Spoilt for Choice

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My beanbag has gone from:

The measuring up stage

To the cutting out stage:

To the finished stage:

There was a lot of excitement in the house when this was done. It’s for my daughter’s birthday next weekend and she loves it! So much so that I let her have it early. I thought the excitement would wear off by next week if it sat in the spare bedroom, hidden, but not really hidden as my wrapping paper would never cover it. My son wants one and my daughter wants more cushions – I’m flattered, it’s good that they are valued.

The socks are coming on apace. One is finished and the other is growing rapidly – it will be done in a day or so. I’ve enjoyed sock making. The socks have grown quickly and managing the needles have kept me entertained. You Tube tutorials got me through the Kitchener graft quite easily and the socks seemed to come together magically. There is no sewing up with a sock so I like the way that when a sock drops off the needle, it really is finished.

Twitter knitters have opened up a huge range of independent knitters and this has led me to my blog title. There are so many and I’m spoilt for choice with beautiful yarns and interesting patterns. I want to support these small businesses – it seems like knitting is one of the few areas where choice is opening up and not being cut down by big retailers who can underprice their goods.

I wanted to have another go with circular needles. My first experience was that the wool got caught from the cable to the needle but I’m now realising that all needles are not the same. My problem was probably cheap needles so I splashed out and got some Knit Pro Symphonie ones. Also I will create garments without seams which seem clever. I also want to have a go at making an interesting stitchwork pattern, not too tricky but with a bit of challenge.

I looked at making a number of cowls:

Liked the stitch pattern

From Blacker Yarns – the yarn sounds lovely -it  has mohair in it. The stitch pattern is quite straightforward too.

Lovely colour work. Expensive to make compared to the others as I’d need to buy all the colours. But would be worth it!

But then I saw this cardigan on Twitter from Eden Cottage Yarns – I liked the circular striped pattern and the way it was made entirely on circular needles. The stitch pattern is easy but I think there will be challenges around the needles.

The cowls were lovely but hopefully, Spring is coming and I wouldn’t be wearing them for too long. A cardigan will be good for Spring. I went for a rust colour – I’m brown haired and brown eyed so the colour should suit me. The grey looks effective but I want a bit more colour.

Expanding..

My colour work cushion is finished and looking fabulous if I do say it myself. I’m very pleased with the final result. After knitting, I found the colourwork side was quite a bit tighter than the stocking stitch side. I decided that blocking was needed; I’ve never done it before so I consulted the blogs and found out how to do it. But it needed blocking pins.. I called the local knitting shop and they don’t stock them, she explained there wasn’t much demand. I wondered about this. On Twitter, everyone seems to block,  but day to day, do others bother? My mother in law, who is far more experienced than me, tells me she never blocks jumpers and only presses when the whole piece is put together. Do you block? If so, please explain the benefits..

The advice I was given was to press the wool on a cool heat (to avoid felting) and to stretch it. I did this and it worked beautifully, brought a lovely soft cushion pad and stitched it all together. My cushion is soft and warm. And quite unique.

The front.

The detail

The back

The pattern came from Easy Fair Isle knits by Martin Storey and was made with Rowan Felted tweed.

The heel

The detail

The socks are coming on well too. I’ve managed to successfully turn the heel and have got used to the DPNs. I do tend to drop and have to pick up stitches quite a bit as I don’t always remember to push them down the needle when I change needles. Also, I keep forgetting to put in the purl stitch in the rib pattern so a few corrections there. All in all though, these socks will be wearable! and I’m enjoying making them.

It’s my daughter’s birthday in a few weeks and this has led me to a new project but not a knitting one! She wants a beanbag and I won’t be knitting that. I’ve looked around and the ones I can find to buy don’t inspire. Jennifer will be 11 and she wants this for her room. She’s grown out of the small child pretty pink cartoon phase but isn’t ready for the neutral coloured adult phase. I offered to sew her one.

In my teenage years and early twenties, I used to be a prolific dressmaker. This fizzled out with work, cycling and very small children. I didn’t have time. But I still have the equipment and the skills (although rusty) so we bought the fabric. It was expensive and that was a shock. The homemade version will cost more than a bought version, even though the fabric was heavily discounted in the sale! But never mind, I will enjoy making it and it will be pretty.

The pattern

The fabric – it’s from Cath Kitson – costly, even in the sale, but pretty!

A cosy evening in…

Yesterday, I had a warm rosy glow went I went to bed. We had spent a cheerful, relaxed evening in the living room with the children and some friends.

My husband made a flippant comment, laughing at the hours I spent knitting and my friend said she wanted to learn. I had an ally. We spent a few hours, I was teaching her the basics and it was fun for me to go from being beginner to expert. She picked it up really quickly and will learn fast.

The others were talking cars. My son is mad about cars- an 8year old walking car encyclopaedia; my husband photographs them professionally and his friend is a car tester. William had been given a Lego technics set for his birthday, a bit hard for him so the others were helping and discussing how engines work. My daughter sat reading, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, my favourite book, and stopped to discuss and explain what was happening.

We were all intent on our projects- enjoying them and enjoying each others’ company. It was calm, warm and relaxed- a feel good moment. It was one of those moments when I feel very grateful for my lot in life.

