whitsundays were gorgeous and we had a blast learning to sail a yacht, we'll definitely be heading back in the near future to make sure we don't forget all we have learnt!

I finished seaming up Selma the day before we left for Queensland but thought I'd save unveiling her for a special occasion, and since today is my Birthday, what more special occasion can there be?

Ooops, I forgot to add my pattern notes:

Specs:
Pattern: Selma from Berocco
Needles: 4mm straights
Yarn: Jo Sharp Classic DK in Brocade (912)
Started: 5th March 2005
Completed: 31st March 2006
Notes: To say I had a few sizing issues with this pattern may be a bit of an understatement. I'd started it once before in 2004 & got the front & back done before deciding it was too small & ripping it, it sat languishing for a year.
I re-worked the pattern slightly the second time around by cutting out the ribbed sections that went up the back & the sleeves & adding some waist shaping by knitting the bottom section in the S size & the top part in the XS size, but when it was all finished & blocked it was HUGE! So I did this to it. I think I went a bit too hard with the scissors though, cause now it doesn't really close, but it is certainly a more flattering fit. It's also a bit tight across the shoulders so I probably should have knit the arms to the bigger size too, other than this small issue I LOVE IT!
I was a bit worried about how stiff the fabric was to start with but with but after washing & blocking is softens up beautifully & is very drapey. It's not the softest yarn, it does have a bit of a prickle factor & I won't be able to wear it against my sensitive skin, but it is ever so warm.

Lazy Days Ahead

2006-03-31T11:45:00.000+11:00

This is where I'm gonna be for the next 10 days.

I don't expect much knitting to be done ...

Aawwwwh

2006-03-27T20:39:00.000+11:00

The Bride & Groom Socks are now officially a pair, don't they make a cute couple?

I wish them all the happiness for the future and I'm sure they'll make beautiful little baby socks together.

Seriously, I finished these with just a few days to spare, it's my Grandma's Birthday this week, as a knitter herself I know she will appreciate them, I'm just hoping she doesn't think they're too good to wear.

Oh & you know how I said the toes were too pointy, well it turns out if you read the pattern properly they aren't pointy at all, go figure.

Specs:
Pattern: Pretty much my own
Needles: 2.75mm DPN's
Yarn: 2 skeins of Live 2 Knit Elizabeth in Peacock colourway
Started: 1st March 2006
Finished: 26th March 2006
Notes: This is a mish mash of patterns, I followed the directions for a flap heel from Sensational Knitted Socks since it is the first time I have done one & I borrowed the Star Toe from Mona Schmidt's Embossed Leaves Socks in the Winter 2005 IK. I think the simple slip stitch rib pattern is made a bit more special when teamed with fancy heel & toe treatments.

Just cause I can, here's a close up of the Star Toe (per the pattern) and Eye of Partridge heel, aren't they purty!

Maple Swatch

2006-03-22T19:42:00.000+11:00

Here's what Maple looks like knit up ...

mmmmmmmmmm, stripey.

Socks, Socks, Socks

2006-03-21T10:24:00.000+11:00

This certainly is the Year of the Sock for me!

The sock wife is ready for a heel flap, she had one on Sunday but after laying husband and wife side by side I realised that the sock wife was too tall & if her husband is anything like mine, that will never do. So I referred to the frog prince and I'm happy to say she is now of acceptable height.

I've been toying with the idea of making some self striping yarns for a while now and over the weekend I made my first attempt.

Elizabeth 100% Superwash Merino - 4ply in Maple

The process is a bit more fiddly, so I am wondering, would you like to see the choice of either variegated or self striping yarns or just one or the other & which one would you prefer?

Finishing?

2006-03-16T07:06:00.000+11:00

The Groom Sock is finished.

I used the star toe which is very pretty but I think it is too pointy and a bit short for my liking but it has given me ideas ...
Groom Sock is patiently waiting for Bride Sock to be finished so they can become a pair & barring any terminal events I should have it finished in time for my Grandma's birthday (fingers & toes crossed).

I've been coveting the Rebecca Apricot Jacke like forever, and Selma is pretty much finished, yes almost finished now, and Lacey has been banished to Never-Never Land I am free to start something new. Free at Last!
I had already decided I wanted it to be white but what yarn to use, should I, could I splash out on the recommended GGH Java? Or go with Rowan All Seasons Cotton as many others have? No, I have pur-chased some Katia Mississippi (60% Cotton/40% Acrylic) and have already swatched it up.

Now just to finish a sock & sew a sleeve, finish sock, sew sleeve, sock, sleeve.
I really need to learn to knit in my sleep!

The Heel Has Turned

2006-03-08T09:07:00.000+11:00

I have turned the heel on my peacock sock and am on a race to the toe.
The way the yarn is striping reminds me of some sort of tropical fish.

A bit of a resemblance to the Butterfly Fish

The heel was easy peasy, I don't know what I was worried about, I even decided to go a bit fancy pants and do it in Eye of Partridge stitch which I really like and I'm thinking of doing a star toe just to make them extra special.

2006-03-02T11:36:00.000+11:00

I've started a new pair of socks ...

I've already started this sock about 5 times already, firstly in the Viva colourway but that just wasn't working for me. This incarnation is in Peacock.
I'm planning on gifting them to my Grandma for her birthday at the end of March, this provides a challenge in more than one way:

1. I don't know what size to make them
2. I'm planning on making a flap heel which I've really done before
3. I'm not a fast knitter, can I finish them in time???

I prefer toe-up socks but have made these top down so that the cuff is nice & stretchy and I've chosen a simple slip stitch rib pattern to hopefully eliminate any other fitting issues, is there anything else I need to worry about?

Busy, Busy, BUSY

2006-02-22T10:42:00.000+11:00

Busy, yep that's what I've been, as a bee.

I finally finished the damned wedding cake which has to be delivered this weekend.

Before anybody asks - yes, it is leaning & yes it is supposed to be that way.
The perfectionist in me is totally unsatisfied with this cake but past experience has taught me that the more I fuss over it the worse I make it so I have put it in a box & refused to look at it since!

I've hardly touched my needles since the socks were finished but I've not gone into withdrawl just yet as I recently received a delivery from Amazon, so I have a pile of knitting books a mile high, that's right when I'm not actually knitting, I'm reading about knitting - sad no?

The First FO of 2006

2006-02-13T04:29:00.000+11:00

I knit 1.5 socks to make this pair but it was worth it.

Specs:
Pattern: Lacy Scallops
Needles: 2.75mm DPN's
Yarn: 2 skeins of Live 2 Knit Elizabeth in Pina Colada colourway (not shown on site)
Started: December, 2005
Finished: February, 2006
Notes: I made a few changes to the pattern, firstly I knit it toe-up and used my favourite short row heel from The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook. Secondly I used a M1 increase instead of the YO called for in the pattern, well just because I can, and finally I had to increase to the 72sts right after the heel due to my *cough, cough* cankles.

I LOVE the way they turned out and wore them all day Saturday, even though it was far too warm for socks, now I can't wait to start another pair of socks but first I need to dye some more yarn.

In a fit of finishing I've also finished Selma's second sleeve at long last and I'll attempt to get that sewn in this week, who knows I may have another FO to show you before the week is out, stayed tuned.

New Stuff

2006-02-10T15:30:00.000+11:00

I've been trying to get some dyeing done for weeks now & I finally managed to get in the kitchen this week, here are the results, two new colourways:

Elven shown in Elizabeth (100% Superwash Merino - 4ply)

Viva shown in Elizabeth (100% Superwash Merino - 4ply)

I think I'll be tweaking Elven a bit more, I think it should be more green and Viva, well it wasn't what I was going for but I like it anyway. (I think I need a lesson in photography though, my photo's suck in a big way, they always seem very dark, even when using the flash - any idea's anyone?)

I've also made up a couple more sets stitch markers

Cute aren't they.

If you want to adopt any of these lovelies you can pop over to Live 2 Knit for more details.

You Did WHAT To Your Knitting?!

2006-02-02T10:20:00.000+11:00

I couldn't believe it, all that hard work, over a year's worth of knitting and both Lacey & Selma were monumental disasters in sizing (there could be a lesson in this).
I was crushed.
I'd already cast on Selma's final sleeve but cast it aside in disgust and consoled myself with a sock.

Pina Colada Sock #2

It was weighing on me, should I forget about knitting clothes and just stick to socks?
Meanwhile Pina Colada sock #2's mate still needed to be frogged to accomodate that cankle issue.
Should I even be allowed near another set of needles again?

If Selma was made of fabric she would be so much simpler to fix, cut a bit off here, sew a bit up there and voila. Hang on a minute ... is knitting not simply manipulating some sticks and string to make fabric?

I vaguely remember seeing somewhere someone re-sizing their knits by steeking the seams, in a fashion.
So I researched everything I could find on steeking and set to work.

