A hat for Matt

Hurray, I've started my Christmas knitting. This year I told myself I wouldn't knit a thing for anyone. I was having such a good time knitting things for myself. Then, well, I guess I got over my selfish streak. My cousin (ok, second cousin) Matt has been helping out a lot with my Grandparents in Michigan. He is a great, great person, and they love him dearly. So of course, onto the hat list he went. 

This hat was a wonderful knit, and it only took a few days. 

Pattern: (free!) Snowtracks Cap
Yarn: Supa yarn 100% wool
Mods:  I cast on for a large. Knit 2” for the ribbing. Then I skipped rows 21-23 and 28. This turned out the perfect size, I’m really pleased. I didn't want a folded brim, but I wanted it to be long enough to be pulled over the ears without being slouchy. Not much to ask, is it?

A little note about the photos--the girls and I had just gotten home from the beach (you know the drill, play, play, play, walk, ice cream, walk more, then home). For whatever reason they striped naked the moment we got home, and then I remembered we had to take these pictures. So we were in the back garden and two little naked people were telling me how to pose, and where to turn my head. And it made me really laugh. Hence, this picture:

And then, because they both wanted their pictures to be used, another of the back. I love those cables!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

I love spring!

 

What I'm working on

Sometimes, I just love the start of a new week. I like to look forward to what I'll be working on, and the things I want to accomplish. This week started out really well, with a beautiful sunny day and a nice long walk. My energy is generated directly from sunlight. 

I was really rather proud of myself last weekend. I decided I would take the template of the Creme Brulee top, which I love love love wearing (the bamboo yarn is awesome!), and make it again with a different stitch pattern. I decided to use the Sirdar recycled cotton that I bought ages ago for the cardigan I frogged. The stitch pattern I picked is  braided lace. I cast on, eager, and I knit like a fiend. 

Until my wrists started to ache and I remembered yet again why this yarn is languishing--I just cannot work with cotton. I did in both my wrists and then couldn't knit for a few days. My husband, ever wise, said "Just start over with a different yarn, and give that cotton to someone that CAN use it." How little he knows me. I think I might see if I can knit a few rounds a day, pain free. I hope so. Otherwise I will take his advice, I guess. I don't like being defeated by yarn. I really do like how it is looking though.

I also cast on the second striped sock. I really wanted to knit sports socks with leftovers I have, but am trying to be disciplined and make pairs before I start new ones! I also decided I will not make the stripes match, I think the difference will be a nice quirk, though I can see myself assigning the different stripe patterns to each of my feet. I'm just that odd.

Lastly, I've really slow to the party, and just now started listening to audio books while I knit. I'm almost done with this:

and I love it. I hope it will end the way I want it to. At any rate, it is fast paced and has that nice plot device of going back and forth from modern day to 1340 Italy. Fun!

That's it from me, see you on Friday!

Socks!!

This week I've been having a bit of a clean up--digitally speaking. I was checking my blog feed the other day and noticed that one of the blogs I'd been following had been hacked, and my feed was filled with spam. I located and deleted the blog, but then I started looking at all the blogs I "follow" and went through and deleted all the ones that seem out of commission. If they haven't posted in the last 4 months, they are gone. It is all so uncluttered now, and it feels great. Now I have the room and attention for adding in new blogs that take my fancy.



 



In knitting news, I've been re-energized about socks! I have a project bag that I keep in the car with a sock I would work on now and then--while waiting for the girls at netball practice, the park, etc. But I felt it had been languishing, so I fished it out and finished it. I love the stripes! I'm counting it as a FO, even if it is just one so far.

Pattern: just a plain stockinette sock to show off the stripes, with the heel from Hermiones socks.
Yarn: Patons Stretch Sock






Then I got motivated to knit my sister a pair of yoga socks for her Christmas present. She has posted a picture of herself in some rather silly looking yoga socks (they were the ones that have individual toes) on FB, and I thought, I want to give that a go. They were so fun to knit!! 
 

I also amused myself that I was wearing my yoga pants when I took these pictures. Nope, I don't do yoga, but look at me all kitted out should I ever want to. 

Pattern: Yoga Socks 153 (free!)
Yarn: stash busted some Zettl Cesana I've had for a really long time.

That's it for my this week, see you all on Wednesday.

Ocean blue

I am so pleased that the Creme Brulee is finished. I took all these pictures pre-blocking (no, I will never have any patience). It is being blocked at the moment, which I hope will make it a wee bit bigger.

As you can see in the picture, it is a bit more fitted than the pattern says it should be. I've blocked it to the correct size, so time will tell. Even if it stays this size forever, it is nice. It was absolutely mindless knitting, which was perfect at night when I was relaxing. I'm excited to see how I enjoy wearing bamboo. 

Pattern: Creme Brulee
Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Bamtastic. I liked working with this yarn.
 

