New Project Bags

So I was shopping on the weekend, not looking for anything in particular, and I find this:

A new project bag! Only $2! At the Reject Shop! But I love it anyway. I love the little phrases "When I learnt to knit, I forgot how to cook" or "Shhhh........I'm counting", "It takes balls to knit" and "Knit fast die warm!" So adorable! And then I found this one:

And this one:

I like them all for different reasons, the first for the phrases, the second because it is all shades of green, and the final one because it is so bright and vibrant. Unfortunately the bags are not high quality, they are fabric but they aren't lined and do not have any zips, buttons etc. But they are so cute, perfect for projects and they have knitting and yarn!

FO - Hermione's Cable Eyelet Hat (AKA My Half Blood Prince Hat)

Either way, this hat is a copy of the hat that Hermione wore in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

This hat has been knitted out of a mohair, wool blend I purchased from Bendigo Woollen Mills. It is the leftovers from the Que Sera cardigan I knit for my mum. And there is still plenty left. So what must a girl do???? Make matching mitts! As you can see below, there is a close up of the hat..... 

And I must admit I love it! It is very warm, super soft and such a pretty purple. I'm not really a hat wearing person, so it is taking a bit to get used to. But I need it for work, being outside all day with it being so cold just screams for knit wear....... and the more the merrier!

I really enjoyed this pattern, however I would make a few modifications for next time. Pretty much the only problem is the length, for me it came out a bit long, so next time I will do about 4 less rows of ribbing and also do a cable twist at the very beginning. I don't like how the pattern seems to start so high on the hat.

But overall a fabulous pattern, simple and easy to follow, yet the finished producst looks fabulous and fit wonderfully. And nothing beats the combination of eyelets and cables for interest!

I Do Not Like Wool Village!

I needed a pick me up yesterday, and spending the morning at an snb made it pretty obvious I wanted some new yarn. Not alot, one skein would do, something pretty and soft and is all. So I went to the Wool Village in Brandon Park and lets just say I will not go there again.

Firstly, the shop is an absolute disaster. There is no sense of organisation, nothing is presented well, it's just a jumble of yarn in bags all thrown together. Almost like a truck has just dumped it all into the store and it is left like that.

Secondly, the store is also heavily overstocked, there is barely enough room to move let alone to look for something properly, or find anything, and with almost everything in bags, you can't even touch the little lovelies.

Thirdly, there are no prices anywhere. I live on a pretty tight budget and while shopping I like to know how much things are and I don't like asking. Makes very uncomfortable conversation when you cannot afford something. Or when you get to the register and realised you could have bought more. I just like knowing the costs.

And Lastly, she was rude to my kids. I don't tolerate that from anyone, let alone a little old lady with nothing better to do. My kids are well behaved and were just standing in the shop, advised not to move or touch anything. She wandered over and started telling them that as children they need to make sure they keep their hands to themselves and she would prefer it if they waited outside. Not happy at all. She also enquired if I knew what I was doing can i even knit? Well duh.....I'm wearing my tangled yoke......

Next time I will defintately go back to Knit'n'Purl in Dandenong, Freda is lovely, friendly, her stock is well organised, everything is easy to see and touch, prices are marked and she was really nice to my son. Obviously, customer service and presentation do matter. A lot.

Early Starts

Well it's 5.30 am and I have been awake since 5, why you ask? My employer has given me a job position with hours that are better suited to me, as I have kids. So before I was working 9-6 and with work being at least a 30 minute drive (with good weather and no road accidents) I was not spending much time with the kids. My new hours will be 7-3.30pm, which means waking up very early, but home in time to spend some time with the kids after school, go back to cooking dinner and helping with homework. So for now I need to wake at 5am to make sure I get to work on time.

The really good news is they are opening another store about 5-10mins drive from my house, and I'll be located there as of the start of June. So not only will I be able to wake up a little later (5.30am) but I should be home for the kids by 4pm, which will be wonderful and I'm really looking forward to it.