First I turned myself into a walking pincusion and pinned up the seams to make a more flattering fit, then using a contrasting coloured yarn I marked out my new seams.
Using my trusty sewing machine I straight stiched along the new seam I'd marked once, then a second time about a centimeter out from the first to make sure this baby ain't gonna unravel - now comes the fun part, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and CUT the excess fabric away, it doesn't leave a very pretty edge but hey it's on the inside, who's gonna see it?

I tried, I really did, to mattress stich the seams but it just wasn't looking all that crash hot so back to the trusty sewing machine (cheater, cheater!) so now the race is on to finish the second sleeve.

My Hero

2006-01-26T07:26:00.000+11:00

It was a blistering hot 40+ degree (celcius, that is) day, the roads were melting, as was I but J made it - 140km - 8 hours - 1560m elevation from Bright over Towonga Gap, through Mt Beauty, up Falls Creek & back. What. A. CHAMPION!

(That's him in the white)

I noticed that I have my very first knitting blister on the tip of my left index finger, is this a note it down in the diary special occasion, does that make me a real knitter now or does it just mean that I've been knitting way too much lately?

Full Frontals

2006-01-20T09:44:00.000+11:00

Cindy has dubbed my Selma Anti-Cool, so in that spirit I have outed myself as an Anti-Cool Knitter.

I don't follow fashion,
I don't follow trend,
I knit just what I want
Don't care who I might offend!

I'm not part of the in-crowd,
I'm not hip or with it,
I'm so Anti-Cool, man
You could almost say I'm Hot!

Warning: there are explicit full frontal images ahead, if you are easily offended please click away now.

I've taken a few days off work to make an extra long weekend as we're heading away to Bright again tomorrow for J's big ride this Sunday, anyway as I have the house to myself - utter bliss - I got a little excited and decided to have a seaming party, bring on the cocktails!

I started off with Lacey, she's been languishing for a while, so the shoulders were seamed & then half the arm, it was looking great so I thought I'd just baste up the rest of the seams & try her on.
The neck was a bit snug, only just going over my head & those French women must have extreemly skinny arms as well as small heads but the final blow, it barely covers my belly button - TKO!

I finished up on the front of Selma a couple of days ago after ripping back the mistake, for my own sanity & peace of mind and gave it a light blocking yesterday.

After the disaster of Lacey yesterday I pinned it up to see how it would look on and well, let's just say it's a little on the generous side - maybe I should just give up on clothes & stick to socks for a while.

On How To Drive Yourself Insane or Always Check Your Stitch Count

2006-01-12T09:22:00.000+11:00

So I was knitting madly away on the front of Selma determined to get the front finished, I noticed I'd missed a decrease on one side, so I did a stitch count to check, as you do.

Houston we have a problem ...

So I cast her aside for a couple of days while I psyched myself up to rip it all back, then I had a brain wave.

What if only one side is wrong...

So I whipped out the pattern & my trusty calculator & crunched a few numbers, there should be 50 sts on each side with 29 of them in ribbing.
I counted the left side 50 sts, I counted the right side 51 sts, that's OK I can handle that.
Then I counted the ribbing, 29 sts on the left and on the right, 25 sts - WTF!
I panicked a little, I couldn't possibly have knit the whole right side with only 25 sts in ribbing could I?

Quick as a flash I counted the ribbing stitches below the join - 29 sts, Whaaa???
Somehow, even though I was using stitch markers, I've managed mess up the pattern when I joined the two pieces together.

Now comes the dilemma, do I rip it back now or continue on hoping that it's not too obvious when it's finished, I'm leaning towards ripping at this point but I'm kind of anal that way. What would you do?

The Year That Was

2006-01-04T14:50:00.001+11:00

A Birthday Sophie & Clapotis

Not one, not two, but two and a half pairs socks

One scarf, three ways:

And the Lacy Snakes & Ladder's stole

I am yet to finish either Lacey or Selma both of which were started early last year, seems I got a bit side tracked, perhaps my new years resolution should be to finish them!

Siren Socks

2005-12-28T07:34:00.000+11:00

I finally finished the first of my feather & fan socks, I quite like the way it turned out in the end but...

It doesn't quite fit - doh!
I didn't count on my cankles (you know, when your calves merge into your ankles - cankles) so I'll have to rip it back, but I think I might start on the second sock first.

I've been working on Selma a little bit too, I'm up to the part where the two front pieces join into one but I can't concentrate on it for long - the siren call of the sock is too strong!

Christmas Offerings

2005-12-19T09:06:00.001+11:00

Well SP6 has finally wrapped up & I can finally reveal that Cindy was my Secret Pal. Due to a bit of a mix up I also had her, which made it kind of interesting.

I received the final parcel on Sunday (got to love those extra Christmas mail deliveries), inside were many great things including the new Yarn magazine, which I have been looking for everywhere, a great sock tote which she made and is just perfect for my SIP, there was also a little knitters toolkit which inlcuded all the things youu need when you're on the go like cable needles, needle sizer and hand cream.

There were also a couple of little Chrismas ornaments and a very simple but effective card that was made by sewing some ribbon onto card in the form of a Christmas tree.
Thanks Cindy for being a fantastic SP, you certainly made the whole experience thoroughly enjoyable.

I've finally finished the few gifts I am making this year, firstly some memory boards using some funky Alexander Henry fabric.

This was easy as to make. I just stapled the fabric onto a stretched artists canvas, stapled on the ribbon, sewed on some buttons where the ribbon crossed and then finally stapled some curtain lining onto the back to hide all the messy bits and a piece of string to hang it from.

I also made this braclet for my Grandma, considering I'm a beading novice I think it came out quite well.

I haven't yet made a sock with a flap heel so I thought I would give it a go with this cute little mini sock.

I'm so pleased with the way it came out I'm going to make some more to give as little presents with chocolates or lollies inside. I think they would make great Christmas decorations too.

Long Weekend Wrapup

2005-12-13T08:58:00.000+11:00

Sorry I haven't added this sooner, I have been having blogger issues.

J & I had a lovely weekend away in Bright, we stayed at the Bright Chalet which was quite nice. The room wasn't anything particularly special, though it did have a four poster bed and a fantastic view over their beautiful gardens.

J set out on Sunday morning to conquer Mt Buffalo & returned 4 hours later triumphant, I meanwhile made the most of my time by sunning myself in the garden and knitting on my sock.

I have to admit that I'm not totally sold on the stitch pattern, it's a variation on the Feather & Fan stitch, but every time I look at it it grows on me a little more.

Beginnings, Middles & Ends

2005-12-07T09:07:00.000+11:00

I know I said I wasn't going to be doing any more dyeing until the New Year but, but, but...

I needed a small, portable car project as we're going on a road trip up to Bright this weekend so J can train for the Audax in January.
Since I've just finished a pair of socks, I just had to cast on for another and since I haven't yet knit any socks out of my own hand dyed yarn and I wanted to try out a new colourway why not kill two birds with one stone.

Beginnings

I've also joined the Sock it to me Summer Knit Along cause socks are just the perfect summer knitting.

Middle

Selma is coming along nicely, I've almost finished the waist decreases so not long until the two pieces become one.

End...

The flowers are finished at long last! I arranged them on a plaque last night so that they can just be placed on the cake when it's ready. It also allows the couple to take the flowers off in one piece and keep them as a souvenir if they like. I'm pretty happy with the way they've come out, now to find a safe place to store them until February. (Yes, that is Lacey as yet unblocked under there, so?)

Another end is the end of SP6. Here's the cool advent calander by SP made for me. It's been a bit of a battle between J & I as to who gets the goodies, so far I've allowed him a few eclairs but the lindt balls are all mine, mine I tells you!

I've had a blast with this & am sad that it's over. I'm not going to reveal who I've been spoiling just yet, but I'm pretty sure she has an idea who it was anyway due to a bit of a mixup with the Aussie Secret Pals but it's certainly been fun anyway, I think I'll definitely be participating in this exchange again.

Live 2 Knit Gift Vouchers Now Available

2005-12-02T13:23:00.000+11:00

Can't find the perfect present or just can't decide?

Buy them a gift voucher from Live 2 Knit and let them choose their own!

2005-11-28T20:44:00.000+11:00

Look what I've been knitting...

Looks like a dishrag to me!

This is the front piece of Lacey all finished, it looks a bit blah at the moment but after some serious blocking it'll look like a million dollars! Now there's only an arm to go but that will have to wait until after I've finished the front of Selma...

Here's all the progress I've made so far (The colour is way off in this pic, it's actually more of a wine red). The front is actually knit as two pieces then joined together at the v-neck so I've decided to be a little crazy and knit both pieces at once!
I want to finish this off before the hot weather really sinks in & also get Lacey finished so she can make her debut before the end of Summer, now there's some wishful thinking for you.

I FINISHED SOMETHING ....

2005-11-22T12:41:00.000+11:00

A couple of socks to be precise.

Ok so you want to know all the gory details ...

