FO Friday

This shawl took me f-o-r-e-v-e-r!  Two months pretty much!  I think, on the back of Stripe Study, garter stitch and short rows were just boring me (surprise surprise!).  I finally found the energy to complete it this month.

Pattern: Different Lines

Yarn: Shilasdair Luxury DK in Natural and Meadowsweet

Needles: ummm....yeah.

Project page: Different Lines

LOVE IT!

FO Friday hosted by TamisAmis

WIP Wednesday

Some readers may remember my mentioning a Bohus hat kit a few months ago.  

I received this kit for my birthday last year, and practised Fair Isle furiously until I felt comfortable with floats and two colours.  I finally started this a week or so ago.

Bohus is not for the faint hearted - 4 colours in one row in this hat, and that is not the most ever found in Bohus patterns!

 But look at it.  Isn't it just spectacular?

Words fail me when trying to describe it, so I won't.

I also have another less colourful WIP which has been left sitting unloved since I started the hat.

Different Lines

I may also have been yarn shopping recently....

 Malabrigo Worsted in Pearl Ten, 3 skeins

Drops Lace in Red, 2 skeins.

Whoops.

Visit Tamis Amis for more WIP Wednesdays!

FO Friday

Finally, a finished object to show!

A few months ago, I was browsing ravelry and came across Stripe Study Shawl, and knew I wanted to knit it.  As with so many patterns, I was at a loss to what yarn I could use.  Then I saw it.  

I bought Kauni 8/2 Effektgarn in EQ, and the solid in undyed (off-white), and in the stash box they sat waiting for the timing to be just right.  A knitalong was started in April, and I knew that time had come.

I was sure it would take me a couple of weeks at least to knit such a large shawl, and one which has very little else going on that knit stitch and some increases.  Oh, and many many short rows.  I'm not the greatest at sticking to boring projects, so it was with great surprise I finished this in a week!  I found myself really getting into the groove and zoning in on the knitting, getting faster and faster, eager to get to the next colour, the next white row.

I don't know how many stitches I had before casting off, but it was a lot.  Not as many as it should have been as I only did 11 colour stripes - I could tell it was going to be big enough, and didn't want it to be too big.

Excuse the leggings, I had just finished crawling round the floor ;)

I won't lie, the border rows were long, however, I kept on knitting just 2 more rows.  I don't know how many time's I said I was done only to keep knitting.  The border was done over the course of a day (an hour during the day, a couple at night), and I cast-off the next evening.  I washed and laid out to dry, no stretching or pinning down required.

Project Page: Stripe Study Shawl
Yarn: Kauni Wool 8/2 Effektgarn EQ and Kauni Wool 8/2 Solid natural.
Needles: 4mm for main section, 5mm for cast-off.

Isn't it glorious?  This is by far the most satisfying knit I've done in a while.  I love the mittens I have done recently, but when I can't wear an FO straight away, I temporarily fall out of love with it.  This pattern has given me a new appreciation for large shawls, and I'm now kicking myself for not buying more than 1 skein of sock yarn at a time.

The Kauni was everything I had read.  The colour changes were so subtle you didn't realise you were in a new colour until you were there!  The yarn was thin and weird looking before washing, but certainly fulled out post-washing when the spinning oils were removed.

As usual, I am joining in with Tamis Amis on FO Friday

Stripe Study Shawl Knitalong - Week 2

Sadly, I shall be bowing out of this knitalong rather earlier than I anticipated.

However, here is a sneak peak for FO Friday.

Stripe Study Shawl Knitalong - Week 1

First off, I must apologise for the blog silence!  I won't give excuses, but I hope I can post more often than I have been recently (I should also really update on my yarn diet fail!).

I started this knitalong 2 days ago, and I am loving my yarn choices!  For the Stripe Study Shawl, I chose to use Kauni EQ and undyed for the main colour.

I am not usually a fan of such glaring use of colour, and I actually chose the project before I bought the yarn having fallen in love with similar projects on ravelry!  Since then, it has been sitting in my yarn box waiting for the perfect moment to start, and what better moment than now?