I'm also really pleased with how the three needle bind off looks on the sleeves. I'd done it once before, so long ago that I can't remember on a top I didn't keep, so it was nice to do it again. I love how it looks.

That's it for me this week. Have a great weekend.

School holidays

We are in the middle of the school holiday here in Victoria, and the weather has been cooperating. Hurray!! Here's a fun-fast-free project for the little ones:

In case it isn't obvious, I have no idea how to build a tee-pee, but we got there. Three old bamboo canes and a sheet handed down from my parents. The girls had great fun playing in it. Totally worth the 10 minutes I spent building it.


Recently I read the book Pomegranate Soup, and what I loved about the book was that there were recipes at the start of each chapter. One reminded me of my university boyfriend, we used to buy this yogurt drink in bottles in San Jose. I loved it them, I love it now. Here's how I made a single serving, based on the recipe in the book. And, you have to drink it out of a canning jar. Just because. Probably for the same reason I have to drink my iced tea out of one.

Dugh Yogurt Drink
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 cup (or between 3/4 and 1 cup) carbonated water
1/4 tsp salt (or as you like)
1/8 tsp pepper (or as you like)
* if you are so inclined you can also add 3/4 tbs chopped fresh mint. I am still nurturing my garden mint so I didn't use any.

Combine, stir, add ice if you want it to be super refreshing. Enjoy.  

I do also have some WIP's this week. I'm still plugging away on my Creme Brule (hope to have it done for Friday!). I also have started a block from my Nicky Epstein Block by Block book that is layered lace. I'm not even sure what I'm going to do with it, but I wanted to give it a try.

I am also working on a crochet phone case for the girls. I want to make a strap so they can carry it like a purse. We'll see how I go, I'm just experimenting right now. I'm not even sure it is a practical thing to make. It is good to keep practicing my crochet though!

And that's it from me for now. See you later!

This week

Hello and welcome. I've had a pretty slow week, but that could be in part because I haven't felt well. Perkier now though, and the kidlettes are off school for two weeks. I hope the weather improves so we can plan some fun outdoor activities.

I have a couple of small FO's to share this week. The first one I made to put under the Ball canning jar I use to dry long spoons/knives in the kitchen. It just needed a little something to catch any drips.

Pattern: Set of ombre coasters free pattern on Ravelry
Yarn: Lily cotton from my stash.


The next project was purely inspired by a post over at Minding My Own Stitches. The whole time I was crocheting this I kept thinking, "I'm making a stocking for my dog, I'm making a stocking for my dog!" But really, it is very cute. It is also a good way to practise crochet, and I need all the practise I can get!

Pattern: Dog stocking free on Ravelry
Yarn: Jarol Mother of Pearl I've had in my stash for ever. It isn't nice yarn at all, even though it is marketed as baby yarn. It has a sparkley thread running through it that makes it scratchy. It was gifted to me ages ago and I've been trying to use it up since. I held it double for the pattern, and got rid of quite a bit.

Lastly, it was my husbands birthday this week. He is not a birthday-loving guy (gasp) and doesn't even let me make a cake. But I got around that by making Eccles Cakes. If you haven't had these before, go ahead and make a batch right now. I'll wait. Good aren't they?

We used to eat them a lot in Scotland (ok, ok, bought from a bakery and never home made--until now. Home made is so much better). 

These little beauties are puff pastry filled with a currant/candied peel filling. Delicious! I used raisins because that's how I do things around here, and I used more filling that the recipe called for (1 tsp per cake, that is just ridiculous, I must have used 2 tbs each). If you are a fan of mincemeat type flavors, I cannot recommend these enough. VERY easy. VERY tasty.

And that's if from me for this week. Have a great weekend and happy crafting!

Why didn't she tell me quilting was hard?

Hello! Today I'm taking a wee break from knitting FO's and sharing a sewing one. I know, I haven't done that in a long time. I can say things have been helped along quite a bit by actually living within 15 minutes of a fabric store. I love it so, so much. 

I started this back in May 2012, and wow that stewed for a while in the "if it is in the closet and I can't see it I don't have to work on it" pile. Of course, we had some major life events between then and now, but still, I'm glad to have this done.

It is a mish-mash of different things, thought up by my then 6 year old. I used her old receiving blankets for the strips, and she picked out all the other fabric. To begin with I thought that coral pink would be terrible, but now I have to say I like it very much. She loves the backing fabric so much she uses it both ways. Turns out I could have just bought two big pieces of fabric and quilted them together and she'd be happy. Live and learn. Anyway, the first one is done and dusted and the second one should be easier (famous last words). Stay tuned.

In other sewing news, I've also been whipping up some new cloth napkins from stash fabric:

And making dog toys, also from stash fabric. That green one to the left is an old toy I made her, it is well loved. This dog loves to destroy, and I have to use the thickest fabric I have. The blue one I just made only lasted a night, even though it had four layers of fabric........

Thanks for stopping by my Finished Object Friday. Have a great weekend, I'll see you next week!