The only downside is that we - my partner and I - are more the night owl as opposed to the early riser kind of people, so we may not be spending as much time together as I will be going to sleep earlier, but we'll see. Either way I still see this as a fabulous opportunity, and with moving closer to home, I should have more knitting time and less driving!

FO - Chloe's Posidon

So today I finished Chloe's Posidon and it fits her beautifully as you can see here:

Today I spent the morning sewing in the zipper, and I am really pleased with how it looks. The zipper and the cardigan. The zipper has been installed so that it cannot be seen while the cardigan is closed, as the fabric cover it. I really like this look. 

The cardigan fits her perfectly, plenty of room for it to be comfortable and for her to grow. As you can see the back cable pattern has not been blocked, but there was no opportunity, she barely allowed me time to tie a knot in the sewing thread before she had it on, and it hasn't come off since. So happy she loves it and so happy it fits her well.

Now I am getting hassled for little man's "button jacket". I'd better get back to work!

Another Repeat?

The Holden Shawlette has been flying off the needles, and I'm loving every minute of it. The only problem is, I have finished the last repeat and have a significant amount of wool left......what to do? The sensible part of me says "finish up before I get into trouble", the risktaking part of me says "go for it! one more repeat, no worries!" So what to do?

My gut instinct is telling me to go for one more repeat and I think I'll listen to her, she is almost never wrong. For example when knitting Nathan's Skye Tweed sweater, the whole time I thought it was going to be too small, but kept convincing myself it would block out. And it kinda did, but not enough. Instinct 1 Me 0. The sweater is too small.

Or my Smoky Raven sweater for myself, I thought the stripes were too narrow, did I listen? No. Am I loving it? No. There are more examples, but suffice it to say, Instinct is usually dead on, and I think I trust her. So what will I do? One more repeat of course and pray that I won't run out of wool!

Swatching For Seneca

Today I decided to swatch for Seneca, swatching being something I don't usually do. However as I'm knitting this sweater out of handspun, I thought I'd better do a swatch as I have had no experience with this wool.

I also decided that as this whole project is in the round, that I will use this as an opportunity to practice my continental knitting, hopefully to acheive a faster and more efficient knitting skill. I also knit this in the round as the pattern suggests, to minimise any errors.

I was very pleased with how well I picked up the continental method again, although it was always the purling I had trouble with. I probably didn't knit as much as I should've, but oh well. I was pleased to notice that my stitches were a bit looser, which is a relief as lately my stitches strangle the needles, and I struggles sometimes to pull them back off the cable and onto the needle.

After casting off, I washed the swatch in a warm bath of Softly wool wash. Then let it air dry. I was pleased to see the wool blossom up a bit, something which I had not really noticed before. Where I thought the holes were perhaps too big, they filled out nicely. The imperfections in my spinning also seemed to balance out after washing too. I have made gauge using 4.5mm needles, so I am looking forward to casting on for my Handspun Seneca very soon.

Monkey Socks!!

I have finally cast on for the famous "Monkey Socks" by Cookie A, and so far I love them! I will admit I have only done a couple of repeats down one leg, but so far I really enjoy the pattern and have almost memorised the repeat. I can tell these will be gorgeous socks, and in the hot pink Cleckheaton Merino I'm using, I am hoping they will be nice to wear and not itchy or scratchy at all. I love the warmth and the extra cushioning knit socks provide, and knitting them is a lot of fun too. But they lose their appeal when they are too itchy to wear.

I have not seen a pair of Monkey socks in person before, so seeing the pattern developing is very addictive. I would love nothing more than to work on these exclusively, but I really need to work on my cardigan for work. The weather is getting cooler and I don't like being cold, especially when it is preventable.....with a nice hand knit cardigan.

I have looked at other sock patterns by Cookie A, and I can tell many more of them will be making their way onto my needles. I will just need to buy more sock yarn!

Reuniting with the wheel

Since working I have found my free time to just disappear before I have had the time to use it! I always sit in my car and knit while listening to podcasts during my lunch break, but when I get home, the hours fly by and I barely get the chance to do all I want to do.