Pattern: Socks with Jo-Jo Heel from Lana Grossa
Yarn: Patons Patonyle in Navy Blue
Needles: 2.75mm
Started: Some time in June 2005
Finished: 20th November 2005

I made a few modifications to the pattern in that I couldn't quite decifer the instructions for the heel so I did the hourglass heel as detailed in The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook. I also changed the toe a bit by only decreasing until 12 sts remained then doing a 3 needle bind off.
J has already given them a test run & they have received the offical seal of approval.

I came across this in the last week showing how to do two socks at once, one inside the other & I'm keen to give it a go. I gave it a bit of a test run last night with some success but I need to work on the whole holding the yarn in my left hand thing, it just doesn't feel comfortable and my tension is well... let's just say it's not tense. There is another option, where you just slip every second stitch but I like to make things difficult for myself so I might perservere with the first option for a while longer.

Nothing

2005-11-15T12:44:00.000+11:00

I'm still stuck in my knitting funk & although I've knit a few rows on J's socks it's not enough to constitute progress. I just can't seem to settle on anything. I know this will pass as it has happened to me a few times over the last couple of years, it seems to be stress related, I'm sure once things settle back down a bit I'll be back into it like a madwoman!

On that note I've decided to stop taking orders for yarns for a while, I will continue to sell my Needle Rolls & Stitch Markers in the mean time. Hopefully this is only a short break & I will be back into it in the New Year, so stay tuned.

A big Thankyou to my SP for the letter she sent last week. It contained a lovely card and a face mask, it was just what I needed.

You Are Likely a Second Born

At your darkest moments, you feel inadequate.
At work and school. you do best when you're evaluating.
When you love someone, you offer them constructive criticism.

In friendship, you tend to give a lot of feedback - positive and negative.
Your ideal careers are: accounting, banking, art, carpentry, decorating, teaching, and writing novels.
You will leave your mark on the world with art and creative projects.

The Birth Order Predictor

THANKYOU!

2005-11-10T14:48:00.000+11:00

I have to say thankyou to everyone who has left words of advice & encouragement after the disappointment of the market, I have tried to thank you personally also but just in case I have missed anyone - THANKYOU, THANKYOU, THANKYOU!

On an entirely different note has anyone seen this? Very interesting, definitely something to keep an eye on.

Where Are All The Knitters??

2005-11-08T12:51:00.000+11:00

I've been madly dyeing, sewing & beading in preperation for the market. Here are the fruits of my labour:

Maybe it was the heat (it was around 30^oC on Sunday), maybe it's the wrong time of year, maybe it was the wrong place, maybe I've misjudged what other knitters want, I don't know, but whatever it was I had not one sale & very little interest, all in all a very disappointing day. I don't think I will be making another appearance in the near future.

Now I've slipped into the knitting doldrums, I've barely knit a stitch in weeks as I've been too busy & now I have the time I don't really feel like it. I knit all of two rows on Lacey last night & ended up tinking them both, what's a girl to do?

Episode IV - The SP Strikes Back

2005-11-03T10:00:00.002+11:00

I must apologise to my SP for being so slack about blogging about the lovely package she sent me last week.

There were many goodies within; some lovely beaded stitch markers that she made herself! Some more yummy hazelnut hot chocolate with some chocolate sprinke to go on top (I just love the little sayings that are on each of the packets eg: Man can not live on chocolate alone, but Woman can!) A very retro Phildar mag & a cute little purse containing some first aid supplies for those "nasty" knitting injuries.

But best of all, a pair of hand knitted socks JUST FOR ME!

These really blew me away! I feel very special to have someone knit for me as nobody else I know knits anymore. The stitches are just perfect & they fit beautifully. I have put them in my knitting area & everytime I look at them I am amazed all over again. Thankyou Secret Pal.

PS. There was also a cute little story about the making of my socks that arrived last night - hilarious! You certainly are a very special lady!

One Down...

2005-10-27T08:54:00.000+10:00

I finally finished making all the hundereds of petals, well 45 to be precise, for "The Cake" & even managed to get some colour on a couple of them.

It's not wired together yet and it needs a few spots for a finishing touch, but they're not bad for a bit of sugar & wire - even if I do say so myself. Guess I haven't forgotten everything after all.

Lioning About!

2005-10-24T14:33:00.000+10:00

A lazy Saturday morning care of my Secretpal.

Forget Love, I'd rather follow chocolate! (Thanks SP, just what I needed!)

My poor knitting has been woefully neglected the last couple of weeks, I've sent a lot of time winding yarn & even more time untangling it! J has been employed as my official skein holder, he has been very patient about it all but I really need to get a swift quick!

I'm feeling a little stressed at the moment because I have committed myself to selling at the Dingley Craft Market next month, I'm not sure how sucessful I will be, but I thought it would be worth a shot. It's on the 6th November so I've been madly dyeing, sewing & beading in preperation. Luckily next Tuesday is a public holiday & I have organised to have Monday off work too so I can dedicate the whole weekend to market stuff. Wish me luck!

Parcels, Packages & Letters - Oh My!

2005-10-18T10:02:00.001+10:00

Remember last week when I said I had received two parcels in the mail, one being a package from my SP, well the other one contained a new shipment of yarn for Live 2 Knit.

I now have 4 & 5ply 100% Silk, a 10ply 50% Merino/50% Silk blend and 4 & 10ply 100% Superwash Merino yarns available, with some 8ply Soy Silk still to come. So I spent the weekend dyeing & testing out some new colourways.

Antique Rose & Wisteria

Parrot

I really love the Antique Rose colourway, I think it would look fantastic as socks or perhaps even a Clapotis. Wisteria needs some work, I think it looks a bit washed out, I may try it with slightly stronger colours next time & Parrot, well I'm not sure if it's a keeper or not, it just seems a bit too garish, perhaps if I toned down the colours a bit it might appeal to me more.

My SP has struck again, when I got home last night this was waiting for me, a cute little card with some hazelnut tea inside. I haven't seen this flavour of tea before but I am very keen to try it out, I was going to bring it to work today but ... let's just say I'd lose my head if it wasn't screwed on!

SP Goodies

Spoiled Rotten!

2005-10-11T09:34:00.002+10:00

When I got home last night there were two parcels waiting for me, one of them I will post about later but the other was from my Secret Pal!

It was all nicely wrapped in some beautiful floral paper but I was way too impatient & forgot to take a photo - sorry. Inside was this fantastic bag.

It's got pockets on the outside and some secret little hidey pockets on the inside & in each little pocket there was a surprise.

A postcard from Tassie, some Tasmanian hazelnut fudge (yum), a big hank of yarn from the Waverley Woolen Mill - also in Tassie, I think I see a pattern emerging here.
There was also some gorgeous stitch markers that a friend of my SP generously made for me, a sparkly K keyring, a Curley Kate writing pad & some cute star shaped wooden buttons!

But wait there's more, after having another look in my fantastic new bag, I found another little surprise that I missed the first time, these beautiful blue glass beads. I can't wait to make something special out of them.

Wow, was I spoiled or what! Thankyou SP you made my day!

And just so you don't think I've totally forgotten about Lacey, I did quite a bit of knitting on her over the weekend & am now up to the armhole decreases, not far to go now!

2005-10-07T09:35:00.000+10:00

The Beginnings of a Cake

Show Us Your Knickers!

2005-10-04T11:28:00.000+10:00

Lacey is coming along nicely, I'm up to the increases in the waist shaping & have about 50 more rows to go before decreasing for the armhole, unfortunately I won't get to work on her tonight as I have enrolled myself back into cake decorating classes so I can get this damned cake done.

I just couldn't get myself motivated enough to do any work on "The Wedding Cake" so it's back to class for me.

Here's another needle roll I whipped up over the weekend, using some of the very funky Alexander Henry prints I bought a while ago.

I've dubbed it the Naughty Knickers Needle Roll (oh the searches that will bring up!) I'm very tempted to keep this one for myself but if you want one of your very own, it's available over at Live 2 Knit.

Thurday...

2005-09-29T09:53:00.000+10:00

I finished the back of Selma - yay! I should be able to block her out properly over the weekend but in the mean time here she is loosely pinned out for your viewing pleasure.

Now it's back to Lacey. I have started her front - she's just a few rows of ribbing at this stage and doesn't qualify for very interesting photo material, but stay tuned as there's sure to be plenty of progress shots cause I get the feeling she won't be quite as quick a knit as Selma.

And just because I don't have anything else:

How You Life Your Life

You are honest and direct. You tell it like it is.

You tend to avoid confrontation and stay away from sticky situations.

You prefer a variety of friends and tend to change friends quickly.

You tend to dream big, but you worry that your dreams aren't attainable.

How Do You Live Your Life?

Surprisingly this is fairly accurate! Scary!

A Blocking We Will Go

2005-09-26T15:31:00.001+10:00

I didn't get much knitting done this weekend, for some reason I just felt soooo tired & disinclined to do anything, though I did mange to get up the energy to do some blocking.

Lacey's Back & Selma's Sleeve

The back of Selma is flying, I've got around 20 more rows to go & then it's done. I don't think I've ever finished a piece so quickly, which is a nice change because recently all my projects seem to have dragged on forever!

