last minute finished knits II

So, I also managed to do that finishing on the baby cabled cowl which brings my total finished knits for 2008 to a grand total of twenty-one. Wow!

The Vital Statistics
Pattern: my version of Olga Buraya-Kefelian’s Cabled Cowl; I made it much shorter because I didn't want it to wrap around baby bear's neck twice as I felt that this might be dangerous. As such I also chose my own yarn (one that was in the cupboard - yay!), my own stitch count and my own cables. So really, all I did was follow the general layout of welt-cable-cable-edging. I used the double knit slip stitch edging from Annie Modesitt's Backyard Leaves scarf pattern. Cables were a five-stitch wide version of marriage lines (basically a zig-zag) and the peek-a-boo braid from Vogue Knitting Stitchionary Volume two, Cables: the ultimate stitch dictionary.
Yarn: two balls of vintage (judging by the ball band) Emu brand baby blue 4ply/fingering weight (yarn held double) that I bought at Value Village. It was a bit scratchy so I gave it a good wash in hair conditioner and that worked a treat.
Needles: 5.5mm bamboo straights which was a bit odd actually as everything else that I have been doing lately has been on circulars. 5.5mm is also just about the maximum size needle that I am comfortable knitting with.
Start to finish: 19 December 2008 to 30 December 2008.

Comments: Designing your own stuff is really quite difficult, even when you are borrowing generously from someone else's design. There is so much to take into account - stitch count and whether the welt will end on a knit row or a purl row before the garter stitch edging and how the two cables would interact.













I attached four buttons and made neat little buttonhole-stitched loops for closures. I had originally considered metal buttons for this project with an engraved or embossed design and thought that I had some on hand. Couldn't find them though so decided on something else that I had on hand instead - flower-shaped shell buttons. These turned out to be a great choice - they look wonderful against the baby blue and baby bear recognises them as flowers and is pleased by them.
Verdict: super happy with this project, it turned out better than I expected and looks just gorgeous on. It's something that I would like to try again and experiment with all those variables - yarn, stitch count, cable patterns.

last minute finished knits

I think that I may be able to squeeze a couple more finished objects in this year. Here is version two of the Baby Hat that I knitted in such a hurry last month that there were no photos. The first one came out so well that I wanted one for baby bear too.

The vital statistics
Pattern: baby hat from Leigh Radford's One Skein in 12-18 month size
Yarn: Cascade 220, shade 9430
Needles: 4.5mm Addi Turbo
Start to finish: 25 December 2008 to 28 December 2008

Comments: I can see why Cascade 220 tops the list in Ravelry as the most popularly used yarn - this stuff knits up like a dream and gives a wonderful finished fabric. I've heard that their eco yarn is also very nice. I may have made the hat just a tad too, it has a bit of the flowerpot look about it at the moment but I am sure that as baby bear grows it will fit well. She already loves it.

Verdict: I love this pattern and I'm going to make it again and again. The lace pattern (12 rows) is just enough to make it interesting but is not too onerous. I love the fullness of the decreases and the scalloped edge too.

In other knitting news, the swallowtail shawl has stalled a bit. There's a certain psychological hurdle about starting the next lace chart. It might have to wait for a childcare day when I can really sit down and concentrate on it. The baby cabled cowl - well, I've chosen the buttons.

slush

So we did get snowbound and I almost went out of my mind. I didn't realise how important it was to me to be able to make plans and get in the car and take off and go places and do things and see people. That is, until I couldn't. It really takes your independence away when you're stuck at home (in the sense that there was too much snow to get the car out and we don't have chains anyway so it was too dangerous to drive).

I did get out on foot and by bus a couple of times (both for knitting, ha ha). Actually, on Monday I walked the better part of 3.2 kilometres (that's 2.0 miles) through the snow with baby bear in the carrier on my back to join my friends for knitting. They told me I was crazy, I told them that I would have been crazier to stay home. We were lucky to catch the bus a few stops up the main hill but as soon as I got there I realised that there was no way that I would be able to get home alone. Tim had to come and meet us (also on foot) and we walked home together (he carried baby bear).

Yesterday we got out in the car for the first time since last Friday and it was a relief. There's been quite a bit more rain and the temperature has increased so that should help to clear the roads further - phew.


And what did I trek through the snow to knit? I have finished all nineteen of the budding lace repeats for the swallowtail shawl. I'm a bit in shock at that myself, even more that I am still only half-way through! I'm thinking about doing some test runs on the lily of the valley lace edging and the nupps after a day or two break. I have almost finished the cabled cowl for baby bear - it's been knit, blocked and is just waiting to be finished. I'll do my best to get it done before next year (which is actually quite soon). I've also cast on and knit the 12 rows of lace pattern for another baby hat, this time for baby bear (and this time with photos).

snow bound

As in 'bound for snow' (which has just started to fall) rather than snowbound (which is apparently where we are headed).