As you can see, I'm on the 5th CC row.  The colour changes are so indistinct that they really do sneak up on you!  I cannot wait to see how this turns out!  It's already looking quite big, and I probably could have gone down a needle size as it's looking quite lacy, but from what I've read Kauni really fulls out when it's been washed.

Misadventures in Craft has a Mr Linky, so if you want to see some more Stripe Study Shawls being made head over to her blog.

A Year of Projects {Week7}

Here we are again, and I come bearing an FO!

I finally finished the KISS Triangle Shawlette!  I decided it would work better as a bandit style scarf tied at the back, and I also did the crocheted cast-off.

More accurate colour in this than below

Project: KISS Triangle Shawlette
Yarn: Araucania Ranco Solid in black
Needles: 3.75mm

I was smiling, honest!  But then a child appeared asking for the toilet. 

I am really pleased with how it turned out.  I adore the yarn I used, the colour is perfect!  The pattern was very simple and very easy to memorise, but maybe a bit too boring towards the end :laugh:  One thing I would change if I could is the needle I used, I'd go up a size or 2 and not had to block the crap out of it to get it to a half-decent size!

I have also decided to make a change to my list.  It is not something I wanted to do, but I think I will be happier with the end result.  I am removing Baktus from the list, and replacing it with Silk Kerchief.  Luckily, I downloaded the pattern for Silk Kerchief 2 years ago!

There are a number of reasons for this change, none larger than the other, it was a culmination of factors; unable to get the yarn I ideally would use for it (Kauni EQ), Baktus being one of those patterns which has been removed then added to my Ravelry queue more times than I remember, not being sure I love the pattern enough even if I did have the correct yarn.

So, the list is now as follows

Endpaper Mitts - Garnstudio Drops Alpaca in red and white
KISS Triangle Shawl - Malabrigo Yarn Sock in Rayon Vert
Ayakos Vest -Magliatopia Soffstar Melange
Lanesplitter - Noro Kureyon or Tivoli Ocean
Lizard Ridge - Noro Kureyon in multiple colourways
Have You Made A Jumper Yet? - Fingering weight, tbc
Ziggy - Noro Kureyon Sock
Silk Kerchief - Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball, Drops Alpaca
Mini Mochi Fair Isle Hat - Crystal Palace Yarns Mini Mochi
Mini Mochi Fair Isle Mittens - Crystal Palace Yarns Mini Mochi
Ishbel - Araucania Ranco Solid, Stone or Black
February Lady Sweater - Fiddlesticks Knitting Silken Merino

I will still be using Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball for it, but will be alternating that and Drops Alpaca (I think, this part may change to Fibre Harvest 4ply, I need to do a comparison of them but I think the Drops is more suitable).  I feel happier with my list now, I think that I was looking for an excuse to use Kauni rather than looking for the perfect yarn for a pattern I love.  I am still going to be on the look-out for Kauni though :D

So, I am now going to be cracking on with the February Lady Sweater and hopefully I can get it done by the end of the month (ever the optimist!).  I also have some non-YoP knitting to do so Sundays may be a bit on the light side for the next few weeks.  Next Sunday I don't think I'll be able to do a proper post but I will try and update quickly!

A Year of Projects {Week 6}

I am almost finished my shawlette!

Not much to look at here, but it has grown since I took this photo :D  These photos really capture the lovely colour of this yarn - Araucania Ranco Solid - well.  I quite like how the black is not 'pooling' too.  I hate pooling.  Hopefully I'll have an FO for next week!

February Lady Sweater is still no further on, but when the shawl is done this will be my main project so should go quite quickly.

And in addition to these, I also started another block for Lizard Ridge!

And did you notice my new concerted effort to provide good photographs.  I recently became reacquainted with my DSLR and forgot just how much difference a good camera with good lighting can make.  My point-and-shoot is great, but not great for close-ups or details or capturing colours well, so from now on I am going to take time to set-up and wait for the right light for photos, instead of my current point, shoot, job done approach.

I'm also going to be posting some extreme close-up shots when I can find my faux-macro filters.

An altogether more positive post this week, I think you'll agree?

More Year of Projects can be found here

I'm getting the itch again, and other things!

