FO Friday 156: Grumps

Tarot of the Magical Forest

Between my ISP and Blogger, I shall have pulled out all my hair strand by painful strand before I manage to complete this post. Yes, I am feeling grumpy, how did you guess ?

I had been feeling as if I was trudging through treacle recently, as I seemed to be doing lots of knitting, but not finishing anything. The sweater for Titch ie. DH is on a hiatus while I sulk about not having enough yarn to complete a pullover for a giant ogre and I sulk about him being an ogre. Then I shall sulk some more, as I completed Destructo Boy's school cardigan this week, the second one this year as the first was too small despite my squeezing him in my anaconda coils, only for him to tell me it was too big and puffy. Grump.

 

 

 It does look a lot better now that it has been washed (after this photo) but the photo of the apres-wash cardigan was way more rubbish than this one. Grumpety grumble. It is Sirdar 2363, in Supersoft Aran: I modified it by adding the pockets, clever me - that way I have somewhere to put the bricks with which I shall weight him down before hurling him from the bridge. Grump.

 And then this morning I finished my Infidelity project. It looks like a dish-rag as it is not yet blocked:

 

I love Malabrigo Lace Yarn - so soft ! so squooshy ! - but it is the skein that never ends. I did lots of repeats of various parts of the pattern, AND a picot bind-off, and I still have 5 or 7 grams left. Grump.

 So it is just as well for the bodily safety all in my near vicinity that the postman showed up with this:

Jamieson & Smith 2ply Laceweight sent by my lovely MIL from her recent visit to Shetland. Such fabulous depth of color, and these skeins contrast so brilliantly, don't they ? I say nothing about the texture as yet, I'm trying to improve myself and make less snap judgments. Grump.

Yes, I do have a plan in mind for them, as it goes, just it won't be happening right this minute as another plan has swept in like a tsunami. Oh yes, I am spontaneity personified. But you already knew that ....

While I spend the next hours or so blocking my Infidelity project and drinking Ceylon tea because I have run out of Assam - grump - why not go see what's happening over at Tami's Amis ?

WIP Wednesday 156: Bobbing Along

Spiral Tarot

Firstly, a little reminder that today is the last date for entry into my free tarot deck giveaway - all you have to do is leave a comment on this post here.

I have to confess, I've been slacking a bit recently - I got caught up in all the excitement of finishing a couple of projects over the weekend, and have rested on my laurels somewhat this week. However, my work ethic is kind of uncomfortably prickly (the Devil finds work for idle hands), so I have started Destructo Boy's Grade 3 School Cardigan , using Cygnet DK in 'Navy':

I'm using a retro/vintage pattern I found, but of course am changing the buttons to the other side for him. The original stitch pattern is some type of eyelet cable, but I tried it a few times and it just didn't look right; having taken advice from Ravelry, I blew it out of the water and am using a simple 3x3 twisted rib stitch, which has thus far met with Destructo Boy's approval.

It seems that recently I have been using mainly retro/vintage patterns, and so far I can say that some of the things I have noticed is that they are reliant on design and stitch patterns for interest, as opposed to any particular 'fashion' yarn, ie. a DK pattern is a DK pattern and any ordinary DK can be used.

Therefore, the designs and stitch patterns seem to be far more unusual and interesting than most modern patterns; they also tend to use what to me are unusual sizes of needle - the pattern above requires 3.75mm needles for the body, when a more common size for DK weight yarn would be 4mm.

No, there's no point in whispering - or even shouting - 'swatch' at me. Like Ramon, 'Let me tell someting to joo' - it just ain't happening. 

I bet you can see other people who knit properly over at Tami's Amis ....

FO Friday 100: My Precioussssss

Oh yeah, baybee ! 

Two FOs today, and they are both MINE ! As in, I have made them for ME, and myself and I ! Which are the first things I have made for myself since I took up knitting again in 2008 - a mere 2 items out of (runs to check Ravelry projects page) 108 projects. So as you can tell, I am dead chuffed with both them and myself.

                             

The first one was completed a couple of weeks ago; the 70% lambswool/30% silk aran chenille yarn, at 200m/100g was a great Ebay find, produced by Kingcraig Fabrics, and gifted to me as a late birthday present by my Good and Eviller Twins; a lovely shade of crimson-ruby:

 

And over the space of 17 days, I turned 4 balls of it into this: 

The Sienna cardigan from the Dolce Handknits book; I wished I had made the body a bit longer, as I do like an oversize woollie, but it is lovely. DH kindly took the photos for me, without regard for the background ....