I also did some sewing for Live 2 Knit.

New & improved, bigger & better needle rolls.

The Straight Needle Roll will now hold 12 sets of straight & DPN's while the Circular Needle Roll will hold 10 sets of Circulars. You can check them out here.

(Hi SP)

2005-09-22T09:38:00.001+10:00

I got word a few days ago that my Secret Pal had sent something my way & when I arrived home last night I found a package waiting for me. Inside was a great card, with a lovely message & also this:

A knitterly brooch she had made just for me, isn't it the coolest! But wait, there's more, there was also this:

Choccies, more importantly - hazelnut chocolate, my all time favourite (as you can see I couldn't resist having a few pieces before I remembered to take a pic). And look the card & wrapping paper she used even had chocolate all over it.

Secret Pal, you're the greatest!

Car Knitting

2005-09-20T09:40:00.000+10:00

Gotta love some car knitting. On Sunday I went to visit my Grandma, she lives in Leongatha, around 1.5hrs out of Melbourne & since Mum was driving I managed to get a bit done on J's socks. Not long now they will be Fini!

I'm using Paton's Patonyle sock yarn (80% Superwash wool/20% Nylon) & in the first pair of socks I made the heels have felted - very curious!
I have been maching washing them on the warm delicate cycle & air drying them, so I don't think that is the problem but I must admit that J wears them just as normal everyday work/boot socks, which begs the question should hand knit socks only be worn sparingly or on special occasions?
I asked the Sockmonsters if this had happened to any of them & a few of them said it had with various types of sock yarn. Their advice was that it makes the heels a bit more snug fitting & actually reinforces the heel a bit, so not to worry about it too much. I mentioned it to J when I first noticed it & he hadn't even noticed the difference so I think I'll just leave it at that.

Selma seems to be flying along, it's just miles & miles of stockinette but for some reason she seems to be going quickly. I'm up to row 94 and only have another 50 rows to go before I start the armhole shaping & then it's all downhill from there!

Secret Pal

2005-09-16T10:11:00.000+10:00

I know two posts in two days - what's come over me?

Well I joined up to do the Secret Pal 6 a while ago & yesterday I had first contact from my SP (hi SP), so to make things a bit easier for them I thought I would post my answers to the SP questionnaire:

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
I must admit I am a bit of a yarn snob. I definitely prefer natural fibers and quality yarns.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I don't spin, I can crochet but I much prefer knitting!

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
Not that I know of, but I really don't like the smell of smoke.

4. How long have you been knitting?
I've been knitting for around 5 years, since just before my eldest niece was born. My first project was a jumper for her when she was born.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
I prefer floral scents.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
YES! I try to keep it under control though.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
As I said I can crochet, I've also dabbled in cross stitch & cake decorating. At the moment I'm doing a bit of sewing, beading & dying.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Fairly eclectic, I like bands from The White Stripes to Mettalica to The Offsprint to ABBA, Queen, The Doors, U2 & pretty much everything in between. I'm not a big fan of boy bands, rap, R&B or Brittney Spears kind of pop. I can do MP3.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
I usually gravitate towards Black, Blues (esp periwinkle blue) & Reds (deep Burgundy & wine red), though lately I have found myself being attracted to greens (esp sage), pinks (victoria or rose pink) & browns.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Live with my fiancee - currently no pets, not enough room!

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
I'd love to be able to semi-retire at 35 & as with almost all knitter's run my own knitting related business (as you can see I'm working on it!).

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
Can't say I've found my ultimate yarn yet, though Alpaca is pretty close.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Novelties, ribbon & anything scratchy or stiff.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
Knitting in general, though I have tried lace & felting.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Things I can wear, usually card's or tops.

17. What are you knitting right now?
I am currently knitting: Socks, a tunic, a lacy top & a scarf.

18. What do you think about ponchos?
I am a poncho free zone!

19. Straight or circular needles?
I use straights at the moment, I have a couple of pairs of circs that I used for making Sophie bags.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I use aluminum at the moment, with a few pairs of plastic. I have some bamboo's but haven't used them to date.

21. Are you a sock knitter?
Yep, though I'm yet to make a pair for myself.

22. How did you learn to knit?
My Mum attempted to teach me when I was little without much luck. When I returned to knitting I taught myself from the internet mostly.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
Knit wise no very old, just a couple of months, crochet wise years! I have a Queen Anne's Lace tablecloth that I was making & probably will never finish, it's just too big & I've lost interest now.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
Don't really have one, sorry.

25. What is your favorite holiday?
Easter I think, 'cause it means I get chocolate, also my birthday is usually around Easter so I get a double bonus of presents & chocolate! (Terrible aren't I).

26. Is there anything that you collect?
Knitting patterns mostly, there's just so much to knit & so little time.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I currently only have a subscription to Interweave, I did have a Vogue Knitting subscription last year but I was very disappointed with it & they stuffed me around with my last issue - I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
Not books as such but I love! Love! Love! Phildar patterns!

29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another??
I'd love to make Butterfly by Jane Ellison but my list of things I have to make is so long already...

30. What are your foot measurements, and what kind of socks do you like?
My foot is approx 23cm long & 23cm circumference (is it normal for both measurements to be the same?). Not fussy as to the kind, any would do if you're so inclined.

I hope this helps.

2005-09-15T12:54:00.000+10:00

I've finally got my act together with Selma & have reworked the pattern to accomodate my ample posterior, using the small size for the bottom & decreasing to the X-small size up top (I know doesn't sound that ample does it!). I've cast on & am currently up to the decreases to drop down to the next size.

I'm using Jo Sharp DK in the Brocade colourway (which I absoultely love by the way) but am finding it a bit scratchy compared to the yarns I've been using recently. It will make a beautifully warm winter tunic when I am finished with it but it definitely won't be a wear next to the skin item, especially not next to my sensitive skin!
I feel a bit wierd knitting a winter top coming into spring but the weather is currently accomodating me so I think I'll run with it for the time being.

I also pulled out my Monet scarf & am re-knitting it using this pattern.
I'm getting a wierd pooling effect which I quite like & am debating whether I should rip it & try to make it really pool, but am having trouble finding a stitch pattern to work it in, any suggestions?

Meme

2005-09-09T13:53:00.000+10:00

I've been tagged for my very first meme, thanks Karen!

TEN YEARS AGO: God, I can't even remember yesterday let alone ten years ago, let me see... I would have been sweet 16, so in year 11 at high school, dating a boy my parents didn't approve of & basically being the typical pain in the arse teenager.

FIVE YEARS AGO: I was 21 and had been living with J for about a year. This was a tough year for the both of us as I battled depression.

ONE YEAR AGO: We had just moved into our new house by the beach, it was the depths of winter & our heater had carked it just a week after we moved in, for some reason we decided not to replace it straight away so it was a veeeeery cold winter!

FIVE SNACKS: Chuppa Chups, Raisin Toast, Chocolate with nuts - especially hazelnuts, Nestle Diet Chocolate Mousse, Musesli (boring I know, I'm not much of a snacker).

FIVE SONGS I KNOW ALL THE WORDS TO: Light my Fire - The Doors, Dancing Queen - ABBA, Money for Nothing - Dire Straits, Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

FIVE THINGS I WOULD DO WITH $100 MILLION: Pay off the mortgage & pay someone to finish the renovations, give some to our families, quit my job, get a house cleaner & go on a fabulous holiday!

FIVE PLACES TO RUN AWAY TO: The Whitsundays, Tasmania, some old European Castle, anywhere with history, Ireland.

FIVE THINGS I WOULD NEVER WEAR: Hot Pink, Leopard Print, Ugg Boots, Stillettos, cheeky shorts.

FIVE FAVORITE TV SHOWS: This is a tough call, there isn't much on TV worth watching most of the time but I do enjoy - Myth Busters, Lost (can't wait for Season 2), most Documentaries, CSI (the original, not Miami), Survivor.

FIVE BIGGEST JOYS: New yarn, FO's, chocolate, a glass of wine after a hard day's work, not having to cook.

FAVORITE TOYS: Yarn & Needles (obviously), my ball winder, row counter, laptop computer, my NEW car.

FIVE PEOPLE TO PASS THIS ONTO: Jacqueline, Megan, Di, Nat & Lisa

Progress!

2005-09-05T17:29:00.000+10:00

Even though I didn't knit very much over the weekend I feel like I have made a lot of progress.
The back of Lacey, my Bergere de France top is done, so just the front & a sleeve to go - half way there!

Block me already!

I also have two sock cuffs done, ready for some heel turning.

I was following the Lana Grossa sock pattern, however I was having some problems deciphering the instuctions for the heel last night after a glass of red, so after topping up my glass, I went for the tried & true hourglass heel from the Twisted Sister's Sock Workbook.
I love the way it looks and I find it easier than the short row heel as there are no stitches to pick up, gotta love that!

I am supposed to be working on Selma next, but still have to work out a few calculations with my re-working of the pattern, so I might be knitting socks for a while.

