FO Friday 164: Take That, Bainbridge Scholars !

Tarot of Pagan Cats

It is wet and grey, there is no-one to either model or take a photo of me wearing my newly-completed Blackberry Cabled Cardigan; which I am calling the Strawberry Cabled Cardigan because of the lovely dusty rose pink shabby chic color of the Stylecraft Life DK yarn that I used, in which I look most becoming.

So here are the final NaKniSweMo (National Knit a Sweater Month) 2013 statistics:  60,720 stitches.

Umm ..... that's about the only statistic that matters, actually. 

I promise you it looks a lot better when being worn. It is a shame that a design with such unusual  characteristics (knitted-on shaped border) and a relatively high pattern price was not as well-written as I feel it should have been: for instance, when attempting to make some of the key elements of the design, like the curved fronts, I feel it would be far more helpful to specifically say where and when to insert the increases, and for how many rows, rather than leave it to the knitter's guesswork. The same goes for the placement of the cable panel on the right front - some of us do not have a very well-functioning spatial brain. Or whatever is that bit that reverses and visualizes at the same time.

Anyway. I am super-chuffed with it, but exhausted. I am allowing myself a day without hooks or needles so that the blisters can heal, and merely surfing other people's projects via Tami's Amis  ....

WIP Wednesday 172: Cutting it Fine

Tarot of Pagan Cats

I know you'll be relieved to hear that Mini Diva made it back from her residential trip safe, if not sound. No, nothing exciting - a bad sore throat, cough and cold from some generous dirty germ-infested child who does not wash their hands and/or cover their mouth. The actual rock-climbing, abseiling, archery, swimming, assault course etc was all absolutely BRILLIANT, apparently. In spite of the wet dark cold weather and the mountains of mud. It must be Titch's genes making a showing, as I would have totally hated it, it is the entire polar opposite to anything I might remotely consider as 'fun'.

Aunty Fashion is back in hospital for a couple of weeks to have her blood 'washed', and then another Campath treatment, but I am hoping to make a trip to visit her. I don't like hospitals, but sometimes I can get a lot of knitting done; and Belo is in rehab.

No, it's not that. 

Or that, actually.

It's cardiac rehab that he should have had about 5 years ago after his triple bypass. So of course he is wanting all kinds of healthy foods like pizza, roti and curry. We are not even discussing goose or duck, just the thought of those makes my arteries constrict.

And here it is. It looks like we might be coming right down to the wire with the NaKniSweMo Blackberry Cabled Cardigan - all I need to do is finish it by the end of Saturday. Both sleeves are set in, all seams are sewed, all ends woven in, and I already have a total of 50,816 stitches - that's without the border, for which I picked up 544 stitches last night ...

Yes, that is my last ball of the Stylecraft Life DK in 'Rose'. The size I'm making requires 1600m/1750yds, and I had 1490m/1630yds. It could get .... interesting ....

Anyway, while I wrestle on with my self-imposed burden, you could go over to Tami's Amis and see happier, more productive people.

Swag

Victorian Romantic Tarot

So OK, the muses have abandoned me - even Melpomene, for which one must be appropriately grateful - and so I have been very, very quiet.

But I know you are as nosey curious as me, so you'll be wanting to know what I received for my birthday last week; and if you're a tarot person, look away now, because nobody gave me anything to do with tarot at all. I know, right ?

But, my other obsession has been generously catered for, as you can see below, although my Twins appear to have swapped roles ...

My Eviller Twin gifted me with the pattern for the Blackberry Cabled Cardigan, and Belo gave me cash to buy yarn with, so I bought a cardigan's worth of Stylecraft Life DK in Rose (even though the Eviller Twin curls her lip at pink as being suitable only for little girls up to the age of six ... which is not me). But I think it will look lovely, and the lighter color will show the pattern to better advantage:

Belo's generosity stretched to these as well:

400m of 'Parakeet 17' Jawoll Magic Degrade

600m of 100% 4 ply lambswool in 'sky blue'

And somehow I managed to find a Raveller who was destashing some marvellous Fyberspates Scrumptious Lace in 'Gold' for the absolutely bargain irresistible price of only £10 (approx.$15) ! So that was my birthday present to myself ....

So that's the yarn part of my birthday swag, and I hope you'll notice my adventurousness in terms of colors chosen ... not my usual kind of palette at all, I think.

Good Twin obviously revelled in being more evil, as see what she has sent to me:

 

It is very pretty, and is on my bedside table to be dwelled on before sleep. But dwelled on in a kind of theoretical, distanced way. You know, like, wow that's totes amazing and I will never make anything from this book in this lifetime or any other but I really enjoy the eye candy. But in a parallel universe somewhere there is a Me that has already completed at least one of these patterns. Probably the same universe in which there is a Me that is six foot tall who does not have panic attacks when getting into a car.

The SIL who is thoughtfully providing a baby in August just for me to knit some pretty things for, sent me this book. I am not saying that there is any kind of point or agenda, oh no. But I used to think she was a gentle, kind person.

And therefore it is also directly her fault that I spent the Amazon vouchers sent by my lovely MIL on a book of Baby Afghan patterns. 

Crochet patterns, because we like a laugh realistic goal, don't we ?

I might have more to say later this week: but you'll never know unless you come back to see, will you ?

FO Friday 117: Apocalyptic Hat

Victorian Romantic Tarot

The steamroller that is me has knitted that darned hat - no, not sewing darned, going-to-hell darned - into submission. I even stayed up late to finish it, wash, block and dry it enough to post off yesterday. Coincidentally (if you believe in such fictions as coincidence) this was also the last day to post with Royal Mail to guarantee delivery by Christmas.

I got DH to model it for me in spite of his protests that it would ruin his hair:

 

 

 I do like Stylecraft yarns: as usual, this was good value, an interesting color - heathery blue - and soft to work with. I hope the recipient likes it ...

I have my last deadlined knit on the needles now, another hat, but it will have to take a little rest while I sweep up some more dog hair from the stinky allergic dog - while I do that, why not check out all  the other lovely things at Tami's Amis ?

 

WIP Wednesday 123: Grinchiness

Tarot of the Magical Forest

So I found what I thought would be a fairly simple hat pattern that would be quick and easy to knit yet would have enough 'wow' factor for the non-knitting recipient. I found a yarn I thought they would like, easy care Stylecraft Life DK in 'Blue Haze'.

I cast on (woohoo me and the long-tail cast on) and got knitting (woohoo me and Magic Loop). I knitted about 4 inches of double ribbing which felt like it took forever, and started the pattern proper. And within 4 rows had made such a mess of it I had to rip it all back and start again.

I have done 3 pattern repeats and am 6 rows away from starting the decreases. This attempt has taken me from Sunday til now to get that far because Real Life keeps intruding into my knitting time - and it kind of really needed to be in the post today. This hat never seems to want to end, and it has made me feel like this:

And it's my own darned fault and I brought it on myself. Luckily the Evil and Good Twins are happy with the concept of a New Year's present (even though they have been organized enough to make sure my gifts from them are already under my tree) which leaves me with only one more gift to knit: be sure it won't be this ill-fated one again.

There is far more seasonal cheer over at Tami's Amis ....