And look ! I have 4 balls (approx. 800m) to make something else as well !

And then last night I finished Fitzroy, from the same book, in navy and white Rico Cotton Aran:

 

detail of Fitzroy pattern

There was no-one to model it, and no-one to take a photo of me in it if I modelled it, so here it doesn't show at it's best, hanging flat from a hanger; but I shall also wash and block it today, which will be the finishing touch. The Rico Cotton Aran was a lovely soft yarn to knit with, too.

There are quite a few more knittable and wearable patterns in the book; the yarns are clearly detailed so substitution in not a problem, and the patterns are very clear, with full instructions - I'll definitely buy it at some point, as I can't just keep renewing it from the library forever ...

So go and share the joy over at Tami's Amis - I can't be the only one who is this happy today.

WIP Wednesday 106: Lady Sings the Blues

Fenestra Tarot

Although I love this pattern, and the Rico Cotton Aran is a great yarn, unfortunately there has been a short hiatus in my progress with Fitzroy (from the Dolce Handknits book):

It's called, forgetting you'd modified the body to be longer because you are past the age of way too classy to be displaying your stomach in public and so now, you fool, you have run out of yarn when halfway up the sleeves. A quick call to Knitworking meant I could snabble a couple more balls of the same dyelot in the navy colorway - this is the plus side of buying yarn and using it for a project immediately, rather than letting it gaze at you accusingly from your stash.

And thus we arrive at today:

  

All there is to do now is sew it up, add the neck border, and 6 buttons. Perhaps you might see a picture on Friday, but don't hold your breath.

While I was waiting for the top-up yarn to be delivered, I thought I'd better crack on with Destructo Boy's sweater for school, and managed to whizz through the back:

 

 The pattern is Sirdar 1912, using that great workhorse yarn, Stylecraft Special DK. I have made this pattern a couple of times now, both as tank tops and sweaters. He has promised - on pain of death - that not only will he wear it when it is cold at Christmas time, he will not lose this one. I am ever the optimist, so I maintain an open mind about it.

Don't forget to pop over to Tami's Amis for lots more project updates .....

More Queueing

Spiral Tarot

Some of the key words for this card are rest, relaxation, healing and contemplation - and this is indeed what I have been trying to do recently. 

Mini Diva is on a visit to my sister Auntie Fashion, where she is being spoiled rotten. If it is dry ie. nearly every day, Destructo Boy is out with his 'Boiz' - he is one of 6 boys in our street; he is the youngest at 6 1/2, the oldest is 9 1/2, so the scooters, bikes and roller skates are taking a beating, when playing Army or Cops & Robbers has begun to pall. 

What this actually means is that I have almost forgotten what my children look like, and that the house is eerily silent; this means that when my insomnia catches up with me, I can take a peaceful nap.

While I was awake, I completed the Sienna cardigan from Dolce Handknits, made with the lambswool/silk chenille given to me by my Twins; as this was not the pattern I originally chose (the yarn wasn't suitable), I knew I would have plenty: Sienna calls for 1250 yards/1143 metres of worsted weight yarn for the 35 1/2 inch size; I appear to have used just over 800m. The cardigan seems to be the correct gauge, and - more importantly - fits. So who knows. Anyhoo, I have about 800m of this lovely stuff left, to make something else with.

I ordered some aran-weight cotton (with great difficulty in finding it, and then some technical glitches which meant that when they found my lost order, there was no longer enough of the colorway that I had chosen) for the Fitzroy cardigan from the same book; I think I may actually have to buy the book - I have already renewed my library loan of it once.

Then on a trip out with Auntie Fashion, she bought some yarn so I could make her a blankey/throw for her bed: ; see, even her yarn has bling in it:

Today I bought some additional supplies for Destructo Boy's school sweater for next year; last year's disappeared at school, and has not been seen since ...

 

Stylecraft Special in the colorway 'Midnight'

 And then, just because they were a good price and I liked the colors, these somehow made their way into my stash after a visit to Wibbling Wools:               

Austermann Merino Lace , 349m/25g

                          

 

Adriafil Azzurra, 3ply, 225m/50g

Even the thought of all this knitting waiting for me is making me feel tired; there is certainly plenty to contemplate ! But, I will not be overwhelmed, I will take it one project at a time. Or maybe more .....