Needle Rolls

2005-08-28T19:57:00.000+10:00

Looking for some snazzy needle rolls to keep you organised? Then look no further!

Straight & DPN Needle Roll - Holds 10 sets of both straight & DPN $15.00
Circular Needle Roll - Holds 8 sets of circular needles $15.00
Check them out here.

Watch This Space

2005-08-26T10:49:00.000+10:00

Somehow I managed to come down with the 'dreaded lurgy' on Monday afternoon, despite my best efforts at dodging it.
I was too sick to go to work on Tuesday & Wednesday, and even though I felt pretty lousy I managed to get quite a bit of knitting (and un-knitting) done, so much so that I have finished Lacey's armhole decreases, yay! It feels like I'm making real progress with this one, maybe it has to do with the fact that I had already knit half the body before I put it aside.
I also knit a bit on J's socks, they're almost the same length now and just about ready for some heel turning.
I also spent a bit of time trawling the net from my sickbed and noticed that Kim Hargreaves had her new Autumn collection out, I really like Erethral and Temptation sort of speaks to me too, but I'm not too sure about the others. Debbie Bliss also has a couple of new books out, Alpaca Silk Two and Simply Soft of which none of the patterns really impressed me that much (quick take that girl's temperature, she must be REALLY sick!)

I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of a new shipment of Alpaca & Alpaca/Silk Yarns for Live 2 Knit, and despite not getting any feedback on my query about new additions to the range I have plunged ahead and ordered both of them in DK weight as well as the original Fingering & Bulky weights. I've also ordered a small amount of Soy Silk to have a play with, so I should have lots of exciting parcels turning up in the next couple of weeks. I can't wait, as I have a few new colours milling about in my head I'm eager to test out.

Finally a FO!

2005-08-22T23:51:00.000+10:00

I'll spare you yet more WIP pics of the Snakes & Ladder's stole, instead I've got FO pics to show you, yes the S&LS is FIN-NISHED! Don't believe me - check it out.

Some Art Direction wouldn't go astray!

I'm very happy with the way it has turned out. It's wonderfully light & airy and soooo soft, I can't wait to wear it out.

Details:
Yarn: 2 skeins of Live 2 Knit ~~100% Peruvian Baby Alpaca 4 ply (sport weight)~~ Discontinued (but would look lovely in Elizabeth - 100% Superwash Merino, or Katharine - 100% Silk)
Needles: 3.75mm (US5)
Started: 26th June 2005
Completed: 20th August 2005

I've had a few people asking for the pattern so here it is:
(Note: This stitch pattern was "borrowed" from a top found in Vogue Knitting Spring '04 edition)

Cast on 72 ststs
R1: K1, *YO, K8, K2tog. Rep from * to last st, K1
R2: P1, *P2tog, P7, YO, P1. Rep from * to last st, P1
R3: K1, *K2, YO, K6, K2tog. Rep from * to last st, K1
R4: P1, *P2tog, P5, YO, P3. Rep from * to last st, P1
R5: K1, *K4, YO, K4, K2tog. Rep from * to last st, K1
R6: P1, *P2tog, P3, YO, P5. Rep from * to last st, P1
R7: K1, *K6, YO, K2, K2tog. Rep from * to last st, K1
R8: P1, *P2tog, P1, YO, P7. Rep from * to last st, P1
R9: K1, *K2tog, YO, K8. Rep from * to last st, K1
R10: P1, *YO, P8, P2tog tbl. Rep from * to last st, P1
R11: K1, *SSK, K7, YO, K1. Rep from * to last st, K1
R12: P1, *P2, YO, P6, P2tog tbl. Rep from * to last st, P1
R13: K1, *SSK, K5, YO, K3. Rep from * to last st, K1
R14: P1, *P4, YO, P4, P2tog tbl. Rep from * to last st, P1
R15: K1, *SSK, K3, YO, K5. Rep from * to last st, K1
R16: P1, *P6, YO, P2, P2tog tbl. Rep from * to last st, P1
R17: K1, *SSK, K1, YO, K7. Rep from * to last st, K1
R18: P1, *P8, YO, P2tog tbl. Rep from * to last st, P1

Knit as many repeats as you like, then bind off loosely.

Interest?

2005-08-16T16:42:00.000+10:00

With the small success I've had with the Live 2 Knit yarns I am considering offering various weights in the existing yarns, and also expanding the range with new yarns.

I currently thinking along the lines of:
Offering the Baby Alpaca in the current Sport 4ply & adding a heavier DK 8 ply.
Adding an DK 8 ply to the existing Bulky 20ply in the Alpaca/Silk yarn.
Expanding the Superwash Merino yarns to include Sock, DK 8 ply and Worsted 12ply weights.

I'm also looking at adding:
Silk/Merino blend
Alpaca/Wool blend
Soy Silk
Silk

Let me know if you would be interested in any of these options & I'll explore further.

2005-08-15T16:47:00.000+10:00

Another weekend has flown by with only a few more repeats on the Snakes & Ladders Stole to show for it, my ball of yarn is definitely getting smaller and I think I can glimpse a shimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. (I hope I haven't just jinxed myself by saying that.)
J has been sick, got a sore throat, so I've been nursing him all weekend and trying to keep him entertained and full of drugs, however I did get the opportunity to pull out my sewing machine, dust it off and whip up these Needle Rolls, a new addition to the Live 2 Knit line.

WARNING - Shameless commerce ahead:

The Straight Needle Roll holds 10 sets of Straight and DPN needles, while the Circular Needle Roll will hold 8 sets of Circular needles. I've listed them on ebay for $15.00 each as they are the first ones I have made & I'm still refining the design, so if you have any suggestions as to how I can make them better, please let me know & I will try to incorporate it into future offerings.

I'm off to take a few drugs myself, I have a funny tickle at the back of my throat & I want to catch it before it develops any further.

Boring Knitting

2005-08-11T20:12:00.000+10:00

Warning - reading this post can cause yawns & lethargy.

Yep, some seriously boring blogging here, I mean how many times can I show you progress pics of the Snakes & Ladders stole before you start wondering if any knitting really goes on here?
At least once more I figure so here it is.

For God's sake finish me already!!!

I know it pretty much looks exactly like the last picture I posted but trust me it is growing, sort of like a glacier grows, verrrry slooowwly, though it's definitely an improvement over all the to-ing & fro-ing that plagued me when I first started it.

And for a bit of variation here's the latest on the socks. I like to think that if you add the two together it equates to at least one finished sock. Come on, work with me here people.

Lacey has been a bit neglected lately, but I'm halfway through the increases before the armhole shaping, so if I ever finish S&LS, this should zip right along.

Good Company

2005-08-08T12:38:00.000+10:00

I must admit I was little nervous after organising this meet-up on Saturday, would anybody turn up? Would I freeze up and not be able to say a word?
I'm happy to say my fears were groundless and I had a wonderful time with Di & Sophie, we talked, we knitted, we talked about knitting, it just doesn't get any better than that!

It's my biggest neice's 4th birthday today. She has the honour of inspiring me to learn to knit again. It was for her birth that I knit my very first FO, a tiny little garter stitch jumper that I was so proud of, but if truth be told was probably the most ugly thing you've ever seen, luckily for you it was BB (before blog) and I don't have any pictures of it. Since then she, along with my other two neices have been the recipients of much of my knitting.

Happy Birthday my darling girl.

Wednesday

2005-08-02T11:23:00.000+10:00

So the woman came to order her cake on Sunday morning & despite my worst fears she actually chose a design that is fairly classic with a bit of a modern twist, however despite my best efforts I couldn't talk her out of Mud cake.
Even though it isn't required until the last weekend of February, I'll probably start it in the next month or so cause I have a pathalogical fear of leaving things to the last minute & that last minute rush is what brings me to tears every time, unfortunately with Mud cake there is always a last minute rush since it can't be iced until the week of the wedding!

I've dyed the remaining yarn required for the Snakes & Ladders Stole over the weekend & am just waiting on it to dry before I can wind it into a ball & get stuck into finishing this puppy, a prospect that I find relieving to say the least.
Lacey has been tinked back to within a couple of inches & I am pleased to report the stitch count is now correct. HOORAY. And I have almost re-knit all that I undid.

I've organised to meet with a couple of other knitters in my area at the Mambo Cafe in the new Bayside Entertainment complex in Frankston at 2:00 on Saturday afternoon, I must say I am looking forward to meeting some fellow knitters, as much as I love J, he just doesn't get it.

Just say NO!