I usually want to have a look on Ravelry and facebook, spend some time with the kids, unfortunately tidy up a bit, and then do some knitting on a home project - one that is too big or too complicated to take to work or do during the day at home with the kids. Sometimes I just want to really focus on getting through a project or starting something new.

But what I realised was lacking is my spinning. I realised that with a goal to spin and knit a sweater this year, I have to keep up the spinning, and really half an hour a night can be found reasonably easily, even if you need an extra cup of coffee to find it!

I was very pleased to realise that I hadn't lost the skills or knowledge I had gained in my almost 4 months experience (minus the month or so I neglect my spinning). In fact I found the rhythm again easily and in no time had spun up enough to feel I had accomplished something. My spinning is still not perfect, however I finally came to the conclusion that because I am spinning directly from the fleece, un carded, no matter how good I am, my spinning of this fleece will always be a bit more "rustic" than spinning from a roving would be. I am eager to purchase some roving soon, so I can truly compare the two methods and see how my spinning compares.

Until then, I'm going to go spin some more!

My Holden Shawlette

Searching for a shawl pattern that included a lace pattern that was a bit of challenge, but not so that I would get flustered, I chose the Holden Shawlette by Mindy Wilkes. I really like this pattern. It has enough of the stockinette portion to really show off the varigated yarn I'm using, but I am also really looking forward to getting to the lace. It looks like so much fun!

The two photos don't really show off the yarn as well as I'd hoped, but it is truly gorgeous. The main base color is blue, with porions of indigo, purple and a bit of bright jade green just to give it that little flash. The color is definately me andI cannot wait to see it finished, although a part of me doesn't want it to end! I mostly knit with solid colors, so I didn't realise how truly pleasurable varigated yarns can be.

I'm using Zig Zag by King Cole and it's a 75% wool, 25% nylon blend. Very nice to work with, soft and oh so pretty. I purchased it at a local yarn store in Dandenong called Knit'nPurl. They don't have a website but they have a nice range of yarns and the owner is lovely.

Knitting with Case 39

So recently, while sitting and knitting in one of my rare moments of free time, I finally got around to watching Case 39. I had been wanting to watch this movie for ages, it sounded like a really good psychological thriller, and they are my favourite movies to watch.

Case 39 is about a social worker who has to rescue a girl from her parents who are trying to kill her. This film could have gone down a very dramatic, emotional and gripping path, but instead it chose to follow the road of the evil/demon child. Very reminiscent of The Grudge and The Ring. Although not as graphic, there were certainly enough similarities to make the film a little predictable.

But that's not to say it was a bad film, not at all in fact. I really enjoyed the movie, it was entertaining, the acting was good and I do like Renee Zellweiger. It was a perfect movie to sit down and get immersed in some semi-complicated knitting, ie. basic cables, basic increase and decreasing. Notso enthralling that you can't take your eyes off the screen, but entertaining enough that the time flies.

Handspun Mits and Beret

With the fleece provided to me by Spinaddict on Ravelry I was able to spin up and knit this Beret and Fingerless Mitts set for myself. The color is a really nice brown, rich and warm, although the photo does not do it justice. I was impressed to see how knitting my first ever handspun up, managed to hide most of the inconsistancies in my spinning, while providing the fabric with a very unique texture. I definately encourage people to knit up their handspun before dismissing it entirely.

I did not use any specific patterns for the mitts or beret, it was more just looking over numerous patterns until I was able to combine them to make a generic pattern. Both the patterns I have come up with are perfect for my sizing and I will certainly make again. They display the uniqueness of a handspun fibre beautifully because of their simplicity. And I love looking at them and knowing I made them entirely on my own.

Another Natural Disaster???? And I was thinking TGIF.....

Finally sitting at home, thinking TGIF and having a glass of red, some cashew and cherry dark chocolate, curled up on the couch and loving the sounds of my kids playing. And of course my knitting next to me and a new desire to knit patterned socks running through my brain.......hmmmm shopping?