I've not crocheted anything since I did my Festival Shawl, and I'm starting to feel the itch to pick up a hook and do something.  Not the best timing in the world, but what can you do?

I am due to teach my sister how to crochet next time we are in Scotland, and with the sudden need to start making baby things, I got these out my local library (you'll have to excuse the very bad horrible processed photo from my phone, the camera is crap and this is the only way to get photos people wouldn't mind looking at)

Crochet to go, 200 Crochet Blocks, Crochet Motifs

I bought these with a view to buying eventually, and having had a quick browse through them, I will be buying two of them - 200 Crochet Blocks and Crochet Motifs.  I love crochet blankets, and these will provide endless hours of fun.  I am going to order them to be delivered to my parents house nearer the time, and I can just take some hooks and yarn with me.  I recently bought some teeny tiny steel hooks with wooden handles, 1mm-3mm - 1mm hooks are invisible!

So, the books I am going to buy are amazing.  Even the one I'm not going to buy is good, but it just doesn't offer as much as the other two in terms of motifs, layouts or colour combinations (which I won't be following, but look good anyway!).  I have six colours in a box upstairs set aside for a baby blanket, in addition to whatever my sister brings for me, so I will have more than enough yarn for a decent sized baby blanket, and hopefully the colours my sister brings will coordinate with each other!

My mum also requested a scarf like mine for her birthday in December, so I bought yarn for it a couple of weeks ago.

When I think about it, there is a good bit of crochet coming up in the next few months!  I also have a few baby things I want to knit, so have been busy hunting down patterns that will suit boys or girls, and I have some ideas brewing.

In other news, some of you may have noticed a redesign in the last week.  I'm not 100% happy with it, so I am going to be messing around with the code over the next few days if I can't find a suitable theme online.  I hopefully won't mess it up too badly, but please bear with me if something looks odd.

I will leave you with some photos of my two monsters today, who despite the blazing sun insisted we buy umbrellas!  Even as I type this Gremlin is jumping around pretending to splash in puddles while being all 'Singin' in the Rain' with the umbrella.

Yes, they are holding umbrellas up, indoors.  We will be cursed for life!

And some more bonus Holland pictures, just because I may never get round to actually writing about it!

This tower is outside Jitterbugs old primary school, he and 2 friends used to climb to the very top (which I could not actually get in the photo!).  They have now blocked the bottom few metres to stop children climbing it.  And for the eagle eyed amongst you, he is carrying Rose in a Double Hammock with my wrap - he admitted this was way more comfy than his mei-tai!

A very helpful Bubba loved pulling the baskets round the supermarkets!

Gremlin and I on my FILs balcony - she wanted to run about, not sit down.  She is always crying in photos these days....

My little sister and I

A photo of me taking my 100th photo of my sister - she doesn't wait for you to ask for a photo, she suggests you might like a photo of her.  Thankfully she is funny with her cockiness!

There are more photos on Jitterbugs camera, but he takes forever to actually transfer them, but I may just do it myself if I can find the card reader.

WIP Wednesday

Now, I know I cannot be the only one who is surprised every single Wednesday to find that it is actually Wednesday, *again*.  I think it may be one of the perks, and downfalls, of being a parent to 2 busy little monkeys - time speeds up and it really is a case of blink and you miss it.

For example, after my mutterings a week or so ago about needing a quick project to give me my quick FO hit, I have finished it, so I still don't have anything more interesting to show than the Kiss Shawlette which is actually growing, albeit very very slowly.

I love the ridges the pattern forms

I also have my first self-spun WIP in the form of yarn.  There was slight drama last night when the single snapped as I was spinning and I couldn't find the end, so I think I'm going to have to navajo ply this sucker at the weekend, and just make an end *laugh*.

I have 2 full bobbins (well, one more full than the other), I just need a lazy kate made (and I'll hopefully talk Jitterbug into making my swift at the same time!).

I received a small delivery of yarn this morning.  It is an actual proper purchase for a specific project!  Let's not talk about the fact that I already had yarn for said project but have since changed my mind about it.....

To see more WIPs visit Tamis blog