2005-07-30T16:14:00.000+10:00

Back in the dark ages before I got one serious addiction to knitting I used to decorate cakes, (if you're interested you can see a few of my finished creations in the Finito album). I was even commissioned to make a couple of wedding cakes for the daughters of friends of my Mum, but after the close deadline sweats, tears and near disasters, not to mention the nerves surrounding delivery of said cakes, I decided it just wasn't worth it and vowed never again to make another wedding cake.
That was until a couple of months ago when out of the blue I got a call, a friend of one of the girls I'd made a cake for was getting married next year & wanted me to make her cake.
Even as I got a sinking feeling in my stomach I heard myself saying "Sure I can make your cake, no problems!"
J & I were about to head off for holidays so I told her to call me in a couple of weeks & we'd organise a meeting so she could show me what she was after, well one month passed, then two with no call and I was getting confident that she'd found someone else to make the cake then the other night the phone rang. It was her.
I had the opportunity to get out of it, all I had to do was say sorry but I can't do this and give her the name of another cake decorater but instead she's coming around tomorrow to finalise the details as she winds up into full wedding mode, there's no escaping now.

As promised here are yet more progress pics of the Snakes & Ladders Stole.

New Stuff

2005-07-23T21:43:00.000+10:00

Firstly here's another scarf picture as promised sans my fat head!

Now here's what I got up to over the weekend

The stitch markers are a new addition to Live 2 Knit. Go & check them out.
I've also added some new colourways - see.

Peacock shown in 100% Superwash Merino

Pink & Blue shown in 50% Peruvian Baby Alpaca 50% Silk

Tutti Fruity shown in 100% Peruvian Baby Alpaca

I'm still slaving away on the Snakes & Ladders stole, we've had a few hiccups but things are pretty much on track now. It's too late for a photo now but I'll give you yet another progress pic next time.

Portrait - Tête de Viande Avec L'écharpe

2005-07-22T09:54:00.000+10:00

The Monet scarf is finished. It was a satisfyingly quick knit with a gorgeous bulky yarn and big needles a welcome relief from the ongoing lace stuggles of the last couple of weeks.
I just have to say I love this stitch pattern, it's so simple and it shows off the verigations in this yarn beautifully - see.

Meathead with Scarf

(Please excuse my meatheadedness, it was a rather rushed photoshoot with my impatient fiancee on camera duty. I'll try to get some better photo's over the weekend.)

I used 3 skeins of the Alpaca/Silk blend on 8mm needles and it turned out to be about 12cm wide and 1m long. My only concern is that I should have gone up a couple of needle sizes as this stitch pattern has made for a rather substantial fabric, on the up side of that it should keep even the chilliest of Melbourne winds off my neck.

Lace of Wrath - Truce

2005-07-18T13:37:00.000+10:00

The Snakes & Ladders stole & I have come to a truce of sorts, there is no more tinking & re-knitting (well not much anyway) and she is flying off the needles.

At this rate I may have it finished before the end of Winter!
I've also been busy knitting up another scarf using the Live 2 Knit Alpaca/Silk Blend in the Monet colourway using this pattern.

In the meantime I've been seriously neglecting poor Lacey & Selma, not to mention the sock. Generally I'm somewhat of a monogomous knitter, with generally no more than one or two projects on the go at once but at the moment I seem to have lots of bits & pieces at varying stages of completion strewn all over the place. I'm turning into a yarn slut!

Boo-Boo

2005-07-14T15:18:00.000+10:00

I was driving to the bank in my lunch break on Tuesday afternoon, a drive I do almost every day. It's not a long drive, about 5 minutes from work, I was about 1km from the bank when I noticed a cop car had pulled up a P-plater (a young driver who has had their license for less than 3 years), then the car in front of me indicated to turn into a side-street so I was stopped behind them when BANG CRASH SMASH a woman ran into the back of my precious new car, the car I had picked up little more than a week ago, the car that had less than 500km on the clock - Tradgedy!

Luckily no-one was injured and there isn't too much damage just the frustration and inconvenience of it all while they fix my poor little car's boo-boo.

Monet

2005-07-11T18:19:00.000+10:00

Being a fan of Monet, I was excited to attend the 'Art of the Impressionists' exhibition hosted by the National Gallery of Victoira last year. I was keen to see some of his paintings up close & personal but was disappointed that they didn't have more of his well know paintings, though there were some other awesome paintings in the exhibition.
Inspired by Monet's art I have been busy in the kitchen cooking up a new colour in the Live 2 Knit range.

Monet shown in 50% Peruvian Baby Alpaca 50% Silk

Go here for pricing & ordering information.

I've put the Waves of Lace scarf in timeout until it learns to play nice. I'm considering changing it's name to Snakes & Ladders cause that's what it feels like, every time I make some progress I land on a snake and down I slither back to the beginning.

Lace of Wrath

2005-07-08T09:09:00.000+10:00

David Attenborough Voiceover: Lace is the most attractive and deceptive of beasts. All who see her covet her, yet she doesn't divulge her secrets willingly, they must be coaxed from her gently with soothing words and tender motions.
Then when she has lulled you into a sense of security and you think you have finally tamed her BANG a precious stitch vanishes into the ether, whereby you must undo all you have achieved & begin anew.

This is one woman's story:

Katie saw the wonderful creations of the talented Wendy and was encouraged to knit some lace of her own. She had some beautiful yarn, decided on a stitch pattern, cast on, all was well.
After a few rows of carefully counting stitches she was becoming confident that she had tamed the lace but then disaster struck - a stitch was missing!
Being a brave & fearless knitter she tinked back a couple of rows, found the poor lost stitch and continued knitting. But this stitch proved to be a trickster & on many more occasions again disappeared. Luckily our heroine is a kind & patient knitter (as well as being brave & fearless) so she continued tinking in her pursuit of the lost stitch, for every row that she knit the tricksy stitch would cause two to be tinked causing little progress to be made on the Waves of Lace scarf.

Will our heroine conquer this devious beast or will she end up curled in a ball sobbing uncontrollably. Stay tuned for the next installment in the thrilling tale of the Lace of Wrath.

Mondayitis

2005-07-04T18:34:00.000+10:00

I HATE End of Financial Year! It's our busiest time of year at work, so on Thursday night I didn't get home until 9.30pm, then I was back again at 7am Friday morning. Overall we took over 2700 phone calls on Thursday & just under 1500 on Friday, not bad for a company with less than 50 employees!

On Saturday I picked up my new car, it's a Toyota Corolla wagon and my very first brand new car - very exciting!

The second thing I made for myself after I started knitting was this jacket. It took me a year to finish it & ever since then I have been looking for the perfect closure for it. I think I have finally found it in this cute little brooch I picked up after meeting my Mum for lunch last week..

After a few false starts I've finally got some progress happening on the Waves of Lace scarf/stole and it's looking great. I'm loving using this yarn, it's so delicously soft I keep stopping every couple of rows to rub it against my face. It knits up easily and the colour grows on me the more I progress.

I also started sock #2. I have this theory that if I knit half of sock #1, then start sock #2 I won't get SSS (Second Sock Syndrome), it's worth a try anyway, not much to see on that one yet, mainly just needles sticking out in all directions.

Winter of Lace

2005-06-26T12:35:00.000+10:00

I've just joined the Summer of Lace Knit Along. It'll be more of a Winter of Lace though here in chilly old Melbourne, so I'd better get a wriggle on with Lacey if I want to have her finished by Spring.

I thought I would have a go at designing a stole based on Birch using Live 2 Knit 100% Peruvian Baby Alpaca in the Copper colourway.

But after I got through one pattern repeat, I realised it just wasn't working out the way I had hoped, so back to the drawing board. Here is what I have decided on instead.

I'm not sure what the pattern stitch is called, I've adapted it from a top out of a Vogue Knitting mag (I think it was Summer' 2004 but don't quote me on that) and it's coming out quite nicely, so yet another project to try to get finished, am I a glutton for punishment or what!

Busy as a Bee

2005-06-21T21:19:00.000+10:00

Jut a quickie to let you know that I've been pretty busy the last week or so and haven't had much time for actual knitting, though I have been plugging away at Lacey & am finally back to where I started before the visit from the 'frog prince'.

I've also made a little progress on the sock, just about up to the heel on this one.

I've added a link to Live 2 Knit on the sidebar just in case you're interested in visiting my little shop. It's pretty basic at the moment but I hope to be able to improve it as things start to take off.

Seeking A Good Home

2005-06-11T20:25:00.000+10:00

I've had notice for about a week now that a parcel was winging it's way to me & it's finally arrived.

8 skeins of gorgeous Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, even better in real life! Unfortunately I won't be able to partake of these enticing little bundles, but they are looking for a good home so if you're need some Lorna's love in your life check them out.

Camouflage, Iris Garden & Jay Pond

Lacey has been a very naughty girl. I had completed another whole repeat of the lace pattern only to discover that I had dropped one of the end stitches about 15 rows earlier. Could I go? Could I just forget that there was ever supposed to be a stitch there? Could I forgive this imperfection? It was tempting but being the anal retent that I am out it came back to the last row of the first pattern repeat, sigh. I'm looking forward to the long weekend and some sucky weather to make amends for this tragedy.

New Colours

2005-06-05T08:14:00.000+10:00

I've got some new colours in the Live 2 Knit range:

50% Peruvian Baby Alpaca/50% Silk

Peppermint & Violet

100% Peruvian Baby Alpaca

Lime & Copper

Go and check them out!