And then I flick channels and come accross the sad and scary news, Japan has been hit by an 8.9 earthquake and then a 7.4 30 minutes later. Tsunami warnings are set for through the night, and we have been told Australia will feel an impact. I shouldn't feel too much being at the bottom, but who knows. At least I am not near the coastline, although my sister is in Queensland. With this coming so close  behind the floods, Cyclone Yasi, the earthquake in New Zealand, now this, it makes you wonder if we will even have a planet left by the end of the year. A bit dramatic I know, but how many natural disasters can we take?

It really makes you appreciate your own life and that the trouble we may face are really very minor to what can happen and does happen to people all around the world. A shit day really doesn't look to bad in comparison. It also makes you cherish the time you have at home with the kids and other loved ones. It will certainly make me appreciate the time I have at home with the kids this weekend.

A Knit for all Moments

With spare time at a minimum, I want to be using each moment to it's greatest potential in regards to my knitting. This means making sure I have a project that is applicable to all moments, so none are left with me sitting there twiddling my thumbs. So here is the plan:

1: Practical and portable knitting: My basic black cardigan. Knit in pieces this project is small and highly portable, simple enough for those quick moments of knit time, and simple enough that I can read while knitting. Always a bonus to do more than one thing at once.

2: Slightly complex knitting: My daughter's cabled cardigan. Is simple enough to pull out at any time, especially while watching tv, the cable interesting enough to keep you going, but memorable so that it does not require too much brain power. Also in a lovely color to defend against boredom.

3: A fingering weight lace shawl: More complicated than the others, the project I bring out when I want to immerse myself completely and accept a challenge. Lace has always needed more of my attention than cabled patterns do, and less fiddly with only the yo and k2tog etc to deal with. A meditative rhythm can definately be acheived.

4: A knit in the round sweater: A largish project containing miles of stockinette stitch in the round that needs no thought, no concerntration and can be done in the dark. Ideal for movie theatres, when sitting in a dark room while your child goes to sleep, or when you just do not want to think at all.

The last 2 projects are not on the needles yet, but the plans are certainly in progress as I completed my striped jumper for me, and now have only 2 projects on the go. Ordinarily I do not like to have too many projects on the go, but at the moment, I feel I need to to optimise my knitting time, prevent boredom and give me something to look forward to.

Working Girl

I have not written in a very long time, for one very simple reason, in January I got a full-time job and between that job and being a full-time mum as well, I really haven't had much time for myself, and when I do, it's usually to knit.

So I now work monday to friday 9-6 with an hour lunchbreak, which is spent in my car, knitting. When I get home, the evening is filled with cleaning, getting the kids off to bed and if I'm lucky, maybe an hour or so of knitting. My spinning and blogging have both been neglected unfortunately, and weekends are now primarily about doing the parts of a project that require a little more thought, a little more time, or that are just plain tedious.....ie. weaving in ends.

So I have completed my handspun mitts and beret, a nice thick shawl, a red sweater for Nathan, (which happens to be too small), almost completed my grey and black striped fitted v-neck, half-way through a cardigan for Chloe, which is actually a mixture of 2 patterns, and I have begun a simple black cardigan to wear in the office. This may sound like alot, but considering what I used to achieve, this is kinda slow.

I have plans to make a fingering weight lace shawl for myself next, some more hats and fingerless mitts for me, and maybe, more clothes for the kids. Maybe. If only there was more hours in the day.

Plying Update

Here are the three possibilities from spinning this fleece. From left to right: Dark and Light plied together, just the light and just the dark. Could not find any storage bobbins anywhere, mustn't be much demand around here. So, I will have to ply as I go. I think I will work through the dark, as there is more of it, until I have a sweaters worth. Then the light, until I have a sweaters worth. Then with whats left I will combine to make a quantity of the mixed. I just want minimum wastage and maximum product out of this fleece, I really love the colors.

