FO Friday 19/15: Darling Ruby

Gendron Tarot

Just popping by with a quickie - I am out the door super early today to take Destructo Boy to school in time to go to a gymnastics competition, and then I have a lift with a friend to go watch him, which he doesn't know about yet ...

So really I am not here, I am posting this yesterday, the day of the general election. In past times, I used to be so passionate and energized by this kind of thing, I would have stayed up to see the results come in.

Now however, I am resigned to the fact that politicians are all pretty much the same, hardly one has a personality, and the policies are so similar whichever party it is that you can stick a pin in the voting card for all the difference it makes. I did go aim my pin today, though.

Yes, I am feeling somewhat tired, and despair is not too strong a word for what I feel about the world and most of the events and people in it - which makes me grumpy. So let's ignore all that, and instead enjoy this darling little baby cardigan:

This was UKHA6, 4 rather pretty variations on one pattern, for 4ply/fingering weight yarn - I used a partial ball of King Cole ZigZag I had left over from the last vintage baby cardigan I made, and there was even a bit left after making the 3-6 month size. I had come unstuck with the buttons, though - and upon returning them, found out that job or dye lot numbers apply to buttons as well: you do learn something new most days.

Anyway, pop FO Friday into Google and see what else turns up ...

FO Friday : What A Difference .....

Phantomwise Tarot

.... a day makes. Well, yes. But that's not what I'm talking about, actually. I'm talking about the difference that blocking can make to a shawl. Same pattern shawl, slight difference in the blocking, big difference in the end result - as you can see:

Lale Lace Shawl, Cascade Yarns Alpaca Lace                                                   

Lale Lace Shawl, Austermann Merino Lace

And a close-up so you can see I beaded the burgundy version:

Both yarns were laceweight, knitted on 3.75mm needles; I used 25g/350m of the Austermann Merino Lace, and approx. the same of the Cascades Alpaca Lace. Both shawls were blocked aggressively, but the pink shawl is larger; the burgundy shawl is beaded, using 19g or so of size 8/0 ruby silver-lined Czech preciosa rocailles from Laserbeads at Etsy, who combines excellent prices with matching service and quality.

An interesting comparison of resulting shape and size - at least to me. For you ? You may have this classy ear-worm for the rest of the day:

WIP Wednesday 150: Something Old, Something Blue

Tarot of the Cat People

So here we are again, and of my 3 main WIPs this week, I shall show you two, as the third is languishing somewhere and nothing has been added to it all all except dust.

I need to figure out how to put vintage patterns in my Queue; I found this one in a charity shop for like 20p or something. It's original price is 6d, which is before-my-time money, like groats and farthings; and it specifies the yarn to be used as 'Lee Target Courtelle 3oz'; the needles are size 11 and 12 old UK style.

I could find nothing about the yarn online, but fortunately the conversion charts available told me that a size 11 UK is 3mm (between a US 2 and 3), and size 12 is 2.75mm/US size 2. I am using a skinny 4ply yarn, King Cole Zig Zag in ruby. No, I don't see any zigzags in it either. But it is 50% wool/50% nylon and machine washable.                  

Of course, all we immediately recognize is that those are dang skinny needles. Therefore they must be for dang skinny yarn. The other thing we know is that skinny string on skinny needles, if used to make a solid (as opposed to a lacy) fabric, takes foreeeeevvvveeeer.

But - this is a baby cardigan for the Nephew (Aug.2013 Edition) and baby cardigans are small and quick, which ought to balance out the midget size needles and yarn. In addition, many vintage patterns like this one have what I think is ingenious construction - fronts and back are knitted all in one piece until you get to the arms; and even then, things remain straightforward. This we love, as we hate seaming.

And using Cygnet DK in pale blue, and white, I am nearing completion on the crocheted baby blanket, Heirloom Lace Baby Afghan by Terry Kimbrough (which is part of my KTQ2013 yaaay me). I still have issues with gauge - stitch gauge is spot on, but row gauges is miles away from what it should be; which has entailed some fudging creativity doing the border to make the maths work. If 2 + 2 might = 5ish sort of maths, anyway.

