I love cables

Happy Post-Christmas everyone!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.  I am loving my knitting right now, since the Lintilla is finally done and I can start on something else.

A few years ago I tried to get my Mom into knitting.  She gave it a try, but we live very far apart (you know, different countries) and I think she was a little lost and bored on her own.  Now that I'm staying with her she admitted she doesn't like knitting (I'll refrain from saying the word hate, but she might have) so she gave me all her knitting needles and left over yarn.  Hurray for me!  She had a ball of Patons Pure Wool that was pretty, so I have cast on the Hermione's Cable & Eyelet Hat.

I was just knitting along quite the thing and then I got to the first cable.  Man, I LOVE cables.  They are so.....joyful!  Can't wait to see how it goes.  I hope the colors don't hide the pattern.

Lastly, I got a new book for Christmas, Finish Free Knits by Kristen TenDyke.

There are so many patterns I can't wait to knit, but if the ads don't like and the bulky yarn is on sale this weekend, I'm going to start with this one, from page 125:

WIP, my life

Hi everyone.  I'm back for a wee bit of blogging.  We are all moved out of our house in Scotland, and everything is in storage.  Then we jumped a plane to my parents house in Arizona.  Oh how I love the sunshine and warmth.  It is very much like a Scottish summer here.  

It is official.....I got the job in Australia!  Now we wait, while the visas are processed and we can get moved.  No idea how long it will take, but I'm looking forward to having some time to relax, knit, read, play with my kids, and be warm.  I'd forgotten what it was like to be warm.  Or live in a house with heating that works.  Heating is not to be over-rated.

Just yesterday I pulled out my knitting project I've been working on, the Lintilla.  I'm in the decreases, and hopefully will finish this soon.  I did 22 repeats of the body before I started the decreases.  I also managed to knit two Christmas presents, so hopefully I can share those after the holidays.

For us it is warm here in Arizona, but not this warm....................  

These Scottish girls are braver (or crazier) than I am!  

Happy crafting everyone, and Happy Holidays!

It's not you, it's me

Something a bit annoying happened to me this past week.  I was forced to break up with my beloved Shellseeker.  I finished the body, and I think the pattern is pretty great.  Loads of knitting in the round, and yet, not boring.  Fabulous.  I was getting ready to start on the sleeves and then I thought I should try it on, just to see how it fit.  Well.  It didn't.

I guess I should clarify.  It fit too well.  I'm making this to be a sweatshirt to wear over a shirt and it fits like a well-fitted top.  Perhaps ok, except that it is pure wool, and about 3 inches too short.  On the up side, I like it a lot without the sleeves.  So it is giving me ideas.  For now, we are on the outs, and it is going into the time out pile.  I'm going to have to frog it and start over to get what I want.

In other news, I'm happy to report that the voting last week picked the Lintilla scarf/shawlette, which really, really pleased me.  It was the one I wanted to knit, which I figured out pretty quickly once I took the power away from myself.  I think it looks lovely so far, and after my recent failure, I'm hoping we continue to get along.

That's it for me this week.  

Happy Crafting!

Moving Right Along

I've been dividing my time between two projects this week, my Shellseeker, and my Stress Blanket. I've been making good progress on both.  

That flappy looking thing is the outside of the pocket.

Also this week I found myself a little bargain on Ebay.  I bought 350g of Sirdar 4 ply pure wool.  It is a variegated yarn in raspberry colors that is lovely.

I had initially purchased it to knit the Hitchhiker, but then I saw the Lintilla, and I couldn't decide. I've put up a little poll if you'd like to help me choose, and I promise I'll knit whichever gets the most votes.

Hitchhiker by Martina Behm

Lintilla by Martina Behm

Which should I knit?
	Hitchhiker
	Lintilla
pollcode.com free polls

Well I guess that's all I have for this week's WIP.

 Happy Crafting Everyone!! 

Quick, let me take a picture!

My blogging skills have been lacking lately, but I do have a FO to share this week.  I actually finished it several weeks ago, but then the kidlette ran off with it and I totally forgot to get a picture.  

Today is "wear spots" day at school, and the girls picked their own outfits. How chuffed was I to see them both select the shrugs I've made them? Good girls, through and through.  I was able to finally snap a few pictures.

I love the Cornwall Park Shrug pattern very much, and I give a big shout out to Kelly Brooker for writing it.  I used stash yarn for this, pretty sure it is acrylic, which I'm 100% OK with.  Easy to wash, long wearing, kid proof.  Enough chatter, here are more pictures:

Now I'm off to continue work on my Shellseeker.  See you next week!

The Seeker

And..............I'm back.  We had a very fun, very exhausting whirlwind getaway, but now we are back to "life as usual."  It was my intention, of course, to knit like a fiend while on the airplanes. However, all I managed to accomplish was this:

It is just a plain sock, in self-striping yarn, and I do so love the colours.  Of course, the minute I got home I cast on the Shellseeker I've been planning. It was calling to me.

I'm using Fisherman's wool, in Oak Tweed.  Pure wool, pure warmth.  

That's all I am working on just now.  I appear to have lost my mojo a fair bit, but I'm chalking that up to not feeling great, stress and the unknown future before me.  I hate waiting for news, yet that is exactly what I must do. Wait.  While I do that, I might as well knit.

Happy Crafting!

Rainbow Cotton Candy

Happy Friday everyone.  My week has just flown by, so fast that in fact I forgot to write my post for today until just now!  My Mom arrived this week, to watch the kids while hubby and I go on holiday next week for 8 days.  It is the first time we've ever gone anywhere just the two of us in 7 years.  We are on a reconnaissance mission, for the upcoming move. I'm a bit nervous to leave the kids for that long, but at least I know my Mom is brilliant, so all will be well.