Changing the subject back to knitting, my socks are coming on now. Good news!!! I had another attempt to get the hang of the needles- lots of mistakes so I decided to start again. But this time, with more confidence. The stitches are looking neat – no ladders. Thanks for the useful tips…

Getting the hang of this now…

Stuck starting socks….

Arghhhh! My first attempt at using double pointed needles has ended in nothing. A whole evening with absolutely no progress made. No pictures at all for this blog post!

The blogs I have read have made sock making sound fun. Double pointed needles seemed like no problem. However when I went on to the “how to” blogs, I got a bit nervous – people were referring to the “dreaded double pointed needles”. This was a bit off putting but nonetheless, the wool had needles had arrived so I was going to get stuck in.

The first you tube tutorial I watched was about long tail casting on on one needle. Previously, I had used two needles so this was the first hurdle. I thought I’d understood and got it so my fifty stitches were quickly cast on. Then I started on the knitting with double pointed needles tutorial and it started to go pear shaped.. The stitches wouldn’t transfer very well and they kept unravelling.

Eventually, I realised my yarn and tail were in the wrong places – apart and not together so my casting on was wrong. Another tutorial and I was back in business. The stitches went onto the needles fairly easily and I just managed to knit a round.

Next problem, I got in muddle with matching up my rib stitches and needed to go back, during which I lost stitches. Generally, my needles felt unco-ordinated and my fingers were clumsy. The yarns between each needle were starting to lengthen so I knew the result would not be good. So I unravelled my knitting again and I’m back to the beginning, feeling a bit frustrated.

I am determined to do this. I know the logical thing would be to find a class and learn there but that is tricky. I work full time and long hours; the weekend is my time to be with family, and catch up on housework so it’s difficult to schedule. I will have to look up hints and tips to work out what to do.

I’d really appreciate any hints and tips….

Thanks.

What next?

I’ve finished the first half of my Fair Isle cushion – the back is fairly easy stocking stitch knitting so I’m hoping to complete this quickly. This means that my mind can shift to choosing my next project.

I love doing this – I get inspired by looking at yarns and beautiful patterns – many of which look very tricky!

Many patterns require knitting in the round- I’ve never done this so I want to learn. Where better to start than with socks. Looking at others’ blogs, knitting socks seems to be compulsive and an art form in itself. I’d never really thought about knitting socks – they get hidden in your shoe – but I’ve seen some lovely colourful ones that make me want to knit some.

So I’ve decided to knit socks- there’s a raft of new terminology and techniques awaiting me. I’m discovering that double pinned needles, heel flaps and Kitchener toes are all to be learnt. You tube seems to have plenty of guidance for me though.

I’ve looked hard for the easiest possible pattern. The Rye socks from Tin Can knits looked good but I wasn’t sure of the needle size, so I’ve gone with this one from P/hop:
Medecin sans frontieres socks

The socks will be for my husband- he wanted merino wool- there was a discussion about what would be least itchy – and he also likes neutral colours.

I really wanted to buy this Falkland Island wool- it looks soft and also comes from a source I’d like to support – unfortunately, it wasn’t the right tension though. I will remember this yarn for a future project.

Instead, I went for this – I thought the shades within the wool would add a bit of interest but they are not too bright for him. It’s called Malabrigo Arroyo Sport Yarn – Plomo (043).

It’s all ordered – I’ll look forward to it arriving later this week.

Christmas 2014

Mostly, the weather has been clear this Christmas. Bright blue skies and sunny days. Just what’s needed to cheer me up before returning to school and days of leaving and returning to the house in the dark.

The holiday has been one of the best! After a few days away visiting grandparents and family, we were back home. Lots of time with the children to chat and play. They’ve had cameras this Christmas so lots of time spent editing mini- videos and watching dodgy wonky filming. Plenty of time for bike rides, walks and homely time to just be together. Evenings spent knitting and watching TV – I’ve been knitting, they’ve been watching TV or playing on iPads – let’s be honest and not get too romantic.

Making a digital clock with liquid

We’ve had a day out to London, “Too much walking,” said my son, ice skating and a bit of decorating – catching up with a few household chores.

Photographing a beautiful mosaic in London

The pace of life has been leisurely and I’ve loved it. We’ve also done baking – including making a Christmas cake on 2nd Jan for my husband to take on his travels at the end of the month.

Just before going into the oven

My knitting has been coming on a treat. I’ve got better at holding the yarn, so I’m getting quicker and more fluent (if you can say that about knitting). My fair isle attempt looks even and I’m looking forward to seeing the front panel after it’s been blocked. Blocking will be a new venture for me as well.

Pleased to see the pattern is working

I’ve enjoyed using the colour charts and creating the pattern. Having to concentrate on the detail has kept me interested and made the knitting pass quickly. Of course, I’m looking forward to making the back now – it’s got easy stripes which should grow quickly. I’m feeling very proud of my progress.

Nearly finished- one more row of dolls to go

I feel at bit sad at the thought of the return to work on Monday. I love my job but it’s hectic. I will miss the gentle pace and unscheduled time that has dominated this holiday.