I whisper it quietly as a traitorous mouse, but there is slight possibility that crochet is faster than knitting; certainly, when you rip it out several times to re-do it, it doesn't seem to entail the same frustrated heartache. But ssshhh, that may be just a noob's perception.

Pop over to Tami's Amis to see the progress being made by others this week ....

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.

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 .....

WIP Wednesday 98: Yarn Feast

Vision Quest Tarot

So we're talking accumulation as we have gone from mojo-less without any ideas, to having a promising queue and too many ideas. Famine to feast. But we do not repine, as we are a glutton. Have you noticed, the royal 'we' gives us some unique grammatical and/or syntax issues ? Oh well. You'll have to live with it.

Having sorted out the snarls from winding, I very quickly got to the knotted openwork section of the 'Summer Flies' shawl, I ripped it all out and started over on 5mm needles, as the yarn seems more like a sport/DK than a 4ply/fingering, and was coming out a little ... thick ... on the 4mm needles. I am loving the soft, silky feel and summery color:

I have modified it already by adding an extra set of eyelets and another butterfly section following thetanull's notes, to make the shawl bigger. It's a straightforward knit that one can manage without errors even during the excitement of the England - Ukraine match when one is marvelling at the ineptness of Wayne Rooney and his several goal misses.

And in the post I have received as a super-late birthday treat from my Evil Twin and my Good Twin, this:

A beautiful crimson Aran-weight silk and lambswool chenille yarn. There is enough for a sweater for me: my idea being, that as they gifted it to me, that will be pressure to use the yarn, and I have not made anything for myself at all yet, and then also when I wear the sweater, I will think of them.

And in pursuit of my goal of making the four shawls for important ladies ( two down, two to go) I have found the appropriate yarn for the remaining two; I already knew that for one I needed this olive Crazy Zauberball:

But I was having trouble finding what I wanted for the other shawl, until I visited the Addicted2Knitting website, which stocks some unusual Zauberball colorways that I have not found elsewhere; it was here that I found the colorway 'Cloud 7', which is just right:

So yes, I am sitting in the sunshine gloating over my stash and my plans for it: a most enjoyable feeling, let me tell you. You can find other gloatees over at Tami's Amis ....

WIP Wednesday 63: Old & New

Ooh - er. So Blogger has this shiny new interface; which I'm sure is fabby and squeaky-clean and simple, with bells and whistles too when one knows where to find them. Which will probably take longer than today, that's for sure.

I will tell you all about my most recent soaps in detail on Friday, but in the meanwhile you can see (and buy !) them from my Folksy shop; currently I do not have international shipping listed, but I am happy to find out costs on an individual basis - just drop me a note here in the comments, by email, or message me via Folksy.

Work has continued at a somewhat leisurely pace on the scarf for my BIL, but it is a pleasure working with RYC Classic Silk Wook DK: soft and not splitty, easy to handle.

I think part of the reason I'm liking it quite so much is because it's DK weight, and the shawl I have started for Mini Diva's Christmas present is 4ply. The pattern is another Wendy Johnson shawl, which she ran as a mystery KAL this summer: hence its name, Summer Mystery Shawlette. I love the way that her patterns are written and charted so clearly; and - of course- they are so pretty. I am halfway through Chart B; I am reversing the instructions for the second half (after the spine) as I prefer the shawl to be symmetrical. It is pretty straightforward, but I must remember to not watch exciting/interesting TV when I'm getting used to a new pattern. Or cry at Matthew's stiff upper lip, as tears blur the instructions.

  
I'm using Cygnet Truly Wool Rich 4 ply in 'Baby Blue'. As apparently us growing out of being pink & purple is permanent. It definitely feels wool rich: it has that slight scratchiness I seem to recall from childhood. But I am armed with good fabric conditioner, so I shall not despair as yet.

Don't forget to pop over to Tami's Amis where people concentrate on their creations ....