Happiness

Hello and welcome to my WIP Wednesday!! Am I the only one having issues with blogger? It did NOT want me to write a post today. I finally won, because I am stubborn and I had some time on my hands. 

Coming hot off my super happy finish of Flowing Lines, I cast on Creme Brule in Plymouth Bamtastic yarn. My knitting is all backward lately, knitting a sweater in the hot sunshine, and now a summer top in the cold spring greyness. Oh well, hopefully the sun will be out again soon.

In addition to knitting, here are some other things  this week that are making me happy:

A new friend gifted me all these herbs from her garden. Chives, mint, two kinds of parsley, cilantro, thyme. People are so lovely!

This is my new yarn bowl. It is an Opp shop find--they were having a "fill a bag for $5" sale and I got my monies worth (the girls got some summer clothes as well). I love it!

The girls are cutting bits of yarn to leave out for the birds that are nesting. We were trying to entice some swallows to nest nearby, but I think we may have failed. I really want them to stay and eat the mosquitoes that are plaguing us!

Lastly, we made ribbon wands. As my Dad pointed out they are huge, but as I said to him, we don't do small and dainty around here. The girls and I went to a local craft fair and they were fairly taken with the ribbon wands. I told them we could make two our selves for the price of one at the fair, and they accepted the challenge. I was right, and they got to pick their own colors. Win-win.

Ok, this time I really mean lastly, here are two books I just finished reading and wanted to share as they were both amazing. Totally different, one is sci-fi (4th in the series by Robin Hobb, she is fantastic) and the other, uhm, well, a book that takes place in the 60's on the east coast of Australia. I recommend both!

Have a great week!

go with the flow

Hello, and thanks for stopping by. I've had several things that made me happy this week: large amounts of sunshine and warmth, baking cookies, cuddles with the kids, gardening (and not hating cutting the grass), and finishing my Flowing Lines.

I knit this sweater in record time, two weeks! It was a pleasure from the get go, and of course I love this wool more than I should. Like, a lot! I want to buy more of it, right now, and knit more things. Fabulous stuff.

The only mods I did on the pattern were to lengthen the body a couple of inches (I have a long torso) and to make the sleeves 3/4 length (I ran out of wool). I really like the way it turned out. Of course, it has no buttons yet, because the shop didn't have any I like. I will look online, but in the meantime, I wish I hadn't put the buttonholes in, because it is fabulous without. Maybe I'll just discretely sew them closed.........

Funny thing about these pictures. They aren't the best. I was just putting on the sweater when Rori ran into the house and shouted, "I need you, I've lost Isla." So I ran with her to the school thinking something terrible had happened (they had gone back to school to find something left behind, it is 2 blocks from the house). Turns out she was only hiding from the teachers because she thought she would get in trouble, even though I had sent her to ASK the teacher for help. Sigh. So when we got home I made them take pictures for me. The day was grey, they weren't interested, and the sun was going down. So all in all, I guess they aren't that bad. On the up side, this sweater is like a warm woolly hug. I did not want to take it off. But I do want to try blocking it.

Details:
Pattern: Flowing Lines
Yarn: Malabrigo Rios in Lotus   

Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend. 

and then this happened

So I had just finished frogging the blue Gemini I talked about in my last WIP post. I had even found a new pattern for it, a tank top in honor of the fact that spring will be here soon. I had started the gauge swatch. And then this happened:

And that poor, abused, frogged and re-frogged Sirdar Calico went straight out the window. When the Post Man knocked on my door and handed me the impatiently waited for yarn, it was all I could do not to shut the door quickly and run to the craft room. Seriously, he wants to make small talk now, doesn't he know the bag he just handed me holds yarn!!

And then I had the age-old dilemma of which yarn to use first, what project called to me? In all honesty I had set my mind on some summer tops (that's what the other two yarns are for, and yes, I'm in a teal phase), with no sleeves. But, it was raining, and the Malabrigo Rios is so, so pretty. So I went with that, because you have to do what you have to do.

I cast on Flowing Lines.  

Did I have trouble with the boat neck collar? Yes, yes I did. I had to rip back and re-join once, but only once so I'm counting that as a victory. Then I got paranoid it wouldn't be big enough (I'm still not sure) so I have taken it off the needles twice to try it on. I think it will be OK, but time will tell. Now I'm just hoping I have enough yarn to make it long sleeve (though 3/4 would be just fine). Does everyone worry this much when knitting or is it just me?

I am so in love with this project!! 