Sixteen repeats of the swallowtail shawl.

The weather forecast for the next 24 hours includes snow, freezing rain, snow, sleet and more snow. I'm loving it. Surely the novelty value will shortly wear off but I hope not before we've demolished the two packets of mini cinnamon rolls that I bought at the supermarket (where it was mayhem).

We actually did quite a bit of driving yesterday through the snow-dusted landscapes. The evergreens do look wonderful with boughs laden with snow. And the landscape is punctuated by little red berries. Somehow this landscape, this weather makes perfect sense at this time of the year. Blame it on a childhood filled with literature, films and television from the northern hemisphere but this does feel right.

I have even been induced to decorate the house with winter cheer.












An assortment of crocheted snowflakes (patterns found on Ravelry), stiffened with diluted craft glue. They are so old fashioned but very effective.

cable able

"Ok, I have found some focus and have commenced on a cabled cowl for baby bear, inspired by but not working from the Cabled Cowl pattern by Olga Buraya-Kefelian from Blue Sky Alpacas. I've looked very closely at the projects on Ravelry and while I am following the general layout (welt, cable, cable, edging), I am using different cables (to suit my stitch count) and an edging of slip-stitch double knit (lifted from the Backyard Leaves scarf by Annie Modesitt in Scarf Style).

I decided against the dark grey and am instead double stranding some Emu Scotch 4ply in baby blue which I picked up at Value Village a few weeks ago. In keeping with my resolution to create"

I wrote this late last night. I was going to continue with my resolution to create less stiff fabric by using larger needle sizes (in this case 5mm) but then I looked at the fabric that I had created. And ripped it. I think that I could go 5.5mm and I'm going to change one of the cable patterns. So what do I have to show? This really cool vintage ball band from the Emu Scotch 4ply. Don't forget, 'Emu patterns are best'.

three little kittens

I'm wondering how long it will take to lose these mittens ...


The vital statistics
Pattern: Basic Cuff-Up Mittens by Patti Pierce Stone
Yarn: Recycled hand-dyed yarn - it was originally a Gap sweater, 90 per cent lambswool 10 per cent angora, which I unravelled and then dyed with the help of Val of Actual Size Creations; the colourway is Auntie Jane
Needles: 4.0mm Addi turbo for the cuff, 4.5mm Addi turbo for the body of the mitten
Start to finish: 30 November 2008 to 9 December November 2008

Comments: I have actually knit two pairs of these mittens. Not that the first pair got lost or anything - it was given away as a thank-you gift at Thanksgiving. Now baby bear and her best friend have matching, interchangeable mittens. A very simple pattern, the second time around it was a bit of a slog. The yarn is lovely, very soft and has already survived a machine wash. II made the smallest size and cast on only 20 stitches (instead of 24) and increased to 28 because otherwise I felt that the cuff wasn't snug enough. They've knitted up quite densely and with at angora in there should keep baby bear's hands very toasty. I'm still debating whether to crochet up a safety cord to keep them together. I think that I would prefer clips to clip them to the cuff of whatever baby bear is wearing - is that sort of thing still available?

Verdict: I hope that they don't get lost because there's no way that I could knit them a third time, well, not this winter at least.

And in other crafting news, after trying to work out what to sew I did find a bit of motivation and finished sewing the two lengths of batting together for the vintage fabrics quilt. At night while trying to fall asleep I have been dreaming up what the backing will look like, so I'm getting there. I today completed repeat 12 of the budding lace pattern for the swallowtail shawl - yippee! That's seven more to go. I am trying to knit one repeat a day in order to maintain momentum and also because I can't wait to start on the Faux Russian Stole (ravelry link) which I plan to be my next project knitting.

I spent a lovely couple of hours yesterday sitting in one of the display galleries at Seattle Art Museum knitting Baudelaire while baby bear slept in her stroller. Much to my horror though, and quite uncharacteristic of my knitting woes, I discovered two dropped stitches! After working an entire pattern repeat or so of the leg. Dreadful. Lots of frogging and confusion about where I was up to with the heel once I had frogged back far enough to rescue the stitches. Still have no idea what went wrong.

And practical knitting - it's time for a new practical knit. I had mentally committed to starting a baby version of Olga Buraya-Kefelian's Cabled Cowl but all I really have to knit it in is a dark grey and being for baby bear I just can't get into it in that colour. Truth be told, I'm not really so into the dark grey wool either which is what I knit my wide-brimmed hat from. So on a whim instead I decided that I need a slouchy beret and cast on today for the Star Crossed Slouchy Beret (ravelry link) by Natalie Larson. I didn't have any appropriate weight wool for that either but rather than going out and spending money, I went through my thrift shop sweater stash, found a J Crew sweater, 100 per cent wool in a very nice purple and started to unravel. The yarn is very fine but I'm finding it working well knitting five strands together. Actually, I think that this is a sweater that I bought at a yard sale, I think that it cost 50 cents.