I had the dreaded leurgy last weekend so I didn't feel up to doing much, I managed a little knitting though.
I started another sock, finally ripped out the back of lacey and restarted it in the smaller size and knit a cozy scarf from some of the Baby Alpaca/Silk.

I cast on 27sts on 8mm needles and followed the pattern for wavy from Knitty. It took 3 skeins and ended up 20cm wide & 1m long. I've never been much of a scarf person but it's so cuddly & soft I haven't wanted to take it off.

The birth of Live 2 Knit

2005-05-28T08:29:00.000+10:00

Been a bit quiet on the blog lately partly cause we've just come back (well two weeks ago now) from a lovely holiday on the Whitsunday Coast in not-so-sunny Queensland. The Queensland tagline is 'Beautiful One Day, Perfect the Next' unfortunatly for us it was unseasonally windy and rainy but thankfully still warm. Our first three days were spent sailing aboard a 40 ft catamaran, where hygiene was apparently on holidays too. It was to the point where we didn't want to eat or drink for fear of having to use the toxic looking head (bathroom), and a reluctance to go below to our cabin due to a mysterious stench that was only identified on the last day as a stack of dirty dishes that had been stowed in the locker beneath our bunk for God knows how long! The highlight of the sailing trip was an introductory scuba dive which was most exciting and almost made it all worthwhile. Our remaining time was spent at the wonderfully clean Club Crocodile Resort on Long Island.

The other reason has been a top secret project, but I think now is the time for the big reveal.
I have often commented on the lack of good quality or interesting yarns available to Australia and so I decided rather than moan and groan about it I would do something about it!
I made some enquiries to yarn manufacturers and distributors and had some promising replies.
So without further ado I present to you the birth of Live 2 Knit a limited (at this stage) range of luxury fibre yarns at affordable prices.
My current offerings include a Bulky weight 50% Baby Alpaca 50% Silk yarn which is to die for, and buttery soft, once you touch it you won't be able to put it down, also a Sport weight 100% Baby Alpaca yarn which is gorgeously soft with a fuzzy halo and perfect for next to the skin wear.
I hope to be able to offer both these yarn in Sport, DK and Aran weights in future as well as expanding the range. but of course that all depends on you and how successful this venture turns out to be, Please let me know if this is of interest to you or what you would like to see on offer in future and I will endevour to provide it.

Now onto more mundane topics, the socks are Finished!

But not without some final obstacles to overcome. The cuff bind off was too tight.
I tried the stretchy K1,P1 bind off from the Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook, wouldn't fit over J's heel.
So I pulled it out and tried going up a few needle sizes, still no good.
I increased 1 st every knit stich, better but still wouldn't quite get there. In the end doubled the number of stitches, increasing in every stitch, this is better but now a tad on the loose side, any suggestions?

Update

2005-04-22T11:14:00.000+10:00

I've been pretty busy lately and my knitting has suffered. I did finish Selma's sleeve though, just waiting to be blocked and only a bit more to do on sock numero uno. This has moved to a snails pace 'cause I decided that I would do a long cuff in K1 P1 rib, so far I've done about 8-10cm, about 5cm more would make it a good length, I know glutton for punishment or what but I wanted to be sure they would stay up, I hate socks that keep falling down! I also started the back for Lacey, but have just decided that I might be making the wrong size.

I am a pear, when I started Lacey my buttal/upper thigh area was a bit more inflated than it is now, since then I have shaved around 5.5cm off my thighs and have dropped a dress size, this didn't really hit home until I bought a new pair of jeans yesterday. J has been nagging me for about a month to get some new jeans cause the butt in my old ones are too baggy and since it was my Birthday last week I decided to spend some of my Birthday money, suffice to say the new ones fit like a glove, in a good way.

Back to my point, I started to make Lacey in the 44/46 size (remember this is a french pattern, so European sizing) which is for a 98-105cm bust & 104-111cm hip, my bust is only around 90cm but I was making it to fit my butt so hence the larger size, but now I think I would be better off making the 40/42 size which is for a 90-97cm bust & 96-103cm hip, this isn't too painful as I have only done one repeat of the lace pattern on the back but that means the sleeve I have already finished is wrong. I'm not gonna rip it and I don't really want to have to make another one, I guess I'll just make the smaller size, match the sleeves and squeeze them into the armholes, from the look of the schematics there's only 1cm difference between the two sizes for the armholes anyway.
What do you think?

Babies & Socks

2005-04-05T19:06:00.000+10:00

... She can make you feel good
She can make you feel it's all worth while
Just by her smile
Oh my little ray of sunshine ...
Little Ray of Sunshine - Axiom

Welcome to my neice, my brother & SIL's third child, Annelise Maree born 12.07am Wednesday 30th March 2005 weighing in at 8lb 8oz.

Hello Gorgeous

Knitting progress:

Short row heel mkIII

Now that Clapotis is done I can concentrate on Selma and J's socks. Socks first, we have heels, or rather a heel. SRH mkI was a bit on the small side, to the point of cutting off the circulation in J's foot, but mkII seems much better, well it fits me anyway. Luckily J and my feet are around the same size so sizing is easy when his feet are otherwise occupied. There just might be a fight for access rights when these are finished, it could get ugly.
I haven't progressed much further on Selma, though I did knit a bit on her last night and will try to get a bit more done tonight.

Better Late Than Never

2005-03-29T15:48:00.000+10:00

I'm a bit slow at passing news on at the moment, we've been busy landscaping our front garden & I haven't had much time to post even with the Easter long weekend just passed. To get ot us to speed this is what has been happening knitwise anyway.
I went to the Stitches & Craft show at the Caulfield Racecourse with Mum two weekends ago, there wasn't a great deal of yarn there, mostly quilting & scrapbooking stuff, which is really not my thing, but it gave me an opportunity to fondle some stuff I hadn't seen in the flesh before. Sarah was there with her Colinette stuff, very nice but I can't really see myself making anything with it, I think I'm more of a traditionalist, give me a 100% merino and I'm set. Threads & More were down from Queensland and they had some really yummy Noro, I couldn't get over how soft the Cash Iroha was, I'll have to get me some of that one day and the most interesting and thought provoking of the day was AK Traditions with the Bamboo and Soy Silk yarns, the wheels are turning and don't be surprised if you see some of that showing here soon.

I also finished Clapotis just in time for the gifting. It's my Grandma's birthday today and she as I'm sure you've already guessed was the intended recipient. I had just started my last ball of wool on Thursday night and had started on the decrease rows, I had finished two repeats of the drop stitch before realising that I had stuffed it up and hadn't dropped at both ends DOH!
I ended up getting up early on Friday morning, ripping it back and starting again but as I'd already dropped the stitches right down the stitches on either side were a bit loose for that bit but they seemed alright after blocking. The other thing is since I dyed the wool myself I did it a bit at a time, just as I needed it and the second last ball was a lot brighter than the one before and after and looks a bit funny I'm really not happy with the way that turned out but I'll live. Grandma loved it despite my dodginess or maybe I'm just too much of a perfectionist. Here it is in all it's dodgy glory:

Fini

So now the Clap is finished I'm back onto the socks, I attempted the hourglass heel out of the Twisted Sisters Sock Book last night while catching up on the last episode of Lost, what a great show, but it just isn't working for me, I think I'll go back to Wendy's short row heel for the time being and see how that works out.

Got the Clap!

2005-03-15T18:20:00.000+11:00

I've finally sucumbed to Clapotis. I must admit it didn't really do much for me when I first saw it, I'm not really a scarf person, but it has grown on me as I see each one finished and It's not for me anyway.
I've been searching for a while for a suitable substitute yarn with plans that I would dye it myself. I decided on a luxurious sounding Merino/Alpaca/Silk mix from Xanadu Llamas.
When the yarn arrived a few days later I ripped open the packaging, inside were six lovely bundles of yarn in an unexpected shade of caramel brown.

Brown!

I'd envisioned my Clapotis in shades of pastel pink, lavender and blue, so this put a bit of a damper on things.
I decided I would forge ahead and attempt to dye it anyway, with the hope that if I used bright coloured dye then the brown yarn would mute them into deeper. richer colours.
I ordered some Landscape Dyes from Virginia Farm in Galah and Marine, wound the yarn into a skeins and read everything I could find on dying wool.
I decided to follow the hot pour method outlined in the Twisted Sisters Sock book I got for Christmas (great book by the way). It was hard to tell how well the colour had taken straight away, but after it had dried gorgeous wine red, eggplant purple and deep blue verigations.

Not Brown!

It has knit up beautifully, very subtle and extreemly soft.

The Clap

I also tried dying it and putting it in the microwave, the colours seemed to come out brighter as though they haven't blended together as much but I nuked it for a bit too long and slightly felted my skein, I'll have to be a bit more careful in future.

We have Sleevage

2005-03-06T17:33:00.000+11:00

After all my whinging about Lacey it didn't take much to finish off the sleeve.