I've finished two small and fast projects this week. I do so love instant gratification and stash busting. 

The first up is a garter stitch cowl.  I bought this yarn at my LYS in the clearance bin over a year ago. Oh how I love a reduced price on anything, and even though it was only one skein, I couldn't help myself. It is Colinette Point 5, Sweet Dreams.

I wanted something that would show up how lovely the wool is, and since it is super chunky this cowl was done in a matter of hours.  Then I popped some buttons on and away I went.  I didn't even need to make button holes, because of the toggles I used.

It was my intention to have the girls take a picture of me wearing it, but as the week really has gotten away from me, it didn't happen and I currently have bed head.  Hopefully I'll get there soon and post it later on.  It looks better on my than Polly!

The second project I made was a camera sock.  I made this to protect my camera in my handbag while we are on holiday.  I used some DK I had in my stash, and 4mm needles so it was really rather quick.  After I knit it up and popped my camera in, it occurred to me that I had no way to take a picture of it!!  I used the camera on my phone, which is old and doesn't do a great job.  But hey ho, you get the idea.

And that's it for me right now.  Take care, have a lovely weekend, and I'll see you all next week!

Seasons

I have always really loved the autumn.  This year I just haven't been feeling it, until yesterday.  I think I've been too occupied with being cold in this stone castle, and worrying about the cost of heating it. Then yesterday I went outside and the air was cold, and crisp, and the leaves are falling.  And I felt it again, the love the autumn.

This morning as I let the chickens out I was greeted by this view:

Which inspired casting on a new project:

No matter what I tried I could not get a decent picture of this, but trust me when I say they are going to be fetching fingerless gloves.  Partly inspired by cold hands, but mostly inspired by this. I am stash busting on this as well.

I'm still working away on my other two WIP's, Rori's shrug..............

..............and my stress blanket.  I just love how this blanket is turning out, though my stress levels have been down and I've neglected it this past week.

And if I can control myself the rest of the day, that's it for WIP's.  I am really pleased to say that everything I've been knitting has used only the yarn I have in my stash.  I've been trying to thin the herd before we move, and it really has been great fun.  

Happy Crafting!

Love!

I am really rather excited to share not one but two FO's today!  The first up I am super proud of:

Paton's Stretch Socks yarn

I finished my Hermione socks!  I took ages on the first one (I swear, almost 2 months) but the second one flew off the needles.  I think I was faster because I knew how happy I was with the first one, and I wasn't working on the Citron anymore. I love them.  I love the colours, the pattern, the fact that I made them.  Hurray!  I think the pattern was great for my novice sock knitting skills.  It kept me entertained, but wasn't too complex while I worried about turning the heel and all that.  And now, I can't wait to knit more socks!

The second FO is a hat.  Or rather, a beret.

I used a mystery ball of yarn that my parents brought me in July.  Hence I used the Meret or Mystery Beret pattern on Ravelry.  Very fast knit, really rather pleased with it.  Yup, going to have to keep this one for myself.


And that's all I've got for this week.  I have another project almost off the needles but that will have to wait for next week.  Happy Crafting!

Stress blanket

Hello friends!  Big news this week--we are moving!!

To cut a long story short, we are moving, again. Abroad, again.  Things are progressing much faster than anticipated, and we will be leaving Scotland at the end of next month.  Suffice to say I am stressed. Seriously stressed.  But in a good way.  I'm really excited about our future, which I'll share with you in good time.  I like things to be fully squared away before I share, I'm just a bit superstitious that way.

I do have a couple of WIP's this week.  I've made progress (ok, a little bit) on Rori's shrug.  It is harder to work on right now because I have to focus on what I'm doing, the sleeves and the back work off different row numbers.  "Ouch" says my over-taxed brain.  But I'm getting there.

I'm also working on what I've dubbed "The Stress Blanket"  We were calling it by all manner of names, and still do, but really it is just a stash busting masterpiece that is lovely for all of its ugliness.  I'm letting my girls pick the yarn as I go, and Isla's already claimed it for future use in front of the tv.  I can't ask for more than that.  It is a super easy pattern, especially for my limited crochet skills, and it eats up the yarn.  I really want to use up any yarn that isn't set aside for future projects.

Happy Crafting!!

A Bit Late in the Coming

Well, I finished the Citron. I was supposed to post about it weeks ago, but life got in the way of things. No matter, because the main thing is, it is done! The pictures are terrible, and I do apologize.  I have been ill, with a cold that manifested into something altogether more sinister, though I am well on the way to being back to normal now.  

My kids did a fine job taking the pictures, I just look rather rubbish in them.  I had the girls take the pictures to send to my Mom, as it is her shawl after all, and I was planning on retaking better ones for this post.  But really, I can't be bothered, they are good enough.  It is ok, though, as you won't be looking at me, but at the shawl!

Stats:
Pattern: Citron
Yarn: Artesano 100% Alpaca 4Ply, Forget Me Not

I'll tell you what, I am glad this project is done.  I've admired all you ladies out there making shawl after shawl for a while now, but I found it really hard work.  I did 9 repeats and by the end I was bored, and it seemed to take ages with all those stitches on the needle.  Saying all that though, I like it a lot, and I think it is very pretty.  I think the blue will be lovely with my Mom's eyes.  I think the yarn is lovely, and I would definitely use it again.  So while I am in no hurry to make another shawl, at least now I can say I have made one, and I am happy with the results.