Plying Dilemma

After washing all the fleece and spreading it all out on the table, I split the batch into 2, one half the lighter fleece, the other darker. Here you can see the differences.

Only problem is now I'm not sure what to do with them. I think I want a batch of dark, a batch of light and a mixed batch. But although I think I will have enough fleece, I'm not sure. The goal is to get at least 2, preferably 3 sweaters out of this fleece. With about 3kgs or 6.6 lbs or 105 oz. either way alot of spinning!

I am going to try to locate some storage bobbins today, not sure if I'll have much luck, and try to get some organisation and planning done with all the singles. I like the idea of spinning all your singles before plying, so you can balance out changes in your spinning and get a yarn that is even and the weight you need. I don't have a bobbin winder either, but I'm sure I can figure out a way around that.

Frogging Back

Over the last few days, when I have had the chance to knit, I have picked up my striped, raglan, top-down, V-neck sweater and knit a few rounds. Things were going well, I tried it on regularly to ensure the shaping was working, and it seemed fine. But once I had done the inch or so of straight knitting for the waist, before you begin the hip increases, I realised that the sweater was just not sitting right and I had put the decrease bust shaping in the wrong place. I had also somehow ended up with more stitches on the back of the sweater than the front, and it was bunching up a bit. So later today  plan to rip back to just before the bust shaping began and try again. I don't want to, but I can tell I will not be happy if I leave it as is.

So rather than continue on last night after driving Mum home, I did some spinning and worked a bit on my socks. They have been on the needles forever, so maybe I should try to finish them up by the end of the year. My feet no longer get itchy in my handknit socks, which is great. I now find that if I wear cotton store-bought socks, my feet freeze. I now need the warmth and thickness that the handknit socks provide. Which I love because I do get a kick out of seeing the colours when I see my feet. A lot more interesting than white cotton socks.

Another Christmas Over

And now with all the festivities over, Christmas is finished for another year. Kids are happy, lots of pressies, I am happy, lunch was a success and my knitted gifts were a success too. And now, with all the chaos over, leftovers for dinner for the nxt few days, I am hoping to finally get some knitting and spinning in, because I sure haven't had much opportunity in the last few days, but at least those days flew.

And now, it is time to start contemplating my goals and objectives for the new year in regards to health, wellbeing and work. All three make up a person and I like to look into all three when I reevaluate things at this time of year.  Health generally includes a promise for healthier eating, more exercise and looking after myself. Wellbeing is things that make me happy, knitting, spinning, reading, anything that I do to keep myself feeling sane and well. Work..........in the past this has included focussing on the kids such as when they were babies, studying or looking for work. The part of our lives we are obligated to do to survive.

There is also the aims we have as a family for our household, as a couple and just for the kids. Either way I love the idea of a fresh start even if it is just another day.

My Birthday Present to me......Finished Cleaning Fleece!

Yesterday was my 28th birthday, only 2 years off 30! Although you may think that would scare me, I'm actually excited about getting closer to thirty, I think there will be certain changes in personal growth/perspectives/opinions that can only come with age. After all, I know I am not the person I was in my teens, so how could you expect to be the same in your 30's as in your 20's? Personally, I love change. I embrace it.

My birthday gift to myself was not planned, although certainly hoped for. I had the goal of finishing washing all of Ebony's fleece before Christmas, as I am hosting and I didn't want wet fleece covering surfaces. And to my pleasant surprise, the last few batches (had to do it in batches in a bucket.....no top loader washing machine) finished drying yesterday. In time for me to enjoy looking at all the clean, washed fleece spread out over a table.

I managed to seperate it into 2 pillowcases, one bag lighter fleece, the other darker. I think I will try to spin them seperately and ply them together. I tried weighing it all, and although not overly accurate, I have about 3kgs of grey fleece. That should keep me spinning for a while! I have no idea the breed, only that it belonged to an ewe, the staple is quite long and the color variations in the fleece are gorgeous.

So Happy Birthday me!