Lacey Sleevage Lacey Detail

It's all blocked and ready to go, however I've decided I want to start something else.
It was going to be Coppertone, but I've changed my mind and am now going to make this instead.
I actually started making this a while ago, even got the back & front finished, tried it on and duh-dow, it didn't fit. I hadn't taken into account the difference in size between my bust and my flary hips. Bugger! So I ripped it. I've lost a bit of weight since then but I will still have to make some mods to the pattern for it to fit the way I want it to. So I've started another sleeve while I work out the math

Selma Sleevage

I've also delayed on turning the heel on my socks by starting the other one, that way I can turn both the heels at once, smart huh, and it may cancel out some of that second sock syndrome I've heard about.

Laps of the Pond

2005-02-04T15:53:00.000+11:00

I've not been very good at posting lately have I? I attribue this mainly to the fact that I haven't made much progress with my WIP's lately.

For the last couple of weeks I've been knitting & ripping the same section over & over again, it's a simple enough lace pattern any idiot could get a hold of but apparently not this idiot but at last it looks like I'm making some real progress. I keep perservering. What can I say I'm an Aerian born in the year of the goat, I'm stubborn as all hell, not to mention I don't like letting some string get the better of me!

While Lacey has been getting the better of me I have been working on ... my first sock. I'm using Wendy's toe up sock pattern. I had to have a few goes at the toe, never having used short rows before and typical of me to use a dark coloured yarn that is hard to see. This has already seen a trip to the pond, I just wasn't happy with my tension, ladders galore.

In happier news I have just noticed that Phildar have their new Tendances magazine out and it looks pretty good. Over the last year I have fallen for their stylish and interesting designs, why o why the Australian yarn companies can't get their shit together enough to offer stuff like this I'll never know.

Crazy!?

2005-01-29T14:25:00.000+11:00

Last Saturday we set off for Bright in the High Country, a leisurely 4+ hour drive away, where they were holding an Audax Bike Ride up Mt Buffalo!
J has been training for months for this, but was a bit unsure of whether he would make it or not. I saw him off at 7.45 Sunday morning (I'm crazy but I'm not that Crazy) and at around midday he coasted back through to the finish line, a little saddle sore and very happy to have made it.

J setting off for his ride up Mt Buffalo (he's the one in the red jersey)

Congratulations, I'm so proud of you!

I decided that we should stay on an extra day to allow him to recover, so Monday wasn't spent doing an awful lot, it was too hot anyway. Tuesday morning we headed back home to a stinker of a day, it was 35 degrees, not that it had been any cooler at Bright, and as the only room in our house that has air conditioning is the bedroom we spent the rest of the day in bed, and Wednesday too, it was just too hot to do anything outside & the flies were driving us batty!

I did take some car knitting on the way to Bright, Mum's Birthday Sophie, I got the knitting finished on the way home, just needed to felt it, which I did on Wednesday.

Mum's Birthday Sophie

I could have done a lot more but I didn't want to take Lacey as there's too much involved with that, charts & whatnot, not to mention the progress is very slow due to the fact that I keep finding reasons to rip it back. I really want to get this sleeve finished so I can start Coppertone. I plan on knitting them simultaneously.

Lacey progress so far

Perhaps I am that Crazy after all, lace and a complex slip stitch pattern at once!

I'm Ba-ack

2005-01-21T13:11:00.000+11:00

I've had somewhat of a self imposed break from blogging due to some personal issues, but I've decided maybe it's time to make a comeback.

I didn't quite get all my Christmas knitting done. I made a grand total of four Sophie bags and two Mini Totes, one short of my target (sorry Mum). I decided I liked the shaping on the Sophie's better and since Mum's birthday is coming up at the end of the month guess what she's getting.

I haven't been knitting as much lately but I have managed to make a start on Lacey. I actually started it back in October last year but after putting it down for so long, forgot where I was up to, so I ripped back & started again. Just as well cause I think I started it in the wrong size anyway. Now I'm about half way up the sleeve, and it looks like my pattern translations are pretty good so far.

My Vogue Knitting saga has come to an end at last. I finally received my Summer issue at the end of November, then a few weeks later a second copy arrived! They must have been reading my emails, even if they weren't responding to them.
I've had no problems with the Fall issue as that arrived in the mail last night.
I must say I have rather underwhelmed by their magazine in general, the patterns are pretty average in my opinion, I have only seen one or two things that I would consider making and although the ads are interesting that seems to be all they have. I think Interweave will be my next subscription choice.

PS: If anyone out there wants a copy of the Winter Issue of Vogue Knitting leave a message in my comments. I would be willing to swap for Interweave Knits or similar.

The Saga Continues...

2004-11-25T12:12:00.000+11:00

I had posted on all the knitting forums I could think of to see if anyone else was having problems with their Vogue Knitting subscription, I even rang my bank to see if there was anything they could do to help, (not much), not to mention the dirty emails I had sent them regarding their lack of customer service and there is was in my mailbox when I got home last night.
I had just about given up on it, I don't know if it was the original one they were supposed to send, or if they'd finally realised they'd stuffed up and sent me another. I just hope I don't have to go through all this again when the next issue is due.

I've won some bamboo handles from eBay which I'm planning on attaching to Sophie episode 4 (these are the natural coloured ones, I also won a black pair).
I've decided that it's time for a change, no more Sophie's for me cause I've found a new felted bag pattern, courtesy of the guys over at Threadbear's. Better get knitting cause there's only 4 more weeks till Christmas - AAAHHHHHHGGG!

Yet another Sophie

2004-11-18T08:38:00.000+11:00

It's all Sophie, all the time. Here's my latest incarnation.

As I mentioned in previous posts I wanted to try cabling on this one, I actually wanted to have a braid running up the centre but after knitting & ripping, ripping & knitting I decided it was all just too hard and settled for a rope running up the sides and across the handle.
As you can see there is an obvious reason for an absence of cables and other texture stitches in felting, they just don't show up!
You can still sort of see the cables running up the sides but the handle has felted into oblivion. So to jazz things up a bit I added a crochet flower which I think makes it look a bit retro.
Sophie episode 4 is on the needles as we speak, only 5 more weeks till Christmas ...

Vogue F@#&ing Knitting

2004-11-17T15:26:00.000+11:00

I'm seriously pissed off!

I noticed a while back that Vogue Knitting had their latest issue out and as I am a subscriber I was expecting my copy in the mail any day. I gave it a week, nothing.
I sent them an email explaining that I had moved since I received my last copy & that even though I had filled in their change of address form I still hadn't received my new issue.

They sent me back a politely worded email as follows:

Good Morning,

We will post your new address to your account.

But - we must inform you that your account was suspended for non-payment on the
13th of September, 2004. The Holiday issue was never mailed.

You can mail a check or money order for the amount of $30.00 to:
Vogue Knitting
Magazine
P.O. Box 3000
Denville, New Jersey 07834

Or fax credit card details - Visa, Master Card or American Express to:
1-973-627-5872
Attention - Natasha.
Thank-you

WHAT THE #@*% do they mean my account was suspended for non payment, I had only subscribed in February this year!

I sent them back a somewhat startled email:

What do you mean my account was suspended for non payment, I subscribed for one year around 14th February this year and so far have only received two issues out of four. I still have two more issues owing. Can you please look into this as soon as possible.

Here is the transaction as showing on my Visa statement

14/02/2004 VISA-VOGUE/FAM CIR/ETC/FIGURE 973-627-2427 USFRGN AMT-30.000000#1077028 $38.77

Regards Katie

Well two weeks passed and no reply, so I sent another politely worded email requesting an update on the situation ... one week later still no response.

What should I do, I paid for one years subscription (4 issues) but for some reason, perhaps due to my moving house, it looks as though I won't be receiving my final two issues. Perhaps I should send a more strongly worded email this time ... I had been tossing up as to whether to re-subscribe next year but I think my decision has just been made for me.

Sucess

2004-11-09T07:59:00.000+11:00

I had much more success with Sophie MkII, it came out wonderfully. I can see myself making more Sophie's like this in the future.

I attempted to ressurect the FMB by cutting it up and resewing it but it just wasn't meant to be so into the bin it went with a snort of disgust.

I'm onto Sophie #3 now and I thought I would try cables. I have noticed that there is a noteable lack of cabling in felting, there could be a very good reason for this but I'm gonna give it a go anyway and see what happens, if the worst comes to the worst it'll join the FMB and I'll try something else.

Disaster!

2004-11-03T17:33:00.000+11:00

After running out of wool umpteen times I was beginning to think my French Market Bag would never be finished but tadaaaa, here it is in all it's unfelted glory

I popped it into the washing machine with great anticipation and this is the mess that emerged

Some how or other I managed to make one of the handles longer than the other, the navy blue yarn felted much more quickly and much better than the lighter blue (which must be why the Sophie I made first didn't come out as well as I had hoped) and it's still enormous. I used 2 strands of the cosy wool using 7mm circs, I think I should have used just one strand.

I'm so disappointed, hopefully Sophie mk2 will have greater success.