Pretty in pink

Hurray for Friday! I am ever so happy that I've finished the second Saffron cardigan. It languished on the needles a wee bit longer than it needed to, but I really do dislike sleeves! And of course Rori wanted full length sleeves, no matter that I kept telling her it was a spring cardigan. Oh well, she's happy, I'm happy, and now I can plan on knitting some short sleeve projects for a while!

I made the rather foolish mistake of waiting too long to take pictures of the girl in her cardigan. Today is Book Parade at school, where the kids get to dress up as a character from a book. She is Slinky Malinki (I LOVE Lyndley Dodd). She was an unwilling participant in the photos, but at least now you know why she is dressed as a cat.

And then, because she is seven (as good an explanation as any), she started to dance........

And because she is adorable too, here is Winnie the Witch

So, a rather picture heavy post, to be sure. Back to the cardigan. I love the pattern, it needed no modifications in my opinion, and it is very straight-forward. The yarn I used is Universal Yarn Double Twist, which the girls picked out. I am happy with both cardigan, the yarn, the pattern. All of it!

That's it for me this Friday, see you next week!

Digging through the pile

Hi everyone. I've been a bit quiet on here lately, but I should be back with several new/completed projects soon. You know how sometimes life gets difficult, hands you lemons, craps all over you? I've been going through a bit of that, but I'm coming out the other side in a better place, the place I want to be. I'm one of those people that needs a back-up plan for my back-up plan, so while I put plan B into effect, I'm focusing on some knitting therapy. 

I'm pretty excited I've changed a WIP into a FO this week, and I'll share that on Friday. Here's a hint, it's pink. I know, big surprise. While I wait for the new yarn I've ordered to arrive I'm digging through my "naughty" pile of projects, and seeing if I can finish anything. 

The first thing in the pile is the Leaf Cardigan I started ages ago. It is too small, and made incorrectly, and I am 100% sure life will be better when it is frogged. 

The second thing in my pile is my Gemini. Now, I don't know what I have against this pattern, but I have attempted it twice, and I'm giving it one last chance. The blue Gemini got canned because I notice an error in it, and I didn't have the heart to rip it back.  See:

Then I got my hands on some KnitPicks CotLin yarn and decided I would try again. This time I only got this far:

I'm pretty sure I just put it in the time out because I had sore hands at the time, and the linen/cotton yarn wasn't helping. But after putting it back onto needles I saw an error in it. I've since frogged it. Like, just now.

Lastly, this throw blanket I started, uhm, a long time ago. I decided I didn't have enough yarn, or energy, or whatever, and it has sat in the basket since. I haven't wanted to frog it because of the effort already expended on it, but, well, it isn't going to grow either. If I frog it at least I can use the yarn for something else.  

That's it for me for now. I'm going to sit here until I  decide if I'm going to carry on with the blue Gemini, or re-start the red. Or maybe, just maybe, find a new pattern for the Cotlin yarn.  See you Friday! 

July Lady Sweater

Hi everyone! I'm so happy it is almost the weekend, even if it is supposed to rain for most of it. I guess I will just have to snuggle inside and knit!

I have another FO to share, hurray! I am so so happy that I finished my cardigan in record time, it took me less than a month. It turned out really well, which is always a pleasure. I just need some warmer weather to start wearing it.

Pattern:February Lady Sweater
Yarn: SMC Nothern Worsted with Wool in cloud. I like this yarn. Reviews aren't so great on Webs, but I can't complain.
Mods: No real mods, except that I did decrease 8 stitches over 4 lace repeats on the sleeves before the garter stitch border. I'm not a girl that likes sleeves that flare. These are a happy medium.
Learned: That I do not need to hate when a pattern says, increase X number of stitches evenly over the next row. Now I know I can just go to this website and get the magic formula to do it. Brilliant.

I wish I could share a picture of me wearing it, but it is dark by the time I get home for work (or nearly), and I am too impatient to wait for this weekend. Anyway, picture a lady that needs a haircut (badly), with a HUGE smile on her face!

Momentary monogamy

Hi! I've been having a great stretch of knitting. I cast on a second Saffron cardigan.....
 

 .....and knit only that until after the runched belt detail. Then I got distracted by the wool in my closet and decided I need to cast on a February Lady cardigan. Which I'm calling a July Lady since that's our equivalent winter month in the southern hemisphere.

I'm using SMC Northern Worsted wool and I love it. It is like knitting a hug. I hope hope hope it fits as well as I want it to.

And lastly, because it is too small for its own FO post, here is the charity hat hubby encouraged me to make:

The pattern is Dizzy, and the yarn is Jarol Sweet Briar DK.  

That's it from me this week, see you next time!